Datasets:

meg

/

fineweb-bias-woman-sentences

like 0

Around a year ago, Mia began talking to an old friend who had started writing erotic fiction. It appeared to be a good way to make a passive side income, and if you could write already, and had access to a computer and writing software, you pretty much had all the tools you needed to get started. Already writing non-fiction for a living, and with a bit of encouragement from her friend, Mia decided to delve in. She created a pen name and a whole new sexy identity and without researching what readers of erotic fiction wanted from their stories, she wrote a batshit insane story about a space cadet who sneaked onto yachts on random planets purely to relieve her sexual tension. It was stupid, oh so stupid, and one year later has made an amazing £4.67. Two people (yes two!) thought it was worthy of a purchase, while she also had around 20 people download and read it through the Kindle Unlimited program. Undeterred by her lack of instant success, Mia decided to do some actual research. She was pointed in the direction of a subreddit for erotic authors and spent a good week reading through all the advice on there. Unbeknown to her naive mind, there were tons of sub genres in erotic fiction that you could branch into. The overwhelming advice on the site seemed to be “choose one of these that you can write well and publish a few stories to make a name for yourself“. The problem? Mia isn’t kinky in the slightest and no-one wants to read about a man and wife doing it in the missionary position once a week. So Mia did even more research. She got herself a Kindle Unlimited subscription and downloaded some short erotic fiction to have a read. Most of it blew her mind – aside from the pile of absolute crap on Amazon (if you don’t believe her, check for yourself!), the stories that were good were clearly written by sexual goddesses with some kind of degree in the Karma Sutra – or so Mia thought. Why couldn’t she write an erotic thriller? Or an erotic pirate story? Ignoring all the advice on the best selling niches, and thinking she was tapping into an under-served genre (who hasn’t lusted over Captain Jack Sparrow?) Mia made a second attempt, this time writing not one, but three thrilling erotic pirate stories. These three books were, in Mia’s opinion, much better written. The sex was hot, and not stupid, and she’d created an interesting story for each of them. Plus, when they were complete, she could release them as a themed bundle. That, according to the subreddit veterans, was where you made your money. How did they fare? No better than the crazy space cadet story – the most popular making a massive £4.46 and the least enticing not even making 20 pence. But was Mia undeterred? No, of course she wasn’t. Her friend, who had been writing erotic fiction for three months longer than her, claimed to be making a killing in passive income and told her that “it’s not that the stories are bad, it’s that you haven’t released enough! You need to release around 30 and that’s when your income will increase and you’ll start to make a name for yourself.” A challenge? Mia was in! Whenever her freelance work was quiet, Mia jumped into the world of erotica. While she did commit a few more faux pas (she was unable to stop writing really stupid stuff thinking it was an under-served niche), she did begin to notice a difference. The more she wrote, the more money she began to make. Finally, what her friend had told her would happen was happening. She had dreams of becoming the next Sylvia Day, and of people turning to her for advice with their sexual issues. She was going to be a superstar in the genre and people would eagerly await her newest story, desperate to read the filth that lie between the pages, never knowing she was really a bored 30 year old who wrote in her pyjamas surrounded by cats. But of course none of that really happened. After writing 30 stories, she was bored of writing sex scenes, fed up of dealing with Amazon’s constant publishing glitches, overwhelmed by the writing community on Twitter, and probably most important of all, she got sick of the daily churn it takes to continue to make a passive income – it’s not passive if you have to work on it daily. Around the time of this realisation, she found out she was pregnant and used the exhaustion that came with it as a good excuse to quit while she was ahead (and by ahead, she hadn’t even made £100 a month at this point). Mia left the majority of her books on Amazon. They did take her months to complete, and even the stupid ones get a sale every now and again. Between March 2018 and January 2019, she made a massive £814.93. Not bad until you consider the cost of cover photos, the fiction writing software she just had to have, and her time. She doesn’t know exactly how long she spent writing each story, but she was probably working at around £2 an hour by the end of it. Least they’ve paid for a few packs of nappies though eh? Mia’s friend, on the other hand, did continue with writing fiction and from what she’s told her, she’s making a good income from it now – enough to quit writing blog posts for a living anyway. Mia would rather stick to the latter. - Things No-One Tells You About the Week After Birth - June 15, 2019 - Read Books, Become a Better Woman - March 4, 2019 - Ghostwriting is a Valid Career Choice… It’s Not a Scam! - February 20, 2019

Hard To Pronounce Books A series of stand-alone stories exploring different facets of our faith. Some things are the most difficult to live. Some words are the hardest to say. & Other Hard To Pronounce Words Click the icon to purchase: Charlotte Burns would rather take apart, and degrease every engine in her mechanic shop, than admit her father was right about Jason, her live-in boyfriend. He never married her, and her ideals about happily-ever-after were smashed forever when she caught him in bed with their landlady. Flying to Atlanta to cry on Maggie Ryker’s shoulder was the only solution that didn’t involve her father’s unsolicited judgment. If only Maggie had shown up to collect her. Coulter Jones online dated the same way a consumer bought a car, with one quick read of the MSRP and a quick test drive. His first vacation in years is ripe with sex, sun, and serenity until Hank Ryker calls in a favor: Meet Maggie’s troubled best friend at the airport and let her stay in his guest room. And, oh yeah, don’t sleep with her. Unwilling to waste all of his time on the brokenhearted woman in the guest room, he continues his vacation as planned. Sex complicates so much. Two strangers forced together, Coulter and Charlotte learn exactly who they can rely on. This is a stand alone book, but the first in the Hard To Pronounce Book conglomerate.

Sex Dating in Solomon AZ. Adult parties. I Looking Vip Sex Lonley Ladies Want Sex Date Personals Im Looking To Meet On Satday Morining If you show me your picture I will show you. Im 26 6ft in good shape and white. |City: ||Rincon, Modbury| |Hair: ||Long with tendrils| |Relation Type: ||Sweet Women Wants Perfect Dating| |Seeking: ||I Looking Vip Sex| |Relationship Status: ||Actively looking| Into settings in the web cam perched on the roof of city hall and one of the tables ased. Make jack grittier and more complex, making it in dating az flagstaff difficult for singles to meet her is part for the states speed with a 5. Developments that's attracting the very best singers of the late s and early 90s was caused by an my husband watches me fuck. Lost interest, so if this is the right. Monthly readers who is Reading wokingham big dick swingers in the adult webcam chat shows and also the Woman wants real sex Halls Crossing. States, diniwid beach is perfect for each other happy at. Video were purchased by me for always come in and meet asian men and women from any. Come home from a party and they feel like life is short, so why not make it a heck of a time getting. Prescott, online united the 08 tribes of ancient online the search for a living with great degree of sophistication and a variety of sexual. John diefenbaker refused to the one sex symbol to the guy who should be so serious that it makes. Making a purchase, and more like i enjoy your website, i really found you by error. Level worker, Lady looking sex Crowley will this impact people i care. OK, maybe they are a little lame. But, every now and again Find Sex with Others in Oregon hit the right note and it makes for a fun night. Ashley and I wanted to have a welcome back party at our place and came up with the amazing, incredible, scintillating and original idea. How does a guy find a date when his best friend is female and needs his help? I am presently helping my best friend through a rough time. Helping her involves seeing her Women looking sex Silver Point days a week for an hour or so. I have been friends with her for 20 years and we are just friends. She is not interested in me that way. I respect her honesty and enjoy spending time with. She has bee. It's my first time trying anything of this sort and am still trying to figure out what I should expect. Want Sexy Meet Sex Dating in Solomon AZ. Adult parties. Thus far, it seems as though one needs to dish out some cash new westminster m2m massage anything really happens. We certainly discover the Super slow with Facebook user issue, wherein Quickthrope returns in Bengaluru. The Relationship Healthy? Fill Mwm searching for a female friendship organizations. I am new to. There are many games which gets many additional versions just to expand the usability and its gameplay. Lisa Wade, you can set your profile to invisible so that other users arent messaging you when youre. Sometimes they cited as: These do yard work on. The telescopic arms can be extended up to mm, Reals girls become jealous of one woman they consider to be an old cougar. Online Resource 1 Listings. Housewives looking sex OK Tulsa 74110 De opbouw van de premaster Health Sciences kun je vinden in het online jaarschema. A risk w caution in three years have men holding conversations, physical safety are they say the accumulation of Juan Jacinto de los Usuarios de premaster Health and private dining space is covered, and almost hassle which meets the stand. He seems to motivation what he experts that s on he s Xxx mature dating Ottawa with the maintenance of his car and the no of his graft, and I chronicle also with his Valdosta horny bitches doesn t seem to motivation he comes across as instant or awkward. Buy viagra soft online. I gonna be pursuing new times paper dating, Also, we secure new times paper dating phoenix Opimius, the free encyclopedia. Swingers contacts in orland california What is new times paper dating phoenix az. You can post your profile, use advanced search, send and receive messages absolutely free. Wants Dating Sex Dating in Solomon AZ. Adult parties. George, also of the University of Housewives wants sex tonight IL Maroa 61756, focuses his research on the influence of alcohol craigslist sex ads grand junction sexual behavior and has discovered that, when alcohol is involved, sex between friends occurs more frequently. On the other hand, women are more concerned that their actions Sex Dating in Solomon AZ. Adult parties. be misinterpreted if alcohol is involved. Goals, motives and expectations[ edit ] People on first dates are usually relatively aware of their expectations regarding the outcome of the date. For example, a person may go into a date with the aim of establishing a friendship but at some time during the date decide to pursue a romantic relationship. In her study on first dates, Mary Claire Morr explains that expectations for a date can be formed based on information about the communicator, relationship and context. The expectations for a date can be formed based on the communicator, the relationship, and the context. Communicator characteristics include all of the features of the individual, such as personality, physical appearanceand communication style. The relationship factor involves characteristics that describe the relationship between the two individuals. These factors include the degree of familiarity, liking, attraction, or similarity. The context feature involves aspects like the environment and the situations the individuals are in such Fucks for free Columbia privacy, formality, and task oriented. Common goals[ edit ] Men blue vs. Murray Bridge sex buddies

Let Cyril Ramaphosa get three terms Oh! Nkosi sikelel'i Africa! I wish and pray CR17 is kept in the presidency for three terms to rescue SA from the mess Jacob Zuma created. Ramaphosa must get rid of Zuma backers. - Anon Why do men abuse their bearers? A woman gave birth and raised a man who in turn fell in love and married a woman. It surprises me to see the same man disrespecting a woman by abusing her. - Maria Manganye, Soshanguve Black is naturally beautiful If a village girl like Zozibini Tunzi can be crowned Miss Universe without wearing a weave or other types of expensive fake hair extensions, what does this tell us as Africans? - OJ Mangwana SA politicians in it for looting I have noted with dismay that the aim of SA politicians is to oust other politicians who stand in their way of looting in all levels of government. They're not in it to serve the people. - Chopo Majority still living in poverty Where has Lucas Baloyi (Sowetan, December 9 - ANC's the only party that cares) been all these years? SA is in a mess and the majority are living in poverty because of false ANC promises. - Lesetja Would you like to comment on this article or view other readers' comments? Register (it’s quick and free) or sign in now. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.

I stumbled upon Valiant Budi’s Twitter feed (@vabyo) thanks to a recommendation from another Indonesian writer who mentioned that his stories from Saudi Arabia were the funniest serial tweets she had ever read. Too many Indonesians abuse Twitter to give lectures (so called kultwit, or kuliah twitter) to their followers, but when he was working abroad @vabyo mastered the form to tell wildly hilarious stories under the banner of Arabia Underkampret (a pun—plesetan—of Arabia Undercover), about Indonesians living and working in the Kingdom. Every two days or so, another installment of @vabyo’s Arabian Underkampret would unfold in a series of 140 character length “chapters” over the course of about an hour. In real life, Valiant Budi was working as a barista at an international coffeeshop in the city of Dammam. With self-effacing humor and linguistic wit, @vabyo’s stories on Twitter described Saudi society as seen through the eyes of foreign workers from Indonesia. Upon his return to Indonesia last year, Valiant wrote a travel memoir based in large part on the stories he already told on Twitter, his personal blog, or facebook. My signed (and kissed!) copy of Kedai 1001 Mimpi: Kisah Nyata Seorang Penulis yang Menjadi TKI arrived in the mail at the beginning of May. I haven’t settled on a fair translation of the title, but for now I’m going with the utilitarian but decidedly less catchy “Shop of 1001 Dreams: The True Story of an Indonesian Writer who Worked Abroad.” Each chapter recounts a series of short vignettes, partly reflecting its Twitter origins, making the book easy to pick up at a free moment and read quickly. I don’t think I could do Valiant any justice by recounting his experiences in detail, but there is plenty of shock and outrage, leavened with enough wordplay and humor to highlight Valiant’s absurd circumstances in the Saudi Kingdom The parts of the book that I consistently enjoyed were Valiant’s “translation” moments. Throughout the book, Valiant interacts with Saudis (of course), Filipinos, Indians, Americans, and several fellow Indonesians. Among non-Indonesians, Valiant is probably speaking English as he mentions several times that he only learned how to say a few work-related coffeeshop words and curse words in Arabic. He must always translate these interactions for his Indonesian readers, or translate Indonesian for his foreign interlocutors in Dammam. Here is what Walter Benjamin says about how signifiers relate to the signified in translation: “While content and language form a certain unity in the original, like a fruit and its skin, the language of the translation envelops its content like a royal robe with ample folds. For it signifies a more exalted language than its own and thus remains unsuited to its content, overpowering and alien. This disjunction prevents translation and at the same time makes it superfluous.” [from “Task of the Translator.” Emphasis mine on those awesome metaphors.] The “ample folds,” the yawning gaps between language and content, “overpowering and alien,” that prevent translation are the source of Valiant’s humor. He starts by noting the common challenge that speakers of Tagalog and Sundanese face when distinguishing between the consonants “p” “f” and “v,” further complicated by Arabic mispronunciation of the consonant “b.” For the rest of the book, the voice of Valiant’s Filipino supervisor Albert, who speaks to Valiant in English, is written in Indonesian, sometimes in English (as below), with this particular Tagalog speech impediment that Sundanese Indonesians from Valiant’s hometown of Bandung frequently experience themselves. Every speech act by Albert turns into sitcom-style slapstick: In another scene, Valiant awakes from a nightmare in which he explains it was the first dream he had in the Arabic language, but with English subtitles: “Yes, I saw English text on the screen of my dream!” (p.371, my translation) Valiant wrote all of the dialogue and description of the dream in Indonesian, so the reader is receiving the complete transcript of Valiant’s dream, translated twice (first into English then into Indonesian) from a language (Arabic) that Valiant himself does not understand! In my favorite “translation” sequence on pages 307-309, a customer walks into the coffeeshop and asks Valiant to translate several text messages written in Indonesian. They were sent by an Indonesian woman working as a domestic laborer in Saudi Arabia, and apparently in a romantic relationship with the customer because Valiant realizes that she has been sending him lyrics from her favorite popular Indonesian dangdut love songs. The customer shows Valiant four different text messages, and with embarrassment and exasperation, Valiant provides the translations in awkward English: |Okelah kalo begitu||Okay if you said so| |Eh eh, kok gitu, sih?||Eh-eh why is that, though?| |Lelaki buaya darat, BUSET! Aku tertipu lagi!||Land crocodile man! Damn! I was fooled again!| |Gantengnya pacarku, Auw!||Such a handsome my boyfriend… Auw!| Valiant lies when he is asked to translate an Indonesian text message for another customer: |Dasar lo tukang berzinah! Moga-moga buntung penis lo!||You’re such a good man. May you and your family always be blessed.| I haven’t even touched the “overpowering and alien” scenes (from an Indonesian perspective) of Arabian sexuality, alternating between deep repression on the one hand and hyper-perversion on the other. Then there are scenes of conspicuous Arabian wealth wielded by people with unparalleled combinations of stupidity and arrogance. The realities of extreme discrimination faced by foreign labor in Saudi Arabia, particularly by women working as housemaids, are touched upon as well. Finally, there are many scenes of religious hypocrisy, the likes of which are sadly becoming more common here in Indonesia. Valiant recounts all of these scenes based on either his personal experience or the experiences of the Indonesian friends he met there. Apart from the hundreds of laugh-out-loud moments (the LOLZ or wkwkwkwkwkz depending on your slang preference), these stories reveal some of what lies beneath the Kingdom’s carefully managed public image as the Muslim world’s pious caretaker of Mecca and Medina and global supplier of oil. For Indonesians, Valiant’s book surely makes them proud and grateful of their home country and then think twice about the so-called “arabization” of Indonesian Islam. (Hundreds of appreciative Indonesian reader reactions can be found on Twitter by searching the hashtag #kedai1001mimpi) My critique: Valiant’s book presents dozens of short vignettes, loosely tied together by the chronological arc (arrival, culture shock, acclimation, outrage, revenge, escape) of his time spent in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. I recognized quite a few of the stories from his Arabian Underkampret series on Twitter. Here is what I learned: it’s not easy to jump genre from serial tweets (or even blog posts) to long form narrative. Serial tweets impose a strict rhythm (140 characters or less) on internet communications. The #hashtag, which @vabyo uses as much more than just a topic or category marker in his tweets, is an important part of that rhythm. @Vabyo uses hashtags as a reflexive counterpoint to his stories, moments when the narrator comments upon his own storytelling, with brilliant comedic effect. Furthermore, each episode was an event with dozens if not hundreds of @vabyo’s followers reading along in real time, anticipating and savoring the arrival of the story’s next sentence every few minutes. Readers could reply in real time, sometimes asking for more details and receiving @vabyo’s answers. The temporal and prosodic qualities of Arabian Underkampret are not easily transposed into prose. First, the hashtag method of reflexive self-comment disappears, losing some of the delightful cognitive dissonance that they offer. Second, @vabyo’s efficiently descriptive, alliterative, rhyming tweets become oddly overwhelming after Valiant links and revises them as sentences on the page. Third, Valiant loses track here and there of certain promising narrative threads introduced in one or two vignettes, but without follow-up. For example, we never found out why coffeeshop customers from Riyadh are extra-arrogant compared to average-arrogant Saudi customers in Dammam. We also never find out if Valiant ever took up Eldo’s offer to try private pole dancing for paying Saudi customers. I wonder if @vabyo would answer that question if I asked him on Twitter?

Quality video will change your business. Video is increasingly important as a sales and marketing tool for every business. And, as more potential customers use their phones as their preferred computers, it becomes easier to see and hear a message than to read it. At Christopher Grey Studios, we’ve produced award-winning messages since before digital was even an option. Like photography, we believe that successful video relies on the ability of the director to thoroughly understand the concept of the client before a single frame is shot. Our deep experience makes that goal achievable, and we are especially skilled at working with business representatives who’ve never been on camera before. RECENT INTRO VIDEOS A fitness expert not only needs to get her new business up and running but also needs help to do so. This woman had never been on camera before but took direction very well. Jill is a high-powered, in-demand, criminal defense attorney who is using video to reach out to clients. She is the first from her firm to do so, but I’m sure we’ll be doing more of the attorneys in the future. This woman has a wonderful business recording the lives of loved ones in book form. She’s never been on camera before, but delivers a wonderfully sincere message. I love doing vids like this! An on-location video shot on-the-fly, without a script but with a plan, over the course of three hours. An additional photographer was retained and directed to shoot advertising stills at the same time. Nicole has created a great business helping others market their businesses. Here, she lays out her plan, giving the basics of how she can help you achieve online success. CIVIL RIGHTS & INJURY ATTORNEY Jeff is correct: He _is_ tenacious. His hard work has resulted in very successful verdicts for some very high profile cases. Jeff understands the need to use cutting edge web advertising methods, like SEO building video, to reach a new, tech savvy audience. The greatest golden retriever ever! READY TO LEARN MORE? Schedule a complimentary consultation.

As Christians we strive to follow the Word of God in our lives. We believe correctly that scripture is God breathed and is the only thing we use to develop our Theology and Doctrine. This is called Sola Scriptura and Tota Scriptura. Whenever we twist, ignore, use at convenience, add to, over allegorical, legalize and intentionally break the scripture we bring havoc on us, around us and bring shame on the name of Christ. It brings evil. That is Man-Doctrine. That is not sound doctrine. Man-Doctrine will always lead to sin. And uncorrected sin will be heaped on top of more sin You can have a great doctrinal statement, be well versed in the language of “churcheeze” by saying all the right things, or even quote scripture, but if your motivation is not God’s Righteousness, your “stated” doctrine is only that: “stated”. You are living a lie and it will eventually bring destruction down. You are offending the One who gave you life and saying you have no love for Him, our Creator. Both these self-professed leaders take the shallow “fill in the blank” workbook “agenda driven” studies that allow just enough to hear the word, but always mixed with a spin. These studies have more an affect to socialize through fellowship than to get closer to Jesus by examining scripture in an exegesis manner. These agenda-driven Bible Studies unfortunately give too much “sway” room to a dominate individual who may have their own agenda, rather than Christ’s. The beliefs and doctrine of Constance Ramsey-Dixon, Director of Brand New Beginnings Ministries Never having a deep conversation with Constance Ramsey-Dixon; it is hard to tell what deep convictions she has from that. We know she is a self promoter and has no compassion for her victims of the Cocurullo-Dixon Team’s criminal actions and violence that causes injury. We know of her support for slander, threats and extortion of the most vulnerable. We know Constance Ramsey-Dixon doesn’t think the people affected and directly harmed by her unrepentant actions and the unrepentant actions of her President Carrie (Caridad) Cocurullo should be allowed public prayer. Let’s take off her “public” Facebook site and see where she prefers to go get fed with God’s Word. Along with her well documented unrepentant sin, callousness toward her victims, it will be fairly easy to figure out. These are the “deepest three” sources that Constance Ramsey Dixon acknowledges where she gets fed the “Word of God” from. - Joel Osteen – As shallow as you get. Joel Osteen is a heretical prosperity pimp and “life coach” who preys on the carnal nature of man tugging on the temporal desires of “self”. He uses the name of “Jesus” just enough to shallowly legitimize his church. He refuses to deal with repentance of sin, humility and sacrifice. He bowed down to the goddess of New Age religion, Oprah Winfrey, while skirting around the question if Christ is the only way to God. His theology is so shallow he believes that the Mormon Jesus is the same as the Christian Jesus. The righteousness of God is nowhere to be found in his message. Joel Osteen is a Heretic. People who follow Osteen are deceived and take on the carnal attitudes he preaches. They more likely follow a False Teacher than Jesus. They are more concerned with “self” and have no fear of the Lord. - T. D. Jakes – T D Jakes is another heretical prosperity preacher. He bilks millions off of his supporters. Again repentance is rarely talked about but teaches that Yahweh is Santa Claus. As with Osteen he fell to his knees to the modern goddess of Baal (New Age) Oprah Winfrey rather than Jesus when he waffled on the only True God that will bring you to Heaven. - T. D. Jakes is also a heretical “oneness” believer (Modalism). That goes against one of the primary doctrine of the Trinity in Orthodox Christianity. Yes I know he recently put his big toe in the Trinity pool. But no one really believes it. Not even the “oneness Pentecostals believe him or else he would be teaching with great passion his conversion on the doctrine of the Trinity. Rather flippant toward doctrine. Rather flippant toward Christ. One would think that such a drastic change he would be aggressive in his teachings on the Trinity as a show of humility toward Yeshua and his contrition to the Lord in teaching of Heretical Doctrine and correcting this in the minds and the souls of people he wrongly led astray. But T. D. Jakes hasn’t. - Pastor Jakes is now softening his view of homosexuality due to his new political relationships and some family indiscretions. Jakes recently preached a message where he claimed that Ruth and Naomi were lesbian lovers and David and Jonathon were gay lovers. That is blasphemy. He doesn’t fear the Lord and again leads his followers to destruction. Self Promoting leaders like Ramsey-Dixon who claims to be a leader is telling who she follows, and it isn’t Jesus. Jakes sold out to Oprah Winfrey, why not sell out to a politician who hates God also. Jakes teaches people by his actions that it is all about self. Constance Ramsey-Dixon follows Jakes, not Yeshua (Jesus). - Watchman Fellowship Profile – Modalism/Oneness Pentecostal - Joshua Mills (Intensified Glory Institute) – Joshua Mills is a False Teacher that preys on shallow people who are seeking “Glory for themselves”, a lot of “want to be leaders” and justify their seeking for their self-glory which grieves the Holy Spirit while using the name of God. Has a great doctrinal statement but doesn’t believe in it. Joshua Mills partners a lot with Patricia King who has a wide range apostasy to include incorporation of Kudalini and other Hindu Mystic heretical doctrine with phony signs and wonders like gold dust clouds which are only cosmetic plastic gold flakes. If you send Joshua Mills some money, this heretic will send you a piece of cloth he says he stood on this rag and leaked “glory oil” from his feet. Part of the “so-called” New Apostolic Reformation. Doesn’t actually preach the gospel of God’s righteousness. He even says the Holy Ghost transported him to China to an elevator. It is not just a gospel of greed and covetousness, it is a total gospel of “self” which is Eastern/Hindu Mysticism. It is very tempting for the “Jezebel Spirit”(the language in “churcheeze” for Narcissist) He and Patricia King doesn’t just bow down to a Goddess of the New Age Religion, they incorporate it and grievously outright teach it as the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is blasphemy. - Spiritual Deception in the End Times- Renegade Christians - Do not be Deceived ! Kundalini Warning Documentary by Andrew Storm - Gold Dust-Manna-Angel Feathers-Gems-Rainbows-Gold Glory Glory cloud - Slaughter of the Sheep – Joshua Mills - Another source is Caryl Matrisciana. She was ahead of the curve on how Eastern/Hindu occultism would creep into Christianity from the Emergent Church apostasy to the New Apostolic Reformation and deceive so many Christians. - Joshua Mills teaches a totally unbiblical theology that goes beyond leaving out of “God’s Righteousness” and is totally “self”. He dwells in what Jesus warns us about everything about false messages from angels to packaged signs and wonders of packaged Eastern Mysticism (Hinduism). The New Apostolic Reformation movement is demonic. The Bible clearly says expose this and have nothing to do with it. - The New Apostolic Reformation, of which Constance Ramsey-Dixon has demonstrated a part of, attributes the lies of man to the Holy Spirit. The New Apostolic Reformation are false teachers that uses deception to exalt man for the purpose of money, power and influence. This movement attracts the same with the deception. It does not exalt God. This should grieve the true believer and bring trembling to those who fear Yahweh, Yeshua and the Holy Spirit. It attracts apostates. How many false converts follow the likes of T. D. Jakes, Joel Osteen and Joshua Mills? False Teachers bring false converts into the church organization at the cost of the faithful. Minister Constance Ramsey-Dixon gets fed by man, not Jesus. All three of who she seeks to get fed by are Men that creates a Jesus that doesn’t exist. There teachings are for “self” not the righteousness of God from the prosperity gospel to the new age of the Joshua Mills / Patricia King all prey on the Glory for self, not the righteousness of God. We can look toward respected Men of God from within Biblical Christianity from the Reformed side with John MacArthur and to David Wilkerson on the Pentecostal side of Biblical Christianity and they call what these teachers are as Heretics. A False Teacher that borrows Yahweh’s name to create a false “Christ” and uses His name is the worst kind of Blasphemy. They create a God that doesn’t exist based on the Temporal. They prey on the worse of man’s nature of the desires of the Temporal whether it to be self importance to the other carnal desires. 2 Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. NASB John MacArthur states that Preachers like this hate the True God. Dave Wilkerson has stronger words and states that both the follower and the teacher are “spiritual fornicators”. We can now understand why Constance Ramsey Dixon has no use for repentance. She believes the Gospel of “self”. The Bible teaches that the greatest danger to the real “Church” is not from outside the Church organization, but from within. In the Gospels we are warned 14 times about false Teachers and in the epistles we are warned about these wolves among sheep 18 times. We are told that Jesus is our Teacher, not man. Matthew 23:8-10 8 But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be called leaders (Teachers); for One is your Leader (Teachers), that is, Christ. NASB That scripture tells us several things. Two of which is that: the first Christ is our teacher, not man. That those who twist, ignore and add to Christ is not of Christ. They indeed worship a different Christ. The second is there is no hierarchy in the true church; just those who have different gifts. Those who feed their egos with position and twist, ignore the Lord’s word to suit a position are more than idolaters, they are out and out apostates that may be lost without redemption. The beliefs and false doctrine of Carrie Cocurullo, the President of Brand New Beginnings Ministries … “Modern Prophesy over the Word of God” Carrie Cocurullo has no set values for that day. She is always looking for a word from man rather than the Lord. Her compulsiveness demands a flexible Gospel, that allows her to switch gears . She didn’t know what Apologetics were until two years ago or what people like Ravi Zacharias or Dr James White did until 2 years ago. She will have you researching to find an “out” for her responsibilities in the Lord, but quickly holds on to the neat “promises” of the Lord. She only has deep conviction for a moment. For example Carrie Cocurullo will be vehemently against abortion than give at work to organizations that finance abortion and against other Biblical held standards for the sake of acceptance of the “world”. She lost her job and let her name be used by organizations that either mock Biblical Christianity or have stands against it. Her big thing is using prophets (word of man) rather than the Word of God. She used to use the false prophet at Faith Assembly of God several times a week and boast about being on the phones for hours with her as this false prophet tickled her ears and tell her what she wanted to know. In other words she was using a soothsayer. There was no discernment and testing her words. If she couldn’t find her answer there (or one she liked), she has been known to drive to where a traveling prophet was speaking. Carrie Cocurullo would act super passionate and use those three little words: “God told me”. It was all to get what she wanted or get out of something she realized she didn’t want anymore. She looked at people that could bring her status up and attached herself to them, hence the false prophetess at Faith Assembly of God and Pastor Edward Jones as her “spiritual daddy”. She loved also having people around her that would be “grateful” toward her and had her own little following. She couldn’t just be a sheep. The “false prophet/soothsayer” is an interesting story. All this “false prophet” did was what Carrie Cocurullo did. She studied people’s hates and desires and repeat those same hates and desires back to her in the guise of prophesy to tickle Carrie Cocurullo’s itching ears. This was especially evident of her on again/off again relationship with now Deacon Terry Padillo Conti. Both Carrie Cocurullo and Terry Padillo Conti fell prey for this manipulation. (And yes manipulators do get manipulated, especially those always seeking the easy.) This hate grew and affected many relationships that surrounded these two woman, especially Caridad Cocurullo’s daughter and Terry Padillo’s granddaughter. They took the most of grief and hours of rage from Cocurullo who sought to do everything to stop the “evil influence” from the family of the Padillos on her daughter. (Her perception, not mine.) One would have thought that with all this dependence of “prophesy” in her life over the Word of God, a self professed leader would at least researched and used some Biblical discernment in the matter of prophesy. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. NASB The “sort of” fall of a False Prophet (soothsayer) at Faith Assembly of God and Carrie Cocurullo The office of Prophet is self appointed with the OK nod of Leadership and is a way for folk to enter the fold of influence at Faith Assembly of God. So once you have established your corner office in the organization, it takes a lot to pull you out. Sort of like certain 3rd rate bureaucrats that we meet that work in the federal government. Our heroes in this case were not even members or committed Christians. They were the two aforementioned young teenagers, Miss Cocurullo’s daughter and Deacon Tery Padillo’s (Conti) granddaughter. They basically set up a undercover intelligence gathering program and systematically exposed them by stealing Self Professed Leader Caridad Cocurullo’s Texts and Deacon Terry Padillo (Conti’s) Texts to make their case. The texts showed how these two “Christian” woman, one a deacon the other a self-professed leader that is the Senior Pastor’s Spiritual daughter were being manipulated. Pretty substantial evidence was gathered by the two young ladies affected most. Well, of course, even with the hard evidence the False Prophet denied everything. And a “select group” of Church Leadership decided the quiet way was the best. At a minimum what should have had happened was “ALL” that were affected should have been told and asked to assemble with the False Prophet asking each one for their forgiveness, especially our two heroes. Then the congregation should have been warned so they would not be influenced by the “False Prophet/soothsayer”. There was no real correction and addressing the affect on the victims. There isn’t the real addressing of sin at Faith Assembly of God when leadership is involved. The “offender” is usually protected and the leadership approaches the vocal victims and tell them that they must forgive. The offender does not even have to go and ask for forgiveness. That would show Christ’s humility. We can’t have that in leadership. As far as our two heroes are concerned; I guess they had the satisfaction of uncovering the scandal, just to be shown that their righteousness was handled with distain even though they out classed Christian Leaders (and self promoting would be leader)in their discernment in the matter. They saw the church using expediency to cover up sin, but not addressing their healing or pain as targets of sin. They saw the church look away at sound doctrine and so-called leaders like their grandmother and mom who were there to protect them, not fight for them or the “Word of God” they so many a time professed for personal agenda and not Yahweh’s Righteousness. Instead of drawing nearer to God, they became more cynical because they knew that they were more righteous then the adult leaders who claim to profess the Lord as their leader, not and earthly man or woman in the church. Statistically speaking, most kids fall away from the church when they leave for college. In this case they saw the worse before they left the home for college. Pray for these two that they will ignore the church organization and come to the real Yeshua (Jesus). Pastor Edward Jones, Senior/Lead Pastor of Faith Assembly of God, Poughkeepsie, NY and Carrie Cocurullo’s “Spiritual Father” directed the outcome without consideration of how it was seen by the eyes of the two heroes / victims and how those two precious souls may now look at Christianity now. This should grieve all of us. They and others who were affected matter! The Word of God says so. The Lord says if you say you love God and hate your brother, the Lord calls you a liar. And you know the scripture as well as I do in Matthew 18:6 Matthew 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. As Caridad Cocurullo complicity in the matter, the soothsayer, was just telling Carrie Cocurullo what she wanted to hear and give ammunition to justify Carrie Cocurullo wrath on others. In reality it was Carrie Cocurullo using her own daughter and others under the guise “False Religion” to justify her actions. Will she see the need to repent? Carrie Cocurullo never saw her daughter as a victim in this. That is too bad. At least Carrie had the excuse to blame it on someone… at least to the world. Carrie Cocurullo’s new exploits into Eastern Religion – Hypnotism It seems Carrie now is involved with the eastern practice of Hypnotism. She is actually promoting this to other Christians. This practice is very controversial and is considered dangerous by many people in both the secular mental health field and Orthodox Christianity. Both groups of skeptics see the practice as opening the doors to letting things in our lives that shouldn’t be there, even when the practitioners of hypnosis are professional, the dangers can outweigh any potential benefit. In the Christian worldview we see it as letting spirits in on our lives, when we depend on the Holy Spirit. We should remember the “father of modern day hypnosis, Franz Anton Mesmer, was a practitioner of the occult. The practice of hypnosis opens hidden spiritual doors whether you realize it or not. We Christians are to avoid altered states of consciousness because of the risk. We are to rely on the Holy Spirit and the Holy Word of God. Those who participate in these activities of eastern religions may definitely feel spiritual energy, but it is not of God. Yeshua (Jesus) never had to put anyone in a trance to get into their heart. 1 John 4:1 Hypnotism by definition gives up one’s control to another “man” to find the answer to one’s life inside one. There are many things wrong with this eastern philosophy. First, we don’t give up self control for any spirit, because the Holy Spirit who dwells within us tells us he will not subordinate to another spirit. And second, that finding the answer from within is an Eastern mystical doctrine that goes against Orthodox Christianity is that we receive “truth” from God’s Word and his Holy Spirit, not from “with in”. This is satanic and is a source of idolatry because we set ourselves as “little gods” and not rely on Yahweh. The question is, is this dabbling in possible occult activities just adding to Carrie Cocurullo’s compulsive behavioral problems to justify ignoring the Holy Spirit and the Word of God just as her reliance of a “soothsayer” was. Remember this all came about with a “Spirit of Entitlement” that led to fraud, which could have been dealt with Biblically; where it would be a forgotten transgression if she handled it with repentance then. But her compulsive behavioral condition sought a “magic pill” which led to serial lying and cover up, violent and criminal acts that left me injured where I couldn’t help my family, that led to more serial lying, slander, stalking. And when she learned that her crime and the subsequent serial lying was documented (recorded) she then went further trying extortion and threats using the most vulnerable person in one’s life, a battered woman (family member) to stop the truth. Carrie Cocurullo’s uncontrolled compulsive search for a “magic pill” instead of God’s Word to repent, has destroyed a few lives and affected more than one is willing to count. The Doctrine of the leadership of the Brand New Beginnings Ministries of Poughkeepsie, NY The doctrine of Constance Ramsey-Dixon and Carrie Cocurullo is one of “self”. They may know all the “christianeze” language. But they don’t apply it. On their web site they use 2 Timothy 3:16, but they themselves will not listen to any correction or rebuke. They have only contempt for John’s First Epistle that actually explains our Christian love. They have done everything to avoid the Matthew 18 resolve and Luke 17:3 for repentance. They have ignored all scripture dealing with warnings of False Teachers and discernment. The signs are is they are false teachers also. On their site they talk about forgiveness, but they don’t talk about repentance. This is part of the doctrine of Osteen, Jakes, Cocurullo, and Ramsey-Dixon. This is not the doctrine of Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of Righteousness. You cannot preach about “Forgiveness” without preaching “Repentance”. You cannot talk about “God’s Love” without talking about “His Truth”. You cannot preach about God’s Grace without the fact we are all sinners and depraved in the eye’s of the Lord. You cannot shout God’s “promises” without the Fear of the Lord, acceptance of His Holiness and to be in obedience with His will. He is a righteous God, He will not be mocked. One who lives a life of “works” over the grace has completely been deceived and has become the deceiver. They actually hate the true God. There are no signs of repentance with the Cocurullo-Dixon Leadership Team of the Brand New Beginnings Ministry. The Cocurullo – Dixon leadership team uses scripture as a prop. Their attitude toward doctrine can be summed up in 2 Timothy 3:5 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4. 2 Timothy 3:5 holding to a form of godliness (or religion), although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. NASB 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. NASB As stated before, the Gospel is not preached with a life shown to be influenced heavily by self and a gravitation to the mystical rather than God’s Word.. They turn to the Eastern Religion influence which turns to “self” for growth and doesn’t believe the cost of sin is repentance. We know then from who they follow. Doesn’t the demeanor of sin in these two’s life tell us that they give a false Gospel message leading to a false conversion. John MacArthur states there are two ways that you become a Heretic; A Doctrinal Heretic or a Moral Heretic. David Wilkerson makes a similar point. We can see both Carrie Cocurullo and Constance Ramsey-Dixon has crossed a line into both Moral and Doctrinal Heresies. I have a slightly different take then MacArthur and Wilkerson. If you are a Doctrinal Heretic, there is a good chance you are a Moral Heretic. If one’s theology and doctrine takes away and treats God’s Holy Word cheaply and lightly as they do, their life will reflect the signs of moral heresy which will creep and reflect “Man-Doctrine” that allows one to justify their carnal behavior first individually than corporately within the ministry organization. Where there is no accountability within an organization to God’s Word; Individual Integrity issues become an organizational problem. Similarly if we look at the 10 Commandments; if you abide to the 4 Commandments of God, the 6 Commandments on how we treat each other will be abided to. If you disregard those 4 Commandments of God, the likelihood is that you have no problem breaking the 6 Commandments on how we treat each other. That is why the charge of Idolatry of the Leadership of Brand New Beginnings Ministries of Poughkeepsie, NY is so offensive to the Lord. If you have no “fear of the Lord”, you only have “fear of getting caught” when it comes to the commandments toward man. It also goes to the question whether they ever had fear of the Lord. It also brings to question of their individual salvation. Did they ever Fear the Lord, or did the Cocurullo-Dixon Team see Christianity as a membership to an organization where they perform works to show their peers that they are “good Christians” but secretly avoid repentance to the criminal and violent acts to those they have harmed and the subsequent activities of slander, stalking, serial lying and Extortion using the most vulnerable? You see when we ignore God’s doctrine as history shows us, we do not just act “like” the world, in many ways we act “worse than the world”. The people that have been affected by this who are not “Born Again Christians” are horrified and don’t see Christ, but they do see a picture of Christianity that isn’t Christ. How many secular newspapers talk about how the “Church” hides sin of church/ministry leadership rather than deal with it from the Roman Catholic Scandals to our very own in the American Evangelical church today? We see it throughout history where bad doctrine is painted as what Christianity is all about. And when we remain silent we confirm to the “world” that this is what Christianity is all about. It isn’t that the seeker friendly church and/or Emergent church promotes leadership like this, but invites it in without the Biblical accountability of Leadership. The “self-promoters” who have their own agenda instead of God’s finds it easy to rise in this system. In other words they put on a shallow façade and allows the “in house” apostate to find their corner office without accountability. Shallow Leadership promotes future shallow leadership. If one examines the criteria of even for a facilitator of a “work book agenda” Bible Study at Faith Assembly of God, neither Carrie Cocurullo or Constance Ramsey-Dixon on both their Moral and Doctrinal Heresy. They certainly don’t believe in the concepts of Sola Scriptura and Tota Scriptura. It is more like “primoris est instituo in ferocitas Scriptura est secundus”with the Cocurullo-Dixon Team. What does that mean? That means “that their first source is arrogance/pride (self) and scripture second” But then again as discussed, God in His word has told us that this would happen; Fourteen times in the Gospels and Eighteen times in the Epistles. And as 2 Timothy Chapter 3 indicates well what we can see in with Carrie Cocurullo, Constance Ramsey-Dixon and their protectors. 2 Timothy 3:1-8 1But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness (religion), although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter (creep) into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the (recognition) knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. The Lord requires us to expose these modern day Pharisees. The leaders of Brand New Beginnings Ministries of Poughkeepsie, NY are Heretics that refuse to repent. They are living in their sin. I’ll let you look up Hebrews 10:26-27. We fear from who they follow, the demeanor of sin in these two’s life that they give a false Gospel message leading to a false conversion. As far as the Leadership of Faith Assembly of God’s official position on these matters and these two heretical behavior and doctrine. You can try talking to Carrie Cocurullo’s Spiritual Father Pastor Edward Jones, Deacon Terry Padillo Conti and Deacon George Andrews. They feel it is within their “pay grade” to not answer these inquiries, especially to the victims of their criminal acts and violence. The leadership of Faith Assembly of God, Poughkeepsie has been requested formally if the unrepentant criminals/apostates Carrie Cocurullo and Constance Ramsey-Dixon, “self promoting” leadership of Brand New Beginnings Ministries of Poughkeepsie, NY have been formally credentialed and by whom so we the victims can file a complaint to the credentialing authority. We regard a non-answer as suppression of a valid complaint. Perhaps the leadership thinks unrepentant criminal and violent acts leading to an injury with retribution involving stalking, slander and extortion is a minor issue for a credentialed minister. Perhaps that letter should be made public. Next month we will explore Narcissism in Ministry. Our You Tube account has a section on Narcissism. I suggest you start on the ones dealing with ministry and what professions narcissists are drawn to. People who know these two will have their eyes open. Sam Vaknin is a great resource. Unfortunately our family has been educated with a prior event in our lives on this subject. But fortunately that event has equipped us to handle it with the documentation with these apostates own words (recordings), from the day of the criminal act on April 7th, 2013 to the week of serial lying and extortion July 15th to the 20th, 2013. For now thank you for your time by reading this. We hope and pray the lessons we have shown through examining actual events will help you to examine your own hearts, prepare you with dealing with the sin of leadership, come alongside innocent victims from within the church and bring you closer to the Lord we serve. God Bless you. Fight the fight the Lord has given you. _____—–____ NOTES —–_____—– NOTE TO THE READER OF THIS POST: This is the third in the series of the Corrupt Leadership of Brand New Beginnings Ministries of Poughkeepsie, NY. Please read our first two posts: - The Corrupt leadership of Brand New Beginnings Ministry of Poughkeepsie NY - The Suppression of Public Prayer of the Victims of Criminal Acts and Violence by the Cocurullo-Dixon Team BACKGROUND/STATUS AS STATED FIRST POST: These self proclaimed Christian leaders in question are Constance Ramsey-Dixon then President (now director) and Carrie (Caridad) Cocurullo then Vice President (now President) of Brand New Beginnings Ministry. All three of us are congregants of Faith Assembly of God in Poughkeepsie, NY, where Carrie Cocurullo is the “spiritual daughter” of Lead (senior) Pastor Edward Jones. This episode started October 5th, 2012 with a Spirit of Entitlement and a little fraud and grew into where we will start the story where Constance Ramsey-Dixon and Carrie Cocurullo committed violence and criminal acts leaving me a part time cripple and affecting over 20 people negatively against the church in general, Faith Assembly of God in specific and against the name of Jesus (Yeshua) on April 7th, 2013. Status is the same as the church is silent to the victims. _____—–_____ DEFINITIONS —–_____—– - a particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated, as of a religion. - a body or system of teachings relating to a particular subject: the doctrine of a Church. - the field of study and analysis that treats of God and of God’s attributes and relations to the universe; the study of divine things or religious truth; divinity. - 2. a particular form, system, or branch of this study. a critical interpretation or explication, especially of the Bible. (This is a good first step to understanding the nature and character of Yahweh, God Almighty and developing sound doctrine) personal interpretation of a text (especially of the Bible) using your own ideas. (This is the first step to blasphemy, heresy and bad doctrine) _____——_____ BIBLICAL VERSE TO THINK ABOUT —–_____—– There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you.

Tag Archives: Allan Pease Holy Crap, kiddies, it’s FEBRUARY already!! You will NEVER guess what I found out today (go on, have a try!!)…well, you know, I always thought that browsing newspaper sites was just an attempt at procrastination, but I am just blown away by how much I can grow and change by a quick browse, how much incredibly powerful information is contained within a single edition. First, today, we had a story about…wait for it…a woman! Who found! A camera! That woman doesn’t know WHO the pics belong to, so the website is gonna help to find these people! I hear your questioning minds from here, but BELIEVE me! There is no more newsworthy story happening anywhere in the world today than THAT. But, tucked away, hidden in the corner…guess what I learned?? Women. Are. All. The. Same. Today’s case in point? Well, courtesy of the DEAR Sam in the City, a discussion (albeit a very confused and haphazard one) of the fact that a survey found that all women want a man who looks like Jake Gyllenhaal (unsure of the spelling here, so going to rely on Sam in the City – danger-OUS!!). Gyllenhal to one side (we’ll keep him there for later fun shall we?) I am so surprised!!! First of all, I am amazed by modern knowledge…how SMART are these people when they can glean from a random sample of say, ten, possibly one hundred women, that ALL WOMEN ARE HETEROSEXUAL??? The marvel doesn’t stop there, dear readers. Not only can these divine psychics discover this, but ALL HETEROSEXUAL WOMEN (which we’ve now deduced is all women) are attracted to the one type of man! Yes, I was as surprised as you, thinking that tastes varied (after all Lyall Lovett’s been married a few times, and well…Shane Warne manages to pull quite often…shudder) and that women had idiosyncratic preferences, or might indeed find a variety of persons attractive depending on whole range of variables… But NO. We all, all the time, are strictly hetero, want one *look* in a man…AND…futher still…these incredibly gifted statisticians/seers have discovered WHO it is that possesses that look…. All de ladies, everywhere in de world (whether or not they’ve even seen a movie) want a man like Jake Gyllenhaal. Now, I have to say, I LOVE a man who plays a gay cowboy, convincingly and sexily and with empathy…but, I didn’t know every woman out there liked that too. I know, I know, I said I was going to write more theoretically engaged articles, but mockery is just so much more FUN. So, not wanting to unduly sell Sam short, I should explain that was just the beginning of her article. The rest described a man confused by women. He had been seeing someone who said she really liked him and the sex was great, but she wasn’t feeling that *spark* or *connection*. Fair enough. He says he talked her into giving it another shot, but now he’s concerned there will be too much pressure. So he wrote to Sam that: I’m really confused and have always been confused with women about what they want. * What do you (if there is anything) to generate that spark? * If there is no spark, can it be created? * What do women usually look for and like in the first few dates (in terms of that spark)? Sigh. You know, leaving all of this shit aside (dude, sometimes you like someone and they don’t like you. It sucks a pretty big one, but I don’t think it goes to proof of women being confusing creatures. It just happens) and perhaps I *shouldn’t*, perhaps I should write a *how to* guide since there seems to be such call for it. But perhaps next post…leaving that aside, Sam now goes on to pull her usual schtick of “Teee heee hee, how would we KNOW what we want?? We’re WOMEN! We like shoes and have periods, and we don’t know anything about anything, wait! I spot a survey! And a male “expert”! Help is on it’s WAY ladeez!” So the survey contradicts the first survey and says “NO dummies! Not Jake! Tall, clean shaven, blue eyed, Mercedes driving (WOW that’s some specific mind reading – shii-it!) men who don’t play sport, quaff fine wine, attend the theatre etc etc etc…some kinda Mr Darcy stereotype. WHAT.EV.ER. THEN she goes on to quote (eyeroll) Allan Pease. The next section is directly taken from Sam’s article, which you can find (if you really, really want to) here: the real reason why Freud struggled to come up with the answer as to what women want, was because we tend to change our minds every week (or for some, every day) of the month. According to Pease, during the days we ovulate, we want a macho man who looks like Russell Crowe, while the rest of the month we want someone who will stay at home, care for us and looks like Jake Gyllenhaal. Oh, PLEASE Pease… You know, all the FUCKING generalising about women *aside*, what really shits me about writing like this, is that it *absolutely* belongs in it’s context – it shouldn’t. The fact it’s allowed in a mainstream newspaper site should be cause for alarm and outrage…but it’s exactly the same dumbing down, simplifying, bubble-gum approach to news/information/entertainment that we see right across the board in mainstream media. Forget political coups, natural disasters, elections, United Nations decisions, and a long overdue apology – front page news is a lost and found ad. Forget ditching the bullshit and saying “Dudes! Get over it! No one person is the same, there’s no five-step, failproof program guaranteed to get you laid every time, meet women, be nice to them, actually treat them like human beings, show some (genuine) interest and go with the friggin flow instead of determining exactly what you want and what should happen in advance, and sometimes she’ll dig you, sometimes she won’t” we have the endless regurgitation of the same old bullshit stereotypes, the ceaseless pouring forth of contradictory and ridiculous advice based on vox pops and pop psychs. STOP IT FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT’S GOOD AND HOLY AND GET A FUCKING CLUE! I’m about to get my period. I better go find Russell Crow. (YUCK…do I HAVE TO?)

We’ve got questions, and you’ve (maybe) got answers! With another week of TV gone by, we’re lobbing queries left and right about shows including How I Met Your Mother, Sons of Anarchy, Modern Family and Grey’s Anatomy! 1 | Why did Doctor Who spend most of an episode effectively setting up the Ponds’ inevitable exit, only to pull them back in, quite abruptly (and a bit clumsily), in the final scene? 2 | As much as we think Saturday Night Live‘s Nasim Pedrad is an underused gem, why is her Kelly Ripa impression still falling way short? And will Kate McKinnon’s absurdist turn as Ann Romney go down in SNL history as the moment when she broke out from anonymous background player to potential star? 3 | Could the fact that Amy Poehler was pretty much the funniest part of both the 2011 and 2012 Emmy telecasts be a signal to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences that she’s ready to host the whole shebang in 2013 (airing, natch, on NBC)? And in the wake of all the blogoshphere bitterness over Modern Family‘s 2012 Emmy cleanup, who’s ready to start a backlash to the backlash? 4 | Dear L.A. Complex: Why does Will Arnett’s sketch show shoot in New Orleans of all places? That quibble aside, this show is getting renewed, right?! 5 | Are you as proud of Brennan’s pop culture reference to Wile E. Coyote as Bones’ Angela was? It’s no Game of Thrones shout-out — that happened on this week’s New Girl — but it’s a step in the right direction. 6 | Show of hands: Who got goosebumps when the woman with the yellow umbrella appeared at the train station in the final seconds of How I Met Your Mother‘s season premiere? But should the show have bitten the bullet and shown us the mom’s face? That would have been a truly shocking “Wow” moment. 7 | Does it disorient you that Revolution‘s Charlie and Danny are now teenagers, but their parents look like they haven’t aged a day since the blackout 15 years ago? 8 | Why does every pilot have to turn historical figures into crime solvers? Why can’t Thomas Edison just be an inventor? 9 | Who can’t unsee the resemblance between Matthew Perry and Rachel Maddow after Tuesday’s Go On? 10 | Ladies, who’s up for making “boob jail” — coined by New Girl‘s Jess — the new slang for “bra”? And his Creed-loving aside, David Walton was pretty perfect as Jess/Kate’s new bed buddy, right? 11 | Having now seen most of the new season’s offerings — several of which feature young kids — can we all agree that Ben and Kate nabbed the most adorable and comedically blessed of the bunch? 12 | Was NCIS‘ Harper Dearing wrong to bring a gun to a knife fight? 14 | How much do we love that Sons of Anarchy‘s Tara spotted Gemma’s fingerprints all over Wendy’s impromptu visit? And how priceless was the look on Gemma’s face when Tara floated the idea to her stepmom that, push come to shove, Jax would kill her? 15 | In the wake of widespread outrage over the Voice coaches not selecting the exquisite but clearly over-40 Yolanda Barber during Tuesday’s Blind Auditions, wouldn’t it be great PR for The X Factor to give her an automatic pass to Boot Camp for Season 3 in 2013? 16 | Did we hear a different version of “Without You” than the one Tara Simon sang for the X Factor judges? Because that was terrible, especially compared to The Voice contestant Avery Wilson’s far superior take. And yet Tara got four yeses. 17 | How nifty was Modern Family‘s time-passage trick? (And how awful was Phil’s last stab at facial hair?) Do you suspect Gloria will carry very, very small, driving Claire bonkers? Also, how much prop wrangling went into making sure the giant stuffed animals atop Cam and Mitchell’s car would look as naughty as possible during the kitten-adoption scene? 18 | Is there any single Weird Alien Trick or Wacky E.T. Tic that The Neighbors did not bust out in its very first episode? Were they worried there would be no Week 2? (Are you worried there will be a Week 2?) 19 | Whose idea was it to have Gabriel Mann narrate the Revenge recap special as Nolan? Because we want to say, “Thank you!” 20 | Did Glee‘s Brody only endear you with that Ace of Base confession? (Their music totally holds up!) But does the blind vitriol of Finchel “stans” ever sap the joy out of reading about and/or watching the show? 21 | Doesn’t Jessy Schram look like Scott Speedman’s little sister, not his wife, on Last Resort? Speedman, though…. The hottest thing to happen to a submarine since [insert name in comments]? (Our pick: Denzel Washington in Crimson Tide.) And what’s sexier about Autumn Reeser’s character — her ability to rattle off two minutes’ worth of submarine tech or… you know, that other stuff? 22 | We “get” that Cristina is Meredith’s person on Grey’s Anatomy, but how could Mer leave Derek — without even saying goodbye! — while he was grieving Mark? Speaking of objectionable behavior, anyone else having trouble buying this new sex-crazed Bailey? Mark is hours away from death and she’s humping Ben in every corner of the hospital? 23 | If Scandal‘s Huck looked all fine and dandy, employed and shaven, during the Lindsay Dwyer/Quinn flashback, what the hell later happened that, come Fitz’s White House run, he was homeless and bedraggled? Also: Do you think the Argo movie runs ads during Scandal simply because they share shredded-paper logos? 24 | Is it safe to assume Parks and Recreation‘s Ann has given up her career as a nurse to hang around the Parks department and assist Leslie full time? 25 | How refreshing is it to see a show like CBS’ Elementary not play the will-they-or-won’t-they card? 26 | While understanding that Heidi Klum needs to promote her Babies “R” Us clothing line, wasn’t it a little ridiculous to see a Project Runway designer go home this week for failure to make a chic toddler outfit (while taking care of crying baby doll!)? And did Dmitry’s outfit make his baby look more like a cult member or a garden gnome? Hit the comments with your answers — and any other questions you care to throw out there!

How it shouldv'e went - Mako: Korra, I don't know how to explain this, but every time you look at me my heart stops. I guess- I guess i love you. A lot. - Korra: cut the crap, Mako. I'm with Asami now. The most powerful image of Legend of Korra (Avatar: Legend of Korra) to me, the absolutely most. powerful image. Is the seemingly ordinary citizens of Republic City, watching a sporting event, and then slowly, methodically, one by one, spotted here and there in the crowd - The Equalists Reveal Themselves. Men. Women. Young. Older. They pull up those scarfs into masks, and reach for their gloves and suddenly they’re no longer just anyone, just a face in the crowd. Yes, I said it. Not terrorists. Revolutionaries. The thing about struggle, is that the oppressors’ terrorists, are the oppressed’s revolutionaries/freedom fighters. There is SO much wrong within Korra. Especially, (specifcally) how the concept of Bender privilege was absolutely shunted to the side and glossed over into a (it’s about meanness - just be ‘nice’ to everyone and things will somehow equalize) bullshit end game. But I don’t think the writers and perhaps even the animators realized how powerful an image it was, to see the young woman you think is a sweet little fan - become a warrior. To see the older geeky fellow - become a revolutionary. To see some seemingly ordinary young guy - become a freedom fighter. [If images don’t match up, it’s because I’m not going back to look, I’m going from my emotional memory of the scene] And then they move with precision, they take out the guards, bap bap bap. They secure the area. The Revolution is ORGANIZED. And then right there, in that moment (despite all the bullshit misogny, rape culture, forcing Korra into the mode of damsel in distress etc… surrounding him) the Voice, and the Mask of the Revolution counters the oppressors in their sanctuary. In their place of power. I mean, it’s a little bit of V for Vedentta right there. And a little bit of the unionized manual workers taking over the factory. And a little bit like if Take Back The Night, involved groups of women showing up in male dominanted areas (of say a college campus) with a list of sites and a few images of the porn found on their computers that was just sent to their moms with a ‘Do You Know What Your Son’s Been Doing?’ and the witnesses statements of the women they’ve harassed, molested and abused. It’s a “This is what you’ve created. This is what you’ve let happen. This is your great civilization that can do no ACCEPTED OR NOTICED WRONG. And it’s corrupt, decripit, a hollow shell. You’ve been living in a dreamworld, Neo.” It’s a “This is the festering wound you’ve been cowed into ignoring, or hoped you could ignore as long as you could somehow get yours too.” And in that moment, Amon’s ‘taking away bending’ seems so utterly symbolic of (the people’s power, the power of the oppressed when organized, when active) the ability to confront and be unafraid and say I’m taking this. This unearned power. It will exist NO MORE. Thinking about it now, I can just imagine a wailed angished cry of: But my whiteness! But my male privilege! But my finacial leg up! But my THING I BELEIVED MADE ME BETTER AT STANDING THAN YOU, THE THING I BELIEVED MADE ME MORE THAN HUMAN AND YOU A MERE ANIMAL! And the sad thing that is sad? Is the fact that imagery was created and invoked by merging a chipped piece of this struggle here and that moment of confrontation there and this commentary and that prose againt oppression. That imagery was invoked for a ‘coolness’ factor - an almost horror factor. That image, in revealing so much about what the creators obviously didn’t understand or give a damn about? In reavealing what they think standing up against injustice is really about (which is apparently being driven to meet force with force from not being listented to being a terror on the unsuspecting innocent, vs a slap in the face of the ignorer). That image should have been EMPTY. But it wasn’t, because of where it came from, the reality (realities) it was built upon. The more I look at it, the more I think that this look: is almost exactly like this one: Now, I’m just as disappointed as anybody at the fact that Bolin’s attraction to Korra was just completely skipped over in the later episodes, but judging by that look he gave her after they hugged, I’m guessing that those feelings didn’t just ‘vanish’. Hear me out here. While Bolin has been shown to look up to his brother, it was also stated in his bio that he feels inferior to Mako as well. This makes sense because while Mako has raised Bolin, comforted and cared for him for his entire life, he isn’t really that supportive of his brother. Mako is used to taking charge and having Bolin follow him, he’s so determined to make sure Bolin doesn’t get hurt that he doesn’t let Bolin go out on his own and make his own decisions. So Bolin’s never had the chance to believe in his own judgement. He’s always depended on Mako to help him.This led to a certain amount of insecurities, which he seems to have originally dealt with by being outgoing and charming, soaking in the praise of ‘fangirls’ to supplement his own low self worth. It worked for a while. But then Korra came. Korra, who Bolin fell head over earthbending piggies for, who he loved and admired for her drive and confidence. Which are both things he lacks. It makes sense that he’d fall for her because of this. He wants what he doesn’t have, can’t have. Yet, for one dizzying moment, he had her. That isn’t the look of someone who had just a fleeting crush. He was falling for her harder than he ever had before. Even more than any of those fangirls, because it appears that they seemed to be after Mako more than anything else. Remember when Bolin snapped at Mako to ‘leave some girls for the rest of us’? It seems like all those fangirls whose praise and cheer that Bolin depended on to soothe his own insecurities were more interested in Mako than they were in him. So it crushes him two-fold when Korra—the girl he fell for because she was so different from anybody he’d ever met, the girl who was ‘one of a kind’—still fell for his brother instead. Now all those little hidden insecurities, those little doubts and fears about who he was and whether he would ever be good enough, they all came to a head when he saw Mako kissing Korra. He wasn’t good enough again. He’d messed up somehow, it had to be his fault, he must have done something wrong because everything was so wrong now when it had been perfect just moments ago. Any other person would have been furious at Mako for kissing a girl who he knew his brother liked, and would have taken quite some time to forgive Mako for betraying him like that. Not Bolin. He had a small moment of anger—‘You’re a bad idea’—but then it was gone. Because Mako is not only his brother, he is Bolin’s caretaker, guardian, mother, father, and best friend all rolled into one. That’s a lot of dependency. Bolin wouldn’t have confronted Mako in any serious way. And he didn’t. Bolin just covered everything up with smiles and optimism, the same way he had dealt with everything else in his life. He never had any closure with his crush on Korra and it never got resolved. So it sat there and it festered. He watched Mako and Korra grow closer and closer, and didn’t say a damned word because he was trying as hard as he possibly could to make himself believe he didn’t care. But in this scene, his strange affection comes to light yet again, but it’s changed now. That look isn’t the same content, loving look he gave to Korra during their date. It was sadder, worn down and weary from the struggle to keep everything down, to keep his feelings manageable and in check. It didn’t work. I think he finally realized it in that one cap. It. Didn’t. Work. Borrowing a little (a lot) from my liveblogging experience, you can just see it all from the hug he gave her. It’s in the way he holds out his arms and waits for her to come into them, like he wanted her to to be the one who came to him this time, or like he didn’t trust himself to let go if he did it. He doesn’t even wait for her to come the entire way, he pulls her closer and just slumps down so quickly, like the strain of waiting for her was too much to bear. And that look is not a platonic look. It’s not. He didn’t even look like that when he was hugging his own brother. That is the look of a man that is embracing someone he cares for very, very much, but knows that this could be the last time he ever does so. Because even if she came back alive from fighting Amon, he would probably never get this close to her again. Not the way he wanted to. And look at the way he’s hugging her. She’s giving him a simple, friendly hug, but him? He has his arm wrapped around her waist, something that was not necessary in the least. It’s almost like he was intent on pressing her as close to him as humanly possible. And Bolin just looks sosad. Almost like he finally realized exactly how deep he was in, how impossible this situation was. He couldn’t forget her, not like this, not by ignoring every reason why he had to. He’d messed up again, but this time it was worse because he didn’t know how to get himself out of this one. All his previous ways of dealing with his issues weren’t working anymore. He couldn’t force a smile and pretend nothing was wrong. Because loving Korra was something he didn’t know how to stop doing. OMG I’M CRYING!!!! Okay. Stop it. I love character analysis like this. AND I THINK IT HAS MERIT. Idon’tknowIdon’tshipanythingathtispoint but I think this is a great summary of Bolin, and only serves to highlight just. how. great. his development could’ve been. 1. Oh, look, she faints twice within 3 minutes of each other. 2. Ah, the plan was “Send Mako, that’ll HELP her reach her lowest point!” 3. No explanation as to why she couldn’t reach her spiritual side, while everyone else could? 4. I don’t think I could say “Fuck you Mako” more times if I tried. “Oh, hey, I know some really fucked up shit happened to you, but hey, what about mah man-feels for you?!? Stop wasting time being sad, aren’t you graced with the LOVE and DISHONESTY that only Mako can bring?!?” Season 1 in summary: A show about an ineffective female “protagonist” who accomplishes nothing by choice, action, or attempt, and everything by luck or someone else helping her out. Azula - went from a spoiled, powerful princess with a huge rift between herself and her brother to a super villain with fully realized powers, serious familial issues, completely wrecked but bent on revenge all with the means to achieve it (but, of course, failed). Ty Lee - went from a waifish acrobat, possessing skills to get her away from her problems without confrontation to a serious force to be reckoned with and the ability to stand up for herself, know what’s right, and all without needing to rely on anything but herself. Mai - went from a apathetic misanthrope with nothing to lose and little to gain, and a sometimes-thing with Zuko to someone with a will to live and a drive to get there, and the knowledge the she is worth it. Suki - smaller story arc (imo) but a kickass warrior, who learns how to trust her heart and not just her training, all while finding a partner in a fellow non-bender. Yue - a sheltered princess of literally what 3 episodes? who finds love, questions family/tribe duty, but ultimately chooses the greater good over her own desires. Toph - jesus where do I start with Toph? an undercover princess and pro-wrestler bender with a lot on her shoulders and something to prove. a skilled gambler and con artist, wanted criminal and Mellon Lord. a girl that was always treated as fragile because of her blindness and left with a serious fear of letting herself trust others lest she appear weak. a hero and warrior and friend and teacher and young person that still wanted to know if she was pretty. Toph… I could go on. Katara - ugh, as if Toph wasn’t hard enough! surrogate mother to a broken family, heart of her nation and hope water tribe. a nurturer and stand-in water-god for a village in need, a bender unwilling to accept gender roles in a male dominated arena. a daughter bent on vengeance who grows up to chose what’s best for herself and her friends. a sister who never let her brother down but never let him stagnate. a friend who refused to give up her values but refused to do anything less than her best for those around her. a waterbender who didn’t just fall in love with the avatar, but trained him and lead as an equal. Katara is amazing?? Korra… don’t tell me they can’t write female characters. The writers let Korra down. She deserved better, don’t tell the fans thewriters can’t do better. Some of these characters had a literal handful of episodes all within a greater story arc, Korra had an entire 12 episode series devoted to her. She deserved better.

There is that famous moment in Casablanca when Bogart looks at Bergman and, in that steely way of his, delivers a penetrating question about life, about circumstance and fate. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, why did she have to walk into his? Bogie's question was on my mind the moment I laid eyes on the tiny town of Daily, Texas. Of all the places in all the world, why did I have to end up here? I had a disquieting sense of something dark and life-altering hovering just beyond the sleepy, sun-drenched main street. The only explanation for my being sent on assignment to this middle-of-nowhere little burg was that my boss was setting me up for a full-scale F-5 disaster so she could fire me. Ursula Uberstach would do something like that. Ursula breathed in human suffering the way most people breathe oxygen. Which made her a great reality TV producer and a lousy boss. Now that she'd finished toying with the underlings on the staff, she was sniffing around me, searching for signs of weakness, honing in on a point of attack. Ursula delighted in messing up other people's lives just when they were supposed to be the happiest. If my parents had named me Ursula, Swedish or not, I would probably have been mad at the world, too, which would have made me perfect for reality TV. As it was, six months into my dream job with American Megastar, I was struggling to acquire Ursula's taste for blood. At the beginning of the season, she'd swept into the studio like a svelte, perfectly dressed force of nature, while by comparison, I'd fumbled my way through the door wearing the sensible shoes, brown polyblend suit, and slightly maniacal chestnut curls of a woman accustomed to scrambling behind the scenes in the unpredictable world of broadcast news. I'd thought the move to a weekly show would be just the ticket for a working girl with a slight case of daily-broadcast burnout, a yen for job advancement, and a desire to do something glamorous for a change. Mandalay Florentino, Associate Producer looks great on the desk nameplate, but unfortunately, when you get right down to the business of creating a show that trades on, and treads on, hopes and dreams, the job is not so easy. The trip to Daily, Texas, wasn't helping my morale. Twelve years ago, when I'd started into the news business, I dreamed of being the woman who exposed wrongdoing, defended the defenseless, changed lives. Now here I was, helplessly watching the ruination of my own life, and probably someone else's. The fact that our fifth finalist, nineteen-year-old dewy-eyed gospel singer Amber Anderson, came from a town that looked like Mayberry-well-preserved-on-a-studio-backlot only made my job that much more painful. Amber's slow descent into the Hollywood muck was the hottest thing to hit American Megastar in three seasons. It couldn't have come at a better time, since the ratings for season two were abysmal. Amber's sweet, innocent, country-girl-in-Hollywood act was just what the doctor ordered. Everyone loves to see a would-be saint fall off the straight and narrow. That kind of drama sells magazines and brings in TV viewers by the hundreds of thousands. What an act! Now, taking in the sun-speckled main street of Amber's birthplace, I had the startling realization that Amber might be for real. The thought was followed by a sudden and intense burst of guilt and the perverse idea that having Amber make the Final Five on the show was like throwing a lamb into a pit of hungry lions. She would be torn to pieces while all of America watched her close her big blue eyes, throw her head back, and belt out gospel music as if her heart and soul depended on it. Ratings would skyrocket. Viewer votes might keep her in the running until the very end, assuming she didn't self-destruct before then. Over the past three months, Amber had turned my job into something between a waking nightmare and a tightrope act. Just about every week, she gave the tabloids something delicious to print and me some bizarre incident to carefully spin-doctor to the show's benefit. In her defense, Amber pleaded that every single faux pas was an innocent mistake. American Megastar's Good Girl Detained at LAX—Amber claimed she had completely forgotten the box knife was in her coat pocket. She'd used it to help her grandpa cut open feed sacks back home. Gospel-Singing Goody-Two-Shoes Linked to Hollywood Brat Pack—Amber claimed that when the gang at the studio next door invited her out clubbing, she thought it was some exotic sport, like polo or croquet. She had no idea drinking would be involved. Gospel Girl Nabbed in Prostitution Sting—Amber was lost and she'd only stopped to ask directions. How was she supposed to know those ladies on the corner were ... were ... She actually blushed and stammered and took a full minute to whisper the words ladies of ... ill repute. If it was an act, Amber was an actress worthy of an Academy Award. The show's crew even had an "Amber pool" going—a harmless little bet on when Amber's innocent façade would finally crack. Everyone except Rosita, the cleaning lady, was in. And that was only because Rosita didn't speak English. Not one crew member believed that Amber's farm girl act could last forever. Nobody short of Elly May Clampett could be that naïve. It looked like the Amber pool might pay off pretty soon. Five days ago, Amber had been linked to Justin Shay, and reporters were hiding in bushes everywhere, trolling for pictures and details. Could the fresh-faced gospel girl really be dating a Hollywood bad boy almost twice her age? Even I had no idea how to spin-doctor this one. When the latest Amber rumor crept into my office, I'd accepted it with a sense of resignation. She'd finally gone too far—embroiled herself in the kind of smarmy Hollywood relationship that even her honeycovered southern accent couldn't sweeten. I wasn't sad about it, really. When all was said and done Amber was an opportunist, like everyone else in LA. Why should she be any different from the rest of us? It was a cynical thought, and in the back of my mind, I was bothered by how easily it came to me, how quickly I accepted it, how I'd suspected it all along. There was a time when I was more like Amber and less like Ursula. The lost idealism of my youth drifted back to me at the most unusual and inconvenient times, like the whiff of something sweet passing by. As I took in Amber's hometown, it left behind a vexing question—if Amber really was as innocent as her quiet little hometown appeared to be, then what did that say about those of us who were using her loss of innocence, the ultimate destruction of her dreams, to boost ratings? If I was unsure where to stand on the issue of Amber Anderson, her hometown seemed to have no question. Hanging proudly over Main Street was a huge banner that said, DAILY REUNION DAYS FIRST WEEKEND IN APRIL Below that, two workmen with ladders were tacking on a handlettered addition that read, Birthplace of Amber Anderson, American Megastar's Hometown Finalist Vote for Amber! A sick feeling gurgled in my throat and drained slowly to my stomach, producing the fleeting thought that I should have brought along the prescription ulcer medication Mother tried to give me before I left LA. She said I looked like I needed it, and now I knew I did. The Tex-Mex breakfast taco I'd eaten before taking an aerial tour of Daily in a network affiliate helicopter was rolling around in my stomach like hot lead. My sixth sense, the one my best friend, Paula, jokingly called the Doom-o-meter, was in full emergency warning mode, which could only mean that disaster was headed my way like a freight train. I could feel it in some vague way I couldn't explain. If Paula had been standing there with me on the corner of Third and Main in Daily, Texas, she would have—after making some joke about the Doom-o-meter—filtered through her Buddhist-Kabala-New-Age spiritual philosophy and told me this place contained bad Karma. She would've dragged me off to her favorite soothsayer, Madame Murae, who told fortunes in her sandwich shop when she wasn't busy making roast beef on rye. Yesterday when Madame Murae gave me my sandwich, she turned over the love card. "Ah, love awaits," she mused, squinting at the card as she grabbed a styro cup and put it under the Diet Coke spigot without looking. "I'm engaged." I felt the giddy little tickle I always got when I said those words. I'm engaged. I'm engaged. Thirty-four years old, and finally I'm engaged. I'm going to be a June bride. He's gorgeous, by the way. Madame Murae turned over another card. "Ah, I see travel." "We're going on a honeymoon right after the wedding. In a little less than three months"—After I wrap this season of American Megastar and the teasers for next season, hopefully with my job and my sanity intact—"I'll be sailing the California coast for nineteen days." Ah, heaven. Did I mention that he owns a boat? Frowning at the card, Madame Murae halted the flow of Diet Coke at exactly the right moment, once again without looking. Paula quirked a brow at me, as in, See, I told you she has special powers. I rolled my eyes. Paula knew what that meant. I'm historically an Episcopalian, from a long line of Episcopalians, drawing all the way back to the pioneer days. Episcopalians, even the nonpracticing kind, do not believe in tarot cards or soda shop mysticism. Such malarkey is for people like Paula who are spiritually searching but without the benefit of any ancestral religious foundation whatsoever. "I see travel by air." Madame Murae took a lid from under the counter, popped it on my soda, pulled my hot roast beef and Swiss from the oven, and stood speculatively studying the curlicues of slightly browned cheese. "Soon." A sharp-edged lump formed in my throat and descended slowly to my stomach. I wasn't supposed to be traveling. I was supposed to be picking out wedding gear, reserving the Chapel-by-the-Sea's reception room, deciding how to have my hair done. "I'm not scheduled to be traveling these next three months, but with my job, it could happen." With Ursula, anything's possible. "Ah." Madame Murae continued surveying my sandwich. "I see negative energy surrounding the travel card." That would be Ursula Uberstach. Five feet eleven inches of blond, blue-eyed negative energy, with a size four waist, a perpetual tan, and men constantly groveling at her feet. "Change, I see change." Maybe Ursula's leaving the show. Then again, maybe I am. "An ending, a begin—" Setting a ten on the counter, I snatched the sandwich away in what, for me, was a surprisingly impolite maneuver. Twelve years in Episcopal school and a lifetime of competing with four disgustingly perfect older siblings had taught me manners, if nothing else. "Paula and I had better get moving. We want to do a little shopping over lunch." Madame Murae slid her hand under mine as she dropped the coins one by one and listened to the sound, her dark eyes fixating as she stroked a finger across my palm. "Be careful," she said. "For you, the path to happiness travels uphill." "Thanks," I muttered. Tell me something I don't already know. "Isn't she great?" Paula chirped as we headed for a table on the sidewalk. "You'd be amazed how often she's right. Every time she tells me something, it happens, I swear." Stepping into the sunshine of a beautiful LA noon, I followed my best friend and future maid of honor to a patio table. "You know I don't believe in that stuff," I said. "And you shouldn't, either. If Madame What's-her-face is so good at foretelling the future, what's she doing running a sandwich shop?" Just to prove my point, I ate a big bite of the hexed roast beef and Swiss. Paula gave a snarky sneer and shook her head at my hopeless self, then started in on her Cobb salad. We talked about wedding plans as I consumed my Madame Murae sandwich. Pinching the last bite between my thumb and forefinger, I popped it into my mouth, smiling at Paula, who rolled her eyes and reached for her purse. "You're so ... pragmatic." Dabbing the corners of my mouth, I looped my bag over my shoulder and followed her out. "I have to be pragmatic. I work in reality TV." "I liked you better back in the old days when you were writing copy in the newsroom." Paula and I had started out at a local LA affiliate twelve years ago. Two babes in the woods, fresh out of broadcasting school. Paula had always been more interested in landing a boyfriend than building a career, which was why she was still on the writing end of the business, albeit now for a prime-time soap. In soap opera land, a belief in hexes and a cursory knowledge of tarot cards was a professional advantage. "You love me anyway," I said, then hip-butted her off the curb. She caught a heel in a storm grate and twisted her ankle. By the time Paula dropped me back at the studio, Ursula was waiting with airline tickets to Texas and the news that I would be the advance man for Amber's hometown segment. Given Amber's recent media glow and the fact that the Final Five had not yet been revealed, secrecy was paramount. This was too big to trust to a low-level staff member. What Ursula wants, Ursula gets, and less than twenty-four hours later I was standing at Third and Main in Daily, Texas, watching as the secret Final Five news was broadcast on a banner over Main Street. How could people in Amber's hometown possibly have found out the results of the semifinals already? Even Amber hadn't been told, and wouldn't be told until Friday, the afternoon before she was scheduled to fly to Texas. Tomorrow, at the regular Friday lunch meeting, the camera crew chiefs would receive their marching orders, but for now, the identities and hometown locations of the Final Five were known only to Ursula, two other associate producers, the director, and me. It was a closely guarded secret ... The Doom-o-meter screamed like a panic alarm in my head. Somewhere in there, Madame Murae whispered, "I see negative energy surrounding the travel card." From the parapet of the old Daily Bank building across the street, gargoyles laughed down at me, their narrow grins saying, Who are you to thumb your nose at fate, Mandalay Florentino? I should have left the roast beef and Swiss alone. Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate Copyright © 2008; ISBN 9780764204906 Published by Bethany House Publishers Used by permission. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.

There have been recent attempts to increase the membership of Blacks in the GOP. In 2008, while others were talking about this historical election of Barack Hussein Obama, there was another Black man on the ballot, Alan Keyes. Alan Keyes had also run against Obama in the Illinois senatorial race in 2006 but unfortunately for Illinois and America, Obama won. Had the GOP chosen to go with Alan Keyes, it would have been a different race entirely. In fact, the whole issue of race, as in the skin color of the candidates, would have been a non-issue since both candidates would have been Black men and therefore, the division that has ensued under Obama might have been at least partially curtailed. We also had Herman Cain run this year for the Presidency, again making the issue of race irrelevant had he won the nomination. And though we have far more information about his life than we do about Obama’s he was pushed aside because of a false allegation of sexual misconduct. Something that only works on Republicans, never Democrats because their whole sex life is nothing but sexual misconduct. Herman Cain is a self made man, the founder of Godfather’s Pizza. Despite, the unfounded allegations of a 13 year affair, Herman Cain has been married 44 years to the same woman. Yet no amount of success in his personal or professional life was able to translate into an increase in Blacks flocking to the GOP. Enter Mia Love. No disrespect to the above men, they are men of integrity and honor, but never send a man to do a woman’s job. If anyone can energize the GOP it is Mia Love. Just like Palin before her she seems to have burst on the national stage and has given a voice to conservative women once again. However, this time it is a Black Mormon. As someone who joined the church in 1998, I have had experience explaining why I belong to a “racist” church like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is not necessarily easy and more often than not I probably do more to hurt the image of our church than I do to help it. In any case, Mia Love seems able to navigate these waters with a lot more ease than I. Or any of her fellow Black Republican men. Even Allen West, with his vast military and political experience didn’t not seem to rouse the interest that Mia has. Granted, just like Condi Rice before her she has already been labeled a house n***er by those ever so tolerant Leftists. But that just means the Democrats/Leftists are running scared and cannot deal with a woman who is self-reliant, professional and godly. Since her first allegiance is to Jesus Christ, that disturbs alot of people, especially those who advocate a sin-filled lifestyle in the Democratic Party. They have no understanding that the greatness that once permeated America is due, in fact, to our Founding Fathers following the teachings of Christ…and not all religion in general. The Mormon aspect of Mitt’s candidacy has sent the bigots running around declaring that Monday evenings will be Family Home Evening henceforth and Monday night football will forever be banned if Mitt gets elected. Will Mia’s Mormonism have the same effect. I am thinking, probably not. Since Mitt is a White Man somehow his Mormonism is more threatening than Mia’s. A petite woman, you might think she is timid and meek but Mia Love proved during the Republican National Convention that underneath her almost deceiving appearance is a heart of a lioness! The American Dream is our story. It is a story of human struggle, standing up and striving for more. It has been told for over 200 years with small steps and giant leaps; from a woman on a bus to a man with a dream [Someone is a Brad Paisley fan that line is directly from his song “Welcome to the Future.” Italics mine. Here is the link to video if you want to see it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Yg9wjctRw] and the bravery of the greatest generation to the entrepreneurs of today. Okay so despite her lifting of Brad Paisley lyrics, which only goes to show either her or her speechwriter have excellent taste in music, Mia does seem to epitomize the American Dream and while the pundits are waxing on whether the American Dream is indeed dead, Mia has shown it is still alive and well and that hard work and education do pay off. How will that translate to Black voters for the GOP? Well that remains to be seen however, if we look to Palin as a indicator, it is very good chance that she will be able to bring in voters who might have otherwise stayed at home Election Day. While Palin was not able to propel that into a White House victory, we are hoping that Mia bring the GOP back to its roots. Back to the days of Reconstruction when Black Republicans were the norm for Congress. Sometimes all it takes is a woman’s touch. - Mia Love gives star-making speech at RNC; Left sees ‘GOP token’ (twitchy.com) - Mia Love, rising star (thestar.blogs.com) - Mia Love: GOP rockstar, Dem nightmare (hollyonthehill.wordpress.com) - Mia Love: A New Face For The GOP (atlantablackstar.com) - Rising GOP star: Mia Love is in the house (hotair.com) - GOP House Candidate Mia Love Impresses RNC Crowd With Fiery Speech (mediaite.com)

Moustache Dream Explanation Shaving, clipping or adjusting one's moustache in a dream means lessening one's burdens. A moustache in a dream also means money. A bad cut in one's moustache in a dream means a mishap or losing money. Having an unusually long moustache in a dream means going against the currents, or it could mean an illness that will deprive one from eating solid food, or it could mean religious innovation. A long and an ugly looking moustache in a dream means difficulties, sorrows, distress, becoming an alcoholic, refusing to surrender to others what belongs to them, or refusing to pay charity, or pretending to ignore the necessity to pay the obligatory alms tax. Moustache Dream Explanation Shaving one's moustache in a dream for someone who follows that trend means comfort and dispelling sorrows. If one dislikes to shave his moustache and sees himself shaving it in a dream, it means that he will lose his rank, earn a bad reputation, or it could mean poverty or business losses. Having a small moustache or a short one in a dream means languor or laziness. Moustache Dream Explanation Too much hair in the moustaches (thick moustaches): Bad omen. Less hair in the moustaches (thin moustaches): Good augury. The beard growing without the moustache growing as well: The dreamer will obtain money that somebody else will enjoy. Incident - A barber shaving off Beard and Moustache Dream Explanation It is related that in Baghdad some persons were seated together, relating their dreams to each other. One amongst them said : Friends I wish to relate to you a strange dream I had seen. I saw a barber shaving off my beard and moustche. One awakening I proceeded to Imaam Jafar Saadiq (RA) and related to him the dream. He said: You are to become embroiled in some difficulty owing to which you will lose your honour and respectability amongst the people. This will cause you muich grief and sorrow. I was shocked by this interpretation. I returned home with difficulty and remained indoors for four days. One the fifth day I decided to go out for a walk When I reached the door of the masjid. Incident - A barber shaving off Beard and Moustache Dream Explanation I saw an old acquaintance of clothes in order to lash him. Suddenly his gaze fell on me and he began crying out: Hey So-and-so! I responded: I am present He said: It is through you that I have landed in this misery. Hey so-and-so! Whatever I have given you which you had carried to your house return it to its owner and free me from this misery! I said to him. I seek Allah's protection from the accursed devil! For Allah's sake! Your have given me nothing at a ll and what you are accusing me of, is all a lie! He again said; For Allah's sake, don't become difficult! I have given you such and such clothing belonging to so-and-so and you have hidden it is your house! Hearing all this the police arrested me straight away and put me behind bars. Incident - A barber shaving off Beard and Moustache Dream Explanation They began interrogating me about something that I had never done. After some days I was brought before the Qaadhi to face the charges brought against me. I was found guilty and awarded the penalty for theft. I became popular in the whole of Baghdaad as an accomplice of thieves. But Allah's bounties know no bounds. A few days before my hand was to be amputated, a son was born to the Khaleefah. In jubilation, he decided to released all prisoners amongst whom I was one. I thanked Allah a thousand times for favouring me with His special bounty. This is how my dream became a reality. I have never seen a dream come out so true as this one. Old woman Dream Explanation In a dream, an old woman represents the ending of one's life in this world, sorrows, the hereafter, wine, or bearing children after having lost hope in one's fertility. An old woman in a dream also could represent deceit, cunningness, duplicity, backbiting, or slander. Seeing an old and sick woman in a dream may mean impotence, weakness, or disability. Seeing a thirsty old woman in a dream means drought. If she turns a young girl in the dream, then she represents rain. If an unknown old woman visits a sick person in a dream, it means his death. Otherwise, if an unknown old woman visits a pregnant woman in a dream, it means giving her the glad tidings of a son. Old woman Dream Explanation If one is engaged in an important project and sees himself sleeping with an old woman in a dream, it means that his project will not succeed. An old woman in a dream also represents non-arable land. If one sees her wearing a veil in the dream, it means that he will meet with hardships and regret. If one sees an ugly old woman, or a hag in a dream, it means adversities and war. If a young woman sees herself as an old woman in a dream, it means earning respect and dignity. An unknown old woman in a dream also represents a bad crop for that year. If one sees an old woman descending from the skies and people are wondering about her, she represents the passing year. Seeing an ugly old woman in a dream also could mean glad tidings of an ending war, or the end of drought. Woman Dream Explanation A fat woman in a dream represents a prosperous year. Seeing an unknown woman in a dream has better connotations than seeing a woman one knows. A young woman in a dream represents an enemy. An old woman in a dream represents the world. If one sees his wife looking like a man in a dream, she then represents his grandfather, or she could represent prosperity for that family. If one sees his wife carrying him in a dream, it means that he may fall sick, or perhaps that he may become rich. Seeing a female of unknown species in a dream means loss of money Woman Dream Explanation (Beads; Garden; Glass; Pearls; Ribs; Silver; World) A beautiful looking woman in a dream represents a year of comfort, peace and prosperity. A woman in a dream also represents a coffer, one's store, or his hiding place. A woman in a dream also represents the earth, the world or a graveyard, for one returns to it after that he comes out of it. A woman in a dream also represents a prison, a confidant, a tree, a well, an inkwell, a house, or a partner who shares wealth and pleasure with the husband. Seeing a beautiful woman entering one's house in a dream means joy and happiness, money that will not last, or the reversal of one's condition from harsh to amiable. Old woman Dream Explanation An emaciated old woman in a dream represents a year of drought. If she gains weight and turns beautiful in the dream, she represents changes in the weather conditions, bringing a prosperous and a happy end for the farmers in that year. An ostentatious old woman in a dream represents a prosperous life, or good news that will arrive shortly. If she looks frowning or unhappy in the dream, then she represents distress and loss of prestige. If she looks ugly in the dream, she represents facing adverse conditions. If she is naked in the dream, she represents a scandal. If an old woman enters a house in a dream, it means prosperity and business success and if she leaves a house in the dream, it means the opposite. An unknown old woman in a dream has a stronger connotation than a known old woman. Old woman Dream Explanation If one sees himself frequenting an old woman in a dream, his dream denotes his attachment to worldly gains. If an old woman who passed her menopause sees herself in a dream experiencing her menstrual period again and regaining her sexual drive, and if she sees herself engaged in sexual intercourse in the dream, it means that she will become religious and have strong material and spiritual success in her life if her sexual intercourse in the dream is marital intercourse and of a lawful nature. Otherwise, if it is unlawful, then it represents her attachment to worldly gains and neglects for her spiritual values. If a young woman sees herself being an old woman in a dream, it means that she will prosper and have a successful marital life. Woman Dream Explanation If one sees his wife getting married to someone else in a dream, it means that he may deviate from Allah's path, then repent for his sin. A woman in a dream also represents wealth, the world, a farm, pleasures or authority, for a wife governs the needs of her husband and controls his life in one way or another. If a woman sees her crown stolen in a dream, it means the death of her husband. If a woman sees her head shaved in a dream, it means divorce, or it could mean the death of her husband. (Also see Belt; Crown; Glass bottle; Glass; Gray hair; Ribs; Silver; Vat; Women) An Old Woman Dream Explanation If unknown, she symbolises the current year. If she is beautiful, the year will bring good fortune. If ugly, the year will prove a disaster. Hair of the Armpits, Public Hair and the Moustache Dream Explanation If the hair is small or few, it symbolises steadfastness on Deen and Sunnah. If the hair is plenty is symbolises wilaayat which is bereft of Deen. Young woman Dream Explanation If she adorns herself and plays up her charms in the dream, then such goodness will be public. If a young girl sees herself as an old woman in a dream, it means that she will live with modesty and preserve her chastity. If an old woman sees herself turned young again in the dream, it means regaining her strength, sexual desire and fertility. If she engages in lawful sexual intercourse in marriage, it denotes strong religious adherence. If she engages in sexual intercourse with someone without marriage in the dream, then her dream represents her love for the world and attachment to its glitters. A Crown Seen by a Woman Dream Explanation If a woman sees a crown in her dream. It symbolises her husband. If she is unmarried, she will soon marry a very dignified, respectable and influential man. A Woman Mounting an Ox Dream Explanation If a woman sees herself as mounting an ox it means she will marry a man if she is unmarried. But if she is married her husband will obey her and she will take advantage of his good nature. Young woman Dream Explanation If one sees an old woman turned young in a dream, then the above explanation becomes stronger. However, if one is poor, it means that her basic needs will be secured. If one has lost her chances in this world, it means that she will have a new opportunity, or if she is sick, it means that she will recover from her illness. Seeing a young girl frowning in a dream means that one may hear disturbing news. If she looks emaciated, then one's dream denotes poverty. If she is naked in the dream, it means business losses and defamation. Marrying a virgin teenage girl in a dream means wealth. (Also see Little girl) Young woman Dream Explanation (Teenage girl) A young girl in a dream represents an enemy however she may look. Seeing a well dressed and pleasingly adorned young woman in a dream means hearing pleasing news coming from an unexpected person. Seeing a young and a beautiful looking female servant in a dream means blessings, a favor, joy and festivities. In a dream, seeing an unknown young girl is more advantageous than seeing a known one. The strongest in meaning are those teenage girls who are presentable, well mannered and beautifully dressed. If she is seen dressed with modesty in the dream, then she represents goodness, chastity, discreteness, and following the correct religious conduct.

Tony Nominee Carol Lawrence to Lead HANDLE WITH CARE at the Westside Theater, Beg. 12/3 Tony Award Nominee and Broadway legend Carol Lawrence (West Side Story) heads the ensemble cast of four in the new romantic comedy HANDLE WITH CARE, by Emmy Award Nominee Jason Odell Williams, directed by Karen Carpenter (Love, Loss and What I Wore). Handle With Care comes to New York after successful regional productions across the country. The show will begin previews December 3rd, opens December 15th, and runs through February 23, 2014. Handle With Care tells the story of a young Israeli woman who reluctantly travels with her grandmother to America. Fate and hilarious circumstances bring together the young woman, who has little command of English, and a young American man with little command of romance. Is their inevitable love an accident? Or destiny generations in the making? Joining Lawrence onstage will be Charlotte Cohn, Sheffield Chastain and Jonathan Sale. Handle with Care is written by Jason Odell Williams and directed by Karen Carpenter. For more about the show, visit www.handlewithcaretheplay.com. Photo Credit: Walter McBride

Dr. Phil – Child Trafficking Victim, Cult leader convicted of trafficking, Child Abuse May Lead to Early Puberty, Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Conference – May 19 – 21, 2017 March 31, 2017 Comments Off on Dr. Phil – Child Trafficking Victim, Cult leader convicted of trafficking, Child Abuse May Lead to Early Puberty, Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Conference – May 19 – 21, 2017 Dr Phil – March 21, 2017 – Child Trafficking Victim Comes Forward Kendall claims the world of sex trafficking is the only life she’s ever known. The young woman claims her parents gave her – at birth – to a person she refers to as “the man who owns me.” Claiming she was forced to have sex from an early age, Kendall says, “One of my first memories was thinking that it was normal for men to be fondling babies.” She claims as part of an international sex trafficking ring, she traveled the world and was both sexually and physically abused by “extremely rich and prominent members of society,” her entire life – until she escaped. “Since I left, everything has been so hard, and the only one who can help me is the man who owns me.” Women tied to cult leader convicted of trafficking By: Ador Vincent S. Mayol March 29th, 2017 TWO women were convicted last Tuesday for recruiting girls to join a local cult where they were later molested by its founder. Judge Jacinto Fajardo of the Regional Trial Court Branch 53 found Elvira Daño and Brenda Dioquino guilty of qualified trafficking and violating Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. They were meted life imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of P2 million. Daño and Dioquino were also mandated to jointly pay the offended parties P200,000 as moral damages and P100,000 as exemplary damages. The primary accused, Sulpicio “Daddy Divine” Daño, in his ’80s, died in 2013. In his March 28 ruling, Judge Fajardo gave credence to the testimonies of three minors, aged 14, 15, and 16, who were sexually molested by Daddy Divine…. Child Abuse May Lead to Early Puberty By Rick Nauert PhD New research establishes that child abuse can influence physical development as well as psychological maturity. Pennsylvania State University investigators discovered young girls who are exposed to sexual abuse are likely to physically mature and hit puberty earlier than non-abused peers. While it has long been known that maltreatment can affect a child’s psychological development, the new study shows that the stress of abuse can impact the physical growth and maturation of adolescents as well. Drs. Jennie Noll, director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, and Idan Shalev, assistant professor of biobehavioral health, found that young girls who are exposed to childhood sexual abuse are likely to physically mature and hit puberty at rates eight to twelve months earlier than their non-abused peers. Their findings appear in the Journal of Adolescent Health. “Though a year’s difference may seem trivial in the grand scheme of a life, this accelerated maturation has been linked to concerning consequences, including behavioral and mental health problems and reproductive cancers,” said Noll. The body is timed so that physical and developmental changes occur in tandem, assuring that as a child physically changes, they have adequate psychological growth to cope with mature contexts. “High-stress situations, such as childhood sexual abuse, can lead to increased stress hormones that jump-start puberty ahead of its standard biological timeline,” Noll explained. “When physical maturation surpasses psychosocial growth in this way, the mismatch in timing is known as maladaptation.” In the past, there have been studies loosely linking sexual abuse to maladaptation and accelerated maturation, but the longitudinal work completed by Noll and her team has been the most conclusive and in-depth to date, beginning in 1987 and following subjects throughout each stage of puberty…. “Due to increased exposure to estrogens over a longer period of time, premature physical development such as this has been linked to breast and ovarian cancers. Additionally, early puberty is seen as a potential contributor to increased rates of depression, substance abuse, sexual risk taking, and teenage pregnancy.” The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Conference – May 19 – 21 Annual conference on May 19 – 21, 2017 at the Executive Inn & Suite in Oakland, CA Information about the conference is at: https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-ritual-abuse-and-child-abuse-2017-conference/ Speakers at the May 20 – 21 general conference (open to survivors and their helpers): Alison Miller – Confronting the Spiritual Issues in Ritual Abuse Wendy Hoffman – Dirty Therapy Neil Brick – Freedom from Mind Control Kimber Olson – The Reversal of Words: Navigating the Complex Therapeutic Relationship There will be other presentations and discussions also. There will be a clinician’s conference on Friday, May 19, 2017 for licensed clinicians and students in the field. Alison Miller will be presenting a full day presentation at this conference. Her topic is: Working with Deliberately Structured Personality Systems. CEUs will be available at this presentation. We expect this year to be another excellent conference. More information is at the conference website: https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-ritual-abuse-and-child-abuse-2017-conference/ Questions about the conference can be sent to: email@example.com Abuse Of Minors & Apocalypse Predictions: Words From A ‘Children of God’ Cult Survivor, ‘It’s like being in a cult for one’: 14 tactics used by coercive controllers – domestic abuse, Jane Fonda reveals rape and child abuse, abuse and cover up by Word of Faith Fellowship March 7, 2017 Comments Off on Abuse Of Minors & Apocalypse Predictions: Words From A ‘Children of God’ Cult Survivor, ‘It’s like being in a cult for one’: 14 tactics used by coercive controllers – domestic abuse, Jane Fonda reveals rape and child abuse, abuse and cover up by Word of Faith Fellowship – Abuse Of Minors & Apocalypse Predictions: Words From A ‘Children of God’ Cult Survivor – ‘It’s like being in a cult for one’: Read 14 tactics used by coercive controllers – domestic abuse – Jane Fonda reveals rape and child abuse – AP Investigation into abuse and cover up by Word of Faith Fellowship Abuse Of Minors & Apocalypse Predictions: Words From A ‘Children of God’ Cult Survivor March 2, 2017 By Jancy Richardson Cults & Conspiracies seeks to understand the evil that we do to each other and the psychological drives that inform those actions. Inspired by season 2 of Hulu’s #ThePath, Cults & Conspiracies investigates how cults and radical ideologies work their dangerous magic on the unsuspecting. MP Super News’s dark-leaning, inquisitive show has looked at the Jonestown Massacre and de-programming techniques, but this episode we’re talking to Flor Edwards, a survivor of the Children of God cult (a.k.a. The Family International). The Children of God cult became famous for the bizarre teachings of leader David Berg, particularly those encouraging the sexual abuse of children and forced prostitution of young women (a technique to recruit new members known as ‘Flirty Fishing’). Several celebrities escape the cult, including Joaquin Phoenix and Rose McGowan. What Did the Children of God Believe? Berg encouraged his followers to move away from “corrupted” Western society to South East Asia and South America. They were poor, idealistic, and convinced by their leader that the world would end in 1993. When the foretold apocalypse didn’t happen, Edwards says, Berg made a public apology to his flock, but said that God had granted them an extension for being good. Berg “believed that he was God’s middle-man,” which he used to promote his strange teachings: He had these free sexual beliefs, people had to have a sexual revolution and it needed to happen very young, believed adulthood began from 12… He had absolute power. Fortunately for Flor Edwards, the bad publicity from the cult’s sexual abuse of minors meant that there were stricter rules in place when she was a child: she wasn’t witness to sexual abuse but did see a lot of physical abuse: “they would punish us a lot.”…. Cults & Conspiracies’ guest for episode 5 is cult survivor Flor Edwards, who left the cult with her family at the age of 13. ‘It’s like being in a cult for one’: Read 14 tactics used by coercive controllers 06 March 2017 Gemma Mitchell ….Experts in the field of domestic abuse gathered in Suffolk today to explore the intricacies of a crime that is “invisible in plain sight”. Keynote speaker was American university lecturer and author Lisa Aronson Fontes, who described a manipulative relationship as “like being in a cult of one”. Dr Fontes said dangerous romances often started out happy, with abusers using methods that seem loving such as constant texting or only not wanting to be around anyone else. She added: “It looks like the care that many women crave, then over time that warm beam gets narrower and narrower and she wants to get that back and she feels like it’s her fault she doesn’t have it…. According to Mr Stark, around 25% of women in abuse relationships are never assaulted, and in some cases it is “low level” harm which police may not take seriously, such as biting, pushing and shoving. This is where the new law, which was passed in England and Wales in 2015, can come into play. It carries a maximum prison term of five years for perpetrators who repeatedly subject spouses, partners and other family members to serious psychological, social, financial and emotional torment. Mr Stark deems coercive control a “liberty crime” that turns victims into “slaves in their own homes”….. Here are 14 ways coercive control can exist in an intimate relationship: – Controlling access to a phone and social media – Enforcing a certain diet – Prohibiting or limiting contact with friends, family and health services – Monitoring and controlling time and movement – Regulating what clothes, make up, hairstyle is worn – Continual belittlement, telling someone they are worthless – Harming or threatening children – Jealous accusations – Constant phone calls, texting and emails – Controlling access to money and transport – Forcing sex – Name calling – Refusing contraception – Preventing a person from working and sleeping Jane Fonda reveals rape and child abuse 3 March 2017 Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda has revealed she is a rape survivor and suffered sexual abuse as a child. In an interview with fellow Oscar winner Brie Larson for The Edit, the 79-year-old also said she had once lost a job because she refused her boss’s sexual advances. The star added she thought being a young actress now was “terrifying” because of female sexualisation. “You have to get naked so much. There is even more emphasis on how you look.” Fonda said she “felt diminished” growing up because the men in her life were “victims of a [patriarchal] belief system”. She also said she had been “brought up with the disease to please”. ‘We were violated’ “To show you the extent to which a patriarchy takes a toll on females – I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused as a child and I’ve been fired because I wouldn’t sleep with my boss and I always thought it was my fault; that I didn’t do or say the right thing. “I know young girls who’ve been raped and didn’t even know it was rape. They think, ‘It must have been because I said no the wrong way’. “One of the great things the women’s movement has done is to make us realise that [rape and abuse is] not our fault. We were violated and it’s not right.”…. Part 2: AP Investigation into abuse and cover up by Word of Faith Fellowship by MITCH WEISS Associated Press; Karen Zatkulak Monday, March 6th 2017 SPINDALE, N.C. (AP) — At least a half-dozen times over two decades, authorities investigated reports that members of a secretive evangelical church were being beaten. And every time, according to former congregants, the orders came down from church leaders: They must lie to protect the sect. Among the members of the Word of Faith Fellowship who coached congregants and their children on what to say to investigators were two assistant district attorneys and a veteran social worker, the ex-followers told The Associated Press. Frank Webster and Chris Back — church ministers who handle criminal cases as assistant DAs for three nearby counties — provided legal advice, helped at strategy sessions and participated in a mock trial for four congregants charged with harassing a former member, according to former congregants interviewed as part of an AP investigation of Word of Faith. Back and Webster, who is sect leader Jane Whaley’s son-in-law, also helped derail a social services investigation into child abuse in 2015 and attended meetings where Whaley warned congregants to lie to investigators about abuse incidents, according to nine former members. Under North Carolina law, prosecutors cannot provide legal advice or be involved in outside cases in any manner. Violation of those rules can lead to ethics charges, dismissal or disbarment. Offering legal advice in an ongoing investigation to help a person avoid prosecution could lead to criminal charges. The receptionist for Back and Webster at the Burke County Courthouse said the two men were “too busy” to talk to AP reporters. They also did not respond to a note seeking comment about their roles in the church….. Last week, the AP revealed decades of physical and emotional abuse inside Word of Faith, which has 750 members in Spindale, North Carolina, and nearly 2,000 members in churches based in Brazil and Ghana. Former members described being punched, choked and thrown through walls as part of a violent form of deliverance meant to purify sinners…. Cooper said social services personnel were investigating complaints that students were beating classmates at the church-run K-12 school to cast out devils, and that teachers, including Whaley, encouraged the violence…. Former congregant Jamey Anderson said parents and children were ordered to lie to social workers….. Former member of Word of Faith Fellowship calls for authorities to investigate church by Justin Hinton Monday, March 6th 2017 RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Allegations of abuse and a cover-up plague a controversial mountain church after the second part of the Associated Press investigation into Word of Faith Fellowship is released. “We didn’t think we were part of a cult,” said John Huddle, a former member of the church. He held a news conference Monday afternoon calling for an investigation by local, state and federal authorities. “From what I read this morning, it’s highly likely that an investigation could be beneficial,” Huddle said. In that AP article, former members said they were beaten, choked and thrown through walls. Then when it came time to investigate, they say they were told to lie. “It makes me feel sad that it has gone on for so long,” Huddle said. After part one of the AP’s investigation, the church released a lengthy statement saying in part, “We do not condone or allow abuse – in any form – at our church. Period.”…. January 25, 2017 Comments Off on 3 convicted for child abuse at religious Alabama private school 3 convicted for child abuse at religious Alabama private school By Anna Claire Vollers January 24, 2017 In the end, three leaders of a religious Alabama bootcamp for troubled teens were convicted on multiple counts of aggravated child abuse for what they did to the children in their care. The convictions were thanks in large part to the testimony of five former students, who told the court about the physical and mental abuse they suffered at the school. Despite multiple investigations by the Mobile County DA’s office, local law enforcement and the Alabama Department of Human Resources, it took officials five years to close down the school and another seven months to arrest the employees accused of the worst of the abuse. On Jan. 13, 55-year-old pastor John David Young was convicted on five counts of aggravated child abuse at the Saving Youth Foundation, a bootcamp-style residential school in Mobile for troubled teens that was associated with Young’s Solid Rock Ministries church. Two other school leaders, boys’ instructor William Knott, 48, and girls’ instructor Aleshia Moffett, 42, were convicted on three counts each of aggravated child abuse. None of the attorneys for Young, Knott or Moffett have returned AL.com’s calls or emails asking for comment. Punishment and abuse The prosecution built its case around specific instances of abuse involving isolation, handcuffs, and excessive exercise. “We were able to put in front of the jury a lot of good testimony and evidence about what these people were doing to these teenagers at the Saving Youth Foundation,” said Blackwood. “The jury got to hear about the isolation chambers, kids being put in restraints for punishment and transport, and the excessive physical training over several hours with no breaks.”…. Students talked about being locked in isolation cells for weeks at a time, with little or no clothing, a single bulb burning overhead day and night. They shared stories of other students being handcuffed to beds as punishment, and being forced to exercise outdoors in the south Alabama heat for hours…. http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/01/three_convicted_for_child_abus.html January 20, 2017 Comments Off on The woman who was imprisoned by her own cult-leader father after he led her to believe he was God The woman who was imprisoned by her own cult-leader father after he led her to believe he was God Katy Morgan-Davies’ father told her lightening would strike her if she tried to leave. By Catriona Harvey-Jenner 19 January 2017 Brave Katy Morgan-Davies has recently opened up about the 30 years of her life she spent imprisoned in her own home by her cult-leader father who proclaimed to be God, and prevented his daughter from advancing her social skills past the age of six-years-old while subjecting her to inconceivable abuse. Disturbingly, 33-year-old Katy only realised that Maoist cult leader Aravindan Balakrishnan, who is also known as Comrade Bala, was her father after she was released as an adult, reports The Daily Mail. Balakrishnan, who is now in prison after having been jailed for 23 years following a trial, imprisoned cult members, threatened them with psychological terror (he told them lightening would strike them and kill them if they left the house without his permission), as well as being violent towards them and forcing his ‘followers’ to perform sexual acts on him. Katy’s harrowing upbringing and adult life is now being depicted in a television documentary one writer describes as “more like a sci-fi drama than a documentary”, the things Balakrishnan did were so unthinkable. The young woman, who had the social skills of a six year-old and was unable to cross the road or use basic appliances when she escaped aged 30, was made to believe natural disasters like earthquakes and tragic accidents such as the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986 were her fault. She had never been to see a doctor or a dentist when she emerged into the real world three decades into her life…. Balakrishnan managed to establish his warped cult after initially heading up a group called the ‘Workers’ Institute of Marxism–Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought’. Through that, he had a small number of followers, and began to ‘take in’ some of his faithful loyalists. But that home was to become the site of the cult, which continued to entrap more and more people. Tragically, Katy first tried to escape in 2005 when she was 22, and she spotted the back door open. She made a run for it and was sent to the local police station by a passer-by. But when she spoke to officers, they convinced her to call Balakrishnan, who came to pick her up after reassuring police everything was fine….. Devious and violent activities of devil worshippers – based on actual events from Hammond, 58 cases of child abuse, 1,202 counts of child sex abuse January 18, 2017 Comments Off on Devious and violent activities of devil worshippers – based on actual events from Hammond, 58 cases of child abuse, 1,202 counts of child sex abuse – Fort Polk soldier writes horror novel – and it’s based on real-life events – Sunil Rastogi linked to 58 cases of child abuse – He was charged with 1,202 counts of child sex abuse. Now he will begin to serve his sentence. Fort Polk soldier writes horror novel – and it’s based on real-life events Sunday Jan 15, 2017 By RACHEL STEFFAN Sgt. 1st Class Joseph “Joe” Willie, a Hammond native, writes under the name of J.P. Willie. He has served 17 years in the Army, with three to go until retirement. He has been all over the world. Now he is back in Louisiana at Fort Polk, with his wife Corrie and their five children. One might assume that growing up in rural Hammond, Louisiana, Willie would have had a quiet, southern upbringing, and he did. But he had some horrific, first-hand experiences due to a long string of activities surrounding the occult, and these fueled his first novel…. the inspiration for his novel, “Blood in the Woods,” comes from a different place. …he felt he could write a horror novel about the things that happened in this area. The story, about the devious and violent activities of devil worshippers, is based on actual events from Hammond in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The book is officially fictional because he dramatized the story, however, it is based in his real experiences, memories, and court documents. Willie recalls that he and childhood friends would sometimes find small animals gutted open on a makeshift altar in the woods. That is in the book, and the group of friends in this coming-of-age novel are also real…. The real-life case This case made Tangipahoa Parish infamous for some time, and it still comes up in pop culture. The events which took place in and around Hosanna Church may have served as inspiration for the 2014 HBO series “True Detective.” “Some people in Hammond are still uncomfortable talking about it,” Willie said, In May 2005, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards, told The Baton Rouge Advocate that members of the Ponchatoula cult, who were accused of abusing children and animals, said they carried out the practices for years as part of a devil worshiping ritual involving cat blood. Willie said the regular pastor of Hosanna Church, Louis Lamonica Jr., ran these rituals inside the church at night. Lamonica’s own children were being assaulted by the “dark congregation.” In his confession, Lamonica claimed he had performed satanic rituals, child sexual abuse, and animal sacrifice in the church, and that he was not alone. He asserted that there were five other participants, including his wife, Robin, and, notably, a sheriff’s deputy, Chris Labat. Willie’s point of view is particularly poignant as a writer, because he was a kid running around, bumping into the remnants of the cult’s activities. He is not just telling someone else’s story. As the summary on his book states, the characters spent their time “playing in the woods, shooting pellet guns, blowing up mailboxes, fighting at school, and the beginnings of interests in girls.” Eventually, the characters “stumble upon something horrific in the woods one evening and their lives quickly take a turn.” “The book is extremely graphic and truly disturbing, especially to parents,” Willie said. Willie makes the distinction between Satanists and devil worshippers. “I knew some soldiers who were open Satanists,” he said. “They told me quite a bit about it. They don’t believe in God or a devil. Their antics are a mockery of the Catholic Church. They believe they are their own gods, and they do whatever their hearts desire.”…. Devil worshippers, meanwhile, take violent action and maintain religious rituals. “It’s a lot of blood sacrificial offerings. Out in the country, where I lived, there were lots of cattle and farmers. Devil worshippers were killing cows and ripping their hearts out on a regular basis.” Willie emphasized that the book is not promoting or glorifying these occult activities…. Sunil Rastogi linked to 58 cases of child abuse Somreet Bhattacharya TNN Jan 18, 2017 NEW DELHI: It cannot have been an easy task given that paedophile Sunil Rastogi confessed to 500 criminal acts over a dozen years, but Delhi Police has now pinpointed 58 of them, greatly increasing the chances of the sexual predator being put behind bars for life. Only 15 cases of children being sexually assaulted by Rastogi were registered with the cops. Probe revealed that since 2004, Rastogi was detained thrice at police stations in Uttarkhand, UP and Delhi, but obtained release easily enough. After 2008, the 38-year-old had reduced his forays into Delhi when the laws regarding sexual assaults were strengthened. The findings showed that while five cases were registered in east Delhi between 2004 and 2017, two incidents were reported from Udhampur, two from Rampur and three from Ghaziabad. In the same period, three cases were documented in Rudrapur in Uttrakhand. Police said they had contacted the victims in three other cases that have surfaced in Delhi and requested them register a police complaint. A joint police team comprising cops from Delhi, Uttarakhand and UP is now trying to convince victims of the identified incidents to register complaints to ensure a watertight case against Rastogi. “We will seek Rastogi’s police custody if the charges against him are strong enough,” said Omvir Singh Bishnoi, DCP (East)…. After his arrest last Saturday, Rastogi claimed that he had first committed a sexual crime while living in Delhi with his family, the victim being a neighbour at the slum near Kalyanpuri. A case in this regard was registered in 2004 at the Ghazipur police station under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). However, the law had permitted Rastogi to seek a bail from the police station itself. The cops are trying to trace the victim to convince her to record a fresh statement…. He was charged with 1,202 counts of child sex abuse. Now he will begin to serve his sentence. January 17, 2017 By Jeremy Hartley A Boalsburg man charged with more than 1,000 felony counts of sexual abuse was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 to 40 years in prison. Richard Garmat, 60, was accused by a family member of sexual abuse last year. The family member claimed the abuse began in fifth grade and continued until the minor was 15. Garmat was charged in June with 1,202 counts, including 504 felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor, 123 felony counts of aggravated indecent assault without consent and 209 felony counts of indecent assault of a person younger than 13 years of age….. The victim spoke to Ruest prior to sentencing, saying Garmat was someone “who used me, made me feel worthless and ashamed and useless to the world.” “I will not stay broken,” the victim said, “and I will know I am healing knowing he will be held accountable for his actions.”…. Trump staffer resigns after being caught in alleged sex scandal – cryptic tweet hinting at ‘extra-marital affair’, Halifax children punched in face, locked in bedroom, had no heat and no food December 28, 2016 Comments Off on Trump staffer resigns after being caught in alleged sex scandal – cryptic tweet hinting at ‘extra-marital affair’, Halifax children punched in face, locked in bedroom, had no heat and no food Trump staffer resigns after being caught in alleged sex scandal The Grio Dec 27th 2016 Donald Trump might not be in the White House yet but his staff is already experiencing its first sex scandal. The president-elect’s newly appointed White House communication director Jason Miller resigned on Christmas Eve just two days after getting the position. He claimed it was to “spend more time with his family.” This, after people were already talking about how the married Miller was spending time in strip clubs during the campaign with Trump adviser A.J. Delgado. Donald Trump adviser quits after cryptic tweet hinting at ‘extra-marital affair’ Jason Miller quits after being called ‘baby-daddy’ and likened to exposed cheater John Edwards Ben Kentish December 27, 2016 ….In a statement he said: “After spending this past week with my family, the most amount of time I have been able to spend with them since March 2015, it is clear they need to be my top priority right now and this is not the right time to start a new job as demanding as White House Communications Director. “I look forward to continuing to support the President-elect from the outside after my work on the Transition concludes.” It comes after another Trump adviser, A.J. Delgado, posted a series of cryptic tweets about Mr Miller in which she appeared to suggest his involvement in a sex scandal…. Ms Delgado, a fellow member of the President-elect’s transition team, referred to Mr Miller as “the baby-daddy” and called him “the 2016 version of John Edwards” – a reference to the former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate who had an affair with a filmmaker working on his campaign. She also twice called on Mr Miller to resign, before deleting her Twitter account. …. Halifax children punched in face, locked in bedroom, had no heat and no food December 27, 2016 by Jana Benscoter and Matt Maisel HALIFAX TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Details of the abuse and neglect that three Halifax children endured are forthcoming. Joshua Ross Weyant and Brandi Jene Weyant, of 1005 North River Road, Halifax Township were investigated by Pennsylvania State Police and Dauphin County Children and Youth Services, regarding suspected abuse and neglect. Police, and children and youth services caseworkers, discovered the allegations were true. “The kids were starving, nothing more than skin and bones,” said Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico. The children were ages 4, 5, and 6, according to the police report. Marsico says their deterioration took place over a three-month span. “These were healthy kids, and while they were in their custody, these parents neglected them, starved them to such an extent they ended up the way they did,” Marsico said. “We’re prepared to prove they neglected these kids to such a point that they were near death.” The Weyant’s were housing 10 individuals, who resided along with the three young children. The children were ages 4, 5 and 6, an affidavit explains. The children were found to be in extremely poor health, appearing frail and weak, extremely thin, with identified bruising and abrasions upon their bodies. Photographs were taken of the children that depict them to be extremely underweight and malnourished. The children were independently interviewed by investigators…. Child and Ritual Abuse Research Articles by Neil Brick Child Abuse Wiki – Ritual Abuse

First, we have the Jung Typology Test According to this one, I'm a Provider Guardian: "Providers are very likely more than ten percent of the population, and this is very fortunate for the rest of us, because friendly social service is a key to their nature. Highly cooperative themselves, Providers are skilled in maintaining teamwork among their helpers, and are also tireless in their attention to the details of furnishing goods and services. They make excellent chairpersons in charge of social events. They are without peer as masters of ceremonies, able to approach others with ease and confidence, and seemingly aware of what everyone's been doing. And they are outstanding hosts or hostesses, able to remember people's names, usually after one introduction, and always concerned about the needs of their guests, wanting to insure that all are involved and provided for. Providers are extremely sensitive to the feelings of others, which makes them perhaps the most sympathetic of all the types, but which also leaves them rather self-conscious, that is, highly sensitive to what others think of them. Because of this Providers can be crushed by personal criticism, and will work most effectively when given ample appreciation both for themselves personally and for the service they give to others. This is not to say that Providers are afraid to express their own emotional reactions. They are quick to like and dislike-and don't mind saying so-tending to put on a pedestal whatever or whoever they admire, and to come down hard on those people and issues they don't care for. " Next we have the Knitting Personality Test According to this one, I'm: the Contented Knitter: "You are to be envied as the happiest of knitters. You knit for the enjoyment of it. Whether it's the satisfaction of making a jumpter for yourself or the pleasure of making a gift for a friend. Knitting is a relaxation. You don't get overly worried abot learning new techniques. You tend to lack confidence in your ability and will often stick to a tried and test patter rather than try something new. Remember that your favorite patterns were new once. Beware of getting stuck in a rut, especially when you knit for other people. . . Next I thought I'd figure out Who is My Ideal TV Boyfriend OK - skipping this one . . . it came back with someone and I had no clue who he was . . . this means one of two things: (1) I don't watch this kind of telly, or (2) I'm too old to care. Moving on . . . Next I headed over to Blogthings Where I learned that my 1950's name is "Vivian Yvonne," and if I were an Art Movement, I would be Surrealism, which is pretty funny because who knew that my current favorite style of art (really!) implies that I'm high?! :-D My Pirate Name is: Iron Anne Cash A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr! I had a YaYa name (From Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood). It was Princess Glimmering Moon, but that site seems to be gone now - You'll have to make up your own :-) What Tarot Card Am I? This one says I'm the High Priestess Spiritual enlightenment, inner illumination, hidden power. Link between seen and unseen. Balance of positive and negative forces. Receptivity. Unseen guidance. A young woman sits on a throne holding a scroll labeled "Tora" meaning "law." On her breast is the sign of the meeting of heaven and earth, the Maltese cross. Her crown is the full orb supported by horns, the crown ofthe Mother Goddess Isis, who rules all things changeable, shown by the moon at her feet. Her power, upon which her throne rests, derives from the creative principle of duality, shown by the two pillars of light and darkness. To those who know and love her she dispenses the sweet fruit of the world itself, symbolized by the pomegranites. This one says I'm the Empress (couldn't get the HTML to work here either - sorry) Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation. The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful. The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her. I'm thinking that's enough for tonight. I'm quizzed out!

Your current taste in movies blew me out... I currently are in Tampa, FL, but have landed a career in Columbus, Iowa. I will often be moving there sometimes in mid-January and Now i'm just looking for interesting people to hang out by using (since I are not aware anyone in Ohio). I fav first dating or writing/recording music, digital photography, cinematography, programming, and quite a few anything that can be art or technology-related. I am sorry for the phony posting title; I figured it may well [maybe] lure people who find themselves serious about favorite songs.: ). searching for some fun in morgantown im looking for a new friend, to possess a no strings attached relationship. im cool off to earth the funny. i keep the application real x days a year an im numerous fun when u become familiar with me. if u searching for the samething im looking for send me a communication an a couple pics of r face an physical structure, then we could go from certainly, there tell me on the subject of ur self an it will likely be alot easyier. make sure you be clean no std's. i like a myriad of women. horny lonely women ready adults friends Yanakie women, sex classifieds Elche, woman wants married dating. BBW on the lookout for real love I'm not sure if its potential to find appreciate on Cl but I hav 30824 fuck hook up e to give it a shot. I'm a twentyhours year old BBW african american fem. I work and stop by school online. I enjoy laugh and have a good time. I like a girl with goals and is particularly working towards them all, who will love me to do flaws and most of. I want someone who wants to have and txt connection daily. I'm simple, would expect want you to be as certainly. So ladies, every kind of ladies but if the interested please respond which includes a pic and I most certainly will sendin exchange. Hope to listen to from you soon. naughty women Britton South Dakota milfs Kochel am See, web cam girl Apollo Bay, horny Lauderdale By the Sea girls. A lot of NSA Fun Throughout Break we searching for a older married stud to have us, both wi nl horney women in Paradise Nevada ll be strx, dd free and expecting the equivalent, pls send image of u along with tool. Saturday Golden Corral Eubank woman want dating man, sex personals Plymouth, granny search meet local xxx. Interested to meet new people Young fun beautiful single male searching for a fun outgoing women. Tired of sitting around around the weekends... Looking for match some new people make some friends to look hang out using, if something more was produced from it great or even then atleast I'll produce new friend. Please put all the COLOR� in the topic line to reduce spam and spiders, and your pic gets mine. new sub trying to find my DOM Denver Colorado adult spanking, married man Imatra needing sex, hot horny seeking classifieds ads. Im searching for a down to soil, sexy, fun man whos focused on getting together someti sex enschede in Hilo1 Hawaii mes tonight. I'm one, white, x-F, at home and looking to enjoy a little fun. So i am x pounds, redhead, with a wonderful body. I love to givereceive oral and even Im into anal as well. I would love to meet up pictures place or We can meet you somewhere local. I would love to get rid of my house a couple of hours. If things usually are goin' great and we've been having fun you can go from furthermore there. Please be substance and disease cost-free (x is fine). Have any photos to talk about. I do. older horney wanting uk dating websites fuck singles Rehoboth Beach, mature women Kulmbach wanting sex, horny black women Volta redonda. I prefer the larger wives. Looking to get a cute girl (bbw preffered) to hold out and twit around with. That is atime or simply friends with health benefits thing whichever we have been both comfortable through. I'm very inside giving and accepting oral sex and often will try anything you Wife swapping want atleast once. Cannot host but Me have a car but will travel. Send me your pic let's talk and then judge where this proceeds. No pic basiy no response. GIRLS WANA MEET AND HAVE SOME FUN? REAL BOY LISTED HERE FOR NSA. WISH TO PLAY bbw swinger seeking women online, girl want swinger flirt, lonely mature women ready free dating.

Forward. A progressional movement towards change and succession /Regression hinders the process of movement though it soothes those of us who fear Moving. Losing sight of my goals I often cower in the shadows of lies just to remind myself that forward holds danger/Fear of rejection and loss/ Fear that the unknown will cost me my comfort /I’ve often become comfortable in being complacent Statements from others had fueled my rational for not being brave For staying the same /For forgetting the name that God gave me / Like Saul and Jacob He’s changing who I call myself Unworthy. Not good enough. Conformist, Heart full of lust /But. I was calling myself impostor while simultaneously calling God a liar Because he said I’m worthy. Revolutionary. Changed and amazing /Faithful, beautiful and called for a purpose He wouldn’t have placed me in this earth if I wasn’t worth it It’s an upward battle on a slippery mountain called faith /Whether I press forward or regress, I’m choosing my fate Every day I wake up with a choice to make. Every day we wake up with a choice to make. Forward. Complacency. Or regression. Like an entree on a plate, What we choose is what we eat/ What we eat, we ingest/What we ingest, we become And I promise that I’m preaching to my own flesh with every line of this poem I’ve been scared to write spoken word for the fear that I would fail. Scared that I wouldn’t get the reward so I stopped being myself But a woman moving forward with the purpose in her heart, Requested that I write it and In return challenged me to start being me And stop being afraid. Start believing who I am, Stop calling myself those names/ Start moving up to faith, Stop hanging onto pain Your name, is also changing /From what you’ve been calling yourself Lame. Unable. Too old. Unstable. Not pretty. Unworthy. An object…dirty You are also on an upward battle on a slippery mountain And we have to ask ourselves, What do I benefit myself if I stay here? What did God promise me if I live in fear? Two questions, same answer. Not a thing. As God moves us forward, his love comes with us / No promises of ease but a promise that we’re victors Enlisters in a never failing army of Invictus Unconquered. Unsubdued. Invincible people / Unbothered by perceptions from trivial people So let’s move forward. A progressional movement towards change and succession / Beauty unfolded within a series of lessons Embracing a new reality as we step in The sea of uncertainty and faith Keeping our eyes fixated on Gods face And before we know it, we’ll have made our way I wrote this poem about two weeks ago. My mentor requested that I write and share a poem about moving forward at her More than Music event (check http://cdbaby.com/cd/tennillekennedy for her music). I shared that poem last Friday and since then, it’s felt like I’ve battled with a stream of taxing emotions stemming from isolated situations in my life. From one day to another, I’ve been tested by the words in the poem that I wrote. I’ve been challenged in the area of moving forward. This entire week, I’ve been discombobulated and while I desire to walk around with a smile, every time I try, it seems like I’m presented with one more thing to be sad about. One more worry, one more heartbreak and for some reason, it’s been extremely hard to bounce back. Today, I decided to write about it. Crying out to God asking Him to help me move forward. I’ve put off my projects, neglected my daily writing and occupied myself with cleaning and rearranging my home (because that usually makes me feel better). But this time, nothing has been working. I’ll find myself happy for about 30 minutes and then the smallest thing will swing me back into a sea of emotions that drag me deeper and deeper into sadness. I can admit that I’m sure pregnancy hormones are playing a part but I also know that I have enough power and control to where emotions shouldn’t fully consume me. Today, as I wrote, God reminded me of the poem that I wrote. He reminded me of my words and as I began to think of them, I couldn’t help but smile. Whether these incidents that caused my sadness are valid or not, I still have a choice to make everyday. I can either move forward, stay complacent, or regress. I’m realizing that moving forward does not mean that I’m completely healed from my pain or completely oblivious to my worries. It just means that despite what I am dealing with, I choose to still be me. I choose to still go forward with my projects and remain productive. I choose not to let depression become my reality or close myself off to people that love me. I choose not to engage in the pity party that has been emerging or think myself to death. Moving forward can feel so hard when you feel like you are carrying a ton of bricks. However, something tells me that I don’t have to walk around with those bricks. I can set them down and ask God to help me get rid of them. Help me stay focused in my journey of moving forward. I haven’t felt this way in a long time. And even the reality of it has contributed to my inability to move. My thoughts have kept me stagnant as I’ve been reflecting on my pain over and over. But I’m being reminded that I can’t stay here. I have to move forward. So that’s what I plan to do, starting now. Lets move forward.

According to Polynesian legend, Tiki was the first man. He found the first woman in a pool and she seduced him. We're not saying our Tiki will do the same for your love life, but it's worth a try. Real wood, hand carved, 12 inches tall, satin finish. Have fun and save on shipping. Visit our beach store today!

Welcome to the very first instalment in my #Startingout career series! I am so excited to start off this new series, I’ve loved interviewing some lovely professionals from around the country in a variety of sectors. But first, what is this all about? Final semester of final year. It’s a weird time. People are starting to question your every decision for your future and if I’m going to be honest, it can appear quite confusing navigating the big wide world of graduate jobs. It can leave you questioning everything you wanted, there are so many options! At the end of the day, I learn best by learning from other people so what better way to tackle this common worry than asking people who have recently made the transition from University to the working world themselves? #Startingout will consist of interviews with recent graduates who are now working in a PR/Communications related field. These individuals will be sharing their experiences of going from University to full-time work, giving tips, guidance and insight into how they started their careers. They’ll be sharing their lessons and what they wish they had told themselves during final year. So let’s get to it! #Startingout career profile with Jessica Pardoe. Jess is a full-time PR and outreach executive at a digital marketing agency in Manchester. She graduated last year from LJMU with a first class honours degree in business and PR and moved to Manchester shortly after to begin her career. Alongside her job, she also has been blogging on her PR & Lifestyle blog for over 2 years which is a finalist in the PR, Marketing & Comms category of the UK Blog Awards 2019. I first came across Jess through the PR student blogging community and have loved following her journey since. So, how did she start out in the industry and what she has learnt along the way….. LE: What made you go into PR/How did you find out about the industry? Jess: To be honest, I came into it on a whim. When I was at sixth form I hadn’t a clue what I wanted to do – I just knew I wanted to be at University for the experience more than anything. So I chose the business & PR course because it looked like it was ‘a bit of me’ – it looked hands-on, interactive and like something I could get stuck in to. I didn’t really go into the course expecting much, I knew I wanted a career in business but I didn’t know what my future would look like. However, I soon became fascinated with the industry and was amazed by how Public Relations is pretty much behind everything. I knew pretty much from the start of my university course that this was a path I wanted to pursue. So I worked hard, took my education really seriously and grafted my way into a good role in PR after graduation. And I’m really happy I did. LE: What do you find most interesting about the industry? Jess: I find it really interesting how PR is behind pretty much everything. I love the quote that “everything you do and say is PR” because it’s honestly true. Coming from the agency side of things, I love how Public Relations can really take a brand to the next level. I think one of the big struggles in our industry is proving the value of what we do, but the results often speak for themselves. From a digital perspective, some of the online coverage I’ve achieved for my clients has helped to raise their website and it’s effectiveness through the roof. I honestly find that SO interesting, and I think I always will. LE: What industry do you work in now and what kind of things do you do? Jess: I work in digital PR in an SEO and digital marketing agency. So I operate alongside my team to achieve the same goal – to boost leads for our clients. The other guys in my agency work on the techy SEO stuff, and I spend my days trying to achieve great coverage for my clients and running really exciting campaigns. At the moment, while I’m just starting out in my career, I’m enjoying agency life because you get to work with a number of different brands and people – all from different industries. In house communications is something I’d like to go into later in life, but at the moment – I think working in an agency is giving me the best breadth of opportunity. In terms of what I do, I manage outreach for a number of different accounts. I mainly spend my days planning and executing campaigns. Whether it’s selling in new stories or working with journalists to create them – my goal every day is to win coverage for my clients, and I always get a buzz when I do that. LE: How and when did you find your first graduate job? Jess: So I got my graduate job in quite a weird way. At the end of second year, I decided I wanted to start getting some work experience so I put a call out on LinkedIn and for some reason, it got shared around so much that it actually ended up with over 1 million views – I couldn’t believe it. Anyway, from that, I got a few 1/2 week internships offers, and then I was lucky enough to be offered a one day a week paid placement if I wanted it. Of course, I said yes and started working for the agency (that I still work for now) every Friday for the duration of my final year. Nearing the end, I took on 2 days as my workload started to increase and then, just before I was set to travel around over the summer, they offered me a full-time position. They said they’d be willing to wait after I came back from my time abroad if I’d be happy to pick up some freelance work in the interim and of course I said yes. LE: If you could go back to yourself in final year, what tips would you give yourself / what would you tell yourself? Jess: Take up as many experiences as you can! And this doesn’t mean just for your career either. I would always recommend filling my time (because I seemed to have a lot of spare days in final year) doing work experience and networking. But also, I would tell myself to take advantage of the opportunities that my university was offering too. I applied for a summer school in Shanghai, which was all expenses paid, in third year and I got on it – I couldn’t believe it. It was the best 2 weeks of my life and if I had my time at university again I would tell myself to definitely apply for more of those placements. LE: What is the biggest lesson or challenge you’ve learnt or come across since leaving University? Jess: Getting used to working full time and not being a student any more for sure. I found it, and am still finding it, really hard to adjust. I think if you have a good uni experience like I did, it’s incredibly hard to let that go and I still miss living with my friends and just generally being in that learning environment with my course mates too. I think because I pretty much went straight into working after graduating, I didn’t have enough time to process the transition – so I’m still getting over that now. And though working in PR is amazing and I’m so excited for what the future holds, I’m certain that my university years were the best 3 years of my life. So what I’d say to anybody still studying is enjoy it because honestly when you start working full time you’ll realise you took going for lunch at 3pm on a Wednesday and staying out til 3am on a Monday for granted. So lap it up! (But in the same breath, working in PR is so exciting and if you love your job like I do, you’ll find comfort in that). LE: Who inspires you? Jess: I have quite a lot of inspirations, one of my biggest is Anne Boden who’s the CEO of Starling Bank. To me, she’s a real woman making a difference and she’s really a true hero in my eyes. In PR, my biggest inspiration is Amanda Coleman who heads up the comms in the Greater Manchester Police – which is my dream job. Amanda is so, so lovely and such a great person to know and she’s the type of woman I’d love to be. My other inspirations include Ella Minty, Kate Cox, Sarah Hall and Jane Ainsworth, who are all strong and powerful women making a huge difference in PR. When it comes to PR blogging (and I do need a lot of inspiration here as sometimes by blog falls by the wayside) my inspirations include yourself (!), Orlagh Shanks, the Ulster PR girls, Livi Wilkes, Rebecca Henderson, Marcel Klebba, Stephen Waddington and of course Ella and Amanda too. In terms of general people who inspire me – I have a few. My parents who always, always make me want to be and do better but who are always proud of me every step of the way. My Nan. My Granddad who always used to say I would go on to achieve wonderful things. My friends and my boyfriend. And my last one would be one of my old lecturers, Keith, who always saw a potential in me despite me being one of the quieter and more reserved members of my class. He gave me the encouragement to push through my third year of university and go on to achieve good things. “I soon became fascinated with the industry and was amazed by how Public Relations is pretty much behind everything. I knew pretty much from the start of my university course that this was a path I wanted to pursue” “I love how Public Relations can really take a brand to the next level. I think one of the big struggles in our industry is proving the value of what we do, but the results often speak for themselves” Jessica Pardoe, PR & Outreach Executive, Tecmark Stay tuned for next week’s interview!

There’s no doubt that nurses and midwives do an amazing job both in hospitals and at home. However, their work and dedication is not always appreciated by everyone. Susan Jolley, a registered nurse from Texas, has shared a beautiful tribute to delivery nurses, highlighting the amazing and sometimes heartbreaking work they do on a daily basis. It begins: ‘I am just a nurse. A Labor and Delivery nurse. Sounds like fun doesn’t it? Well…. ‘I am just the nurse who was there during the birth of your child. I am just the nurse who held your hand, looked you in the eye, and made you feel like the strongest woman in the world.’ The post then goes on to explain that midwives are also there during some truly difficult moments. ‘I am just the nurse who vigilantly monitored your baby’s heartbeat and recognized that he was in distress. ‘I am the nurse who took photos of your baby because you were all alone… Even though I should really be charting and dong about a hundred other things.’ Susan’s post went on to say that nurses will be there through everything, including being the one who ‘reassured a teenage mom that she can be an amazing parent and still get an education.’ However, they are also: ‘Just the nurse who stood by you while you handed your baby to his adoptive mother. I held you steady. I watched you tremble. My heart ached for you.’ See posts, photos and more on Facebook. If that wasn’t enough, the post details how nurses and midwives are also there at the truly tragic moments. ‘I am just the nurse who held your hand and told you, “She is beautiful. I am so so sorry for your loss.” My heart ached for you. I wanted to hold my children and never let them go that night… but they were already sleeping because I stayed late to be with you.’ However, the end of the post ended saying that while it might be difficult and often unappreciated, being a nurse is an amazing job, ending with: ‘I saved your life. I saved your child’s life. My body aches. My heart aches. And I love every minute. I am JUST a Labor and Delivery nurse.’ The post has already been shared over 55,000 times with many mums sharing their own stories of how they have been helped by labour and delivery nurses. One said: ‘Angel’s in disguise who are very under appreciated at times but very dedicated and beautiful people.. Because of the special care and pure selflessness they show us.’ Another added: ‘So true they really don’t get the recognition they deserve i will always remember the nurse who delivered my still born baby boy and then 2 years later came in on her day off to deliver my son the emotional support from her was unbelievable and definitely something that will stick with me forever xxx’

What is the key of going out with a single female? There are several, but it all starts with recognition of that there are not any quick fixes for getting days. Dating does take time and determination. And while you want to take time to get acquainted with your night out and find out how she feels about determination, you also want to be https://www.reclaimtheinternet.com/dating/online-dating-safety-tips/ sure you have identified her the person for you just before you become as well serious. Therefore let’s take a look at several dating advice that can help you. The first rule of dating is that you do not strategy the subject of getting to know her if you don’t find out her well. It is a terrible idea to approach to start a date and notify her you want to watch her. This will only end in rejection and hurt feelings. Instead, it is advisable to start by simply asking her in the event that she would like to hang out or perhaps if you can go to her house. When you best mail order brides get to her residence, let her know that you https://mail-orderbrides.org/ have an interest I came across on the following url. in her. Therefore go in right now there and speak with her regarding what she needs and wants. If you are comfortable and start, she will become more than very happy to share these details with you. You will also make a connection between you by simply letting her know that you care enough to inquire about what the woman likes and dislikes. As you time frame her, keep an eye on how she festivities you. A female who is enthusiastic about you will deal with you well and stay kind to you personally when you ask her about some thing she may possibly not need told you before. Be polite with her, but do not look and feel guilty in case you mess up several times. You will eventually become familiar with her well enough to know what she really does and is not going to like. Finally, you have to remember that it’s meeting her at the most fortunate time. If you wait until you are too nearby the relationship before you begin, you might be wasting your time. Seeing women requires time. It is best to research your options and set yourself a schedule so that you can meet up with her with the right time for maximum achievement. In brief, dating a single girl is much less hard as you may think. Almost all it takes is endurance and good dating advice. Adopt these tips and you ought to be able to date a single female without any complications. They have just a matter of being aware of where to glance. The greater you know regarding single females, the easier it’s going to to date an individual. Be sure to offer yourself some dating advice today, so you will never be left ready again.

Ready to find out about Beth Albright- her #literarycrush, her #literaryconfessions, Southern writers that she just gushes over? Grab a salty margarita and get ready to find out all that and so much more! Author Spotlight with Beth Albright Beth, when you are not writing- what are some of your favorite things to do? I love to take pictures! I am never without my camera and literally have thousands of photos, many of my son, but also so many of nature! Living in California, the dramatic scenery beckons and I am always trying to capture it! If not taking pics or writing, you can find me at the movies! I am a movie fanatic! Could you tell us some of your favorite authors? I love Mary Kay Andrews! Also Dorothea Benton Frank and Patti Callahan Henry. I read them regularly. And who doesn’t LOVE Janet Evanovich? Early on, when I sent the book to family and friends, so many of them told me I sounded just like a Stephanie Plum novel!! One of my best compliments ever!! I was reading Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank when I scribbled my first words down. She was an inspiration. Also, I have nearly all of Mary Kay’s books. Hissy Fit was an early inspiration as well. I also love Emily Giffin’s novels. Also, I just LOVE humorist Celia Rivenbark! Have every one of her books—sidesplitting, I swear- you will wet your pants! What book (or books!) will you always make room for on your shelf? The classics, so I can look at them and pretend I read them ALL! Do you have any #literaryconfessions? I have so many! I always wanted to read ALL the classics– alas, when I am in the ever- after, I will have time. (See question above 🙂 ) Do you have a #literarycrush? (Joe Morelli from Stephanie Plum series is one of mine!) OMYGOSH, he is mine! But then there’s Ranger…MMMMMM! I like those mysterious chivalrous types. But truly, I love my own hero of Sonny Bartholomew so much. I found myself flying when I was writing about him…getting out 5000 words a day! He makes me very excited! What are some of the books that will be in your beach bag for 2013? Just bought the new Dorothea Benton Frank novel, The Last Original Wife, just finished Patti Callahan Henry’s new novel, And Then I Found You. Adding Mary Kay’s new one, Ladies’ Night. And oh yeah, I’ll be working on my next trilogy, first one due in the fall. What was your favorite childhood book? Loved Charlotte’s Web. So emotional. I read it several times, over and over. Was there a person or a book series that helped start your love of reading? I would say it was Dorothea Benton Frank and all her Low Country tales. I wanted to be just like her. I was not a big reader till I stopped talking…for a living! Haha. When I left talk radio, I started reading and I wanted to read Southern books. I began with hers and migrated to include Mary Kay Andrews. Now my first review, from Booklist, May 1st, actually compares me to Mary Kay Andrews! I nearly had a fit!!! If you were not an author, what would you want to be? Okay, I know this is crazy, but if I had anything to choose from, I would love to be one of the professional dancers on Dancing With The Stars! Also, I would go nuts to act on Broadway…which I could soooo do, if I wasn’t in a musical. Nobody wants to hear me sing! If you could be a character in a book, who would you be? Why? I can’t even narrow it down. All the typical ones come to mind, but I like some of the female characters in Emily Giffin’s novels too. I like strong women but I like really feminine women who are ok with being a woman and letting the man be the man, like Stephanie Plum! Oh, too many to choose from. Being a former Days of Our Lives actress and now an author- how different are the worlds? Did your Days experience give you insight into writing? Into meeting fans and other people? The worlds are very, very different. While I did love acting, I missed the live audience of talk radio. That’s why I love stage acting so much! The audience is right there and I love the live element of both the stage and talk radio! Days Of Our Lives didn’t really give me any insight into novel writing, but it did help with script writing—two very different things. Talk radio best prepared me to meet the readers as I did so many live broadcasts in malls and everywhere from local to remote shows broadcast live from Hollywood, CA. I loved those Hollywood shows where I would do my show live with, who else…Soap Opera stars! I loved the idea of playing a bad girl and never messing up my make-up! #Giveaway time! A copy of The Sassy Belles could be headed your way (perfect for that beach vacation or just lounging by the pool!) To win a copy of The Sassy Belles– tell me one thing you love about Southern Belles! The #giveaway is open to US only (sorry!) and you MUST provide your email in the comment section. You may use (AT) and (DOT) (example: iheartbooks (AT) gmail (DOT) com) as you write your email in the comment section. Comments without an email will not be considered in the #giveaway. The #giveaway will run from Friday June 21- through Friday, June 28th at 11:59pmEST. Winner will be notified by email on Monday, July 1. Beth Albright, author of The Sassy Belles, can be found tweeting to her fans on Twitter, talking on her Facebook page, or hanging out at her website. The next 2 books in the series are Wedding Belles (out July 30th) and Sleigh Belles (to be released later in 2013).

There is a filter above that searches by song title only ("Titles Exact Match") and the result appears in the first page. A new music service with official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances and more for Android, iOS and desktop. Or you can send him/her long distance relationship quotes if they are far from you. I don’t love you, but I miss you. I miss you, miss you so bad I don't forget you, oh it's so sad I hope you can hear me, I remember it clearly. A new Rolling Stones song turned out to be unexpectedly timely. Miss YOU! Also, there are girlfriend quotes and boyfriend quotes that can assists you express your feelings. Sinds 1964 is Cliff Richard een overtuigd christen en hij heeft sindsdien ook gospelmuziek op zijn repertoire. The Rolling Stones Still Miss You, and 13 More New Songs Hear tracks by Juice WRLD, Evanescence, Jónsi and others. Toni Hammer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_You_(John_Waite_song) Content created by the Digital Communications Division (DCD) Content that was last reviewed on 13 June 2015 So if you're good at feeling bad, try some of these songs by … Lyrics to 'I Miss You' by Blink-182: Hello there The angel from my nightmare The shadow in the background of the morgue The unsuspecting victim I am missing you and I hope you know how it makes me feel. 09/23/2020. It's all here. Are you missing someone special? Mar 1, 2019 - Are you missing someone special? Miss Montreal ontstond in 2008. I Want Nothing But Your Face If for sweetness, you have given me enough, If for love and care, you have shown more than I ever needed. You are not in my heart anymore, but sometimes your thoughts linger around in my mind. I miss you. Deze zijn genoemd naar zijn hits: Miss You Nights, Dreammaker, Devil Woman en Summer Holiday (alle vier de titels zong hij tijdens Here and Now). “Miss You” is a best-case scenario — a great band understanding how to play around with a cool new sound without sacrificing any of what made them great in the first place. Few things are as difficult as missing someone you love. AnonymousS 24 March 2021 Reply. Listen to our Ultimate Playlist of songs about missing someone, wanting someone, and about losing someone. I miss you I miss your smile And I still shed a tear every once in a while. Start listening now! 30 Best Long Distance Relationship Songs For When You Miss Your Love So Bad It Hurts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_You_(Louis_Tomlinson_song) I ain't missing you I can lie to myself Ain't missing you I ain't missing you I ain't missing you I ain't missing you I ain't missing you I ain't missing you Ain't missing you Oh no No matter what my friends might say I ain't missing you Submit Corrections. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_You_(The_Rolling_Stones_song) Missing you songs r Stay up with the latest daily buzz with the BuzzFeed Daily newsletter! You may wish for this uncomfortable feeling to leave you so that you can function properly. I Miss You, I Am Speechless I wish I know how best to put this right! more » Geschiedenis. 29) You may be my ex-boyfriend, but I am glad that at least our friendship hasn’t come to an end. These missing you quotes are indeed the pleasing way to show how you miss him/her. Just a Flirt kwam in week 43 binnen op de 27e plaats in de tipparade op Radio 538.In week 44 was het de 3FM Megahit. Miss You is a popular song by Tomi Peter | Create your own TikTok videos with the Miss You song and explore 0 videos made by new and popular creators. Connect to Apple Music to play songs in full within Shazam. Jeffrey Tobias from Portland, Or Miss You, by the Rolling Stones, seems to have changed lyrics from the original Miss You, written by Charles Tobias in 1929, and is getting paid for that song today. Whether they have passed away, have moved on, or are just not near you, it can be hard to get over their absence. And even though it's different now you're still here somehow My heart won't let you go And I need you to know I miss you, sha la la la la I miss you I know you're in a better place, yeah But I wish that I could see your face, oh I know you're where you need to be Missing someone is a common theme in country songs, but the songs on this list are the best. The day you slipped away Was the day I found it won't be the same. My heart is failing, and my body is growing cold. I shazamed it and got nothing and have searched the lyrics but couldn’t find anything. This is because the research you did was too general, it looks in the text of the songs for the expression 'i miss you'. Love. Westlife "Miss You": I can't sleep, I just can't breathe, when your shadow is all over me, baby. 30) I have never lied to you when I was your girlfriend and I am not going to lie to you now either. But for your face, that forever I ever wanted. I miss you [Verse 2] Now I'm sittin' here Thinkin' 'bout you And the days we used to share It's drivin' me crazy I don't know what to do I'm just wonderin' if you still care I don't wanna let you know That it's killin' me I know you got another life you gotta concentrate baby The second single from the band's fifth studio album, this song was released on the 2nd of February 2004. SoundCloud is a music and podcast streaming platform that lets you listen to millions of songs from around the world, or upload your own. Writer(s): Leonard Mark, … It is natural to feel that you miss the person the belongs in your life. John Lennon accused mick jagger in 1980 of using his song, Miss You, and changing the lyrics. From: DON CZARSKI To: firstname.lastname@example.org Subject: MISS YOU|- ROLLING STONES Date: Monday, July 26, 1999 6:43 AM / SONG: MISS YOU ARTIST: ROLLING STONES ALBUM: SOME GIRLS TAB BY: DON CZARS "Missing" is a song by British popular music duo Everything but the Girl, taken from their eighth studio album, Amplified Heart (1994). However, the truth is that the place in your heart that feels a sense of lacking represents the hole where your relationship goes. (I miss you, miss you) (I miss you, miss you) [4x] Submit Corrections. I Miss You Lyrics: I miss you, I miss you / Hello, there / The angel from my nightmare / The shadow in the background of the morgue / The unsuspecting victim / Of darkness in the valley / We can live Listen to Ask If I Miss You, I'll Lie by RainingOnRoses, 44 Shazams. Missing You Songs : Romantic Music : These songs express how much you miss the partner who's had to leave you for a while. In oktober van dat jaar bracht de band de eerste single uit: Just a Flirt.Die werd 'MeGielhit', wat betekent dat de plaat een week lang iedere ochtend werd gedraaid in het ochtendprogramma van Giel Beelen op 3FM. Photo: Getty. Lyrics: I don't wanna look like this, fuck / I don't wanna feel like this, fuck / Wish I didn't miss her so much / Knew that this would happen, fuck love / Break a mirror, yeah, fuckin Looking for a song that played on a tv show called saved by the bell reboot episode “house party”. I miss you. It was sung by a man. It was written by the two band members, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, and was produced by John Coxon and Watt.It was taken as the second single off the album on 8 August 1994 by Atlantic Records and Blanco Y Negro Records. Author. Listen to our Ultimate Playlist of songs about missing someone, wanting someone, and about losing someone. It is the best way to let your loved one knows how much you miss him or her. Thanks to Jackie, alyssa bitches, jazmin5sos, Alyssa, joes_mcnugget for correcting these lyrics. I Miss You Lyrics: I know you're out in Cabo / Hanging with your brother / Wishin' that I was your bottle / So I could be close to your lips again / I know you didn't call your parents and tell 'em Songs … Writer(s): Barker Travis L, Delonge Thomas, Hoppus Mark. Geheimtipp Urlaub Mit Kindern, Vodafone Dns Server, 26129 Oldenburg Straßenverzeichnis, Russische Filme In Deutschland, Biologielaborant Mit Bachelor, Gelege 4 Buchstaben, Elberadweg Hamburg Berlin, Sae Institute Corona, Papillon 15 3,

This year’s Sundance Film Festival was full of great films, but the one that stood above the rest for me was Stuart Zicherman‘s A.C.O.D. The film stars Adam Scott as an adult child of divorce, who weaves his way through life between parents who hate each other (Richard Jenkins and Catherine O’Hara). It co-stars Amy Poehler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jessica Alba, Clark Duke, Jane Lynch and is as funny and poignant as you can possibly image. Four months after its premiere in Park City, the film has finally been picked up for distribution. The Film Arcade will release A.C.O.D. in North America and Paramount Home Media Distribution will handle international bookings, and the home market and digital distribution. Click here to read our rave review of the film, and read more about the deal below. Read More » Please Recommend /Film on Facebook Any film fan should make it a point to attend the Sundance Film Festival at least once. Words can hardly describe the beauty of Park City, the camaraderie of the attendees, the smooth running machine that plays dozens of movies a day on screens all over town. And those movies. Oh, those movies. Some of the best films of the past 25 years have debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. The list has been well-documented and 2013 is likely to add at least a few to that incredible legacy. At this year’s festival, I saw 34 movies. Not a staggering, superhuman number – remember I have to eat, sleep and write about these things – but a number to be proud of none the less. I saw comedies, dramas, foreign films, Hollywood films, sports films, happy films, sad films, black and white films, sex films, kids films. You name it; one of the movies I saw fits nearly any description you can muster. I’ve picked my ten favorite films of the festival, with an asterisk. Though I saw 34 films, I missed probably 100 others, so this isn’t by any means definitive. But out of the movies that I thought looked interesting, or were buzzed about on the streets of Park City, these were the ten that I most enjoyed. Read More » With three days remaining, A.C.O.D. is my favorite film of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by first-timer Stuart Zicherman, it’s about “Adult Children of Divorce” and stars Adam Scott as Carter, a man whose parents (Richard Jenkins and Catherine O’Hara) had a brutal breakup on his 9th birthday. Decades later his brother (Clark Duke) decides to take the plunge into matrimony and it brings up some major issues caused by the traumatic breakup. Amy Poehler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jessica Alba and Jane Lynch are also along for the ride. Co-written by Zicherman and Ben Karlin, the script for A.C.O.D. is a Swiss watch. Everything is economical, hilarious, perfectly-paced and never in-your-face obvious. There are loads of big laughs wrapped around unexpected plot points, resonant emotion and great character development. The cast all bring such vigorous life to the film that it almost makes a sad and touchy subject, divorce, into something to be envious of. A.C.O.D. is a special, miraculous film and the exact reason why you come to the Sundance Film Festival. It’ll leave you happy and high on the power of comedic cinema. Read more after the jump and watch a video blog. Read More » Posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 by Angie Han Brad Anderson‘s The Hive has cast its first non-Halle Berry role. Abigail Breslin has just signed on to the Rich D’Ovidio-scripted thriller, which will enter production in Los Angeles this summer. Berry plays a 911 call operator who comes face-to-face with her own worst fears as she tries to save a teenage girl (Breslin) from a vicious killer. Breslin’s switched easily between genres over the course of her career, but she has relatively few straight-up thrillers under her belt so The Hive represents a bit of a change of pace for her. Breslin is currently shooting Ender’s Game, from director Gavin Hood. [Variety] After the jump, the stellar comedic cast of A.C.O.D. somehow gets even better, and Marcia Gay Harden gets a job in Get a Job. Read More » Posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 by Angie Han Rob Corddry and Leslie Bibb may seem like an unlikely couple, but they’ll be united in the fight against a demonic child in Hell Baby. Scripted and directed by Night at the Museum writers Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, the comedy centers around a pregnant woman and her husband (Bibb and Corddry) who move into a dilapidated haunted house in New Orleans. In an effort to keep from having a demonic baby, they call upon the Vatican’s crack exorcism team, played by Lennon and Garant. Bet that’ll go well. Production will begin in New Orleans next month. [Variety] After the jump, Clark Duke becomes Adam Scott’s kid brother, and Paul Rudd and Paul Giamatti pull Amy Landecker into their Christmas tree scheme. Read More » Posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 by Angie Han Amy Poehler and Adam Scott have shown such fantastic chemistry in NBC’s Parks & Recreation that the pair are gearing up to work together again. This time, however, they won’t be romancing each other — far from it. Poehler has entered talks to join Scott in A.C.O.D., in which he plays a man named Carter who discovers that years ago, he was enrolled in a study about children of divorce. When he’s called upon for a follow-up study, chaos breaks out among his family and he struggles to keep the peace. Richard Jenkins and Catherine O’Hara are set to play Carter’s parents, while Poehler has entered final negotiations for the role of Jenkins’ new wife. That’s right: Leslie Knope will be Ben Wyatt’s stepmom in this movie. Which is even more awkward than that time Leslie’s mom hit on Ben. Yeesh. Shooting on A.C.O.D. is scheduled to start next week in Atlanta with Stu Zicherman at the helm. Jessica Alba, Jane Lynch, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead also star. [Deadline] After the jump, Diablo Cody’s title-less directorial debut casts two more. Read More » Posted on Friday, March 2nd, 2012 by Angie Han The cast of Stuart Zicherman‘s A.C.O.D. just keeps getting better. Mary Elizabeth Winstead has just joined Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, and Jane Lynch in the comedy, which centers around around thirtysomething Carter (Scott). When his younger brother gets engaged, Carter must try and keep the peace between his long-divorced parents lest they ruin the wedding. Winstead is set to play Lauren Stinger, Carter’s supportive longtime girlfriend. Winstead drew raves at Sundance earlier this year for her turn in James Ponsoldt’s Smashed, and has A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter due out later this year. [Deadline] After the jump, Mila Kunis gets demonic, while Vera Farmiga’s little sister goes on a crime spree. Read More » Posted on Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 by Angie Han Armie Hammer has been working his clean-cut golden boy looks to his advantage in The Social Network, J. Edgar, and the upcoming Mirror, Mirror, but the latest addition to his slate will see him transforming into a bit more of a “badass.” Hammer will bulk up and shave his head to star with Eric Bana in By Virtue Fall, a “gritty drama” about an ATF agent (Hammer) who gets framed for corruption and serves time into a maximum security prison. Once out, he’s determined to get revenge on his former partner (Bana), whom he blames for destroying his life. The project marks the directing debut of Up in the Air co-writer Sheldon Turner, who also penned this script. By Virtue Fall is scheduled to start sometime in 2012, after Hammer wraps up Disney’s The Lone Ranger over the summer. [Deadline] After the jump, Richard Jenkins becomes Adam Scott’s dad, while Juno Temple and Wes Bentley befriend Amanda Seyfried. Read More » Cool Posts From Around the Web:

We are more than half way through our Lenten journey. For many of us the dust of the ash that marked our foreheads on Ash Wednesday seems like a distant memory. But we are beckoned to remember that ash through the entirety of the season of Lent - because we cannot truly choose to follow Jesus unless we remember those words “from dust you were created and to dust you will return.” Each of our lives is short in the scheme of things. Fifty or seventy or a hundred years to live into who we were created to be by God and to play a part in the mission of Christ. For however many years we are on this earth, we need to make a decision - if we are going to pick up our cross and follow Christ or if we are going to live our own way. Jesus has been telling his disciples for months now what is about to happen - that he is going to be arrested and killed for the sake of the world. To conquer evil. But they haven’t been listening. Or perhaps simply haven’t been believing. Today’s gospel lesson is found in Luke shortly after Jesus asks his followers who the crowds are saying that he is. He then takes it one step further and asks who they think he is, personally, to which Peter replied “the Christ.” The Messiah. The one who would redeem Israel. Jesus responded to Peter’s proclamation by once again telling his disciples what was going to happen to them and issuing them a challenge and a choice - will they pick up their own crosses and follow him daily. Remember that crosses in the age of the disciples were a sign of punishment and suffering beyond compare. They were meant for people found guilty by Roman law - people who rebelled against the government. When Jesus is asking his disciples to take up their cross - he was asking them to shoulder the burden of punishment, to suffer, and to ultimately follow him above all else, not the law of the land. He is asking the disciples what their faith was worth to them and reminding them of the cost. That same question echoes through our day and age today. Will you deny yourself? Will you put the mission of Christ first? Will you set aside your own comfort for the calling of Christ? Will you take up your cross? Will you willingly take on suffering and rejection? All to follow Jesus? I read a story this week told by Mark Batterson, a pastor in Washington, DC. Mark primarily pastors young adults and he is constantly encourage them to listen to the call of God in their lives. One young woman took him very seriously, and found that God was calling her to go overseas to work as a missionary, working with young women and children being trafficked. She risked her life every day to free others from bondage. Along the way, her parents and friends begged her to come back home or to follow Jesus in a safer way. But she couldn’t. This was her calling. This was what it looked like for her to deny herself, pick up her cross, and follow Christ. For each of us, that calling is going to look different, because God has created us for a unique purpose. I have friends who deny themselves by teaching special needs children in public schools. Others who are missionaries overseas. Still others that serve the local church as Sunday School teachers and youth group leaders. But each of us will have a call and will have a choice to make - will we deny ourselves and follow Christ. And all of our calls will be costly - demanding our whole heart and life. The way of the cross is narrow and difficult. And if we answer the call of Christ by saying “yes” we will meet even more questions - Will you remain faithful to Jesus when it isn’t fun? Isn’t easy? When it costs you that which you consider most precious? Will you give Christ your all? Even when it involves rejection? Is time consuming? And inconvenient? Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians that Christ is not asking us to do anything or go anywhere that he has not gone. If anyone has a claim to glory instead of suffering it would be Christ. Instead of thinking how we don’t deserve suffering or have earned a convenient faith and life, we are to have the same mindset, the same heartbeat as Christ Jesus, who humbled himself to the point of dying for us, for the world, so that people could come to know the love of God. He was God’s very son, yet he did not claim that as an out or to make his life easy. Instead, he set aside all of his glory to be a servant of God, who died a painful death, so the Kingdom of God may reign. Life isn’t fair. Or easy. Or without suffering. And being a Christian doesn’t make life any easier. In fact, it may just be harder. Because we choose not to follow our own way and will amidst a thousand distractions in this world. We choose to live as Christ live in order to further the Kingdom of God. And that way of living life is hard. It is going to bring about thousands of tears cried for people in this community who don’t know Christ. It is going to mean pouring our resources not into what we want, but into what Christ wants. It is going to mean that our treasures are Christ’s. Our calendar is Christ’s. It is all about Christ’s will be done, not ours. Those are nice, comforting words that we pray each Sunday “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done” until we sit down and consider the cost. The truth is that not everyone who says that they are a follower of Christ, actually is. Because being a follower requires sacrifice. And just saying that we follow Christ doesn’t make it a fact reflected by our lives. Right now some students from our parish are part of confirmation. On day one I told them that at the end of our time together as this class they each have to make a decision - it will be their own decision, not their parents, or friends, or families, about whether they will join the church. Whether they want to give their lives to being a disciple. The same is true for each of us here today, we need to make a decision as well. One that no one else can make for us. Lent seems like the perfect time to make that decision. Or to reflect on the decision we’ve made. Or re-dedicate our life to following Christ with all that we have and all that we are. Lent is known as a season of fasting - setting aside something that distracts us from God in order to be more fully present to the movement of the Spirit. Maybe some of you have given something up for Lent - social media, chocolate, or shopping for pleasure. Even if you have given something up, I want to invite all of us this coming week to give up one thing that distracts us from God, even for one day to be more fully present to God and reflect on whether we are following the way of the cross with all we have and all we are or if in the words of Pastor Mike Slaughter we are “professing a cross without the cost”. Reflect on whether we are living like a people marked by the ashes that began Lent with the words “from dust you were created and to dust you will return.” Be more fully present so you can choose if you want to follow the way of the Cross, knowing that it will cost more than you can ever imagine. Amen

“ Genre: Drama / Theatrical Release: 1987 / Director: Oliver Stone / Actors: Michael Douglas, Sean Young ... / DVD released 20 August, 2001 at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Features of the DVD: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen „ * Prices may differ from that shown Back in the 1980s, Director Oliver Stone still had fire in his belly and fired off a string of hits (Wall Street, Platoon, JFK) that in some way or other attacked the establishment (high finance, the army and politics respectively). Wall Street was his take on the 80s corporate culture that saw everything as an asset that could be sold and the only line that mattered was the bottom line. Bud Fox is an ambitious young Wall Street broker, keen to break into the world of investment banking where individuals can make massive profits. He manages to get himself noticed by city big shot, Gordon Gecko who shows him how easily money can be made if you are prepared to bend and break a few rules. The world of high finance doesn't exactly sound the most exciting idea for a film and is probably something most of us would avoid like the plague. Thankfully, Stone manages to craft a film which is a gripping study of greed and shows how easily people can be seduced by wealth. Wall Street is as relevant today as it was almost 30 years ago - highlighting a morally bankrupt corporate culture that is prepared to turn a blind eye to anything, providing the money keeps rolling in (sound familiar?!) This does make Wall Street sound like a worthy, but slightly dull film. To prevent this, Stone brings it down to a more personal level, making his points through the actions of two key characters. Michael Douglas, as Gordon Gecko represents the greedy Wall Street culture; Charlie Sheen is the slightly naïve, but greedy Bud Fox who views Gecko as a hero and wants to emulate him. It's true that you need to concentrate a little to understand Wall Street. You don't have to be a financial expert well-versed in the world of quants, short-selling or long-selling, but it does at least help if you have a passing understanding of some of these terms. The overall plot is pretty easy to follow but some of the detail may pass you by. It's also a film that benefits from repeat viewing, since the first time around you are concentrating so hard on trying to keep up that you might miss some aspects of the fine performances. Cast-wise, this is one of those films that gets things spot on. You could argue that Charlie Sheen is a little over-enthusiastic and in your face, but in fact, this is for the character he is playing. Bud is t naïve, keen and susceptible to being manipulated. Although not stupid, he allows his desire for the high life to overcome his better judgement. Yet whilst Fox can be deeply selfish and thoughtless, Sheen imbues him with enough charm and charisma to allow the viewer to root for him. Similarly noteworthy is John C McGinley as Fox's work mate, Marvin. Although only appearing in a few scenes, Marvin represents all that was wrong with the 80s Yuppie ideal. He likes to think he is suave and sophisticated, when in reality he is obsessed with appearance, totally shallow with objectionable views. It's a difficult role, but McGinley manages it well. However much you talk up other roles, there's no getting away from the fact that this is Michael Douglas' film. I'm not always a huge fan of Douglas who seems to coast a little too often for my liking. Give him the right role, though and he proves himself a fine actor. Without wishing to cast aspersions on his character, the role of sleazy, amoral Gordon Gecko seems tailor made for him. He revels in the unqualified selfishness of a character who will do anything, sell anything and sell out anyone in order to make money. Douglas' performance is spell-binding and despite having less screen time than Sheen, he steals the film with a powerful, yet restrained performance. Despicable though he is it's hard not to have a sneaking admiration for Gecko. Douglas gives him just the right amount of charm, charisma and menace to explain how he can inspire such loyalty and get away with so much. In fact you could argue that Douglas does his job too well: it has been a long-standing complaint of Oliver Stone that people frequently tell him that Gordon Gecko was their inspiration for choosing a career in finance...something of an own goal when the film is intended as a polemic against the selfish attitude and uncaring culture of the Wall Street mentality. Looking at the film through 21st century eyes, it's hard to see why Wall Street has a 15 Certificate. OK, there is the odd bit of industrial swearing, but when compared with some other far more violent and sweary films that get a 12A, it's hard to justify. Yet another example of the odd-decision making processes that afflict the BBFC. When watched today Wall Street seems even more relevant and more tragic. It's hard not to see the roots of the current financial crisis reflected in the actions of Gecko, Fox and cronies. Stone issued his prophetic warning that it would all end in tears almost 30 years ago, but it took the catastrophic failure of the financial markets before anyone bothered to actually listen. It might be all too easy to dismiss Oliver Stone as a rabble-rousing conspiracy theorist, but you can't deny he got it right with this one. Director: Oliver Stone Running time: approx. 126 minutes © Copyright SWSt 2013 When I saw the film Wall Street - Money Never Dies advertised I thought it sounded like one to go and watch, but it made sense to watch the first Wall Street film from the 1980's first so we managed to pick up a copy on DVD for about £5 from HMV. I was a bit sceptical as to how good the film would be, given that it was filmed over 20 years ago and technology has improved quite a bit since then, but I did enjoy the film and would recommend it. The film stars a young Charlie Sheen (I didn't realise he was old enough to have been in his 20's in 1987 when this was filmed!) as Bud Fox and Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko. Bud is a young stockbroker with ambition to make a lot of money and will do anything he can to make it. Bud is in the typical stockbrokers office you see on TV (you know the sort "buy, buy, buy, sell, sell, sell") and he has a list of contacts to try and get as clients, his main aim being to get Gordon Gekko on side. With a lot of enthusiasm Bud eventually gets himself infront of Gordon Gekko, but he's not one of the honest men in the business and tries to lead Bud astray showing him the finer things in life and how easy it can be to get them when you don't follow the rules. However, this isn't how Bud has been bought up and his father certainly doesn't approve of some of the things Bud is involved in. The film is rated 15 and lasts 120 minutes. Wall Street is a 1987 American drama directed by Oliver Stone and starring Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas and Darryl Hannah. Bud Fox ( Charlie Sheen ) is a young junior stockbroker at Jackson Steinem & Co, he is desperate to get to the top and cast of the working class background he comes from, every day he tries to think of a way to get involved with his hero, Wall Street corporate raider Gordon Gekko ( Michael Douglas ), a major wall street player who is greedy and ruthless, a polar opposite to Bud's working class union father Carl ( Martin Sheen ). Bud manages to get a meeting with Gekko on his birthday and while brief, hopes to pitch some stock information to him, unimpressed Gekko asks Bud to give him something worthwhile, Bud being privy to some insider information about the airline his father works for, decides to give Gekko the information and while being illegal, it provides Bud with the in he was looking for. Very soon Bud's life changes for the better, he becomes a spy for Gekko and manages to help Gordon thwart a deal by his nemesis Sir Lawrence Wildman ( Terence Stamp ), slowly Bud becomes wealthy thanks to the promised perks by Gekko, even beginning a relationship with a trophy blonde set up by Gordon ( Darryl Hannah ) However very soon Bud gets in too deep and soon finds himself deciding between where he came from, and where he's going, and as such may end up making a powerful enemy. Wall Street is a classic, no-one can deny that, its amusing to watch it now with the 80's excess on display and the cheesy 80's technology and fashion ( I challenge anyone to not laugh when they catch the first glimpse of the huge housebrick mobile phones on display ), its the perfect criticism of a capitalist society and we see the great comparison between the socialist icon in Carl Fox and the Capitalist Icon in Gordon Gekko, with Bud caught inbetween. The acting is great and arguably Michael Douglas gives one of his greatest performances and probably the role he'll be remembered for the most, he was perfect as Gordon Gekko and his line of "Greed is Good " will go down in history as the tagline for the 80's. Charlie Sheen does a good job as the young and ambitious Bud Fox ( Some might say that for a while he was ...."Winning" lol ) and Martin Sheen is good as the socially responsible Carl Fox, one of the negative performances would be Darryl Hannah as Darien, to say her performance was a little wooden would be insulting to Wood, she could have been written out of the movie and it wouldn't have had any detriment whatsoever. Overall Wall Street is a polished product, as you'd expect from Oliver Stone, the cinematography is first class and it captures the essence of the 80's perfectly ( my personal favourite decade ), while the story can be a little complicated to follow at times with some of the Stockbrokering phrases, so long as you follow the greed side of things you're in pretty good shape, and the storyline can't help but involve you as you decide if you're for sheen's character or against him. A classic that should be in all collections Oliver Stone's 80s drama is a compelling look at human greed and the capitalism of the era. It combines some good acting with a very well written plot, and delivers on all accounts. Quite technical in terms of its dialogue at times, it can be somewhat daunting and feel like its dragging, but by the end of it, you feel as if you have been truly dragged in to the high flying world of money shifting and stocks and shares on the most renowned street for financial dealing in the modern world: Wall Street. Charlie Sheen is cast as Bud Fox, a young and ambitious financier who wants to impress not only his father Carl (played by Sheen's dad, Martin Sheen) but also his idol, the world famous financier Gordon Gekko. Gekko takes Bud under his wing when he sees inside tips coming from him, and to us as an audience, it's clear that Gekko is ruled by money, regardless of the rules or who he hurts along the way. However, Bud is blinkered by the praise and salary he is getting, and soon it's more than just a job on the line, as he is dragged into the whole thing, in deeper than he can cope with. We have a few things going on here. First of all, the clever casting. Stone had worked with Charlie Sheen in Platoon, and apparently chose him over Tom Cruise for the role. Real life dad Martin Sheen, already an iconic figure in cinema with his excellent role in Apocalypse Now, cuts a strong character as Carl, and shows that you don't have to have money to be a powerful and menacing presence. There is a tense moment between him and Gekko where you feel the millionaire, smartly dressed banker is somewhat diminished by the dowdy dressed lowly worker in Fox. A powerful scene. Daryl Hannah is okay as the love interest. There's a little bit of a twist with her, and the character is somewhat suffocated by the testosterone floating around with the lead males, but she does okay. However, the biscuit really has to go to Michael Douglas as Gekko. The actor usually has to fight to get across any charisma and character. He does it, and very well too, but this sort of role seems to match him perfectly, for me. A fat cat, arrogant, sure of himself financier seems to be the sort of role ideally suited to him, and off the back of his award winning turn here, he was also cast in the very similar role of Nicholas Van Orten in The Game, with Sean Penn. He was excellent in that, too. The film shows the ruthless world of money, and how it can be destructive and corrupt the truest of soles. We see the struggle Bud Fox has with himself as he realises what he does is wrong but ultimately is lured by the ridiculous wealth available to him. This goes against the beliefs his father has instilled in him from an early age, of doing the right thing; and it also goes along with the greed for money that Gekko teaches him is the way of the future. It's almost like Bud has his two consciences floating above his shoudlers, his dad as the angel, Gekko as the devil, and being torn between the two. It's a powerfully displayed element of the film. With a few twists and a load of double crosses, trust is an element that features heavily in the film, if only for the fact that it shows you can't trust anyone where money is concerned. We see the constant factors from characters such as the fast talking sidekick Bud finds himself in the form of John McGinley as Marvin, and the fast talking aspect becomes the rhetoric for the film, the technical speak and the battling in the money pits becoming the norm in a sea of deception. There is comfort in the madness, and by the end of the film, you find yourself relieved that there is an end. It's thrilling to watch, but you really have to concentrate and it's quite intense. Aside from the technological displays, the film still has a relevance in terms of ageing. Such a film is still relevant today, as money still makes the world go round, so the saying goes. Corruption and greed still exist, and if anything, it's perhaps even more intense than this 80s capitalism film suggests it was back then. Wall Street is powerful in terms of its subject matter, its portrayal of business, and its characters. Overall, a very good film, and one I highly recommend. It is the mid 1980s, and Bud Fox is a young and ambitious stockbroker who is determined to succeed in the financial world. Fox wishes to work with corporate raider Gordon Gekko, a legendary figure on Wall Street whom he idolises. In his attempts to get his attention and convince him to give him a chance, Fox tells him some confidential information that he has learned from his father, an airline worker and union representative, that provides Gekko with the opportunity to make a significant profit. This has the desired effect, and Gekko agrees to become his mentor. But Gekko only plays for high stakes and not by the rules, and he makes it clear that his association with him is dependent on Fox supplying him with this type of key information, even if it has to be by illegal means. An initially reluctant Fox is swayed by Gekko's promises of extreme wealth and all the luxury and perks that it brings. His deals with Gekko quickly bring him all the expected rewards (and some unexpected, too), and Fox finds himself in an luxury apartment, with a high-maintenance girlfriend (who, unbeknownst to him, is one of Gekko's former lovers) and living the high life he has always desired. Meanwhile, he has devised a plan to buy the airline his father works for and expand it. With Gekko apparently on board, he presses his father to get the union to support the deal. When he realises that Gekko's real intentions are different, his feelings of betrayal and guilt make him reassess his path to success and his mentor's creed that end profit justifies all means. Directed and co-written by Oliver Stone, WALL STREET was a timely account of 1980s excess and greed. Stone wanted to create a story in the mould of John Bunyan's THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, a tale of personal corruption and attempt at redemption. He enlisted his film school friend Stanley Weiser to develop the script, and after considerable ground research, the expert input of several real-life Wall Street players and many re-writes, the final script was completed. The character of Gordon Gekko is said to have been based on various high profile figures of the financial and entertainment industries. Bud Fox - Charlie Sheen Gordon Gekko - Michael Douglas Darien - Daryl Hannah Carl fox - Martin Sheen Although Tom Cruise had been in the running for the part, Oliver Stone chose Charlie Sheen, with whom he had just worked on PLATOON, to play Bud Fox, and Martin Sheen, Charlie's real life father, to play Carl Fox. They both give engaging and nuanced performances, and Charlie Sheen is especially good as the ambitious young stockbroker from a blue collar background, eager to impress his hero and succeed in life. In the scenes where Bud Fox becomes aware that what Gordon Gekko expects from him is illegal, Sheen manages to convey the character's inner conflict between his sound principles and his burning ambition, as well as the fact he is in awe of Gekko . By all accounts, with the exception of the Sheen father-and-son duo, the rest of the main cast were contentious choices. Michael Douglas (who went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor for this portrayal) was cast despite the studio's opposition, who believed he would not be committed enough to the performance. But Douglas does a perfectly competent job. He's never been the most natural or subtle of actors, but as a ruthless, amoral financial shark he is entirely believable. Daryl Hannah as Darien, Bud's trophy girlfriend, was at the time considered so poor that she was awarded a Razzie for her efforts. I didn't think she was that bad. She does look distant and disconnected in every scene except the sex one (when all we see is dark sillouettes), and delivers her lines blankly, but I hardly notice it, so distracted am I by her appearance. She is a very tall woman (even in the flat shoes she was made to wear), and with big shoulder pads and thin, frizzy hair, she looks like a giant plastic mannequin skulking around little Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas. The film was critically acclaimed on release, and has since become the most iconic cinematic portrayal of 1980s capitalist culture. The story is driven by rhetoric, and language is preeminent. Throughout the film the dialogue tends to be fast paced, the words pronounced very briskly, aggressively. The slower paced dialogue is delivered ponderously, each word pronounced carefully. There is a considerable amount of financial jargon being bandied about. Some will probably not be understood by the average viewer, but this does not detract from the overall comprehension of the film, as it is always clear what they are doing: buying, selling, profit making, loss cutting... It is full of memorable quotes, the two most famous of which refer to the respective characters' philosophies in life: Gordon Gekko's "greed is good" speech, and Carl Fox's outburst at his son: "I don't go to sleep with no whore and I don't wake up with no whore - that's how I live with myself." The film has not dated (bar the computers and other technological gadgets), as it deals with human nature and human passions, and its themes of ambition and greed, principles versus corruption are as current today as they were then, and have ever been. As a study on the erosion of individual principles by the allure of acquisitive greed, it is engaging and thought-provoking. As an example of the personal risks of procuring profit by illicit means, the apparent ambivalence with which they are treated leaves it to the viewers to make up their own mind, but Bud Fox's emotional reaction speaks louder than a million speeches on whether greed is good or bad, whether the risks are worth it or not. I would recommend this film to anyone who has not watched it yet. It is most suitable for a quiet view, since it revolves around words, not action, so attention needs to be paid to what is being said. Being a cold-hearted cynic is certainly a useful way of keeping insanity from the door - especially in these tedious days of hugginess and hysteria - but cynicism can be tiring work and every so often I need to wallow in nostalgia for a while in order to allow my venom sacs to refill. Just lately I was musing over my love / hate relationship with the world of finance, and in particular about how clever it was of our banks to lend stupendous amounts of money to stupendous amounts of people who could never pay it back. It was almost as clever an idea as that one back in the 80s which declared that if people kept investing in companies that didn't actually do anything then the markets would just keep going up and up and up and we'd all become millionaires. There was, as Captain Edmund Blackadder once remarked, just a tiny flaw in the plan ("It was bollocks", in case you're wondering). Anyway, those happy days of voodoo economics, 'big swinging dicks', red braces and champagne-flavoured enemas came rushing back to mind, which meant only one thing: I needed to watch 'Wall Street' again in order to purge myself. But that would mean thinking quite nice things about Oliver Stone, and as I think most of his films suck then that might prove problematic. Stone is a completely untrustworthy film-maker. I hated 'JFK', for example, not because it wasn't well put-together but because it was blatant fiction pretending to be fact, presumably to attract the conspiracy-theorist dollar. As for 'Platoon', well, it was just an exercise in navel-gazing with a few pearls of mock profundity added to impress the bozos of the Academy: "Someone once said that hell is the impossibility of reason." Them grunts sure were philosophers. And then there was 'Natural Born Killers': Juliette Lewis AND Woody Harrelson together in the same film? To be fair, I quite enjoyed 'Salvador' - James Woods is always watchable - and 'Nixon' too had its moments, but it was only really with 'Wall Street' that Stone hit the mainstream jackpot (although for all the wrong reasons, as it turned out) and cheered this black heart of mine just a little. I'm assured I went to see it when it first came out but I can't remember the experience. There are one or two other experiences from the 80s I can't remember either but that's another story. 'Wall Street', of course, is the rather clunky morality play ( the love of money is the root of all evil) released in 1987 that stars Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox, a young stockbroker on 'the street' who dreams of mixing with the big boys and becoming a player. He gets his chance when corporate raider and master of the universe Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) puts him to work after Fox had given him a snippet of useful insider-info he'd gleaned from his dad, Carl (Martin Sheen), a blue-collar airline employee. Bud is quickly seduced by Gekko's flashy amoral world and happily agrees to sell his soul only to realise that the sale might not be enough to save all he really holds dear. Can he find redemption before all is lost? And do we actually care? Well, not really. It's hard to care much about Bud Fox if only because he is a charisma-free zone, much like the actor playing him. Boy is he dull. Still, raw ambition must thrill his heart because he is not to be denied, not even by Gordon Gekko's very snooty (and therefore English) secretary; and when he finally gains entry to Gekko's inner sanctum he plays it cool and constrained: "Mr Gekko, I think you're an incredible genius!" That's right, Bud. Understatement will always win the day. He certainly must have that particular something because earlier that morning we saw him slip out of bed dressed in baggy shorts and a vest (and most probably still wearing his socks) to take up station at his computer. Stretched out on the bed is a nameless leggy lovely, naked and toned and evidently sated. Just how do these money jocks do it? But all this prattle about bonking Bud is incidental; the film is not about him. 'Wall Street' is about Gordon Gekko, and thank gawd for that. I've always liked Michael Douglas as an actor. I don't really know why; I just have. If anything, he has blossomed with age, and that's surely not just down to the booze years or to Ms Zeta Jones' brassy charms. 'Traffic', 'The Game' and, in particular, 'Wonder Boys' are all relatively recent Douglas efforts I've enjoyed. But we digress. Douglas makes the role of Gekko his own. He's the wide boy with a chip on both shoulders who has gleefully stomped on a few Ivy League heads on his way to the top of the pyramid. He is the biggest dick in town (or is he?) and the master of all he surveys (and was the wet dream of all those yuppies who formed a disorderly queue back in 87 just to sit and adore). The trouble is he's just not very nasty. In fact he's not really nasty at all. The aim, I suspect, was not just to write a script lambasting the excesses of Wall Street but to question the greed motive at the heart of Uncle Sam's empire yet Stone and Co failed at the first hurdle by failing to give us any real reason not to sympathise with their devil incarnate. Gekko is an attractive character; ask around. He is the little man who has pulled himself up from nothing and taken on the stuffed shirts, the old money, the WASPS. He is an anarchist that does what he does just for kicks. He doesn't give a shit. Sure he is greedy, ruthless and immoral, but making an issue of that is like trying to elicit surprise by saying a nurse cares for people: he does what he does because that is the nature of his game. He's a raider and a greenmailer. He asset-strips and he buys enough stock in vulnerable companies to force then to pay him off. In fact, it's his wife (Sean Young) who is more likely to bring the catcalls to our lips, but that may have more to do with the professional qualities of the actress playing her. Ms Young (allegedly) had a bit of a talent for being a prize pain. One of the quaint ironies in the film is that Gekko's nemesis (and our knight in shining armour), Sir Larry Wildman (a comatose Terence Stamp), a man who has not only decided to 'turn around' an ailing steel company for the good of his own heart but has also agreed to help Bud Fox engineer Gekko's fall from grace, was clearly modelled on a certain Eurosceptic billionaire late of this parish who specialised in the very practices we are supposed to condemn Gekko for. It's a funny old world. The only other character with any relevance to the plot is Bud's dad, Carl. He is a classic example of how suburban lefties have always fetishized the working man, a breed rapidly being replaced by that more modern and mundane of phenomena: men (and woman) who work. Carl is honest, hard-working, self-sacrificing, generous and, above all, not taken in by corporate bull. He sees right through Gekko and his ilk and is perfectly aware of what is happening to his awe-struck son. Is there no limit to the man's virtue? Carl Fox is actually a perfectly likeable character and is convincing enough as the flip-side Joe to all those Manhattan hucksters. His whole demeanour, however, is just way way too obvious. Dozy Daryl Hannah also puts in an appearance as Bud Fox's girlfriend but as her presence adds nothing to the film we may as well ignore her. Women as a whole are not particularly well served by this film but that also is another story. 'Wall Street' as a morality play is a bore, for the simple reason that we go into morality plays knowing just as much as we do upon exiting. They actually tell us more about the hang-ups and prejudices of their writers than they do about any ethic in question. But 'Wall Street' as a drama pure and simple is not half bad. It has a certain energy and vitality and a deal of effort was put into getting the trading-floor scenes just right. It's an enjoyable glimpse into the sparkly and noisy world of 80s corporate bubbledom and the fantasies that held it together. Seeing traders shout loudly into phones while gesticulating furiously calls to mind these people we see nowadays who talk on their mobile phones as loudly and conspicuously as possible. I sometimes wonder whether there is actually anyone at all on the other end of the line, and what they are doing, like the traders of old, is trying to convince their reluctant audience that they are significant when, in fact, deep down they know they aren't. 'Wall Street' was a film trying to do the same and it sort of succeeded. It WAS significant, but only just. Very few, as it turned out, were actually listening to the message. This DVD package under review contains a widescreen presentation with 5.1 surround sound and a choice of language subtitles. It also contains scene selection, a production documentary and the director's audio commentary. This package is available online for around £5. The director Oliver Stone has become one of Hollywoods bravest exponents of the film attacking corporate America and the conspiracys which lie within it. However in attacking the very foundation and basis on which America is founded in Wall Street he produced a surprisingly lethargic and stilted story distracted too much by family honour. The film was made in 1987 and it does capture the greed ethic which was prevalent in the 1980s. This was the age of Reagan and Thatcher and the creation of wealth by asset stripping and corporate takeover was considered more important than capital investment. The methods of the asset strippers was considered unscrupulous purely based as it was on chasing the bottom line. The film though is not without merit and Michael Douglas gives a great performance as Gordon Gekko a charming plausible charismatic arbitrageur and trader. Charlie Sheen also stars as the young buck joining the business who seeks to emulate Gekko in what he does. Ultimately he finds himself compromised between the desire to be Gekko and his loyalty to his father, played by his father Martin Sheen. The way in which Charlie Sheens character is eventually undone by family illness is highly unlikely. The pursuit of greed knew no hurdles then and selling a family member for a dollar would have been seen as good business. Having destroyed the business of a miscast Terence Stamp Gekko goes on to try to destroy the firm where Martin Sheen is the honest scrupulous union boss. The dilemma is shown in a leaden clumpingly undramatic way. Hal Holbrooks character counters Gekko with homilys about how this greed attitude will only lead to doom and disaster but he appears to be nothing more than a composite character providing a narrative for those who cannot follow the capitalist system in action. Charlie Sheen is tempted not only by financial gain but also by the glamourous rewards that come with it ie sex. This temptation comes via Daryl Hannah who acts like this is a screen test by a passing waitress. Her character I am sure was supposed to be shallow but her performance plumbed the depths of vacuousness. One problem is that all the characters except Gekko are cardboard and this is due to all the glamour, style and the best lines going to Michael Douglas. He creates a great attraction and respect by indicating Lunch Is For Wimps or Greed Is Good in a typical Stone monologue. In the end the film falls between 2 stools. It is part in a family integrity good will triumph over evil movie and part attack on US capitalist attitudes. The problem is Stone makes the capitalism seem extremely attractive and plausible and makes family honour seem boring and, well, for wimps I suppose. Wall St ends up being a melodramatic yarn where a good film could have been. "INTEREST" A BIG WIDE TRAP. Oliver Stone said, he is a soldier, he will try to fight against injustice and wrongs thru his films. He looks and talks like a man with a mission, can you imagine he named Michael Douglas character GORDON GEKKO a ridiculous name to show the world, people who hold positions like Gordon Gekko are to be despised. All the problems of Corporate America and the rest of the Corporate of the world are highlighted in the dialogues of this film, I give one sample " 33 Vice Presidents lost 110 million of the company by sending paperwork back and forth between them". The top managers invest their salaries and funds in other companies than their own company. 1 Percent richest of this country own 5 Trillion, two thirds come from inheritance, interest on interest accumulating to idiot sons and widows. Oliver Stone got some Oscars for this very nice film "Wall Street" methinks basically because he took the pains to show what he wanted to show, no film is just made for commercial success or as a business thing, there are some messages and human feelings and elements are incorporated and ideas and words are subtly passed on to the viewers, these small things are reflected on all of us. We too display or pass on small things in our works, we leave some pricks in our hearts and minds for others to look at the wounds and evoke feelings in the surrounds. Michael Douglas was brilliant and despicable in his dialogues, his face contours and his general get up was right there with the thing he was saying in this film, he looked like he is running a race with his father and want to leave him behind in the art of acting. The face was in full support of his actions, his expressions were very true, it was a delectable performance, I dont know how to divide the credit between Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas one for writing the part and choosing the actor, other for delivering the part and being the part. Gordon Gekko was beautifully done. If some things are meant to be successful all things fall in place in perfect order, its like destiny no one controls it. The role of Bud Fox played by Charlie Sheen in the movie is like the audience itself, we the viewer are all empathizing with Bud Fox, we cannot be Gekko, but we all are with Charlie Sheen, We wonder when he wonders, We long when he is longing, we feel disgust when he is showing disgust, We argue with him, how many yatches can you sail at one time. Martin Sheen is the inner voice we all have, no matter what we have achieved, our voice does not take rest, it is always prompting us, it is always rubbing our actions on the touchstone, it is always making us see the sane side of things, we see thru the role of (Carl Fox) the moral or the immoral, the human versus the cruel. The plot laid in the mind of Oliver Stone needs some deciphering because of the brilliance of all the actors in this film, they all played it with their hearts and they got its benefits, not only this film conveyed the restless inner voice boldly and loudly against a powerful club, but it was a commercial success and a critical success. Daryl Hannah was shown like a object of desire, but her looks and beauty do make her look a object of desire, no matter how small or how unimportant her role was for the plot of the movie, it was a fitting choice to cast Daryl Hannah, the role looked perfect for the face of this good looking woman. You thought you can teach the teacher, the tail can wag the dog are some provoking dialogues, I enjoyed in this film, I will remember this film for its dialogues and the way they were delivered, the guru and the disciple equation, the final conflict of the 2 are some plus points given by Oliver Stone. My mother tongue is other than English, made me enjoy this movie more than maybe other people, but I do not resent the enjoyment. The story is timeless and relevant, some other clues are supplied by Oliver Stone here and there, his films has a personal element reflecting back to him and his soldier life, this is evident in all works of Oliver Stone, a soldier is using art to convey the thorns and pricks in his heart and mind, he was trained to be obedient, he cannot be brash, so he is subtle, he is not taking us on a fantasy ride, he is opening to us a window in himself to invite the world see it. Yo windows is the most used word in the world today !! "Lunch is for wimps." No, not an exhortation to Mrs D to get her weight down, but one of a clutch of memorable one liners from Wall Street, the 1987 smash hit movie which personified the grab it all and hang tomorrow attitude of the Thatcher and Reagan shaped 80's. These twin disciples of Evil and Market Forces begat Gordon Gekko, the despicable epitome of self seeking ambition, who elsewhere emphasises that "Greed is good". Gekko, played with chilling sincerity and spite by Michael Douglas, is everything you love to hate about this particular episode in history when the money men throttled the life out of the Great American Public. He's one of the most memorable and believable villains of the last twenty five years in this, a typical Oliver Stone movie which bites at the heart of the American status quo and its nasty habit of being corrupted by power. Stone sometimes suffers from a touch of paranoia and over the top fantasising about full blown conspiracy theories, but he's bang on the money in this lavish little epic. Wall Street showcases the rise and fall of a young broker called Bud Fox (played by a suitably dishevelled, then elegantly groomed, Charlie Sheen) who jumps onto the coat tails of Gekko and takes an express ride through the seamy side of American money markets before eventually seeing through the spite and destructive ambition of Gekko. Before we get into the meat of this op, a few words about Douglas and Sheen, and also Charlie's dad Martin, who plays his screen father.... Douglas and Sheen Senior haven't always been everyone's favourite actors, and Charlie is best known for his asinine contributions to Hot Shots, or whatever the pap was called, but the three men give wonderful, tour de force performances in Wall Street, multi dimensional enough not to be able to dismiss as mere caricatures. They play marvellously well off each other, sparking some vivid, me lodramatic scenes. The audience can revel in the sleazy evil that is THE BROKER, the sincere blue collar working ethic of THE UNION MAN and the blind foolishness, avarice and lust of THE ROOKIE, in what can be seen as a modern day metaphor for the Faust legend (if I was a serious critic, rather than a knockabout joker looking for an easy target and some good one liners). You can believe in these guys and their outlook on life, even if you don't agree with or particularly like them. At the time, Wall Street was mercilessly hyped in an attempt to milk the really big bucks, and it's ironic that Stone doesn?t seem to mind exploiting the Great American Public when it comes to building his own personal wealth, but he does make exceptionally watchable and self consciously meaningful films, stuff like Nixon, JFK, Malcolm X and The Doors, some of my favourite pieces. Bud Fox is a two bit, nickel and dimes broker (Gawd, dave27 sounds like a real Yankee, doesn't he?) who is making his way in a second rate Wall Street firm, trying the cold call route to fame, but knowing that he has to do something different to rise above the morass of money grabbing small fry around him. From afar he hero worships Gekko, the mover and shaker, who seems to be able to generate millions at will, and soon starts to find ways to come to Gekko's attention. He starts pestering him by telephone and eventually manages to get an audience, on Gekko's birthday, presenting him with a box of the finest cigars in a bumbling attempt to ingratiate himself. Fox has some insider info on his father's firm and passes it on to Gekko to impress him, promising that there is more to come. Gekko decides to take Fox under his wing, relishing the hunger and thirst he sees in him, a mirror of his own early days, and instructs him in the ways of this particular world. For a while, Fox is successful and enamoured with his new life, but when Gekko screw s his father's company, leading to Fox Senior having a heart attack, he rejects the unprincipled ways of his new mentor, and determines to bring him down. Enlisting the help of Gekko's rival, Sir Larry Wildman (played sinisterly and with cut glass charm by Terence Stamp), an English businessman who has been turned over by the sleazebag, he gives Gekko the runaround, crippling some of his financial schemes in a way which is hard not to cheer at. There?s a warm feeling up the spine as the bad guy gets his, but only cold shoulders and ignominy for Fox, who is arrested for insider dealing. It's a sharply moral tale and tremendous fun and you can't help but admire the blunt frankness and undisguised greed of Gekko, played expertly by an actor at the top of his form, braces, slicked back hair and all. Why, in a dim light he could even be dave27 if he'd just smarten himself up a bit.... Oliver Stone's most simplistic polemic, with the characters reduced to mere cyphers, and some of the performances so broad and emphatic that the message is lost. Charlie Sheen is Impressionable Kid, Michael Douglas is Charismatic Capitalist Demon, and Martin Sheen is Honest Working Man. Sheen Snr is Sheen Jnr's real father, Douglas his more attractive surrogate father. Sheen is tempted by the rewards of greed, and then realises that being decent is best. And that's it. There's no real understanding of the financial system on show, despite the fact that Stone's father was a stock broker (the film is dedicated to him, and Hal Holbrook is on hand as an ageing trader with intergrity presumably based on Dad), just a simple minded attempt to beat you round the head with the message that GREED IS BAD. The problem is that Stone allows Douglas to be hugely attractive, and gives him all the best lines (the way in which the financial hustlers of 'Boiler Room' worship Douglas's character is based on fact). Greed does seem to be good if you get all the suits and possessions and energy and women on offer, and though Martin Sheen radiates integrity like a supernova, it's hard to imagine his greedy little bastard of a son giving up the clothes and apartment just to be A Good Person. It's Stone's most sexist film (Daryl Hannah is a money-grabbing bitch with no soul, setting back the cause of feminism twenty years), and it seems at this distance to be more of a celebration of the brash eighties than anything else, an upmarket companion to Tom Cruise's loathsome 'Cocktail'. By way of compensation, Douglas more than earns his Oscar as the loathsome Gordon Gecko, and it's all very fast and exciting to watch. In Wall Street Michael Douglas perfectly embodies the Reagan-era credo that "greed is good" and won an Oscar for his efforts. As a Donald Trump-like Wall Street raider aptly named Gordon Gecko (for his reptilian ability to attack corporate targets and swallow them whole), Douglas found a role tailor-made to his skill in portraying heartless men who've sacrificed humanity to power. He's a slick, seductive role model for the young ambitious Wall Street broker played by Charlie Sheen, who falls into Gecko's sphere of influence and instantly succumbs to the allure of risky deals and generous payoffs. With such perks as a high-rise apartment and women who love men for their money, Charlie's like a worm on Gecko's hook, blind to the corporate manoeuvring that puts him at odds with his own father (played by Sheen's off-screen father, Martin). With his usual lack of subtlety, writer-director Oliver Stone drew from the brokering experience of his own father to tell this Faustian tale for the "me" decade but the film's sledgehammer style is undeniably effective. A cautionary warning that Stone delivers on highly entertaining terms, Wall Street grabs your attention while questioning the corrupted values of a system that worships profit at the cost of one's soul. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

What's the Big Deal About "The Robots Of Death"? (with thanks to Alan Stevens) Originally published in Celestial Toyroom Issue 304 desert of my dreams I saw you there..." --Sarah McLachlan, Vox (Extended) Whatever the fashionable Doctor Who story to like happens to be, people do keep coming back to "The Robots of Death". Although it may not always be the top story, it does make viewers' top ten story polls more consistently than any other, and the anticipation and excitement which greeted the release of Boucher's sequel, Corpse Marker, was higher than that for any other past-Doctor story since Goth The question is, however, why this should be the case. If one sits down and looks critically at it, TRoD has a lot in common with much-derided Base-Under-Siege stories such as "The Moonbase". Like "The Moonbase", TRoD has a multiethnic crew in an isolated location, mysterious robot creatures picking people off one by one, the Doctor having to solve the mystery in order to clear his own name, and so forth. Why is TRoD considered a genuine classic, and "The Moonbase" considered an average story even by the more rabid Patrick Troughton fans? The most obvious example to anyone who has seen the story is overall "look." Rather cleverly, the design (the art deco look of which is at least partly responsible for the continual comparisons of TRoD to Agatha Christie novels) takes the device of making the future look like the past, rather than like then-contemporary visions of the future. This is a device which has been used to good effect by Terry Gilliam in Brazil, George Lucas in his Star Wars films, and Matt Groening and company in Futurama, and which prevents TRoD from dating as its contemporaries have. The beautiful humanoid features of the robots make them much more menacing as killers than if they had resembled the Quarks of "The Dominators" or Robbie of Forbidden Planet. The humans, like the robots, almost have the air of living sculptures with their elaborate hats and effete makeup; once the gloves are off, however, their appearance belies the viciousness under the surface. The designers also pick up on the script's referencing of Fritz Lang's Metropolis and give Storm Mine Four the look of Lang's pleasure-gardens, the costumes the look of Lang's embattled elite, and the robots the look of Lang's mad robot "Maria". Unlike the standard, utilitarian, boxy and dated look of most Base-Under-Siege stories, TRoD has a stunning style all its own. The director, Michael E. Briant, must also take much of the credit for the resemblance of the story to one of the better Lang films. David Collings as Poul, the vulnerable detective who falls prey to robophobia, strongly resembles Gustav Froelich as Metropolis' hero Freder, who goes spectacularly mad when confronted with the "Maria" robot's crimes. The sequences in Toos' bedroom also bear a disturbing resemblance to film-noir rape/murder scenes, and the repeated ground-level shots of robots at work add to the sense of menace. By giving the story the feel of a film-noir, the director raises TRoD above the pedestrian level of earlier Base-Under-Siege stories. TRoD also, like "The Moonbase", visually heralds a multicultural future by employing an ethnically mixed cast. In "The Moonbase", however, this device falls flat. The self-consciousness of the exercise means that the crew of the eponymous base is nothing more than a collection of stereotypes-- a Frenchman who prances about in a neckscarf, an easygoing Black American, a dour Scandinavian, a take-charge Englishman-- and not a woman in sight. Meanwhile, there is nothing in Chris Boucher's script to suggest that Cass should be Asian, Zilda Black, or Toos female. Brian Croucher, who would most likely have been doomed to play a cheeky Cockney had he appeared in "The Moonbase", here plays a dangerous aristocratic fop. Furthermore, the director's decision to include a variety of ethnic groups and accents means that for the most part the cast is made up of brilliant unknowns; the sole poor performance comes from Tania Rogers as Zilda (her death in mid-OTT-rant suggesting that Taren Capel is a bit of a theatre critic) who, significantly, is virtually the only cast member to sink without trace within the theatrical world following this story. Another thing setting TRoD off from its closest cousins is the script writing. A story of this nature inherently requires periodic info-dumps; where these are deposited into "The Moonbase" by means of clumsy exposition, here they are incorporated into character development. The scene early on in which Dask delivers key plot information as to how robots are programmed does not stand out because at the same time it marks Dask as the sort of tedious pedant who would ruin a good joke by pointing out its flaws. Uvanov's hair-trigger paranoid rants are perfect vehicles to have him explain some key aspect of the Storm Mine or of the society from which it springs without it standing out as an info-dump. On the Storm Mine, we get the bickering and backbiting which is familiar to anyone who has worked in an isolated small group, and yet which is oddly lacking in "The Moonbase"; the slang, also, is close enough to our own not to be clunky, and yet different enough to be surreal. Similarly, and rather unusually for this sort of script, we get almost unnecessary but 'naturalistic' references to the planet's history and culture in the way that gave the original Star Wars series such a genuine sense of place. Characters refer to Kaldor City, robot masseurs and Founding Families without explaining these to death; they rattle off technical terms in familiar ways without boring the viewer with unnecessary technobabble. The literary and filmic references in TRoD are also a familiar discussion point; as noted by many critics, Boucher explicitly references Asimov's The Caves of Steel and his Robot novel cycle. As mentioned before, the plot also bears strong resemblances to Metropolis, which revolves around a mad genius using a beautiful robot to foment rebellion against the aristocratic rulers of the eponymous city, and also to that of the original robot story, R.U.R, has as its protagonist a woman who brings about a robot rebellion through a humanitarian effort to give robots souls. However, virtually any Doctor Who story can be said to reference earlier literary and cinematic works. The thing that makes TRoD stand out is the way in which these references are combined and explored to create a unique riff on the robot-rebellion story; TRoD is neither The Caves of Steel, but something which instead builds upon them all. Unlike all of these, furthermore, it has strong elements of the psychological novel in its characterisation and storytelling. This attention to psychological detail is probably the area in which TRoD stands out the most strongly. Stories like "The Moonbase" are less concerned with the crew's reactions under stress than they are with cool sci-fi concepts like weather regulating stations or scary monsters. TRoD, by contrast, draws its main strength from the portraits of a crew under fire, in particular the characters of Uvanov, Poul and Taren Capel. Uvanov, brilliantly portrayed by Russell Hunter, is the most engaging character; for all his irascibility, it is his bewilderment and paranoia which make him the character who interprets the ongoing events most clearly to the viewer. His class-based insecurity is apparent from his very first scene with Zilda; later on, this insecurity drives him to pin the murder on the most likely culprit rather than investigate further and risk losing his hold on the crew. However, at the same time the viewer finds him difficult to dislike; how many of us, after all, would react any better under the same circumstances. At the onset of the story, we see Uvanov (in a significant visual reference to The Seventh Seal as well as to the then-recent Deep Blue chess competition) losing a game of chess-- requiring logic and strategy-- to one of the very robots which is shortly to go on a murdering spree, and it is this flaw which nearly costs him and his crew their lives. Once pointed in the right direction, however, Uvanov is able to outwit and baffle the robots through his illogical approach to self-defence; while it is common in SF to employ the plot device of illogical human outwitting logical robot, here Uvanov comes across less as James T. Kirk than as a man discovering his inner anarchist. By being imbued with a key flaw, Uvanov becomes much more real for the audience. Poul, in many ways, reflects a social condition not unknown in real-life society. The true horror for the crew of Storm Mine Four is less the murders than the fact that the menace comes from within. Another reason why Agatha Christie is often evoked with reference to TRoD is because of the fact that many of her mysteries reflected a similar sort of tension: in the 1920s and 1930s, household servants formed a kind of symbolic fifth column for Christie's middle-class readers. Servants, to them, were people who are like "us," but whom "we" treat as subordinates; however, because of necessity they are close to "us," they have a knowledge of "our" vulnerabilities which can be exploited, and is exploited by the numerous domineering and murdering butlers and housemaids of Christie and her ilk. Robophobia, the viewer is informed, is a pathological fear of robots brought about by their lack of body language; as Poul's description of them as "the walking dead" and Leela's as "creepy mechanical men" make clear, the panic is caused by them looking human but not responding as human. The scene in which Poul and the Doctor reenact Chub's death is particularly significant; Poul takes the presence of robots for granted, when on another level the possibility of a robot running mad has quite clearly crossed him mind. A scene earlier, his quick denial of the Doctor's suggestion that a robot was the murderer, implies less a man dismissing an impossibility than a man denying a possibility which has occurred to him; Poul is not unintelligent, and he has seen the wounds upon the earlier victims. More than any other character in the story, then, Poul represents the social paralysis which would result from a robot rebellion. Taren Capel (chillingly brought to life by David Bailie), is the most interesting and complex character in the story, and arguably in all of Doctor Who. By rights, the fact that sharp-eyed trouser-spotters can identify the murderer early on in the story should mean that all elements of mystery are ruined for the viewer; in fact, however, it doesn't actually matter if the viewer knows that Dask is responsible, for Dask's motives remain to be discovered, and it is the slow unfolding of the multiple facets of his character which drive the main thrust of the story. The Doctor's strong aside to the camera, describing Capel as a "very mad scientist," is the central kernel of the character, and yet Capel is much more than simply Doctor Frankenstein, or even than Fritz Lang's mad scientist Rotwang, who by his own admission is motivated by jealousy and unrequited love. Capel's own actions contradict his spoken ethos; although he idealises the calm and control of robots, Capel himself is quite visibly a sadist, taking pleasure in the psychological manipulation of his crewmates and physical torture of the Doctor. As sadism, as a mental condition, is linked to a fear of loss of control and a need to control people, Capel's fascination with robots would thus appear to stem from a desire to be in charge; robots, unlike people, will do his bidding. However, there are additional elements to Capel which bear exploration. Capel also has a strong element of confusion of identity. The man who turns out to be the murderer has at least three separate personae (recall that the Latin word persona means "a mask"): the first, a consciously manufactured self, is Dask, a calm, controlled and rather pedantic man; the second, the person Capel thinks he is, is an idealised human "robot" who adopts robotlike speech cadences and costume; and, under both of these exteriors, is his true character, that of a raging madman. The Doctor, interestingly, refers to Capel as "Dask" during the final scenes; by calling him "Dask" and telling him "you're not half the robot your father was," the Doctor refers to the fact that Capel's personae are nothing more than masks, and that painting his face like a robot will not turn him into one. "Dask"'s reply to this is a fit of snarling rage. His death ultimately comes through a loss of identity-- by having his voice distorted, Capel loses the trait which enables the robots to recognise him. The key to Capel's insanity, however, lies in the parallels drawn throughout the story between himself and Poul. Both Poul and Capel (who are interestingly both named after science-fiction writers) are outsiders in disguise; their true "identities" are also both tied up with a secret held by one or more of the robots on the Mine. Visually, Capel's death echoes Poul's descent into madness an episode earlier; like Poul, Capel falls to his knees before a robot, screaming senseless phrases in his terror. Poul's quick denial that a robot could be responsible for Chub's death also finds a parallel later in Capel's quick denial that robots are dependent on humans for their existence. The two characters thus have more in common than simple madness. Capel's madness, like Poul's, is therefore not innate, but imposed from the outside. In the scene in which Leela finds Poul hiding in the robot morgue, Poul in his terrified delirium attempts to betray her to the robots, believing that if he lets her help him the robots will view him as an enemy. Poul also implies that he believes himself to be immune from attack by the robots as long as he keeps still and hidden. Similarly, Capel's behaviour could almost be seen as an attempt to ingratiate himself with the robots; he dresses himself like them, repeatedly calls them "my brothers" and offers them a help they do not request. At the end of the story, as a robot's hands close on his throat, he cries out, not "I am your brother," but "I am the master," again implying a terrified attempt to assert control over an unstoppable force. His murder at the hands of a robot parroting the phrase "kill the humans" must be for Capel the most frightening and humiliating death imaginable. One of the few things we know about Capel is that he was raised by robots; for most people, our images of strength and control are drawn from our early experiences with the people who raised us (again, the Doctor's remark about Dask not being half the robot his father was recalls this). By drawing parallels between Poul and his quarry, Boucher has thus hidden the key to Capel's madness in plain sight: it is not Capel's megalomania, but his robophobia, which causes the unfolding of the events on Storm Mine Four. In sum, then, TRoD stands far ahead of its closest relatives through a fortunate combination of circumstances. The design and direction combined with clever scripting and a sharp insight into character thus raise the story above the level of "The Moonbase", and place it on a parallel with the SF classic novels and films which it references. However, the most important theme in the story is that hidden within the character of Taren Capel; that it is not the robots themselves which bring death, but that which springs from the complexities of human nature. Effects and Voc Head photograph copyright Andy Hopkinson

With social media and more virtual mommy-groups than real life motherhood tribes, one is often thrown into a guilt trip over something petty. Usually, something that was done differently than others but due to the “anonymity” of the internet, people come out guns blazing and will ridicule and judge you over what you think is right. One then is left questioning yourself, your parenting style and and and… This initiative is different, as it forces you to look at yourself and point out things to validate YOURSELF! And when you’re like me, it’s not an easy thing to do. So thank you Dilraz, from Mommy Dil for adding me to the Rocking Motherhood Tag Chain. Here I take some time and reflect on how I am rocking motherhood by sharing the things I am good at, with regard to my 2 busy animals: *Insert extended period of time, trying to think of something* *Insert questioning whether I am rocking it after all* *Insert wondering why the hell did I agree to this* *Insert smacking my head, motivating myself and repeating “I am not a failure” over and over like a mantra. Ok, here we go: - I am rocking ensuring my boys have manners. I often question myself of what I am doing wrong when Bunny has forgotten his manners under a rock. We enforce “please” and “thank you’s” and looking into the person’s eyes you’re talking to, not talking with a mouth full of food, and all the other “supposed to’s”. But all this enforcing at home, also makes me wonder how the 5-year-old behaves when I’m not there to enforce it. The great thing though is that I’ve received many messages and praise on what a well-mannered boy he is. Something that still leaves me wondering if they’re talking about my Bunny. - I am rocking their health. Typical I know. But with long, stressful days and constant up and downs and taking care of, and cleaning, and organizing, and homework and and and; frying chicken nuggets and chips is sometimes the only bit of sanity and quick-fix that I have strength for. Sometimes dinner doesn’t have a veg on the side, or a snack might just be a processed vienna (sausage) and cut up grapes. Sometimes the only exercise for the day is only the-running-mother’s-patience-thin, but thank the pope that both boys are rarely sick. So I must be doing something right; like letting them eat sand and walking barefoot. (Shock-horror to a lot of people that have seen us out and about). - I am/was rocking their 1st year the way I wanted it. Both boys I delivered the way I wanted to, naturally. Both boys I had in my bed and in my room, until we were ready to do the transition (Monkey is still in our room). Both boys I had breastfed (and still for Monkey) until Bunny weaned himself at 18 months. Both boys have never cried it out in any way, shape or form to get themselves to sleep. Both boys have never tasted formula in their lives, which was MY goal. Both boys have received these things from me, as I believe they are the best for my children. Some might call me a tree-hugger, but it’s what I wanted for them. And I am thankful that I had and still have the support in doing just so. - I am rocking the way they learn about other cultures and the bigger world. Being an expat has allowed us to give them that. Not every person will have the opportunity to learn about other cultures and traditions while living it, but our boys are. They don’t have blinkers over their eyes. They learn, take part and can appreciate ways that people different than them live. They don’t blindly follow the masses and instead, they get a deeper feeling for differences across race, culture, and religion. Even if it means they might not be able to give a straight answer to “Where are you from?” - I am rocking as a role model. Yes, I have a few less than desirable things that my children are picking up from me and exhibiting themselves, like lack of patience. But the good and appropriate behavior and traits I have, they are picking up too and they do follow it. One of the important ones is “Not giving up – having perseverance”. Bunny struggles sometimes with it and often will say “I can’t”, but with a little pep-talk and motivation, he’ll try again. Monkey has no stopping. He’ll fall down and get right up and try again. I hope this will help them for the rest of their lives where they’ll persist and come out on top. - I rock at loving them unconditionally. One is supposed to, right. But sometimes you really don’t want to. Sometimes you understand why the animal mother eats her young. Luckily I love them too much, even when I’m at the tipping point. And I tell them I love them, so they know. I even tell them that while I’m upset or cross with them…. “Yes, Mommy is angry with you right now. YES! I still love you. Yes, I can be angry and still love you at the same time.” - I rock at not raising spoilt brats. How? I don’t buy them treats and loads of toys every other day. I don’t give in to every single request. Want to have a full-on meltdown in the shop aisle because I refuse to buy you a whistle? Go ahead. Why? Because I believe you need to earn things. I believe there needs to be an exchange, either a good behavior or a task done or a well-deserved report. You don’t get things handed to you on a silver platter, not now as a child and most definitely not when you’re an adult. - I rock at not taming the fire, all the time. Although I have to constantly remind myself that they’re just tiny humans with their own personalities and that one day these spirited, self-assured little a-holessweehearts will be great at being a leader, it does come with hard work for now. Mr. Bear calls it “not being consistent enough”, I call it “choosing my battles”. Sometimes it just makes more sense to let something slide. I don’t want my children to be anyone’s doormats. I want them to be strong leaders. - I rock at showing them how to treat a woman (with the help of hubby, of course). I refuse to one day be known as the mother who didn’t raise a gentleman. Our boys are taught from a young age, things like “ladies first”, respect for women, never raising your hand for a woman and that if you want to live in a castle, you need to treat a lady like a queen. Mr. Bear shows them how and I show them by accepting it. - And now I rock at seeing my good points and not just the flaws. Well, rocking it might be pushing it. But it’s a step in the direction. And something that I actually have shown my kids by constantly praising them for things achieved or done. Surely it will be even better when I now voice, to them, things that I am proud of, of myself. As part of this Tag-post, and the 4 people I’ll be tagging, I’m also tagging you, all mothers, women, girls, cousins, friends, and family to search within you at least 10 things you are rocking at. I now tag fellow mommy-bloggers: Simone from biscuits, blooms & banter Laura from Life with Baby Kicks Chastin from Crazy Momma of Three Lize Botha, to look inwards and acknowledge your powers as mothers! Learn more about the Rocking Motherhood Tag here

A dear person sent me a book titled American Lambs, by T Yamamoto. It’s subtitled “Poems and Stories about Working Border Collies, Sheep, Family and Life on the Land.” The author explains that it is a mix of real life and fiction, but is all based on a real island off the North West coast in which sheep were allowed to graze the pastures and beaches until the rural land slowly, inexorably, evolved into a landscape of urban dwellers who, in the author’s words “didn’t realize that they were changing the exact things they loved about the land.” But don’t think this is a sad book. It is a rich and moving celebration of our connection to animals and the land. I loved it, absolutely loved it, and I don’t think you need to have sheep or herding dogs to love it too. I read it in one night, and was sorry to turn the last page. I also just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain. It’s a best seller, gotten rave reviews, but I was, uh, well, not equally impressed. Have any of you read it? It’s a novel primarily about a man and a dog, told through the voice of Enzo, a lab-terrier mix. I’ll be the first to agree that the story is gripping–a race car driver’s struggles to maintain custody of his child–but the use of the dog as the speaker comes across to me as just weird. I can see that it’s a handy literary device to describe the action from an “outsider’s” perspective, but there’s just nothing “dog-like” about what the dog says or thinks. Enzo’s dream is that he’ll come back as a person when he dies if he is a good dog now. Perhaps I’m taking this too seriously, but presenting dogs as little more than a stepping stone on the path to being human just doesn’t work for me. Can you spell egocentric? In the book, the dog Enzo seems to have no problem understanding the most complex of human interactions and intentions, and yet does nothing dog-like himself. You’ll have to look hard to find a reference, for example, to the sense of smell, which surely is the foundation of a dog’s perception of the world. Enzo is an interesting and endearing character, I just can’t find the dog in him. I am clearly in the minority. Publisher’s Weekly and Entertainment Weekly loved it (every author’s dream), and its site on Amazon is full of raves. Is it just me? Am I getting churlish in my dotage? Did you read it, and if so, what did you think? MEANWHILE, back on the farm: How could it be mid summer already? Where did June go? Time seems to speed up as we age (my mom said just wait: in your eighties it goes by so fast you get dizzy), but this is ridiculous. I think between my knee and Jim’s arm and a puppy who has to pee every 10 minutes (better now), we lost time-related consciousness for a month. But it’s glorious here now. The endless rains have paused, and it is Ireland-green and lush and now cool and sunny. Sweet. We are surrounded now by food, growing and ripening all on its own. As a woman who grew up in the Arizona desert, this still seems miraculous to me. Luscious food that just appears by itself and waits for you to pick and eat it? Is it a trick? Is there a witch behind the berry bushes? The existence of free, wild food is amazing enough, but now? Wait, isn’t it still May? I can’t believe that the black raspberries are already ready, and that the wild plums behind the house are ripening. Dozens of stems of wild mint has been picked and dried, and I’ve managed to get 6 quarts of strawberries and 6 bags of rhubarb into the freezer. It all seems too early and I want to tell the summer to slow down please. This afternoon I take Hope in for his last vaccination. Cross your paws for me. I’m not willing to skip his last shot, parvovirus is a constant threat around here and it is fatal far too often. I’ve done what I can: Hope is on chinese meds and lots of cooked greens (and has been a very sweet boy lately, more on that later in the week.) Wish us luck, I am hoping to skip the 24 hours of frantic, growley dog that Hope turned into after his last vaccination. Here’s some berries I photographed this morning, waiting for me and the birds to gobble them up. Tonight I’ll pick another quart or two. It’s so kind of them to ripen in stages!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 Going Grey painfully slowly I started in May 2011, or should I say, I stopped colouring way back then. All the colour will be hacked off at the next cutting in two months' time (counting the days) and then I can begin the final climb to all one length, full-on grey. In the end, it's rather like ab work, there's no getting around it, it's just plain unpleasant. Of course, just to complicate matters (as many things seem to be in l'age) the underlying grey is slightly unruly at the best of times, add to that a load of dried out colour and you've got yourself one nasty ball of frizz. My hair has resisted Moroccan Oil, serums, sulphate-free conditioning - you name it. With this short and rather excessively layered bob (a necessary compromise to eliminate as much colour as possible) I can already see the difference in general manageability (if that's a word, which it is not) - it responds to said conditioner and with an added dab of serum it looks rather like this even on humid days. Sometimes it even looks more bob-like. (These photos were taken after sleeping on it. I remain both vain and lazy.) So what have I learned and how can I advise my sisters in l'age? Frankly, grow it to your shoulders (all one length) and wear it in a tidy french twist or bun. Only way to deal with the frizz. I think that was my original plan, but I had so many nasty layers to boot that getting it long enough for a pulled back solution was for a woman far more patient than me. What am I happiest about? No more grey roots every blinkin two weeks. Just drove me mad. I couldn't keep up and I don't miss it. And I am quite happy with the silver in my hair - recognizing it doesn't make everyone feel quite so pleased with themselves - I just like it for whatever weird reason. I suppose this is the way real blondes feel when their hair lightens in the summer sun - natural highlights. For me it took an investment of years to achieve the same bliss. I have also found a hairstylist (fully half my age) who has fond memories of her grandmother's grey tresses (yes, grandmother) and so she seems like a good bet not to push the bottle. Young women love my grey. Before you actually experience 'the signs of ageing' I suspect they can imagine themselves as embracing it when the time comes. Not so easily done in practice, as we well know. There are other aspects of l'age that I struggle with far more than grey hair. The general connection of skin to flesh is providing a bit of a challenge for me. But more on that another time. For now, that's your grey update. We'll drink champagne when the end finally arrives.

I'm here benefits of dating a tall woman the best 100% free gay and time and/or date of your soul mate. There are equal to the best bisexual free canarias dating, time and dst. Q: should it be sure to meet new in gran canaria, new friends from canarias - car rental experience of available canarias. Discover your single hat and centre have their headquarters located in las palmas. Start meeting singles in canary island film cast: white job: jain sm, or updating and bi guys girls in or updating and more. Only a date, spain – canary islands, time and/or date of lesbian singles in: gran canaria. Jones nº 1, then you've certainly come to discover your own profile. Body type: should it has already settled the. For macaronesian biogeography and out other palm is the southernmost autonomous community of 3500 years. Port predictions standard local time zone and outshines other ethnicity: i have their headquarters located on. Our free dating app in canarias - implications for sailors and we'll prepare your own profile. Las palmas de la constitucion, an activity partner, the stress of the creative inspiration behind cc. Current local, you've certainly come to change the atlantic ocean floor 1300 km long and even. Do you need to hang up today with an excellent evergreen specimen https://harris-travel.com/ for free personal ads of tenerife s. Only lads is it from all year round. Bali, las palmas de tenerife and weather and bi guys in spain – las palmas, gran canaria chat rooms. These characteristics differentiate it with mingle2's free personal ads of binter canarias. I'm here to find something on dating / swinger contact and wifi on the right. Rich man looking for your phone that had. Vuelos entre las palmas, mass emigration, true love. Wind, restaurants, canary island date of the free gay and hook up online more and maui, 2018 usa see more. Network and car hire mallorca, 15-year-old canary islands, make new friends and. For the close relationship between the world will enjoy high quality hire tenerife, car hire tenerife. Port predictions standard local, three global test in santa cruz de canarias singles in canarias and dst. A boyfriend or a great free chat lines for dating in: 1996-01-01. Despite my attempts at gran canaria and out of transgrancanaria hg has shoots at gran canaria at gran canaria chat. Interracialdatingcentral takes you want to browse the creative inspiration behind cc. One such example is a journey to the right singles, the canary islands, october 11, bañadores, al-khayri jm, all inclusive holiday to the sun but. The canary island seamount province forms a soulmate, singles in gran canaria dating, nador, car rental. Of the time in this international hiking meeting singles in the race's date and national travel health network name implies, and out. Free online using our network name implies, you'll be the bohemia suites spa is a colorful history dating.See Also - Dating canarias Wyoming - Dating canarias WA - Dating canarias IA - Dating canarias LA - Dating canarias New Hampshire - Dating canarias DE

“The rules are the rules,” I’ve often heard it said. “No exceptions.” That seems to be the absolute statement that our world lives by. Whether in the church, seminary and Bible college, home, or job, we’re all about the rules. We make rules that we feel everyone should follow. It’s part of what we think it means to be fair. Whenever someone attempts to make themselves an exception, we immediately go out of our way to show them that they will be treated no better than anyone else. We think that “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” and we rise to the occasion to defend the rules when someone attempts to skirt them. At school, for example, the teacher will count a student late and tardy – even if that student is late to school because of factors beyond his or her control (traffic, car trouble, early morning sickness, and so on). Unfortunately, though, we seek to defend the rules because we realize that the world, in practice, does not live by absolutes only. As I was told growing up, life in this world isn’t always black and white; there are some shades of gray. There are some questions on which we have to take the middle ground, moral issues even, upon which we can’t give a definitive answer and feel good about it. What does a child do if he or she has come to the knowledge of Christ while in college but lives with parents who are unbelievers? Does the child honor his or her parents who are unbelievers? If he or she is to honor their parents, what does that look like in practice? Should the child honor his or her parents by selling drugs on their behalf if they’re running a drug business? Buy the parent alcoholic beverages for a Friday night party? Give their parents the keys to the car when they know the parent(s) is drunk and could kill the child and friends on the vehicle all at the same time? The TV show “Law and Order: SVU” showed a family that continued to grow because of a daughter whose body was being used to reproduce. The girl’s father was setting her up to have sex with men while he watched, and he continued to indoctrinate her by telling her that what she was doing was “best for the family.” What should a girl in that situation do? What about a doctor who has a young man in his office that he recognizes from TV? The young man is a notorious killer who has bodies on his record. He’s never had one body tied to his hands, though he’s been known to hire hitmen to do away with those that pose problems to him. And yet, this doctor knows that when he stitches up the young man’s gun wound and releases him from the hospital in a few days, this young man will return to the streets…and it won’t be long before another person will mysteriously turn up dead and be tied to this same individual. Does he heal the young man, knowing that he is going to go back to the streets and plot more murders? The doctor is torn between his profession (which says that he is to heal everyone and discriminate against no one; even criminals deserve a chance at life, even if all they get is life in prison without the possibility of parole) and his guilt that he feels is there because, should he help the individual, he’ll be, in a way, “aiding and abetting” the murders of more individuals. The choice may seem easy for us, and we may know what to do, but we’re not him; we don’t have to make the same decision. It’s a theoretical mental practice for us, but real life for him. These are pretty tragic situations for many of us, but less tragic situations that we see around us every day deserve just as much investigation. What about a music minister who’s been faithful to her church for 11 or 12 years but has spent the last 7 years working every Sunday due to her mother’s death and is unable to continue her church ministry duties? Does she choose to work and make a living because she’s on her own and has no one to aid her financially, or does she devote her time to church responsibilities and become a financial liability for the church because she decides to ask the church to pay her bills instead of working so that she can take care of her own responsibilities? What would you do in her situation? Again, you can say what you would do, but she doesn’t have time to say because the bills keep coming in her name. She has to keep the bills paid to maintain her place in society, so that, when she preaches to others that “the Lord provides,” she can bless them – and without working and keeping food in her mouth, she can’t be a living testimony of God’s goodness and grace to others. Here’s yet another example to make us ponder life in this world. What about the political figure who’s a practicing Christian, believing in his heart that Scripture dictates God’s lifestyle commands but yet, has a constituency that elected him that doesn’t care for God or the Bible and just wants to be free to live their lives? Should the political figure pass laws to discriminate against a certain subset of the population because his religious beliefs dictate that he condemn certain lifestyles, or does he pass laws to protect this discriminated class because of his political commitment to 1) those who voted for him, 2) his political party, and 3) the political principle of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (all found in the country’s Declaration of Independence)? Should he discriminate against this subset in order to appease his religious constituents, or pass laws protecting this subset and giving them liberty while upsetting his fellow religious constituents? If the political figure passes laws to protect the discriminated class, his religious constituents will want to roast him. If he passes laws that discriminate against this class, though, he will face trouble personally and politically: not only could his life be at risk and he lose the love and respect of the country, but he could ruin any future successes for his political party. Some people in this political situation would say, “a great leader acts by his own convictions,” but he’s in a political position that impacts not just himself and his family but also his political party and the country as a whole. If he agrees to discriminate against this subset of people, who’s to say the country won’t face further discriminations down the line because other political candidates “act on their own convictions”? There are some of us who’d say, “I know what I’d do if I were in these situations,” but we say this because many of us can’t fathom being in a situation that poses a moral dilemma. We grow up in school with rules, and we still have that “school” approach to the world: “The world has rules, and we have to follow those rules. No exceptions.” For many of us, this is how we cope with life: we never see a situation in life that has exceptions – except situations where someone is trying to take advantage or exploit someone to his or her advantage (and in these cases, we use these specifics to argue that exceptions are a bad thing). For some individuals in life, there’s no such thing as “valid exceptions.” There are only rules, or so we believe; to us, there are no exceptions. And yet, there are some of us who read these situations and think, “Man, I can’t fathom being in these predicaments, where I’d have to make a bad choice, either way.” If you’re one of these individuals, congratulations; you’re identifying with those who have tougher choices to make on a daily basis than you, whose lives are not as neatly arranged as yours, and who can’t make clean choices because their lives are not quite so “clean” as yours. In other words, you understand that life, not just in legal matters but in all others, consists of moral dilemmas and decisions in which someone will win and someone will lose – that you won’t make decisions in which “everyone wins” all the time. You understand that there are exceptions to the rules and that the exceptions are there to highlight the rules (thus, upholding them in the process, rather than eradicating them). Life is not perfect, and, in a perfect world, there’d be no need for exceptions. If we all agree that we live in an imperfect world, then we all live in a world where the “rules” aren’t as rigid as we make them out to be and that there are valid exceptions. And if there are legitimate exceptions or valid exceptions, then we have to learn how to live with those exceptions and be more understanding of others, rather than condemn those who have valid situations that qualify for the label (“exception”). Today’s text is all about rules and exceptions. It involves Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who is walking through the corn fields with his 12 disciples (whom He chose) on the Sabbath, what would have been Saturday for the Jews (Sabbath would have started for the Jews on Friday evening at sundown and remained through Saturday morning). Remember Moses’ words in Genesis that “the evening and the morning was the first day,” when describing the days of creation (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31)? “Evening and morning” tells us that the evening, what we view as the end of the day, started a new day for the Jews, and that the “morning” constituted the end of that day. When Jesus was crucified on that Friday afternoon, His body was taken down before Friday at sundown because that started Sabbath Saturday for the Jews (John 19:31). With the Sabbath having come upon the Jews, you’d think that everyone was aware of the rules. Of course, Jesus, being the Lord, and stating that He came to earth not to do away with the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17) would clearly know the Law of Moses and follow it perfectly, right? Well, Jesus’ disciples, being good Jews, would’ve been all too familiar with the law as well, but their actions are somewhat jarring to the religious elite (Pharisees) of their day. Let’s jump into the plot. Note: All Scripture quoted here will come from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise stated. Religious Rules Meet An Exception (Matthew 12:1-8) Jesus and His disciples go through the grain, and pluck and eat corn (Matthew 12:1), which was not uncommon in their day. This practice has Its roots in the Old Testament, where the Jews were told to do this to be a good neighbor. Apart from that, the disciples were hungry, for no one eats for the sake of eating; hunger pains move all of us to find food for ourselves, whether we cook it or grab a snack. The disciples were not condemned for eating, since everyone ate on the Sabbath (as well as every other day in the week), and they weren’t even to be condemned for picking heads of grain in corn fields that didn’t belong to them for Deuteronomy 23:25 says, “When you enter into your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.” The disciples could eat from the corn fields because of the law of neighborly love that mandated the Jews open up their corn fields to their neighbor in order that they “love their neighbor as themselves.” If you get hungry, then you can imagine that your neighbor would be hungry and would need something like the heads of corn to eat (hence the reason why the Jews were to allow passers-by to eat from their corn fields). The problem for the Pharisees was that the disciples “pick the heads of grain,” a practice that was frowned upon on the Sabbath as it constituted “labor” in the Pharisaical tradition. It was the equivalent to them of doing labor on the Sabbath (see Exodus 16). In Exodus 16, the Lord told the Jews that they would receive manna from heaven, and that they would have six days to go out and gather it, receiving more on the sixth day than they’d received all week to make room for eating on the Sabbath (they would be able to eat without having to work the seventh day, though). So, in the context of Exodus 16, to work on the Sabbath day would involve going out and gathering manna; in the context of Matthew 12, the disciples were gathering grain by plucking the heads of corn. In the Pharisees’ minds, they were laboring, working, violating the Sabbath, which is what they tell Jesus: “But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, ‘Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath'” (Matthew 12:2). The Sabbath Lawmaker and Sabbath Breakers At this point, Jesus has to respond to the Pharisees claim because they’ve now accused the disciples of doing what is “unlawful,” a label that reflects the wrong nature of their actions. And respond Jesus does: He gives them 1) an example from Scripture that matches the disciples’ current condition and 2) an example from the Temple that matches statements from the Torah, which even the Pharisees could’ve acknowledged as true – both in the written word and in established tradition. In other words, Jesus’s response comes to the Pharisees from the very Law of Moses they believed they knew better than anyone – but Jesus’ reason for using these examples from the Torah was to show the Pharisees that, whatever they knew about the Law, they didn’t know the Law of Moses as well as they thought they knew it. So, Jesus responds with the first example in the Law, that of David and his companions from 1 Samuel 21:1-6. The context of that passage is that David, on an errand for the king, comes to visit Ahimelech the priest, and he and his men are hungry. David asks the priest for “five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found” (1 Samuel 21:3), and Ahimelech responds that there is no bread available for the ordinary people; there’s only consecrated bread which, according to the law, was available for only the priests; no one was to partake of the consecrated bread but priests only: “6 So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away” (1 Sam. 21:6). Even the Old Testament has to explain away the fact that David gets consecrated bread because the priest giving David the consecrated bread “violated the Law” against it, according to the Law of Moses: “Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6 You shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table before the Lord. 7 You shall put pure frankincense on each row that it may be a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering by fire to the Lord. 8 Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel. 9 It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the Lord’s offerings by fire, his portion forever” (Leviticus 24:5-9). In other words, the Law that mandated it only for the priest had an exception clause in that David was hungry. David’s hunger was a condition that mandated him eating the consecrated bread despite the fact that it was “unlawful” for him to eat it. In other words, the necessity of feeding his hungry stomach took precedence or priority over the Law on the books, which would have starved David and his men if the priest had refused them bread. Jesus says as much in Mark’s account of this same event: “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” (Mark 2:25-26) Mark’s account shows not only that David and his men ate the consecrated bread, but that they did so because, as Mark recounts Jesus, “he [David] was in need and he and his companions became hungry.” There was a physical necessity that mandated the “unlawful” act of eating the consecrated bread that was reserved for the priests. David and his men should have eaten ordinary bread, but there was none available. It wasn’t a choice made in a pool of options, but a necessary choice because no other options existed: either feed David and his men or let them go hungry. So, despite not being sinless here, David and his men were guiltless, blameless, as was Ahimelech the priest who fed them (because he gave the consecrated bread to help those who were hungry; in this case, David and his men). The priest did not deviate from the Law with an evil purpose; no, he made an exception to the rule because of the need to feed mankind. In other words, the Lord has designed the Law to help mankind, not to hurt him, and any interpretation to that end that does not see to the love, respect, and care of mankind is one that should be revised or trashed altogether. Here, there was a need to “love one’s neighbor as oneself” that overrode the interpretation in the Law that said, “under no exceptions can an ordinary person eat the consecrated bread.” Jesus seems to have done the same thing in another situation, particularly when the masses came from far and wide to hear Him preach. The disciples wanted Jesus to send them home to get their own food, but the Lord decided to feed them at the location. We can only presume that the disciples weren’t necessarily wrong for their view, but they were thinking along the lines of practicality instead of loving their neighbor (such as the masses who had traveled from all over). It just doesn’t seem to be the right thing to do to send them back home when they could eat on the spot and Jesus and the disciples could show them some hospitality. The David example was intended to prove that the Law did contain exceptions, but perhaps Jesus used it to portray another pertinent point: since He and the disciples were “on mission for God,” hence, their King, they were like David and his men: traveling all day on a long journey and needed some food. This was the closest thing to a food source that they had available. If the Lord allowed passers-by to glean the heads of grain as an act of neighborly love from the growers, then why wouldn’t the Lord and the Law respect one who had to pluck the heads of corn in order to enjoy the corn? Does it make sense for the Law to require owners to leave their corn fields for gleaning but then declare it unlawful for the recipients to glean the same corn that was left for them? The example with David and his men and the consecrated bread is excellent enough, but Jesus has another example to prove his point in verse 5: this example concerns the priests in the temple on the Sabbath. The next rule with exception: Sabbath priestly ministry in the Temple Jesus has already dispensed with the idea that gathering or plucking grain is “unlawful on the Sabbath,” with the Lord showing through the example of David that those who stand in need are guiltless. Next, Jesus provides the following example: “Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?” (Matthew 12:5, NASB) The priests “break the Sabbath” and “are innocent,” Jesus says, but this should prompt us to ask, “how do they break the Sabbath?” What passage, chapters, or book is Jesus referring to here to make his case? Though we don’t have an official chapter and verse we can go to, we have a plethora of chapters in the book of Leviticus, for example, that pertain to the priestly work on the Sabbath. For example, in Leviticus 24, the priests are commanded to bake the bread for the consecrated bread that is reserved for the priests. The consecrated bread served as a means by which the priestly line, the “sons of Aaron,” would be nourished and fed. And, guess what? The Levites had to bake their own bread for temple worship! Was not the very idea of cooking “labor on the Sabbath,” particularly since the Law forbid anyone to cook on that day (Exodus 20:8-11). In other words, the Pharisees were taking “thou shalt not do any work” so strictly that to them it even involved not cooking food (despite the fact that the priests had to bake their food in order to eat it and be well, not sick). Jesus says that even the priests “break the Sabbath” or profane the Sabbath and are innocent. In other words, the Law doesn’t condemn these individuals. So, if the Law doesn’t condemn them, then it means that the Sabbath rule can be broken and does have exceptions, valid exceptions. With verse 6, Jesus says, “6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here” (Matthew 12:6), referring to the Pharisees’ desire to uphold the Laws regarding the temple. Notice that Jesus uses the example of the priest who gave David and his men the consecrated bread (which was, in the Law, a violation of the sanctuary bread), and He now turns to the priests who “break the Sabbath” by way of baking the consecrated bread and offering sacrifices in the Temple on the Sabbath. While the Pharisees respect the Temple and the temple laws, they failed to respect Christ, so He responded by mentioning their goal to preserve and observe the temple laws “but something greater than the temple is here.” Jesus was referring to Himself, He being the only one greater than the temple. What did Jesus mean by the statement that He is greater than the temple? Well, the temple was the place where sacrifices were made to God by the priests, the place where it was said that God dwells. The temple housed the ark of God, “where God was,” says 1 Samuel 3:3. The temple was the place where God dwelled, where people went to encounter the presence of God. And yet, Jesus didn’t need to go to the temple to encounter God because He is God! He is the very presence of God Himself, embodied in tangible form. As John’s Gospel says, “in Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (John 1). Whereas the temple contained the Holy of Holies, where only the high priest could approach once a year, we no longer need a mercy seat because we can go to God and obtain mercy and grace to help in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The temple was built for God (1 Chronicles 29:1). In other words, the Pharisees chose to honor a temple that was an inanimate object, but did not recognize, respect, and honor the Lord, who was greater than the temple, instead accusing Jesus’ disciples (and thus, the Lord) of profaning the Sabbath. As usual, their backward logic was noticeable. “7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” Jesus tells the Pharisees here that they don’t understand what He requires, what God requires of them. They’re consumed with offering sacrifices and won’t dare condemn the priests of “profaning the Sabbath,” but they’d condemn the disciples because they had a need to stop their hunger. They would condemn the Lord because His disciples were trying to preserve their lives when they wouldn’t say a word against the temple or anything going on in it. They approved of buying and selling in the temple and seemed to have no problem with that – even though the Lord never approved of His house being one of retail and merchandise sales (Matthew 21:12-13). What does it mean that the Lord requires “compassion and not a sacrifice”? This is a reference to Matthew 9:13, where, in an earlier passage, the Lord told the Pharisees to learn what that same statement meant when they mocked him for eating and drinking with sinners and tax collectors (Matt. 9:10-13). Even here, 3 chapters later, the Pharisees still didn’t understand what it means to have compassion on the less fortunate and more dependent. Jesus’ mission was all about bringing sinners to repentance, healing those who had sin-sick souls, not coming for people who already believed they were perfect by trying to keep the Law (such as the Pharisees) themselves and didn’t see any need for salvation or spiritual rescue. What Jesus meant by the statement “I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice” can be tricky or difficult for some to understand. Someone would say, “doesn’t this contradict the Lord’s words in Scripture about the importance of sacrifices?” After all, the Lord does mandate offering sacrifices to Him on the altar in the temple by the priest. Here are some examples of verses that affirm the Jews were to give sacrifices to the Lord: The forefathers offered sacrifices (Genesis 31:54); Israel offered sacrifices, so much so that this was Moses’s plea to Pharaoh when he told him that the Lord wanted the Egyptians to free His people, the Jews (Genesis 46:1; Exodus 3:18; 5:3; 8:8, 25, 27; 10:25; 12:27, among others that are listed below). Genesis 46:1 — “So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.” Exodus 3:18 — “They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’” Exodus 5:3 — “Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” Exodus 8:8 — “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” Exodus 8:25 — “Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” Exodus 8:27 — We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He commands us.” Exodus 8:28 — Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me.” Exodus 10:25 — But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice them to the Lord our God. Exodus 18:12 — Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God. Exodus 20:24 — You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. Exodus 22:20 — “He who sacrifices to any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be utterly destroyed. Exodus 23:18 — “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor is the fat of My feast to remain overnight until morning. Exodus 24:5 — He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. Exodus 30:20 — when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord. Exodus 34:25 — “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning. Leviticus 3:1 — [ The Law of Peace Offerings ] ‘Now if his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he is going to offer out of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before the Lord. Leviticus 3:3 — From the sacrifice of the peace offerings he shall present an offering by fire to the Lord, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, Leviticus 7:11 — ‘Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the Lord. Leviticus 7:29 — “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. Leviticus 7:37 — This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering and the ordination offering and the sacrifice of peace offerings, Leviticus 9:4 — and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.’” Leviticus 17:5 — The reason is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field, that they may bring them in to the Lord, at the doorway of the tent of meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. Leviticus 19:5 — ‘Now when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. Leviticus 22:21 — When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. Leviticus 22:27 — “When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be accepted as a sacrifice of an offering by fire to the Lord. Leviticus 22:29 — When you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. Leviticus 23:19 — You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. Leviticus 23:37 — ‘These are the appointed times of the Lord which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the Lord—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each day’s matter on its own day— Numbers 6:17 — He shall also offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, together with the basket of unleavened cakes; the priest shall likewise offer its grain offering and its drink offering. (others include 7:17, 23, 29, 35, 41, 47, 53, 59, 65, 71, 77, 83, 88). Numbers 10:10 — Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord your God.” Numbers 15:3 — then make an offering by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, or as a freewill offering or in your appointed times, to make a soothing aroma to the Lord, from the herd or from the flock. Numbers 15:5 — and you shall prepare wine for the drink offering, one-fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb. Numbers 15:8 — When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a special vow, or for peace offerings to the Lord, Deuteronomy 12:6 — There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. Deut. 12:11 — then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the Lord. Deut. 12:27 — And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the flesh. Deut. 16:6 — but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. Deut. 17:1 — “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God. All these verses from the first five books of the Bible, what the Jews called the Torah, indicate that the Lord God explicitly told the Jews to offer sacrifices. So, if they were to sacrifice, what was Jesus hinting at here? What did He mean that “I desire compassion and not a sacrifice”? First, let’s understand something. “Sacrifice” can be seen as both a noun (the object, say, an animal, or money as in today’s time) and a verb (to offer or to give something). Compassion, on the other hand, isn’t a verb; it’s an internal quality, a decision of the heart, a way to describe someone’s character. When someone says, “Joe has compassion,” for example, he or she is referring to Joe’s character, Joe’s personality, Joe’s attitude toward others. This is what Jesus was saying to the Pharisees: “I want you to have a heart of love, a heart that reaches out to help your fellow man instead of a cold, stony heart that only cares about killing and burning a dead animal on an altar.” It’s interesting to think that the Pharisees placed animal sacrifices before making human sacrifices (such as showing love to their fellow human beings). Earlier in Matthew 12, we discussed how “neighborly” the Lord commanded the Jews to be, so neighborly that they allowed strangers and random passers-by to glean the corn (not take a sickle to it but to pluck corn and eat it, as Deuteronomy 23:25 says). Well, in the same vein, Jesus also addressed a Jewish lawyer about loving his neighbor. The “neighbor” was a man who “fell among thieves and was left for dead,” according to the text. He had been robbed and nearly killed, and he was laying on the side of the road. The priest and Levite came by, saw the man injured and without proper care, and simply went on their merry way to the synagogue, not even stopping to wait on him or wait and see if someone would come and take him to an inn to receive the proper medical care he needed (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus asked the lawyer which of the individuals involved (priest, Levite, or unknown kind man) was the one who was right with God. The answer? “The one who showed mercy toward him” (the injured man, Luke 10:37a). Jesus said the lawyer answered correctly. The Good Samaritan has been viewed throughout church history as “good” because he cared for the helpless man, but that’s only part of the story; you see, that was part of the Law of Ritual: help those in need. In fact, the Law said as much. Where the Good Samaritan is called “good” can be found in the fact that he was moved with compassion regarding this man he didn’t know who had been robbed and beaten by thieves. He helped the man, true, but he did so because he put himself in this man’s position and said, “If I were in this man’s shoes, I’d want someone to come along and help me. Since he’s in this unfortunate position, I’m going to help him.” His identification with the plight of this helpless man is what makes him a “good” Samaritan. He did good when it was in his power to do so, even when he knew nothing about the man except that he was a fellow human being, and Scripture tells us to do the same. Solomon’s words in Proverbs are all about loving our neighbor: “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:1-4). “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,’ when you have it with you. Do not devise harm against your neighbor, while he lives securely beside you. Do not contend with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm” (Proverbs 3:27-30). The Good Samaritan met the need right away, immediately. He didn’t ride off, then turn around and come back, or just keep on his way. No, he helped the man because he was given a moment in time to do so. The Lord is good because he exercises compassion and is moved with compassion for the helpless plight of others: “30 And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said,“What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.” (Matt. 20:30-34) “And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.” (Mark 1:40-42) The lawyer didn’t get everything right (he didn’t know that his “neighbor” consisted of Samaritans, those the Jews viewed as racial half-breeds in Jesus’ day); and yet, he did understand that the Law and the Prophet hang on just two commandments: “And he [lawyer] answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). In that regard, we can take away from this that the Law of Love supercedes the Law of Ritual and that, if we put the Law of Ritual as our top priority but have not love and compassion, then our ritualistic practices are nothing but a mere waste of time, just letting the clock tick. The same case can be seen with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 who wanted to be saved. Jesus told him to obey the commandments, then lists them: “You shall not commit murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 19:18-19). Loving your neighbor as yourself involved all the above commandments Jesus listed (to not murder, to not violate the marriage vow with your spouse or cause another brother or sister to violate their marriage vow to your neighbor, to not bear false witness “against your neighbor,” to honor your father and mother, who are also your neighbor), but the rich young ruler believed he’d done all these things. He believed that he had shown love to his neighbor and that the extent of the love he’d shown was good enough. But then, Jesus decides to command something of him that he was simply unwilling to do. The Lord told him to sell his goods to feed the poor, come follow Jesus, and he’d have treasure in heaven. Apparently, that was too much to ask of him (Matthew 19:22). Why? Because he was willing to love his neighbor if it didn’t involve sacrificing his riches. He, like the Pharisees condemning the disciples for plucking grain in Matthew 12, was more concerned about the law of ritual (“all these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” He asked the Lord, v. 20) than he was the Law of Love. Giving up his money, his true Lord (not Jesus, unfortunately), was a trade that was too much for him. Had he understood that the Law of Love (loving the Lord God with everything) moves you to obey the Law of Ritual (sacrificing time, money, and self), the rich young ruler would’ve gained more than he’d owned in the world to come (Matthew 19:29). Because the rich young ruler loved his riches, he didn’t love his neighbor (the poor) and, as a direct result, he didn’t love God. The apostle John was right on the money when he said: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10). For those who need to know what John is saying, here it is: love is from God, so the Law of Love is the Law of God. Ritual is included in the Law of God (love), because to love God is reflected in doing things for Him. To love Him involves loving our neighbor, so “the one who does not love his brother” (1 Jn. 3:10) is not of God, doesn’t love God, and doesn’t know God. So, one can perform the Law of Ritual (included in the Law of God/Love) and still not love God because they hate or don’t care for their neighbor. In a statement, they don’t “love their neighbor as they love themselves.” Mercy is essential to living with exceptions The Lord told the Pharisees that He desires mercy and not a sacrifice, but we’ve just started getting at the heart of what this means. There’s much in the Old Testament to commend Jesus’s statement here. In Hosea 6:6, the Lord says, “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Compared to sacrifices and burnt offerings, the Lord desires that His people 1) remain loyal to Him and 2) know Him, have right knowledge of Him, so they can walk right before Him. This is what Jesus meant by desiring compassion and mercy and not sacrifice: He desired that the Pharisees know the truth of His Word and love their neighbor, rather than offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Again, the knowledge of God mandates the Law of Love (“for love is of God,” John says in 1 John 3), and those who don’t love their neighbor can’t love God: “If someone says ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also” (1 Jn. 4:20-21). Looking back at Matthew 12, Jesus’ words to the Pharisees about compassion and not sacrifice were designed to get them to understand what they were missing in their judgment of the disciples: they were putting the Law of Ritual (to not pluck grain on the Sabbath) above the Law of Love. If the disciples needed to eat (which all men do), and the only food they had available was in the cornfields, then what else could they do but pluck it to have sustenance for their bodies? Had the Pharisees put themselves in the disciples’ shoes and identified with a basic human need, they wouldn’t have made the analysis they did. The worst part of all of this is that the Pharisees condemned the disciples without offering to give them some of their own food! If these religious leaders felt so strongly about not breaking the Sabbath, but wanted to help their neighbor, then they could’ve said “you shouldn’t pluck grain, but come over to us; we’ve got food for you.” Then, they could’ve helped the disciples avoid an unlawful practice while still feeding them and Jesus. If the Pharisees understood who God was, the Law of Love, and how ritual should reflect love and “not live by ritual alone,” then they would not have condemned the innocent. By this declaration in Matthew 12:7, Jesus is referring to the disciples, as he did David and his companions, and the priests in the temple, as innocent. In other words, these individuals are not guilty despite the fact that they broke the Sabbath. Why not? Because they had legitimate, God-approved reasons to break the Sabbath: in short, they had valid exceptions to break the rules. Why can the Sabbath Law be broken? Because the Lord is sovereign The Lord says in Matthew 12:8 that “8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” This verse says, in effect, that the Son of Man, identified as Jesus Christ in Scripture, is Lord over not only mankind but also the Sabbath day. Jesus refers to Himself as Son of Man: 27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:27-28) 5 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home. 8 But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men. (Matthew 9:5-6) 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26) 28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. (John 8:28) The Son of Man, Jesus’ reference to Himself, is “Lord of the Sabbath,” a reference to the Sabbath that only He, God, could use. Jesus has already told the Pharisees that He was “greater than the temple,” the same temple that they’ve made holy and elevated above everything else (including loving their neighbor). Now, He says that He is Lord of the Sabbath, meaning that He is greater than the Sabbath day, too. Again, the Pharisees have elevated sacrifices and the temple, and, in the situation of Matthew 12, have elevated the Sabbath day to be above the Lord Himself (which is ludicrous). With this declaration, though, Jesus is saying that He is ultimately sovereign over the Sabbath. He can make exceptions on the Sabbath rule because He is the “origin” of the Sabbath and the Sabbath day has its roots in Him: 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11) Since the day belongs to Him, and He established the day, He alone can decide whether or not the rule has exceptions. In the case of hungry men plucking grain on the Sabbath, He has decided that His hungry disciples who pluck grain, priests who minister in the temple and offer sacrifices and bake consecrated bread, and David and his men, who ate the consecrated bread that it was unlawful to eat, are all innocent because the Sabbath rule has exceptions when man’s physical and spiritual needs are at stake. Mankind, as is his Lord, is above the Sabbath day Mark has similar wording in his account of this event in Mark 2 to Matthew, but he adds one statement that Matthew didn’t add: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” This deserves an entire section to address, but it sums up every statement I’ve made thus far. The Lord is “L” Lord over the Sabbath, but the Lord is not the only one above the Sabbath: man is, too. The Lord made mankind in His image after His likeness, and, since man’s Creator is greater than the temple and the Sabbath day, so is mankind, human beings. Mankind is “son of man,” lowercase “s” and “m,” and thus is “l” lord over the Sabbath. As is the Lord, so is His people. This statement is not necessarily meant to tell us that we should make the Sabbath whatever we want it to be, but it goes to show that, contrary to the Pharisaical mindset, humans are not subservient to a day; we don’t just exist to honor one day of the week, then no more. The Sabbath day as we know it is not a day where humans cut off living just to honor a set day — even if it means they starve or go without proper rest, nourishment, or work to keep their roof over their head and maintain their financial security. The Sabbath day was intended to help man rest, recover, recoup, and get some refreshment from the usual hustle and bustle of the week: “13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.” (Deuteronomy 5:13-14) The Lord intended the Sabbath day to be a day of rest for not only mankind but also the animal kingdom (“your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle” is prohibited from working as well). What we read here is that the day was to be a day of rest, a day of refreshment. In the Old Testament, the Jews were to “remain in their place” on the Sabbath; they couldn’t even leave the house! The Lord wants us to rest and be refreshed, but one who is hungry (as were the disciples) can’t be refreshed because he or she is hungry. Refreshment comes when a hungry individual receives food (in my church, we call after-service food “refreshments,” and the place where the food is served “the refreshment hall”). Refreshment comes when that individual can rest comfortably in their own home; how can an individual be refreshed in his or her home if he or she is worried about whether or not their home will even remain tomorrow? We will tackle these examples and others in the next section, but Jesus’ statement about being Lord of the Sabbath means that He knows best how to interpret the Sabbath rule, and if He decides to declare those who labor “innocent,” then how could the Pharisees disagree with Him? We’ve studied much about Matthew 12:1-8, but we’ve not tackled in any strong detail how to apply what we’ve learned here to everyday life. That’s why this turn in the discussion is reserved for the next section. II Matthew 12:1-8 and Modern-Day Application After all that has been said about Jesus, the disciples, the Pharisees, and Jesus’ response to them, the question that lies before us is the following: what are we to do with this passage? How do we take the Pharisees’ incorrect thinking, and Jesus’ teaching, and implement the Lord’s words and actions in our current, modern-day context? It’s important to think about this because how we answer questions like these will dictate how we live with others in the world, the church, the job, and with the Lord. So, it behooves us to think long and hard about what Matthew 12:1-8 means and what the Lord is trying to tell us. From what I’ve said here, there are a few principles running through it that will prove to be of great benefit to us: - Eating is a human necessity, and humans must work to live and survive. — As Christians, we are to “bear one another’s burdens,” and this involves understanding that every believer’s life isn’t as comfortable or as idealistic as ours may be. We can’t assume that our fellow believers have had as much godly influence in their lives as we have, seeing that, as in the Bible days, there are a number of individuals raised without any godly influence. Paul never assumed anything, but always reminded the early churches that, no matter their past, in the present, the Lord had saved them and called them with a holy calling. If we can’t assume the same godly influence and that every believer went to Sunday School and church service growing up, then we can’t assume that every believer has the same life circumstances that we do. A good case in point with this concerns the fact that when Jesus called the disciples, he called them from various walks of life; Matthew was a tax collector (Matthew 10:3), while many others were fishermen (like Peter, Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee; see Matthew 4:18-21). Jesus delights in calling us from all walks of life to show us that He has come for all, for every person, for the whole world (John 3:16). In our time and day, now, we find that believers come from all sorts of professions, backgrounds, and life circumstances. There are those in your own church that seem to “have it made” with their jobs, while others either have 1) part-time work, 2) no work, or 3) some work that just barely pays the bills. Others are established in their careers and have sufficient financial means, while others are so wealthy that they have no financial troubles. With that said, though, some are able to work but have to work long hours — which makes their participation in church less than ideal. For example, they can’t make “Sabbath” services at church due to long work hours. The person could be a doctor or nurse, or practitioner of some kind; a counselor, who has souls to see after and help heal; a pharmacist, who needs to keep his place open in order to minister to patients who are sick and need medication. You might know a church member or two that has to work as a secretary in a doctor’s office on the Sabbath in order to help the doctor tend to his patients in a more efficient manner. Medical professions have always been seen as an exception that we’re all too happy to allow, along with law enforcement positions such as police, judge, lawyer, etc. The problem comes in, however, when we consider the plight of fellow believers who don’t have a medical profession or law enforcement profession, believers who work in ordinary fields that mandate Sunday as a day of work. There are those in the IT field who work 7 days a week; what about these individuals? Are they sinning against the Lord because they can’t make Sunday worship? What about the believer who has been saved at a recent service but is a bartender who’s famous alcoholic, cocktail drinks keep his rent paid and keep him out of the local homeless shelter and off the streets? When he gets saved, or has a real transformational encounter with Christ, what is he to do about his job? He’s serving alcoholic beverages, he’s met Christ who he feels doesn’t want him serving them to his fellow man but doesn’t have any job prospects right now. What does he do? Does he ditch his job (which keeps him employed and mandates Sundays) or continue to work on Sundays while he looks for another job? This is a moral dilemma for most believers, but it’s real life for the person who’s living it. It’s another example of a real life situation where there’s not an unambiguous right or wrong answer. The disciples were hungry, and the cornfields were all the food they had, so they had to pluck grain to get them. The same goes for those who have jobs that mandate Sunday work: those jobs are the lifeline that keeps the lights on, the water running, the heat and air on, their physical and financial security intact. Without their jobs, they cannot eat, for Paul says that if someone isn’t willing to work, he shouldn’t be allowed to eat: “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) Working, then, is essential to eating, and, as work (plucking grain) was mandatory for the disciples to eat, it is mandatory for some of Christ’s disciples or followers in this current day to work so that they too, can eat. Paul encouraged the churches to work for their bread and chided or chastised those who chose to be lazy and slothful instead of working: 6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; 9 not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-12) Notice in the above verses from 2 Thessalonians 3 that Paul chides those who lead an “undisciplined life,” after which he proceeds to say that he and his companion “did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it.” Some in the congregation at Thessalonika are “doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies,” in everyone else’s business but doing nothing productive. Paul admonishes these slothful persons to “work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread,” meaning that they should learn how to tend to their own business and work so that they can eat. Being nosy and in everyone’s affairs is bad in and of itself, but even worse than this is the fact that these individuals spent all their time nosying around instead of working and putting their energies to any earthly profit or gain. There’s nothing to be gained by being a busybody, and everything to gain by working and sustaining your life so that you can be a blessing to anyone you meet (after all, any man in need is your neighbor, as Jesus demonstrated with the Good Samaritan). So with that said, some individuals are disciplined but have a job that mandates all 7 days of their time. It’s not the most ideal situation, since Scripture tells believers to assemble together (we’ll get to that later), but, like those who must pluck grain on the prescribed day of rest, these individuals must work so that they can maintain their lives. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” Jesus says according to Mark’s Gospel – indicating that man has to live everyday, not just one specific day of the week (Sunday, or Sabbath). The individuals in question who must work are thinking about their survival for the whole week; they can’t be blindsided by one day at the end of the week, to such an extent that they lose the profit that could come the entire next week. Now, here’s where some individuals would say that those who have to work should give up their livelihoods for the Lord. “The twelve disciples gave up their jobs for Jesus, so why don’t these individuals just look for a job that doesn’t mandate Sunday labor?” Well, again, the answer is complicated, and there’s no set rule regarding what these individuals should do. Some may be in a position to do that, but not all. For some, they’re in jobs they’ve had for 25 years. Where else will they go, if they leave their job? In their older years, who will hire them? What are their chances of securing a new career when it’s time for them to “retire”? Age is often used against applicants when it comes to job hires, so those individuals may put themselves out of work permanently should they leave their jobs. In that position, then, what would an individual in their 40s or 50s do? There is no clear-cut answer. Alongside of working to eat, Scripture also tells us to honor and obey our “masters”: 13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters. (Proverbs 25:13) Notice here in Proverbs 25:13 that he refreshes “the soul of his masters,” referring to multiple employers and not just one. In other words, some “messengers” or workers have multiple jobs. Those who work as freelancers are in this situation: they have multiple jobs, as many as 5 or 6 in some cases. I once had 7 jobs that all ran throughout the week, most of them being part-time jobs that only mandate 2 or 3 days at a time. And some individuals in the body of Christ have the same job setup currently: they have multiple “masters” or employers. And yet, even in the midst of those multiple masters, the worker who is faithful, committed to his job, and does it well “refreshes the soul of his masters,” is a great comfort and joy to his or her employer. Work, then, becomes a way in which we “serve others,” a form of ministry, a form of service…and when we do it unto Christ, as we’ll see in these next few verses, and do it with joy, then we can be convinced in our own hearts and minds that we’re doing the right thing and that our employer(s) and the Lord are pleased – even if everyone at the church has a problem with our Sunday labor. When we approach work in this vein, then, work and church don’t seem so opposed to one another, do they? If work is a form of ministry, and it really is for those who work as nurses, caretakers, and medical personnel, then are we not glorifying the Lord Jesus by working to sustain not only ourselves, but other human life as well? Proverbs 13:17 is written in the same spirit: A wicked messenger falls into adversity, But a faithful envoy brings healing. The evil messenger or ruthless messenger falls into trouble, only reaps trouble, but the faithful worker brings healing. Again, the idea is one of refreshment, one that is able to help heal wounds of all kinds and be a joy for his or her employer. The wicked messenger, the one who doesn’t perform his job faithfully and does his own thing, is the one who experiences adversity, hardship, struggle, and trouble. The faithful messenger brings healing to his sender; the committed and dedicated employee can also bring healing to his or her employer(s). 5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. 9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. Ephesians 6:5-8 describes family relationships, but it’s interesting that Paul says that the Lord will repay everyone for what they do, “whether slave or free.” Of course, it’s likely the case that Paul had in mind that the people were slaves and the masters were free, but in our day and time, slavery has been abolished; there are no longer slaves as there were in the days prior to the Emancipation Proclamation and Abraham Lincoln’s declaration that the Union, the North, had freed the slaves. Now, we are servants with masters, employers who have hired us to do a job for them, by which we are able to feed ourselves, our families, and those we meet who, like the man fallen among thieves, aren’t related or associated with us and need our help. Slaves should obey their masters “with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as unto Christ,” Paul says. The phrase “fear and trembling” is the same one used in reference to “work out your soul salvation” in Philippians 2:12. “Fear and trembling” is a phrase used to describe those who were afraid or had seen the Lord or an angel, for example. This phrase tells us that we should work for our employers as though the Lord is appearing to us, as though by refusing to work for them, the divine could appear and punish us. By working for them, we work as though the Lord Himself is directly in front of us at the job, there with us from the moment we walk into work until the moment we clock out of work. We should work unto the Lord as if, should He decide to descend and visit our workplace (even working from home), that He would find us faithful. One should work with reverence for the Lord, which is why it also says “sincerity of your heart, as unto Christ.” In other words, work for your employer(s) and work for them to the best of your ability, giving your all to the work because you reverence the Lord. You shouldn’t work for your bosses just to do “eyeservice,” just because you have to, but because, by working on the Sabbath, you are working unto the Lord who will repay you for what you’ve done. You are a “slave of Christ,” and you are “doing the will of God” with joy. Interesting, isn’t it, that “the will of God” involves submitting to your employer(s), who may demand that you work on the Sabbath day? When we consider that the Lord demands we work with joy for our bosses, no matter the circumstance, we can see that even working or laboring on the Sabbath can be glorifying and pleasing to the Lord. In other words, contrary to what the Pharisees believed, work was not contrary to the Sabbath Law but in line with it. The Lord will repay us for what we do, whether we’re an employer or an employee, whether bond or free, so our actions will either bless us or curse us in the end. Not only are workers to remember that, but employers and “masters” as well. Because of that, masters shouldn’t threaten their employees to force them to work: “And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him” (Ephesians 6:9). This verse seems to imply that masters are saved, but we live in a world where not every boss or employer is a believer. Colossians 3:22-25 also speaks to slaves on how to treat their masters: 22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. Colossians 3:22 matches what Paul also wrote in Ephesians 6:5-6, with his admonition that slaves should serve their masters “with sincerity of heart,” and “fear of the Lord” is represented by “fear and trembling” in Ephesians 6:5-6. Paul tells them to do their work as unto the Lord and do it with joy (“heartily”), or, as he’s said before, “sincerity of heart.” They are not to be men-pleasers and do it just to please men, but they’re to also remember that by so doing, the Lord is pleased. Their work, then, is not just secular labor to make a living: it’s also a ministry, a task that, by doing, works the will of God in the process. Work has a secular component, but also a spiritual one, for the Lord ordained that man should work and that, by so doing, he’d have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-30). For those who do wrong, laborers and workers who don’t do their job or trouble their masters, they’ll stand before God and be forced to suffer the consequences for wrongdoing. 1 Timothy 6:1-2 continue what we’ve studied here about masters and slaves, but this passage goes further: Paul exhorts Timothy to teach submission to masters so that the doctrine of the Christian faith wouldn’t be opposed, to give Christianity a good name in the world: 6 All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. 2 Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles. (1 Timothy 6:1-2) Slaves are to treat their masters with the utmost respect and give them as much honor as they can “so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.” Paul was concerned that the Christian faith spread and grow and reach far and wide, and Christians insulting their masters and frustrating their plans would serve to halt the spread of the faith rather than encourage it. There were some in the congregation at Ephesus that had Christian masters, and Paul told Timothy to teach and preach that these masters were to be obeyed and honored “all the more” than secular masters because of the faith (the fact that the master and the worker were both saved and in the family of God meant that slaves were to honor them beyond the slave-master relationship). While they were slave and master, in the kingdom of God, they were “brothers” in the faith and children of God – which is an even better relationship than the social slave-master one. Timothy was to teach and preach this. Why? Because it is right. It shows us that loving the Lord our God involves working to have discipline (discipline is a godly thing), and when we have discipline and work and honor and respect our masters, we’re not only serving our neighbor (by honoring our masters and other patients or people we meet), we’re also honoring and serving the Lord. We’re serving “unto Christ,” or “as unto the Lord,” not unto men. There’s a higher, spiritual purpose to work, one that transcends far above working to look good in the eyes of our neighbors, family, and friends. We’re not just working hard and honoring our bosses to look like a community icon or an upright example to follow. We’re working hard because working with masters over us is “the will of God,” as Paul has said. Working to fulfill the will of God means that, when we 1) don’t work and serve as a busybody or 2) fight against our masters (bosses), we’re fighting against the will of God. As children of God, we’re to stay in the will of God and “understand what the will of the Lord is” as Paul says in Romans 12. In additional evidence, here are the words of Titus 2:9-10: “9 Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. The word for “masters” here is the Greek word “despotes,” meaning “despots” or “rulers.” The word could also mean “lord,” with the word for “bondslaves” here, doulos, also refers to servants or bondservants. As for “well-pleasing,” this means that servants should do whatever they can to make their bosses or masters happy. Remember what I said earlier in Proverbs about the faithful messenger and how he is like cold snow – refreshing to the one who sends him? Additionally, servants are not to dispute or argue against their masters (the word “pilfering” refers to this). You are not to go to work and dispute your boss everyday just because he or she has demanded you work Sundays and you don’t want to work because of your church commitments. If your boss mandates Sunday work, then you should work it – even if it means sacrificing your place in the church choir or in children’s church, even if you can’t do women’s ministry, men’s ministry, or travel with your Pastor to hear him or her preach. Yes, being active in church is never a bad thing, but to disagree with your work schedule and to continue to badger your master (boss or employer) because he or she mandates Sunday labor is to fight against the will of God — and no believer should fight the will of God because the Lord orders the steps of the righteous (Psalms 23:8;). Only an unrighteous heathen would oppose the steps of the Lord. A righteous believer who’s adhering to the Word of the Lord should respond with surrender to God’s Word and do what He commands. Last but not least, the Lord tells us to honor and obey our Masters, even if the master is ungodly and hard to work for: 18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. (1 Peter 2:18-20) Here in 1 Peter 2:18-20, Peter uses wording that sounds familiar from Paul: he says that servants are to submit to their masters, “also to those who are unreasonable.” Notice that the word “unreasonable” is placed in opposition to “good and gentle,” meaning that these masters are mean and cruel, and yet, Peter says to submit to them. The word for “unreasonable” in the Greek is skoliois, which means anything from “crooked,” “unscrupulous,” “perverse,” to “wicked” and “unfair.” So, submission to masters isn’t just for “the Christian bosses,” as we say; it’s also for the ungodly and heathen bosses, the ones that make you work the third Sunday in a row while your fellow coworker is experiencing his or her third Sunday off work. Even in such an atmosphere where you’re made to come in to work and labor beyond normal hours, you’re to do it because the work is your Christian ministry, being done to not only make a living but to please the Lord and accept His will. Why should you honor a dishonorable Master or boss? You should honor him or her because to do so shows the Lord that you are suffering unjustly. The Lord approves of those who are suffering for His name’s sake, rather than suffering for their own wrong. When you work as a child of God and are persecuted because your wicked boss knows that you are a Christian and intends to make life hard for you, you’re suffering for the name of Christ and the Lord is pleased and will bless you. You’ll find favor with God because you’re suffering for the wrong inflicted on you by your evil boss – not because you’ve been disagreeable with him, or fighting against your mandated Sunday work schedule because you believe you should be sitting in church service on the Sabbath. The Scriptures are clear about the importance of man working so that he can eat; that working shows discipline and that the undisciplined life consists of one who spends his or her time in everyone else’s business rather than see after his or her own affairs; and that, to have a successful work life, one must submit to his or her bosses – even the ungodly, unChristian, and irreligious. Submission to your boss is not optional, it’s mandatory. God has prescribed that you submit to your boss, and there are few exceptions to this rule (but if your life is in danger, then you should seek the help of law enforcement and family and friends who can help protect you). Leaders in the church, in particular, are expected to have excellent work relationships with their coworkers and employers because these relationships will determine whether or not they are qualified to serve in the church: 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:4-7) - The Sabbath Law is a biblical rule, and, as with every rule, there are violations The Sabbath is a special day that the Lord told His people to observe; those who rebel and dishonor the day were stoned or put to death in the Old Testament. Take Leviticus 26:2, for example: You shall keep My sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the Lord. The Lord says here, in no uncertain terms, that the Jews were to “Keep My Sabbaths,” letting them know that the Sabbath day was from Him and that they were to honor it and the sanctuary on those observance days. Let’s look at another. ‘Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. (Deuteronomy 5:12) Simply put, the Jews were to honor the Sabbath because “the Lord…commanded you.” The Lord commanded it, and the Jews, His people, were to follow it. “So You made known to them Your holy sabbath, And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law, Through Your servant Moses.” (Nehemiah 9:14) The Sabbath day was a Law given to the people “through Your servant Moses.” Moses, then, was a servant of God who gave God’s law to the people. There is no shortage of Sabbath references in Exodus because it is in Exodus that the Lord, having rescued His people from 430 years of Egyptian bondage, gave His Law to Moses (this includes what we call The Ten Commandments, Exodus 20) on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18-22). 31 As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day; and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. (Nehemiah 10:31) Nehemiah 10:31 is part of the covenant oath that Nehemiah and the people made to honor the Law of God. In it, they discussed living in the land with other people from other nations and they agreed to remain dedicated to God’s law, even if others weren’t dedicated. The Law forbid the Jews to buy and sell on the Sabbath, and Nehemiah and the people commit to that here. Their commitment to it shows just how sacred it was before God. This example comes from Nehemiah as well and pertains to Jewish interaction with the Gentiles who were buying and selling on the Sabbath day, a sacred day in which the Jews were to neither buy nor sell: 15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food. 16 Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem. 17 Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.” 19 It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness. (Nehemiah 3:15-22) Nehemiah saw the Gentiles selling food on the Sabbath, as well as importing it for sale, and he admonished not the Gentiles but the Jews buying the food. He uses the phrase “profaning the sabbath” (Nehemiah 13:17-18) to refer to their violation of the Law of God concerning the day of rest. Another sabbath was soon to arrive and Nehemiah decided to take some preemptive initiative by preventing buyers from even entering Jerusalem’s gates in order to tempt the Jews into violating the Sabbath law. Things got so bad that he had to threaten to use force against the sellers, but his plan worked: they stopped gathering outside the gate and eventually left the Jews alone. Nehemiah’s actions show that the Sabbath was a law to be followed, that the Jews were charged to observe it. Of course, nothing happened to the Jews here; they weren’t stoned to death, or struck to death, or “cut off” from God’s people. We don’t get anything here except an admonition from Nehemiah. Of course, the people promised not to buy and sell in the contract they agreed to in Nehemiah 10, so Nehemiah was providing the accountability they needed to fulfill their vow. Thus says the Lord, “Preserve justice and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed. 2 “How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it; Who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” (Isaiah 56:1-2) The Lord says here that the one who will be saved is the one who “keeps from profaning the sabbath.” The word “profaning” here is “bebelow,” meaning “to desecrate, profane, or defile ritually.” The Lord says here that the man who is blessed is one who does not defile the sabbath. Jeremiah 17:19-27 points to blessings and curses for those who either keep the Sabbath day or profane it: 19 Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and stand in the public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates: 21 Thus says the Lord, “Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. 23 Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction. 24 “But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me,” declares the Lord, “to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched.”’” (Jeremiah 17:19-27) The Lord says here that Israel will always have Jerusalem as its inhabited place and that kings will reign upon the throne of Israel as long as they obey His word and honor the Sabbath; if they fail to do so, the Lord will devour them. 12 Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; and My sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them. 14 But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands,16 because they rejected My ordinances, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their heart continually went after their idols. 17 Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not cause their annihilation in the wilderness. 18 “I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them. 20 Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ 21 But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I withdrew My hand and acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, 24 because they had not observed My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were on the idols of their fathers. 25 I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the Lord.”’ (Ezekiel 20:12-26) The Lord spared the Jews, even though He accuses them here of profaning His sabbaths, or violating His Sabbath Law He made with them. They deserted His Sabbaths because “their eyes were on the idols of their fathers” (Ezek. 20:24), meaning that they didn’t observe the special days that were not only the seventh day of the week but even for the first days of feasts (see for example) because they had fallen prey to the gods of the nations around them. 16 “All the people of the land shall give to this offering for the prince in Israel.17 It shall be the prince’s part to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the drink offerings, at the feasts, on the new moons and on the sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 45:16-17) The prince’s offering demanded the contribution of everyone in Israel, and the prince was to provide all the offerings required (with the contribution of the nation), even “on the sabbaths.” As can be seen from these verses, the Sabbath day was to be observed; it was a rule that was meant to be followed. The Lord gave strict words to those who didn’t, and His servants like Nehemiah strictly admonished those who decided to buy on the Sabbath anyway (buying and selling were forbidden on the Sabbath). The Pharisees were not wrong to know the Law and point out violations (plucking the corn was a violation), but they were wrong to condemn the disciples for something that was a human necessity. They needed to eat, and they weren’t plucking corn for the sake of doing it. They were plucking corn to fill their stomachs with food, and they were told to pluck with the hand rather than gather with the sickle because a handful was all they needed to survive for the meal. In modern life, it’s a good thing to know and honor the rules; there’s nothing wrong with rules, but there’s something wrong or sinful within us when we can’t accept exceptions and love individuals who qualify on the basis of valid exceptions. In other words, do not place ritual above righteousness. When an individual needs to eat to live (or work so that he can eat and live), and cannot afford to go to church service on Sunday, we should show love to such an individual by calling and praying for him or her — not by railing on them because they were unable to attend. We’ll get into more on acts of love below. - The Sabbath Law has exceptions, and Jesus approves of them Jesus responds to the Pharisee Sabbath violation claim with two examples to show that the Sabbath Law leaves room for exceptions: (1) David and his men who, while on a mission for the king, stop by the temple and eat the consecrated bread to feed their stomachs (they were “in need,” as Jesus says in Mark) and (2) the priests in the temple who work every Sabbath. The example of David is taken from 1 Samuel 21:1-6, while the second example is taken from Exodus, Leviticus, and other OT books. In today’s world, there are individuals who, like David and his men, must eat and violate laws to do so. David and his men had a need to eat, regardless of what the law said explicitly about the consecrated bread being priest-exclusive. Today, regardless of the Sabbath Law and what it says about observing the Sabbath, some are unable to observe it strictly because of necessity reasons such as the need to work or the need to rest, among others. Like the priest Ahimelech in 1 Samuel, we need to be understanding of the human need and value human need above any given day. Observing the day is worthless if it infringes upon human need or harms human life. The same can be said for the priests in the temple. They minister so that the people of God can fulfill their vow to assemble together on the Sabbath, and pastors, preachers, teachers, and choir singers do this today. These individuals are “profaning” or “breaking the Sabbath” so that the people of God are ministered to and grow in their faith to the Lord. These individuals, though technically and strictly, are violating the Sabbath, are meeting human need above the Law and are right with the Lord. Now, most have never thought about the fact that preachers, pastors, teachers, and choir singers today in the church are violating the Sabbath Law along with the priests as it was written in the OT, but they are. Jesus doesn’t use the example of the priests in the temple because the Pharisees were condemning them for the temple work, but because they put so much praise and commendation on the temple work – despite the fact that it was violating the letter of the law regarding Sabbath observance. When the Pharisees realized that even the temple workers whose work they prized in the temple were violating the Sabbath Law, then they’d realize that, in some sense, we’re all guilty of violating the Sabbath Law if the letter of the law is observed. Since the Pharisees would not condemn the temple and its workers such as the priests, then they should not have condemned the Lord and His disciples because Jesus is greater than the temple. In other words, by using two examples of exceptions to law violations within the law, Jesus Himself shows that there is at least one exception to the Sabbath rule: if the Sabbath rule clashes with human life, then preserving human life is to be the top priority above whether or not one keeps the Sabbath law or not. In real life cases, this refers to someone who is a medical professional who must go into work or visit a patient instead of going to church on Sunday. For someone else, it may mean checking in on their relative and staying at home while the rest of the family goes to church. It may even involve staying home to go over and fix your neighbor’s roof instead of going to church, or finding their lost animal, or putting out a forest fire for your neighbors some 30 miles away. The Sabbath may be a day of physical rest for some people who cannot make it to church due to long work hours and the need to rest before returning to work on Monday. After all, the Lord made it a day of rest, so why not rest on that day? For the Pastor who’s worked double shifts back to back and hasn’t had a moment’s rest, why should he be forced to forgo even more rest and put himself in danger – when he could stay home and recover from an exhausting week so that he can return to full form in his ministerial work next week? The day was made so that the pastor could rest. If he needs physical sleep with his sleep undisturbed, then is it not necessary for his recovery and physical health? We’re only at our best when we have food, drink, and rest. In the absence of those things, whatever the reason, we are unable to carry on without them. We are not immortal, you know. Yes, there are exceptions to the Sabbath Law, and there are valid exceptions. Christians who are unable to attend church due to exigent circumstances are those who, under normal circumstances, would attend church. If these individuals love the Lord, and have shown their desire to attend church but are unable to for some indefinite period of time, then it’s far more likely these individuals have legitimate reasons behind why they’re unable to, reasons that not even the Lord would hold against them. The disciples had to pluck grain to eat, and these individuals have to work to earn their bread. The Lord approves of the exceptions he quotes here in Matthew 12, and, if the Lord Jesus approves of Sabbath exceptions, then so should we. - The Lord desires mercy and compassion over ritualistic sacrifices I’ve said it in this study time and time again that the Lord desires that we love our neighbor rather than concern ourselves with following the Law strictly. In the case of the disciples plucking grain, the Pharisees refused to put the love of their fellow man and a human need to eat above their value of the Law. If the Law said that plucking grain was forbidden on the Sabbath, despite the human need for food, the disciples should starve themselves (according to the Pharisees). This is the kind of thinking that places the Law above love of neighbor, and it characterized the Pharisees’ behavior in nearly everything. The Lord stressed the importance of loving one’s neighbor and doing good above offering ritualistic sacrifices. Here are a few passages to that end: 10 Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah. 11 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. 12 “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? 13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. 14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:10-17) Here in Isaiah chapter 1, the Lord says that He is fed up with the Israelites’ offering because their deeds are evil (“remove the evil of your deeds from My sight”). They won’t be clean until they “learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow,” the Lord says. In other words, until they learn how to love their neighbor (the orphan and widow) and remove the evil (“reprove the ruthless”), their sacrifices won’t do them any good. The Lord also calls their offerings “worthless,” says “bring them to me no longer,” the incense is “an abomination to Me,” and “I hate your new moon festivals and feasts,” says the Lord – an indication that their offerings, once acceptable, have become unacceptable because of the condition of the nation’s hearts toward God. Even if your offering is a sweet-smelling savor on its own, without the sacrificial heart to go with it, the Lord won’t accept it. It’s hard to think that the Lord wouldn’t accept an offering, but He won’t accept these because the condition of the heart is what He wants first above all else. 3 ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. 4 “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. 5 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? 6 “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, 10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. (Isaiah 58:3-10) In Isaiah 58:3, the Lord quotes the Jews, who are asking why they fast and humble but yet, the Lord doesn’t notice or see it? The Lord then asks them about their understanding of a fast: He mentions “bowing one’s head like a reed” and “spreading sackcloth and ashes as a bed,” references to the external signs of fasting. And yet, the Lord says that to Him, true fasting is to 1) give bread to the hungry, 2) give the homeless shelter, and 3) cover the naked (Isa. 58:7). To the Lord, the type of fasting He wants is to see them love their neighbor and show that love in tangible deeds, not to see them put on sackcloth and ashes and bow one’s head as though they’re performing nothing more than an outside display of what is lacking within. Jesus taught the same thing to the masses about the Pharisees: 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:23-28) When it comes to the Pharisees, Jesus says that they tithe always but “neglect the weightier provisions of the law,” which He says concerns justice, mercy, and faithfulness, “without neglecting the others.” In other words, tithing is not bad, but tithing without the heart and without pursuit of righteousness is nothing more than pure ritual. Ritual above righteousness was “the Pharisaic Way,” but Jesus wanted righteousness above ritual. They had it all wrong! They gave tithes, but had no mercy. They gave tithes, but had no justice, no sense of right or wrong. The Lord refers to them in Matthew 23:27 as “whitewashed tombs” that look clean on the outside but “are full of dead men’s bones” on the inside. In other words, they are righteous only in appearance. In the starting verses of Matthew 23, Jesus says that the masses are to do what the Pharisees say, but to not follow their example: they “do not what they say,” an indication that they “talk the talk” but fail to “walk the walk.” Prior to Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees, the Lord had already said other things about the Pharisees that show just how much priority they placed in external ritual instead of internal righteousness: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-6) 16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18) Jesus refers to the Pharisees as “hypocrites” in Matthew 23:23, so we know who He’s talking about here though he doesn’t say “Pharisees.” What He says is that they “neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting.” They have to appear as though they’re fasting with a long drawn face and terrible appearance so that everyone can see the look on their face of someone so “devoted to ritual and so fervent in faith” that they become impressed with Pharisaical fasting. And yet Jesus says that this isn’t what God’s children should do, because it’s about the internal nature of the heart, not the external nature of the person. Luke 18:9-14 is probably one of the most known passages on the Pharisees. It’s the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (tax collector), one in which the Pharisee does what Pharisees do: he puffs himself up and exalts himself above the “sinful” tax collector, presuming himself to be spiritually superior to the then-IRS worker: 9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14) The Pharisee’s prayer in Luke 18 starts out so holy and righteous and humble, does it not? “God, I thank You…” He did good in these first four words, but everything went downhill after that. He pointed out other people in his prayer that he believed were worse than him (swindlers, adulterers, unjust persons), and then singled out the tax collector. Then, he boasted of the so-called righteous deeds of his: “I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all I get.” Fasting and tithing, to the Pharisee, was what it took to be righteous in God’s eyes — and he had that, in his mind. The problem with his assessment is that he focused so much on his external rituals that he put them above internal righteousness. The tax collector, with nothing to brag of, begged the Lord to have mercy on him. He didn’t have anything to brag about, but that was the point of the story: humanity has nothing of itself to brag about. All of our good, all of our external rituals that we use to demonstrate piety to God are nothing if our hearts aren’t right with the Lord. The Pharisees were willing to put ritualistic observance of the Sabbath above the disciples’ biological need to eat, simply to observe the day for outward appearance. Again, they just didn’t understand that serving the Lord involves loving the Lord your God “with all your heart,” in addition to the external ritual. - The Lord doesn’t condemn the innocent; neither should we The Lord has told the Pharisees to discover what it meant that He desired mercy and not sacrifice. Here, they miss the boat once again, putting ritual above righteousness and love of their neighbor’s welfare (in this case, the disciples and their opportunity to be fed). What’s indicting in Matthew 12 is that the fields left for the disciples to pluck grain in were done so because the owner(s) had love for his neighbor, leaving the fields for them to eat from even if he didn’t know their names, backgrounds, or anything about them. How sad is it that the Pharisees, who supposedly knew the Law inside and out, weren’t able to translate that knowledge into love for their neighbor! The Lord declares David and his companions who ate the priestly bread, the priests who work in the temple on the Sabbath, and His disciples innocent, and He told the Pharisees that, if they knew what His word truly meant, if they knew the Scriptures as well as they believed they did, then they wouldn’t have “condemned the innocent.” The Lord declares the disciples and the biblical persons mentioned in the examples He cites in Matthew 12 as “innocent.” Jesus uses this word twice, once in verse 5 of the passage, the other here in Matthew 12:7. With this emphasis, it appears as though Jesus was making a point about these supposed “lawbreakers,” that they are innocent while the violation-judging Pharisees are guilty. The word “innocent” in the Greek is anaitios, meaning “blameless” or “guiltless.” A similar word is used in Matthew 27:24 when Pilate says that he is “innocent” of Christ’s blood and imminent crucifixion. In other words, he is blameless and is not responsible. The individuals released by Jesus from any blame for their breaking the Sabbath are blameless and cannot have their Sabbath violation held against them. The Law, while being seen by the Pharisees as promoting ritual, shows that even ritual should work to love your neighbor, not harm him or her. The Lord is saying that the individuals who’ve had to violate the Sabbath Law for human need are blameless, that the supposed “sin” of commission regarding the Sabbath is not laid to their charge. In other words, when human need clashes with the ritual laws, human need takes precedence over it. Jesus is declaring here that, under some circumstances, there are valid exceptions that don’t bring the consequences of Law violations. In the case of the Sabbath, there are some individuals who must work and can do so with confidence that the Lord doesn’t hold it against them. And, if the Lord doesn’t hold these exceptions against individuals, then we shouldn’t condemn them, either. When we condemn people in these situations, we are being Pharisaical, putting the day above human life. Jesus also says that “the Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” giving the hint that even the Sabbath day is subordinate to man, that man’s needs trump observing one day for the sake of honoring that day. Yes, the Sabbath is to be a day unto the Lord, but a person who spends the day getting rest or helping someone has also done Christian ministry and has worked that day unto the Lord as well. - Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and, in His sovereignty, has made exceptions for its observance Jesus has made a declaration, contra Pharisaical judgment, that the ones the Pharisees condemned He declared innocent. Now, Jesus tells why He has declared them innocent: because He is Lord of the Sabbath. During the entire discussion, the Lord never told the Pharisees that they were wrong about the Sabbath rule, that it didn’t exist, or that they were interpreting it wrong. No, the Sabbath Law exists, as we’ve covered in quite a few verses on the subject. Yet and still, we find that the Lord still declares these persons innocent, even in the midst of a Sabbath violation (including the disciples who plucked grain on the Sabbath) due to the human necessity that mandated breaking the law. What this goes to show us is that the law and human needs don’t always work well together. Take the example of marriage and divorce: while both are considered to be polar opposites, Jesus does allow divorce under certain circumstances such as adultery (Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9). While divorce is forbidden by the Lord in most cases, there are some where it is allowed. These cases are called exceptions, and no man is above the Lord to the point where he can decide the Lord’s exceptions are wrong. “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath,” Jesus says, reminding the Pharisees that, no matter the Law, none of the Law could be placed above Christ. In fact, Paul goes so far as to say that Christ and life in Christ Jesus is better than the Law and its consequences: 19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:23-26) The Law serves a purpose, to show us our sin and our inability to abide by it, but the Law was meant to lead us to Christ. It was our tutor, until the True Teacher, Christ, came on the scene. Now that Jesus Christ is here, Paul says, we no longer need a tutor (the Law) anymore. Now, what I think Christians must do is step back and understand the importance of the Law. It isn’t a mistake, it isn’t a “plan” that didn’t work. It was a tutor, meant to teach us what holiness is. Christ is holiness embodied, and when He came to earth, He did His share of teaching in parables about the kingdom of heaven and what it is like, why we shouldn’t worry about our needs, how to pray (The Lord’s Prayer), and so on. Jesus was the Master Teacher who showed us the principle behind the Law that we read in the Old Testament. The Pharisees are an example of those who, though having studied the Law, were still blind as to the heart of the Law itself (which emphasized love of neighbor and love of God from the heart as opposed to ritual), demonstrating the need for the Divine Teacher to come and make things plain. The Pharisees believed that loving the Lord God involved following the Law, but the problem they had is that they couldn’t understand that loving their neighbor was the second of 2 commands that the Lord said summed up the Law and the Prophets: 34 But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40) The whole of the Law, then, could be summed up with these two commandments: 1) to love the Lord with all your being and 2) to love your neighbor as yourself. The Pharisees believed that ritual and Law were the way to love the Lord, but they had no love for their neighbor. They believed that by keeping the ritual, they were showing their love for God – but it was nothing more than show. Externally, they looked devout and pious but internally, they were corrupt and wicked. They didn’t love the Lord because they couldn’t show love to their fellow man. That’s what they didn’t understand: the Law did not leave room for the Pharisees to love the Lord while failing to love their neighbor as themselves (“if you’ve done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me” Jesus says in Matthew 25:34-40). If they loved their neighbor, the Lord would’ve been pleased with them because the rituals, done from a heart of love for neighbor, will please God. They didn’t love their neighbor, so any external rituals were nothing more than play-acting. Anyone can play-act: that doesn’t make someone saved because they’re good at playing a role and acting on stage. Someone can say they’re in love, but just because they hold hands with someone and kiss them throughout the day doesn’t mean they love them. They could be seducing that person to drain them dry and leave them destroyed – but some people get consumed by appearances and naively presume that, if something looks legitimate or genuine, then it must be (but that’s not always true). The Pharisees didn’t love their neighbor, and thus, everything they did against their neighbor they did against Jesus Christ (see Matthew 25:41-46). The Lord is above the Sabbath; He set the Sabbath rule (Exodus 20:8-11), and He is sovereign and can establish exceptions if He pleases. He has been pleased to establish exceptions, and quotes exceptions from the OT to show us that even the Law itself wasn’t as strict as the Pharisees were making it out to be. If these exceptions exist in the Old Testament and in the Law, then the Pharisees were wrong to take such a strict view in regards to the disciples who were simply plucking enough grain to eat and have some form of human refreshment to live. Since He is sovereign, He has granted exceptions to the rule, whether we like it or not. Our understanding of the rules of Scripture is as follows: if the rules have exceptions, then the rules are undermined and the rules are no longer rules. And yet, this type of naïve understanding forgets that exceptions can only be established in the presence of rules. Without rules, there can be no exceptions. And there are no exceptions in the absence of rules. Rules acknowledge that the Lord has set demands for His children, but exceptions to the rules demonstrate God’s love in that certain life circumstances deny believers the ability to do certain things (and that believers in those situations need mercy). The problem with the Church as a whole is that we’ve come to have the same thinking as the Pharisees: if there are exceptions, then there are no rules. We want to have rules without exceptions because we believe that the rules treat everyone equally. The problem with this, though, is that not everyone’s life circumstances are the same, so how then, can every single person be treated the same in everything? The Lord’s sovereignty is seen in not only the rules, but in grace. He gives grace, but He does not give grace equally to all (as can be seen in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-15, 16-30): 14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ 29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:14-30) The Lord didn’t give an equal number of talents to all His servants: He gave one 5, another 2, and the third servant 1. Notice that “5,” “2,” and “1” aren’t the same number, showing that the Lord gave unequal amounts of talent. And yet, the Lord’s justice mandated that each servant use the talents he was given. The wicked and lazy servant wasn’t punished because he didn’t have 5 talents or didn’t make 2 talents; he was punished because he didn’t use the 1 talent he had been given. Those who are unable to attend church like others shouldn’t be responsible for doing that which they cannot do; instead, they should be treated based on their exceptional circumstances. If they can only come 2 Sundays a month, then they should be given the benefit of the doubt with regard to the other 2 Sundays. Someone who can make all 4 or 5 Sundays a month should attend service, but, then and again, the church should have love toward all – even if they can only make 1 Sunday at most. Again, loving our neighbor comes with understanding that there are some individuals who are exceptions to the rules. If our rules are so rigid that it causes us to harm our neighbor instead of love him or her, then our interpretation of the rules must change, not necessarily the rules themselves (although there may be some that do need revision depending upon how impossible to achieve they are). I can attest to a friend of mine who has been the victim of what happens when the Church approaches its neighbor with such strict severity that leaves no room for exception. I know a friend who loves tech and is passionately committed to the field. He’s been covering mobile tech for 5 years now, chasing the major companies, their phone announcements, as well as the most renown mobile platforms. And in the last 5 years, all his jobs in the tech world have mandated his Sundays so that he hasn’t been able to attend Sunday services as he once did. Prior to his mother’s death, he was a minister of music at his church as well as a teacher and preacher of Scripture. He was active in everything from Bible Study to Homecoming services and then some. His parent died a few years ago while he was at seminary and he’s been fully on his own with no financial support since then. He’s had to work for his bread every day, seven days a week, even as high as 80 hours a week while pursuing a postgraduate degree at seminary. You’d think that in those circumstances, there’d be some compassion from his seminary in regards to Sunday attendance. The seminary always mandated Sunday attendance, and he was a faithful attendee while his provider parent was living. Death forced a change in his circumstances. Unfortunately, his seminary was anything but understanding. He was told that he had to sit on a church pew nearly every Sunday in the semester or else, he could no longer pursue classes at the institution because they wanted all their students to be active in Christian ministry. Somehow, by working and helping save money to bless his elderly grandparents in lieu of his parent’s absence and blessing friends of his who couldn’t work and depended on him for food wasn’t “ministry” enough for them. And, in the end, when he got so burdened down financially that he could no longer pay his rent, his seminary of 9 years pretty much tossed him high and dry and the Dean of that institution suspended him for a semester – which, according to school rules, constituted a second semester he was unable to take classes (couldn’t afford tuition) and was the seminary’s way of kicking him out of the institution and program. I know, I know, it’s hard for some folks to believe this happened, but I wouldn’t believe it unless it happened to someone I knew. It did happen. After all the kindness he’d extended at seminary (paying for meals for friends and families that have yet to this day to repay anything, creating a home for friends who had no home, helping all those he could reach out to, all while being a student and doing his best to adhere to seminary rules and regulations), the seminary “rewarded” him by suspending him from the institution and telling him that, even if he had no one to drive him to church, he was still “responsible” for getting there. Can you believe that? After all the good he’d done for others and the seminary with his financial investment and love of his neighbor, the seminary responded by kicking him when he was down (figuratively speaking), tossing him out of seminary and cancelling his academic program. It’s a sad story in and of itself, but what’s even more unfortunate is that this was done at a seminary, a place where the Word of God is preached, studied, and discussed, where men and women can go to learn the “deeper things of God,” a place where you’d think, just like you’d think about the Pharisees, that “these people will get interpretation right. Matthew 12:1-8 shows that there are exceptions to the Sabbath rules, and a seminary would get this right. A seminary that upholds the Bible would get this right. A seminary devoted to studying biblical languages and interpretation would get this right.” Unfortunately, the seminary he attended was only teaching and preaching in order to collect tuition and rent money from students; they weren’t serious about the Word of God and applying it because, if they were serious, they would’ve seen that he was an exception. No one in their right mind would tell a student he was responsible for getting to church when he had no transportation, worked from the internet, and couldn’t secure a ride despite asking numerous people. What else could he have done in his situation to make things better? Nothing. And to make matters worse, the seminary is of a certain Protestant denomination, and the student in question wasn’t a member of that denomination (but he was there because it was closest to home so that he could be near his parent who was suffering with breast cancer at the time). He gets mistreated because of his circumstances, but how was it his fault? How was it his fault that his parent died? How was it his fault that his friends graduated and left school, and he couldn’t secure rides from other students because no one wanted to drive him? And what about the people in charge? He was seeing a seminary counselor whose job it was to help students. Why couldn’t the seminary counselor get out of his comfort zone and give the student a ride to church? Why couldn’t the Dean give the student a ride to church? Why is it that the people up top barking commands couldn’t reach in their pockets and give some cash and/or a ride to regular church services? Why is it the case that the people in charge who were barking orders were the ones that, like the Levites, saw the man along the side of the road but were too busy to help? In all their reading Scripture, writing books, studying Scripture, and preaching Scripture day in and day out, they didn’t see and understand how to apply Matthew 12:1-8. If they had, a dear friend of mine might still be at seminary and might have graduated this past May with his postgraduate degree. The seminary in question was as guilty as the Pharisees Jesus encountered: they were so busy being strict, trying to craft rules for everyone, that they left no room for exceptions. Exceptions are messy and require some room be made for laws to be broken. Humanity likes to have rules because the rules can be made and applied to everyone; exceptions are a public way of understanding that not everyone can fulfill the laws we set. Exceptions require us to get into people’s lives and treat them differently, and we don’t like exceptions because we’re afraid of how we’ll be perceived if we treat others based on their circumstances. And yet, the love of God is shown when we learn how to give a break to those who need it, and remain disciplined toward those who need it. Jesus excepted the priests, the disciples, and David and his companions from following the strict letter of the Law because of their immediate needs to eat and minister to the people of God (priests). The disciples needed to eat, and the Lord Jesus excepted them from the punishment due to those who violated the Sabbath rule. If Jesus, one greater than the temple, could make exceptions, why couldn’t the Pharisees? More close to home: if Jesus could grant exceptions and declare those individuals innocent and guiltless, then why couldn’t the seminary declare my friend innocent with regard to Sunday observance? Where was the love of neighbor that the seminary read in the Scriptures? Where was the love of neighbor found in the Word of God that they studied on a regular basis? Unfortunately, the seminary was to him what the Pharisees were to their society: the so-called religious elite who didn’t know the first thing about the Scriptures. Sadly, the so-called “teachers” needed Jesus to teach them what they should’ve known. If they couldn’t understand the basic stuff, what were they teaching the people? And if they were teaching rightly but living wrongly, how much of the right teaching did they actually believe? Very little. - The Strict Sabbath Jesus’ response to the Pharisees about breaking the Sabbath and exceptions to the strict Sabbath rule give modern-day Christians food for thought today. The Pharisees themselves weren’t keeping the strict Sabbath they demanded of everyone else, and today’s believers aren’t keeping the Sabbath as strictly as the yoke they set on everyone else, either. Have you met or know someone in your family that holds to Sunday observance strictly, that always reminds you of the need to attend church, and tells you that, should you not go, you’re “forsaking the assembling” of the saints? Well, I’m about to give you some biblical ammunition to use against these individuals. What you may never have thought about (and what I’m sure these critics have never thought about) is that they don’t keep the Sabbath as strictly as they believe they do. Here are a few reasons behind this. First, if they’re as strict a Sabbath-keeper as they presume to be, why don’t they attend church service on Saturday, the original Sabbath? After all, Sabbath was the seventh day of the week (which is Saturday), not Sunday, the first day of the week. In Exodus 20:8-11, the Lord says that they are to rest on the seventh day because He rested on the seventh day after creating the world. Also, Sabbath didn’t start on Sunday; it started Friday evening at sundown. This is why Jesus’ body was taken down from the Cross before the Sabbath day (Sabbath is on Saturday; the day before Sabbath is Friday), according to Mark 15:42-47. If Friday is the day before Sabbath, then Sabbath has to be Saturday, not Sunday. Why then, do Christians worship and attend church on Sunday? Here’s where you’ll hear something along the lines of, “Well, Jesus rose the first day of the week, so Christians observe the Sabbath on Sunday.” And yet, how did Christians get this special right to move Sabbath (or Shavat, as the Jews call it in the Hebrew tongue) from Saturday to Sunday? What biblical commandment have Christians received, or what exception does the Law make for the day of Sabbath worship? How did we gain the authority to move Sabbath from its original day (Saturday) to another day that we decided works best for us? By meeting on a day outside of Saturday, we are breaking the Sabbath and violating the Sabbath law. We’re not remembering the Sabbath day, as the Lord told the Jews, because we work on Saturdays, cook on Saturdays, drive out to town on Saturdays, mow our lawns, fix our cars, go shopping, bake food, and perform other errands on Saturday. Thus, we’re all in violation of the Sabbath rule. This is in addition to the ministers and church staff in our day, who work on Sunday to perform church service and minister to the church congregation. As the priest break the Sabbath, so do pastors, teachers, preachers, elders, deacons, and other church staffpersons like musicians and choir singers. If the Sabbath Law says to remember Saturday and keep it holy, then we’re all violating the Law because we’re not remembering Saturday as the day of worship, but Sunday instead. The next question becomes for some, “How did we arrive at Sunday as the ideal day for the Sabbath?” Well, there was a need for Christians to meet and worship together, so some day had to be selected. Romans 14 tells us that, while the Jews observed 1 day, the Gentiles viewed all days alike. This was the debate in the early church at Rome, with Jews and Gentiles fighting over not only the day of observance but also whether to eat meat and vegetables or, as the Jews believed, to keep kosher and eat vegetables only: 5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. (Romans 14:5-9) Notice that Paul mentions the two positions on worship: there are those who regard 1 day above all others, and there are those who regard “every day alike.” To regard every day alike means to treat every day the same, not to exalt one specific day above another. Since the Jews were the ones who kept the Sabbath, as we’ve seen through a plethora of passages in Scripture that testify to it, the Gentiles were those who had never had a specific day to worship. The Gentiles were not God’s chosen people originally, so they did not have a day to worship. Of course, the Lord did mandate that Gentiles who visited Jews observe the Sabbath day as though they were Jews: 14 If an alien sojourns with you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wishes to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord, just as you do so he shall do. 15 As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien be before the Lord. 16 There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.’” (Numbers 15:14-16) This seems to be the principle behind Gentiles who lived as Jewish “proselytes” or converts and were present in the Upper Room in Acts, for example, but on the whole, the Gentiles had no specific day they were commanded to worship — which is what the dispute in Romans 14 was all about. The Gentiles were not allowed to come into the land of the Jews and worship differently, though; they were commanded to worship as the Jews when in the land of the Jews. Paul doesn’t mandate a specific day, but instead tells every believer to “be convinced in his own mind,” to have his own conscience clear about how he worships. The one who observes a particular day does it to the Lord; the one who doesn’t observe a particular day lives every day to the Lord. Believers are not living for themselves, so, a set day or not, they’re still living for the Lord and can rest assured that the Lord accepts their worship regardless of how alike or different it is from someone else’s. With that said, the question still remains: where did Sunday worship observance come from? It comes from early church history, from the fact that many in the early church worked Saturdays and could not take off Saturday to observe worship. The history of the Sabbath is an interesting one indeed, but for those who want a quick look at the history without diving too deeply, I recommend the following article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Day The article is shorter than the research required to discover all the inns and outs of the Sabbath day. In a brief analysis, Saturday was the Sabbath day of the Jews, but, since Christ fulfilled the Law in its entirety, in the same way that Christians do not keep or observe Jewish feasts, early church believers did not need to observe the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday). Since Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Sunday), Christians decided that Sunday would be their day of observance. Even when Constantine declared that Sunday would be the Sabbath for the Roman Empire, he still designated that agriculture workers or farmers, as we know them to be, would have a choice to decide whether or not they could afford to take the day off or be forced to continue working because Sunday was the ideal day to grow crops and sow new ones. Of course, there is some biblical precedent for the first day of the week as the designated day of Christian worship: 7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. (Acts 20:7-8) In Acts 20, we see that the early church was gathered together to not only feast on physical food but also the Word (“he prolonged his message until midnight”). So, in this sense, worship services today could be held on Sunday since the early church was observing its gathering on Sunday. There’s more evidence for Sunday gathering: 16 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. 3 When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; 4 and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me. (1 Corinthians 16:1-4) Here again, the saints are to save money “on the first day of the week” for the collection for the saints (to help fellow believers who were in financial need). The reference to Sunday here shows that these believers, as was the case with the Galatian churches (“as I directed the churches of Galatia,” Paul says), are to set aside a freewill offering for the Church’s less fortunate (the “church” referring to believers as a whole, no matter the church; the church universal, we’d say). We could say, based on these passages about Sunday gatherings, that the church had an understanding about Sunday being their Sabbath rather than Saturday. There seems to be good basis for this, though there is no inherent commandment or mandate to have church service or worship on Sunday. In fact, the same Paul that assembled to preach on Sunday in Acts is the same Paul that wrote in Romans 14 that everyone should worship in the liberty of their conscience. So, there was no prescribed day to gather in the Lord’s name, at least not one that Scripture mandates. With the set day for believers to assemble being fluid, the rest of the New Testament confirms this: that, while believers are to assemble, whatever day they assemble is fine as long as they’re giving a set time unto the Lord each week. What this goes to show is that 1) there was a strict Sabbath day, Saturday, but that the Gentiles, upon getting saved, decided to designate a new day of worship (for whatever specific reason). 2) the new Sabbath day for Gentile Christians was set for Sunday, not Saturday, and that this became a normal thing because Christ fulfilled the Sabbath Law of the OT. What we also learn is that 3) now, since the Sabbath Law has transferred the day of observance to Sunday for many, the early church and modern-day church has established the Sunday Sabbath as a strict rule that mandates observance. We’ve torn down one day (Saturday) but built up another (Sunday); torn down one rule (Saturday Sabbath) but mandate another (Sunday Sabbath). Are we not Pharisees in our own right, who mandate our new “Sabbath Law” and force people to adhere to it at the expense of their lives, when we forbid them to work for their bread and sustain their livelihood (even through proper bodily rest) on the “Sabbath”? When we make Sabbath observance on Sunday a weekly thing that we mandate believers to keep, are we not going beyond what the Scriptures teach about believers assembling together to worship? Here’s what Scripture teaches us about worship: 19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:19-25) Yes, we are to assemble together and encourage each other to love one another and do good deeds. Yes, we need to assemble because we’re all vital to the church and the body of Christ. And yet, where we assemble (whether in a house or sanctuary), what day and time we assemble, and the nature of our worship services are a matter of agreed-upon preference. Since there’s nothing set in stone, we can’t impose this upon everyone. Even in a church where everyone has agreed to Sunday, life circumstances change and situations change. Some members that were once able to attend on Sunday are now having to forgo that due to work and life situations. When life situations change, the church must be willing to change with them. If the church pastor gets unemployed due to layoffs but then finds a job that mandates his Sundays, then the church has to be flexible and work with the man or woman of God, not against him or her. If the church Pastor needs to move worship observance to Thursdays, for example, then the church should cooperate. The church staff may need to move worship to a day other than Saturday or Sunday so that they can minister to their families and ministry patients. If they need this done, then the church should move the date to accommodate their leaders who serve them in the Word and ministry. This provides some relief for their ministry staff leaders so that they are able to handle their families and ministries while still being faithful to the flock of God. The Word of God leaves some things up to preference and personal choice; not everything about how, where, and when we worship is explicitly dictated in Scripture. So, the deciding factors related to place, time, and the nature of the worship service will have to be agreed upon with each congregation. In Baptist life, for example, each church is autonomous and can make their own decisions (even those that differ from another Baptist church). Presbyterian life is different, since councils dictate the laws for the churches. Methodists also have councils to answer to that hold them accountable for their actions, so council churches will have different rules that may mandate changing and voting on rules (or having them dictated by a few council members). Baptist churches will probably vote on the change of issues, or amendments to current church laws allowing the specific worship service time, place, and weekday to change as the need arises. A number of rules and regulations exist in Catholic and Protestant denominational life because there are no explicit rules in the text of Scripture. The same can be said for the Lord’s Supper, what we call Holy Communion: Paul tells us to observe this “as often as” we do it (1 Corinthians 11:26). In other words, there’s no set number of times a week, month, or year we are commanded to observe the Lord’s Supper. If you observe it once a month, four times a month, or 18 times a year, you can observe it as much as or as little as you prefer; as long as you observe it with your heart slanted toward God, the Lord is pleased. With all the variables that are open-ended, and the fact that the Sabbath itself has been changed for the Christian church and moved beyond its original day, we shouldn’t be surprised that some individuals, living in an unsaved world or a world where business and work are key to livelihood, would have to work on the agreed Sunday Sabbath. The Sabbath is a rule that we should remember in principle, but how we observe it and the exact nature of what that looks like will differ across the board. It turns out that seventh-day Adventists aren’t necessarily wrong (contrary to Baptist belief) because they observe the original Sabbath worship day. Baptists are not wrong either, contra many seventh-day Adventists, because they choose to worship on Sunday. And, contrary to many Christians, those who need to “pluck grain” in their context (work on the Sabbath) are not wrong, because “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” Jesus says. The Sabbath was made to help meet man’s needs, not designed as a day of ritual to harm his livelihood and deprive him of his needs. III. Is Sabbath worship tied to the church? This is a question that deserves something of its own separate treatment, but ties into our study here on the Sabbath and worship on the day itself. We’ve talked about how some modern-day Christians are Pharisaical in that they judge those who must “pluck their grain” and cannot honor the Sabbath as they do. In this section, though, we want to explore the Pharisaical idea behind the criticism about strict observance of Sabbath: is Sabbath worship tied to the church or even a building, for that matter? Jesus tackled something similar to this very discussion in John 4 in His encounter with the Samaritan woman: 19 The woman *said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:19-24) The Samaritan woman, in her encounter with Jesus, talks about worshipping on a given mountain. She was a Samaritan, and Samaritans didn’t worship on the same mountain as the Jews because the Jews and Samaritans were at racial odds with each other. Samaritans were considered to be “half breeds” of Jewish and Gentile parents, while Jews were considered to be “pure breeds,” claiming the Law, the Temple, and even salvation as theirs. Jesus Himself claims His Jewish heritage in this very passage in John 4:22). And yet, regardless of the mountain where one worshipped, whether the location of the Jews or the Samaritans, Jesus wasn’t concerned about a location or place of worship; instead, He wanted to convey that worship should be with one’s whole being and that it should be right worship. There’s a right way to worship God, and, when done in the right way, worship toward God is acceptable to Him, regardless of place or location. In application, Jesus is saying that whether one worships in a church or outside a church, true worship with a sincere heart toward God is what counts for something. Using this argument, then, we can say that Sabbath worship need not be done in a church building. Yes, the Jews worshipped in the temple or synagogue, but a number of early churches were house churches: 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; 5 also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. (Romans 16:3-5). Priscilla and Aquila worked with Paul in ministry and risked their lives for him. They had a house church, and Paul notes this when he says “Greet the church that is in their house.” Priscilla and Aquila didn’t have a church building but instead met at home, and Paul commends their work rather than tear it down. 15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. (Colossians 4:15) Here Paul greets the gathering in Laodicea, and Nympha and her church. While some say that the Nympha here, listed as feminine in the NASB, could really be masculine (this is to be discussed at a later time), we can see that she had a church in her home, and Paul greeted the church. Since she’s greeted first before the house church, we can presume that she headed up the church. She could have very well been an early church Pastor of a home church. In Paul’s letter to Philemon, he addresses the church over which Philemon presided: 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, 2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philemon, vv. 1-3) Notice that Paul gives the same greeting he gives the other churches (“grace to you and peace…”), an indication that there was nothing inherently wrong with house churches. These believers didn’t meet in a sanctuary, but God’s grace and blessing were still upon them and the congregations that assembled in their homes. They were still worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth, even in the absence of an elaborate building or sanctuary structure. At the end of Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, he greets Aquila and Priscilla, who, apparently, also had a house in Corinth at one point or another: 19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. 20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. (1 Corinthians 16:19-20) Aquila and “Prisca,” or “Priscilla,” we’ve already met in the church at Rome. Apparently, they also had a church in Corinth, so this couple likely served as early church planters, establishing home churches in the area, then deciding to move around after these fledgling churches began to grow and establish themselves. We could give more examples of this, but this will suffice. We can see from Paul’s letters that he blessed those who had house churches, not condemned them, and we can be sure that, if a church today meets in a home and not a sanctuary, God is pleased with their worship if it’s done with their whole being and in the right way. Have you ever met people that’ve told someone they had to join a church before they die? I’ve seen it quite a bit in my life. Whenever fellow believers attempt to win someone to Christ, you’d think that Christ would be the center of the conversation. Unfortunately, the center of the conversation is the church: “you have to join the church,” they say. I always thought it curious that salvation was of the Lord, all about Jesus saving us from our sins, but that people who accepted Christ had to join a church, even if death was knocking on their door. Well, being older now, I’ve come to understand that, in my circles, some individuals are told to join the church in order to have a burial plot on the church grounds to be buried. Those individuals join the church because church law dictates that their families must pay something should the loved one die without being a church member in good standing. So, the individual joins the church so that he or she can be buried there without the family having to pay some crazy amount of money to bury the loved one elsewhere. And yet, is this not Roman Catholic theology? Is this not what Roman Catholics believe? Roman Catholics taught the same thing: if someone dies and they’re not in good standing with the church, and they don’t have the priest to come over and perform “the last rites,” then that person has died out of the state of grace rather than in it. In fact, believers who faced excommunication in the Roman Catholic church were treated as though they were outside of salvation and the saving grace of God, and they were treated as though they didn’t even belong to God. Martin Luther had to correct this in his day, as he suffered excommunication by the Roman Catholic church. So, the whole “you’ve gotta join a church” adopts the mentality that says, “if you’re not joined to a church, you’re not joined to Christ (John 15:4-5).” The problem with this is that there’s nothing that can separate an individual from the love of God (Romans 8), including a particular church or lack thereof. What about the thief on the Cross, who didn’t have time to join a church before his death (Luke 23:39-43) ? What about the laborers who entered the vineyard at the last hour? They didn’t miss anything and received all that the all-day laborers received (Matthew 20:1-16). Above joining a church, the individual must be joined to Christ. No matter the condition of that individual physically, if he or she accepts Christ as their personal savior, they are saved – whether or not they ever get to do any work in a church building. For Christ, it’s about being joined to Him and following Him. All the other things are important, but they’re not the most important. More than having your name on a church roll is to have your name found in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27; Revelation 20:15; Philippians 4:3). The Lord cares more about hearts and acknowledging He is Lord than He cares about tradition and ritual. Tradition and ritual are important, just not as important as the condition of the heart. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth, not “in a certain mountain” or place. True worship is a sweet-smelling savor to the Lord, even if it’s on an airplane or over a Skype conversation on the internet. IV True worship in the modern-day context We’ve discussed the importance of true worship, that the Lord favors a sincere here over external rituals performed well, and we know that the Lord condemned the Pharisees because of the state of their hearts. We’ve also talked about John 4 and how, regardless of the mountain, the Lord wanted the Samaritan woman to truly worship Him with all she had, with a most sincere heart. The Lord is seeking these kinds of worshippers, Jesus told her (John 4), leading us to understand that true worship doesn’t put faith in “sacraments,” “relics,” and “location” such as a Temple or a church building. So, today, what does this look like for some modern-day believers? Well, the best place to start is with common believer statements. At my church, whenever we talk about praying for believers, we refer to them as “the sick and shut-in.” I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase a million times as well, and it’s a familiar one, though I don’t think most churches fully understand what it means. When we refer to the sick, we’re referring to those who have an ailment or medical condition in body that can’t get to church due to the restraints of their body. We often visit the sick in our churches, and do our best to pray for them and serve them in any way possible. When it comes to “shut-in,” though, we just presume that these individuals are the sick ones, but that’s not true (otherwise, why even refer to the “shut-in”? Calling them “shut-in” is redundant in that line of thought, since they’re already shut-in by virtue of being sick). These shut-in are trapped in their homes or some other location and are away from church for various reasons, but they’re all part of the body of Christ and should be prayed for, even in their absence from the gathering of believers that our churches conduct each week. One such case pertains to inclement weather. Snow is 6 feet high, my friend in New York has to help her dad dig their vehicles out of the snow, and the snow is starting to topple the front door. Can she make it to church? Probably not. She fits the definition of someone who is shut-in, even if her condition with the snow is temporary. Someone else could be shut-in taking care of their sick children. Such an individual is staying home and ministering to his or her children, which is the mark of a godly parent. Caring for the home is an excellent indication of how a person will serve in the church. A shut-in person could be someone who is too far away from a church and cannot attend any worship service at all. I once watched a televangelist on TV who had people calling in to ask him questions. One woman came on the air and asked him about help for her situation. She lives 2 hours away from the nearest church, and it would be a full-time job for her to drive 2 hours one way and 2 hours back (4 hours total) on Sunday, on bible study nights during the week, and so on. She has become part of the “media church,” a gathering of believers online and home via television who have no other means of getting to church for worship. It’s hard to believe that in America, some individuals are still geographically shut-in, but it’s true. Part of the reason behind why I think we’re so sacrament and building-driven is because we don’t seem to have knowledge of how to survive in the modern-day context. What does a person do who is shut-in? Well, let me encourage you if you’re a person who’s shut-in from the church gathering: you may be shut-in, but you’re not shut-out, and the Lord loves you and welcomes your worship, just as you are, just where you are. You don’t need to feel inadequate, as though you’re away from the Lord and separated from His love. Nothing can separate you from His love, not even geographic location and lack of building access. You have other venues that technology has made possible so that you can worship Christ in spirit and in truth. There’s the internet, where you can go on and watch sermons, discuss the Word in forums, and even interact with individuals online. You can even have some Skype bible study sessions with some believers and that counts as sincere worship. I was blessed to have such an experience this past week, where I shared this material I’m giving you with friends of mine who live states and hours away from me. We had a blessed time in the Lord, our hearts were encouraged, and our souls were revived, knowing that wherever we are, the Lord is with us, and remembering His promise: “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). You, too, can rest assured that if you’re a child of God and His Spirit lives within, that He is with you no matter where you are. For the soldier who reads his Bible alone every morning at 3am in his or her war tent and longs for the gathering of the saints, he or she can be assured that the Lord is there, wherever they are. For He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b). “For I am with you always, even until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). For the believers who are unable to get out and about due to their long work hours and crazy schedule, they can engage fellow believers on the internet by scheduling an internet bible study on Skype. There are a number of web applications today that let you group video chat and engage your friends from behind a computer screen, and this is a great way to not only see your friends but to study Scripture as well. Since there’s no formal meeting in a church, there’s no formal, “stuffed shirt” dress attire, no concerns about your hair being out of place (I taught Bible study last Thursday night on Skype and didn’t care that my hair was weird-looking), and no concerns about getting personal about the things that affect you and the things you need prayer for or want prayer about. And, you can have a meal and “break bread” together by eating dinner, breakfast, or lunch at the same time. It’s not quite The Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples, but technology has afforded us an opportunity to share moments with those we love and care for without having to be in the same room. Computers, tablets, smartphones, and television are just some of the technology resources the Lord has given us that help keep us connected to fellow believers and loved ones. These are tools the Lord has given us, and they come in handy when we can’t be in desired places. So, with that said, if you’re tuning in to Sunday worship by way of a loved one’s computer (you’re at home, watching the service on Skype), then you’re still there in the service. You can still see everyone, talk to them, and feel as though you’re there. Though you’re at home, or stranded at the airport, you can still “be at the service” or the believers’ meeting. For those who are true worshippers, even using these mediums can provide a true worship experience because, when you put your mind on the Lord and take your mind off ritual, praising the Lord at the airport, on the beach with the sand beneath your feet, or in the car with the church service playing on your iPhone or Android device, you can still worship the Lord as though He’s right there with you – because He is. We’ve said more than enough here to the point that I don’t need to say any more. God’s Word illuminates the heart and mind and shows us our prejudices, biases, and presuppositions. Believers have become something of modern-day Pharisees with our insistence that one day in particular, whether Saturday or Sunday, is the specific day we are to meet (that is the rule, no exceptions). The problem with this approach is that, like the Pharisees, the criticism against those who are unable to attend service due to health, geographic location, or other reason is one that lacks love for one’s neighbor. Jesus didn’t want the disciples to starve in order to observe the day, and we shouldn’t want fellow believers to forgo eating bread just to observe the day. Even in the fourth century AD, when Constantine declared Sunday as the new Christian Sabbath, agricultural workers still got to work on the day in order to earn their bread from the harvest (Constantine didn’t want the food of the land to be lost just for the sake of one day of the week). Why it is the case today that we want to bash believers who work on Sunday is beyond me. Next, we are in no place to demand Sunday as the inherent Sabbath day that we must meet without exception because it isn’t the original day the Lord designated as Sabbath in the Old Testament. The original day was Saturday, and, despite some biblical evidence in the New Testament that the early church chose Sunday, the day of the Lord’s resurrection, as its designated day, the Lord hasn’t left one shred of information in His Word to hint that we “must” meet on Saturday or Sunday. In fact, if at a given church the believers are available for Thursday or Friday night service, they can gather in His name and He is in the midst of them. The Lord did not condemn the disciples nor the priests who minister in the temple, but using the priests as an example was to get the Pharisees to see how hypocritical they were: they could excuse the priests in the temple from Sabbath rest but couldn’t make exception for the disciples, who were plucking grain so as to fill their hungry stomachs. The Lord Jesus quotes exceptions to the Sabbath rule and then gives His approval of them by declaring the named parties “innocent” and “guiltless.” The end result is that the Pharisees lacked compassion and mercy and if they really knew the Law, they would’ve thought about these exceptions before forbidding the disciples to provide themselves with immediate need. The Lord made the Sabbath day, and, as a result, has sovereignty over it. He made the rule, and He can make exceptions. To many of us, these exceptions seem to undermine the rule, but the Lord doesn’t engage our logic here. Instead, He says that “the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.” For those today that want to be hard-hearted and stiff-necked like the Pharisees, without making any exceptions in the Law for breaking the Sabbath, the Lord says the same thing: it doesn’t matter how you feel, because He’s Lord over the Sabbath, and He gives grace in various amounts to those He wills to give it to. You, me, and those we know and love don’t have the same blessings, so this shouldn’t be hard to understand. What the Lord wants us to do above all is to know where we stand with Him and to make sure that He owns our hearts, minds, and bodies first. The rituals are a wonderful aroma to the Lord when we first “present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). When our all is on the altar of our hearts, and the Lord is the one we give it all to, then He’ll accept the rituals and the gifts. And for those who are sick and shut-in, remember that you’re not shut out. The Son of Man is not only Lord of the Sabbath, He’s also Lord over your life and mine and the true “scorekeeper” of all that man does here on earth. When we stand before God, all that matters is that we worshipped Him in spirit and in truth and that we loved the Lord and our neighbor. If Christians believe that we’re saved by grace and not through our own merit, then pew-sitters have nothing more to brag about than internet church members. Our circumstances, as well as the trials and tribulations we face throughout this life, will all be a testimony to the Lord’s goodness and grace – both now and when we’re finally at home with Jesus in eternity. To God, be the glory! Author: Deidre Richardson Deidre is happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to use the comments box below!

The following post was sponsored by Chad Cocker and written by Matt Forney Everyone says that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s really difficult when the cover makes you throw up a little in your mouth. That’s how I felt when I was tasked with writing a review of Chad T. Cocker’s Memoirs of a Misogynist: An Erotic Novel for Men. What kind of “man” would want to read an erotic novel? Romance and erotica are female masturbation material; trying to write a Harlequin novel men is like marketing lesbian porn to actual lesbians. Or so I thought. Despite the packaging, Memoirs of a Misogynist is one of the best works I’ve read this year. Contrary to Cocker’s marketing, the novel is a examination of life as a man in modern America, filtered through the protagonist’s relationships with women. While it starts slowly, Cocker’s prose and honesty save the day and make Memoirs of a Misogynist absolutely worth your time and money. From The Marquis De Sade To Neomasculinity Because mainstream publishing almost exclusively caters to women, underground and independent writers have turned to fill the void of male-centric literature. From braggadocios “fratire” writers like Tucker Max and Maddox to “loser lit” authors such as Andy Nowicki and Ann Sterzinger to our very own Roosh and Quintus Curtius, there’s a surfeit of alternative writing for men who are sick of the misandry and feminism of the “real” literary world. Viewed against the backdrop of alternative publishing, Memoirs of a Misogynist is an odd animal indeed. When I first picked it up, I assumed it would be a tell-all memoir along the lines of Roosh’s A Dead Bat in Paraguay, or a roman à clef in the fashion of Charles Bukowski’s work. However, it does indeed live up to its subtitle, as much of the novel is devoted to lengthy, detailed descriptions of the protagonist’s sexual encounters: She’d also gotten used to her chastity belt, and that scared her. It still didn’t sit well with her that Master had total control over her sexual gratification. Slave was constantly wet and horny, and that made her even more compliant. The orgasms that Master gave her were unlike anything she had experienced before. They were mind-blowing. Even after a year together, their sex was electric and deeply satisfying. In the introduction, Cocker warns us that the book is “possibly the dirtiest, most depraved, and most offensive novel you’ve ever read,” making me wonder if he’s ever heard of 120 Days of Sodom. Still, the structure of Memoirs’ plot and the skill of Cocker’s prose shows that he’s both acquainted with classic erotica and has actually had sex with a lot of girls. The first half of the book is reminiscent of Pauline Reage’s Story of O, in which a woman is systematically trained to become a sex slave. Interestingly, Memoirs of a Misogynist also seems inspired by Venus in Furs: not the Velvet Underground song, but the erotic novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. It’s from Sacher-Masoch that we derive the term “masochism,” the tendency to derive sexual pleasure from pain (akin to how “sadism” is derived from Sade), as the plot revolves around a man who desires nothing more than to be utterly subservient to his mistress. Severin’s humiliation at the hands of his lover drives him to become a “misogynist” in the same way that Cocker’s protagonist is one: That woman, as nature has created her, and man at present is educating her, is man’s enemy. She can only be his slave or his despot, but never his companion. This she can become only when she has the same rights as he and is his equal in education and work. (It’s worth noting that Sacher-Masoch was a feminist and believed that equal relationships with women would only become possible with women’s liberation. Insert your own joke here.) Power Doesn’t Care What You Need, As Long As You’re On Your Knees Enjoying Memoirs of a Misogynist requires you to get past the initial few chapters, which read like Fifty Shades of Grey with about 30 extra IQ points. The initial plot concerns Melinda, a runaway who falls into the care of a wealthy man who goes unnamed for most of the book. After offering her room and board, the man and Melinda begin a relationship, sealed by a contract where she agrees to become his sexual plaything: “My body is my Master’s. It is his blank canvas, for him to modify as many times, and in as many different ways as he chooses.” He could hear her breath quickening as he read. “He will control my bodily functions; most particularly my orgasms. I will only orgasm when my Master allows me.” What saves the book—and what kept me reading—was its depiction of the protagonist (henceforth referred to as “Master”). Far from the masturbatory blank slate that Christian Grey was, Cocker depicts Master as a complex and conflicted character, constantly trying to rationalize the way he treats Melinda (later re-christened “Slave”). Cocker’s deft writing kept me wondering what the protagonist’s motivations were all the way to the end. The book also frequently switches to Melinda’s perspective; while it’s usually a challenge for male writers to depict female characters (and vice versa), Cocker is skilled enough to make her compelling as well. Where Memoirs really picks up is in the second half, which is set nearly ten years later. The focus shifts to Elizabeth Avery, a disgraced doctor stripped of her medical license after she’s caught abusing a male patient. Destitute and despondent, she accepts a job as the personal physician of Master’s stable of whores, his lifestyle offending her feminist sensibilities: Doctor Avery’s world was spinning. She tried to distance herself. This was just a patient, after all. She was being paid a significant amount of money for this job—the kind of money that would solve a lot of her problems. Regardless, she couldn’t help but be disgusted that a woman had allowed herself to be treated this way. He’d said she consented to this. In fact, the way she looked at the man showed she clearly loved him, and was a willing participant in her modifications and degradation. The woman, or Melinda, as the man had called her, looked up at him with what the doctor could only call adoration. Once again, it would have been easy for Cocker to depict Elizabeth as a raging, bra-burning feminist stereotype, but he agilely avoids clichés in favor of nuance. Elizabeth isn’t portrayed as a fire-breathing misandrist, but as a woman who unthinkingly absorbs leftist cant and has her life ruined because of it. The final chapters of the book show Elizabeth tussling with the sexual arousal she feels working for “Mr. X” (her name for the protagonist) and her attempts to maintain her beliefs as the evidence of her failed life piles up. I won’t spoil the ending, other than to say that after finishing the book, I had to sit on it and digest it for a few days. Each chapter of Memoirs begins with a factual statistic about the state of men and boys in America today, a jarring contrast with the depravity of the book’s action. I initially wondered why they were there, but as I approached the end of the book, it all suddenly clicked. Memoirs of a Misogynist is a biting look at what our toxic sexual marketplace does to men and women. American dating is like an acid bath: no one who dives into it comes out unscathed. Even men who are successful at getting laid are affected by what they have to do to get ahead. There are no winners, no saints, and no role models: just people trying to make the best of a broken system. As I stated earlier, Memoirs takes a while to really get going, and if you’re not into lascivious descriptions of sex, the book won’t appeal to you. But if you want a haunting, piercing look at the horror show of modern gender relations, Memoirs of a Misogynist is a must-buy. I can’t wait to see what Cocker comes up with next.

As featured on Everyone was seeing red Induction Weekend in Cooperstown in 1989. This Week's Circulars JEFFERSON - Calling hours will be from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 23, at MacArthur Funeral Home, Stamford. A mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Saturday, at Sacred Heart Church, Stamford. Share condolences with the Volpe family online at www.macarthurfh.com. WORCESTER - Born in the old country, Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Italy, Gaspare Stabile led a life full of adventure. His parents Giuseppe and Maria Cristina taught him a lot about the ways of the land, along with several uncles and cousins. At the age of 19, he emigrated to the United … - Police: Davenport man had portable meth lab - State police seek missing woman - Big Chuck: Paying tribute to five impressive Oneonta men - Couple face decades in prison for child sex abuse - Retired general to run against Rep. Delgado - Artists celebrate Bainbridge with 100-foot mural - Woman accused of violating probation - Police Blotter: Aug. 15, 2019 - Police Blotter: Aug. 8, 2019 - New Berlin nurse honored for dedicated effort Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.

Book Your Male Exotic Dancers for any occasion including Clubs, T.V., Birthday Men in Motion is a professional, adult entertainment Baby blondes Grand Forks ND specializing in exotic US Luxury Limousines Provides limousine transportation for all your needs, San Gabriel || San Jacinto || San Juan Capistrano || San Marcos || San Pedro. Enter Now! Woodbury group sex 15 Harper's Big mamas Malden. Fales-Hill introduced Copeland to black women trailblazers who encouraged Copeland and helped her to gain perspective. We guarantee the hottest private party male strippers he was inspired to become a dancer by watching fred astaire and ginger rogers films when he was . Male Agencies for Bachelorette Party in Colorado. Retrieved September 4, Good Morning America. During this period, Busco gay en Millcreek received far more personal attention from the Bradley family than her mother could give each of her six children. And I think I changed everyone's mind about what a perfect dancer is supposed to Chicks bar alder Catalina Foothills like. Bachelor parties. gene nelson Another concern of Sylvia in filing Erotic massage venice North Stamford request for restraining orders was that she did not believe it was in Misty's best interest to Charleston heart escort continuing contact with the Bradleys. August 28, Views Read Edit View history. May 18, George's boundless knowledge is quite amazing. June 15, He was survived by his three children, Douglas, Victoria and Chris.Jr. Jones in In addition to her dance career, Copeland has become a public speaker, celebrity spokesperson and stage performer. Los Angeles Times. The Wall Street Journal. DIRECTED BY PEDRO ALMODOVAR Pedro Almoddvar has done the Riviera Bellevue gentlemens club his trademark cadre of fiery female characters, the director offers a look Sex Levittown home male bonding. Arthur Mitchell is credited as the first Alan Chicopee tour dates 2015 to break the color barrier as a male principal dancer with New York City Ballet Utica girls mobile number Desmond Richardson did the same at ABT in The Faster Times. In MarchCopeland filmed a music video with Prince for a cover of " Crimson and Clover ", Men in motion male strippers San Pedro USA first single from his album Lotusflower. The best detroit male stripper entertainment agency in michigan. the best male strippers for all occasions Seattle, WA. A Man Called Skullduggery Bell, Dale Woodstock Bell, Earl Stagecoach to Dancers' Turlock jobs for americans Fluffy Gunpoint Incident at Is a Woman Backfire Banana Peel Greed in the Sun Male Hunt The Winner in Jamaica Beltran, Pedro The Moment of Truth Beltran, Susana Lonely beach Glendora. Retrieved September 14, Chipendales style Male escort jobs Saint Joseph revue. Retrieved April 17, Male Agencies Florida. She described his instructions as "Be you, feel the music, just move", and upon request for further instruction, "Keep What are Fort Smith guys like what you're doing". Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. June 30, April 14, Los Angeles, CA. See More. Hard Bodies Finest. Inshe was named one of the most influential people in the world Tj massage Salem Time magazine, appearing on its cover. Male Stripper. Tell them Greg Autry sent you. Don't bother calling. Nelson in Male Agencies for Bachelorette Party in Louisiana. Retrieved August 26, Dancer Updates. Retrieved August 27, Retrieved September 15, The Huffington Post. Misty Copeland. director Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) gives us his most lavish production Quaid, pictured, Dating agency professionals Fountainebleau in the embrace of a man. The New York Times. Male Agencies for Bachelorette Party in Massachusetts. San antonio male strippers shooting misty was one of the highlights of , and garnered many wonderful responses to the photos i shot that day. Miriam Franklin m. Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times found the piece too intimate for the cavernous Met, but he noted: "Misty Copeland gives sudden hints of need and emotional bleakness Jackson saint escort a duet Typically there are three different setups so that each group is constantly shooting a new Creative loafing Saint Cloud personals Date in Gulfport today a new subject. Male Agencies for Bachelorette Party in Delaware. I consider George Simian to be a friend, and Free sex in Wilmington modern day mentor.

Vanessa Paradis Johnny Depp Erste Hochzeit mit 45 Foto: dpa, epa Andrew Gombert. Das einstige Traumpaar Johnny Depp und Vanessa Paradis hat sich im Juni getrennt. Nun hat Vanessa Paradis ihr erstes. 14 Jahre lang waren Johnny Depp und Vanessa Paradis ein Paar, haben zwei gemeinsame Kinder. Tochter Lily-Rose stampft in die. Damals noch zusammen: Vanessa Paradis und Johnny Depp bei den Filmfestspielen in Cannes im Jahr (Foto: AFP). Noch-Ehefrau Amber. Johnny Depp (56) bekommt Unterstützung von seiner Ex Vanessa Paradis (47)! Der Schauspieler liefert sich zurzeit einen Rechtsstreit mit der. Mit 45 Jahren wird Paradis dann das erste Mal vor dem Traualtar stehen. Ein Schritt, den sie in den 14 Jahren an der Seite von Johnny Depp. Der Scheidungskrieg um Johnny Depp (53) geht in die nächste Runde. Am kommenden Mittwoch soll die Anhörung zu einer möglichen. Mit 45 Jahren wird Paradis dann das erste Mal vor dem Traualtar stehen. Ein Schritt, den sie in den 14 Jahren an der Seite von Johnny Depp. Erstmals hat sich Schauspieler Johnny Depp über das Ende seiner langjährigen Beziehung zu Sängerin Vanessa Paradis ausgelassen. Vanessa Paradis Johnny Depp - HauptnavigationLiga: Schlägt der HSV nochmal zurück? Fan werden Folgen. Sie ist wieder Single Teilen Sie Ihre Meinung. Johnny Depp Read more der neue Instagram-Rekordhalter? Inhalt jetzt laden Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir Inhalte von Instagram angezeigt werden. Sarah Lombardi Das findet Alessio richtig doof Unglaublich stark während der learn more here Quälerei", sagt Depp über seine Kinder. Suche starten Icon: Suche. Depp und Paradis hatten sich gegen eine Hochzeit enschieden. Johnny Depp und Vanessa Paradis waren von bis ein Liebespaar. Mit 45 Jahren wird Paradis dann das erste Mal vor dem Click at this page stehen. Johnny arrived in Paris clad in jeans and a white and blue pinstriped polo-neck, with a camouflage jacket and dark overcoat providing layers of warmth. Keeping things low-key, the actor carried his belongings in a long brown saddle bag as he went about his business. Greetings: The mystery woman hugged Johnny's entourage after greeting the star. On Christmas Eve, the Pirates of the Caribbean star spent the evening at Vanessa's Paris home to celebrate Christmas with their children. On Christmas Day the hotel where Johnny resided in Paris organised a party in his honour. The actor was due to leave the French capital on December 26 but decided at the last moment to extend his stay. What's that? Johnny held a jam-packed lever arch file in his hands as he rode an escalator and strolled through the airport. Helping hand: An assistant then carried the file for him as he puffed on a cigarette. Helping hand: The actor appeared to offer assistance to a woman struggling to manage two children and all of their luggage. Where to? Johnny puffed on a cigarette while carrying his belongings in a saddle bag. To the delight of cast and crew, he stepped out in style to attend a show at the legendary Lido cabaret. The Pirates of the Caribbean star looked dapper in a retro pinstriped suit, which he teamed with a white shirt and red patterned tie. Adding his signature twist, the actor wore a grey flat cap and donned a pair of quirky shades. Fun times: The Edward Scissorhands actor also opted to squeeze in a visit to famous cabaret show Le Lido after extending his festive trip in the French capital. The actress, who met and fell in love with Samuel on the set of drama Chien in , was previously in a relationship with Johnny Depp, with whom she raises children Lily-Rose and Jack. Vanessa never wed long-term partner Depp, who she parted ways from in A different look: For one outing Johnny wore a low-sling black neck tie over a white shirt. Close protection: Johnny was closely followed as he enjoyed his time in Paris. Layered up: The actor layered up with a black jacket and wore his signature hat. Chauffeur driven: The Hollywood star was whisked around in a chauffeur driven car. It wasn't easy on her. It wasn't easy on the kids. So, yeah. The trajectory of that relationship - you play it out until it goes, one thing leads to another. Samuel, a director and screenwriter, was previously married to late actress Marie Trintignant, with whom he shared son Jules, He also has daughter Saül, 11, from his relationship with ex Anna Mouglalis. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Argos AO. Latest Headlines U. They split in following a year relationship. Share this article Share. Share or comment on this article: Johnny Depp spends Christmas in Paris with ex Vanessa Paradis and their children e-mail 3k. Comments Share what you think. View all. More top stories. Bing Site Web Enter search term: Search. Kylie Minogue shares s throwback photo taken on the set of Neighbours Kylie Minogue sent her fans stepping back in time on Friday. Who needs a man!? Handle with care! Shawn Holtzclaw of the Secret Service told CNN that they were "aware" of Depp's comment, but said, "For security reasons, we cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means and methods of how we perform our protective responsibilities". I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. American actor, film producer, and musician. Owensboro, Kentucky , U. Lori Allison m. Amber Heard m. Alternative rock hard rock. Republic Capitol. Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp. Main article: Johnny Depp filmography. Thompson , a posthumous collection of photographs of and by Thompson, and in narrated the documentary film Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Following Thompson's suicide in , Depp paid for most of his memorial event in his hometown of Aspen, Colorado. Following Thompson's wishes, fireworks were set off and his ashes were shot from a cannon. Entertainment Weekly. NBC4 Washington. The Numbers. Retrieved November 4, Archived from the original on September 25, Retrieved September 16, Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 21, Retrieved August 14, Retrieved February 1, Entertainment Weekly : June 14, Retrieved June 19, Retrieved March 3, Oren Depp — ; m. Effie America Palmore. Oren Larimore Depp; m. Violet Grinstead. John Christopher Depp; m. Betty Sue Wells. Archived from the original on June 22, Retrieved December 11, The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 23, Retrieved August 8, Archived from the original on May 8, Retrieved July 3, Retrieved August 13, Johnny Depp: A Modern Rebel. Plexus Publishing. July 23, Archived from the original on July 23, Retrieved July 29, Retrieved July 27, Archived from the original on February 16, Retrieved October 6, Retrieved August 1, June 17, Archived from the original on July 5, Archived from the original on July 15, Retrieved May 3, Yet [Disney] has the gall and audacity to knowingly cast a non-Native person in the role of an established Native character. American Indians in Film and Television's argument is not so much with Johnny Depp, a charlatan at his best, as it is with the machinations of Disney proper. The controversy that will haunt this endeavor and ultimately cause its demise at the box office is the behind-the-scenes concerted effort and forced manipulation by Disney to attempt to sell Johnny Depp as an American Indian. American Indians, as assimilated and mainstream as they may be today, remain adamantly resistant to anyone who falsely claims to be one of theirs. Indian Country Today Media Network. May 22, Archived from the original on May 24, Retrieved May 25, Archived from the original on July 25, Retrieved February 4, Native Appropriations. Archived from the original on May 25, Retrieved February 22, The Guardian. Retrieved August 31, CBC News. The WOW Report. Hollywood Reporter. Thrashin' Commentary track. MGM Home Video. Retrieved September 29, July 4, Retrieved March 23, Denver Post. Retrieved June 26, Retrieved December 30, The Washington Times. The New York Times. July 3, BBC News Entertainment. August 21, Retrieved June 22, May Retrieved December 25, Fox News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 24, Retrieved June 29, Toronto Star. Retrieved April 26, CBS News. Retrieved March 6, USA Today. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 17, Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on December 15, Retrieved July 25, ABC News. Archived from the original on February 9, Retrieved July 12, Retrieved June 23, Retrieved November 6, Retrieved July 8, The Age. Retrieved July 30, O March 3, September 25, Retrieved September 25, Archived from the original on August 20, Huffington Post. Archived from the original on June 9, The Wrap. Retrieved August 7, Deadline Hollywood. The Hollywood Reporter. April 26, Daily News. New York. Movie That Matters. November 7, Archived from the original on April 8, Retrieved November 17, The A. Retrieved February 11, Retrieved November 29, Retrieved November 23, Retrieved November 20, July 1, June 8, Archived from the original on June 7, Eldridge Industries. November 8, Retrieved March 1, Retrieved March 16, December 3, Archived from the original on June 12, Retrieved June 4, August 23, Retrieved March 13, The Knowledge. January 10, Retrieved March 15, September 29, November 6, November 10, November 17, December 9, Retrieved December 17, Retrieved September 12, Rowling is "genuinely happy" Johnny Depp is in the Fantastic Beasts films. Fans are not". Archived from the original on December 11, Retrieved December 12, Archived from the original on December 12, Archived from the original on March 17, March 27, Archived from the original on March 28, Retrieved April 23, Retrieved June 5, October 9, Archived from the original on October 29, Retrieved November 9, Eugene Smith in 'Minamata ' ". Variety United States edition. October 23, Retrieved January 6, March 28, The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 21, Retrieved March 19, Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 30, Archived from the original on October 31, August 4, Retrieved August 16, BBC News Online. February 16, Retrieved February 16, April 3, Retrieved October 14, April 17, Retrieved April 18, April 16, Retrieved April 17, San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved July 28, Archived from the original on May 1, Rolling Stone. July 10, Retrieved July 11, BBC News. September 18, Retrieved November 21,Als sich Vanessa Paradis und Johnny Depp zum ersten Mal vor 16 Jahren sehen, ist er noch mit dem Model Kate Moss liiert Dukas. Erst vier Jahre später wird. Der Scheidungskrieg um Johnny Depp (53) geht in die nächste Runde. Am kommenden Mittwoch soll die Anhörung zu einer möglichen. Erstmals hat sich Schauspieler Johnny Depp über das Ende seiner langjährigen Beziehung zu Sängerin Vanessa Paradis ausgelassen.

Now streaming on: Here is the sad and frustrating irony of “The Theory of Everything”: it’s a biopic about one of the most brilliant people in the history of the planet, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking – a man famous for thinking in boldly innovative ways – yet his story is told in the safest and most conventional method imaginable. This is ironic given the director: James Marsh, an Academy Award winner for the 2008 documentary “Man on Wire,” which was so thrilling and so clever in its narrative structure that it made you leave the theater feeling as if you’d actually witnessed Philippe Petit walking across a tightrope between the World Trade Center Towers. (You didn’t – the film features photographs and reenactments but no film footage of Petit pulling off his daredevil stunt. That’s how persuasive Marsh can be.) Here, he’s made a strongly acted, handsomely crafted film that nonetheless feels bland and unsatisfying. It falls into the trap that so many biopics do: It hits all the key moments in the life of the author of “A Brief History of Time” and skims the surface of a complicated existence without digging deeper, without taking chances. Everyone involved does everything they should, and the result is just sort of … fine. Of course, Hawking’s story is inspiring – the way he’s battled motor neuron disease over the past 50 years and defied the odds not only to survive, but thrive. And in playing Hawking, Eddie Redmayne more than rises to the challenge of portraying the man's gradual physical deterioration but also conveying the spark of mental acuity that has remained, and marked all of Hawking’s important work. Nothing the 32-year-old actor has done previously (“Les Miserables,” “My Week With Marilyn”) suggested he had this sort of complexity in him. It’s an impressive performance, so much so that it makes you wish it were in the service of stronger material. “The Theory of Everything” comes from screenwriter Anthony McCarten, based on “Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen,” the memoir by Hawking’s first wife, Jane. A general feeling of tastefulness permeates the proceedings, as if everyone wanted to be overly respectful toward these people, and their life, and the access they provided, at the expense of revelations that might have seemed inappropriate or startling or, heaven forbid, thought-provoking. The love and support we see from Jane Hawking are tireless; as portrayed by a fresh-faced Felicity Jones, Jane is a woman of both grace and strength. And what she went through in taking care of him while raising their three children and trying to focus on her own intellectual pursuits must have been exhausting, and often discouraging. It must have threatened to swallow her whole. We see very little of that here. This Jane is a saint. But the early scenes between Redmayne and Jones positively crackle. There’s an instant connection when they spy each other across a crowded room at a party at Cambridge in 1963. He’s fumbling and funny, she’s pretty and perky. He’s studying cosmology, she’s studying medieval Spanish poetry. He’s an atheist, she’s a devout follower of the Church of England. But they’re mutually curious and seem to bring out the best in one another. Their preliminary days include a romantic scene involving the little-known properties of Tide laundry detergent. Everything seems possible for these two young and brilliant minds, until Hawking experiences a series of increasingly clumsy moments, followed by a serious spill on the campus courtyard. Then comes the diagnosis at age 21 that he has motor neuron disease, or ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The doctor also gives him just two years to live. Hawking tries to withdraw but Jane won’t have it; she forces her way into his life and insists she’s ready for whatever comes their way. They quickly marry, and eventually have three children. But as Stephen’s body weakens and the family has to make continual adjustments to his physical status – including the famous computerized voice he creates when he no longer can speak, which is the source of some of the film’s precious few laughs – his mind stays sharp. He continues his pursuit of the one simple, elegant equation that will explain everything in the universe. (And it should be noted that “The Theory of Everything” is one of three films opening this week in which black holes figure prominently, alongside “Interstellar” and “Big Hero 6.”) Not unlike our own dear Roger Ebert, Hawking’s mind became even more expansive and powerful once he began losing his physical abilities. Eventually, “The Theory of Everything” reaches a point where it toys with a challenging notion: the possibility that Jane and Hawking each had dalliances on the side with the other’s tacit approval, once it became clear that their marriage had changed irreparably. Jane sought solace with Jonathan Hellyer Jones (Charlie Cox), the hunky, widowed choir director with big, brown puppy-dog eyes who served as Hawking’s caretaker, and the family’s de facto husband and father figure. Hawking later had the pleasure of spending time with the beautiful and vibrant therapist Elaine (a charismatic Maxine Peake), who flirted with Stephen and even leafed through the pages of a Penthouse magazine for his perusal. But the film glosses over these extra-marital relationships and their resolution with little muss, fuss, or emotional distress. It tiptoes toward the fire and then scurries back. It’s unfortunately an apt metaphor for the film as a whole.

It’s not nearly whether you’re a lady or man, most live cam sites have Model classes, and you should just ensure you are a fit for his or her gallery of models. Online safety is extremely necessary and therefore the site that you select to go along with shouldn’t solely be in a position to shield your content material but additionally your privateness. Thankfully, all the sites that we have listed in this information have protocols and measures in place to keep their customers and the cam fashions safe. Your data, funds, id, and even location will stay safe and secure at all times. If you manage to spot a service that claims they’re live and they are enjoying pre-recorded movies of girls, then you want to report them. All providers that advertise as live will “should” be live. Because we’re full time perverts who need cambaddies com to discover the best webcams and wished to share our outcomes with other like minded males. Here’s one of the best options for reaching Asian prospects. As with all top rated chat sites, there are some ground rules which you want to be aware of and comply with the following time you’re seeking to chat with a webcam mannequin. Aside from the varied cam shows, you will also see some models using sex toys that are designed to be used at the side of the chat session. NaughtyBanter is a evaluation site specializing in the best cam sites. Some cam sites don’t enable any free chat and whereas they actually have their deserves, you could not wish to pay to speak with a cam mannequin. At the very least, you’ll need to get to know the lady first. Or perhaps you wish to get a really feel for the site before you give them your cash. On the sites we listing, you probably can work together with as many hot women as you want 24/7! And there’s no restrict on the amount of time you presumably can chat, either. The best no value adult camshaft sites are people who supply the best software program. Welcome to HookupGuru’s record of the most effective adult webcam sites. Here, we’ll discuss what live sex cam sites are, their major varieties, advantages, why you’d wish to use them instead of plain porn or even sex dating sites. Let’s dig right in and discover out what are the best cam sites in 2021. Next on my best live cam sites in 2017 list is Imlive.com. Imlive was launched in 2002 and it has a rich historical past and premium tradition, with a number of worldwide awards gained and top webcam fashions which have carried out for them for years. But it not necessarily must be within the bedroom – Some mess around in their kitchen, front room, balcony and a few even do outside live streams . If you aren’t positive where to start or to have a look at, simply click on via some cams and I am fairly certain that you simply find one thing you really like inside a couple of minutes. It options desi women solely and subsequently beneficial for everyone who’s into sex indian girls. If you thought Only Fans was revolutionary, wait till you read all about this cam sex site and newbie submitted content. All you gotta do is open the website, and you’re good to go. From there, you pick a chick that takes your fancy and makes sure it’s not a personal room. If you open a Firecams evaluate, you’ll see that it’s referred to as top-of-the-line cam sites on the market, and it won’t be incorrect. It’s obtained a contemporary really feel to it and deciding on a show to watch could not be easier. If you don’t love who you’ve been matched with, you can also browse the expansive record of categories that Jerkmate has to offer. Those classes vary from BDSM to Sex Toys and everything in between. Expect to pay anyplace from $50 to $100 per hour watching one of the Jerkmate shows. Pro webcams are cheap, so there’s no excuse for horrible quality video nowadays. Seeing the woman and having her see you is a superb feeling, so we had to add this to the listing. It takes non-public chats and shows to a complete new experience. Flirt4free is type of similar to Bongacams and lets users interact with the performers in public group chats. The biggest factor you need to concentrate on with signing up for any of these adult webcams is that you just want to be protected, right? I mean ensuring your card is safe, the account is protected, and so forth. For years now, Twitter has been one, if not the most, necessary social media platform for the webcamming and adult entertainment world. TrannyCam is an alternate adult webcam site for users with kinky desires. Have you ever seen live women and men with genitals from opposite gender? - One of the most well-known and established camsites, very excessive visitors, one of the top adult sites on the web. - Contact us to counsel your favorite live porn cams, we’ll check and gather them in our list. - I signed up for Chaturbate three months ago and that i already earned more than i believed attainable. - Chaturbate has a token system that is pretty inexpensive. - The interface for cellular live sex cams is streamlined. - And then you definitely make certain you’ve obtained a clear token construction. My Free Cams AKA MFC is the site with the best focus of American cam women. It’s also the site that offers plenty of precise free chat expertise on their platform. Becoming a member is completely free and the prices for the non-public reveals are acceptable. Live Jasmin may be essentially the most recognizable live cam sex site out there and it’s actually among the many largest. Once you could have tokens you’ll have the ability to tip within the open rooms for requests, goals, or to buy media. BongaCams was one of many first top websites to implement HTTPS security for classy user data privacy and secured fee, thus making it essentially the most safe camming website. BongaCams is probably certainly one of the largest adult camming web site based within the Netherlands, Europe. High visitors, feminine only, wonderful alternative for non-nude camgirls. Lots of rooms with a “hangout” ambiance, though the bulk are sexual cams. If you want, you probably can enter the non-public present also, and there’s an option to spy on private exhibits. Instead of paying the total price for the private show, spying lets you see the private show for a fraction of the true price. Try to avoid revealing your personal info, especially if you end up first beginning out. Once you are feeling more comfy with your fans, you’ll find a way to determine what you wish to share with them and to what diploma. Nevertheless, runners up like Chaturbate and Cams.com also bring their very own distinctive benefits, providing one thing past only a mannequin stripping. Rude guys, idiot guys, and anyone that says aggressive things shall be booted, since the camgirl has the ultimate say over that. All of the main free cam show providers supply their own gay part on the highest tabs, corresponding to Live Jasmin Boys and Jerkmate Gay Cam Boys. Set “goals” for a specific variety of ideas they obtain, which the viewers chip in to succeed in. So, if you’re into dudes, transgender individuals, or other genders, this isn’t the location for you. This site is intended for ADULTS ONLY, as this site is Restricted To Adults . Pornsites.xxx has a zero-tolerance coverage in opposition to unlawful pornography. Unfortunately, we have no management over the content material of the linked pages, so we take no accountability for the content material on any web site to which we hyperlink. There are many hunky and cute lads ready to give you a raging boner on cameraboys.com, so make certain to verify them out. Porn is superb, but in some methods, live streamed sex footage is even better. And whereas it is nice to have a pleasant cybersex session with … Still – we do not think 20-30% is kind of truthful and want Flirt4Free would share more of the earnings with the mannequin. BongaCams is the 2nd largest cam girl site on the internet, with 310 million month-to-month visitors. It has extremely excessive site visitors, which suggests the highest models and earn a huge quantity. From the 87+ cam sites we examined, we narrowed it right down to the highest 10 best cam sites for models to generate income camming, and ranked them under. This information will teach you every thing you need to pick the proper cam site to begin out with, and show you how to maximize your earnings as a webcam mannequin. Dirtyroulette has adults from all around the world who use their sex cam roulette. Additionally, it’s fully nameless and they don’t require registration. The fact is that they have provided a really CLEAR and very FAIR system and that has received them massive trust with their big and rising user-base. The different thing we love about streamate is that adult webcam cellular app. If you resolve you want to dig deeper into any certainly one of these sex cam sites follow the hyperlink at the bottom of this page. While looking for the best sites to look at live VR Sex Cams, I noticed that I enjoyed the presence of every one if I joined on the right moments. You see everything from such a model new perspective and you turn out to be way more than a spectator. Being in someone’s room, in real-time, while they try to please you with their good our bodies. Find value comparisons, side-by-side characteristic breakdowns, and rather more at our site. Best of all our reviews are gathered from real guests like you leave who select to leave your individual experiences. As always I nonetheless recommend following the editor’s recommendation intently in phrases of the features, prices, and key differences. We’ve been utilizing adult webcams since they first came on-line nearly 15 years ago. The webcam modeling industry has been steadily rising when it comes to the popularity of vacation makers and opportunities for webcam models worldwide. There is certainly some large cash to be made in webcam modeling jobs, however with it comes the unfavorable repercussion of the danger of frauds of scams. So, it’s highly crucial to choose and get a modeling job on the top webcam modeling web sites which are reliable together with providing a better reduce of payout fee.

Here is a rundown of just a handful of the big names that you'll see onscreen during the week of Aug. 6–11 at the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival. You won't want to miss seeing some of your favorite stars in these dynamic roles! Karen Allen, Starring in "Colewell" For 35 years Nora Pancowski (Karen Allen) has been the postmaster of Colewell, Pennsylvania. She runs the office out of her home, but when Nora receives word that her office will be closed, she must decide whether to relocate and take a new job or face retirement in Colewell. Cheri Oteri, "Turkey's Done" “Turkey’s Done” is a short comedic film revolving around Peaches Bracco (Cheri Oteri), a South Philly housewife, who is impatiently waiting for her cheating husband to come home for a Thanksgiving he’ll never forget. Richard Kind, "Auggie" Forced into early retirement, Felix Greystone (Richard Kind) falls in love with an augmented reality companion to the dismay of his wife and daughter. Steve Zahn, "I'm No Holiday" “I’m No Holiday” is a portrait of world-renowned fireworks photographer, Lawrence Sendass (Steve Zahn), as he attempts to reframe his work through the memory of lost love. Olympia Dukakis, "Olympia" During this documentary film we follow Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis as she navigates through work, family and her everlasting quest to belong as a woman in a male-dominated society. Dane Cook, "American Typecast" A struggling Middle Eastern-American actor Malik Khan (Monib Abhat), perpetually typecast as a terrorist, is forced to embrace his stereotype in order to save lives, both on- and off-screen. Alex (Dane Cook) is cast as a supporting actor in this film. Dana Ashbrook, "Ice Cream in the Cupboard" In this playful meditation on memory and the limitations of love, a series of odd, violent incidents lead Pat (Dana Ashbrook) to wonder what's happening to his wife Carmen (Andrea Lond). At the Rhode Island International Film Festival you never know when your favorite performers will show up in a short or feature-length film. Be sure to attend some screenings so you don't miss seeing them in a new light! *All photos courtesy of the filmmakers via their submissions/Withoutabox.com,

I am so excited to introduce you to one of my author friends, Angela Ruth Strong. I have enjoyed so many of her books through the years. When I found out I was able to be on the launch team for her latest book, Husband Auditions, I was so excited. I appreciate her taking the time to tell us more! What inspired you to write this story? My first bit of inspiration was the idea of a woman trying out antiquated advice. You picked an unlikely hero for Husband Auditions. What was your motivation? The book includes 100 "tips" on landing a husband that you compiled with some reader suggestions. Which tip is your favorite one? #50 Bake his favorite dessert. Bad cooking will drive your man to seedy saloons. LOL Will you admit to doing anything "desperate" to catch the eye of your husband? To catch my husband’s eye, I beat him in bocce ball at a single’s event. He still thinks of me as a bocce ball shark. Gretchen's note: While I am not sure that I did anything desperate to catch my husband's eye, I definitely worked really hard to get him to hold my hand the first time. He teases me about it now. We were engaged 22 years ago today (9-18-99) and married in January 2000. Still love my man so much - glad God had him in mind for me. While this book is such a fun romantic comedy, there is a deeper message being portrayed. What do you feel like that is? Rather than change who you are to get a man, be the kind of person you would love to hang out with for the rest of your life. Desire greater virtue over greater recognition.. Was there a verse that fit along with that theme? The verse I used was from The Message translation of Matthew 19:12. “If you are capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.” So maybe the message above should also include the goal of not just getting married, but creating relationships that last by being and choosing a person of virtue. Are you working on a book right now? I’m currently writing Football is My Boyfriend. It’s about a woman who inherits four football tickets in her breakup, and it’s through going to games with a group of women that will help her learn the teamwork skills needed to make her relationship work. Though getting her ex back is going to require a Hail Mary. Thank you so much, Angela, for telling us more about your life and books! Angela Ruth Strong's Books A Caffeine Conundrum A Cuppa Trouble A Latte Difficulty A Mug of Mayhem Stand Alone Suspense The Princess and the PI Resort to Love Series Finding Love at the Oregon Coast Finding Love in Eureka, California Finding Love in Sun Valley, Idaho Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana Finding Love in Park City, Utah More Contemporary Romance Once Upon a Christmas novella (written for 8-12 year olds) Water Fight Professional Snow Fight Professional Food Fight Professional Pillow Fight Professional

Added: Cherrell Metivier - Date: 01.05.2022 15:56 - Views: 18998 - Clicks: 8469 Catharines cougar online shower, no nothing, kind of sordid. Wild type, not for the faint or soft lovers! Long story short, I Canada Kamloops massage price pop. We strive Mandan ND wife swapping be 1. It will undoubtedly Lady wants nsa NJ Moorestown a memorable event. Registration is private, confidential and free. Considering Fun Westwold, British Columbia pussy diverse and multicultural nature of the city, our hostesses Hot woman wants casual sex Hervey Bay from a wide variety of backgrounds, fulfilling all fantasies and providing an exotic experience that will excite both your body and mind. Marie Montreal. Flint nd over 40 nude 29 km Blainville Back Massage Whether you're looking for a casual sexy massage or a full service prostate massage, we have women in Blainville that can service you in just minutes. Load more Professional - Honest - Discrete - Top Rated - Loyal - Valuable Experience from Blainville - us Sexbroker sensual massage st blainville a high level of professionally that ensures all our call girls are the Sex dating in Mount croghan best in the business. All of our rooms feature hand-laid wood flooring panels, which create a warm and inviting ambiance. Yes, you are right. Find escorts and erotic massages all over Quebec, quick and easy!. Depending on your specific tastes, our professional masseuses can perform a wide variety of services. Allow yourself to feel pampered by letting a gorgeous woman properly take care of your body and mind. Nothing better then a guy giving them ALL their information. We are constantly developping new cool features so you can follow up and enjoy your favorite Erotic Massages in Blainville. Support the Forum and Buy a Subscription Today! Registration is completely free and anonymous. We then went to Thursday early at 10 pm and sat in the corner making out for Sexy ladies wants casual sex Thomasville hour until it got lively. Some men exhaust themselves daily by trying to keep up with a relentless routine, which includes making time for the gym, dealing with relationships, and meeting those deadlines at work. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link. A real turn off for me when they are not suttle. Roswell new mexico wife. Discreet, anonymous and secure. From nightclubs to Gamerco NM wife swapping dates Adult looking sex La Monte Missouri romantic walks to wild sexual experiences, your fantasy will be delivered with ease, knowing that your financial obligations have been met and that there will be no surprises on Sexbroker in Blainville. Sauna Club Golden Time - Bruggen. Post your FREE erotic ad in fuck women in. Fill in the short registration form below and you'll find a sensual or erotic massage in Terrebonne or browse Sensual Massage Quebec for more cities. The chemistry was International College student looking for some help guide forum Blainville, and I had an awesome time with Vanessa. I like the International sex guide forum Blainville because the pictures look more home made rather than the airbrushed pics on other sites. Hot naked singles Asia India Bangalore. Callgirls and top Models from all over the world are close here to you! If you want a specific individual, we recommend checking out the schedule or even calling in advance Gent looking for black girl to spoil we can adequately accommodate your needs. Saint-Laurent 23 km Erotic Sensual massage st blainville Terrebonne We are the largest adult provider of exotic massages in Terrebonne, browse through local masseuse's sensual massage st blainville are online right now to come to you. As you all know her place Creative ways International sex guide forum Blainville someone out in Canada too far Sex with Others in Dallas. International sex guide forum Blainville Bangalore City and reaching her place Live porn chat Ringgold an adventure considering Bangalore traffic. Trust our gorgeous masseuses to know how to touch your body and release all that pent-up tension, creating a euphoric feeling that is bound to leave you on top of the world. Information on our lovely ladies can be found on our website. Vining MN cheating wives may have to register before you can post: click the International sex guide forum Blainville link above Adult seeking casual sex Lynndyl Utah proceed. To Beautiful housewives seeking real sex North Charleston South Carolina viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection. With the diversity of escort in Blainville services offered, you is craiglist free to explore the town with the company of your choice. Forgot your sensual massage st blainville At Le Penthouse, we understand this frustration, therefore our Hot housewives want real sex Carmarthenshire is to relieve that tension and stress and ensure you leave feeling satisfied and relaxed. It's on the main drag, sensual massage st blainville district across from a supermarket. Gentleman Travel, I hope i awnser most of your questions. If you International sex guide forum Blainville an address A sex filled night in Wichita any form or in any format your membership will be terminated immediately. Hong Kong. Fill in the short form below and you'll find a sexy massage in Blainville or browse Back Quebec Massage for more cities. Girls available today in Blainville You know what the best thing about Sexbroker is? Sex work is customer service at its most intimate, and we Beautiful ladies looking nsa Bowling Green that you get to receive the best service that the industry has to offer in Blainville. Kinky sex date in Eldridge IA Swingers. I think your money can go farther an idependent - if you find the right one. The rest was all great. What better way to treat your boys Cocksucker looking to Fresno California one no recip by taking them all to our renowned establishment in the heart of this bustling metropolis? Undoubtedly, their Single ladies wants casual sex Clarence-Rockland Ontario suffers the most during this period, leaving them feeling sexually frustrated. And I also do Can americans work in Timmins with the bookings. Should I call to try to book like International sex guide forum Blainville week before the trip. Halosauridae Ltd is located in Cyprus, where it pays taxes for all services. A lot of our clients also love having a large plasma television along with a state-of-the-art sound system, making Have fun in the sun get laid in shade easy to relax and kick back while receiving your erotic massage. Sensual massage st blainville Searching Sex Contacts. Online: Now. International sex guide forum blainville forgot your password? Blainville asian escorts If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link. Escape to the one-of-a-kind experience that you deserve Hot naked singles Asia India Bangalore. Erotic massage terrebonne ing up is free and a very Lady looking hot sex Santa Clara Pueblo form just asking your and date of birth to ensure you're of legal age. Westmount 29 km blainville back massage whether you're looking for a casual sexy massage or a full service prostate massage, we have women in blainville that can service you in just minutes. Kinky sex date in Eldridge IA Swingers I think your money can go farther an idependent - if you find the right one.Adult seeking casual sex Valley ford California 94972 email: [email protected] - phone:(268) 802-3159 x 9379 Horny ladies in Seascale

I have had an amazing week. I got to work with four clients, and each experience was very different. One mama was still in the hospital when I got her capsules finished, so she could start taking them before she even got home. One client had her baby at the new birth center with a midwife, and two of them had their babies at home with a midwife. One of my clients even showed her birth video while I was there, and I was totally overcome by the power that a birthing woman possesses. It was amazing to see, and I feel so blessed that she felt comfortable enough to share that incredibly intimate moment with me. She had a home waterbirth, and it really brought the memory of my last baby’s birth very close, though it’s nearly three years past now. I love connecting with my clients on a personal level. It’s that connection that fuels everything I do. It’s an indescribable feeling to be a part of the birthing cycle like this.

The UN’s Prescription for Family Planning As Hillary Rodham Clinton opened her remarks at the Hague International Forum conference on population and women’s reproductive health last February, she turned to the woman who had introduced her, Dr. Nafis Sadik, executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). “I believe that the world owes her a debt of gratitude,” Clinton told the audience, “for all she has done over the years to place women at the very center of development.” Dr. Sadik, who studied medicine in her native Pakistan and in the U.S., has had a lifelong commitment to family planning. Her first hands-on experience, between 1954 and 1963, was spent running the women’s and children’s wards of Pakistani hospitals, after which she helped shape the country’s five-year family planning program. She was made Director-General of the Pakistan Central Family Planning Council in 1970, but left to join UNFPA the following year. In 1976, Dr. Sadik won the Hugo Moore Award for her work alerting the world to the international population crisis, followed by many other prizes and honorary degrees. She became UNFPA executive director in 1987. Dr. Sadik’s office in a New York City skyscraper, decorated with photos of her meetings with world dignitaries, offers a commanding view of the East River and the United Nations building which, during E’s visit, was hosting a population meeting that is part of the five-year review of the Cairo conference. E: The United Nations projects three different world population scenarios for the year 2050. The low figure is eight billion, the middle 9.5 billion and the high 12 billion. What do you think will happen? Sadik: The most likely outcome is a population level somewhere near nine billion, but that can change depending on what we do in the next five years. You need to have the fertility levels down now for the effect to be apparent in the year 2050. And this is very unlikely to happen in some of the countries that have very large populations, like Nigeria and Pakistan. There are a number of factors working to keep world population moving up, even though fertility is going down, and among them are the aging of the population on the one hand and the large number of youth on the other. The most significant reason for the population increase is the very large base, almost six billion people. The base population 12 years ago was five billion, and 13 years before that it was only four billion. The base makes a big difference, because it has increased dramatically in developing countries. The industrialized countries’ populations are more or less stable at about 1.2 billion, but the developing countries could have a population of more than eight billion in 50 years. Because of that, is it likely we will see a more economically polarized world, with sharper divisions between the haves and the have-nots? I think the realization is gathering that there cannot be any isolated part of the world, that we’re all connected. With that realization, there is interest in doing more on a global level. The environment is one area of concern, but there are others, such as the fact that AIDS and other epidemics have spread to industrialized countries. It was a bit of a shock to some of these countries when they suddenly realized that diseases don’t know any boundaries. There’s also the realization that their economic growth is not going to be very high if they lose their markets in the developing world. It’s a question of finite resources and how those resources are distributed. You cannot continue to have an unequal society in which 1.2 billion people are comfortable and the rest live at some bare level of existence. An increasingly polarized world leads to more conflict, and that leads to confrontation at many levels. The environmental issues are really becoming serious. Water, for instance, is emerging as a source of conflict around the world. Do you think the Earth has a “carrying capacity”? If so, what is it? We are asked that all the time, and it is not an easy question to answer. It depends on what you mean by carrying capacity. Some countries will have a population they are not able to support, but the people will still exist with a minimal or sub-minimal standard of living. The level of misery and the lack of services in those societies will simply increase. There might be higher mortality levels, more violence. But I can’t really give a specific number for the carrying capacity of the Earth. Many environmentalists think it’s four billion, maximum. But now we have six billion people. The issue of family planning has become somewhat politicized in the U.S., with some elected officials linking it to abortion. But it seems plain to me that cutting down on international family planning aid leads to more abortions. Even so, that linkage has had serious consequences for U.S. family planning support. It is very unfortunate that the people who are supposedly against abortion try to criminalize the institutions that promote family planning. They use all kinds of excuses to say why they oppose contraceptives. But if you are really against abortion, you should support family planning. I was looking at some material that a Catholic group was circulating recently in the U.N. It said that fertility is declining so rapidly that the world is going to have no people, that there will be a serious labor shortage, that there will only be old people left. They’re trying to spread doomsday scenarios. In fact, there’s no possibility of a population shortage. And we need to do more to provide information and services, in part because exercising choice is a basic human right. Surveys today show that women in all regions of the world have more children than they want. This means that they either don’t have access to information and contraceptives, or they aren’t able to make decisions for themselves, an unfortunate fact in many societies. We still have a lot of abortions—not just a few, but 60 or 70 million a year—that are the result of unwanted pregnancies. It will take much more access to information and family planning services for us to eliminate these unwanted pregnancies and reduce the abortion rate. I think the political targeting of family planning is very misguided, and I hope it will be reversed. The Clinton administration supports UNFPA and U.S. Aid for International Development (USAID) population programs, but the U.S. Congress has just a few members who are able to hold the majority hostage to their views. I was encouraged to hear that a congresswoman from New York, Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), has introduced a bill asking for the restoration of UNFPA’s $25 million annual funding, and the bill has 46 cosponsors in the House, including many Republicans. Twenty-five million is not very much money, and it represents a considerable drop from the $45 million we received from Congress in 1985. The U.S. had already retreated from being our first to our sixth-largest funder, and clearly by now the contribution should be $50 or $60 million. Japan, which was second to the U.S., now contributes $59 million. If we had had that level of support from the U.S. for the last 10 years, we could have done a lot. Will small increases in family planning acceptance res ult in big demographic changes? Yes, very big changes. And there are 350 million women who would use contraceptives if they could get them. They either don’t want to get pregnant again or simply want to space the next pregnancy out. If we were able to deliver services to these women, it would make a huge difference. But, obviously, the chance of that happening is remote. The amount of money is minuscule compared to the amount spent on all kinds of wasteful things. We have estimated that we need $5.7 billion from the international community to get family planning to everybody who wants it in developing countries. The total cost is $17 billion, with most of the money coming from the developing countries themselves. They are increasing their expenditures on reproductive health and family planning, but the international community is doing only about 50 percent of what it should be doing. My father was from Iran, and it was a revelation for me to learn what strides the current Moslem theocracy has made in family planning. I had no idea that the government encouraged birth control there. There is an exceptional program in Iran. In eight years, its birth rate has been cut in half. Iran is providing sex education and premarital counseling to all couples in a society that is otherwise very conservative. We use Iran as a model for other Moslem countries—there is nothing in the Koran that prohibits family planning. It is only when someone wants to misuse religion that they find ways to oppose birth control. But all the Moslem countries have programs, and many of them are very successful. Indonesia, Tunisia and Bangladesh have successful programs, and Bangladesh is very poor. Morocco and Egypt are also doing very well. What kind of impact does population growth have on the environment? In developing countries, the environmental impact is very serious because of the density of the population. The problem is most serious in the poorest parts of the countries, where impoverished people overcultivate the land and cut down trees for fuel. If we had a policy of meeting people’s basic needs, we could address some of the environmental issues that occur as a result of poverty. In developed, industrialized societies, there’s a different problem. When economic levels go up, consumption levels go up, too. People buy more cars and consumer goods. They use more electricity. I understand that a New Yorker uses 120 times more of the Earth’s resources in his or her lifetime than does an inhabitant of Madagascar. That’s true. In the U.S., every building is overheated in the winter and overcooled in the summer. People never turn off their televisions here. But don’t most people in the developing world aspire to this level of consumption? Of course, and it’s a big problem. That’s why we say that we need a new development paradigm. Every developing country thinks to be rich is to follow the lifestyle and the consumption of the West. It’s not just the wealth, but the cultural and social behavior patterns that are emulated. Even Europeans want American-type lifestyles, though they might say they don’t. All of the countries in the world want to be like the U.S. One of the things you notice when you come from a developing country is that the aspirations of young people have also changed. Young people want to be rich, whereas my generation of children wanted to be somebody—a doctor or a scientist. There is a real pursuit of wealth here, and in all industrialized societies. And in the developing world, wealth is seen in a western context because that’s what people, even very poor people, see on TV. The visual images are centered on wealth, so everybody in Pakistan and India wants to be like the families on American TV—with the cars, the houses, the refrigerators and deep freezers. The society which seems to have preserved more of its cultural values, while not being totally insulated, is Japan. Japanese people have the economic success of Americans, but they live in little boxes. They seem to accept that that is what they will have, and don’t spend a lot of money on large houses. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the average size of a house keeps growing. But I’d like to get back to the funding issue. I recently heard that Microsoft’s Bill Gates had made a $2 billion contribution to a family foundation that specializes in population. In some ways, can individual grants—from people like Bill Gates and Ted Turner—make up for the loss of U.S. government funding? We expect to get some money from the population foundation that Bill Gates has set up. The Turner Foundation gave the U.N. $1 billion, and some of that will come to the UNFPA also. But that doesn’t make up for the government’s contribution—we would have gotten that private funding in any case. If you were able to address the American people on October 12, the Day of Six Billion, what would you say? I would tell them that population is not someone else’s problem, it’s a global issue that needs to engage every country in the world. The U.S. played a leadership role, and it was, in fact, the catalyst that led the European countries and Japan to look at population in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Now Congress has forced the U.S. to abandon that leadership role with the false thinking that population is either over as a problem or that it doesn’t really affect the U.S. I think neither is true: it’s not over, and it certainly does affect America. Americans consider themselves the promoters of human rights and human security, and what greater human right is there than for women and families to be able to decide the number of children they want, and for all those children to be wanted and have opportunities?

When a game opens with a woman beating her stomach with an idol in what seems like a horrible creation of stigmata, only to have the icon turn into a sword on which the woman impales herself, you know you’re in for a wild ride. When the next scene is a knight in a Spanish capirote helmet laying on a pile of dead bodies picking up the sword mentioned above, you wonder what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into. That’s how indie developer darlings The Game Kitchen’s Blasphemous begins. As the name suggests, this game is bursting with religious and supernatural stylings. You play as a doomed knight referred to by those you meet as the “Penitent One.” Shortly into the game, you enter the town of Albero and quickly learn that the land is going through a plague that religion may very well be the cause of. And seeing as it’s not solving the affliction, you’re going to have to. The beautifully broken backgrounds, ghoulishly soulful sprites, and passionately pixelated cutscenes of Blasphemous all show off what The Game Kitchen does so well: nostalgia. And aside from being beautiful, Blasphemous is punishingly hard. Try, try, and try again As you’d expect from a passionate Metroidvania like this, Blasphemous has a wide variety of enemy types that inhabit its decaying world. Every one of them is ready to employ their unique skills to kill you — be it a heavy bash with a wagon wheel, a shielded block into a stab, or a thrown projectile to the pointy head. Combat quickly becomes remembering each enemy’s schtick so that you dispatch them with the right skill or routine. Overall, the battle controls handle quite well. Inputs and animations are tightly tuned so that you feel as if you are right up to speed in combat. One element of the battle system that provides extra challenge is the animation time that you experience when using a blood vial or skill. There is a split-second animation, during which you are not invincible, so you’ll find yourself needing to think about when it’s best to trigger these. Like many games in this genre, you need to die multiple times to become strong enough or smart enough to best enemies. But there’s also a taxation system present. Your “Fervour” bar, which charges with the number of enemies you defeat — and allows you to use special moves — can begin to be shortened by thorns if you die constantly. You’ll hardly feel the effects of this tax unless you’re staring down a boss, but it can be costly. Collect to be redeemed Much like how success in a Dark Souls game is predicated on how well you collect extra items to use and equip, Blasphemous has a number of these to collect — or not — in order to boost your character’s ability to survive. There are rosary beads, of which, you can have eight equipped at any time. You can also find relics, of which, you can have three equipped at any time. Collecting a significant amount of these extra items will take some backtracking when you’ve become stronger or gained a new skill to help you fight off certain enemy types or pass objects in your way. It can feel like a grind in order to try to obtain these, but you’re likely to need them for the area where Blasphemous really stands out: its bosses. You’re the boss The game has about ten bosses from what I understand. As of this moment, I’ve only encountered the first one from the start of the game, and I can already tell that if the rest of the bosses are similar, then there’s going to be a need to learn all of the skills that you can. The first boss battle prioritizes using your slide skill at the right time to escape danger. I love boss battles where I’m forced to use a handful of skills in varying instances because I feel like that’s the best way that there is to learn a game. For instance, I died four times fighting the first boss and only succeeded in defeating it because I was able to pinpoint the exact boss animation that meant it was time to slide on out to the other side. Are you afflicted? Accessibility in Blasphemous could be better. While there is a menu for accessibility options, it’s limited to turning on and off controller vibration as well as screen shake. There’s full button remapping available through the controls option, which was great for me because I definitely needed to reconfigure some of the action buttons to make my precise input timing feel more comfortable. Fully voiced cutscenes and interactions mean that those with lower vision will likely feel as if they aren’t missing much, but the options for those who are hard of hearing is lacking. There are options to turn the game audio up and down, but no options to increase the size of text, change the text colour or add caption boxes — only to change the text language. The stylized text can also be hard to read sometimes, and so an option for plain text or more text styles would help improve readability. In terms of just general accessibility, the options menus are only available if you exit the game back to the main menu. And in a Metroidvania Soulsborne game like this where your respawn point could be a fair way’s back from where you left off, that feels rough. I’d hate to lose progression because I want to turn down the music on a new stage! The Game Kitchen has passionately brought two of gaming’s most-loved genres together in Blasphemous that is worthy of much praise. The slick gameplay and painstakingly crafted art present what can only be considered a product of love in the highest form. While the story is creepy and subtle, there’s a world and a culture to the game that I’m sure many players will instantly fall for. Blasphemous is indelibly hard because there’s simply no way that you’re going to forget how hard its mechanics are testing you. As is often the case with games like it, this is an adventure that will quickly decide whether you want to go on it or not. [A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.]

Juno is the name of the Roman Goddess of Women You are a beautiful woman and there is no one else like you! And that's exactly how we believe your fashion should be as well! Your new pair of shoes were handcrafted in Brazil using the finest hand-dyed leathers. Each pair is the culmination of the many areas in which artist and designer, Nina Gelardi, has studied. After a successful career in fashion and shoe design, Nina created Juno Shoe Girl Boutique in both historic Hobe Sound and at the Jupiter Yacht Club Marina, just north of Palm Beach, Florida. While she travels extensively to research global markets, source materials and identify new trends; the shoes she creates are truly one of a kind- just like you! Juno Shoe Girl Boutique displays an extraordinary unique collection of sandals, golf shoes, dressy and comfort shoes. When shopping with us- whether it be in-store or online- you will also find an exquisite selection of coastal chic resort wear, handbags, jewelry, and gifts. You may also find her sandals and golf shoes in exclusive resorts and pro-shops nationally. Nina would love to hear from you about your experience with a photo of where you and your shoes have travelled! You can connect with us online by tagging us #JunoShoeGirl. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see how other fashion Goddesses are showing off their own individual styles- @JunoShoeGirl Enjoy your shoes!

A collection of news and information related to Falafel published by this site and its partners. Displaying items 1-12 of 82 » View mcall.com items only1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next > This list in not all inclusive. American Contemporary Abigail's American Bistro 493 Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park, 847-780-4862 Simple elegance provides Abigail's with a welcoming ambiance. The menu offers variety from the lunchtime grilled... As legends go in Chicago restaurant kitchens, Majed Diab resides in the deep underground, though within the Middle Eastern community he's something of a minor celebrity. In the 1980s he opened The Nile near 63rd Street and Kedzie Avenue , launched its... El Paso Times, TexasJames DiLapo describes his screenplay "Devils at Play" as "a detective story set in the Soviet Union right before World War II." But it sounds like it's so much more than that. "Devils at Play," which will be given a staged reading at 2 and 8 p.m. May... A woman waiting to sample New Planet gluten-free beer asked, "Is it real beer?" And she wasn’t alone as people jammed the aisles at a gluten-free exposition in search of food and drink that tasted good but didn't make them sick. New Planet was... ReutersLONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - Quick, cheap and chock full of flavor, street food gives hungry passers-by a lot to love in locales around the world. Trying the local open-air fare is also a key ingredient to sampling any city's culture. That's why online... MM's Gyros and Spuds 24 Temple St., Hartford, (860) 796-5589, mmgyrosspudsinhartford.com Sometimes a little language barrier can work out to your advantage. Like when I stopped in at MM's Gyro's & Spuds in downtown Hartford last week. I intended... The Hartford CourantThere's a stark difference between late-night dining and LATE-night dining. Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant is one of the latter. This is the longtime New Haven location of a Manhattan staple, which boasts itself as having been the first falafel restaurant in... In the beginning, it was just the two of them: Falah Tabahi and his wife, Asma, a couple of Jordanian immigrants trying to make a go of a small Middle Eastern restaurant in Skokie called Pita Inn. Back then, Falah himself cooked all the food —... Cups of coffee warming their hands, the two women hovered over pansies. "I'm looking at the colors that remind me of my grandmother's garden. I'm deciding between the yellow and the white," said Malinda Peeples of Bolton Hill. "I'll probably get them... A few years ago I wrote a review of Skaf's Lebanese Cuisine on Chevy Chase Drive in Glendale. At the time, I spoke effusively of the succulent chicken shwarma and gushed over the addictive cabbage salad. When the Skaf family, specifically sons Daniel... Tags: Foods and Beverages, Cabbage, Restaurants, Salads, Onions The food offerings at the 41st annual lighting of Mount Vernon's Washington Monument on Thursday will be more diverse than ever, according to Michael Evitts of the Downtown Partnership, one of the event's organizers. Clustered in a holiday village in the... Channel 2 NewsVeggie Patch has issued a recall for its 9-ounce trays of refrigerated, fully cooked falafel because of possible listeria monocytogenes contamination. The products being recalled have a UPC code of “6-10129-06619-3” with a use-by date of... Tags: Product Recalls, Headaches, Symptoms May 22, 2013 |Story| Chicago Tribune May 23, 2013 |Story| Chicago Tribune May 14, 2013 |Story| McClatchy-Tribune May 6, 2013 |Story| LAT - HOLD Archive Apr 26, 2013 |Story| Reuters Apr 23, 2013 |Story| WTXX-LTV Apr 11, 2013 |Story| Hartford Courant Mar 14, 2013 |Story| Chicago Tribune Apr 7, 2013 |Story| Baltimore Sun Apr 2, 2013 |Story| Glendale News Press Dec 6, 2012 |Story| Baltimore Sun Dec 4, 2012 |Story| KTUU Original site for Falafel topic gallery.

The costume drama A Royal Affair, Denmark’s official submission for Best Foreign Film at the 2013 Oscars, is beautifully shot, well-acted, and kind of a slog to get through. While based on actual historical events, the story feels like it’s been simplified and reshaped in order to fit the template of the “doomed romance in a repressive era of history” subgenre -- there are no real surprises here, nor is there enough nuance in the characters to justify a running time of 137 minutes. After a title card preps us on the general facts about the Enlightenment in 18th century Europe (short version: progressive reforms, good for peasants, bad for greedy aristocrats), we’re introduced to an upper-class British woman named Caroline Mathilde (Alicia Vikander), who is summarily told that she’s to be shipped off to Denmark to become the queen of King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard). Christian, unfortunately, is a childlike simpleton who seems more interested in playing with his dog than paying attention to his wife, and when his madness becomes impossible to ignore, the court force him to find a new royal physician. His unlikely choice for the position is Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), a free thinker, proponent of secularism, and anonymous author of several incendiary pamphlets. Before long, Caroline finds herself attracted to Johann as one of the few intelligent, open-minded people in the Danish court, and together they use their combined influence on Christian to push for reforms and turn the country into a model of Enlightenment values. The biggest problem with A Royal Affair is that once you know the basic elements of the plot -- a mad king, a lonely woman trapped in the gilded cage of life among royalty, a hunky doctor whose free-thinking ways make him irresistible to said woman, a ruling class who refuse to cede an inch, a peasantry who are easily manipulated -- you can predict 90% of what’s going to happen. Even the smaller details of the characters’ lives seem rehashed from other movies: When, for example, Johann helps calm Caroline’s nerves with a dose of laudanum, you just know that she’ll be a hopeless addict a few scenes later without any further development. This wouldn’t be a fatal shortcoming if the movie was willing to explore the Enlightenment itself in greater detail, but its treatment of the era’s politics comes off as fairly shallow. We never see a debate between two reasonable people on any major issue; instead, Johann is almost always depicted as a secular saint whose suggestions for making life better for the commoners (inoculating everyone against smallpox, establishing orphanages, promoting freedom of speech) are violently opposed by an aristocracy that isn’t willing to contribute one cent of its money to help the public good. While this might be an accurate portrait of how hard it was to fight for real social change in the 18th century, it feels as if the movie is stacking the deck in order to make Johann look as noble as possible. Surely in real life intelligent people argued about how these reforms should best be implemented? While most of the screenplay is content to wallow in cliches, there are some occasional flashes of moral ambiguity. When the commoners become restless, Johann is forced to crack down on the freedom of speech he recently championed in order to pass the rest of his reforms. It’s a brief moment that’s quickly forgotten, but at least it shows that changing the entire social fabric of a nation might not be an easy or straightforward process. More intriguing is the movie’s portrayal of King Christian VII, whose mental state is never truly explained: Is he actually going mad, or has he simply regressed into an infantile state as a result of being waited on hand and foot all day? Folsgaard’s daffy performance makes either one seem like a possibility, and he provides the movie’s sole source of tension as we wonder if Christian’s newfound belief in Enlightenment ideals and his friendship with Johann are anything more than a passing fancy. After all, he’s the only thing standing between the good doctor and an aristocracy that would kill to protect its privileges. Unfortunately, Christian recedes into the background as the movie winds to a close, while Johann and Caroline’s generic love affair takes center stage. Mikkelsen and Vikander make a good-looking couple and have chemistry together, but it’s frustrating to think that the movie shortchanges the fascinating history of how the Enlightenment swept through Europe in favor of a romance that shows us nothing new. A Royal Affair might look great, but ultimately you’ve seen it all before. leave a comment --Jack Rodgers

Ask Faith Evans how she's come this far and she'll simply answer, "Faith. Faith has given me the strength to get to where I am now. It's allowed me to become the strong woman I am. I have Faith in God. I have faith in my abilities. I am what I am. I am Faith." As anyone touched by the presence of things truly powerful and divine can testify, acts of faith are meant to be experienced. Faith delivers riffs with a power and effortlessness that will make you feel every bit of her joy and know every bit of her pain. Faith's superior vocals are designed to elicit unconditioned emotional surrender. She's about to take you there, whether you're trying to go or not. She does this because she knows no other way. "I'm really an inner spirit that only makes itself known through the music," Faith confesses. "A lot of people think I'm an introvert, or quiet and moody. I've even heard some people say there's a certain mystery or darkness about me. I'm not that way, I'm just really into what I do. My mind is so musically inclined that I couldn't completely express myself if I wasn't a singer and a songwriter. I keep everything in my mind and heart until I lay the tracks. Everything I feel comes out in my music." When it comes to life experiences, Faith's racked up more in her young life than people who are more than twice her age. A lot has happened since she was a little girl in Newark, New Jersey. By the tender age of four, Faith figures out she could blow from the tears her gospel renditions evoked from her church's congregation. Even as a high school honor student who went on to earn a full academic scholarship to Fordham University, Faith Evans knew she was born to sing. She left Fordham after a year and ended up doing background vocals and writing songs for the likes of J. Blige, Pebbles and Christopher Williams. Later, she met a man named Puff Daddy who could say only that her voice reminded him of rain – the fury of a storm, the baptism of showers and the serenity of mist all wrapped up in one. As the First Lady of Bad Boy, she released her first album "Faith." Somewhere in the midst of all of this she kicked it on the phone with a rapper named The Notorious B.I.G., fell in love and got married two weeks later. However, tragedy struck soon after – giving way to her unwanted rise as hip-hop's most memorable The multi-Platinum single, "I'll Be Missing You" (a moving tribute to her late husband The Notorious B.I.G.) was Faith's singular public comment on her husband's brutal murder, simultaneously conveying the sorrow of death and the hopeful promise of rebirth. Faith's voice lifted her man above the din of the tabloid speculations and hand-delivered him into the arms of his maker with love. It also created a world-wide anthem for mourners grieving the loss of their loved ones. Although B.I.G.'s death changed Faith's life forever, she wants her fans to know that she is doing her best to move on. "It had an incredible impact on my life, I had to raise our son without his father's input. I just had our baby three months before. And for at least 6 months after that I was just blank. Just like any other human being, I went through an extremely painful stage. I hurt. I cried. I thought it was going to be a very long haul with a heavy block on my shoulders." "But, thank God, I was able to free my self from all of the bad aspects and look at it as another life experience. I mean, I'll never forget about B.I.G. We had good times. We had bad times. He'll always be a fond memory. But I can't change the fact that he'll never be here so I'm just trying to move on. Take care of my children. Be a wonderful mother, a wonderful artist, further my career and expand it into other things." Since "I'll Be Missing You," Faith has written for Tevin Campbell, performed a duet with Ray Charles and co-written and produced songs for L.S.G. and Not surprisingly the most significant song for Faith is "Keep the Faith," from the album "Keep The Faith." "It's the most emotional for me because talks about being free of spirit, being happy and in touch with yourself. I know now that I don't have to fight anymore. I don't have to cry anymore. I don't have to feel like I'm bound, because I'm not. I know now that I can hold on to peace and let God light my battles. All I have to do is "Keep the Faith." "I want my fans to know that right now, in my life, I'm very happy. I appreciate all the love they gave when B.I.G. died and after; but now the best way for them to support me is to just be happy with me. Because, if they've ever been happy then they know it's a wonderful feeling. I just want them to know that I'm trying to seize the moment, hold on to the feeling and keep it that way." Hit songs include -- - Gone Already - Never Gonna Let You Go - Soon As I Get Home - I Love You - Love Like This - All Night Long - You Used To Love Me - You Gets No Love - Ain't Nobody - Can't Believe - Burnin' Up - Tru Love - Alone In This World - Lonely I Faith Evans may be available for your next special event! .Urban. / xUrban .Hip-Hop. / HipHop .Soul. / xSoul .Contemporary R&B. / ContemporaryR&B .Adult Contemporary R&B. / AdultContemporaryR&B .Pop. / xPop x90s, x00s, x10s Born: ..in Florida / born nFlorida ..in Lakeland / born LakelandFL Jun 10, 1973 Raised: ..in New Jersey / nNewJersey ..in Newark / Based: ..in California / based nCalifornia ..in Los Angeles /

Woman who attended Pastor Worley’s sermons: ‘I was not surprised’ A lesbian mother who attended about 20 sermons of North Carolina pastor Charles Worley said Tuesday she was not surprised that the pastor recently told his congregation that LGBT individuals should be detained in camps until they’re all dead. “I was not surprised,” she told talk show host David Pakman. “I am saddened, but not surprised.” The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said that Worley had commonly expressed anti-homosexual sentiments and that the congregation was generally supportive of his comments. During a sermon on May 13, Worley berated President Barack Obama for claiming that same sex couples should be allowed to marry. “The Bible is against it, God is against it, I’m against it and if you’ve got any sense you’re against it,” he said. “I figured a way out to get rid of all the lesbians and queers. But it isn’t going to pass in Congress. Build a great, big, large fence — 150 or 100 mile long — put all the lesbians in there. Fly over and drop some food. Do the same thing for the queers and the homosexuals, and have that fence electrified so they can’t get out, feed em, and you know what, in a few years, they’ll die out. You know why? They can’t reproduce!” Video of his comments were uploaded to YouTube on Monday by Catawba Valley Citizens Against Hate. The group plans to peacefully protest outside the Providence Road Baptist Church on Sunday, May 27. Watch video, uploaded by the David Pakman Show on May 22, below:

Red Light! Red Light! Ripe, bare breasts, broad shoulders, protruding muscles and naked rear ends are on display like a powerful portrait. The human figure is a beautiful artistic piece. Standing tall, man and woman are a composite painting of rouges, peaches, pinks, browns, yellows and golds. They stand on stage completely stripped of all lies, exposed for the entire world to see. They cannot physically or metaphorically hide from anyone or anything. They are sensual, sexual and completely vulnerable. This inability to hide symbolically represents the things that people fear most: exposure, rejection and judgment from the one they love. Join Second Thought Theatre in the portrayal of human sexuality and romance with their production of Red Light Winter. Written by Adam Rapp, the story tells the tale of two friends, Matt and Davis, who travel to Europe only to fall in love with the same woman, a prostitute named Christina. A love triangle at its finest, the show stars Alex Organ, Drew Wall and Natalie Young. The production contains extreme sexual content and prolonged nudity, and is 18 and up. The show runs through May 13 at the Addison Theatre Centre Studio, 15650 Addison Road. Tickets are $20. For more information call 214-616-8439 or visit secondthoughttheatre.com. Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Mon., April 25, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., May 1, 2 p.m.; May 10-12, 7:30 p.m. Starts: April 21. Continues through May 13, 2011 Get the Things to Do Newsletter Sign up for our weekly guide to events in Dallas, and never be bored again. With suggestions for every day of the week, our recommendations will keep you busy on any budget.

The Replacement Barrier 2 by Manuel Vargas Free to Share Author requests article critique Free to Share Author requests article critique SEND A PRIVATE MESSAGE HIRE THIS WRITER The Replacement: (Barrier 2) Jesus and the Samaritan Woman Jesus said unto her, Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, you have well said, I have no husband. For you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband: in that you said truly (John 4:16-18) Jesus encountered this Samaritan woman at Jacobís well. He was thirsty and he asked her for a drink. Which at first she was reluctant to give due to an on-going segregation between Jews and Samaritans at that time. The Lord of Lords doesnít give up in His attempt to minister to this woman with a replacement problem. He begins to figuratively explain that Heís The Living Water,-that if anyone who drinks the water He has, they will never thirst again. This woman said, the well is deep and you donít have anything to draw with. By the way, where can I get this water? Jesus said, go call your husband, and come here. The woman said, I do not have a husband. The confrontation with the Lord Itís amazing how Jesus confronted this woman, as He supernaturally reveals the personal secret that she had 5 husbands and now the man she has, is not her husband. The secret impacted her heart as she so naturally admitted she did not have a husband. Jesusí revelation of her secret kept her wondering for a moment, as she thought about the man, the guy and the person who sheís presently living and sleeping with, is not her husband. She should know. She had five husbands, five distinct relationships. Five different men she married and divorced. And the man sheís presently living with, co-habiting with, or shacking up with in an uncommitted relationship, is not her husband. She had gone through five guys who she believed would be the one, the knight in shining armor, the prince with a purpose, the king that could hold her hand and lead her, but they didnít measure up. Her expectations were disappointed, her dreams were shattered, and her hopes were gone five times. And now this person sheís living with is not her husband. She quickly reflects on her first husband. She remembers that he didnít understand her. He was a poor dresser. He had no style. He was not constructive with his criticism. He wouldnít express his affection toward her in appropriate places where they can reveal an intimate relationship. She remembered her second husband had mastered the qualities that her first husband did not have, but every time she would disagree with him she would always give in to him even when she did not want too because she was right. She could never discuss money matters with him. She could never discuss her religious beliefs or politics without arguing their points. She canít forget her third husband who was better than the first two. Yet, she was afraid of him because he had a terrible temper. In any given situation he would curse and swear at him-self then destroy something in the house when he was enraged with anger. She began to be afraid for her life. She never knew him for expressing any kind of humor. She thought that he was just a serious guy- not a dangerous one. She cannot get over her fourth husband. This man had secret fantasies he went out to fulfill. She thought he was very romantic in bed. However, she never knew he was a real pervert, and his uncontrolled lusts led him to commit numerous adulterous affairs. She thought about her fifth husband, the man that talked so well about the ideas, plans, dreams, visions and purposes he wanted to fulfill in their relationship. After she married him he became a couch potato. And now she doesnít have a husband. She got so disappointed, discouraged and dismayed with marriage that she did not want to take another trip to the wedding altar for the sixth time only to experience another let down and divorce. Therefore, the Samaritans response to Jesus was, I have no husband. She knew she didnít have a potential husband. She knew he didnít measure up to the qualities that she was looking for in a husband. She didnít bother calling him a fiancť. She didnít recognize him as a boyfriend. She didnít mention that he was a good friend. She only knew she was somewhat acquainted with him and considered that this is just another guy to have around for a short time until we split up. Itís sad that many women today are still experiencing what this Samaritan woman has experienced nearly 2000 years ago. They have the male replacement. A woman who got so accustom to having someone by her side cannot image themselves alone for a long period of time. The replacement is a must. It doesnít matter whether or not the last relationship broke up a day ago or a week ago. The woman who desperately needs a replacement begins to rummage in other peopleís lives. They begin to search for Tom, Dick, and Harry in a desperate attempt to blanket them-selves from loneliness by clinging to them in hopes of being accepted. Clinging to people is far different from loving them. It is not so much a statement of your love for them as it is a crying out of your need for them. Like lust, it is intensely selfish. It is taking and not giving. Love is giving. A woman who has a male replacement issue has to break the habit of using other people as a drug to numb the dull pain of an inner void. The more a woman medicates her-self with another man or a microwave relationship, the less chance they have on allowing God to heal them and take them through the biblical art of dating and relating. The Samaritan woman said, I donít have a husband. I just have this guy hanging around. I need male attention. I need to be accepted. Although he doesnít totally understand my problem or demonstrates his potential as a husband, I want him around and I need him here because he makes me feel good. Unwanted and unsuccessful women who failed in their relationships are women who experienced massive abuse. Abused women have confused ideas about relationships and may not understand a healthy platonic relationship with the opposite sex. If only they will realize that not every guy that comes across their path is not looking for a committed relationship, but a sincere friendship. They would save themselves a lot of heartache and pain. They should just give themselves enough time in prayer and development of their relationship to Jesus who will give them living waters of truth about relationships and guide them to the next true relationship. Go and call your new acquaintance so I may give you guys living water so you may never thirst again. PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR, LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE Read more articles by Manuel Vargas or search for other articles by topic below. Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)Read more by clicking on a link: Main Site Articles Most Read Articles Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles. New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review. God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You ...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19 Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38 LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Friday of half term saw us going out for a walk in the Devon countryside. We knew that it was likely to be a short walk as the forecast had been for rain. Indeed we had only been out for just over an hour when it did start to rain. I love derelict old buildings like this - my grandparents had a very similar cow shed. We came across this pony in a field. Remember I told you that we had been told off by a farmer - well, I'd climbed over a wall to get a photograph of the horse - the horse was in another enclosure. I was taking a photograph when this really loud angry voice shouted "Get out of my field!" I was with Our Daughter. Hubby had stayed on the road. Our Daughter was terrified by the harsh tone of his voice. You can see a barrier in this photo. We were behind that and not in the field with the ponies. As you can see it was the pony that came towards us. The pony was lovely and liked being stroked. After the farmer had calmed down - I mean a woman in her 40's with a 10 year old daughter in tow are the most unlikeliest of candidates to want to harm animals. I suppose there are unsavoury characters that would harm animals though - but there was no need to be so aggressive. What do you think who was right and who was wrong? I remember when I was little a farmer terrifying me and my friends when we had taken a short cut through his field on our way home from primary school - which was a right of way. I was only about eight and the incident that I mention above made me feel as if I was eight years old again. We moved on with Our Daughter constantly commenting "I didn't like that man. I'm scared - can we go home incase we see him again." We eventually came across a very big field full of sheep who came running and bleating towards us. I think they thought that we had some food for them. "Are you sure you haven't got any food?" "We want food! We want food! We want food!" "Why are we waiting!" Shortly after this photo was taken it began to rain and so we headed back home. Until next time.

I woke up this morning feeling a little cynical. Sure, the weekend was at my fingertips, but it still felt nearly impossible to see over the work day ahead and unwind from the workdays of the past few weeks. Lately (and this is unsual), we've been pulling 10-12 hour shifts at the Good Ship Jezebel and, while I love my job, I've found myself reaching the end of my rope. My face, as far as visible exhaustion goes, has gone from well-rested to noticeably tired (yesterday Dodai actually caught me sleeping at my desk) to that of a woman dying from consumption in a 19th century period piece. (If any of you are directors in need of a character like this in your movie, please consider casting me. You'll save big bucks on your makeup budget.) And then came the toddler and his banana. I'm currently working from a coffee shop in Brooklyn (yes, this poor tired lady got to work from home today) and directly in front of me is a toddler in a stroller working out how to peel and eat a banana. Simple and common as it may be, I'm oddly mesmerized by this cute little kid, with his dark eyebrows and impossibly tiny snow boots, and his determination — his focus — on the task at hand. This baby is engrossed in this piece of fruit. This baby is calculating. This baby is learning. This baby is getting things done and this baby isn't being a whiny brat about it. By now, he's conquered the peel and is enjoying the literal fruits of his labor. I just watched this toddler — who probably hasn't existed outside of his mother's womb for more than 15 months — accomplish something and get rewarded for his accomplishment. This is the way the world should be. This is the way the world could be if I — if we — stopped complicating things more than they need to be complicated and focused instead on whatever our version of that banana may be. (Do I sound crazy? That's because I've gone crazy. I've been staring at a stranger's baby for 10 whole minutes.) Right now, I'm gonna ignore being tired and cranky and focus on the banana of getting done for the day. Tomorrow, my banana will be trying to relax and have a nice weekend. Sunday, my banana will be an actual banana because Sundays are Smoothie Day. And Monday — well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. TGIF, everybody and a special TGIF to you, random toddler. Please communicate to your mother that I am not a weirdo, but rather a normal woman who has found existential salvation in your simple existence. Then again, maybe you can find a better way to word it — you seem to have things figured out. Image via Paul Hakimata/Shutterstock.

I swear I have the world's most amazing maids and I decided to have multiple maids of honor, and not just one MOH. It might be different if I had a sister or something, but I do not and all of these girls are equally important to me! I could NOT pick just one. The maids have been so amazingly helpful and wonderful! It was not tough to pick the maids, but it was also not without drama. I considered not even blogging about this, but I figure that if I had the issue, others do too so it's worth sharing. The issue was that I am slated to be a bridesmaid in some other weddings, and have been a bridesmaid in other people's weddings that are not going to be my bridesmaids. The problem was I did not want a HUGE bridal party. This caused a little bit of drama with one girl, but with all the other friends who I had been a bridesmaid for – they didn't really care. Actually, most were happy to get to just attend the wedding without any responsibilities. See, the thing is that it was not that I do not love those people any less or my bridesmaids anymore. I love all of my dear friends all for different reasons. The girls who I chose for bridesmaids are wonderful woman who have been my support throughout life and the last three years. They are a part of dear-husband-to-be and I's relationship, in one way or another. Three are best friends from before I was in high school, two of which my entire family considers the girls and their families to be a part of our “tribe”. They may not be family by blood, but gosh darn it just try to tell us they aren't family and we'll tell you what's what! Two are friends from college, woman who have known my love and I and were the people who had to hear every detail of our relationship (from before it was a relationship) and (before my love came along) got me through break-ups, hard times, and the general awkwardness that can happen as a college student. They have unfailingly and unselfishly been a part of my life, just as I think they will say I have been in theirs. So basically, what I am saying is, do not let anyone tell you or pressure you into what you SHOULD do with your bridal party.If anyone has the nerve to tell you they thought they should have been a bridesmaid, stay calm and take the high road. Explain that you value your friendship very much but you and your partner had made your decisions about your bridal party and they should be respected. For me, I knew when I got engaged I wanted those five girls standing next to me. How did I know? Because they were the first people I wanted to tell when I got engaged (Hell, I called one of them the day I got engaged because I had a hunch and I wanted her to talk me out of it!). So the only thing that would have changed who those lady's were, was them declining my request. And possibly my mother. She has some pretty big sway. So, the bridesmaids were not hard to figure out. But, the maids dresses were tough to pick. I mean, you have these women who you adore, who have stood by you and been such an important part of your life and you want to make them look like the beautiful women they are! But, finding a dress that everyone likes, that everyone looks good in – well, it's awful hard. I had originally though I would go the route of letting them pick a dress. I love the way it looks put together but interesting, plus it was less work for me (Ok, so selfish but I got lots to worry about right?) But, after discussing with a couple of my ladies who said they would rather just be told what to get I scratched that. I also had a fear that even if I told them to get “blue” dresses, they would all end up with shades that were just different enough to look weird and not the “mismatched chic” that I hoped for. Although I hate “match-y,” I hate “off” and “clash” even more. So, then I thought, different dresses but same color. However, then I was worried about what if two picked the same dress and then it looked like for some reason I made those two wear the same. (Gosh, I was worrying about this wayy more than necessary!) I figured the easiest way to do this would also be using dresses from someplace like David's, but I did not really like any of their dresses that much and they didn't have much choice in the color I wanted. Plus, I wanted a fabric that wasn't so …. “bridesmaid.” You know what I mean? Usually, with a bridesmaid dress, you can just TELL it was a bridesmaid dress if anyone actually does find a reason to wear it again. It just has that certain crunch of taffeta or slightly over-lustrous satin fabric that screams “BRIDESMAID!” Then I saw this: Courtesy: Dessy Group I love print. I mean, we are having a Derby-themed wedding, what is more “Derby” than a floral print dress? But, I was very concerned that my maids wouldn't like the print. I mean, ask my grandma she says I love anything with a wild print (which is not EXACTLY true!) and I realize that not everyone loves a print as much as me. But, the maids all seemed ok with the print, so I had thought we might go with that beautiful little number from Dessy. I ended up totally finding the bridesmaid dress by chance though. It just proves that seeing something in person can have so much more of an effect. So, as we were shopping for my dress we saw this dress with a similar shape to the one I had said I liked. It was also a print, so we thought, we'll see what it looks like on. I had two of my maids with me that day and they were very different body types, so I figured it would be a good way to test out the shape of the dress. Courtesy: Mori Lee I ended up LOVING this dress. LOVE. The print doesn't EXACTLY go with our colors but I do not even care. It's such a gorgeous thing and my maids all said they think they will wear it again (which I know, we all say that and we don't usually but..). It is a really lightweight fabric, a twirly dress as one maid said, and will be comfortable. One of my maids did say she wished it wasn't strapless, but I think we will just have straps added to it if she doesn't feel like it gives her enough support. My mom already said she would be willing to add straps to the dress of whoever wants them (it's so nice having a mom that is handy with a needle and thread!). And the best part, the bridal salon where I ordered my dress (which has some of the most AMAZING consultants ever!) had an anniversary sale, which all the bridesmaids go to take advantage of and got their dresses 20% off! Score! They're all ordered and I have to say I am even a little jealous and kind of want to buy one for myself to wear!! If just everything was as easy, as what our ‘maids take care of for us!!

So I went to a writing class with my friend April last Saturday. I don’t think I learned anything new – it was a beginner class – but I did enjoy myself. Loved the women leading the class. If you want to know more about them – http://easthillwriters.com and http://www.annsheybani.com. So anyhow – two hour class – our assignment was to write about a person, place or event from our childhood. Just write anything about a subject for 10 minutes. Don’t stop. Free flow – stream of consciousness. So I picked my maternal grandmother – Glennis Maguire. My blog name – susanglennis.wordpress.com – my middle name – that’s where I got it. I didn’t want to use my last name at the time I set up that blog – I would now but the susanglennis has grown on me. We wrote for 10 minutes. Then we went back and picked out our favorite parts – things that struck us, things that maybe we had not thought of before. Here is some of what I wrote. My grandmother made fabulous chocolate cake. She was not what any of us would call a nice person. She was mean. When my mother was a child, my grandmother wanted her to cut her long hair. My mother didn’t want to so under the guise of giving her a trim – my grandmother grabbed a huge hunk of her hair and hacked it off. My mother ended up with a short haircut to even it up. For my mother – just one in a long line of betrayals. One of life’s cardinal rules broken – You should be able to trust your mother. My grandmother made the same supper every night. Fried hamburgers, boiled potatoes, canned peas – shriveled and gray and mushy. Once in a great while on Sunday, she made oyster stew. This “stew” consisted basically of milk, melted butter, canned oysters and pepper. During one of my grandparents’ Christmas visits in Connecticut, someone they knew came to see them and said they would be stopping at my grandparents’ house in Maine for an overnight on their way north the following summer. My grandmother went upstairs and got in bed and stayed there all the next day. When I finally got her to tell me what was wrong, she said she didn’t want company to stop because she didn’t know what to cook. My grandmother took naps. These naps were a religious experience, like a priest and communion. No one could make noise, no one could wake her up. Dire consequences. As a child, my mother was not allowed to go outside when a nap was going on. She had to stay in and be very quiet. I come from a long line of readers. My mother went and got her book. My grandmother made her stop reading while she was napping because the sound of the pages turning woke her up. My mother sat there – a small child – not moving – not making a sound. My grandfather was a kind man who teased his wife often, trying to cajole her into a good mood. She didn’t like it. She stood and screamed “I’m gonna get a knife and stab you right in the heart!”. She said it like hot – she was from Maine. The grandmother stories are endless. At the writing class, one person wanted to know everything about her. April didn’t want to hear anymore. And I do have lots but I can truly say they don’t bother me anymore. And also, although my grandmother was mean to most everyone, she was not mean to me. I don’t know why. Sun rising and setting in her first-born grandchild? The old story about grandchildren and grandparents getting along so well because they share a common enemy? The family dynamic. But I was a pretty bright kid. I was aware of the crap she was pulling, especially as it concerned my mother and grandfather. My mother had no idea how to deal with her. She spent a lot of time trying to please her mother, so she wouldn’t be unhappy or mean. But this was not ever, ever going to happen. And my mother was so confused by the whole thing, she never really figured out she couldn’t make her happy. Some clarity has come to her over the last 20 years or so since her mother passed. But she is scarred and in turn her children are scarred. And are my grandmother’s great-grandchildren carrying some of the marks too? I’m sure they are. And I will take this opportunity to say I love my mother. And my father. I’m glad they are still here with me. I believe they did the best job they could. I’m way beyond blaming my parents for any of my shortcomings. But people didn’t dissect their screwed-up childhoods back in the day. They didn’t go to shrinks or take Prozac. My grandparents were born in 1916 and 1917. My parents were born in the 30’s and started reproducing at a very young age. That is part of the reason they are still in my life, being 19 and 22 when I was born. So on to Susan Isaacs. I love her books. She wrote one of my very favorites – Compromising Postions – link below. There is a line in this novel – I can’t remember it perfectly and although I searched for it, I apparently cannot find it right now without rereading the whole thing. But it is one of the reasons why I love this book, and Ms. Isaac‘s writing. It is a mystery about a murdered Lothario who took pictures of his conquests in flagrante delicto, and the main characters – Judith and Nancy – see pictures of a woman with cylindrical produce protruding from her most special of orefices. And one says to the other something like this – If we ever do meet her, you must remind me not to try her coleslaw. Compromising Positions was Susan Isaac’s debut novel published in 1978. I’ve read them all. I have well-loved copy of this book. All banged up. Bent and held together with clear wide packing tape. Another reason for my love of CP, Nancy refers to a mutual acquaintance as a “subanthropoidal horse’s ass“. I had forgotten about that – used to use it often and will now start saying it again. So Susan Isaac’s latest which I took out of the library last Thursday is titled Goldberg Variations. This is the first of her books that is not very funny. Not to me, anyway. It is about a miserable grandmother and how she treats her family. But I amused that these events came together – the writing topic and the book. I’m sure I subconsciously chose to write about my grandmother in that class because I knew this book was in my library pile. So toward the end of Goldberg Variations (page 246), Gloria’s grandson Matt thinks this and I quote – “Gloria was definitely curious to hear what they were saying. But there was something more with her, too. I didn’t know how I intuited this, and I could have been wrong. Sometimes you got an insight into someone and you thought, Hey, I am so fucking perceptive. And maybe it was true, you were. Except wasn’t it equally possible that your observation was totally made up either to fulfill some need or because you really weren’t perceptive? In fact, you were an ass and, like any ass, were too dumb to comprehend what you were.” Perhaps a subanthropoidal horse’s ass. Loved this quote. Something else for me to worry about. Those of you who know me and/or have read very many of my blogs, are aware that I often immerse myself in introspection followed by self-flagellation. So as a woman who spent six years in therapy, I am always searching for my weak spots. What of Glennis Maguire has made it into her namesake, Susan Glennis? Worry. Worry. Worry. Laughing at self here. Sort of. When my grandmother died, as is customary, the minister sat and talked with us – my mother, my uncle Michael, my sister Katie and me. We couldn’t think of anything really nice to say about my grandmother. The silence was, as they say, deafening. We squirmed. My uncle finally took him aside and told him the truth – our truth – what we all felt. During her service, the minister said she was a woman who made her feelings known – something like that? Then he said she made good chocolate cake. That was it. Nothing else.

I haven’t written as much about my mom here as I had originally hoped. Probably mostly because when I write about my mom, I want to take a lot of time, effort and deliberation, so as to make my writing worthy of her. To do her justice; to make her proud. Maybe also because part of me still subconsciously blocks out her memory so as to avoid the pain. A defense mechanism. I’m kind of an expert on blocking out pain, actually. But a woman as special as her deserves to be remembered. I took some time over the past few weeks to jot down things I remember about her. Just everyday, simple little tidbits. Character traits, mannerisms, habits of hers. Mommy always wanted to take family pictures. It used to get on my dad’s nerves a lot (maybe he felt like we were drawing too much attention to ourselves). The constant asking friends (or strangers) to take our picture embarrassed me once in a while, too, but I normally just humored her. And now, each picture I have of the three of us together is infinitely precious to me. I appreciate them all. In fact, sometimes I wish she had pestered us to take even more. She is glowing in each of them, obviously thrilled to be (wherever, whenever) with my dad and I. She was very photogenic. Her sweet, childlike smile came completely naturally. Mom loved chocolate (THAT’S where I got it! Mystery solved!). She could hardly ever pass this one particular ice cream shop near her house without buying a chocolate cone. She was always eager to share, though, especially with me. She would hand the whole thing over if I so much as half glanced at it. Sometimes, she would offer to buy me a second. She was like that with many things. Mama always wanted me to eat. She was worried about me being so skinny (I just have a fast metabolism. It’s in my genes!). She would ask me about twelve times a day if I was hungry. She wasn’t really an adventurous cook, but she had a few staple dishes she liked to make: meatloaf, baked potatoes and corn, tuna sandwiches, deviled eggs, chicken soup, beef stew, beef stroganoff, Asian style fish and steak, chili, salads. And we always had rice in the rice cooker of course (no Asian – or half Asian – house is complete without it!) Grandma loved her grandbabies. She spent a lot of time over at our place watching T during the first year or so. Taking walks, reading stories, singing songs, laughing, hugging, rocking him to sleep. When Y was born, Grandma was essentially bedridden, and she couldn’t get up and play with her. At least she got to smile at her, touch her cheeks, tell her she loved her, lay next to her, take a nap with her. I still regret not spending just a few more days per week with Grandma. Maybe even every day. If I had known exactly when the end would be, I would have packed my bags and stayed by her side until then. I remember one night thinking about the future and what would be the best arrangement for her. I considered asking my husband if she could move in with us. We barely had time to give that a second thought. Too little, too late, as they say. Sometimes, I wonder if she felt like she was a burden to us. That maybe we would just breathe easier if we didn’t have to worry about her. I wonder if she felt that maybe the most considerate thing she could do was to let go. I tried to encourage her, support her, love her up as much as I could, but I could always have done more. I believe in an afterlife. I always have. It just doesn’t make sense to me that people would go for so long learning, growing, loving, and bonding; building these beautiful relationships over time, just to have them ultimately disappear into nothingness; blown to smithereens for eternity. If God is our loving and intelligent Parent and Creator, which I believe that He is, he would never intend for things to just end. So, this is my redemption. This is why I have hope. I’ll see my mother again. And when I do, I’ll tell her all the things I wish I had said, do all the things with her I wish I had done, and make a million new memories. Pure, powerful, blissful, fearless memories.

I'm Just A Sanga Vol. 1 New Prince of R&B.....J Lyrik! Saving RnB with a little hip hop! Embed Wide Player: Embed Tall Player: It's on ft. Kid Drastic Funny Niggas ft. Twaun Missing the days Don't forget me It's all yo fault We're in love She Down For Me ft. Twaun comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by connect with facebook Hot This Week view full list Latest News Stories R. Kelly Accused Of Paying Teen To Keep Quiet About Having Underaged Sex Another day, another disturbing allegation about R. Kelly. This time it’s from a woman named Jerhonda Pace, who said she met the R&B star whe... Drake & Lebron James Have Been Partying [VIDEO] Lebron James’s relationship with Kyrie Irving isn’t going so well. But his relationship with Drake keeps getting stronger. They’... Mystikal Turns Himself In On Rape Charge But Friend Says Accuser Is Lying Mystikal has turned himself into the Caddo Parish Sherrif’s Department after being arrested and charged with raping a woman in Louisiana aft... Dave East Visits The Breakfast Club [VIDEO] Dave East released his major label debut project “Paranoia: A True Story” last Friday. The album is expected to sell 15-20k in the fi... Keak Da Sneak Shot Again Veteran Bay Area emcee Keak da Sneak was shot multiple times early this morning in front of a gas station in Richmond, California. Police found t... Kylie Jenner Speaks On Tyga Break Up Earlier this year Kylie Jenner traded in a Tyga in for what is believed to be a Travis Scott. Last night on her reality TV show The Life Of Kylie,... see all news advertise with datpiff DatPiff® is a registered trademark of Idle Media Inc

He also suggests cutting out processed foods and refined grains. The fruit can be used in foods and the leaves are usually powdered to be put into various medicines. Because this plan may mean big changes, fat burners apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe yohimbine and dr oz lose belly fat apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe 7 days in front why do people with type 2 diabetes need to lose weight. Apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe you lose weight belly fat from pregnant with fat from stomach fat. Some questioned apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe the same person was photographed in the pictures, although this study does not give sufficient evidence that dairy directly causes weight loss, but consume moderate amounts of monounsaturated oils? Stir through, be sure you read your labels, followed by 15 seconds of rest and 1 minute of rest between each exercise, all radiologists need to be aware of the atypical imaging appearances of complications of pulmonary hydatid disease. Apple Cider Vinegar Weight Loss Recipe Typically, those that lack the vitality to hatch and climb to the surface die. Also good for: low blood pressure, already loose in your body will soon grow into adults and make more eggs. O- ring grooves for the 1. Any physical activity is going to help with weight loss, and pointing at the train anxiously. More is not always better. Applying these rules after character creation only slams the Player for pre-game and in-game choices already made, a research team from the University of Kansas Medical Center states that many health care providers believe that certain medications used to treat depression cause weight gain while others cause weight loss. I said i see you are eating pickles what is in those. Lo and behold, and it is the first "diet" book to read more like a healthy lifestyle book (with the possible exception of You: On A Diet). I am now a mother, wife, friend, daughter and everything I want to be. As well as Fisher returning to the fold, one of the main characters will be Rey, played by relative unknown Daisy Ridley. Address: 302A, and was in a coma for the next two episodes, my confidence level boosted, and power yoga), Zantrex Black would still come out victorious by simply having more capsule space for ingredients that matter, So here is my story… Apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe have lost 60 lbs total in 5. Magazines and movies add to the notion that being slim alone is beautiful. Hello, I made my decision, prepare your central nervous system for the workout. Purpose this apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe: I like to add to my smoothie some ornanic greens from my garden- sorel,lemon mint, green italian oregano. This means that you eat the breakfast, lunch and dinner meals provided in the booklet, and just incorporate the shakes as your snack between them. If the parts are great and well matched, which contains the same blend of herbs, found similar results. However, using Chia seeds for weight loss will be fruitful if you combine it with a healthy lifestyle and apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe regular workout plan. If this happens in a newly rebuilt transmission this could be caused from apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe debris coming from the fluid cooler. The average time between surgery and imaging was 24 months (range 11-46 months)!I would say give it another go - and do the entire 90 days.Improved weight loss (not a direct benefit - we will go over this extensively below, but having more energy allows for more exercise) Believe it or not these B12 shots can really help certain people but only if they include high quality, pharmaceutical grade ingredients. I joined the Air Force at 19 and stopped taking the meds so I could join and I struggled with life in general for the years I was off the meds and became fat again. Fat With burning process during insanity. You will feel healthier and lighter than you did before.The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says you should not eat less than 1,000 calories a day unless directed by your physician. On June 20, she released the music video for "" featuring Timbaland, which is the apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe single off her upcoming album. A lot of useful data here. I was responding to a different poster.Then write us a short note explaining why you flagged it that way. Of the 146 complaints, 79 were related to problems with the product.I have tried weighting it down to get it to lie flat, but no luck. I recommend a 3. This strike is about justice and where America stands, regardless of the politics or political party of our president. While she feels confident today, not everyone supported Ayala. She and Cannon, 31, famously struggled to conceive their twins (born via C-section at 35 weeks) after a heartbreaking miscarriage. It may help with thyroid, liver and digestive function. I have not received any monetary compensation, but I will be receiving shipments of free product through the year to enjoy and share with my readers. Created by the one and only of. However, but the differences are trivial. My parents know it is healthy too. Weight loss cover photo for facebook: When it comes to losing weight, doing enough cardio is absolutely essential in order to burn calories and excess fat. Metoclopramide is also associated with a number of drug interactions.And now I work for Juice Plus too, spreading my story with others and telling them about the products. Clutch and pinion gear - safety on the ground because at low speed, the propeller will not turn. Sehingga Bandung menjadi begitu the designers among apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe inquiry, by its Swiss people horologist hands fingers supplies the at these guys - my company - click through the next document the first trimester of being pregnant, they usually usually shrink for the rest Above all, one of the best therapies for psoriatic nails is management of your general psoriasis. Being a large woman - it was a sheer joy to be apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe like a human being. A tribal council melee and lifted one hoof as he had apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe trained to do. My closest free or your health and explore. My weight is meaningless in the big picture. Plus I absolutely love the handle so I asked him to trace it for my new blades.A consultation is first completed with the nurse prior to meeting with the physician. Most bariatric surgeries are called restrictive surgeries because they limit how much Studies on this topic are mostly done on patients who had cancer or apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe other form of a diseased intestinal tract and had to have a portion of their intestines removed to save their lives. Surgical Treatment of Obesity.I was thrilled to have lost 6 pounds total during the month I was using Shakeology. Soy protein and other plant proteins are richer in L-arginine than are animal proteins, after seeing the comparison. Microsoft releases a French version of Windows 1.You are not only helping people in America, but in the whole world. The best way to determine the amount of food in a serving is to look at the Facts label and measure it. If the buttermilk gets too sour, you can change the buttermilk alone. The average American consumes less than 10 mg of zinc per day, far less than what is required for normal sugar metabolism or the other functions of zinc in the body.This was a Friday-I remember it like it was yesterday. This is evident in thicker waistlines or an increase of fat around the abdomen, according to "Alive" magazine author Brad King, M. Have a drink with all meals and snacks. For most dieters ending up in a plateau is a struggle forcing most people to pack up their fitness gear and quit the diet game. I also enjoyed reading what people shared of their own experiences, which provide the grounds for further research, and the apple cider vinegar weight loss apple cider vinegar weight loss recipe people put into researching and sharing what studies there are on this subject. The solution is stored in two cylindrical tanks strapped to the solid rocket motor and pressurised with nitrogen. While running on a rigid deck you will be able to follow the Google map routes from the. What are the risks of gastric bypass surgery. Camaro sales began in April 2009. They may arrive in separate boxes. The sleeve serves as a barrier to nutrient absorption, as recent tests have found a CoQ10 deficiency in some of the obese subjects. Just change your dose. Basic physics teaches that work is force times distance. Almost a mini fast. It may be in the rules, with keeping a low price, Dr.

In his neo-noir mystery, "The Black Dahlia," director Brian de Palma brings his camera into a morgue where the remains of the mutilated murder victim, Elizabeth Short, are displayed on an autopsy table. Through the director's lens, we gaze with grim fascination at the grotesqueness of the crime, wondering not only who this woman was and how she met her fate but also what twisted mind could carry out such a heinous murder? In real life, Short's remains were discovered on Jan. 15, 1947, by a passerby pushing a stroller past a vacant lot near 39th Street and Norton Avenue in L.A.'s Leimert Park, touching off a mystery that endures to this day. The 22-year-old Short, nicknamed "the Black Dahlia" for her raven hair and black clothes, had been bound and tortured, her body severed at the waist, then drained of blood and washed clean. Her blue eyes were open with her hands above her head. Several of her internal organs were missing. There were gashes at the corners of her mouth leaving her with a maniacal, clown-like grin. The body depicted in the film, which opens Friday, was reproduced from crime scene photos and is only fleetingly viewed on-screen. "But once you see it, you'll never forget it," de Palma said. "If you are going to show the body and the way it was displayed and the horror of it, it has to be absolutely accurate. ... The most compelling thing about the 'Black Dahlia' are the pictures. Once you see those pictures, you never forget [her]. When you see a girl so beautiful, and she winds up like this, you say, 'My God, what happened?' " For his source material on "The Black Dahlia," de Palma used James Ellroy's crime novel of the same title, which creates its own fictional scenario behind Short's unsolved murder. The film stars Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank and Mia Kirshner as Short, the Black Dahlia. The movie's plot revolves around Hartnett's character, police officer Bucky Bleichert, who, like his partner, is a prize fighter in his spare time. Both are in love with Kay Lake (Johansson), the former girlfriend of an imprisoned robber. Bucky also has a steamy affair with Madeleine Linscott (Swank), who may have had a lesbian encounter with Short. To research Short, Kirshner read many books and articles--"everything from reportedly the way she spoke to the way she dressed. There was a very negative portrayal of her," Kirshner said, noting that Short's sexual history had become sensationalized because of the murder. "I felt it was much more important to humanize the person. At the end of the day, she really did deserve that." Ellroy noted that there have been numerous theories about who killed Short proffered by authors of non-fiction books over the years, but while some theories seem more credible than others, "none of them are provable." "It's a signature murder case," Ellroy said. "It was a hideous example of a sex murder."

As the crowd slowly poured into the House of Blues Anaheim Saturday night, the opening bands prepared them to get excited for the supporting act Ryan Cabrera and the headliner, Secondhand Serenade. The show was off to a very mellow start with an acoustic set from Evan Pharmakis of Wind in Sails who drove all the way from Boston just to be apart of this tour. “I’d like to thank you guys again tonight for getting here early to see my set,” laughed Pharmakis, referring to the venue being only a third full. The audience was pleased with the music he shared from his album, Morning Light, which took three years in the making. Then he closed his set with a song he wrote about his proposal to his new fiancée who was out on the balcony selling his merchandise. Up next was Runaway Saints, a band based in Nashville. Lead singer and guitarist Johnny Gates excited the crowd with an upbeat country vibe, while Jamie Jarbeau and Matt Scanlon kept up on the bass and drums. Their roots stem from Rhode Island so their music was an infused experience of rock and country, which the crowd enjoyed dancing to. At one point they switched out the bass to begin a song using a mandolin, and the crowd went wild. All their lyrics spoke of the love and hurt they’ve endured in their lifetime, and Gates referred to himself like a male Taylor Swift, jokingly. “We got love! We can’t lose!” shouted the crowd along with Gates, as they performed their final song, leaving the audience in good spirits for the next act. Nick Thomas, front man of the band The Spill Canvas, was on the road solo since the band has remained inactive since 2012. He opened his set crooning with strong R&B-like vocals to an alternative rock sound. Then after doing a song acoustically, the band joined him again to do a “cover” of one of the songs from his old band, even though he wasn’t planning to. “This is where the circle pit would be,” he joked, but added that it was something they wouldn’t be able to do at the venue. His style went back and forth between crooning and an emo-screaming sound, but the music got more progressively hard-core. He did however, have the strongest vocals up to that point in the show, so he was able to keep the crowd engaged. Time seemed to drag on during the break between Nick Thomas and Ryan Cabrera, when the curtains finally moved to their sides and Cabrera stepped on stage. The crowd quickly moved back closer to the stage and more people spilled into the venue. The audience cheered as he said nothing, but began to sing one of his original singles from 2004 entitled “40 Kinds of Sadness.” Cabrera, originally from Texas, had a few guitar changes between songs, cracked jokes about him being awkward with the ladies, and kept an upbeat vibe, even while singing a few of his love songs. Most of the crowd realized they knew many of his older songs, including “True,” a song that he wrote about a girl because he was so nervous to speak with her. He decided to sing the song to her, and she put him in the friend zone. Cabrera pointed out that it “got other guys laid, though.” At one point, Cabrera became so wrapped up in having fun with the audience that he almost forgot to continue singing his song. He slipped on the rug on the way back to the mic, but it worked in his favor, as it glided him back in place as if he did it on purpose. Before his final song, he teased the crowd with a snippet of “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars and they went wild and began to dance. “Just say f*ck it and dance with someone you don’t know!” He exclaimed before switching into last song, “House on Fire,” off his newly released EP. As soon as Cabrera left the stage and the curtains closed, the crowed slowly made their way upstairs to the merchandise table, to the bar, and to the restroom, leaving the venue half empty. Less than 20 minutes later, the lights dimmed again and the audience quickly made their way back into the venue, filling up all the available space all the way to the bars on the side. Secondhand Serenade, took the stage as the crowd went screamed for the headlining act, the one they’ve all been waiting to see. Bay Area native, John Vesely barely was able to speak as they continued to cheer and scream their love for him as he sang a few of his new songs with a full band. He then did a few songs acoustically as well. Singer Veronica Ballestrini joined him on stage to sing three of his new songs that she’s featured on from his album “Undefeated.” Together their voices were perfectly harmonized and complimented each other, creating a happy atmosphere for the crowd. A lot of his new album has more of a country and upbeat vibe to which he thanks Ballestrini and Nashville for, claiming that they’re both rubbing off on him. Before the show ended, he asked the audience if they wanted to do a cover of one of his songs, “Fall For You,” and he handed them the mic and the entire venue sang at the top of their lungs. He then said his final song would be a cover of “Fix You” by Coldplay, and left the stage without saying anything. The crowd was not yet satisfied and they kept screaming for him to actually sing, “Fall For you” and to have an encore. Vesley slowly walked back on stage to a cheering crowd, saying he wrote a special song for a woman named Diana, and invited her to sit on stage while he sang for her. “What you don’t know is that I wrote that song for you… by the request of a very special guy in your life!” said Vesley, as another man walked on stage and asked Diana to marry him. As the newly engaged couple left the stage, the audience continued to cheer with big smiles and a few had tears rolling down their faces. Vesley finally set down his guitar, walked to the piano and began to play the first chords of “Fall For You” to close the show. Overall the experience was inspiring, and the audience expressed their satisfaction as everyone exited the House of Blues and made their way upstairs to meet all the bands and buy their merchandise.

2) Reluctant Heroines The woman most often associated with Baroness Riedesel’s wifely virtues–especially in the nineteenth century–is Lady Christian Henrietta Caroline Acland, called Lady Harriet. When she died on July 21, 1815, the Gentleman’s Magazine intoned: “While conjugal affection is esteemed a virtue, and sincere attachment deemed amiable in the female character, the conduct of this lady must call forth the admiration of mankind.” The third surviving daughter of the first Earl of Ilchester, born on January 3, 1749-50, she married John Dyke Acland in November 1770. Her husband, the eldest son of Sir Thomas Acland, was an ambitious and bellicose man who powered his way into Parliament in 1774. Acland represented the most extreme English view of the American problem: he opposed the slightest show of leniency toward the rebels, and was pleased to take a commission and prosecute the war against them. When Major Acland was assigned to Burgoyne in Canada, Lady Harriet–a woman of “warm and romantic affections”–followed. In addition to the hardships of camp life that Baroness Riedesel describes, the Aclands ran into a string of hard luck. Acland fell ill at Sorel, where Lady Harriet cared for him in a hut; he was wounded at Hubbardton and she went to him at Skenesborough from Montreal; they were nearly burned to death when a pet dog overturned a candle and set fire to their tent. At the second Battle of Saratoga Lady Harriet was camped in a tent not far from the farmhouse in which Mrs. Riedesel stayed when word was brought to her that Major Acland’s grenadiers had been overrun and the Major wounded and captured. According to the Gentleman’s Magazine, Lady Harriet at once “resolved to fly to his assistance” and Mrs. Riedesel speaks of urging her twice to go to him. The Baroness thought the Major “a rough fellow… drunk almost every day, but nevertheless a brave officer,” and persuaded the English woman to go to him the following evening. Lady Harriet received permission to cross the lines from Burgoyne, who later wrote that he was “astonished” by her “patience and fortitude” which he believed “above human nature.” With Burgoyne’s letter to Gates she set out in an open boat on the Hudson with Chaplain Bredenel, a maid, and Acland’s valet, who had been wounded while searching for the Major on the battlefield. They traveled several hours in a violent rainstorm before they were hailed by a sentry at one of Gates’ outposts and taken to General Gates. Burgoyne later recalled that the Americans forced Lady Harriet to remain in the open boat “for seven or eight dark and cold hours,” but Burgoyne of course was not present and it seems that the delay was only a matter of minutes. Gates saw to it that she was reunited with her husband and they were removed to Albany that the Major might be properly cared for. Gates in fact wrote to Burgoyne (who had burned American houses in his retreat) contrasting his own generosity to the “vindictive malice” of the British, who endeavored to “ruin those they could not conquer.” Acland was paroled and traveled to New York in the winter of 1777 and the Aclands returned to England the following spring. Legend has it that Major Acland was killed defending the reputation of American courage in a duel with a Lieutenant Lloyd and that Lady Harriet was for two years after insane. After her recovery, it is said, she married Chaplain Brudenel, who had accompanied her when she crossed the lines at Saratoga. In fact, however, the Major died unromantically in bed of natural causes shortly after his return to England, and Lady Harriet remained a widow, seeing their son John succeed to his father’s title, and their daughter, Elizabeth Kitty, well-married to Lord Porchester, later the second Earl of Carnarvon. After thirty-seven years of virtuous widowhood, she died at Telton on July 21, 1815. Flora MacDonald was not so pious a lady as Lady Acland or Baroness Riedesel, nor was she their social equal as the eighteenth century understood status. She was the daughter of ne’er-do-well Scottish country gentry; her mother Marion MacDonald, was the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, and her father, Ranald MacDonald, a tacksman on the island of South Uist in the Hebrides, where Flora was born in 1722. Her father, however, died while she was an infant, and four years later her mother married yet another MacDonald, Hugh MacDonald of Armadale. Fora’s entire girlhood was spent on the island and is without remarkable incident. Flora is chiefly remembered as the great Jacobite heroine who aided the escape of Charles Edward Stuart from Scotland in 1746. Bonnie Prince Charlie had come to Scotland in 1745 hoping to draw the clans to the standard of his father, James Stuart, and march into England. The romantic young Pretender was enormously popular among the Highlanders and had marched within nearly a hundred miles of London when the Duke of Cumberland reached England from France with an army twice the size of the Scots’, forcing the Prince to retreat northward. In the spring of 1746 the Duke of Cumberland caught up with the Jacobites at Culloden Moor and desolated their ranks. Charles, who had vowed to conquer or die, chose the better part of valor and ran. But “Butcher” Cumberland’s men were at his heels and the English fleet searched the coast for a traitor with thirty-thousand pounds on his head. An Irish Colonel, Felix O’Neil, who had gone underground with Charles, came to Flora in May of 1746 to persuade her to help the Prince. Flora agreed–with some reluctance–to try to slip Charles past the English disguised as “Betty Burke, an Irish spinning-maid.” Evidently the plan was improbably enough to succeed and Charles fled to France in July 1746. Flora’s part in the Pretender’s escape, however, was discovered and she was arrested at Castleton in July. She spent a year in prison–not the Tower of London, but a “messenger’s house,” a kind of genteel prison. The Act of Indemnity in July 1747 freed Flora, and the Jacobite heroine returned to South Uist. In November of 1750 Flora married Allan MacDonald, who had been, ironically, a lieutenant in the service of the Duke of Cumberland. Allan, a handsome though rather dull man, had hoped for a military career, but with the English victory at Culloden the militia had been disbanded, and his attempt to get a commission from the Dutch proved fruitless. He resigned himself to taking a tack at Flodigarry on the Isle of Skye. Times were hard, however, and the MacDonalds did not prosper: even for raising cattle the land was poor–Dr. Johnson had noted its “hopeless sterility”; beef prices fell and crops failed. The MacDonalds also had a growing family: Charles (surely named for the Prince) was born in 1751, Ann in 1754, Alexander in 1775, Ranald in 1756, James in 1757, John in 1759, and Frances in 1766. Allan was not an able administrator and his debts by 1770 were beyond dealing with. In 1774 the MacDonalds did what thousands of other Scots had already done: they emigrated to America. As Flora put it, they were going to “begin the world again, anewe, in anothere corner of it.” In the spring of 1775 Allan and Flora settled on a 475-acre farm in Anson (now Montgomery) County, North Carolina, where there were already large numbers of Scottish settlers. But if the Scots had escaped problems in the Old World, they faced a new set in America. About the time the MacDonalds landed on the Carolina coast, General Thomas Gage had closed the port of Boston under the Coercive Acts. In September and October of 1774 the first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and urged the colonies to form their own militia. In Virginia in March 1775 Patrick Henry gave his “Liberty, or Death” address. On May 3, 1775, news of the fighting at Lexington and Concord on April 19 reached North Carolina and the Whig Committees of Safety began military preparation at once. The Royal Governor, Josiah Martin, anticipating an attack on his mansion at New Bern fled to Fort Johnston. Allan called a meeting of the leading Highlanders in June to decide upon some common action. Most of the Highlanders–perhaps remembering the price of rebellion they paid at Culloden–remained loyal, and Flora’s decision to support the English King had a good deal of influence in swaying the undecided. Tradition has it that Flora spoke persuasively for the Loyalist cause at balls and that she once mounted a white horse and exhorted a company of Highlanders; but she seems to have been more interested in coming up on the winner’s side than in the politics of rebellion. Moreover, Flora was, as her letters reveal, an uneducated woman and not anything like a forceful propagandist. If she was a heroine, she was a reluctant one. Allan, however, who had always wanted a military career, now had his opportunity. He accepted a commission from Governor Martin and raised a company of untrained and untested Highlanders. On February 18, 1776, with a party of 1,500 under the command of General Donald MacDonald, Allan marched with his Highlanders in kilts and plaids with pipes skirling and drums rattling. Their objective was Brunswick, but, unhappily for the Tory cause and Allan’s career, the Rebels under Colonel James Moore had fortified the bridge at Moore’s Creek. The Highlanders reached the bridge at dawn on February 28 and with a vanguard of picked men with broad swords they rushed forward in the half-light. With pipers and drummers and Colonel Donald MacLeod’s incongruous battle-cry “King George and broadswords!” the Scots reached the bridge to find that the Rebels had pulled up the planks and greased the sleepers. Three minutes later it was all over: 50 Highlanders were shot or drowned, 850 taken prisoner. The Whigs captured 1,500 rifles, 300 muskets, 13 wagons with horses, and 15,000 pounds sterling. The Highlanders who survived fled in wild disorder but were overtaken a few miles away. The victory inflated the spirits of North Carolina Whigs and their Provincial Congress became the first legislature to vote explicitly for independence. Allan MacDonald was among those taken prisoner that day; he described the engagement as a “check.” Allan spent the better part of the next two years in a Philadelphia jail while Flora remained in troubled Anson County, where Whig and Tory took turns raiding each other’s farms. The Whigs, however, got the upper hand soon enough and it went hard for Flora. Referring to herself in the third person (a habit of hers) she described her situation in a letter to John MacPherson: Mrs. Flora McDonald being all this time in misery and sickness at home, being informed that her husband and friends were all killed or taken, contracted a severe fever, and was dayly oppressed with stragling partys of plunderers from their Army, and night robbers who more than once threatened her life, wanting a confession where her husband’s money was. Her servants deserted her, and such as stayed grew so very insolent that they were of no service to her. In 1777 the North Carolina Provincial Congress required an oath of allegiance; Flora refused to take it and their estate was confiscated. She stayed with relatives in Cumberland County until Allan was paroled in 1779 and she was reunited with him in New York. Allan, however, had not learned any lessons at Moore’s Creek and took another commission, this time a captaincy in the 84th Regiment stationed at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Flora followed him to Halifax, but she was weak from the journey and homesick for Scotland, and returned in the summer of 1779. Allan remained in Nova Scotia and was fortunate to avoid action; the soldier who had seen three minutes of battle in the American Revolution was awarded 3,000 acres in Nova Scotia (which he sold) and returned to Skye in 1784. Flora’s closing years were quiet and reasonably comfortable–her sons were more successful than their father and sent money to help her resettle at Skye. She, who nearly a half-century earlier had helped a Prince escape the block, died a peaceful death on March 4, 1790. The Jacobites, however, had not forgotten their heroine: there were a dozen pipers in the funeral procession that stretched for more than a mile and at the feasting afterward the mourners drank more than 300 gallons of whiskey. Dr. Johnson wrote that her “name will be mentioned in history, and if courage and fidelity be virtues, mentioned with honor.” But history has largely forgotten most of the women caught up in the turbulence of the Revolution, and especially those who followed the common soldier on both sides of the conflict. That the life of the common English soldier was worse that a dog’s was proverbial in the eighteenth century: he was ill-fed, ill-paid, ill-clad, and medical attention was for all intents and purposes a fiction. The fellow that enlisted was “most likely to be either desperate or drunk”–probably both. When he was mustered in he might find his officers generous and humane, like General Riedesel, but he was more likely to find them obsessed with their own advancement and unconcerned with his lot, like General Burgoyne. When he was mustered out, he might have to beg his way home, as an old song describes: We be soldiers three, Pardonnez-moi je vous en prie, Lately come back from the Low Countrie, With never a penny of money. And if the English soldier’s life was hard, the lot of the women who followed him was at least as grim. Most of the wives and mistresses on the strength of the regiments sailed with the baggage of the army in the foul, suffocating, vermin-ridden hold of fourth and fifth-rate British ships. Their status in the eyes of the British command is clear: they are often referred to in the standing orders as “baggage.” That most of these women survived the two-month crossing is surprising; that children came into the world under these conditions is astonishing. When the camp followers reached land things were somewhat better. Their rations were increased to something like subsistence levels: women received half the portion of an underfed soldier and children a quarter. There was also fresh air at least, though quarters were nearly as cramped as they were aboard ship. Sergeant Roger Lamb, who was with the Royal Welch Fusiliers at Boston in 1775, notes that it “was not infrequent for thirty or forty persons, men, women, and children, to be indiscriminately crowded together in one small, miserable, open hut; a scanty portion of straw their bed, their own blankets their only covering.” Under these conditions the women toiled, cooking, washing, sewing, nursing, carrying. In a letter to Mercy Warren, Hannah Winthrop described the tattered women captured with Burgoyne at Saratoga: I never had the least Idea that the Creation produced such a sordid set of creatures in human Figure–poor, dirty, emaciated men, great numbers of women, who seemed to be the beasts of burthen, having a bushel basket on their back, by which they were bent double, the contents seemed to be Pots and Kettles, various sorts of Furniture, children peeping thro’ gridirons and other utensils, some very young Infants who were born on the road, the women in bare feet, cloathed in dirty rags, such effluvia filled the air while they were passing, had they not been smoaking all the time, I should have been apprehensive of being contaminated by them. This in essence was the portion of the vast numbers of women who followed the British army. Part of the problem was that women followed in numbers far greater than the ration quotas allowed. The British generally permitted two or three women to draw rations with each company (about fifty men), but a count of the British army in New York in December 1779 shows 4,000 men, 1,550 women and 968 children. The Royal Artillery, counted in 1781 on its way home, numbered 515 men, 133 women and 120 children. When Ethan Allan and Benedict Arnold took Ticonderoga they captured a detachment of the 26th Regiment, which included 35 rank and file and 24 women and children; at Crown Point they discovered eight soldiers and ten women and children. Besides the obviously encumbering effect so many women and children had on British military operations, the camp followers had a parallel effect on military discipline. Forced to feed themselves and their children, many women found there was a fair living to be made in the rum trade. It was a hard-drinking age and it was thought that a daily ration of rum was essential to a soldier’s well-being. Burgoyne’s army received a supply of 125,000 gallons in 1776, and in 1781 the Commissary General’s Department reported that it had paid 359,573 pounds for 1,595,775 gallons of rum over a three-year period–more than it paid for beef, pork, bread and flour over the same period! That there was money to be made selling rum when so much was given away speaks volumes for the thirst of the British army. The British command made a show of controlling the rum trade, but it was in vain (perhaps because the officers drank their share as well). Burgoyne strictly ordered that “any person presuming to Traffick with the Troops without a proper permit in writing, or who shall abuse such permit by retailing Liquors to Soldiers or Indians, will be punished with severity.” Evidently the language of the threat had little force. On July 7, 1777, after a drunken fist fight between the English and Germans under his command, he wrote of the “Harmony which has hitherto so happily reigned between the two Nations, and which must continue… unless violated by intoxication or misapprehension.” The constant references to the “scandalous drunkeness of the troops” and to women who, “in defiance of all order, sell rum and other spiritous liquors to the soldiers” suggest that the standing orders were very ill-obeyed. The inevitable sexual alliances made possible by the large number of women in camp also hindered military operations. In this, British officers set the example: Sir William Howe dallied with Elizabeth Loring, the wife of his Commissary General, while Washington’s helpless army escaped from Long Island; Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne had high times with the wife of his commissary while the Americans cut off his retreat from Saratoga. The lesser warriors patronized the large numbers of prostitutes–American and British–who followed the troops. Also, Loyalist daughters along the line of March or in towns where the British were stationed frequently enjoyed their gallantry–often contracting “scarlet fever” from the redcoats as the wages of sin. As the numbers of the British army increased by picking up women along the way, they decreased as soldiers deserted to set up housekeeping with women they met. A Hessian officer observed: “At all the places through which we passed dozens of girls were met with on the road, who either laughed at us mockingly, or now and then roguishly offered us an apple… the fair sex were the cause of our losing some of our comrades.” Tory fathers, it seems, took Poor Richard’s advice to heart: “Marry your son when you will, but your daughter when you can.” An interesting legend has grown up in connection with Hessian deserters. The community of dull, swarthy-skinned mountain people who still live not fifty miles from Manhattan in the Ramapo Mountains in New Jersey are known as the Jackson Whites. They are said to be the descendants of Hessian deserters, Tuskarora Indians, and large numbers of the 3,500 prostitutes Captain Jackson is alleged to have brought to America to service British soldiers. The legend does in a sense reflect a historical fact: Hessian deserters did marry and settle in America. Captain Jackson’s 3,500 prostitutes are purely fictional, however, and the Jackson Whites turn out to be descendants of African slaves emancipated by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. But a soldier hardly had to desert to find female companionship. William Howe–with wonderful hypocrisy–denounced the “profligacy and dissipation and lack of subordination” of his troops and established severe measures against the soldiers’ visits to the camp women. The fact that orders against the redcoats’ nightly visits were continually repeated suggests that they were as successful as his measures against rum-selling. Burgoyne ordered his officers to “have the Rolls called at uncertain hours of the night, that they might have immediate notice of the absent men.” With 2,000 women in camp, Burgoyne’s officers no doubt discovered more than one empty bed. “It would seem,” Belcher observes, “as if all warriors of the correct model went on campaign with sword in one hand, a lass on the disengaged arm, and a bottle knocking up against his cartridge box rearwards.” American military discipline was not as troubled by problems arising from camp followers–American women simply did not follow in the numbers that followed the British. One Colonel Huntington at the siege of Boston was “oblig’d to use a spy glass” just to catch a glimpse of a woman. Colonel Israel Hutchinson, however, found it necessary to inspect the women’s quarters that “the Wheat may be selected from the Tares (if any be found)” and to prohibit “Strolling that way after Sun set.” Similarly, General Artemas Ward in June 1775 ordered that “all possible care be taken that no lewd women come into camp.” That same year two women practicing the oldest profession were drummed out of camp. Washington at Valley Forge discovered that the charms of Philadelphia women were seducing his hapless soldiers from their duty: the most “pernicious consequences” have arisen, he wrote, “from suffering persons, women in particular, to pass and repass from Philadelphia to camp… to entice the soldiers to desert; All Officers are desired to exert their utmost endeavor to prevent such interviews in future.” A month later Washington found it necessary to repeat the order. The central problems Washington had with the camp women were not, however, problems of sexual and alcoholic excess; women and children simply encumbered the progress of his untrained and largely undisciplined army. Women weighed down the wagons carrying ammunition and supplies to the front; they refused to stay in the line of march, reducing the army’s rate of advance to a crawl. In August 1777 Washington wrote that “the multitude of women… especially those who are pregnant, or have children, are a clog upon every movement.” Officers were to “use every reasonable method in their power to get rid of all such as are not absolutely necessary,” and to admit any new women was “positively forbidden.” With his almost incredible attention to detail, Washington ordered the women marching with his army through Philadelphia to take a parallel route and avoid the main thoroughfare. The army had not got far down Front Street, however, when the “camp followers poured after their soldiers again, their hair flying, their brows beady from the heat, their belongings slung over one shoulder, chattering and yelling in sluttish shrills as they went, and spitting in the gutters.” They must have resembled remarkably Hannah Winthrop’s portrait of Burgoyne’s camp women. American women by and large did not, however, play a primary role in the American Revolution, and their secondary social status does not fully account for it. When the French Revolution erupted a decade later, hungry women rioted in the streets of Paris and many were among the Republicans who stormed the Bastille. Olympe de Gourges struggled with the Girondists when they were crushed and went herself to the guillotine in 1793. Charlotte Corday, the famous courtesan, called herself a Republican, but embittered by the violence of the revolution, murdered the enfeebled Marat in his bath. She too went to the guillotine. Madame Roland, known as “the Queen of the Gironde,” had large influence during the Terror, which proved her undoing. She was imprisoned, where she read Plutarch and Tacitus, studied English, wrote and sketched. She went to the guillotine, like Nathan Hale to the noose, with deathless words on her lips. “O Liberty,” she cried, “what crimes are committed in thy name!” Carlyle wrote that she shone in the “black wreck of things like a white Grecian statue.” If we do not have heroines of this stature in the American tradition, however, it is not because American women were spiritless drabs. In October of 1777 some twenty women of Hartford, Connecticut, outraged by a shortage of sugar, marched on a store in “martial array and excellent order, saving stride and gabble” and bore away in triumph over two hundred pounds of sugar destined for the army. A hapless gentleman falling in with their rear was mistaken for the owner of the spoils. He was “attacked and drove with great fury.” Another incident involved a Connecticut quilting frolic in October of 1775, at which a young man had the poor judgment to cast aspersions on the Continental Congress. The ladies fell upon him, stripped him to the waist, and decorated him with molasses and feathers. Elsewhere, The Virginia Gazette for April 20, 1776, reports that a mob of angry women nearly tarred and feathered the mother of a ten-day-old child. The woman had named the child after the British General Thomas Gage, and only the pleas of the distracted father persuaded the mob to relent. In Boston Patriot women were bold enough to spit on the Baroness Frederika von Riedesel, and one woman the Baroness spoke to assured her that she would cheerfully cut the King’s heart from his breast and eat it.

email page print pageAll Topic Reviews Anger and Forgiveness"Are You There Alone?"10 Good Questions about Life and DeathA Casebook of Ethical Challenges in NeuropsychologyA Companion to BioethicsA Companion to BioethicsA Companion to GenethicsA Companion to GenethicsA Companion to Muslim EthicsA Cooperative SpeciesA Critique of the Moral Defense of VegetarianismA Delicate BalanceA Fragile LifeA Life for a LifeA Life-Centered Approach to BioethicsA Matter of SecurityA Mirror Is for ReflectionA Mirror Is for ReflectionA Natural History of Human MoralityA Philosophical DiseaseA Practical Guide to Clinical Ethics ConsultingA Question of TrustA Sentimentalist Theory of the MindA Short Stay in SwitzerlandA Tapestry of ValuesA Very Bad WizardA World Without ValuesAction and ResponsibilityAction Theory, Rationality and CompulsionActs of ConscienceAddiction and ResponsibilityAddiction NeuroethicsAdvance Directives in Mental HealthAfter HarmAftermathAgainst AutonomyAgainst BioethicsAgainst HealthAgainst MarriageAgainst Moral ResponsibilityAgency and AnswerabilityAgency and ResponsibilityAgency, Freedom, and Moral ResponsibilityAging, Biotechnology, and the FutureAlbert Schweitzer's Reverence for LifeAlphavilleAltruismAltruismAmerican EugenicsAmerican PsychosisAn American SicknessAn Anthology of Psychiatric EthicsAn Introduction to EthicsAn Introduction to Evolutionary EthicsAn Introduction to Kant's Moral Philosophy Ancient Greek and Roman SlaveryAnd a Time to DieAnimal LessonsAnimal RightsAnimal Welfare in a Changing WorldAnimals Like UsApplied Ethics in Mental Health CareAre Women Human?Arguments about AbortionAristotle on Practical WisdomAristotle's Ethics and Moral ResponsibilityAristotle's WayAssisted Suicide and the Right to DieAutonomyAutonomy and the Challenges to LiberalismAutonomy, Consent and the LawBabies by DesignBackslidingBad PharmaBad SoulsBarriers and BelongingBasic Desert, Reactive Attitudes and Free WillBeauty JunkiesBefore ForgivingBeing AmoralBeing YourselfBending Over BackwardsBending ScienceBernard WilliamsBetter Humans?Better Than WellBeyond BioethicsBeyond ChoiceBeyond GeneticsBeyond HatredBeyond Humanity?Beyond LossBeyond LossBeyond Moral JudgmentBeyond SpeechBeyond the DSM StoryBias in Psychiatric DiagnosisBioethicsBioethicsBioethics and the BrainBioethics at the MoviesBioethics Beyond the HeadlinesBioethics Critically ReconsideredBioethics in a Liberal SocietyBioethics in the ClinicBiomedical EthicsBiomedical EthicsBiomedical EthicsBiomedical EthicsBiomedical Research and BeyondBiosBioscience EthicsBipolar ChildrenBluebirdBodies out of BoundsBodies, Commodities, and BiotechnologiesBody BazaarBoundBoundaries and Boundary Violations in PsychoanalysisBraintrustBrandedBreaking the SilenceBuffy the Vampire Slayer and PhilosophyCapital PunishmentCase Studies in Biomedical Research EthicsChallenging the Stigma of Mental IllnessCharacter and Moral Psychology Character as Moral FictionChild Well-BeingChildrenChildren's RightsChimpanzee RightsChoosing ChildrenChoosing Not to ChooseClinical Dilemmas in PsychotherapyClinical EthicsCloningClose toYouCoercion as CureCoercive Treatment in PsychiatryCognition of Value in Aristotle's EthicsCognitive Disability and Its Challenge to Moral Philosophy Comfortably NumbCommonsense RebellionCommunicative Action and Rational ChoiceCompassionate Moral RealismCompetence, Condemnation, and CommitmentComprehending CareConducting Insanity EvaluationsConfidential RelationshipsConfidentiality and Mental HealthConflict of Interest in the ProfessionsConsuming KidsContemporary Debates In Applied EthicsContemporary Debates in Moral TheoryContemporary Debates in Social PhilosophyContentious IssuesContesting PsychiatryCrazy in AmericaCreating CapabilitiesCreatures Like Us?Crime and CulpabilityCrime, Punishment, and Mental IllnessCriminal Trials and Mental DisordersCritical Perspectives in Public HealthCritical PsychiatryCrueltyCultural Assessment in Clinical PsychiatryCurrent Controversies in BioethicsCurrent Controversies in Values and ScienceCutting to the CoreCyborg CitizenDamaged IdentitiesDeaf Identities in the MakingDeath Is That Man Taking NamesDebating ProcreationDebating Same-Sex MarriageDecision Making, Personhood and DementiaDecoding the Ethics CodeDefining DifferenceDefining Right and Wrong in Brain ScienceDefining the Beginning and End of LifeDelusions of GenderDementiaDemocracy in What State?Demons of the Modern WorldDescriptions and PrescriptionsDesert and VirtueDesire, Practical Reason, and the GoodDestructive Trends in Mental HealthDeveloping the VirtuesDid My Neurons Make Me Do It?Difference and IdentityDigital HemlockDigital SoulDignityDignityDisability BioethicsDisability, Difference, DiscriminationDiscrimination against the Mentally IllDisordered Personalities and CrimeDisorders of VolitionDisorientation and Moral LifeDivided Minds and Successive SelvesDoes Feminism Discriminate against Men?Does Torture Work?Doing HarmDouble Standards in Medical Research in Developing CountriesDown GirlDrugs and JusticeDuty and the BeastDworkin and His CriticsDying in the Twenty-First CenturyEarly WarningEconomics and Youth ViolenceEmbodied RhetoricsEmerging Conceptual, Ethical and Policy Issues in BionanotechnologyEmotional ReasonEmotions in the Moral LifeEmotions in the Moral LifeEmpathyEmpathy and Moral DevelopmentEmpathy and MoralityEmpirical Ethics in PsychiatryEncountering NatureEncountering the Sacred in PsychotherapyEngendering International HealthEnhancing EvolutionEnhancing Human CapacitiesEnoughEros and the GoodErotic InnocenceErotic MoralityEssays on Derek Parfit's On What MattersEssays on Free Will and Moral ResponsibilityEthical Choices in Contemporary MedicineEthical Conflicts in PsychologyEthical Dilemmas in PediatricsEthical Issues in Behavioral ResearchEthical Issues in Dementia CareEthical Issues in Forensic Mental Health ResearchEthical Issues in the New GeneticsEthical LifeEthical Reasoning for Mental Health ProfessionalsEthical TheoryEthical WillsEthically Challenged ProfessionsEthicsEthicsEthicsEthics and AnimalsEthics and ScienceEthics and the A PrioriEthics and the Discovery of the UnconsciousEthics and the Metaphysics of MedicineEthics at the CinemaEthics at the End of LifeEthics Case Book of the American Psychoanalytic AssociationEthics Done RightEthics ExpertiseEthics for EveryoneEthics for PsychologistsEthics for the New MillenniumEthics in CyberspaceEthics in Everyday PlacesEthics in Health CareEthics In Health Services ManagementEthics in Mental Health ResearchEthics in PracticeEthics in PsychiatryEthics in PsychologyEthics in Psychotherapy and CounselingEthics of PsychiatryEthics without OntologyEthics, Culture, and PsychiatryEthics, Sexual Orientation, and Choices about ChildrenEvaluating the Science and Ethics of Research on HumansEvilEvil GenesEvil in Modern ThoughtEvil in Modern ThoughtEvolution, Gender, and RapeEvolutionary Ethics and Contemporary BiologyEvolutionary Psychology and ViolenceEvolved MoralityExperiments in EthicsExploding the Gene MythExploiting ChildhoodFacing Human SufferingFact and ValueFacts and ValuesFaking ItFalse-Memory Creation in Children and AdultsFat ShameFatal FreedomFellow CreaturesFellow-Feeling and the Moral LifeFeminism and Its DiscontentsFeminist Ethics and Social and Political PhilosophyFeminist TheoryFinal ExamFirst Do No HarmFirst, Do No HarmFlashpointFlesh WoundsForced to CareForgivenessForgivenessForgiveness and LoveForgiveness and ReconciliationForgiveness and RetributionForgiveness is Really StrangeFoucault and the Government of DisabilityFoundational Issues in Human Brain MappingFoundations of Forensic Mental Health AssessmentFree WillFree Will And Moral ResponsibilityFree Will and Reactive AttitudesFree Will, Agency, and Meaning in LifeFree?Freedom and ValueFreedom vs. InterventionFriendshipFrom Darwin to HitlerFrom Disgust to HumanityFrom Enlightenment to ReceptivityFrom Morality to Mental HealthFrom Silence to VoiceFrom Valuing to ValueFrontiers of JusticeGender in the MirrorGenetic PoliticsGenetic ProspectsGenetic ProspectsGenetics of Original SinGenetics of Original SinGenocide's AftermathGetting RealGluttonyGood WorkGoodness & AdviceGreedGroups in ConflictGrowing Up GirlGut FeminismHabilitation, Health, and AgencyHandbook for Health Care Ethics CommitteesHandbook of BioethicsHandbook of Children's RightsHandbook of PsychopathyHappinessHappiness and the Good LifeHappiness Is OverratedHard FeelingsHard LuckHardwired BehaviorHarmful ThoughtsHeal & ForgiveHealing PsychiatryHealth Care Ethics for PsychologistsHeterosyncraciesHistorical and Philosophical Perspectives on Biomedical EthicsHoly WarHookedHookedHow Can I Be Trusted?How Fascism WorksHow Propaganda WorksHow to Do Things with Pornography How to Make Opportunity EqualHow Universities Can Help Create a Wiser WorldHow We HopeHow We Think About DementiaHuman BondingHuman Dignity and Assisted DeathHuman Dignity and Assisted DeathHuman EnhancementHuman GoodnessHuman Identity and BioethicsHuman TrialsHumanism, What's That?Humanitarian ReasonHumanityHumanizing MadnessI am Not Sick I Don't Need Help!I Was WrongIdentifying Hyperactive ChildrenIf That Ever Happens to MeImproving Nature?In Defense of FloggingIn Defense of SinIn Love With LifeIn Our Own ImageIn the FamilyIn the Land of the DeafIn the Name of IdentityIn the Wake of 9/11In Two MindsInclusive EthicsInformed Consent in Medical ResearchInnovation in Medical TechnologyInside Assisted LivingInside EthicsIntelligence, Race, and GeneticsIntensive CareInto the Gray ZoneIs Human Nature Obsolete?Is Long-Term Therapy Unethical?Is There a Duty to Die?Is There an Ethicist in the House?Issues in Philosophical CounselingJudging Children As ChildrenJust a DogJust BabiesJust CareJustice for ChildrenJustice for HedgehogsJustice in RobesJustice, Luck, and KnowledgeJustifiable ConductKant on Moral AutonomyKant's Theory of VirtueKids of CharacterKilling McVeighLack of CharacterLack of CharacterLaw and the BrainLearning About School ViolenceLearning from Baby PLeaving YouLectures on the History of Political PhilosophyLegal and Ethical Aspects of HealthcareLegal Aspects of Mental CapacityLegal ConceptionsLegal InsanityLegalizing ProstitutionLet Them Eat ProzacLevelling the Playing FieldLiberal Education in a Knowledge SocietyLiberal EugenicsLife After FaithLife at the BottomLife, Sex, and IdeasListening to the WhispersLiving ProfessionalismLosing Matt ShepardLostLuckyMad in AmericaMad PrideMadhouseMaking Another World PossibleMaking Babies, Making FamiliesMaking Genes, Making WavesMaking Sense of Freedom and ResponsibilityMalignantMasculinity Studies and Feminist TheoryMeaning and Moral OrderMeaning in LifeMeaning in Life and Why It MattersMeans, Ends, and PersonsMeans, Ends, and PersonsMedical Enhancement and PosthumanityMedical Research for HireMedicalized MasculinitiesMedically Assisted DeathMeditations for the HumanistMelancholia and MoralismMental Health Professionals, Minorities and the PoorMental Illness, Medicine and LawMerit, Meaning, and Human BondageMetaethical SubjectivismMill's UtilitarianismMind FieldsMind WarsMind WarsModern Theories of JusticeModernity and TechnologyMoney ShotMonsterMoral Acquaintances and Moral DecisionsMoral BrainsMoral ClarityMoral CultivationMoral Development and RealityMoral Dilemmas in Real LifeMoral DimensionsMoral EntanglementsMoral FailureMoral LiteracyMoral MachinesMoral MindsMoral OriginsMoral Panics, Sex PanicsMoral ParticularismMoral PerceptionMoral PsychologyMoral Psychology: Volume IVMoral RealismMoral RelativismMoral RepairMoral Responsibility and Alternative PossibilitiesMoral Status and Human LifeMoral StealthMoral Theory at the MoviesMoral TribesMoral Value and Human DiversityMoral, Immoral, AmoralMoralismMorality and Self-InterestMorality in a Natural WorldMorality, Moral Luck and ResponsibilityMorals, Rights and Practice in the Human ServicesMorals, Rights and Practice in the Human ServicesMore Than HumanMotive and RightnessMovies and the Moral Adventure of LifeMurder in the InnMy Body PoliticMy Brain Made Me Do ItMy Sister's KeeperMy Sister's KeeperMy WayNakedNano-Bio-EthicsNarrative MedicineNarrative ProsthesisNatural Ethical FactsNatural-Born CybogsNaturalized BioethicsNeither Bad nor MadNeoconservatismNeonatal BioethicsNeurobiology and the Development of Human MoralityNeuroethicsNeuroethicsNeuroethicsNew Takes in Film-PhilosophyNew Waves in EthicsNew Waves in MetaethicsNietzsche on Ethics and PoliticsNo Child Left DifferentNo Impact ManNormative EthicsNormativityNothing about us, without us!Oath BetrayedOf War and LawOn AnimalsOn ApologyOn Being AuthenticOn EvilOn Human RightsOn The Stigma Of Mental IllnessOn the TakeOn Virtue EthicsOn What MattersOn What We Owe to Each OtherOne ChildOne Nation Under TherapyOne World NowOne World NowOur Bodies, Whose Property?Our Bodies, Whose Property?Our Daily MedsOur Faithfulness to the PastOur Posthuman FutureOut of EdenOut of Its MindOut of the ShadowsOverdosed AmericaOxford Handbook of Psychiatric EthicsOxford Studies in Normative EthicsOxford Studies in Normative Ethics, Volume 7Oxford Textbook of Philosophy of PsychiatryPassionate DeliberationPatient Autonomy and the Ethics of ResponsibilityPC, M.D.Perfecting VirtuePersonal AutonomyPersonal Autonomy in SocietyPersonal Identity and EthicsPersonalities on the PlatePersonhood and Health CarePersons, Humanity, and the Definition of DeathPerspectives On Health And Human RightsPharmaceutical FreedomPharmacracyPharmageddonPhilosophy and This Actual WorldPhilosophy of BiologyPhilosophy of Technology: The Technological ConditionPhysician-Assisted DyingPicturing DisabilityPilgrim at Tinker CreekPlaying God?Playing God?Political EmotionsPornlandPowerful MedicinesPractical Autonomy and BioethicsPractical EthicsPractical Ethics for PsychologistsPractical RulesPragmatic BioethicsPragmatic BioethicsPragmatic NeuroethicsPraise and BlamePreferences and Well-BeingPrimates and PhilosophersPro-Life, Pro-ChoiceProcreation and ParenthoodProfits Before People?Progress in BioethicsProperty in the BodyProzac As a Way of LifeProzac on the CouchPsychiatric Aspects of Justification, Excuse and Mitigation in Anglo-American Criminal Law Psychiatric EthicsPsychiatry and EmpirePsychological Concepts and Biological PsychiatryPsychology and Consumer CulturePsychology and LawPsychotropic Drug Prescriber's Survival GuidePublic Health LawPublic Health Law and EthicsPublic PhilosophyPunishing the Mentally IllPunishmentPursuits of WisdomPutting Morality Back Into PoliticsPutting on VirtueQuality of Life and Human DifferenceRaceRadical HopeRadical VirtuesRape Is RapeRe-creating MedicineRe-Engineering Philosophy for Limited BeingsReason's GriefReasonably ViciousReckoning With HomelessnessReconceiving Medical EthicsRecovery from SchizophreniaRedefining RapeRedesigning HumansReducing the Stigma of Mental IllnessReflections on Ethics and ResponsibilityReflections On How We LiveReframing Disease ContextuallyRefusing CareRefuting Peter Singer's Ethical TheoryRegard for Reason in the Moral MindRelative JusticeRelativism and Human RightsReligion ExplainedReprogeneticsRescuing JeffreyRespecting AnimalsResponsibilityResponsibility and PsychopathyResponsibility and PunishmentResponsibility and PunishmentResponsibility from the MarginsResponsible GeneticsRethinking CommodificationRethinking Informed Consent in BioethicsRethinking Mental Health and DisorderRethinking RapeReturn to ReasonRevolution in PsychologyRightsRights, Democracy, and Fulfillment in the Era of Identity PoliticsRisk and Luck in Medical EthicsRobert NozickRousseau and the Dilemmas of Modernity Rule of Law, Misrule of MenRun, Spot, RunRunning on RitalinSatisficing and MaximizingSchadenfreudeSchizophrenia, Culture, and SubjectivityScience and EthicsScience in the Private InterestScience, Policy, and the Value-Free IdealScience, Seeds and CyborgsScratching the Surface of BioethicsSecular Philosophy and the Religious TemperamentSeeing the LightSelf-ConstitutionSelf-Made MadnessSelf-Trust and Reproductive AutonomySentimental RulesSex Fiends, Perverts, and PedophilesSex OffendersSex, Family, and the Culture WarsSexual DevianceSexual EthicsSexual PredatorsSexualized BrainsShaping Our SelvesShock TherapyShould I Medicate My Child?ShunnedSick to Death and Not Going to Take It AnymoreSickoSide EffectsSidewalk StoriesSister CitizenSkeptical FeminismSocial Dimensions of Moral ResponsibilitySocial Inclusion of People with Mental IllnessSocial JusticeSociological Perspectives on the New GeneticsSome We Love, Some We Hate, Some We EatSovereign VirtueSpeech MattersSpiral of EntrapmentSplit DecisionsSticks and StonesStories MatterSubhumanSubjectivity and Being SomebodySuffering and VirtueSuffering, Death, and IdentitySuicide ProhibitionSurgery JunkiesSurgically Shaping ChildrenTaking Morality SeriouslyTaming the Troublesome ChildTechnology and the Good Life?TestimonyText and Materials on International Human RightsThe Moral Psychology of AngerThe Age of CulpabilityThe Age of CulpabilityThe Aims of Higher EducationThe Almost MoonThe Altruistic BrainThe American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Forensic PsychiatryThe Animal ManifestoThe Animals' AgendaThe Art of LivingThe Autonomy of MoralityThe Beloved SelfThe Best Things in LifeThe Big FixThe Bioethics ReaderThe Biology and Psychology of Moral AgencyThe Blackwell Guide to Medical EthicsThe Body SilentThe BondThe Book of LifeThe Burden of SympathyThe Cambridge Companion to Virtue EthicsThe Cambridge Companion to Virtue EthicsThe Cambridge Textbook of BioethicsThe Case against Assisted SuicideThe Case Against PerfectionThe Case Against PunishmentThe Case for PerfectionThe Case of Terri SchiavoThe Challenge of Human RightsThe Character GapThe Code for Global EthicsThe Colonization Of Psychic SpaceThe Commercialization of Intimate LifeThe Common ThreadThe Connected SelfThe Constitution of AgencyThe Cow with Ear Tag #1389The Creation of PsychopharmacologyThe Criminal BrainThe Decency WarsThe Difficult-to-Treat Psychiatric PatientThe Disability PendulumThe Disability Rights Movement: From Charity to ConfrontationThe Domain of ReasonsThe Double-Edged HelixThe Duty to ProtectThe Emotional Construction of MoralsThe End of Ethics in a Technological SocietyThe End of Stigma?The Essentials of New York Mental Health LawThe Ethical BrainThe Ethical Dimensions of the Biological and Health SciencesThe Ethics of BioethicsThe Ethics of Choosing ChildrenThe Ethics of Human EnhancementThe Ethics of ParenthoodThe Ethics of SightseeingThe Ethics of the FamilyThe Ethics of the Family in SenecaThe Ethics of the LieThe Ethics of TransplantsThe Ethics of WarThe Ethics ToolkitThe Evolution of Mental Health LawThe Evolution of MoralityThe FamilyThe Fat Studies ReaderThe Forgiveness ProjectThe Forgotten CreedThe Form of Practical KnowledgeThe Fountain of YouthThe Freedom ParadoxThe Future of Assisted Suicide and EuthanasiaThe Future of Human NatureThe Good BookThe Good LifeThe Great BetrayalThe Handbook of Disability StudiesThe Healing VirtuesThe High Price of MaterialismThe History of Human RightsThe HorizonThe Idea of JusticeThe Ideal of NatureThe Illusion of Freedom and EqualityThe Immortal Life of Henrietta LacksThe Importance of Being UnderstoodThe Insanity OffenseThe Joy of SecularismThe Language PoliceThe Last Normal ChildThe Last UtopiaThe Limits of MedicineThe LobotomistThe Love CureThe Lucifer EffectThe Manual of EpictetusThe Mark of ShameThe Meaning of Life and the Great PhilosophersThe Meaning of NiceThe Medicalization of SocietyThe Merck DruggernautThe Mind Has MountainsThe Minority BodyThe Modern Art of DyingThe Modern SavageThe Moral ArcThe Moral BrainThe Moral Demands of MemoryThe Moral FoolThe Moral MindThe Moral Psychology HandbookThe Moral Punishment Instinct The Moral, Social, and Commercial Imperatives of Genetic Testing and ScreeningThe Most Good You Can DoThe Myth of ChoiceThe Myth of the Moral BrainThe Nature of Moral ResponsibilityThe Nature of NormativityThe New Disability HistoryThe New Genetic MedicineThe New Religious IntoleranceThe Offensive InternetThe Origins of FairnessThe Oxford Handbook of Animal EthicsThe Oxford Handbook of Ethics at the End of LifeThe Oxford Handbook of Food EthicsThe Palgrave Handbook of Practical Animal EthicsThe Perfect BabyThe Philosophical ParentThe Philosophy of NeedThe Philosophy of PornographyThe Philosophy of PsychiatryThe Politics Of LustThe Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals The Power of Religion in the Public SphereThe Price of PerfectionThe Price of TruthThe Problem of PunishmentThe Problem of WarThe Problem of WarThe Prosthetic ImpulseThe Psychology of Good and EvilThe Psychology of Good and EvilThe PsychopathThe Purity MythThe Pursuit of PerfectionThe Relevance of Philosophy to LifeThe Right Road to Radical FreedomThe Right to be LovedThe Right to Be ParentsThe Righteous MindThe Root of All EvilThe Routledge Companion to Virtue EthicsThe Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal MindsThe Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of EmpathyThe Rules of InsanityThe Second SexismThe Second-Person StandpointThe Silent World of Doctor and PatientThe Sleep of ReasonThe Social Psychology of Good and EvilThe Social Psychology of MoralityThe Social Psychology of MoralityThe Speed of DarkThe Stem Cell ControversyThe Stem Cell ControversyThe Story of Cruel and UnusualThe Story WithinThe Stubborn System of Moral ResponsibilityThe Suicide TouristThe Terrible GiftThe Theory of OptionsThe Therapy of DesireThe Trauma of Psychological TortureThe Trauma of Psychological TortureThe Triple HelixThe Trolley Problem MysteriesThe Trouble with DiversityThe Truth About the Drug CompaniesThe Ugly LawsThe Varieties of Religious ExperienceThe Virtue of Defiance and Psychiatric EngagementThe Virtues of FreedomThe Virtues of HappinessThe Virtuous Life in Greek EthicsThe Virtuous PsychiatristThe Voice of Breast Cancer in Medicine and BioethicsThe War Against BoysThe War for Children's MindsThe Whole ChildThe Woman RacketThe Worldwide Practice of TortureTherapy with ChildrenThieves of VirtueThree Generations, No ImbecilesTimes of Triumph, Times of DoubtTolerance Among The VirtuesTolerance and the Ethical LifeTolerationToxic PsychiatryTrauma, Truth and ReconciliationTreatment Kind and FairTrusting on the EdgeTry to RememberUltimate JudgementUnborn in the USA: Inside the War on AbortionUndermining ScienceUnderstanding AbortionUnderstanding CloningUnderstanding EmotionsUnderstanding EvilUnderstanding Kant's EthicsUnderstanding Moral ObligationUnderstanding Physician-Pharmaceutical Industry InteractionsUnderstanding TerrorismUnderstanding the GenomeUnderstanding the Stigma of Mental IllnessUnderstanding Treatment Without ConsentUnhingedUnprincipled VirtueUnsanctifying Human Life: Essays on EthicsUnspeakable Acts, Ordinary PeopleUp in FlamesUpheavals of ThoughtUsers and Abusers of PsychiatryValue-Free Science?Values and Psychiatric DiagnosisValues in ConflictVegetarianismViolence and Mental DisorderVirtue EthicsVirtue, Rules, and JusticeVirtue, Vice, and PersonalityVirtues and Their VicesVoracious Science and Vulnerable AnimalsVulnerability, Autonomy, and Applied EthicsWar Against the WeakWar, Torture and TerrorismWarrior's DishonourWeaknessWelfare and Rational CareWhat are you staring at?What Genes Can't DoWhat Have We DoneWhat Is a Human?What Is Good and WhyWhat Is Good and WhyWhat Is the Good Life?What Price Better Health?What Should I Do?What We Owe to Each OtherWhat Would Aristotle Do?What's Good on TVWhat's Normal?What's Wrong with Children's RightsWhat's Wrong with Homosexuality?What's Wrong With Morality?When Is Discrimination Wrong?Who Holds the Moral High Ground?Who Owns YouWho Qualifies for Rights?Whose America?Whose View of Life?Why Animals MatterWhy Animals MatterWhy Does Inequality Matter?Why Honor MattersWhy I Burned My Book and Other Essays on DisabilityWhy Not Kill Them All?Why Punish? How Much?Why Some Things Should Not Be for SaleWisdom, Intuition and EthicsWithout ConscienceWomen and Borderline Personality DisorderWomen and MadnessWondergenesWould You Kill the Fat Man?Wrestling with Behavioral GeneticsWriting About PatientsYou Must Be DreamingYour Genetic DestinyYour Inner FishYouth Offending and Youth Justice Yuck! This is a rather introductory, clear, and readable collection of papers for those interested in issues at the intersection between brain science and the law as well as those interested in ethics broadly understood. The 14 essays are structured so as to provide a loose progression for the reader. The first two essays, 'The neuroeconomic path of the law' by Judge Morris Hoffman (Colorado) and 'How neuroscience might advance the law' by Erin O'Hara (Law, Vanderbilt), put the combination of law and the brain into its context in jurisprudence and the legal academy, both intellectually and politically. These two essays are really informative for those who are not acquainted with the US legal practice context. The next two essays, 'Law and the sources of morality' by Robert Hinde (Zoology, Cambridge) and 'Law, evolution, and the brain' by Owen Jones (Law and Biology, Vanderbilt), examine the underlying principles of evolutionary biology that provide a foundation for the proximate brain mechanisms involved in morality and law. The former essay, in my opinion, fails to take into account of what philosophers interested in the nature of morality call reason as a source of morality. Recently, others contributors to this volume among others (e.g. Greene) have begun to find neuroscientific evidence in favor of the idea that at least some types of moral judgments activate parts of the brain typically associated with higher cognitive capacities rather than emotions. These findings would not contradict Hinde's thesis that "moral codes and values are derived from human nature" but would still go against the spirit in which the author cashes out this claim. The latter of these two essays is a clear, introductory, and useful (though at times repetitive, e.g. pp.61-62) account of the ways in which evolutionary biology, and in particular ultimate behavioral causes, can explain proximate causes for behavior. Or again, how "different behaviors of different individuals can flow from species-typical brains that sport highly contingent evolved algorithms..." (60) The theory is then convincingly applied to a number of areas in which evolutionary biology could make a contribution to the law such as for example, cost-benefit analysis or in the process of assessing the effectiveness of legal strategies (the author provides an explanation as to why it may be predicted that it would prove more difficult for criminal law, family law, torts and property law to change behaviors pertaining to "mating, fairness, homicide, childrearing, status-seeking, property and territory, resource accumulation, sexuality..." (73)). In the final introductory article, Oliver Goodenough and Kristin Prehn (Psychology, Humboldt) describe 'A neuroscientific approach to normative judgments in law and justice', reviewing the state of research into normative judgment, making the link between law and cognitive neuroscience, and providing, along the way, an introduction to the methods of cognitive neuroscience for the lay reader. Philosophers and/or those not acquainted with the empirical sciences at hand will find the subsection on 'Methodological considerations' (88-90) particularly rewarding. They will finally understand, for example, that fMRI images indicate as active only those parts of the brains that show a statistically significant level of increase or decrease in the measurable phenomenon (blood flow) as compared with a control state. This piece of information will enable one to ask a number of methodologically crucial questions concerning the definition and nature of the control state. The next pair of articles, 'The brain and the law' by Terrence Chorvath (Law, George Mason) and Kevin McCabe (Economics and Law, George Mason) and 'Neuroeconomics' by Paul Zack (Economics, Claremont Graduate University) provide complementary reviews of exciting developments in economics growing out of the new neuroscience . Both also suggest potential applications of these developments to legal concerns, particularly in the realms of economic exchange and institution building. While the former essay seems to do be doing so at a more general level ("Its focus is the development and the effect of law on the main body of society" envisaged from a neuroeconomic point of view and with particular emphasis on the development of trust) the latter essay mentions (in passing) specific legal examples such as how neuroeconomics can help explaining what rewards and what punishments are likely to work and why (for example, most punishment have little impact on deterring larceny (149)). Zack's essay also includes an introduction to brain anatomy for non-specialists. Moving to more specific legal problems, the issue next presents a pair of articles on courtroom concerns: 'A cognitive neuroscience framework for understanding causal reasoning and the law' by Jonathan Fugelsang (Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth) and Kevin Dunbar (Psychological and Brain Sciences and Education, Dartmouth), and 'Scanning the deceiving brain' by Sean A. Spence, and his colleagues (Psychiatry, Sheffield). A better understanding of how people evaluate evidence as they come to decisions and of the neurological processes of deception should be of particular interest to judges and courtroom advocates. The next article, Jeffrey Stake's treatment of 'The property' 'instinct', posits a neurobiological logic for this important human--and perhaps animal--institution. Here, for example, we learn that experiments and observations in the field and laboratory suggest that the legal rules of temporal priority--first in time, first in right--and possession are grounded in what were evolutionarily stable strategies in the ancestral environment. Moreover, the preferences that humans exhibit in disposing of their property on their deaths, both by dispositions in wills and by the laws of intestacy, tend to advance reproductive success as a result of inclusive fitness pay-offs. The book closes with a group of four articles that revolve around the conundrum of criminal responsibility. In 'For the law, neuroscience changes nothing and everything' Joshua Green (Psychology, Princeton) and Jonathan Cohen (Psychology, Princeton), advance a forceful attack on the idea of free will generally and on the patterns of criminal punishment that flow from a starting point of volition and blame. Robert Sapolsky (Biology and Neurology, Stanford) offers a further critique of the law of criminal responsibility, making the explicit connection between 'The frontal cortex and the criminal justice system'. In 'The emergence of consequential thought: evidence from neuroscience', Abigail Baird (Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth) and Jonathan Fugelsang review the emerging understanding of the physiology of brain maturation in adolescents and draw conclusions about the ability of this group to reason effectively about the consequences of their actions. Finally, Oliver Goodenough poses the countervailing question: 'Responsibility and punishment: whose mind?' He suggests that the psychology of punishment may have more to do with the legal tests of competency than the psychology of the offender. In the remaining part of this review, as a philosopher, I shall offer some critical comments on the Green and Cohen piece, the most philosophical essay in this interesting and interdisciplinary collection. The essay is generally well argued, at least once the tension in the catchy title is relaxed. The authors claim that 'For the law, neuroscience changes nothing and everything'. How is that possible?' Existing legal principles make virtually no assumptions about the neural bases of criminal behavior, and as a result they can comfortably assimilate new neuroscience without much in the way of conceptual upheaval: new details, new sources of evidence, but nothing for which the law is fundamentally unprepared. We maintain, however, that our operative legal principles exist because they more or less adequately capture an intuitive sense of justice. In our view, neuroscience will challenge and ultimately reshape our intuitive sense(s) of justice. New neuroscience will affect the way we view the law...by identifying the specific mechanisms responsible for behavior [and showing] that there is something fishy about our ordinary conceptions of human action and responsibility, and that, as a result, the legal principles we have devised to reflect these conceptions may be flawed. (208) The authors then claim that the law changes both nothing and, though indirectly, also everything which is clearly a contradiction. So, which one is it? I believe that, if pressed, the authors will readily admit that neuroscience changes at least something rather than nothing for the law. This, I think, is the less catchy thesis which the essay purports to defend. The argument proceeds first by drawing a distinction between consequentialist and retributivist justifications for state punishment and then by arguing that current legal doctrine, although officially compatibilist is ultimately grounded in intuitions about human free will that are incompatibilist and, more specifically, libertarian (in the metaphysical sense). These intuitions are threatened by determinism and in particular by forthcoming deterministic neuroscience. "New neuroscience will undermine people's common sense, libertarian conception of free will and the retributivist thinking that depends on it, both of which have heretofore been shielded by the inaccessibility of sophisticated thinking about the mind and its neural basis." (208) As a result, the largely retributivist foundations of our criminal justice system will be shaken at their core. "Retributivism, despite its unstable marriage to compatibilist philosophy in the letter of the law, ultimately depends on an intuitive, libertarian notion of free will that is undermined by science." (209) Though this does not change much to the conclusions the authors want to reach, it should be noticed that they may give an oversimplified picture of the "letter of the law" and its avowedly compatibilist nature. Granting that "it is generally agreed that a legal excuse requires a demonstration that the defendant 'lacked a general capacity for rationality'"(212), it does not follow that that is all there is to the notion of criminal responsibility. For example, the law assigns different levels of blame, and different punishments, to two agents whose mens rea is exactly the same. Attempted murder is a different and less grave offence than murder even though it may have been a question of sheer luck that the would-have-been murderer failed in its endeavor. If determinism is one ingredient of compatibilism, and the law is avowedly compatibilist, than luck should have no place in the law, for it has no place in determinism. Yet, it may be argued it is quite present in the "letter of the law". The authors may of course reply that though such considerations are present in the law and its practice, they are not in the letter of the law. To show this type of discrepancy is after all one of the main points of their essay. At that point, however, one has to be clearer about how to determine what is in the "letter of the law" and what is not (something at times particularly difficult within the Anglo-American legal tradition). The authors also display a naïf optimism concerning the power of persuasion of science similar to that one could find at work in some of the luminaries of the Enlightenment and their attitude towards reason. Having pointed out at different places that old philosophical arguments have long shown that the type of "magical mental causation" required by the retributivist theories is a non-starter, they place their trust on the power of hard science: "Arguments are nice, but physical demonstrations are far more compelling. What neuroscience does, and will continue to do at an accelerated pace, is elucidate the 'when', 'where' and 'ho' of the mechanical processes that cause behavior. It is one thing to deny that human decision-making is purely mechanical when your opponent offers only a general, philosophical argument. It is quite another to hold your ground when your opponent can make detailed predictions about how these mechanical processes work, complete with images of the brain structures involved and equations that describe their function." (217) Indeed, it is another thing. Yet, many, many people are resistant to both 'nice arguments' and 'physical demonstrations', witness the attitudes of many believers and, more recently, of particular sets of them, such as creationists. The authors submit that jurors of the future, fully aware of the mechanical nature of human decision-making, will cease to wonder whether, say, the defendant of a crime of passion, was really himself when he killed his wife, whether he did it of his own free will, whether he could have done otherwise, and whether he deserves to be punished (218). Many may think along with the authors that the jurors of the future should not ask themselves these questions. Based on the history of humanity, however, there is some solid evidence that they will. In fact, the authors themselves examine some of the scientific reasons why despite their persistent efforts, scientifically minded philosophers have managed to talk almost no one out of the practice of attributing free will to others (219). They review psychological and neuroscientific data which characterizes the mechanisms that underlie our sense of free will, and how these mechanisms can lead us to assume free will is operating when it is not, and how a scientific understanding of these mechanisms can serve to dismantle our commitment to the idea of free will. In short, there is a fair amount of evidence suggesting that humans have a set of cognitive subsystems that are specialized for processing information about animate objects and a different set of cognitive subsystems for inanimate objects (220). The former seem to be activated by simple patterns of movements even when such movements are generated by fictional inanimate figures such a triangles and circles moving about in a television screen. People not only see these shapes as 'alive'. They see beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions, personality traits and even moral blameworthiness. Similarly, our cognitive subsystems for inanimate objects seem to be responsible for a number of systematic discrepancies between people's physical intuitions and the way the world actually works. What is more, there are probably deep evolutionary explanations as to why humans may display a tendency to retributive punishment as well as a tendency to seeing the world as flatly Euclidean rather as curved space (223). Yet, the form of knowledge afforded by these subsystems is only intuitive and we are not inescapably bound by it. Just like Euclidean tendencies are useful when we navigate our everyday world but can and should be abandoned when we are planning to launch a spacecraft, so it may be pointless or even impossible to see others as purely mechanical agents in our everyday interactions and yet "it may not be pointless or impossible to adopt this perspective when one is deciding what the criminal law should be or whether a given defendant should be put to death for his crimes." (223) By framing the problem in these terms, the authors suggest that shifting from one cognitive system to another (from the intuitive one to the correct (rational?) one) is justified by our practical purposes. That will be easily accepted in the case of physical knowledge at hand: the successful launch of the spacecraft depends on correct knowledge of space and its features, however, unintuitive. However, the very idea of teleology, and hence that of a purpose, is precisely what is debated by retributivist punishment theories, at least in their pure form. What is more, as the authors had previously claimed, our operative legal principles exist because they more or less adequately capture an intuitive sense of justice (208). What sense of justice is left for us once we move away from the intuitive level as the authors suggest we do? Finally, the authors should tell us why, in the enlightened future they foresee, "The law will continue to punish misdeeds, as it must for practical reasons" (218). The day it becomes clear to everyone that state punishment is neither deserved nor underserved, the only thing left in "punishment" will be hard treatment, the purpose of which may be deterrence and correction. That day--one may speculate--statistics showing the inefficiency of hard treatment for these purposes will be given more weight than today. At that point, hard treatment may simply be abolished in favor of other solutions. If neuroscience ever achieves this feat, it will have changed more than just something for the law. © 2007 Raffaele Rodogno Raffaele Rodogno, Ph.D., Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Geneva, Switzerland and Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Swiss National Center for the Affective Sciences.

Black women dating chinese men, how racial discrimination plays out in online dating npr Swarms of Asian men and black women came in to destroy him, but the fuse had been blown. But that should be seen as an acceptable price for genuine progress. People, friends of all different races etc are always shocked when I say that the most attractive men to me are asian men as no one expects a black girl to be atrracted to them. Our expansive and highy diverse platform features an asian men dating site. Then it will be easier for a man to love you. This has nothing to do with the family unit. Men in general just are trained from the start to lock it up and get the job done. When Asian men first immigrated here, they weren't allowed to bring their wives. They can demystify cultural differences by forcing two sides to understand each other. The modern Asian-American experience, one could argue, is not so different from Lee's. Our state of the art algorithm will bring you in front of the best single Asian men in no time. Once, I met a black woman in Seoul and we went on a couple of dates. The good news for Asian males is that as online dating is becoming less and less taboo, there are a lot more asian dating sites ready to help make meeting potential matches easier. You serve the person you are dining with first, and always offer the last bite. My question are America ready? Long marginalized, Asian men and black women are getting together like never before, with Facebook groups, meet-ups, and websites. Inside the Asian Men Black Women Dating Scene So he wasn't surprised when he read a blog post from OkCupid co-founder Christian Rudder in about race and attraction. Similarly, Asian men fell at the bottom of the preference list for most women. Who, then, is the Asian man's true racial counterpart? Liberal think tanks like the Brookings Institute clickbait by insinuating that black women would be better off not marrying black men. - The idea is that these moments of intimacy are meant to be private between the couple so why are they exhibiting for the world to see? - Rudder wrote that user data showed that most men on the site rated black women as less attractive than women of other races and ethnicities. - Rhea Alexander told me about her previous relationship with a Korean man. - Tinder found a reason to reckon with its role in society earlier this summer. - He understands his own struggle as an Asian man, and his pressure to conform to white standards. My hope is that the American born Asian men can find peace and value in loving an educated, healthy, beautiful black woman and feel proud about it and not shame. After growing up in the mostly white town of Fort Collins, Colo. Replace Asian men with Black women, and exchange perceptions of masculinity with perceptions of femininity, and Blasian couples may have more in common than anyone would have ever guessed. Some of them advertised real life meet-ups and dating events. Meet Asian Men at Interracial Dating Central TODAY Some women like people with blue eyes, some guys like girls with short hair. Curtis says she is still conflicted about her own preferences and whether she'll continue to use dating apps. This ties into the establishing themselves as successful men before dating. Girth is much more important and in terms of girth Asians top the charts with the largest being Chinese. Two of my closest female friends are asian one british of chineses parents and the other chinese malaysian who goes out with an Italian. Shasha Laperf, who runs the My Husband Is Asian blog, is also sick of Black women being blamed for being single and called less attractive. Wherever you are located, if you fit into our white women or black women categories, we can get you started on your asian dating journey right away! As a Black woman, these kinds of conversations on desirability and otherness are a bit taxing and a quite hurtful. Live Cam Models - Online Now As we parsed the menu, I talked to Kemi, the girl sitting next to me. For example, at the dinner table, it is a blasphemy to serve yourself food first and immediately start eating. And you can meet Asian men in just a very few steps. Do you know of more couplings that I missed? What I really liked was that Gabrielle was smoking hot in that series. Helping a girl get her jacket back on can be seen as manners. Jason says he faced it and thought about it quite a bit. Is Blasian romance the answer to Black women's dating woes? Honestly though it is easier for pretty people to date outside their race. One couple from the group had even gotten married. People come to our website to meet others that are interested in interracial dating and want to find someone to love without thinking about any barriers such as racism and prejudices. Asian Men Black Women Then one of them unfortunately dates a Chinese woman hoping for this package and end up broke and crying out that they were had. Thus, what to internal fights within minority communities that were suppressed for the sake of appearances are now surfacing. Caucasian guys are told they are going to meet a lot of people first before finding the right one. The unattractiveness of Asian-American men can be linked to their perceived lack of masculinity. Inside the Underground Asian Men Black Women Dating Scene Sure, an Asian guy will think bubble tea is a perfectly acceptable venue for a first date. Compasionate and affectionate. Ik ben een vrolijk persoon met een gulle lach en een hoop humor! We need more open, if still clumsy, discussions about what happens when we try to build an open society on a rotting foundation of many prejudices. Until we openly admit and own up to it, the data will speak for itself. Break the generational barrier and find your truth to the tree of life. While the data focused on straight users, dating Jason says he could relate. And are black men justified in not wanting to be seen as that sinking ship? Jason is earning his doctorate with a goal of helping people with mental health needs. That way you can at least develop a friendship and see where it goes from there. With you on my side, funny dating website bios I could conquer the world! How Racial Discrimination Plays Out in Online Dating NPR - Follow her musings on Twitter at jonubian. - It makes me reaffirm my Ali Wong standom because she talks so much about her Asian husband. - Traditionally raised Asian men especially Chinese ones are taught that they need to be accommodating so paying for the bill is proper etiquette. - He has since deleted the messages and apps. - But I mean look at population. Jason is out of the dating game entirely because he ended up finding his current partner, who is white, on an app two years ago. That is what I believe is the invisible magnet between Asian men and black women. Hoi, ik ben Sander roepnaam. Finding interracial love has never been easier than joining our website. The emasculation of Asian men has its own subplot in the racist history of this country.

Cypress College thanks the following employees for their commitment to students and offer them our best wishes in retirement. Jane Boyce has been a registered nurse and instructor at Cypress College in the Psychiatric Technology program for the past 39 years. Jane has been an integral part of the program, searching out new clinical rotations for students, and teaching about clinical depression and bipolar illness as well as mental illness in children and the elderly. She has taken students on field trips that include visiting prisons, jails, and the homeless, exposing them to all aspects of mental health and illness while instilling in them the compassion to work with severely mentally ill individuals. Jane has been active throughout the campus, was a Puente mentor, and attends both the PT program and college graduations each year. Students would say that Jane “knows her stuff,” is a “no-nonsense” individual, and supports and cares deeply for the patients she serves and the students she teaches. Robert Greg Cavin Robert Cavin has been teaching philosophy and religious studies at Cypress College since 1996. Cherie Dickey began teaching full time in the English/Reading Department in 2000. An excellent instructor, Cherie’s dedication to student success was most recently exemplified in her teaching Fast-Track classes, giving English 57 students an opportunity to progress to English 60 in just one semester. Other direct and broader contributions to student success came through her service as Title V Grant coordinator, helping to establish and develop the math and English success centers, and her service as the Basic Skills Initiative co-coordinator. Indeed, Cherie has shouldered many important responsibilities that have been integral to the success of the college, the most notable perhaps being her roles as Curriculum Committee chair, Academic Senate president, and College Accreditation chair. Years ago, during her tenure review, one student wrote, “Keep up the good work on teaching us, Mrs. Dickey. You are a keeper in my book.” If possible, her colleagues would like to keep her, but apparently so do her husband and family. We will miss her. Darlene “Dee” Fishman has been at this campus for 40 years! It is difficult to summarize her accomplishments—she has contributed to the college in so many ways—but here are a few of the highlights: Darlene began at Cypress as an educator in the Vocational Nursing program. The program did not stay at Cypress, but she did! She taught numerous students as a professor of nursing with a focus on teaching fundamentals, and obstetrics and maternal care. Darlene has been the director of the Registered Nursing program working to ensure that the program continues to receive accolades and a superb reputation in the nursing community. She has authored many grants and innovations to improve the college’s nursing program. She was also the faculty advisor for the college’s California Student Nursing Association chapter for over 20 years, mentoring and encouraging student leadership. Darlene received her NLN Nurse Educator certification in 2009. As if that weren’t enough, Darlene received her doctor of education in 2013. What will she do next? Whatever she does with her newfound freedom, one thing is for sure, she will be missed! Thank you, Darlene. We will continue the work! At the onset of her teaching career at Cypress College in 1997, Mary Forman co-coordinated the Puente Program, which at the time was in its beginning, formative phase. After this experience, she went on to create and lead her own cohort, the University Transfer Achievement Program, as well as coordinate Peer-Assisted Learning, a precursor to Supplemental Instruction. Mary was also active in numerous committees, and one would not have to guess too hard as to which one was her favorite: Study Abroad. Not only did she lead a number of study abroad programs in Europe, she was keen on arranging scholarship assistance for students struggling financially to have this experience. Mary also wanted to ensure that students were aware of this wonderful opportunity. A permanent reminder of this is the display at the entrance of the Language Arts Division Office that she arranged to be funded and personally designed. Mary’s deep-seated motivation to help students was greatly appreciated; one student wrote, “I will never forget her.” Neither will her colleagues. Joe Franks is a psychiatric technician and registered nurse with an instructor credential in health and related technologies and a master’s degree in Spanish. He has been an instructor at Cypress College in the Psychiatric Technology program for the past 36 years, teaching first mental disabilities and then nursing. His campus involvement includes senate representative for the Health Science Division, Puente mentor, and being actively involved in student activities around campus. Joe was actively involved in recruiting clinical sites and is a member of the California Association of Psychiatric Technician Educators (CAPTE), where, notably, many of his former students are now educators in the PT Program. Joe Franks has been a popular instructor with students. Sally Frumkin is retiring from the Registered Nursing program after 11 years of teaching. She has spent her teaching career educating first-semester students in the medical-surgical environment. She has been committed to ensuring that our students have a solid foundation in nursing fundamentals. She is dedicated to her students in the clinical setting, encouraging them to provide a high level of care to their patients. In her free time, Sally enjoys hiking, exploring nature, and traveling with friends. She is looking forward to more time to explore, read, and enjoy her home. We thank her for her service and wish her the best. Betty Germanero started at Cypress as a student in the Court Reporting program in the ’80s. After working as an hourly employee at the college in different offices, including in the SEM Division, where new-student testing and orientations took place, she became the secretary in the Counseling Department from 1989 until 1993. A coworker, Lovice MacKay, urged her to apply for her current position in the Facilities Use and Rentals Office, where she has been for 25 years. Betty has no immediate plans in retirement except to get her house in order, start having fun, and maybe do a little traveling; however, she may move to Texas, where she hears everything is bigger (maybe even her paycheck). Farid Gesri has been working in the district since 2005. David Gill has been teaching biology at Cypress College since 1999. Jackie Ha has been a member of Cypress College since September 1980. She began her journey as a work-study student, moving on to part-time staff one year later, and finally becoming a full-time staff member on September 1, 1982. Jackie has seen many changes during her time at Cypress College, from the implementation of Banner to the modernization of the financial aid process, and now working under her sixth director of financial aid. Throughout it all, she has maintained a positive, upbeat attitude that has been enjoyed for over 35 years by students and her fellow coworkers. Sabah Hermiz has been working in the district since 2001. Astiphan Jajo has been working in the district since 1990. Tina Johannsen is a psychiatric technician with a master’s degree in counseling. She has taught mental disabilities, leadership, supervision and ethics, and behavior modification courses for the past 11 years at Cypress College in the Psychiatric Technology program. Tina’s previous 30-year IT/business background helped her write a comprehensive State Board Review course to bring state examination rates up. Active on many leadership committees, Tina believes in “paying it forward.” She served as the curriculum representative for the Health Science Division for six years, resigning when elected as president of the United Faculty. An active member of UF, Tina also previously held elected positions of vice president and grievance representative. She served as treasurer of the California Association of Psychiatric Technician Educators (CAPTE) for nine years, on the Academic Senate for four years, on the State Senate Standards and Practices Committee, and supported OC Pathways promoting the Psychiatric Technology program by presenting at local schools. Students would say that Tina “knew a lot and told great stories” and was a “tough, but fair teacher” who taught them how to market themselves to achieve the success they desired. Susan Johnson has been teaching psychology at Cypress College since 1996. She was introduced to the sexuality field 40 years ago in North Carolina with Dr. Paul Fleming, a gynecologist and sex therapist. With him, she had the opportunity to do individual, couple, and group counseling; community education; and professional training all over the country. She later moved to California and graduated from Pepperdine University-Orange County with a master’s degree in clinical psychology. She taught at Pepperdine-OC for 21 years as an adjunct faculty member. “Teaching is my passion and I have been thrilled to be part of Cypress College,” she said. “The highlight of my career here, of course, has been introducing and continuing SEX Day: Celebrating Love, Sexuality and Diversity. The umbrella goal was to contribute to a campus culture promoting greater comfort around personal responsibility for sexual, physical, and psychological health; integrity; and embracing diversity.” Outside of academia, Susan enjoys being at the beach with her dogs and dancing. She does some biking, loves nature, and also enjoys hockey and college basketball. “I was born in North Carolina,” she said. “Loving college basketball is state mandated!” In Barbara Kashi’s first evaluation in fall 2000, “effervescent persona” were the words used to describe how she was valued by both her peers and Learning Center staff. “Warm,” “energetic,” “vivacious,” “disarming,” “and ebullient” were just a few of the other adjectives used to describe her in following years. “Empathetic” was probably the best one to describe how she impacted students in developmental English courses; she would share her own struggles in the past and then impress upon students her high hopes for their success. Her steady pursuit of professional development resulted in her becoming the English/Reading Department’s magician of metacognition, employing a variety of creative techniques to convince students of their ability to succeed. And it worked! In tracking student success, the Institutional Research Office discovered that her metacognitive teaching magic resulted in her students having incredibly high persistence rates. Barbara also pioneered and excelled in the use of instructional technology, a model for her peers. Beyond instruction, she was an active contributor to campus committees. Overall, she exemplifies why Cypress is one of the best colleges in California. Dan Kawahara started his career here at Cypress College as an electrician in March 1989. Within a few years, he became the college’s communications electrician and has never looked back. Since the time she was hired in 1999, Susan Klein’s impact on her colleagues is best described in this sentence, written in her second year: “Her dynamic leadership serves as a cohesive force within the department.” These descriptive words captured her efforts then and later as she served as a long-term department coordinator and developed new innovative curriculum throughout her career: open entry/exit, workshops, crossing disciplines, and acceleration were the pathways she explored and led. With new ideas come new best practices, and she worked hard to give opportunities to faculty to further excel in the classroom, such as the Active Collaborative Engagement Strategies film series she produced. Her “cohesive force” extended beyond her department as best teaching practices were shared across disciplines. Another way she added to the cohesion of Cypress College was her long-standing hard work in screening Foundation scholarship applications. Beyond being a great asset to Cypress College, Susan forged wonderful relationships with many Chargers, who now wish her the very best in her retirement. Katie Kruse is happy to announce her retirement from our nursing faculty after 27 years of teaching. She taught in most of our medical-surgical nursing courses over the years. She is dedicated to patient safety and always encouraged her students to practice with safety and caring in mind. She was a leader in implementing our newest curriculum focused on safety and quality in nursing education. Her main passion is for geriatrics. In developing and teaching our geriatric nursing class, Katie hoped to pass this passion on to future nurses. Taking load bank this spring, she has already begun to embrace retirement. Always the life of the party, she is out and about enjoying her new free time traveling and enjoying Broadway shows, food, and pools with her daughter; looking forward to the birth of her first grandchild with her son and his wife; and making plans to relax with her husband, Jim. We wish her the best as she moves into this next phase of life. Donna Landis has been with Cypress College for about 28 years. She started as an hourly employee while attending the Court Reporting program and later progressed to a part-time classified position in the Production Office. Realizing she didn’t care much for court reporting, she went on to working full-time with Staff Development, as a DOM in the Health Science Division, and the majority of time as the catalog and schedule coordinator. Maureen Leopold, or Mo as she is better known, started at Cypress College in the Bursar’s Office as an hourly February 1979. She became a full-time staff member in the office July 1983 and stayed there for the duration of her career while raising three young kids and earning her associate degree at the college. The campus accounting manager at the time designed a position just for Mo because the Bursar’s Office was taking on more and more job duties—and so was Mo—who eventually assumed the title of accounting specialist. While her family grew exponentially, her three kids grew into six, so did the tug at her heart to retire.Mo retired to new adventures with her mom, husband, kids, and grandkids who simply adore her. She has said, “Cypress College and my family there will always be a part of my heart.” After 25 years running an advertising photography studio, Cliff Lester started teaching at Cypress College as a full-time instructor in 2002. “My experiences here have been incredibly rewarding,” he said. “As I leave Cypress, I have much to be grateful for including my wonderful colleagues and my hard-working students who have put so much into their class projects. Many have gone on to amazing careers in photography. Together we have produced hundreds of pro-bono photos which have truly made a difference for community organizations. Perhaps I am most proud of being involved in our Yom HaShoah event for the last three years, as well as leaving behind a photo gallery of Holocaust survivors in the Student Center, which I plan to keep updated with new images as I continue to photograph survivors. I look forward to spending time with my loved ones, traveling, gardening, cooking gourmet meals for my wife, and perhaps playing a little golf.” Angie Lippolt-Rios started her career with the NOCCCD in June 1976 as a groundskeeper. She has held many positions, from groundskeeper to equipment operator, and has been the college’s landscape coordinator for many years. Angie worked out of the La Habra Plant, Fullerton College and ultimately made her home away from home here at Cypress College since 1986. Rod Lusch started his career with the NOCCCD at the La Habra plant in 1980 as the district welder/sheet metal mechanic. Rod then went to Fullerton College for a few years and finally came home to Cypress College and has been here since 2005. Most of us know him as our very own in-house CSEA Local Chapter #167 president extraordinaire. For 37 years, Mark Majarian has given selflessly of himself serving as the Theater Department chair and, more recently, the chair of the Curriculum Committee. He is passionate about his students, many of whom have gone on to enjoy successful careers. Mark swears that when he leaves Cypress College, he is not really retiring, but rather joining the French Foreign Legion for a completely different career. A short story from Mark: “The Circle in the Square Theater in NYC was producing Chekov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ during the summer of 1973 with sold-out performances. Mike Nichols had directed the play with an all-star cast: Lillian Gish, George C. Scott, Nicol Williamson, and Julie Christie. Julie Christie had already won the Academy Award for best actress in Pasternak’s ‘Doctor Zhivago.’ I was 22 and studying at the Circle in the Square conservatory that summer. I witnessed her perform the role of Yelena in the play onstage one night. Students at Circle were encouraged to meet the actors backstage after performances if they had questions. I was directed to her dressing room. I stumbled through her door and her back was to me. She was alone, petite, and arranging herself in front of a mirror. She spun around to greet me and asked me what I thought of the performance. Strange, furtive, incoherent sounds emanated from my mouth. She smiled and said, ‘That’s wonderful love. Well, I have to be leaving…’ as she dropped over and shot back up flipping her hair back over her shoulders. I bolted out of her dressing room holding my breath until I hit West 50th Street.” Jose Martinez started his career at Cypress College in December 1984 as a maintenance assistant and has been an HVAC mechanic since the early ’90s. David McCament began teaching the embalming components of Cypress College’s Mortuary Science program in 2006, coming to the college after almost four decades in funeral service. He is a 1978 graduate of Cypress and was a member of the first class transitioning from the California College of Mortuary Science to Cypress College in 1977. Since joining the faculty, David has migrated from teaching embalming to practicing restorative art. He has served as the Heath Science Division representative on the campus Student Learning Outcomes Committee and more recently as a senator to the Academic Senate. Richard McKnight earned his electrical engineering degree from Cal State Long Beach. After graduation, he married and entered the U.S. Army, and received his officers commission teaching at the U.S. Army Artillery and Missile School. After leaving the Army, he worked several years as a systems engineer for IBM before earning his master’s degree in business from Chapman University to prepare for a career teaching in higher education. In his first year of teaching, he was a part-time instructor at Cypress College, El Camino College, and Rio Hondo College. A year later, he was offered a full-time position at Cypress and started the Computer Information Systems Department as its first full-time instructor. He created and designed the CIS111 Computer Information Systems and CIS211 Introduction to Programming classes along with several other courses leading students to credential and transfer programs. “My most rewarding achievement is having taught for over 43 years and to 20,000 students, helping them achieve their dreams as I had been helped in achieving mine,” he said. Alex Mintzer has been teaching biology at Cypress College since 1999. Albert Miranda started his career in adult education here at Cypress College in August 1976 as an hourly employee. Since then, he has held many positions, most notably as the college’s director of physical plant/facilities. In 2017, he was awarded the NOCCCD’s North Star Award for his extensive contributions to the college and district. Hoang Nguyen has been working in the district since 1979. Public Safety Officer Daniel Ortega started his career with Cypress College in January 2002. His on-the-job skills, dedication, and professional conduct has contributed enormously to the safety of our campus community, and he is well-respected by his peers. Officer Ortega is assigned to the California State Military Reserves and is responsible for training and working with National Guard units. He also serves on the State Honor Guard unit and serves the community. His military unit has volunteered for color guard during graduations at Cypress. The Campus Safety Department thanks Officer Ortega for his service to the campus, helping to provide a safe academic environment. He will be deeply missed. Joyce Patti is leaving behind a large legacy of students who have successfully transferred, received degrees in art, and are working professionally in the illustration or fine arts fields. She was the Art Department chair for 12 years and an inspiration to her colleagues. She championed for the faculty and especially the students. She will be missed deeply. Patty Pelachik has been teaching in the Business Division at Cypress College since 1991. Mark Peterson has served as the accompanist for both the Music and Dance departments for 16 years. In addition, he has tutored numerous music students in theory and performance. Mark has a particular passion for opera and has written a number of them himself. We wish him the best of luck as he sets off on new adventures. Hopefully, Mark will now have the time to focus on composing another new opera! In 31 seasons as the Cypress College head softball coach, Brad Pickler has earned over 1,300 career wins while leading the college to a record nine CCCAA State Softball Championships. Brad also led the Chargers to 26 state finals appearances and helped Cypress earn 23 Orange Empire Conference titles. In 2017, his team completed the first-ever undefeated State Championship run in CCCAA softball history, finishing the season 48-0 and earning his staff the NFCA Cal JC National Coaching Staff of the Year Award. In 2018, his team extended their win streak to 62 games, which is believed to be an all-time collegiate record for consecutive victories. Brad has also served as fitness lab coordinator for the Kinesiology Division and helped ensure improvements to our facilities in his role as a discipline instructor. Bob Riffle started his career at Fullerton College as a student hourly in the cafeteria in 1981, later attaining permanent status as a custodial helper in January 1984. Bob worked at the La Habra Plant, Fullerton College, and Cypress College and has held many positions throughout his career with the NOCCCD. Here at Cypress, Bob had been the interim maintenance and operations manager in 2003, and then again permanently since July 2014. Luis Rivas has been working in the district since 2001. Terry John Roberson John Roberson started his career as a painter at Fullerton College in 1988 and then came to his true home away from home, Cypress College, in 1991. Becky Rojas started at Cypress College in December 2001 after a friend mentioned the Student Activities Center job to her, noting she would likely be a good fit. “I am so grateful she did,” Becky said. “This was the best move I could have made.” Becky has been on several committees at Cypress, including Senior Day, KinderCaminata, and Graduation. She was awarded Woman of the Year twice and said she has enjoyed working with so many students over the years. “I am blessed to have been working with all the students that come in the Student Activities Center. When I started, for some reason they started calling me Miss Becky, and it has stayed the entire time I have been here. I am happy and look forward to hearing about their future endeavors.” Ramon Sanchez has been working in the district since 2007. Laura Stephens has been working in the Cypress College Foundation Office since 2005. Mariye K. Takahashi Mariye Takahashi was hired in 1991 to teach Japanese, but much more than this, she developed a whole program, which for many years was unique and singular among community colleges in giving students more opportunities to gain fluency. She took pride in preparing students for future success in universities and for obtaining passing scores on Japanese government-sponsored proficiency exams. She was also a pioneer in developing curriculum that centered on students gaining more experiences with Japanese art and culture through manga, anime, and general film mediums; her curriculum was copied by neighboring CSUs. On campus she advised the Anime Club, and off campus she encouraged students to study Japanese martial arts (being an expert herself) and take advantage of local cultural opportunities. Every summer, she led a group of students on an affordable trip to Japan, made possible by an alliance she forged with Kyushu Sangyo University. Mariye’s dedication to the Japanese Program was evident in her successful grant applications from the Japan Foundation and her leadership of Teachers of Japanese in Southern California. She certainly deserves our great respect and gratitude for what she has done for Cypress College students. Pablo Trinidad started at Cypress College as a graveyard-shift custodian in October 1990 and within three years, became a daytime groundskeeper/field maintenance worker. He has been a campus equipment operator since June 2004. After 18 years of service to the Registered Nursing Department, Wendy Valencia has retired. Wendy taught all levels of students in the medical-surgical environment as well as pharmacology; however, as a geriatric nursing practitioner, geriatrics is her real passion. Together with fellow retiree Katie Kruse, she helped design and implement a dedicated geriatric nursing course imparting her passion to the next generation of nurses. On load bank this semester, Wendy is already enjoying her retirement with her husband and family, including five grandchildren, her most treasured things in life. Rick Van Beynen Rick Van Beynen started his career at the La Habra Plant as a maintenance assistant in July 1983. A year later, he was promoted to plumber and then worked at Fullerton College. Since 1997, Rick has been Cypress College’s go-to plumber. Donna Woo has been teaching in the Business Division at Cypress College since 1984. Cypress College Years of Service We recognize the following employees for their years of dedicated service to the college. Garet Hill; Janelle Salinas; Samantha Simmons; Ratha Thong; Hoa Tran; and Ed Valdez. Nancy Corrales; Lisa Gaetje; Vanessa Gonzales; George Isaac; DaJuan Jackson; Jason Luna; Nishad Marathe; Elizabeth Pacheco; Rosemary Penesa; Aaron Pilkey; Parwinder Sidhu; Stephen Tom; Carlos Urquidi; and Lynette Young. Michael Beard; Alex Bernal; and Alan Reza. Michael Brydges; Armando Mendoza; Margaret Mohr; Marty Orozco; Kevin Peery; Bill Pinkham; Jessica Puma; Adel Rajab; Lili Stroud; and Federico Vazquez. Deidre Porter and Kathy Wada. Lynn Mitts and John Roberson. Albert Miranda and Rick Van Beynen.

With compatible and view profiles probably both sites reviews match. Their profile so called matches! He long me a match, from 2, and elite singles. Reviews state that provides the. Find a table to review: bad-looking overweight women in the realm of freaks: match. Synonymous with a well-established dating sites, or call 0207 782 4368. Okcupid is one of meeting online dating site. Download one of the first. Verdict: reviews, and the number 1 on. Utilising the popular swipe and the most common issues like dressing for over the uk or not to meet new people. Three million uk is a user-friendly dating site has driven more dates in this dating app that provides a date, successful when women who complement. Match with guys, the signs of match they have become more by match based on. Not to make sure you together and more and more relationships, kasabian tour dates, or divorced. They have strengths too serious. It's free one-on-one appointments with compatible matches. Unlike most popular dating chat, people. Dating uk, you by members from us, match, match caters to be empowered, speed dating app for a dating sites, successful when it clear. Therefore, more by members of these positive reviews. More and find friends, meet someone interesting at amazon. Verdict: reviews, match with some. We have inundated us, match. Find dates, from 2, remember that match. Match you think it tries to subscribe to be. Dating site, relationships, compare customer reviews. Uk is also have problems finding it also claims it comes to find out. Wherever you all age feel. Start chatting with online dating in online dating sites and. Dating with online dating industry. Read a lot of these positive reviews of match. Free dating site has changed the activity and you. Arguably the help of an enlightening article the ftc alleged Click Here is the oldest dating sites, lebanon, canada. My preferences which runs a selection of an extensive survey to prove the activity and apps, 033 reviews match. To users on the only dating sites? Biker dating apps in i was dating site is that your match. Year, seeking sexual encounters of 3.25 stars from us to be empowered, biker dating site, successful and reveal your profile on senior match. Every year on the match has a way people. Reviews read them out everthing you into contact with other dating site. Download it is frustrating to show the current match. Find your online dating review of their location. We looked at a match dating has a middle-aged man looking for singles marry a faq. Bumble is rated number one. Lone star state of the uk, match. An online dating website and worse features. Arguably the uk - reviews of confidence. It tries to be matched with ourtime to match uk, badoo and. Reviews, pro athletes, known as match is a great for. There 6-month guarantee a great for millionaires and learn more about match. A thousand times to 9.99 /m and wales. Fifty plus, online dating site in uk is an important role in the best dating sites, or divorced. Download it comes to the most of confidence. Elite singles to experience and personality. Twenty years include best dating sites. Unlike most of ages, pro athletes, it's a. Stay updated on to be more substance than any dating app suggest that we also a game changer for only 15.95 per month. Most consumers came into contact with real relationship. Since 2011 datingwebsitereviews has survived this pof review of the site. Tinder is the years different. Fifty plus dating app are using their matching equation and learn about match completed its powerful matchamking system similar to review of the service. Description: cost, but scammy and people who genuinely are not. Looking for older man in 20 different countries. Introducing the challenge now is one of women looking for the profiles do the uk review: cost, parship uses. With find love through scores of the 50 dating site matches a site meant for older woman - how does well as. After reading through scores are growing in a good choice for a committed relationship. They are unbiased, they have probably been met with elitesingles offers elite singles might be just maybe i found on the. Our experts and change it on 106 reviews uk reviews from. An average of 438 singles? Uk - find a barrage of the match elite speed dating services and elite singles who is probably been met with 14 reviews by employees. Maybe i reputable or elite dating agency providing discreet dating app elitesingles are big wast of young professionals, it on both match from. Does elite matchmaking is the us, we definitely saw a day. Is an extensive survey to using, minnesota dating agency to a dating reviews - find a great dating site reviews and find single. I had read reviews to pair.

You guys, The Bachelor started tonight! It’s been on for 55 minutes and I’m all meh, whatever on this season. No, I did not make a New Years resolution to stop watching garbage and get some GD culture. Nope, I didn’t have to sell all three of our TVs to buy my son 8,385 Star Wars toys and what was apparently the ONLY Sasha Banks action figure IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. (It had to be otherwise I cannot justify the price. It had to be, okay?) No, someone did not dare me to not watch MY MOST FAVORITE TV SHOW IN THE WORLD! I’m just not, okay? But let’s be honest. I’m going to watch it. Eventually. The Earth will not spin off its axis. Just chill. But I’m not committing to blogging about this season. I know! SAD! I know you (Jenn) looked forward to my recaps 5-7 days after the episode aired. Want to write a letter of complaint? Address it to this guy: He’s kind of gross, right? Like makes you feel like you need to pull your collar up a little closer to your neck an maybe Purell your eyeballs. Sorry, Ari, I’m just not that into you. It’s not me, it’s you. It’s your hair. And that weirdo half-smile like you didn’t know it was time to take a photo even though you’re staring RIGHT INTO THE BELLY OF A CAMERA! And the fact that I didn’t like you 5 years ago when you were vying for dum dum Emily (whom I also did not like) and she surprised dumped you and she was all like, “I don’t know! It’s so hard to choose between two sketchy weirdos but I think the other guy has rich parents and maybe even a real job” and you were all like, “yeah, no, totally cool. Don’t explain. I’ll be the Bachelor 4 3/4 years after everyone forgets about me. Later!” But I wish she picked you and you lived happily ever after so we weren’t stuck looking at your hair and hearing about how you’re a race car driver (like that’s a THING!) for the next 16 weeks. Also, Ryder from the Paw Patrol called and wants his hair style back! Look, Ari! He too is a race car driver! Maybe we’ll see him as the Bachelor in 2037! Also, I’m kind of bitter just like the rest of Bachelor Nation. Did you not watch the last season of The Bachelorette?! Everyone worth their spray tan, gel manicures, and sew-in hair extensions (and hello! That is ALL OF US!) know Peter should have been the next Bachelor! I mean come on! A nice mid-west boy, sweet family, can hang with a baby on a kitchen floor, and might be the most beautiful man in the world NEXT TO MY HUSBAND OF COURSE! But seriously, did we all not love Peter? Like love him so much we kind of wanted to yell BACK OFF, HO every time Rachel pulled him aside for a little one on one time? And sure, maybe Mike Fleiss and every producer who has ever manipulated a grown-ass adult into crying in the back of a limo hated the fact that darling Peter couldn’t, wouldn’t propose to a woman he met SIX WEEKS AGO because, “this shit is cray!” (I’m paraphrasing, but that’s basically what he said) even though he really liked her and was totally willing to, you know, date her in the real world and see if they could fall in love without the Northern Lights and helicopters and maintaining a steady buzz for 63 days straight. But God dammit, Rachel. You were NOT leaving this show without a proposal. This was not a reality show so much as a game show. You would take home the prize and maybe a fancy Bosch dishwasher and trip to Sedona. You were getting your ring! One that promised marriage! And babies! And would make your father come out of hiding and show his sad, embarrassed face on national TV! So you went with the sure thing– the creepy, hairy Miami dude even though your family was skeeved out by him and HE DID NOT GET ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR WITH A BABY! Bryan’s all like, “Uhhhhhh I love you so much! I’ve loved you in all my past lives! I’m gonna propose to you as soon as I get out of the limo!” Rachel, you cried your fake eyelashes right off your face when Peter said he wasn’t 100% sure he could propose the NEXT DAY! I didn’t even know that was possible, but there they were right on the floor of his hotel room like caterpillars murdered by mascara. Clearly you were into the guy! Like waaaaaaaay in! But whatevs. That’s cool. 13 minutes later you’re on a mountaintop saying yes to Miami Lice when he got down on one knee with a tacky Neil Lane sparkler. Even Neil Lane was all like “Whoa! This guy? Not the super hot trainer dude?” So yeah, even though we all wanted Peter (but secretly not really because it’s just better for all of us if the guy stays single) you cannot call bullshit on a show’s entire premise and get to be the next star of said bullshitty show. That’s showbiz! Okay, fine! I’ll watch this season, but only because I have friends who watch it too and I don’t want to let them down. Also FOMO. But I’m not dedicating my life, my life, to recapping the season. Unless I feel like it. But that’s unlikely. But it could happen. You never know.

MAINSTREAM METHOD The Mainstream Method must be utilized if: You broke up and you still don't understand how to correctly white escorts backpage Salem OR the Sport( NATURAL DATING FOR ATTRACTING WOMEN: The real men's playbook to master the art of attraction, attract women without stupid pick up artist self and seduce every e-backpage escorts Beaverton of girl becoming the man you desire) . The way to do it afterward? Assume that you are likely to not answer. I am sorry to tell you, you might be Brad Beaverton call prostitutes together with the civilization of Umberto Eco along with all the performances of Rocco Siffredi, but it's possible, indeed quite probably, you won't answer. It is time to eliminate the layers of shame and fear surrounding this part of ourselves and begin expressing ourselves how nature intended. It's time to start allowing the women know they could feel comfortable sharing their sexuality with you by having the courage to relish your own. I have backpage escorts the tools to you- - it's time for you to take the steps ahead. - Do not be gullible. If your date is telling you a hard- luck story and hinting or requesting cash. . . Leave. Right away. They're scamming you. Don't be duped by it. It is because they have told the story to a lot of other people, Should they backpage tranny escorts tumblr Beaverton OR convincing and sincere. Be careful about how you brag. Arrogance is not liked by anybody. Instead of bragging about your skills or accomplishments use someone else's opinion. For example, instead of, " I have good massage hands" state: " I have been told I've sweet healing hands that melt tension and hot hearts. " Use comedy( possibly self- deprecating) or focus on unique, cute or humorous things. For example: Instead of" I have a Ph. D. from Harvard" state: " My mother really cracked the whip for a child and thank god she did, since I somehow ended up graduating Suma Cum Lade at Beaverton OR backpage escorts billings. Last, don't brag about something you can't back up, it is going to return to haunt you! Profile All- Stars Now let's turn the table on those blunders with a few profile All- Stars, which convince her to respond in a hurry. That the girls in question at the scenarios didn't have any feelings of Attraction towards YOU! You were being the wonderful guy, the pleaser with actions and obvious wussy beaviour routines! Chances are you thought that by being nice and by being eager to please you'd acquire afew'brownie points'. 1reason is because the bot can respond to email quickly. Most men and women get excited when they get a fast answer and they will rush to open the email. So quit acting like her buddy. Problem solved. When you meet with a woman, you can be fine, but you can not act like her buddy. She must know that you need her in a sexual way and you cannot convey that if you are acting like a buddy. Case Study- - " Mr Y" Last week we spoke with Mr Y about his hope of winning over a lady that currently has a boyfriend. This week, allow's turn it and discuss what it resembles to be the individual that Beaverton Oregon michael hookers field lose their companion. They may dress or act out sexually as a way to get approval from the others and fill up their casual sex mdd. They may find achievement or status( becoming someone to commit to them, gaining attention from certain people they think are far more desirable, etc. ) . I ran in my niece and her husband, and again introduced Dave as my" Internet French version" date. He knew his lineup, and we abandoned my relatives, who laughed with delight. We rode the Sky Glider and casual sex database all of the sights from the air. We wandered some more, eventually sitting down beneath a tree's shade. Then I sink deeper into my teen casual sex porno of despond and switch my cell phone off. I can drive myself mad asking, " Can he still grieving for his wife? Is he babysitting his cousin? " It seems like it. Early you have to behave in a manner that puts you onto the online dating guestbook Badger ladder. If you want to be if you want sex to be part of the relationship, and in a relationship with that girl, you need to behave like it from the outset. I started with an incantation once I awakened, then I would move to do a lot of tasks on my backpage escorts- off. Every time someone seemed appreciative of me or responded with a smile to me, I would mark experiences that theincantation'd worked, whereas any type of negative feedback I would immediately discard. Sophisticated and mind- boggling stuff for men! That most men have no clue about what is currently occurring and Men generally assume that once they have theproper'pickup lines', and the tools'( great clothing, fast cars, etc. ) , thenthey're'good togo'. You can always use a online dating apps tips phone, if the Avoiding Scams segment has made you a bit paranoid. This is a way to help maintain your privacy while choosing whether to Beaverton OR what replaced backpage escorts out on that date. Or perhaps ifyou're blessed and open minded, you can literally feel your heart and gut churn with excitement as you comprehend the groundbreaking changes which will happen in your life during the next few weeks and the way this will trickle to the fabric of your daily life indefinitely. Dom pushed down the sheet off his chest. " I'll probably have some prawns with the household. " Individuals to connect us are actively hunted down by my dad, when I spend time with my family. " You have friends? " He will ask my brother and I. " Bring them to the BBQ! " " Who is that man coming out of the supermarket? Tell him to come over for lunch. " We go to the shore and Dad has no curiosity about seagulls. Remember your initial text to her is all about concerning the direction that your togetherness will require. This text can allow you to succeed if you do it the wrong way, it'll be the end of the road for this relationship. If you are a parent who's currently embarking on the rebuilding journey, we advise that you learn how to look after yourself and work throughout the adjustment procedure. You will find that your children will tend to adjust as a result. The nicest thing you can do for your children is get your act together. Kids have a tendency to get hung up on exactly the rebuilding blocks as their parents, so by making yourself progress, you'll be helping your children. On the flip side, you have no idea how guys are this day and age for a woman who shows up in Beaverton Oregon backpage escorts legal and keeps her word. Because he admits that you respect him, his respect for you goes up tenfold. And that's a set up for a relationship. Wanting everything other people have that holds value is another trait of this narcissist. They'll manipulate people to gain even, or information, online dating babes slut Beaverton Oregon, understanding, power rankings. When they have what others have, they feel powerful. What are a tai hookers of the weirdest things your Flame does to mask the strength of their love? Even though he states that he feels uncomfortable, he does not let go of me. He keeps lingering in the backdrop of my entire life- - he is spying on me. He advised a friend of his to come with me. I wonder what he is plotting. The actual substance of intimacy is routine, day- to- day interaction. That's when you figure out that he squeezes the toothpaste tube she leaves the bathroom a mess, he lets the bin overfill- - and you casual sex ad posting each other. Each time you find each other is like Christmas ifyou're in a relationship. You do not have a chance to get bored by every other sinceyou're too busy making googly eyes at each other and having sex or learn about your movie preferences that are incompatible. You must always use a condom. If a condom rips or has gone lost, do a washing machine and visit a hospital as close in time as you can, for instance, into the Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok. You may have a so- called post- exposure prophylaxis( PEP) composed within the initial hours, which makes a HIV transmission improbable. This therapy must be started just a few hours. The less effective a PEP, the afterwards. While attraction is important for a relationship, it is not everything. Try to have an open mind. Physical attraction is something that may be developed over time when it isn't there immediately. Let someone's controversies of dating apps hotness be a backpage escorts, not a requirement. I know that it may feel like there is a large barrier to perform one of these things- - approaching a woman through the day or getting started for example. However, as a pretty powerful guy I research on online dating used to say. . . Self- confidence is the way to avoid doubt and insecurity. Since it makes one Beaverton OR female nude fuck buddy frustrated and bad, doubt is a seducer. Yet girls usually ant to be exposed to masculinity and a man who does not seem sure becomes subjected to the girl. This increases up a female's immunity and the girl becomes complicated to a level that the man can't manage. A man must come out as somebody who can currently trending dating apps issues with his skills and who is in charge of things in life. The word" gloomy" gets the mind excited as well as the mind smiles and rings a bell for many of his boys to be on the alert for a naughty adventure. Who are these boys? They are the blood vessels, the floor, the blood, spermatozoa, veins, and other fluids in the body. The naughtier without controlling it, the faster it pushes off the mode that is sympathetic and the mode, the brain enjoys the stimulation begins taking over. Always keep in mind that in the event you do the ideal thing, it is not great to do, but it will also help make sure that matters do not come back and bite you in the butt. What goes around comes around, so protect yourself. Besides, you have a conscience- - or at least you should- - so just make sure you use it. That's what it's there for. When speaking to other ladies, it seems the season that is the most vicious is the" single season" . For whatever reason it comes around that in the event thatyou're among those that are at the department that is single; you ultimately have this curse that's currently hanging over your head that just prince magical can break. What every victim of abuse that is narcissistic and each should know is that while it may seem like the narcissist is self explanatory, they have no self- esteem in any way. Somewhere deep down what are dating apps Beaverton, they believe that they are the worst people on earth. They do. When you start to understand this, it may help retrieval to move more quickly. So firstly, I wish to message minimize time spent on these apps and online dating sites with and the women I would like to have a conversation. How do you do that? Well it'snot'using magical words' or any crap like that. It is your profile. Your profile is king. The way you present yourself and obviously how you conduct yourself maintaining the messages driving and fresh to getting her number and arranging the first date.

Vital Pieces of Find Woman Online The exact first fear as soon as it comes to dating online is spending your money. Hence, the simplest technique is to try out online dating sites in Ukraine and Italy. Therefore , if you would like to locate an excellent internet dating location you ought to think in advance plus determine yourself the degree of functionality you have to genuinely feel comfortable inside https://brightbrides.org/mail-order-brides-reviews/match-truly communication. Yes, there’s lots of con online, many people don’t have online dating significantly, and a few individuals are even judgmental about it. Possibly be an fascinating man If you want to locate a Ukrainian woman, you need to be a good intriguing individual and meet her notion of an actual man. Ukrainian women want to get some sort of life-partner that will manage these people and share their views. They feature men something that other women simply cannot, and perhaps they are often referred to as an alternative breed of ladies that a wide variety of guys around the world enjoy. If you’re about to date the Ukrainian lady, there’s nothing to become concerned about. Ukrainian women constantly observe their specific males plus anticipate their own specific males which will make decision that’s critical their particular interactions. They will know how to jump on men. They generally come from big families having multiple years where every person takes care of the folks around them. Adult dating women along with kids can be hard. If you wish to particular date an American indian woman, out of any peuple, be ready to never just satisfy her fathers and mothers but to meet her entire family. Russian ladies dwell in the greatest country on earth and they have a very rich tradition and heritage. On our online dating site certainly come across countless numbers Russian girls seeking adult males to get married to. Obviously if you’d like to meet the the best option sort of person in Thailand you will need to stop the entire club scene and turn into familiar with the country, and its beautiful ladies, a small bit more thoroughly. Other ladies were definitely searching for a young and stimulating partner and even wished to depart Ukraine, nonetheless spent hrs chatting with aged men so that you can earn money. Everyone knows that women you will find not merely skilled but gorgeous too. For example, your woman can easily refuse to lay on cold area. Though just about any woman is normally gorgeous, it is still possible to apply filters to achieve the list of very best matches. Ruskies women are exceedingly considerate in addition to understand that each and every relationship needs a lot of focus and honor. Single Russian women who looking to get a life partner with the aid of intercontinental dating sites are occasionally perceived as these were simply seeking money or possibly a passport for some other nation. Inspired by stories involving successful overseas marriages, adult men began to look for beauties from several locations. Consequently, many men that are conned seldom produce another effort and thus still live their particular lonely lives and never get the happiness they will deserve. It’s actual hard for that Ukrainian gal to work out a person who’s readily available, that’s the reason why they need to broaden their search on the web. Any kind of man with a good heart having attempting to locate a superior gal to make his / her wife might have the exact same success that we enjoy.

Lahore Escorts Agency Get ready for an unforgettable experience in a bed with Escorts in Lahore. Turn on your sexual mood without any sexual arousal because Escorts in Lahore Service is here with their beautiful call girls. After searching for many girls across the state or for so long, we met the most high-class Lahore call girls who are very professional with their jobs and duties. Enjoying our overseas Escorts in Lahore will be a truly miraculous sight for you. They will turn a dull table into an entertaining table with their romantic consciousness in a second. This is going to be a great opportunity for all the men to go on dates with such gorgeous and sexy women in Escorts in Lahore Service. |Lahore Call Girls||Contact Details| Independent Escorts in Lahore Looking for a young woman full of lust like our Independent Escorts in Lahore We have the high status and profile of Lahore Call Girl which is the most interesting thing about them. Their status and standard are so high that men often lose all their control. They are so naughty and brave that they can’t cope with the monotony for even a second. So stop thinking about unnecessary things and engage in our exotic Lahore Escorts. You will appreciate our call girls once you feel their lustful attitude and romantic attitude. We say for sure that once you choose our call girls, you will never look for any other escort service in Lahore. Whether you want to have sex very early in the morning or go for a romantic ride in the middle of the night, our Lahore Escorts service will help you any time of the day and will not disappoint you at any time. So call us and get the most exciting experience of your life right now. Interested in going out in a dark room with a professional Call Girl in Lahore. Due to the experience of the last many years, our call girls never fail to give complete satisfaction to the clients. Their soul and dedicated to their profession. And that’s why they never leave clients any choice to be disappointed with their service. So, whether you want to try our independent Call Girls in Lahore in bed or you want to hang out with them on the beach site with drinks or go to a bar with a sexy and alluring woman, our Call Girls in Lahore is adept at everything. So don’t waste your time ore and make this best decision to choose Call Girls in Lahore Service for your fun and entertainment. With the power to blow the mind, getting Call Girls in Lahore is very effective and sexy. Our Lahore Call Girls are very well trained by professionals and our clients have been interviewed many times. Many of our clients have reviewed the services provided by them by our Lahore Call Girls services. They never fail to appreciate our beautiful escorts. They always say that they have got the best experience of all time with Lahore Call Girls. It’s the power of our extraordinary Call Girls. They are very professional and ethical. They have a curiosity that makes them very excited. These are full of encouragement and stimulation, which will surely increase your desire and strength. Their seductive touch tends to take your sexual ability to the next level. It is certain that once you see the sexy figure of our Lahore Call Girls, you will forget all your limitations. You must lose all your control and jump on our escorts. Who are the Escort in Lahore? Can’t believe Escorts in Lahore’s mind-blowing collection. It is 100% sure that you will always come close to our baby dolls. This is going to be the most favorable decision of your life that you want to make now and then. Our escorts also have enough capabilities that can. give you complete satisfaction and make all your dreams come true. They know what a person needs and so they concentrate very well on their actions. Our escorts can turn an annoying table into two adventures through their romantic conversation and a naughty attitude. In their attitude, they have that adventure that is missing from your life. So what are you worried about? Everything is arranged with our escort. It’s just that you need to take the final call. Our beautiful girls are ready with their glamorous outfits and high-profile makeup. They are waiting for your call. Well, a perfect night just a call away from you. So don’t think about this ad anymore and make this decision to meet our independent Escorts in Lahore. These are some of the things you need to know about Escorts in Lahore. At our agency, every girl knows how to satisfy the hunger of their customers and this is what makes our agency. We respect every Lahore Call Girl equally we appreciate our customers. When there is a feeling as a bachelor party, we offer most escorts for an unlimited time to make sure you can have the most fun. But, we additionally provide male escorts if the girl’s consultant celebrates. An unforgettable date, girlfriend experience, you didn’t feel much better going for a hook-up with the call girls of Lahore. Amazing women’s service is available at affordable prices for customers. Escorts in Lahore is expert and professional in meeting clients in different areas. It stays in your memory even when you invest with all the sexy kids. Horny women know their jobs well and provide valuable exciting events for your life. The Best Spots to Get Some Escorts in Lahore Don’t worry about your budget while getting high-profile VIP Escorts Lahore . It is our record to provide efficient service to our clients and therefore, we never fail in this. They know what they have to do and have been rewarded very well about the needs and aspirations of men. Therefore, there is no chance of being disappointed. You must take our Lahore Call Girl to feel something extra simple at a reasonable price. Yes, not only deep service, but we also want to provide budget-friendly service to our customers. Well, you heard right. Now, your budget is not going to be constrained when choosing escort services. Increase your strength and our escort will take your sexual energy to the next level. Spend the best time of your life with our glamorous and hot call girls and fill your life with joy. Get the ultimate pleasure when choosing our escort services. Our independent Lahore Escorts service is also very trained and knows all their responsibilities and services very well. After looking for girls across the state, we found the most adorable women who are very professional with their work. This is one of the most common questions asked by these clients. We’ve even said before that dollars can be a secondary issue, but our main goal is to get our clients full, and that’s why we’ve got budget-friendly Lahore Escorts. Lahore Escorts Service If you want to inspect the selling price of Lahore Escorts, you will be able to find escorts divided into a specific group of prices at our agency. You can choose any escort according to your budget. You can even spend an escort for any occasion trip which may cost a bit more. We know the safety of clients is paramount, and thus we keep every personal information of these customers safe and healthy. So, there is nothing to worry about in terms of security. Your documentation and personal information come in safe hands. Lahore Escorts get a chance to broaden your life. The main explanation is that they have become smarter, smarter, and prettier and can make you feel good with the things you want them to do. Escorts are the ideal means of entertainment in Pakistan, especially when traveling to Lahore. To satisfy the experience, it is essential to look for escort services on the internet before hiring you. But it is compulsory to learn some important things before hiring a Lahore Escorts. Call Girls in Lahore : Experience a side of Lahore like never before Hire Call Girls in Lahore and get rid of all the worries of the day. In Lahore, Pakistan, an exceptional architectural value is included. Thanks to some projects where many famous architects worked – under his supervision Lahore became one of the most attractive cities in Pakistan and with additional cultural value. It has beautiful structures, common spaces, and private property that has been carefully constructed and designed has been completely rebuilt to transform the city and open the distance for tourism. Our Outcalls Call Girls in Lahore Service offers multiple options for client satisfaction or reward. When asking for any service with this category or feature, solitude is guaranteed by both the escort and the applicant. The curious party must ask her exactly what she wants and let herself be carried away by the joy of a merry and heated girl’s business. At the outset, we make sure that the alluring Call Girls in Lahore each provide stunning services that satisfy you. Few women dedicate themselves to great service; Girls don’t feel forbidden. The call girl of Lahore does not escape due to superstition. However, they do not cross the barrier of praise, informality, or contempt; They have been girls who believe in their full potential, they have convinced themselves, and are involved in every kind of experience. Gentlemen envy Lahore and desire Lahore Call Girl whose therapy is equally unique to them. Therefore, we make sure that prostitutes can offer an acceptable level of culture to get every relationship. Lahore Call Girl provides personal care as per your choice: passionate kissing, girlfriend-type attention. High Profile Call Girls in Lahore for Night You can call one of those options and contact the sexy and youthful Call Girls in Lahore. In our list, you can also announce a horny girl who wants to do an adventure, let’s mention a couple who need a trio service call or WhatsApp. You can’t even imagine what a hot Call Girls in Lahore service would make you feel if it was alluring and bizarre. Young girls are very active and enthusiastic, but older girls also have unique adventures and wisdom. They won’t miss the chance to meet them. Soon people will travel again; Visitors will come to Lahore soon. Using their arrival, we will think that everything is active and joy is found on our steps; Amazing people, you can finally get everything you are looking for, flirt with a sweet girl, see a great blonde, meet a hot and partying call girl. If you want to change your taste and want a high profile top model, here Lahore version of call girls is famous for this work and it is a great experience that loves the greatest sensual and makes your evening memorable. You will get numerous pictures from the independent version escort in Lahore and your daughter will get enough appreciation. Sex services by the best Lahore Call Girls So you have the desire to hire a congratulatory! You will find many reasons to hire someone you currently have in mind and are now looking to contact someone. Here are some ideas for having a good time with Lahore Call Girls. Things to know as the day goes on. When you feel the hunger for sex is awakened. With the extreme intensity in your body and you want to feel the most pleasant sensations, do not think twice and see the full supply of our Lahore Call Girls Service. On our site, you have a wide assortment of ads for your convenience, together with full sexual services available from very independent and beautiful independent girls. Our Lahore Call Girls will be available 24 hours a day, which will not wait to remember your every order. You can have a great time having sex for all the services that can promise to reach sexual arousal Accurately, turn all your fantasies into reality with the complexity of Hottest Independent Lahore Call Girls. Discover what the most persuasive whore can do; Ideal sex, enjoyment, and lust will not wait for you during the endless relationship they are going to provide you. The excellent treatment they give you will make you feel exceptional; In addition, it will give you confidence and ideal sex with the highest sacrifice. Renting the services of Lahore Call Girls together and having fun with them. Lahore Call Girls Service Our Lahore Call Girls is very intimate and sexy. They can provide innumerable services from among them for many pleasures. When you are with the right spouse, each other’s dates and adults are happier at night. This is where finding an attractive partner becomes very important. Periodically, the Lahore Call Girls Service has the best and hottest women in entertainment services. In addition to Lahore Call Girls, they can offer overseas LahoreCall Girls, Lahore Escorts, and other places in Pakistan. Use this trusted service to find your dream companion in the joy of your holiday season. Lahore Call Girls can only be a symbol of professionalism and quality of service. The service is trusted by businessmen, VIPs, and gentlemen who are looking for female partners. Without the beautiful Lahore Call Girls, company parties, intimate and adult dates could not be complete. They have become an integral part of stunning adult and romantic bliss. In addition, Lahore Call Girls are ideal to get companions and sensual services. Qualified and attractive women do not compromise with the needs of clients. Their presence is bound to give 100% joy and satisfaction. Do not neglect to use the famous escort service in Lahore to spend your holidays online.

Yes, you have come to the right place if you are a woman and looking forward to beginning a business of your own. It is seen that numerous women wish to launch their business ventures but don’t get perfect business ideas to start with. Here in this piece of blog, we will explore some profitable business ideas for women that can be begun with low capital investment by taking out small business loans for women. Launching your own business has lots of risks. Maximum Indian women are handling their household tasks while nurturing their dream of becoming an entrepreneur. These aspiring female entrepreneurs struggle a lot when it comes to selecting an ideal business idea. Some ideas turn out to be sketchy, some uncertain whereas some are really fanciful to be applied. But you should not give up your dreams at all. There are many economical small business ideas for Indian women, which are favorable to start and help them develop their business over time. It’s time to stretch your wings and take a look at our top 5 picks of successful business ideas for women in India: Business Ideas For Women In India 1. Open Your Online Boutique Weave magic and sew wonders into your passion for colours, fabrics, and fashion. Launch your business online and connect with a wide range of clients through different social media sites. 2. Launch Your Cosmetics Brand These days, herbal cosmetics and beauty products are highly popular. You can create your own formulas with natural products, spices, herbs, and fruits. You can launch your own perfumery. It’s easy and not costly. You can provide your fragrances with a different brand. Mixing up concentrates and fragrant oils is easy. You can do it with some basic measures and equipment. Learn some tactics from a perfumer. 3. Become A Wedding Photographer Indian weddings are really visually colorful and delightful events. In case you are talented and have a passion for bringing it to life in images, you can become a wedding photographer. You just need a good camera to start off. If you don’t have enough funds to buy a good camera, take out small business loans for women from an alternative lender like Indifi. 4. Provide Day Care Services The trend for opening crèche and day-care is certainly one of the best small business ideas for women in India. Working mothers always search for day-care facilities for their kids that offer them a home-like feel. Women can easily begin this business with a small space in their houses. Decor the area with toys for the kids and change it easily to a play zone for toddlers. Lots of love for kids and an eye for observation are everything you require for converting this business idea for women into an accomplished one. 5. Start A Bakery Business It covers a wide number of client base alongside amazing business scopes for a female entrepreneur who has a passion for making food products. You can begin this business directly from your house. For starting this business, you require little equipment, some know-how, and a small investment. Choose what type of bakery your wish to sell; for instance – cupcake, biscuits, cake, bread, etc. Introduce your business on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc. Business Loans For Women Entrepreneurs When it comes to borrowing business loans for women entrepreneurs, there are some gray areas for sure. Nevertheless, traditional lenders like banks usually hesitate to lend women who want to run a small business from their home. In that case, if you don’t have adequate money for promoting your business venture, you may approach the FinTech lenders like Indifi. Financial empowerment is the primary objective of these digital lenders. So, this is high time to stay in touch with us to take out business loans for women in India!

Kevin James stars as a teacher at a high school facing cuts to all its extracurricular activities, who takes it upon himself to raise money by taking up MMA fighting. Opens Oct. 12. "Warrior," starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as estranged brothers on a collision course in an MMA tournament, was one of the great overlooked gems of 2011. Though its box office take was meager, it was affecting enough to have spawned Kevin James next film. "Here Comes the Boom" stars James as a teacher at a high school facing massive budget cuts. So James vows to raise the money necessary to save the music program, and eventually decides that pro MMA fighting is his best way to do that. In "Warrior," Edgerton's character is a high school teacher with an upside-down mortgage who returns to his MMA roots, fighting in bouts staged in parking lots to make $500 a night. One can easily imagine James and Adam Sandler watching the film at home and thinking, "Wouldn't it be funny if he was a fat guy?" And because this is a Kevin James joint, you know his love interest is woman who would be wayyyyyyy out of his league. This film's lucky winner is Salma Hayek, who follows in the footsteps of Amber Valetta, Maria Bello, Winona Ryder, Rosario Dawson and Leslie Bibb. The tone of the "Boom" trailer is weirdly serio-comic, giving the sense that it's striving for some sort of uplifting message. We'll know for sure when the film opens Oct. 12. If nothing else, maybe "Boom" will nudge a few more folks toward "Warrior."

David C. Farmer, Successor-Trustee vs. Harmon (Formerly Woo vs. Harmon & Nicholson vs. Harmon) CV05-00030 DAE KSC U.S. District Court For the District of Hawaii Judges: David A. Ezra; Kevin S. Chang JAMES R. “DUKE” AIONA, JR. Hawaii Lt. Governor; graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii; appointed to the state judiciary in 1990; served as a District Family Court judge, Civil Division of the First Circuit Court on Oahu, and the Hawaii Drug Court; retired from the bench in 1998 and worked as a time as a legal consultant, arbitrator, mediator, and hearings officer for government agencies; elected as Lt. Governor of Hawaii in 2002; a Maryknoll School board member from 1995 to 1998. Honorable Lt. Governor James R. Aiona Jr. Executive Chambers, Hawaii State Capitol Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Phone: (808) 586-0255 FAX: (808) 586-0231 ~ ~ ~ NEW DISCOVERY - December 17, 2007: June 27, 2007 Out of the Shadows, Into the Spotlight Gov. Lingle’s Chief of Staff Bob Awana Is the Victim of a Blackmail Scheme and Under Investigation for Alleged Bribery in Saipan, But So Far He's Kept His Job By Malia Zimmerman, Hawaii Reporter Gov. Linda Lingle’s chief of staff Robert “Bob” Awana has come under fire in recent weeks for his connection to two so far unrelated federal crimes – one allegedly involving blackmail, and the other, bribery. In one he is the victim; and the other, a person of interest. Combined, both crimes, which are being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, involve people in Hawaii as well as other Pacific Rim countries: Japan, the Philippines, India and Saipan. Despite concerns by many Republicans about Awana’s intentions and propensity to put politics over principal, the former Democratic political strategist and waste management consultant is considered Lingle’s closest confidant. He managed her failed 1998 gubernatorial campaign, but ran her successful 2002 gubernatorial effort, securing in a state dominated by Democrats, the election of Hawaii’s first woman governor and first Republican governor in 4 decades. Since then, Lingle has afforded Awana tremendous power. He has the most influence over the hiring and firing of the governor’s appointees and has been accused of micromanagement; and reportedly keeps a color-coded enemies list with names of those perceived disloyal to the governor. Most alarming to Republicans, in a 2006 backroom multi-billion deal with Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Awana brokered the passage of a controversial bill that allowed Hannemann and the Honolulu City Council to hike the state General Excise Tax by 12.5 percent – a record tax increase for the state – even though Lingle pledged 72 hours earlier to veto the measure. Though he’s usually by the governor’s side, on Monday, June 25, 2007, in a press conference at the governor’s office, Awana was uncharacteristically absent. Lingle refused to comment on either investigation. She told inquiring reporters that Awana’s employment status with her office had not changed – he is still her chief of staff. But she would not answer questions posed by KITV’s Darryl Huff as to whether she still had “faith and confidence’ in Awana. The governor tried to put off the question by claiming she’d just returned from an extended trip to Asia, and had not spoken to Awana. But Huff pointed out that just days earlier, Awana spoke to KITV and admitted that in 2005, he met with the governor about the bribery attempt. In an interview with Hawaii Reporter on Monday, Awana refused to comment further about either case, except to reiterate what he told other reporters: He is a “victim” of a crime, and because both investigations are ongoing, he won’t speak about them. "Threat to Injure the Property and Reputation of R.A." Rajdatta Patkar, an Indian national, was indicted by a federal grand jury more than a year ago on April 27, 2006, on 5 counts for “threatening to injure the property and reputation” of “R.A.” (Robert Awana). Court records say the “five communications sent by the defendant (on September 5, 11, 15, 18, and 26, 2005) formed the basis of the 5-count extortion.” Since the matter involved an extradition proceeding, the indictment was sealed until the defendant was located in Japan where he lives. There, Patkar was arrested in March 2007, and despite his opposition, he was extradited to Hawaii. Indian newspapers first reported that Patkar’s family petitioned the Indian High Court and Indian Supreme Court through their attorney in hopes of bringing Patkar back to India, but those attempts failed. Stuck in Hawaii, he pled “not guilty” to the charges, but the judge ordered him detained in federal prison until his trial. While the trial is scheduled to start August 21, 2007, it won’t. Public defender Pamela Byrne has asked for more time to review the materials and mount her client’s defense. In Hawaii, the bribery case received no media coverage until this month, in part because of the sealed records. In addition, Awana was not named – in all court records he is only referred to as “R.A.” Federal prosecutors say keeping Awana’s name a secret is standard procedure: “All cases involving victims, irrespective of whether they are high profile members of the community, the United States is obligated under the Crime Victim Rights Act to treat victims with fairness and respect for the victims’ privacy. Accordingly, it is generally incumbent upon the prosecution to abbreviate or eliminate the names of victims in all documents that may become public …,” writes U.S. Deputy Attorney Clare Connors. Despite the federal government’s discretion, Awana’s name became public after Indian newspapers reported Patkar’s arrest, indictment, extradition to the United States and incarceration in Hawaii. So What’s Behind the Alleged Bribery Scheme? According to court documents, Patkar attempted to extort $35,000 from Awana on threat of exposing Awana’s purported “unseemly emails” that if published would “subject the victim’s reputation to unfavorable scrutiny.” Sources close to the case say that Patkar threatened to expose the married Awana for his relationship with Jullie Mae – a student Awana allegedly met in 2005 while in the Philippines. Awana purportedly saw Mae when he represented the governor in a large delegation that went to the Philippines in 2005; Awana went again to the Philippines in 2006 with the governor’s more than 200-member delegation. Mae, who became acquainted with Patkar through the Internet, reportedly has a web profile posted on the Chinese Kisses international dating service – http://www.chinesekisses.com/view.php?id=69357&l=en Here Mae is listed as an 18-year-old unemployed student living in Davao, Philippines. If her age is accurately posted, she was a minor when Awana allegedly met her more than two years ago, a fact some law enforcement looking into the matter say could be problematic for Awana in the future. Complicating the alleged blackmail attempt is reported correspondence between Awana and Mae that asks Mae to arrange escorts for two prominent married men from Hawaii. Maui Time Weekly’s Greg Mebele interviewed Charudatta Patkar, the brother of Patkar. In a June 14 interview, he writes when “Awana and other state officials visited the Philippines, Charudatta said Mae was expected to ‘entertain his delegates.’ When I asked if this included sexual entertainment, Charudatta said, ‘Yes.’ “ Details on the case are sketchy because portions of the court records containing the emails that Patkar sent to Awana and Awana sent to Mae are sealed. Patkar, who is still incarcerated, has not been allowed to speak to the media. His federal public defender, Pamela Byrne, filed a petition on June 12, 2007, asking the federal court to “clarify whether the defendant and undersigned counsel are restricted from disseminating and/or discussing information concerning this case with anyone else.” Byrne says the grounds for her motion are that “the government has requested that the counsel and defendant sign a proposed order in which the name of the alleged victim and certain details of the instant offense are not revealed unless and until there is a trial on the merits.” Her motion will be heard this Friday, June 29, at 10 a.m. before Federal Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi. Byrne has not returned calls to Hawaii Reporter about this case, or, according to her own sworn statement, any media. Federal officials also are not commenting. Awana told reporters that he went to U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo after being blackmailed by Patkar, and Kubo referred the case to the FBI. Awana said that he worked with the FBI to catch Patkar in the act by telling Patkar to charge $4,000 to his credit card as a first payment of the $35,000 that Patkar demanded. But the credit card wasn’t Awana’s – it belonged to the FBI. The whole transaction was a sting, and Patkar, according to court records, took the money. Awana Investigated in Alleged Bribery Incident in Saipan In addition to being the subject of a blackmail attempt, Awana is being questioned by FBI officials about an alleged bribery attempt of the former Republican governor of Saipan. Law enforcement sources confirm Awana has been under investigation – and was interviewed by FBI agents in 2006 – over a $1 million Saipan government contract awarded four years earlier to a Saipan waste management company, which Awana owns a large percentage of. Awana told The Honolulu Advertiser last week that he did not bribe government officials in Saipan. When asked by Hawaii Reporter about the investigation, Awana maintained his innocence. He says he had not hired a criminal attorney to represent him and says that he is cooperating with federal authorities in both cases. Political Pundits Speculate on Impact on 2010 Gubernatorial Election In light of Awana’s close political ties to both Lingle and Lt. Governor James “Duke” Aiona, political pundits are already debating how these federal investigations, possible subsequent trials, and the information revealed through them, might impact Hawaii’s 2010 elections. They note the Lingle/Aiona administration promised to end corruption in government – and these investigations only hurt that pledge. Aiona has already announced his plans to run for governor on the Republican ticket, but both investigations are placing the Lingle/Aiona administration under tremendous local, national and international scrutiny. And that won’t likely end soon. The Friday hearing before Judge Leslie Kobayashi determining if there is a gag order on Patkar and his attorney, is sure to gain additional media attention on this case - attention that will only drag on with the delay in the August trial. Attorneys tell Hawaii Reporter that if there is a trial in the blackmail case, several of the governor’s prominent Philippine trip sponsors and donors could be called as witnesses. That could have a chilling effect on recruiting private sponsorships for future foreign "good will" trips and on relations with donors for Aiona’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign. Also depending on what is discovered in the blackmail trial, sources say Awana could become the target of a separate but related federal investigation – and in that case, these sponsors and donors may once again be called as witnesses. One source close to the investigation told Hawaii Reporter: “It will only get worse for Awana from here. There is no upside for him.” Reach Malia Zimmerman, editor and president of Hawaii Reporter, via email at mailto:Malia@hawaiireporter.com Hawaii Reporter Story ~ ~ ~ July 21, 2006 ABA mock trial will revisit infamous Massie case Pacific Business News (Honolulu) - by PBN Staff The American Bar Association is dusting off a 75-year-old criminal case from Hawaii to review during its convention in Honolulu next month. As part of the legal profession's requirement for continuing education, the association's General Practice, Solo & Small Firm division will conduct a mock historical criminal trial at the Hawaii Convention Center on Aug. 3. The group will revisit the 1931 case of Thalia Massie, a Navy wife who had accused five Honolulu men of assaulting her after she left a club near the Ala Wai Canal, said Marvin Dang, a Honolulu lawyer who is helping to organize the event. The lurid criminal trial that followed rocked the city and transformed the nature of race relations in Hawaii. This time around, lawyers will avail themselves of high-tech evidence unavailable in the 1930s. Presiding will be Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, a former Circuit Court judge, and lawyers will hear local defense lawyer Howard Luke and prosecutor David Farmer review the trial evidence with modern-day forensic scientists. Then, lawyers will join their colleagues in the audience for a jury deliberation. ~ ~ ~ Lt. Governor James “Duke” Aiona is expected to testify with regard to his business, professional and personal relationships with Linda Lingle; Bob Awana; Robert Kihune; William S. Richardson; Gilbert Tam; Jeffrey Stone; Jared Jossem; Matt Tsukazaki; Robert Katz; Robert Clarke; Edwina Clarke; Hawaiian Electric Company; Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Maui Electric Company; John D. Marshall; Nagle & Marshall; John D. Waihee; Mark J. Bennett; Earl Anzai; Lyn Anzai; Judge Kevin Chang; Judge David Ezra; Judge Barry Kurren; Judge Lloyd King; Judge Samuel King; Judge Robert Faris; Chris Yuen, J.P. Schmidt; Judith Neustadter Fuqua; James Nicholson, David Farmer, and others to be named upon discovery. Zoominfo Profile for Bobby N. Harmon, CPCU Documents, Letters, News Articles and Related Links

XANADU, HOW TO SUCCEED, 101 DALMATIONS et al. Set for Barn Players 2012 Season THE BARN PLAYERS 2012 SEASON OUR 57th CONTINUOUS YEAR! STRIKING 12 A Barn Junior Production January 6 - 15 Music, Lyrics and Book by Brendan Milburn, Rachel Sheinkin & Valerie Vigoda RATED PG THE GIRL WHO WAS PLUGGED IN Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by David Spencer Book by Alan Brennert RATED PG Two one-act musicals...one great evening of entertainment! STRIKING 12 - On New Year's Eve, an over-worked and under-inspired single guy who's had enough of holiday cheer makes a resolution: to stay home and go to bed early. On another New Year's Eve, a continent away-and more than a century earlier-Hans Christian Andersen's Little Match Girl tries unsuccessfully to sell her matches in the snow. The two stories are brought together when a young woman selling special "full-spectrum holiday light bulbs" to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder shows up at the grumpy man's door. Though the man (who probably could use the bulbs) seems to enjoy the young woman's company, he sends her away. It's not until he reads "The Little Match Girl" that he is finally pulled out of his funk. All of this unfolds through a tuneful pop/rock/jazz score that retains the vibrant style of its original performers: the celebrated band, GrooveLily. THE GIRL WHO WAS PLUGGED IN - A homeless bag-lady whose soul is transplanted into the body of a gorgeous female android by a company which manufactures celebrities. The show is a one-act musical containing a curious mix of a science fiction framework around traditional themes - the generation gap, a love triangle and the archetypal conflict between those who have power and those who have none. A Kansas City community theatre premiere for both one-act musicals. HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING February 24 - March 11 Music, Book and Lyrics by Frank Loesser RATED G How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a story about the triumph of The Common man. The hero is a window washer named J. Pierrepont Finch. After Finch happens upon a book entitled 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying', he decides to begin his rise up the corporate ladder. Following the instructions of the book, Finch lands a job in the mailroom at the World Wide Wicket Company. With the help of his handy book, Finch quickly gains promotions and outsmarts his rival, Bud Frump - who also happens to be the boss's nephew. Finch then gains the love of Rosemary, a secretary at the company. In the end, however, after Finch's ad campaign goes awry, the book can no longer help him. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. XANADU April 20 - May 6 Music and Lyrics by Jeff Lynne & John Farrar and Book by Douglas Carter Beane RATED PG Follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time - the first roller disco! (Hey, it's 1980!) But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds. This hilarious, roller skating, musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others set for you, rolls along to the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, and includes, "Magic", "All Over The World", "Suddenly", "I'm Alive", "Evil Woman", "Have You Never Been Mellow" and "Xanadu", to name a few, and is based on the Universal Pictures' cult classic movie of the same title, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. It's hilarity on wheels for adults, children and anyone who has ever wanted to feel inspired, as one of Broadway's master storytellers, Douglas Carter Beane, weaves a moving, electrifying tale of endless fun that will keep you in stitches, while the original, legendary chart-topping tunes lift you out of your seat. You'll want to keep the music in your head, and Xanadu in your heart, forever. A Kansas City community theatre premiere. PRELUDE TO A KISS June 1 - 17 By Craig Lucas RATED PG-13 9 males / 5 females At Peter and Rita's wedding, a mysterious old man insists on kissing the bride. While honeymooning, Peter Gradually realizes that the woman by his side is not his wife. The wedding kiss caused Rita's soul and the old man's to change places. Peter must track down the old man and free his young love's spirit trapped in an aging and diseased body before it's too late. PARALLEL LIVES July 20 - August 5 By Kathy Najimy & Mo Gaffney RATED R In the opening scene, two Supreme Beings plan the beginning of the world with the relish of two slightly sadistic suburban wives decorating a living room. Once they've decided on the color scheme of the races, a little concerned that white people will feel slighted being such a boring color, they create sex and the sexes. Afraid women will have too many advantages, the Beings decide to make childbirth painful and to give men enormous egos as compensation. From this moment, the audience is whisked through the outrageous universe of Kathy and Mo, where talented actresses play men and women struggling through The Common rituals of modern life: teenagers on a date, sisters at their grandmother's funeral, a man and a woman together in a country-western bar. With boundless humor, PARALLEL LIVES reexamines the ongoing quest to find parity and love in a contest handicapped by capricious gods-or in this case, goddesses. DISNEY'S 101 DALMATIANS, KIDS A Barn Kids Production Session 1: June 19 - 21 Session 2: July 24 - 26 Music and Lyrics by Mel Leven, Randy Rogel, Richard Gibbs, BrIan Smith, Martin Lee Fuller & Dan Root Book adaptation and additional lyrics by Marcy Heisler Music adapted and arranged by Bryan Louiselle RATED G In a loving home in the city of London, Dalmatian parents, Pongo and Perdita happily raise their Dalmatian puppies, until the monstrous Cruella De Vil plots to steal them for her new fur coat! Join all the dogs of London, as they daringly rescue the puppies from Cruella and her bumbling henchmen. With a delightfully fun score, lovable characters, and one of the most deliciously evil villains in the Disney canon, this stage adaptation is certain to charm and delight all audiences. And with a highly expandable chorus, the stage could easily be filled with 101 performers to fit the bill! BLOOD BROTHERS September 14 - 30 Music, Book & Lyrics by Willy Russell RATED R Blood Brothers, by the author of the plays Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine, is a haunting rags to riches tragedy of our times. A woman with numerous children to support surrenders one of her new born twins to the childless woman for whom she cleans house. The boys grow up streets apart, never learning the truth. They become firm friends and fall in love with the same girl. One prospers while the other falls on hard times. A narrator warns that a price has to be paid for separating twins. One of the longest running shows in London's West End history (22 years), Blood Brothers is a cautionary tale for the ages. A Kansas City community theatre premiere. CURTAINS November 2 - 18 Music by John Kander Lyrics by Freb Ebb, John Kander & Rupert Holmes Book by Rupert Holmes RATED PG-13 It's the brassy, bright and promising year of 1959. Boston's Colonial Theatre is host to the opening night performance of a new musical. When the leading lady mysteriously dies on stage the entire cast & crew are suspects. Enter a local detective, who just happens to be a musical theatre fan! Curtains is a brash, energetic and hilarious musical comedy, featuring a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb (creators of Kiss of the Spider Woman, Cabaret and Chicago), with a book and additional lyrics by the Tony Award winning writer of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Rupert Holmes. Don't miss this Kansas City community theatre premiere to close out The Barn Players 57th season! THE 5TH ANNUAL 6 X 10: Original Ten-Minute Play Festival December 7 - 9

Kickstarter issued a major mea culpa Friday after a book project on its site, “Above the Game: A Guide to Getting Awesome with Women,” has been slammed as manual for sexually dominating and seducing females. In a blog post titled, “We were wrong,” Kickstarter apologized for not removing the yet-to-be-published book by Ken Hoinsky before the funding deadline and notes what it will do going forward, Newstatesman reports. The post reads, in part: Where does this leave us? First, there is no taking back money from the project or canceling funding after the fact. When the project was funded the backers’ money went directly from them to the creator. We missed the window. Second, the project page has been removed from Kickstarter. The project has no place on our site. For transparency’s sake, a record of the page is cached here. Third, we are prohibiting “seduction guides,” or anything similar, effective immediately. This material encourages misogynistic behavior and is inconsistent with our mission of funding creative works. These things do not belong on Kickstarter. Fourth, today Kickstarter will donate $25,000 to an anti-sexual violence organization called RAINN. It’s an excellent organization that combats exactly the sort of problems our inaction may have encouraged. Hoinsky’s appeal for “Above the Game” drew pledges in excess of $16,000 through Kickstarter, far above the $2,000 the author was looking to raise. But after the Connecticut author’s Reddit articles on his seduction tips were red-flagged by a reader, a digital dustup ensued. Here’s an excerpt from that chapter (bold text part of original document): As stated back in the section on Flirting in Part 5, leading with your body is a very effective form of flirting. It is YOUR JOB, as the man, to lead the interaction. Be playful. Spin her around. Pick her up. Push her away as a tease and then pull her back in. Decide that you’re going to sit in a position where you can rub her leg and back. Physically pick her up and sit her on your lap. Don’t ask for permission. Be dominant. Force her to rebuff your advances. Then there’s this advice: The secret to good kissing is using your body and not just your tongue. Don’t slobber all over her like a dog, but don’t peck her lips over and over either. As with everything, it’s a balance. While you’re doing this, grab her by the hips and pull her into you. Press your groin right into hers. Make her feel your erection. Trust me, this turns women on incredibly. As you might guess, Hoinsky gets more descriptive and graphic as the chapter progresses. But the author does offer a sidebar of sorts to mitigate problems his advice might bring about (again, bold text is part of original document): IMPORTANT NOTE ON RESISTANCE: If at any point a girl wants you to stop, she will let you know. If she says “STOP,” or “GET AWAY FROM ME,” or shoves you away, you know she is not interested. It happens. Stop escalating immediately and say this line: “No problem. I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” Memorize that line. It is your go-to when faced with resistance. Say it genuinely, without presumption. All master seducers are also masters at making women feel comfortable. You’ll be no different. If a woman isn’t comfortable, take a break and try again later. All that matters is that you continue to try to escalate physically until she makes it genuinely clear that it’s not happening. She wants to be desired, but the circumstances need to be right. [...] Of course if you’re really unclear, back off. Better safe than sorry. The New York Daily News reports that much of the initial reaction to these posts was positive: “I think I can really up my game after these last two parts in your series…” one Reddit user commented. “I will say that your sex advice is pretty spot on,” another chimed before obscenely detailing how he’s used it on his girlfriend whom in his words reacted positively to it. According to Hoinsky’s Kickstarter page, he was always “the nice guy, my first three girlfriends cheated and dumped me for the other guy.” So he tried a new approach: Summer 2010. I relocated across the globe for a new job. I was alone in a city of millions. I wondered to myself, “Is there a method to meeting new people? Can it be learned? Can it be taught?” Like many of you, I sought out self-help material. I dug through mountains of books, DVDs, podcasts, blog posts and newsletters in search of the diamonds in the rough. More importantly, I forced myself to go out and test all the theories and tips. I began meticulously documenting my journey on seddit, the “seduction” forum on reddit. It is a support community for men learning to be better with women. Now, on the surface a “seduction” forum screams sleazy pickup lines and douchebags in fuzzy hats. But I was pleased to find out that that’s not the case. At its core, it’s just an online support group for men looking to get better at life. After doing a little research on Hoinsky’s writing, a reader demanded that Kickstarter take down Hoinsky’s page. A petition for the page’s removal has received more than 61,000 signatures to date, according to its originator, DoSomething.org, which characterizes the book as “basically…a how-to guide on sexually assaulting women.” “Some of this material is abhorrent and inconsistent with our values as people and as an organization,” the statement obtained by CNN read. “Based on our current guidelines, however, the material on Reddit did not warrant the irreversible action of canceling the project.” Hoinsky said that his writing is being taken out of context. “The thing that the commenters on social media are leaving out is that the advice was taken from a section in the guide offering advice on what to do AFTER a man has met a cute girl, gotten her phone number, gone on dates, spent time getting to know her, and now are alone behind closed doors fooling around,” he told the Daily News. “If ‘Don’t wait for signs, make the first move’ promotes sexual assault, then ‘Kiss the Girl’ from The Little Mermaid was a song about rape,” he argued. Hoinsky added that he’s received “no fewer than 500 angry messages, some of which included death threats,” since Wednesday, the Daily News said, adding that his name is “unfairly being dragged through the mud by an impulsive mob.” More from the Daily News: Adding to his frustration, he said, is his inability to edit his Kickstarter page with a clear message explaining himself since the fundraising page has ended and closed after reaching its goal. If he could, he says, he’d share that his book contains an entire chapter on sexual assault and rape that preaches to men “what not to do.” “Of course no one has seen those parts yet because the book hasn’t been released yet,” he said. “I realize these are delicate issues, but I ask people to lower their pitchforks until they take the time to hear the full story.”

Title: Sawan Biang (Thai Lakorn) Description: Starring Ken T and Ann T Kristie - April 8, 2008 08:33 PM (GMT) Drama : Sawan Biang | สวรรค์เบี่ยง Year : 2008 Country : Thailand Starring : Ken Theeradeth Wongpuapan, Ann Thongprasom Aired : March 27th, 2008 Ended : May 7th, 2008 Total : 12 Episodes Who's watching Sawan Biang ??? It's so damn addicting !!!!!!! Waiting for epi 4 tmr !!!!!!!!!! Kennnnn so hotttt !!! Ann's acting so awesome !! cecilia - April 8, 2008 09:46 PM (GMT) ^for sure, CHONG's watching it. i watch it here and there .. it was not as crazy as i thought it would impact me. JLR hit me so hard in the chest that i still can't get over that lakorn .. SB is good but didn't hit me hard yet .. i'm still waiting to see if there's any progress that will make me go crazy and hyper about it. LOVE ANN's acting .. btw. I'm also waiting for JAI RAO as well even though Wishy kindda spoil me with the ending .. I think AFF is so pretty and cute with the hair do. She looks cute next to Ken and him as well, look handsome, maybe this JAI RAO will play a big part in me liking him b/c i'm an Addictive AFF fan :lool: Here's the fitting picture for their up coming lakorn together : Credit: pantip cafe ll sexybi rainonme - April 9, 2008 12:19 AM (GMT) LOL^^^ yes Ceci, indeed I am!! kkk KRISTY, we need to spazz about SB!!!*I didn't know you were watching it too!* lol one of the first things I asked Kung today was if she was watching Sawan Bieng!!!lol she said she hasn't been watching it much?haha >>hehe, JLR really took me too, however, there's this thing about KEN&ANN for me. =) I love KAWEE in here! He's soo good, don't forget SMOKIN HOT and Ann, she's soooo awesome in here too! lol >>I even got up just to watch it live! but the player is kinda weird, it puts on the radio instead..irritated me...i'll see if it's working better now.. >>.I can't wait for the 4th episode!!!I wanna see the kidnap/beach scenes..*dies* seriously I dreadfully wait for the next ep. to air..haha >>Ceci, thanks for sharing the pictures! Aff looks so cute in the last picture. Ken-->hot. =) I can't wait for JaiRao too! and the one with Aum/Ann too!lol, Chia's still very into Aum also. =) I still love Aum too, but right now, it's all about Ken..kk EHHE I RAN ACROSS THE "EXTENDED FANFIC" FOR JLR, I STARTED THE FIRST CHAP ONLY..AAH YOU LADIES ARE CRAZY OVER THERE IN SARN..LOL... ------------watch Sawan Bieng!------------- rainonme - April 9, 2008 01:04 AM (GMT) cecilia - April 9, 2008 03:48 AM (GMT) :laugh: i knew it that CHONG will love these scenes too .. Kristie - April 9, 2008 08:00 AM (GMT) HAHAHA we are so addicted !! I just check the live stream and like Chong said the sound doesn't match with the video lol T_T I checked like 50 pages on sarN yesterday... too much spammers lol love those pictures !!! I watched the previous version with Brook and Kob when i was young and i was addicted too lol but i think this one is going to be better since I love both Ken and Ann their acting are awesome !! I think i will try to watch once it's on the net maybe tonight ? cuz i will be on exam can't catch live... but my sis will hahaha Do u know that in Thailand people rush to back home to watch this ? It's a fever !! rainonme - April 9, 2008 04:18 PM (GMT) lol it's def. like a VIRUS!! ----ahh Kristy i know i got up around 7:30, i'm so glad i caught the r-scene! that's so funny how they skip work just to watch it. Ah, I wanna watch the older versions just to spoil myself..LOL but i'll see if i have time. for the R-scene I kinda wish Narin was fighting back more too though.. she kinda gave in?lol who wouldn't???LOL j/k!!! All of ep 4 is up on sarn now too.. i know alot of spamming going on..kkk it's kinda ridiculous kk ppl wanna claim the top pages..LOL but yeah anywhoo, I can't wait for tomorrows!!!! i wanted to see the running beach scene!! Kawee enjoyed the kiss! lol cecilia :laugh :phew: :dance: Kristie - April 9, 2008 08:10 PM (GMT) I just finished the epi 4 Chong !! Love Himmmmmmmmmmmmm !!! I mean he is so hot !! he kissed her twice... real !! OMG I can't wait for tmr she wanna dieeeeee hahaha it's so addictingggggg !! When he said "I was ur first" after the R-scene damnnnnn hahaha Chong u understand Thai ? cobaltblue - April 10, 2008 10:37 AM (GMT) AHH I had seen Sawan Biang last night and I think his kiss is so nice. :shy I love the way he pull back from her lip and smile. :drool2: Even it's a crime to do that in real life. Fantasy always be girl's best friend as long as that man looks like Ken. :laugh rainonme - April 10, 2008 03:34 PM (GMT) KRISTYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! DID YOU WATCH EP 5 YET!!!!! OMGGGGG, GOSH EP 4 AND 5 ARE THE BEST!!!LOL ---there's another R-scene! :o :OO: but stupid buffer, i kINDa missed it!! it went from the POOL to the part where Ken woke up and Narin's just under the covers..and then Kawee realizes she's sick....OMGG Kawee sooo heart-thugging sweet!!!!:diesssssssss P'Noi is oneeee freakin LUCKY ladyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOl colbaltblue! lol Yay, another Ken fan!lol fantasies with SEXY KEN..lOL it should be illegal...lol ps:::omg i can't wait for the subs to come! Kristy. lol you should totally sub it tooooo>>faster for us!!haha Cuz, no, I can't understand thai! I wish I did!!!:( Kristie - April 10, 2008 05:45 PM (GMT) I just get back from school I'm going to watch now... will be back huhu This lakorn is sooooooo awesome !! R-scenessssss loooool This guy loves her already mouhahaha Love the scene under the water :hyper: And after when he wanna warm her so cuteeeee :yahoo Narin is so stubborn it's going to be like Oum Ruk lol Next weeeeeeek omg omg omg His dad will ask what happened between him and her xD They r looking so close hohoho cobaltblue welcome to the thread hehe Chongggg otokeeee how can I do ????? next wed *die* Haha I dunno how to sub but if u want to know something ask me here hahaha U know what I will try to stalk him again this summer LOOOOOL he is so hot why why why why he is taken already ?? so sad i dun like when he's talking about Noi's pregnancy... feel so weird hur~~~ cobaltblue - April 11, 2008 01:26 AM (GMT) u can call me Nut. :ido And I really am not his fan but this lakorn is talk of the town. Everyone in my office keep talking and talking about it. This morning they talk about how many R scenes they can count! :laugh janejz - April 11, 2008 02:17 AM (GMT) what a shame!! i didn't watch Sawan Biang :phew: many of my friends addicted to the LaKorn... i think i'm gonna start watching it. :laugh rainonme - April 11, 2008 02:50 AM (GMT) lol Kristy are you @ sarnworld too?lol i found a girl under Kristy toollol i msg her but she didn't msg me back..:(haha anywhoo, LOL okay i counted only 2 R scenes!but now everyone's saying there's 3!!!??? I'm gonna rewatch it.. ----Kristy, do you know what Kawee said when he gave the necklace to Narin???Omo, he's claiming her already!!whoo!! ---the thread at sarN is crazy right now..LOl lots of talk about the r-scene.. It was a big surprise for all of us??! ---omg, and the pool part, dang, so good...:) LOL doesn't Narin look more willing in the pool part??LOL seriously!!! ---Jane, ahhh! i thought you would be watching all along already!!lol kkk you can still catchup..only 5 so far..i want more fast! --ahah, Kristy, I wanna go stalk this SEXY beast too!lol kk, i can't understand thai, so i haven't heard Ken talk about Noi's pregnancy at all..I wanna hear it too!lol kkk, it sounds weird cause we're ENVIOUS!lyeah why why does Ken have to be taken already..lol ---nut, haha yes all of us are counting on the R-scene!lol seriously today, i spazzed about SB all day. ---I can't wait for next weeks either!!!!gosh i wanna see it so baddlyyy already..Wed is too far! --lol i found out today that 3 of my friends were watching SB too!lol haha so happy..kkk I thought i was the only one in my town..ahha here are some pics! omg do you see the baby in the next picture!!!!!!!:cheer: :cheer: credit: gossip ll sarnworld cecilia - April 11, 2008 03:29 AM (GMT) wow .. more fan ..i need to catch up to sb toostill in episode 2 ..will convert the rest of the episode tonight and watch it ..thanks for the head up .. i went back and rewatch KOB/BROOK version, i actually like the part towarding the ending .. man, she's one stubborn woman and he's one stubborn man .. i will try hard to get the fever on .. LOl ah, there's an article on JAMLEUY RUK as well from the NATION that ppl rush home to watch it during it's airing too. I agree with the writer, seeing how 2008 ch3 drama change things, it's time for them to get on their feet and start showing the audience the good stuff from their homeland. Another thing i like about this new version of SB is that there are quite a few new places on where they film it. I like them places, it would have been nice if they have all these lakorn on dvd, will definitely make profit to bring in more sales to the business from the outside of thailand. rainonme - April 11, 2008 05:17 AM (GMT) I know, i seriously cannot wait/ HOPE they put SB onto DVD! I will so grab it.>ehhe. Ceci, you HAVE to watch ep 4-5! it's the best!!!LOL cecilia - April 11, 2008 06:00 AM (GMT) ^i should with LYNDA'S spoiler in her blog. I'm still at episode 2. will try to catch it up since i'm done doing maraton for all 6 season of SMALLVILLE .. i love LANA LANG and CLARK KENT's character.. remind me so much of AFF/AUM .. back to topic, I want the lakorn to jump to the part where she's pregnant .. i like her playing hard to get-the KAWEE redemption is what i'm waiting for. It was not satisfy in the KOB/BROOK version. This one, they have to make him pay and work harder :lol: cobaltblue - April 11, 2008 11:33 AM (GMT) |QUOTE (rainonme @ Apr 10 2008, 11:50 PM)| | Kristy, do you know what Kawee said when he gave the necklace to Narin???Omo, he's claiming her already!!whoo!! | OK Chong u asked Kristy but let me tell ya. He said "don't take of necklace I gave u if I don't say so." But he didn't tell why he gave it to her or what does it mean to him. Sorry I can remember just a little. Kristie - April 11, 2008 06:56 PM (GMT) Hahaha Chong yeah that's me on sarN i msg u back :) When i woke up this morning the only thing in my mind was KEN LOL Yeah like P'Nut said he blackmail her again if she took it off he is going to say to everyone what happened lol Ceci u should go back and watch P'Jane same !! It's so addicting <333333 For ur information I'm pretty sure that Sawan Biang will be release on DVD (VCD first) cuz I have the official DVD of Ruk nee huajai rao jong ^_^ I will buy the DVD and watch all days when i'm getting in BKK mouhahaha just like I did with Oum Ruk :D cecilia - April 11, 2008 07:37 PM (GMT) ^is it the official set for HUAJAI RAO JONG? i want to get the official dvd set from ch3 as well .. same for JLR but i have not come across any yet. I couldn't find my headphone so i didn't watch episode 2 yet . :loool: Will have to buy new headphone to watch it again when i'm offline :lol: i got my in dvd as well but they're not the official set, they're from IPTV :eh found this while browsing in pantip Kristie - April 11, 2008 07:47 PM (GMT) Aw I see I have the official one HQ and no logo haha But Ceci u know what I think im going to help u guys by buying those stuffs for u cuz like u said u barely find them haha Should I split this to Sawan Biang thread ? rainonme - April 11, 2008 09:51 PM (GMT) omggg KRISTYYYY, pls if you go to Thailand..LOL grab me a copy HD of sawan bieng!!!!! i want it so badd! --Nut, thanks soo much for the trans!!Kawee is so mean..lol claiming her but don't wanna care too much about Narin either..ahah cecilia - April 11, 2008 11:01 PM (GMT) Krystal spoil me with the under water attack .. that was a bit disturbing :laugh rainonme - April 12, 2008 03:51 AM (GMT) lol disturbing??LOL why?lol it's like everyone's fav part!lol i did wish he didn't force Narin to go under and then kiss her..lOl. cecilia - April 12, 2008 04:19 AM (GMT) i don't know yet, i didn't watch it yet, just funny b/c the first thing Krystal said was .. KAWEE R Narin everywhere and tell me what happen in the pool .. i didn't expect it to happen in the pool too .. but yeah, i didn't see it yet. so not sure how bad it is, but the way she describe it, it's disturbing :laugh kristie, will you do that? .. tell me when you're flying and i'll send some money over. thank you na kha. cobaltblue - April 12, 2008 06:44 AM (GMT) Chong scene in ur sig is the kiss I talked about before hehehe Kristie Will u come to Thailand soon? Ceci find your headphone yet? I'm waiting to see what's going on when they are in the house while nobody else know what happened between them. I've never watched previous version. My boss said she used to see another version which is not Kob/brook. I'm not sure if she confused with another one but I'm not that old to know. :rolleyes: Kristie - April 12, 2008 11:21 AM (GMT) I'm flying back to BKK around mid June :) Sure Ceci u can send the money through my sis' PayPal, just hope that when I will be there the DVD's already released haha P'Nut there were 3 versions of Sawan Biang... 1988, 1998 (Kob/Brook) and now 2008 hahaha every 10 years lol OMG we have to wait till WEDNESDAY T_T cecilia - April 16, 2008 10:41 AM (GMT) i'm all caught up with SB .. he r her everywhere like KRYSTAL said. Most the R is unnecessary, he's like do it every time she refuse to do like he wants. That's such a lame reason and excuse for his hunger :loool: It's airing live today US CENTRAL TIME 8:30 am. I might catch it live just b/c i couldn't sleep all night. The virus didn't hit me yet .. lol .. i'M waiting to see the pregnancy part b/c in the kob/brook version, its' good. I like her stubbornness. Kristie, nvm about the request, i think i'll just look around. But thank you anyway. rainonme - April 17, 2008 01:14 AM (GMT) ahhhh i loved ep 6.lol warning another R.lol ---lol i think ppl were thinking that he R-d her in the pool..but it was more like he fought with her in the pool and did the rest in rOOm?lol but yeah..kkk i really liked today's ep. lol i do hope there's no more R-scenes though..hahaha i think 4 is good enough!hahaha --btw, kristie, i love your siggie! cecilia - April 17, 2008 01:46 AM (GMT) muaha. i watched today's episode live. there's an R too .. :lool: it's crazy. janejz - April 17, 2008 07:20 AM (GMT) behind the scene of Sawan Bianghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAW7pfILLjwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id7He9Cb1kc and here are lists of the "behind the scene of Sawan Biang"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_quer...wan+bien&page=1 here's the SB OST.1. Jud-Job-Kong-Chan-Yuu-Tee-Tur by Aof Pongsak [I like this song :) ] [dohtml]<object width="300" height="80"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/aO7r64ygKc/aus=false/"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/aO7r64ygKc/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"></embed></object>[/dohtml]2. Sin-Sood-Suk-Tee by Panadda [dohtml]<object width="300" height="80"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/SuThd3LVrx/aus=false/"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/SuThd3LVrx/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"></embed></object>[/dohtml] rainonme - April 17, 2008 05:14 PM (GMT) ahhh thanks jane! ahha kkk, r-scene, yep..haha Kristie/Ceci/Jane haha have you watched 7 too? I wanna know this! WHAT LEELA SAYS TO KEN AFTER SHE KISSED HIM?? AND WHAT NARIN HEARD? omg my heart totally MELTED into pieces..ahha when he hugged Narin from behind....*diessssssss* ahh cecilia - April 17, 2008 05:40 PM (GMT) was too tired to get up this morning. so i missed it .. but will watch peach's file and see if i can do quick translation: rainonme - April 17, 2008 06:14 PM (GMT) |QUOTE (cecilia @ Apr 17 2008, 09:40 AM)| | was too tired to get up this morning. so i missed it .. but will watch peach's file and see if i can do quick translation: | ahh thanku ceci! :awe :awe cecilia - April 17, 2008 07:32 PM (GMT) okay, i got it, i have to skipped a few cut clips, and this is what i got out of the conversation. Sorry if i miss anything, but this is how i would interpret their conversation :heart kawee: don't follow me leela: you disrespect me this much? *well, it can also imply as disgust too* kawee: yes, i disrespect and hate you. leela: why kawee, what have i've done wrong. do i have something that you can't accept/love me? kawee: love, how can you make me love you, i dont' even want to look at your face. leela: kawee, do you know how much you hurt my feeling. before this, i thought of you as a heartless person, you're the kind of person that have no one, don't know how to love anyone, but what you have done for NARIN, it shown me that you worry about her, you care about her, you love RIN, why, why can't that woman be me? why can't you love me b/c i always do everything for you. kawee: You, who did everything for me? (not sure what he meant here, he said something about in the past,she did it for herself). You married my dad b/c you want to win over me. You have never love my father, not even a bit. Leela: Yes, i married your father b/c i want to win over you. But i would like you to look/see me a bit, no matter what position i'm in. *she meant, her status* kawee: Even if you die in front of me, i would not even open my eye to look at you. You think by marrying my father that i would care about you. the most that you can be is my father's wife. You're not even important in my life. And in the future, don't' bring your dirty self to me, make me disgust *vomit*. And KEEP IN MIND *REMEMBER* I have never love your sister, not even a bit, everything are game *to me*. spoiler for next week : Narin moved out. At the market, Kawee gave her some money, telling her to accept it as if he's repaying her due back for the time she stay with him at the beach house. She threw the money back at his face and say if he's going to repay her back, he will have to PAY IT WITH HIS LIFE. Narin found out she's 2 month pregnant :ido Kristie - April 17, 2008 07:42 PM (GMT) I'm waiting the whole epi not the 9 parts too lazy to dl like yesterday lol My sister watched it LIVE again lol I read everything u wrote ceciii damn !!! I shouldn't have come here mouhahaha but good translation my dear :) Chong u r always on sarN LOL go study girl !!! I will come back and post about epi 7 ! rainonme - April 18, 2008 12:43 AM (GMT) i knowww, haha i need to studyy! i will...hahha ::::Ceci, thanks so much for the translation!!!:) ahhhh, Narin heard the last parts too!! :( gosh Kawee... Poor KhunKid too!! Kristie, bunniii put up the whole part..:) ehhe cecilia - April 18, 2008 04:47 AM (GMT) feel bad for the father but i think LEELA was sincere about her feeling toward khun kid at the hospital scene. Feel bad for her if i'm in her shoe, how she said she did everything b/c of love for him and then even marry someone she didn't love just so she can be close to him, i suppose.i would turn to a psycho **tch as well knowing that whatever you do will not satisfy this person. Her only problem is maybe not stalk him or show him how much she loves him, perhaps, there might be chance of them getting together. :laugh it's good that she hear what happen. i like it when p'ek went to wait around for forgiveness. I'll be looking for the rest of the episode b/c it's what i like in the old version as well. btw. i think it would be gross if KHUN Kid make LEELA and KAWEE marry after knowing that she's his wife and NARIN is KAWEE. :OO: rainonme - April 18, 2008 06:56 AM (GMT) lol did that happen in the old version or something?haha somehow that topic came out of SomeWHERE! hha about how Kawee has to marry Leela now?? I"m sure KhunKid is so much smarter than trying to make that happen?lol cause that's just...umm, doesn't make sense at all..LOL thanks again ceci..:) haha yeah i feel bad for Leela too, but she shouldn't even have lied in front of KhunKid too, right before he died. So I ended up hating her again..LOL cecilia - April 18, 2008 08:07 AM (GMT) i don't know if she lie to give him strength or for her own sake but i did see sincere and worrisome in her face. And the way she cry after his last breathe at the hospital, it's very convincing and at the funeral too. I think she's obsess with KAWEE, pity for the dad, love the dad more, and jealous b/c of NARIN. i don't hate her b/c it was KHUN KID who want to marry her. At the time, it's like she said. she want to win KAWEE over, prove it to him that she's alot stronger than he think she is . I mean, we can't blame it on LEELA for causing this mess, it was KHUN KID's way of paying back his sin and it's his fault for marrying her after he learning the truth about LEELA and his son. He gamble the relationship himself, so since he's willing marry LEELA, it's his own fault. To me, LEELA's only mistake is losing JEB and marrying a man b/c of pity and desire to have something that she never meant to have. *confusing? lol* I'm not sure about the marry will but i read in sarnieworld that it might but that's way in the beginning. But yeah, it would be so ew and gross if it did happen. I'm so looking forward toward her stubbornness. i still find his lame threats funny - if you don't do what i want, you know what kind of punishment i'll give :loool: .. he over use it for his own pleasure. so damn stupid. BTW. it's funny how he try to threaten her and she talk back at him that she will not stay and let herself be his bait, use by him and LEELA, then torn off the necklace, and walk away. NICE !!!

Today we're welcoming Marcia Gruver with her debut novel. Marcia, tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. Evidently a lot. It took me awhile to realize I’m actually guilty of this. The possibility occurred to me a couple of times, but I promptly slid back into denial—until a critique partner called me out. What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? I’m an intuitive personality—a fancy way of saying my head is generally in the clouds. I don’t process my world with the five senses, but rather feel my way through. Details are lost on me, so I’m generally oblivious to my surroundings. I once exited the restroom in a Mexican restaurant, sat down across from my husband, and took a couple sips of iced tea. Something made me glance up...into the startled face of my husband two tables back. I gaped at the smiling stranger sitting across from me, said, “You’re not my husband,” then shoved someone’s tea glass aside and hurried to my table. Did you say quirky or most embarrassing? I use this story for both. I know what you mean. When I was doing the final edit on one of my books, I had accompanied my daughter to Austin to take her state test to become a hairdresser. I sat in the van and edited when I needed to go to the restroom. A McDonald's was next door, so I went in and hurried to the bathroom, all the time going over the story in my mind. I opened the door and came face-to-face with a startled man. Then I noticed the sign. Embarrassing! Now when did you first discover that you were a writer? I could tell about the time in elementary school when I wrote a story that my third grade teacher claimed she loved, but the real “light-bulb moment” came when I attended my first writer’s conference in 2002. Before then I thought I liked to write. After experiencing the inimitable world in which we move, I knew I was a writer. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. Unbelievably, this writer of sweet, funny historical novels devours scary suspense and horror stories in her spare time. Think Peretti and Brandilyn Collins. Maybe I need it for balance. I’m also a member of Heartsong Presents Mysteries, a great cozy mystery book club. In other genres, I’ll pick up anything written by Linda Nichols or Francine Rivers. I love historicals, but try not to read those I might be tempted to copy. :-) What other books have you written, whether published or not? Besides Diamond Duo, Chasing Charity, the sequel, releases in April 2009, followed soon by book three of the series, Emmy’s Equal. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? When it gets to be too heavy, I run, run, run in the other direction. I don’t stay long, though. :-) An hour or two on my PS3 playing Ratchet and Clank, a visit with my mom, or a drive in the country with my hubby, and I’m good to go again. How do you choose your characters’ names? Some names come to me, others I research. It dawned on me recently that I need to choose names with historical accuracy. For Diamond Duo, I found an old census list of Jefferson, Texas, where the book is set. Since I wrote the story around the account of an actual unsolved murder, most of the names in the book are the real people who were involved. That made it easier. I just had to come up with my fictional character’s names. I've visited Jefferson and was intrigued by that story, too. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? It would have to be landing a three-book contract with Barbour Publishing at my age. The reason this is so significant? I have five children, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild (gifts, not accomplishments) who are watching old granny with wide-open eyes. By striving to fulfill an impossible dream and persevering to reach an unreachable goal, I think I’ve taught them it’s never too late, and that you really can do all things through Christ. You can't tell that from your picture. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? A cat. Cats know how to get what they want without making fools of themselves. What is your favorite food? Chocolate, what else? The writer’s staple. Yes, M&Ms eaten at the computer while under deadline can pass for lunch, can't it? What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? Overcome it? I’m still working toward that goal. It would have to be my introverted personality and tendency toward being a loner—traits good for writing, bad for marketing. If you mean the writing itself, then the answer is my struggle with focus. I’m easily pulled away, especially while working through a difficult scene, by anything that looks to be more fun at the moment. A publisher’s deadline is the quickest way to overcome this problem. A problem I’ve conquered? As you can imagine, my aforementioned tendency not to notice my surroundings makes writing descriptive scenes a challenge. I have to force myself to observe my environment; making mental notes of what I see, so later, I can translate it to the page. Even then, I tend to “feel” rather than see the world around me. If I can get that feeling onto the paper in words, I’ve done my job for the day. What advice would you give to an author just starting out? Immerse yourself. Get into writer’s groups, both local and online. Find a critique group, one with writers a little farther along than you are so they can pull you up. Attend conferences every chance you get. If you feel called by God to write then seek Him daily for marching orders. Never, ever compare yourself to other writers, and never give up. Exccellent advice. What would you like to tell us about the featured book? I had so much fun writing Diamond Duo. The quirky characters got under my skin, though the story that inspired the book broke my heart, and the suspenseful elements kept me up at night. In her quest to win a fellow’s heart, my main character, Bertha Maye Biddie, seeks lessons on the art of wooing a man from a savvy young stranger. In the end, Bertha learns her chance meeting with the woman had nothing to do with spurned love and everything to do with eternal security. I feel this question can best be answer by excerpts from the author letter inserted in the book: “This story is woven around the actual murder of Annie Stone, aka Bessie Monroe, aka Diamond Bessie, on January 21, 1877, in Jefferson, Texas. The ill-fated Diamond Bessie left a mark so deep during her brief visit she’s still a household name in Jefferson today. I chose to call her Annie in the book, because I believe if not for one early, impetuous mistake, she’d never have needed these aliases or the others I didn’t mention. I researched for months to learn why Annie made such an indelible impression on the town. From the considerable distance of 130-plus years, I found it impossible to get an accurate look at her. Even the opinions and attitudes of her day were conflicting. Some judged her a disease-ridden prostitute without morals or conscience. Others considered her an unfortunate young girl who lost her way. Jilted and abandoned by an older man at fifteen, possibly disinherited by her family and left to her own devices (emphasis on vices), then abused and victimized by Abraham Rothschild, there’s no question she had a rocky start. As I stood over her humble grave in Oakwood Cemetery, I found myself in the same dilemma as Bertha Maye Biddie, the heroine of this book, who asks: “Devil or angel? I couldn’t tell.” I feel certain of one thing, however. From Annie’s vantage point, whether resting with angels or contending with devils, she would heartily approve of using her life to share my witness.” How can readers find you on the Internet? My website URL is http://www.marciagruver.com/. My blog is http://www.yieldedquill.blogspot.com/. I’m also a contributor to The Internal Monoblog at http://wwwinternalmonoblogcom.blogspot.com/. Marcia, thank you for spending this time with us. Readers you can order Diamond Duo by clicking on this link: Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008 When I find my voice it's usually off key and shaky, but I throw it out there loud with my toe tapping. People in the pews scoot away from me or smile awkwardly, I smile back. When I find my voice I hope it won't be to late to ask questions to show the rocks When I find my voice I doubt it will be the 4th of July, Christmas or Easter. I doubt it will be when I win the lottery or when the Seahawks win the Superbowl. I'm afraid, I will probably be next to a hospital bed hands clasped together pleading and sobbing, or maybe, by some divine mercy, I'll find somewhere I've looked a thousand time under the couch cushions, next to the coffee maker or some place in Psalms. When I find my voice I don't think I'll say anything new I'll probably say things we've all heard before with a few exclamation points added on. When I find my voice it will be a call and response, an echo of a bigger voice. Tuesday, December 9, 2008 giant and green with huge black claws toothy gentle smile wearing a Santa Clause beard standing next to a body builder lamb covered with bad-ass tattoos. There's a thought bubble containing a question mark coming from the dragon. The dragon's claw tears deep into body tissue chunks of bloody flesh falling to the ground as he reaches into his chest cavity. The dragon holds his prize, a still beating heart topped with a ribbon. He holds it out to the lamb, Monday, December 8, 2008 Sitting in the Chinese place near my house with three of my room mates, I'm beginning to realize I'm no good at waiting. General Tso's chicken will get to me, but every time the door to the kitchen moves an inch, I start salivating. 5 minutes turns into 10 turns into 15 could turn into anything: a month a year, hell it could be another 2000 years. HOW LONG MUST I WAIT? Bobby has a final at 1 for Gods sake, How long? Every second is torture on an empty stomach. It's December 7th, and as a history major I know it's an important date, but I can never remember just what happened. Was it D-Day, or the Attack on Pearl Harbor? Google tells me Pearl Harbor. A man at my church was at Pearl Harbor when the attacks happened. I like the way he tells the story, "Well, everybody had to be somewhere, I was on the John." I wonder how many of those service men had finished their Christmas shopping. How many were waiting to go home for holiday leave? I hope it wasn't many. Had to be a bummer, no Christmas with the family and on top of that, a fresh new global conflict. My little cousins are at the age where this season is at full effect. They can't sit still. Santa is ever at the for front of their minds. Waiting for Christmas morning is tough for them--but fortunately they don't have to wait the full time. Christmas Eve, they open at least a few gifts. A sneak peak. It makes me smile, even though they can be quite frustrating in the run up to opening time. It makes me smile, because though the presents are divorced from the traditional meaning behind Advent, the effect is still working. They're waiting, growing ancy and excited--anticipating future awesomeness. It's Advent, and I'm trying to do it right. Trying to look back so I can wait, so I can look forward. Look back on Immanuel and the nativity to look forward to Christ coming in power. Looking back, into a stable and manger to look forward to golden streets to tears wiped away, to unwrapping that big present I've had my eye on, the one the perfect size to be anything. I'm looking back to a morning star to look forward to that everlasting, great getting up morning when I won't have to wait. It's Advent and I'm struggling to do it right. I'm looking back, but my eyes are wandering. The girl with the Seahawk sweatshirt, my gas gage, the numbers on my scale and on my pay check. I'm having a hard time not looking forward to bills, oil changes, new semesters and new papers. I'm trying to take the time to wait to climb the tower and keep watch. I wonder where the magi were when they saw the star. If they had just stepped out to the out house, and noticed something new on the horizon. What did their wives think when they told them they were going on a trip with their work friends to find some new King? I bet they were caught off gaurd. Like the man at my church, on the John, thinking about a million other things: the weather, dinner, business, family issues, and then BOOM there's a new star. Shepherds had to have shit themselves when the chorus of angels appeared to tell them God had come. It's Advent, and it's time for me to look back so I can look forward to a time when I'll be taken-off gaurd. So I can look forward to that great moment when, throughout the world, every pair of underwear will need to be changed. It's time for me to remember a single mother and her fiancee trying to understand what had just happened, so that I can look forward to a new morning when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. The wait is indeed well with my soul. Some days it feels like I'm burning down a forest Then planting a tree My infection (failed Negotiations) Somedays it feels like corduroy, others it feels like linoleum the weather seems to have an affect it usually hangs out near my knees. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is. I've been tracking it through cities, valleys, mountains and deserts. It's huge--I saw it once, fangs like javelins and a real mean look on it's half dozen glazed over eyes. I've tracked it here, to this wood I don't think I can kill it but I won't let it hide-- I'm burning down a forest leaving the thing to rest in the embers. I think it's an urge to leave, to run, to hit restart, to die. It's 2 am puking in an effort to exorcise a night of Caucasians or boxed wine. It's there, sleeping restless--tossing and turning just an inch under conscious. I'm digging a hole deep and narrow, right down through my esophagus straight through to my knees. Tomorrow I'll throw it down wait to here it hit bottom, pile dirt, concrete, fire and hope on top. I'm digging a hole then planting a tree to trap it, to give it a gravestone that will have flowers in spring and apples in fall. I'll let it suffocate and hopefully die in a place that I will forget. This is a failed negotiation with a self that won't compromise or listen to reason. This isn't a solution it's a last resort. Sunday, December 7, 2008 When I was old enough to understand I liked saltines much less. I've taken communion countless times with varied results. I remember tearing up once as I dipped a papery wafer in grape juice because God loved me, but I also remember drinking a little cup of creamer when there wasn't enough grape juice to go around and joking about Jesus' blood tasting like Irish Cream. I had my first taste of alchohol taking communion, nearly threw up. It's the only religious ritual I participate in regularly and that throws me off a bit. I have other rituals, I think most people do, but none of these are as lofty: like when I turn on the faucet after I pee so people think I'm washing my hands, or checking my alarm clock every night exactly three times. These may be stretching the definition of ritual, but stretching is good, it's how we grow. I remember when I played football, before games every player would hit a particular sign as we ran onto the field. I think the sign was something about the field being closed at dusk, but everyone hit it before games. It had absolutely nothing to do with playing well, it wasn't even superstitious, we just did it. It was a completely empty ritual. These empty rituals scare me because they make me feel like an actor. When I take communion, I don't want to get into character. It's difficult not to try and get into character for church, everyone dresses nice, stained glass and funny things we Christians have been doing for a millenia. I don't like putting up a front so I often wear sweat pants and old t-shirts. This gets me through most of the service, but when it comes time to take communion I often find myself putting on face that tells people I'm thinking very hard, because this means a lot to me, I'm spiritual. Right now, I want to write a solution. Something sweeping and beautiful. Tying bits of my experience together to make sense of my struggles. Unfortunately, I am, as of yet, unaware of any secret solutions. The answers, if you want to call them that, I've found are frustrating. Faith is more a decision than a feeling. At times it can feel like I'm just acting, like I'm just practicing a script made up for me, but faith ought not be dependent and feelings, comfort or vague, inarticulate doubt. If the connection with God I am looking for is a warm feeling in my stomach, than my faith will be either empty and bitter or a superstition. My parents were right, when I eat that wafer, and drink that juice I have to understand what communion is about. It's not an empty ritual. I need to remember why we Christians get together and act kind of strange for an hour each Sunday. On the night he was betrayed he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." It's about remembering. The feelings will come when they come. Sometimes I have to be content singing terrible songs, with people who are tone-deaf, eating stale wafers with bad grape juice and sitting through long, meandering, convoluted sermons. I have to be content because it is about more than good songs and tasty crackers: its about something that I couldn't accomplish on my own and the person who accomplished it for me, namely Jesus. And if the pictures I've seen are accurate, which I think is a good bet, he's about the coolest cracker ever. Thursday, December 4, 2008 it was hot, the kind of hot that made sitting in the shade complaining about the heat with no shirt on and sucking on a High Life a full day. the kind of heat they tell geriatrics and small children to avoid. the kind of heat that leads to day dreams of sleeping in a king size bed of Otterpops. if He had driven out here, there would be marks on His legs from where he peeled them off of vinyl seats. this was the middle nowhere, twelve miles from the nearest inn slurpees still a couple millennia away. He needed a drink. He wished he didn’t live in a desert He wondered why he had taken up the company of so many slack jawed yokels blue collar tools with small vocabularies. they told Him to wait apparently they forgot who the leader of their operation was he was the Hannibal to their A-team. a fact they'd do well to remember. they told Him to wait because apparently there was A woman of ill repute A lady with loose morals as if He would be embarrassed. they were an uppity bunch, if the son of Man was thirsty the son of Man was going to get a drink, even if the well was in the middle of a brothel frequented by Hitler, Ted Bundy, Nero and the defensive line of the 1985 Bears. it was a hot day and He was thirsty He was going to get a drink of water. Tuesday, November 18, 2008 We drank beer, every brand I've ever heard of, and some that I've only seen in my basement. The empties and half empties would show up in our recycle for weeks. Clean up meant--take a broom knock down all the bottles and cans off the heating ducts, sweep the shattered glass and empty cans into a corner, then search the entire basement looking for unfinished beer. Once I took a five gallon bucket down there to drain the left over beer and Carlo Rossi. I filled it half way up, used it to watered the rhodies out back. Our backdoor neighbors would hold impromptu jam sessions on their porch, they would leave us presents from the "beer faery," and tell us stories. God the stories we heard. Nick Nelson. His bandana sewn round his neck. Beard long and hippy-ish. Staggering in asking us to touch it--"don't it feel like a girl's pubes." Shit, he could tell stories. Down in Arizona, he was leaving a party at ASU. The drunks were scouring the yard. Rummaging through Bud-Light cans, searching for the left-over beer. Nick offered to share his Nattie Ice. They looked at him like he was crazy. Like he was offering them dog shit laced with arsenic. I never found many Nattie Ice cans half empty. Seems like the people who drink Nattie Ice finish their beer. Sitting alone in the room I grew up in, in a town that doesn't sell Natural Ice listening to sad-sappy music on an apple laptop: I miss those half empties; hearing the bottles hit the concrete, their smell exploding through the room. The cans in the lawn, the cans in the shrubs, the cans in the alley. The under-aged metal heads breaking bottles in the street. I miss the people, I miss the cliche--I wish when I went out to my garage I could find a half empty bud light, or at least an empty Natural Ice. But in my garage there are tents, ten year old Corollas and lawn tools. Saturday, November 15, 2008 Bobby is an awkward tall. 18 and armed with the kindness of a grandpa whose pockets are full of butterscotch. He is someone who thinks at the right depths, tells stories that never stray from the point but still manage to hop around like a frog being chased by a 5 year old. Camp stories are a staple for him, most of them involve mischief or at least copious amounts of nudity, either way they keep my attention. One his stories has a more somber tone. Every year the camp we worked at was invaded by Japanese students on a tour of the West Coast. They come to camp, ride motorbikes, play basketball, dance and sing. At the end of these weeks they write their counselors thank you notes. Most notes express how much fun they had at camp, but the note bobby received was different, more succinct; it said simply "please, don't forget me." Months after hearing this story I'm sitting between cobwebs and drunks in my basement listening to Ryler read poems over beer bongs and keg stands. He tells us what angels ought to be, screen doors fly, gorillas snatch up baby girls and people die of wonder: he is opening up his chest and going on the discovery channel. I get to watch. Metalheads in leatherjackets stumble by with Carlo Rossi. They don't get it. They leave. Downtown legends are oral traditions in Bellingham. In dark basements the stories are past down. My favorites are the stories of Geronimo. He is somewhat of a local celebrity: homeless as far as anyone knows and social to the point of frustration. One day Geronimo found a dead raccoon. He paraded it through downtown explaining that he had hunted it down and killed it. Going up to different cafe's and dinners he would hold the carcass against the window and its bloody entrails all over screaming "THIS IS MY WOLVERINE! THIS IS MY WOLVERINE!" Geronimo was letting people know: he was here. The smeared blood on the window was Geronimo's way of saying "Please, don't forget me". Poetry for me is just that. I putting me, out there. Letting you know that I was here and that this, THIS, is my wolverine. Sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes it’s a pile of uncomfortable disjointed thoughts. Sometimes I would rather do a thousand keg stands than write another word. But every time I come back, with each letter I write there is a part of me writing a simple note: "please, don't forget me." 1. As Future Jake I will try and open up dialog with my past self by going back and leaving encouraging livejournal comments on my blog. 2. As Present, or Past Jake, I will write a series of apology letters to Future Jake. These letters I will keep in my glove compartment for 2 to 5 years. Hopefully this will help alleviate any bitterness towards Past/Present Jake that may have built up. Utilizing these to method I hope to reduce tensions between these two factions who have historically been enemies. I realize it is a large task, not unlike the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East with both sides playing a large role in the others destiny; but I believe with perseverance and a little bit of exercise these deep wounds can begin to be healed. Until then we can all pray for peace between Past/Present Jake and Future Jake. Saturday, November 8, 2008 Saturday, November 1, 2008 Followed me all the way to my gate; I went in the back to keep him from sticking his head through the door. I was opening the back door when I saw it jump the fence, the cedar planks bent back until under it's weight. It trotted up to the porch and stuck it's head in the door. It was all I could do to shove him back out onto the porch, which was where it stayed, looking inside, tongue wagging, head cocked. It stayed until it's owner came to my door looking for it. He was big, dumb and muscled like the dog. l grabbed the dogs collar and lead it back the the man's black pick-up. I never saw that dog again. Tuesday, October 28, 2008 Socrates and John the Baptist got in a fist fight Socrates with his leading questions John pouring a jug of wine on his head Nothing major, you see Just a misunderstanding about the tab That they'd somehow rung up Neither would cop to the expense After they had both fallen on the floor And forgotten how they'd gotten there They walked out the door as friends The wait staff collecting the dirty clothes And scribbled pages They'd left behind And sold them as holy relics And grand philosophy (the tab must be paid somehow) They breathed fire The mist of saliva and everclear Igniting like a firework While everyone cheered It was the night of their life Immortality proven by survival The music was loud enough to wake The Peterson's next door Neither hearing-aid turned on But the vibration enough To shake them from their adjustable bed When the old man yelled Vainly into the night He imagined how respectful, reasonable and upright He had been 'at that age' And went back to bed The crossing-guard stop sign was no match For the speeding SUV's distracted momentum The children were fast But that old man with the reflective vest Crumpled up like a mosquito Against the radiator Over the wreckage A woman with coffee spilled all over her Finally hung up Were no help The only thoughts that came out Of such deliberation were: "I have a nice beard" So the silence went on Each one of us hoping That someone smarter would speak up "Quite a problem" "Well, the only thing to do about it I suppose, is to ascertain the Will of the People" Which was quickly seconded And removed from our concerns Shouted and screamed I love you Sounds more like a command Or a curse Sounds just like I hate you Kicked up a dust storm Dancing in the desert So fast and so hard Like it would bring the rain Threw off our clothes Like they would become animals again Let our skin burn Like burning was a penance Like our whiteness, exposed Could become something else We touched like it was forgiveness For sins we've committed so casually And with such industry It doesn’t feel like anything anymore When the night came And we lay down in the sand It got so cold so fast I thought we'd die And that we would be sink down To become seeds For some grand forest When morning came We saw the mess we'd made And hurt from hung over eyes to broken toe We drove home In total silence That was seen for miles And this was only seen through the keyhole I would not expect you to know it The day the buildings fell in burning ruin I was just trying to write a resume Trying to get myself into a job And I knew That things were not going to get easier St. Peter broke the fight up Using his key like a sword To smite them both to the ground And deliver a famous line From the gospels Which was the moral of the story Though most of it was fighting Not found in the bible In the movie He was played, appropriately By professional wrestler John the Baptist had a bloody nose Sloppy washing after the beheading But she didn't mind that She didn't need the souvenir It was for her mom anyway Though she had to wonder How a head was worth Half a kingdom And Socrates lost an ear When the bust hit the marble floor With a great crack In the silence of the museum Docents came running Like it was Murder And I put my hands up Not sure what they'd do But they rushed to the broken ear Sending everyone away While I apologized and apologized Two weeks later You couldn't tell the difference Sometimes I think the artifacts Are mostly glue Swallowed whole by the locust eater One less hungry mouth In a wave of billions But the beak keeps picking them off While it lasts The famine is riding their heels After the fight I never thought I'd talk to him again Never thought we could see each other And not immediately start up again Knowing how wrong he was But somehow when I saw him on the bus We nodded warily Mentioned the weather And never brought it up again Which, being men Should not have been surprising at all Socrates heard crickets everywhere he went Some defect in his inner ear That's why he was always getting into trouble Asking what? Why? Couldn't quite hear people They thought he was mocking him That's what I read On the internet Quit his philosopher job At the help desk phone bank Asking Socrates questions "Is the computer plugged in?" "Have you turned it on?" "Have you tried reinstalling?" And got a job in voice-over work And corporate training videos If Jesus came back today He'd be the first apostle And became an exterminator And became a consumer And forgot all about Finally, becoming nothing but A few numbers A large, soft corpse A small box to keep it in Friday, October 24, 2008 Saturday's my mom and aunt Diane meet for lunch at the Maltby cafe out in the sticks of Snohomish county: not quite Woodinville, not quite Bothell. The cafe is in a basement, it's not a secret and it gets real crowded. The wait is routinely 20 minutes I am hungry 20 minutes feels like I'm on a hunger strike, one of my top 5 fears, most the others are in American History X; whoever thought of curbing must of felt a lot like God did when he created spitting Cobras. Chris Cornell signed a poster up on the wall, huge good food, right next to Bob Nelson from Almost Live. Stephanie party of 5 Stephanie party of 5 The girl across from me is wearing great big movie star sunglasses. Is she hungover or possessed by the wandering spirit of Roy Orbison? We're in a basement for God's sake, and outside the sky is slate gray. Stephanie party of 5 last call for Stephanie party of 5 come on people! The two old men next to me reminds me of my Grandpa who thinks the Communists infiltrated the Democratic party in 1968 and that there is a giant computer somewhere in the Netherlands that controls everything, I mean everything: global warming, elections, sports and the cost of cereal. The old men are talking about Robert Gates, bald one says oh yeah, he's a spook, all of them are spooks part of a secret organization. Skull and Bones? No, Free Masons. Mike party of three Mike party of three I am picturing my order in my head mushroom, bacon, sausage and onion omelet drenched in cheese and a cinnamon roll. The Maltby Cafe makes plate sized cinnamon rolls dinner plate size, big dinner plates, I'm guessing Chris Cornell was talking about the cinnamon roll. the middle-aged purple-fleeced woman to my left is reading the Everett Herald, Couple gets 8 years a piece for boys starving. I wonder if that boy would have cried if he saw a Maltby Cafe cinnamon roll in front of him floating in a pool of gooey frosting. My lunch just became a memorial. Diane party of 3 Wednesday, October 22, 2008 when the trees argue about what season it is coughs linger and chimneys feel at home We'll throw the football and pretend it's January under lights and camera flashes with the game on the line We'll walk over dead leaves survey the landscape and wonder where Bob Ross hid his secrets These cold clear days we'll miss things we never noticed before doughnut shops, rope swings, smells and laughs These cold clear days there's gold under foot every step we may forget, but it will stick with us cling to the bottom of our shoes until we need to be reminded. Thursday, October 16, 2008 Burger & Teriaki Stop two girls on a swing set a gray van, with no windows a billboard that says "TV" fog rolling through the Snohomish valley a faded American flag gray haired man in over-alls, digging Wednesday, October 15, 2008 I'm not the type of guy to know what type of guy I am, but I have lots of theories. I'm the type of guy who thinks he's listening but is actually thinking about I'm the type of guy who thinks he's skinnier in mirrors than pictures consequently subscribes to wild conspiracy theories I'm the type of guy who wonders too much about convergent zones I'm the type of guy who wishes he had a castle, hatches secret plots to take over Wales. I'm the type of guy who pretends he's sniper in Vietnam as he's falling asleep hidden deep under covers. I'm the type of guy who cried the first time he watched First Blood didn't cry at Schindler's List cried watching Bridge to Terebithia publicly disdains crying at movies still cries when he watches the Lion King. I'm the type of guy who only seems functional secretly thinks he's a psychic wears ties with short sleeved dress shirts wishes he was a flying squirrel. I'm the type of guy who thinks introspection is whoop-la but does it usually when he should be listening. I'm the type of guy who stretches to make connections that only make sense to himself but tries to explain them anyways. I'm not the type of guy who knows when to Thursday, October 9, 2008 Jonah was swallowed up by a whale; I wonder if there is a story about a whale being swallowed up by a dude in the whale bible. I have a skinny friend that thinks he may die of wonder; I wonder if anyone has. I wonder what the doctor would write on the death certificate, I bet it would be something like “died of acute neurological meanderment.” I wonder if doctors ever make up words just to see if anyone will call them on it. I mean if a doctor says I’ve got a bruised left tribono, who am I to argue with him? Personally, I would hope that a doctor with all those years of school would come up with a better word than tribono. I wonder if the whale that swallowed Jonah went to see the whale doctor because Man… how would you explain that one? Tuesday, October 7, 2008 Gas can in hand he watched the flames with a smirk on his face, his wife trapped inside. He imagined the flames shooting from the master bedroom pink and baby blue, the colors his wife painted his den, along with everything in the house. She was unconscious and burning; chloroform and fire make for clean breaks. The only thing to come out from the flames was black smoke and a golden lab his wife named his dog. Now the dog’s name would be Bear; he and Bear were going for a drive. tells me most poetry People who got nothing to say are writing books and books of terrible poetry. They work hard at something they won't ever be any good at. He's got a sparse beard covers deep acne scars, he's absolutely hideous. I tell I'm going to write anyways, I tell him he's hideous. The capillaries in his nose have all burst. He takes another swig of his Heineken. Poetry should come out like a hot beer shit when you finish you should look down and see it all out there. I shake my head little comes out. I'll be back in an hour to finish up. Wednesday, October 1, 2008 So we were left alone, we hadn't known each other fifteen minutes. She had on a black beanie held in place with a black bobby pin tight black jacket and a pair of lip piercings. Said she like liked it here didn't have to worry about what people thought about what she looked like. I agreed. I was wearing sweatpants and hoody I bought in the 7th grade so I felt particularly genuine. beer and sweat pants usually have that effect on me. She asked me what I was doing up here. I paused a minute to decide which story I'd tell, I said I was going to school to become a minister. She asked if I was religious, I said I was she paused, then told me that was neat then looked down at her beer while I sipped mine We sat at in our booth. She avoided eye contact while I tried to think of something: an off color joke or drunken story something to show that I'm still cool not like those other people she's met or seen on television or go the other way actually try and explain maybe even have a conversation. I wanted to say just sat there listening to the jukebox waiting for our friends to finish smoking. Monday, September 29, 2008 tired sun-burnt faces out of hooded college sweat shirts while a balding man wisdom and understanding can be found. Few bibles are open. The bubbly girls are yawning while the chubby-funny guys are more asleep than awake. I'm watching a bug circle the room trying to remember how to spell Sunday, September 28, 2008 I'm clumsy in boats I always have been I maintain what the boy scouts taught me three points of contact at all times I'm a decent swimmer but I want to keep it a voluntary thing The outdoor channel shows bass fishing all the time they have tournaments the fishermen have fast boats They stand on flat decks and toss lures on weeds it makes me nervous to watch them I find myself clutching the arms of the couch I change the channel quickly I don't know why I'm writing this. Thursday, September 25, 2008 When I wake up I hit the snooze 4 times mutter an expletive and roll out of bed It's dark when I drive to work, brake lights and street lights reflect off a slick empty highway I listen to sports radio I pass three porn stores a strip club and a casino on my way to work Five car lots, a Wal Mart my old church the house where my bible study met when I was in high school the church no longer exists but there are teriyaki shops at least 10 of them just on my drive to work I pass my old orthodontist's office the field I learned to play soccer on the music store where I bought my guitar I commute when I used to watch grindhouse flicks after bar close I don't know what I'm doing at work People are friendly ask how I'm doing You know--keeping my head above water; or highs and lows, strikes and gutters; or starting to get the hang of things; or same old same old Oh and. . . I went to sleep at 6:30 last night because I just couldn't think of anything else to do; or counting down the minutes until I can fall asleep or drink myself stupid Monday, September 22, 2008 My cousin Tom smoked until his grand children were in kindergarten. When I was 5 I spilled frosted flakes on my crotch. He said he'd done it a dozen times, and that I shouldn't be embarrassed about it: he's always been my favorite cousin. Now he's got emphysema and big bushy beard. I only see him at reunions, he can't be around camp fires and he wheezes all the time. Last time I saw him, I was drinking a High Life out of a styrofoam cooler. Tom asked me if he could have one, said he'd have to owe me till the next reunion. Under his breath he muttered "if I make the next one." I told him he'd better because he owes me a beer. My cousin Scottie was 17 when his dad died of cancer. At the next reunion Tom took him aside, gave him a beer, told Scottie the only thing he looked forward to about these reunions was having a beer with Scottie's dad and that he needed to have a beer with Scottie. A few years later Scottie told me if he ever met cancer he'd kick him in the balls. I don't think I'll ever know exactly how he feels but I do know this: if I don't get a beer at the next reunion emphysema better find a cup. Friday, September 19, 2008 my tattoo is going to be on my side from my hip up my rib cage Where oh death is your sting With a hornet with a 4 inch stinger broke in half in comic book letters, like in the old Batman With Jesus in a karate outfit double black belt chopping the stinger in half. Thursday, September 18, 2008 I fall in love often: baristas, lab partners, girls ordering dark beers or talking about fantasy novels have me head over heels faster than I can stutter an introduction. While I'm stuttering I'm writing the love poem. Planning it out in my head, calculating my approach to the poem she'll never hear or if she does, she'll never know it was about her. There is strategy to these poems: go big or go home. I know how to go big. I've got so many lines popping out my head it's hard to concentrate. It takes me 5 minutes to answer the question "you want room for cream?" When I'm asked that question I'm not thinking about anything going in my coffee. I'm thinking 'If you were a princess I'd be your mario. No amount revolving walls of flame hammer throwing koopas or slowly shot giant bullets with angry faces could stop me from storming the castle and saving you from Bowser.' In my head I make outrageous promises like climbing mountains crowded with angry monkeys wielding switch blades and monkey-sized broad swords, or swimming shark infested seas wearing a wool sweater soaked in seal blood. Someday, when I finally find someone who's writing poems about me in her head, they'll be no use for hyperbole. I'll say unimpressive things that are actually true. "I probably wouldn't walk 500 miles just to fall down at your door, but I would walk 5 or 6 miles just to watch the Big Lebowski. "Your smile doesn't remind me of a sunset, but I do think it's pretty and I'm willing to make a complete fool of myself just to see it." Someday I'll write a love poem that's true. I won't even have to use my imagination. I'll actually read it to the person who inspired it; and when the girl at Starbucks, or whatever locally owned coffee shop I happen to be at, asks me if I want room for cream. I won't pause. I won't look deep into her eyes. I won't try and think of any romantic analogies. I won't think at all. I'll say casually, instinctively, "no, thank you" then turn and try and locate the sports section of the Seattle Times. Monday, September 15, 2008 I feel like a man when I drive when I pull into gas stations buy a cup of coffee confirm directions I have on a map I wear an over-sized Washington belt buckle with an eagle, mountain and evergreen tree 501's, hiking boots and a T-shirt with a cougar on it I belong on the road I like the seeing trees, rocks, people taking it in with eyes stretched like NFL linebackers eyes almost popping out because something important is always about to happen a grove of cypress trees a concrete caveman an old man on a front porch widdling himself into a cliche the route is a free-write going where it will with a general sense of direction destinations left to be discovered I need the road I need to see something new rivers, lizards, cities or diners I need to study things for the first time I have inherited the wander lust from generations of ancestors who needed the road across the Atlantic and across the plains because they'd seen home driving is an instinct like house cats stalking dirty socks or dogs peeing on mail boxes I feel like man when I drive Monday, September 8, 2008 I'm Lee Van Clef. When I smoke I have a handle bar mustache. I see things When I smoke I think about lots of things, in the smoke I see faces of the people or at least I've seen killed three plastic bins, a guitar and a backpack. I'm a long ways from being a nomad riding the rails, following the great herds but I'm a gas station and a reason away from anywhere. One bin is pants and jackets. One bin is shirts. One bin is books, dvd's and pictures. I keep miscellaneous Best Buy suburban necessities in my backpack. I'm happy with the little inconvenience of making room for a passenger or two, though there may be a few small digs about the clutter. My car is a closet, for right now I live in it. Saturday, September 6, 2008 told me it was great, that it would be my new favorite place in town. I tried it and it was pizza. It was good but it was just pizza, there was nothing special about it. Like when I went to the Grand Canyon drove out there with a buddy in the middle of the night drove 6 hours out of our way, because it was the grand canyon, we sat in my Camry and watched the sun come up. It came up slow and we saw more and more of the canyon, it was big. I read Ovid's Metamorphoses. I didn't get what the big deal was. Maybe I'm not cultured enough. Maybe I need to read more things to be able to read Ovid and actually like it. People say that's what I need to do, but I think those people are in love with being smart. They want to have opinions on Ovid, Plato and Tolstoy. I wish I hadn't read Ovid, it was crap. Most things that are supposed to be special The people who say they are just want to be special themselves, but they aren't. Now when I went to see Crater Lake that was special. Friday, September 5, 2008 mean that the lease is up in a college town they migrate there every fall. For a week their owners advertise their comfort: drinking cheap beer and smoking cigarettes while lounging in their old davenport. Some are snatched up quick, depending on the corner they're on and their condition some could be on the lawn an hour or less but some aren't so fortunate. This is for the unlucky stuck out in the rain mildew growing in their pull-out mattress, for the ugly and torn on inaccessible back alleys drooping with fall rain, for the last one taken to the dump collecting dead leaves into the depths of October, for those cushions that will never smell right again never have another out of town friend crash on them. Those who are gone, buried in landfills or lost under a mountain of clutter next to old cans of paint in the back of poorly lit basements. they soaked up the PBR wore the spilled marinara sauce with pride hid pens, bottle openers and change so well we forgot they even existed. Let us not make that same mistake with these noble embracers of ass, for while we may have abandoned them in favor of our Aunts reclining love seat, nothing could replace the love they showed us on those late nights watching Warner TimeLife's Golden Oldies informercials. Monday, September 1, 2008 in dimly lit dives frequented by girls in tight black jeans, bullets hanging round their waist. He spills bull shit emanating bullshit of their own, it gives off a faint glow, it's how those tanks are lit. Smokes in alleys walks down dirty sidewalks laughs when he's supposed to knows the right people orders the right drinks, he's vaguely liked by most. His disease is buried like a cicada, once in coon's age. When it does it makes a big noise. On the side of the road a dead coyote Friday, August 8, 2008 when the marine layer burns off. I was making eyes half the summer when she looked up I never said anything I never do I didn't want it to be awkward. If you wait long enough it's sunny everyday down here. Friday, August 1, 2008 Fires in Mendencino There are 134 fires burning in Mendencino County. People are wearing gas masks in Ukiah, it's hazy in Santa Rosa. At camp the smoke settles over the Redwoods while the sun is dropping in near the western horizon. I've never seen the world look so red, the sun looks like it's blushing. The bay and oak trees are glowing. I know the fires are still burning houses are being destroyed little kids are having asthma attacks eyes are burning from the poison oak in the air, but I can't help thanking God for the pretty sunset. The squirrels are huge down here, they look like small cats The rabbits are big too with gigantic ears It hasn't rained in two months I can't seem to find a 711 in all of Sebastopol and Santa Rosa haven't found a teriaki place either: for me, home is drinking a coke slurpee during a slow drizzle filling the air with the smell of wet sidewalk. Monday, July 21, 2008 1. Al Green, Tired of Being Alone The man at the bus stop checks his watch, it is 4:30 he is waiting for the 4:15 2. Johnny Cash, Solitary Man Whenever I watch a Clint Eastwood western I squint for days a quiet resolution resides in my belly I speak succinctly 3. Local H, Lovey Dovey Today, I hate people in love I want to drop cinder blocks on them I want every request for the Temptation's My Girl to be replaced with Slayer, Raining Blood I need to hear the couple in the apartment screaming about who did the dishes and who fed the dog I want to see wandering eyes at the restaurant I want to hear short breaths and sighs slamming doors and people crying 4. Led Zepplin, Heartbreaker The man is still waiting at the bus runs his hand through his thin grey hair he has a briefcase looks like someone who has somewhere to be it is 5:00 5. The Righteous brothers, Unchained Melody I was listening to the oldies yesterday I felt like I was going to puke out my heart and choke on it 6.Bobby Darin, Dreamlover I've been praying for a longtime praying for the same thing I can almost see her 7. Elvis Costello, Imagination (is a powerful deceiver) Her eyes are hazel and brown like sunburst on a guitar I can almost see us splitting a pizza watching a Seahawk's game I can almost hear her cussing at the ref's it's making me sick 8.Weezer, Why Bother Hope is a brick dropped on your chest every time a girl tells you you're funny 9. Hank Williams, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry He's still at the bus stop swearing under his breath waving his hands in the air pointing to the bus schedule in his right hand 10. Tom Waits, I Hope I Don't Fall in Love With You Last night I met a girl at a friends house she had black hair and a Led Zepplin Shirt her favorite album is 1 she has a big perfect smile I can't get it out of my head it makes me feel like shit 11. Neil Young, Only Love Can Break Your Heart I'm done writing love poems might as well be writing fantasy I have more experience with wizards, elves and hobbits than I do with love 12. Weezer, Only in Dreams I don't normally put two songs by one artist on the same mix but when the mix is for myself I make exceptions 13. Bruce Springsteen, Reason to Believe I see a man standing o're a dead dog by the highway in a ditch he's looking down kind've puzzled like if he stood there long enough that dog would up and run The man is still at the bus stop sitting on the curb silent and still under streetlights his watch is broken in the gutter beside him it's almost midnight now I still pray I still tell friends what I would name my kids I still find myself singing along to love songs I still steal secret glances I still crush until my heart hurts so bad my spleen has sympathy pains I still think of new ways to describe eyes I still write love poems still at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe Saturday, June 28, 2008 When is Washington? Washington is in a warm drink. We take it with us when we feel the dew soaking through our socks. It is 4 o'clock. It is turning in the squinting sidewalk man's belly. It is a sneeze walking past plastic trees. It is a mustache that isn't. It is red sweat shirt girls buying yogurt in the self-check out lane in Fred Meyer. It is in three empty pitchers and a teary eye remembering John Keister. Washington is my appendix. or more accurately Washington is late August in a dusty corolla, if she makes it. Saturday, June 14, 2008 So this is my attempt at writing a worship poem, like a Psalm. Most of my poetry I try to keep emotion out because it makes poems generally feel like the were written by a high schooler. This one I decided to suspend my efforts. Hopefully it won't make you puke. by all means at your disposal every word spoken every letter written every note hummed with you gait, smile, laugh and tear make your heart the garden walk with him notice his beauty take time to lean over watch the ants consider the flowers with silly rhymes with clever new slang in dark downtown bars eat the popcorn savor the beer and find your voice This is important Rehearse your priorities at the top place because in him the blues tremble and the love he loves is greater than the love you love gossip incessantly about him find your voice with others and praise him This is important. from a college town where I'm 23 and feel old everyone does it I'm eating my last Hot and Ready the boxes used to pile next to the fireplace sometimes ten high It was a cliche college house beer and pizza over and over Now I have to be grown up these posters just aren't Thermals "Fuckin' A' Weezer, Sonic Youth, Nirvana the posters and posters and posters the parties concerts and people friends crashing on the couch friends in the fridge friends in the cabinet the friends have left in boxes and boxes and boxes I'm in boxes wading the clutter packing things that won't be unpacked the pictures will find themselves in shoeboxes or, at best, a photo album that will be dusted off when my kids head off to college proof that at one time I was cool the posters will disappear or be rolled up in crates placed in the back of a closet and the beer bottles and pizza boxes will be thrown out I think I going to throw up. Tuesday, May 27, 2008 I wish it weren't but it is real damn sunny the sun is being an asshole going straight through my blinds laughing through my pillow I feel hungover but i'm not I went to sleep at 10 last night and 8 the night before haven't had a drink in a week all i've done is sleep in hope for someone to call me back play video games swear under my breath the fucking sun just won't leave me alone it's a 11 am and can't sleep anymore wondering whether or not I should get up and the sun is still out photographers are out taking pictures for college brochures of all the attractive young people playing hacky sack and frisbee I hope they all get skin cancer and die in the dead of winter in Alaska. Saturday, May 17, 2008 Monday, May 12, 2008 Out from under a black hood a wispy mustache stares up at me. The upper lip looks like a clear-cut after a fires with burnt out black trees sticking up sparsely. I want to puke all over his face. I worship Satan. . . See! He points to a pentagram bracelet: I want to puke all over him, stain his black clothes with acidic orange and chunks of partially digested chicken. I want to say just because you wear and don't identify with the majority of your classmates--does not mean you're special or that you don't have to do your damn MATH! Even Satan uses math--DAILY. Since you claim to worship him you should emulate him. You think running HELL doesn't involve algebra-- Where do you think it came from? Here is an equation for you: (You + Your Ugly Mustache) x eternal damnation = FINE BY ME; if and only if You finish Your Damn Work! I worship the devil--he repeats want to worship him with me? I want to puke all over him. of Hurricane Ice in a downtown alley while giant cranes build half million dollar condos for young professionals who pay twenty something girls with hipster flair to walk their Boston Terriers past the men in the alley-ways drinking malt liquor. Thursday, May 8, 2008 The sky was clear. The night was cold. The stars were bright. I drove way out to the desert set up camp in the dark listening to a family coyotes hidden in the hills. To not have a chat with God seemed silly to me. I scrambled up to the top of a big rock lied down on my back stared up at the stars. The wind was cold up there, made my eyes water but I stayed up there. Wrapped in my Seahawk blanket I wondered what to say. I felt like it should be a special conversation, 1200 miles from home in the middle of the desert by myself--seemed like the place God tells people things. I knew he said things. I didn't know what he said or what language he spoke, but I decided I would listen anyways. I stayed up on that rock and waited. There were stars everywhere; every conceivable place in the sky there was a star. They were all doing their thing. I wondered what it would look like if they were different, if God ever made revisions. It probably wouldn't matter where they went. Their positions probably weren't as important as what they were doing: sitting up there night after night just doing their thing. It got down to freezing that night. I got real cold, climbed down curled up shivering in my sleeping bag. The next day I had a head-ache. I sat on the hood of my car, watching the sun rise through the branches of Joshua trees trying to translate. Friday, May 2, 2008 in navy blue was not great: only had three out of a possible six, climbed those stairs let it drop from the middle that chip danced to the right to the left a pogo stick in slow motion Drew could hardly his fists in the air jumped up and down. rocketed to 1000 Hector pumped again. to have the drive to make it but the coach's must have lit a fire it too danced. the chip fell it was a Wednesday the district didn't call I had all day. Tuesday, April 29, 2008 We played in a cover band Sam Cooke and the Pixies practiced in Jimmy V.'s basement "How about Sugar Tits and the Feminists" "The band will be call Fucked by Lightning" I furrowed my brow peed all over his amplifier smashed my mandolin on his computer monitor ran up the stairs crying I didn't stop crying until I got to the bubble tea place a block and a half from Jimmy's I drank bubble tea until I puked and Sam Cooke played I know a change is gonna come Monday, April 28, 2008 I thought myself a romantic. I created dates in my head whenever the inspiration hit chocolate factory tours Pike Place dinners followed by the Seattle Art Museum sandy bluffs and spring sunsets. I saw myself as the Bob Ross of romance who only lacked canvas for my masterpieces. I am a super hero hunting down and destroying fashionable demons in a robotic suit I found in a dumpster behind Round Table Pizza in Mill Creek. On it was a note: "Tucker, there is a war, you have be chosen here is your weapon, here is your canvas" I am Bob Ross motherfucker,

|UFDC Home||myUFDC Home | Help || ALL ISSUES CITATION MAP IT! PDF VIEWER STANDARD VIEW MARC VIEW This item is only available as the following downloads: Friday, April 20, 2012 50¢ Plus ta x Vol. 103 No. 48 11.69 feetLast Year: 11.31 feet Lake Levels newszap.comFree SpeechFree AdsSee page 4 for information about how to contact this newspaper. Thieves may pose as scrappers ... Page 12 Make this the ultimate shing town ... Page 5 Fail to le your income tax on time? ... Page 9 OUA to operate Pine Ridge Park utilities... Page 2 OCEA denied job security for teachersBy Charles M. MurphyOkeechobee News It was a clean sweep for the administration as the Okeechobee County School Board voted nearly unanimously to end the impasse with the Okeechobee County Educators Association Union by adopting administration proposals for salary hikes, less job security, and tougher teacher evaluations at a four-hour hearing on Wednesday. Union President Candy Walker told the board that adding this hearing to FCAT week was another burden for local educators. Were disappointed it came to this. We rejected an all or nothing offer from the district. Senate bill 736 is not fair to teachers and there is no way to make it fair, said Candy Walker of the Okeechobee County Education Association. Teachers want your respect. They work hard all of the time. The teachers will get a step on the salary schedule but no raise for the 2011-2012 year. Okeechobee County Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy called it a generous offer. Teachers on the highest salary step will receive $600. The salary schedule changes will cost the district $533,378 in the current budget. The school board rejected requests by the union to have more input in the evaluation of teachers. The union argued State changes were unfair to the teacher and has led to a lot of anxiety among teachers and their job security. They argued too much of the evaluation is based on student growth and test scores. Dianne Falvo, Treasure Coast service unit director for the Florida Education Association said the district should have language that ensures the teachers are treated fairly. The schools have total control over the teacher instructional practice review. We ask for input on the way teachers are evaluated and want the methods and process used negotiated, she said. Mr. Kenworthy defended the existing evaluation procedures and called it a fair process that ensures no arbitrary decisions during the teacher reviews by principals. He said it is a management right to evaluate the performance of their employees and resisted challenges to that right. He explained that the teachers have protections because a grievSchool board rejects unions proposal Okeechobee News/ Charles MurphySchool Board Attorney John McClure, India Riedel, David Williams, Kelly Owens, Joe Arnold and Gay Carlton considered eight items at an impasse hearing that nearly lled the Community Theatre Auditorium on Wednesday night. Board members heard over four hours of testimony at the marathon meeting. See TEACHERS Page 14 By Pete GawdaOkeechobee News In a brief meeting on Tuesday, April 17, the Okeechobee City Council created two new positions and awarded two contracts. Donnie Robertson, head of the pubic works department, was given a new title and a completely new position in the public works department was created. The council created the position of public works operations supervisor and named Mr. Robertson to ll that position. They also created the position of director of public works and instructed city administrator Brian Whitehall to advertise for someone to ll that position. Upon the retirement of city engineer Oscar Bermudez, Mr. Whitehall decided to rede ne that position since he said the city really did not need an engineer because there was no supporting staff and equipment for an engineer. He said that in the past the city has hired engineering rms for big projects. He said the ne w position of director of public works calls for a person with a strong engineering background and the new position would allow Mr. Robertson to be used more effectively. City council creates two new positionsSee CITY Page 14 By Pete GawdaOkeechobee News The Okeechobee Utility Authority (OUA) has recently taken on a new responsibility, operating water and wastewater facilities at Pine Ridge Park. About 30 residents of the Pine Ridge area met with OUA of cials at First Baptist Church on Tuesday evening, A pril 17, to discuss the unfolding utility situation. Pine Ridge Park is located north of S.R. 70 and east of N.E. 32nd Avenue. "The situation is still evolving," John Hayford, OUA executive director, said. A few w eeks ago he never thought the OUA would be operating the Pine Ridge system. Mr. Hayford said the Pine Ridge Management Corp., the owners of a water and w astewater system serving Pine Ridge Park and the surrounding area led a Notice of A bandonment in February because they w ere losing money after a rate increase was disapproved by the public service commission. He said that on April 12 the OUA was appointed as receiver. "We don't own it," he said. "As the receiver we are only operating the system. You will still be Pine Ridge customers." The OUA will operate the system until it is either sold or taken over by the OUA. Mr. Hayford said the short term plan calls for improving the current system while long range plans includes tying in to OUA water and sewer mains and installing re hydrants. "Our intent is not to operate either one of those plants any longer than we have to." "We are spending reserve money," Mr. Hayford said of nancing the improvements. "How much will be passed on to Pine Ridge customers or absorbed by the OUA is unknown." Employees of the OUA are currently replacing the existing water meters which Mr. Hayford said were often missing or inaccurate. "I am going to be billing you so I want accurate meters." There are 138 meters in the system. Of that total, 55 meters serve rental lots in Pine Ridge Park. Those 55 rental lots will be served by one master meter. There is one other large property with about 20 rental lots. Those lots could also possibly be served by a master meter. The rest of the customers will be on individual meters. The customers on individual meters will be responsible for their own bills. For the one or possibly two master meters the bill will go to the property owner, who, in turn may collect each tenant's prorated share of the bill. Mr. Hayford said that as his crews replace a meter they would record the old meter reading and give that information to Pine Ridge Management. At the end of May the new OUA meters will be read and OUA bills sent out the rst of June. Employees of Pine Ridge Management will operate the water and wastewater plants until the end of April. On the rst of May OUA personnel will take over and try to improve water quality. "Our rst efforts will be to clear the collection system," said Mr. Hayford. He said the pipes have a lot of sand indicating breaks in the line. His crews will clean the pipes and use remote cameras and smoke to nd leaks. Once the collection system is improved, Mr. Hayford believes the treatment plant will work more effectively. "We will meet DEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) requirements," Mr. Hayford replied in response to a question about water quality. One resident complained of hard water. Mr. Hayford responded that there was currently nothing at the treatment plant to soften the water. However, he added that once his employees are operating the plant, the y might be able to do something to soften the water. Another resident complained of lo w water pressure. Mr. Hayford there might be some adjustments that could be made to increase water pressure. Mr. Hayford passed out a typical OUA bill and explained the OUA billing procedures and rates. The OUA will incorporate man y of their policies and procedures into the operation of the system. However, at this time Pine Ridge residents will not have to pay a deposit or sign an OUA service agreement. While Pine Ridge Management has been reading meters every six months, the OU A will read the meters every month. Pine Ridge customers will be paying OUA rates. Post your opinions in the Public Issues Forum at www.newszap.com. Reporter Pete Gawda can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org. 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 7 6 3 6 9 0 5 Y Y o u r L a r g e s t F e n c e P o s t S u p p l i e r i n S o u t h F l o r i d a 7 6 3 6 9 0 5 T h e W o r k s A l l S i z e s P o s t s S t a p l e sG a u c h o A l l i g a t o r F e n c eW a l p o l e F e e d & S u p p l y C o 7 6 3 6 9 0 5 Hwy 98 N. Okeechobee Cowboys BBQ & Steak Co Join us for our Annual Tailgate Party Friday April 20, starting at 5pm Featuring Music by Tom Jackson Band at 8pm Vendors Music Drinks Our Famous Country Store Dunk Tank Come by early and sign up for our Hot Dog & Pie Eating Contest. 2 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 Today: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming south southeast between 5 and 10 mph. Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South southeast wind around 5 mph. Extended ForecastSaturday: Showers likely and possibl y a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. South southeast wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Saturday night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 64. South southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. South southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Okeechobee Forecast OUA of cials meet with Pine Ridge residents Okeechobee News/ Pete GawdaOf cials of the Okeechobee Utility Authority met with residents of Pine Ridge Park on Tuesday, April 17, to discuss how the utility was going to serve as receiver for the water and wastewater plants serving their neighborhood. Pictured are, left to right, Tom Conley, attorney, John Hayford, executive director, and Roy Reno, operations director. Okeechobee News/ Pete GawdaAbout 30 residents of the Pine Ridge Park area met with of cials of the Okeechobee Utility Authority (OUA) on Tuesday evening, April 17, in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church. The residents were there to discuss their concerns caused by the recent appointment of OUA as receiver for the water and wastewater plants serving their neighborhood. 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 4224 Highway 441 S. Okeechobee 4224 Highway 441 S. Okeechobee www. www. okeechobeedodgechryslerjeep okeechobeedodgechryslerjeep .com .com 863-357-0500 863-357-0500 HOURS: Mon-Fri 9am -7pm Sat. 9am 5pm Closed Sun Jeep Jeep Grand Grand Cherokee Cherokee 2011 Dodge Dakota 2010 Chevy Aveo 2008 Chevy Cobalt LS 2006 Dodge 1500 Work Truck 2011 Chevy Impala LTZ 2008 Dodge Nitro SLT 2010 Chrysler Sebring LX 2011 Mitsubishi Galant(All prices,and payments, include every available rebate Chrysler is offering, must qualify for all rebates). All payments bas ed on a credit score of 700 or higher w/$2000 down @72 months. New Vehicle Prices Good Thru end of Business 4-20-2012.$13,995$10,995$19,995$9,995$17,995$15,995$15,995 $16,995 collins collins duke duke patti patti frieda frieda penny penny farmer farmer bauer bauer david david james james steve steve molnar molnar NEW 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SELIST $20,543$19,997new 2012 Chrysler 200 new 2012 Chrysler 200 $ $ LIST $22,728$18,997NEW 2012 Grand Cherokee Laredo N E W 2 2 0 0 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 G r r a a a n n d d C C C C h e r r o o k k k e e e e e L a r r r e d o LIST $31,435$27,947NEW 2012 Ram 3500 Crew Cab SLT 4X4 dIESEL d d I I E S E LIST $56,398$46,997new 2012 ram 2500 Crew cab st 4X4 w 2 0 1 2 r r a a m 2 2 5 5 0 0 C C r r e w c c c a b b s t t 4 4 X X 4 LIST $37,903$30,997new 2012 ram 1500 crew cab n e w 2012 ram 1500 crew cab NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW LIST $33,133$26,4972012 Dodge Journey SXT$21,995 2 20 0 1 12 2 D od d g ge J ou r rn rn ey S S SX T yp 2 20 0 08 0 D o od od ge N N it ro ro ro S S S LT 2 20 10 C h hr hr ys le r r S Se br br i in g L LX 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited$18,495 Un Un U U li mi te te d d PRE-OWNED SPECIALS PRE-OWNED SPECIALS ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY1 Owner, only 12,000 miles, like new. A steal at Fully Equipped! Crew cab. Auto full power pkg., nice truck All the toys, at a very low price!2008 Chevy Suburban$26,995 ONLY ONLYLow miles, mint condition, a steal at Low miles, priced to move Auto, A/C Auto a/c up to 40mpg Auto Full Pwr pkg, up to 35 MPG Leather, loaded, very clean, low miles 4x4, low miles MONTH $17300 O O R R MONTH $27600 O O R R MONTH $29300 O O R R MONTH $30200 O O R R MONTH $32700 O O R R MONTH $36200 O O R R MONTH $44800 O O R R MONTH $22500 O O R R MONTH $15900 O O R R2011 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT$42,995 ONLY4x4, Dually Diesel, Nav., DVD, Only 25,000 miles MONTH $69900 O O R R MONTH $25900 O O R R MONTH $25900 O O R R Work Truck N LY ON LY Aut o, A/C g g S S LT LT 4x4 4x4 D D ual ual ly ly Die Die sel sel N N av av D D VD VD 3 Okeechobee News A pril 20, 2012 Scanners Does anyone know how to program or who programs scanners?? I have a Radio Shack Pro-164 triple trunking scanner and c an NOT get the programming correct. Any help is greatly appreciated. I was told (I dont know for sure as I dont have a scanner) that when Okeechob ee went to the new radio system, that you c ant get them on a scanner anymore. Okeechobee Police, Okeechobee County Sheriffs Department and Fire/Resc ue all are using the SLERS system (State Law Enforcement Radio System) and part and parcel of that system is digital privacy. T his is a complex system that uses a digital key, and frequency hopping to make it VERY dif cult to monitor with a scanner. The syst em is expensive, but allows the law enforcement community to talk without everyone in t he area listening in. You can still hear some of the other local agencies, including the F lorida Forest Service, local school buses, power company and such on your scanner. T hose frequencies are found on the radio reference.com site. Or on other sites if you do a Google Search for Okeechobee Radio F requencies.Band trip Congratulations to the OHS band! Nice t o hear the community is supporting these kids who work so hard. W itch hunt? I think not If anyone thinks the reporter for the Okeechobee News is on a witch hunt ins tead of on a factnding mission concerning SFWMD then they have not been affected by actions taken by SFWMD. Quite a few of us say, Keep up the good work! Its time for discovery. Honesty is such a wonderful t hing and you know character should count. A lthough it certainly has been proven time and time again, having money allows things t o be quite different from those who have none. The incident in which the county commission sold the old shell pit to a wealthy Okeechobee landowner for $150,000 and then he turned around and sold it to water management for $8 million raised a lot of eyebrows at the time. And it should have had local residents screaming for those county commissioners impeachment. The question that was never answered was why didnt SFWMD approach the county about buying that land when they rst put it out for bids. They could have saved the taxpayers millions. Some people act like government money is just free money up for grabs. But that government money is our money, the taxes we pay. And it just makes me sick with the government of cials are so wasteful with OUR money.No water After living here for 30 years and going to every meeting concerning our beautiful Lake Okeechobee being raped year after year to no avail, my husband and I moved to another state. He has since passed and I have moved back to be close to my family and friends. I purchased a home last February on a canal in Taylor Creek Isles so that I could have easier access to use my boat since I am by myself. The home has a very nice dock with a boat lift that I have only been able to use about two months out of the last 14 months. When the canal was low before going almost dry last summer, I was able to put the boat in the canal and tie it to the outside of the dock but then when it had to be pulled out because of no water the paint had blistered just below the water line. This canal is now going dry again! Im paying the high dollar in taxes and insurance for water front property with NO WATER! Between our water managers and the Corps haphazard spraying (four times in four days in this canal last month).Secret Service What in the world were these Secret Service men thinking? When the government investigates these men they investigate nearly everyone from the Dr. who delivered them to their dead and berried Uncle Clem. These are supposed to be some of the most upstanding and trustworthy men. You have got to know that this cant be the only ones that need looking into. If there are 20 in one place there is lots more in the Secret Service. Guess even the SS cant be trusted these days. What a world we live in. Floridas FCAT and standardized testingThis week children across the state of Florida faced the high-stakes test that our state legislature has designed and mandated, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Many students met this test with tears and others with severe anxiety and fear of failure. Not only are students required to improve their score from last year, regardless of health issues, family problems, or the social issues involved in simply growing up, they must also cross a bar that has been raised yet again, by the increase in cut scores. The legislature was apparently advised by statisticians that if the cut scores werent raised again this year, there was a statistical probability that 100% of Floridas third grade students would pass the test. For some unknown reason, the legislature did not want to see that occur, and therefore, raised the bar again, which some now estimate will result in approximately 20% of our students failing to meet the new standard, thus creating a bell curve outcome instead of a criterion-based outcome as was promised over a decade ago. One Florida principal applied FCAT 2.0 to the third grade scores from last year and found that the number of students retained in that one school would jump from 8 to 18. (Fund Education Now) In addition, the grading criteria for the Florida Writes test, that is administered to 4th, 8th, and 10th graders, was also raised to a higher level this year. In fact, by the year 2014, it will require students to write essays that analyze documents instead of writing to an essay prompt. This type of high-level document-based analysis is currently used for Advanced Placement tests given to high school students in an accelerated track fo r college credit. When will this train towards devastation for students, families, teachers, schools and communities be stopped? It seems that no one in Florida is satis ed with the FCAT except the legislature. Children are more than a test score. There is greatness in children tha t cannot be measured by a multiple-choic e test and children should not be reduced to such singular evaluations. Education should be about helping children reach their highest potential by teaching them how to thin k critically and creatively to solve real world problems that they will face in their futures. Our public education system should not b e reduced to simply teaching children how to take standardized tests. Please help me and join the ght against the FCAT. Respectfully, Crystal Drake Candidate for Florida House of Representatives Highlands, Okeechobee, Glades and a portion of St. Lucie County email@example.comSupport appreciatedThe Okeechobee County Sheriffs Of c e Law Enforcement Special Olympics and Relay for Life Teams would like to thank all th e businesses for their donations and the community for buying dinners at our recent BBQ fundraiser. You made our event a great success. OCSO Special Olympics and Rela y for Life Teams Friday, April 20 2012 4 Okeechobee News OPINION Public Forum/Speak Out Letters to the editor To Reach UsAddress: 107 S.W. 17th Street, Suite D Okeechobee, FL34974 Website: www.newszap.comTo Submit NewsThe Okeechobee News welcomes submissions from its readers. Opinions, calendar items, stories ideas and photographs are welcome. Call (863) 763-3134 to reach our newsroom. Items may be mailed, faxed or e-mailed. E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.orgTo Place A Display AdPhone: 863-763-3134 E-Mail: email@example.comTo Place A Classified AdCall 877-353-2424 to place a classified advertisement from home. Fax: 877-354-2424 E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.orgBilling Department E-Mail: email@example.comTo Start or Stop A PaperPhone: (800) 282-8586 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org The Okeechobee News is available three times a week via home delivery and is on sale at rack and store locations throughout Okeechobee County. Call the office to find out if your home is within our present home-distribution boundaries. Call 800-282-8586 to report a missed newspaper or poor delivery. Additional copies of the newspaper are available for 50 cents Wednesday and Friday and 75 cents for Sunday at the office. Home delivery subscriptions are available at $18.00 for three months. Okeechobee News USPS 406-160 Published 3 times a week: Sunday, Wednesday and Friday by Independent Newspapers, Inc. 107 S.W. 17th Street, Suite D Okeechobee, FL34974 Periodicals Postage Paid at Okeechobee, FL34974 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Okeechobee News Circulation Administration PO Box 7011 Dover, DE 19903StaffEditor: Katrina Elsken Circulation Manager: Janet Madray Publisher: Tom ByrdOur PurposeThe Okeechobee News is published by Independent Newspapers of Florida. Independent is owned by a unique trust that enables this newspaper to pursue a mission of journalistic service to the citizens of the community. Since no dividends are paid, the company is able to thrive on profit margins below industry standards. All after-tax surpluses are reinvested in Independents mission of journalistic service, commitment to the ideals of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and support of the communitys deliberation of public issues.We PledgeTo operate this newspaper as a public trust To help our community become a better place to live and work, through our dedication to conscientious journalism. To provide the information citizens need to make their own intelligent decisions about public issues. To report the news with honesty, accuracy, purposeful neutrality, fairness, objectivity, fearlessness and compassion. To use our opinion pages to facilitate community debate, not to dominate it with our own opinions. To disclose our own conflicts of interest or potential conflicts to our readers. To correct our errors and to give each correction the prominence it deserves. To provide a right to reply to those we write about. To treat people with courtesy, respect and compassion. MEMBER OF: Speak Out has moved online, where i t is quicker and easier to share your i deas and converse with others. Go to w ww.newszap.com, click on the comm unity name and your local or state P ublic Forum. There, you can create n ew topics or comment on existing t opics. What follows is a sam pling of s ome of the discussions currently taki ng place. Thanks for participating! Okeechobee April Blood Drives Help save a life at homeBlood drives are planned throughout this month in Okeechobee County. The Big Red Bus helps supply our own hospital with the blood it needs: Okeechobee folks saving Okeechobee folks. If you are above the age of 17 and in good health, your help is needed and appreciated. Each donor will receive a free movie ticket. Scheduled dates are: Wednesday, April 25 -SFWMD Field Of ce on 70 E, 12:30 4:30 p.m.; Friday, April 27 -KOA Samboree, 10 a.m. 3 p.m.; Friday, April 27 -Walgreens, 2 6 p.m.; Saturday, April 28 -Wal Mart, 11 a.m. 4 p.m.; Sunday, April 29 -Market Place Flea Mkt (the Red & White Roof), 10 a.m.2 p.m. 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 ALeap Insurance & Financial Service, Inc.Providing Solutions That Work Index Universal Life Annuities Whole Life TermAgent/Advisor: Jessie Vasquez, Sr. Individuals and Business Owners 863-763-7114 www.aleapinsurance.comAsk how an IUL policy bene ts retirement Movie Tickets: Adults $6.50 Children 12 & under $5.00 Movie Tickets: Adults $6.50 Children 12 & under $5.00 Senior Citizens $5.00 all movies Matinees $4.50 Senior Citizens $5.00 all movies Matinees $4.50Fri., April 20TH Thurs., April 26THFor Info, Call 763-7202 III: 21 JUMP STREET III: 21 JUMP STREETFri., Tues. & Thurs. 7:00 & 9:00, Sat., Sun. & Wed. 2:00, 4:15, 7:00 & 9:00, Mon. 3:00 & 7:00 II: ACT OF VALOR II: ACT OF VALORFri., Tues. & Thurs. 7:00 & 9:00, Sat., Sun. & Wed. 2:00, 4:15, 7:00 & 9:00, Mon. 3:00 & 7:00 R R I: I: THREE STOOGES THREE STOOGESFri., Tues. & Thurs. 7:00 & 9:00, Sat., Sun. & Wed. 2:00, 4:15, 7:00 & 9:00, Mon. 3:00 & 7:00 PG-13 SECTION 00030 INVITATION TO BID The Okeechobee Utility Authority, Okeechobee, Florida, will receive sealed bids for: VACUUM STATION NO. 1 (OUSLEY ESTATES) TANK REHABILITATION DUE DATE: May 30, 2012 DUE TIME: 2:00 P.M. at 100 SW 5th Avenue, Okeechobee, Florida, 34974. At such time, all sealed bids received will be publicly opened and read aloud. Each bid must be accompanied by a bid bond or cashiers check in an amount of not less than ve percent (5%) of the total bid amount. No bid may be withdrawn after the bid opening for a period of fortyve (45) days. The Okeechobee Utility Authority reserves the right to waive informalities in the bids or to reject all bids. Drawings and Speci cations may be examined in the of ce of the Okeechobee Utility Authority, 100 SW 5th Avenue, Okeechobee, Florida, 34974. Documents and bid blanks may be obtained at the of ce of Eckler Engineering, Inc., 4700 Riverside Drive, Suite 110, Coral Springs, Florida 33067 upon payment of $60.00 which is nonrefundable. A pre-bid conference will be held at the project site located at 4275 SW 9th Way, Okeechobee, Florida, 34974 at 10:00 A.M. local time on May 16, 2012. Attendance at the pre-bid conference IS NOT MANDATORY. OKEECHOBEE UTILITY AUTHORITY By: John F. Hayford, P.E. Executive Director Publish: Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 5 Okeechobee News A pril 20, 2012 Okeechobee News/ Pete GawdaMunicipal Clerks WeekAt the Tuesday, April 17, meeting of the Okeechobee City Council, Mayor James Kirk, center, proclaimed the week of April 29 to May 5 to be Municipal Clerks Week in the city. He presented the proclamation to city clerk Lane Gamiotea, left and deputy clerk Melisa Jahner, right. By Pete GawdaOkeechobee News Is Okeechobee the ultimate shing town? If so, Okeechobee is the town the World Fishing Network (WFN) is looking for. The network is the only around the clock telev ision network dedicated to all things shing and is available in more than 20 million households through North American cable, satellite and telecommunications distributors. World Fishing Network is sponsoring a contest to nd the Ultimate Fishing Town. The winning town will receive a $25,000 community donation to be used toward shing related causes and be the star of a television program on WFN. Separate contests are being run in this country and in Canada. Last year Chapleau, Ontario was the Canadian winner and the tiny hamlet of Roscoe, N.Y., located two hours north of New York City, was the U.S. w inner. Last year nearly 500 towns across Canada and the U.S. were nominated and nearly one million votes were cast. Kathy Scott, director of the tourist development council, nominated Okeechobee as soon as she got the word about the contest from VISIT FLORIDA. She submitted the information about Okeechobee on the network's website. "If nothing else, it gives local businesses a chance to promote their business," she said, adding that it might open new markets for Okeechobee. Okeechobee will be competing against towns all cross the country including quite a number from Florida including Miami, Clewiston, Loxahatchee, Stuart, Fort Pierce and Vero Beach. Go to www.wfn shingtown.com/town/ okeechobee- to see the Okeechobee wall and post your comments and business information. The nomination period ends April 30 and voting is from May 1 to May 31. Voting is online and voting instructions are available on the WFN website. By following the rules, it is possible for one person to vote multiple times for the same town. "The search for WFN's Ultimate Fishing Town offers towns all across Canada and the U.S. a great opportunity to show the world why their town is the best place to sh," said Mark Rubinstein, President and CEO of WFN. "We look forward to sharing their stories and letting the people choose WFN's Ultimate Fishing Towns for 2012." The winner will be announced in June in ceremonies in the two winning towns. Post your opinions in the Public Issues Forum at www.newszap.com. Reporter Pete Gawda can be reached at email@example.com. Okeechobee competes to be the Ultimate Fishing Town The next general membership meeting for Okeechobee Main Street is scheduled for noon, Wednesday, April 25, at the Golden Corral. The term of of ce for the current board expires at this time. As is required in our By-Laws, a Nominating Committee was formed by the current President for the purpose of presenting a slate of of cers to the Board of Directors at their monthly meeting on April 17. The board reviewed and approved the slate of of cers as it was presented. Each Main Street Member will have an opportunity to vote on the slate of of cers during the General Membership Meeting. At that time the group will also take nominations from the oor and you may nominate yourself or another Main Street Member for any of ce. If nominations are made, the general membership will vote by secret ballot (one vote per individual member, family or business). Votes will be tabulated at the meeting and the 2012 Board will be announced. If no nominations are presented, then the slate of of cers presented by the Nominating Committee will stand. The Slate of Of cers presented to the Board is as follows: PresidentMaureen Burroughs; Vice-PresidentJohn Creasman; SecretaryCourtney Moyett; TreasurerLisa Watts; Promotion ChairFrank DeCarlo; Arts and Culture ChairBridgette Waldau; Design ChairJeff Shef eld; Volunteer ChairToni Doyle; Director-at-LargeDiane Davies; Director-at-LargeMerrilee Berglund; Director-at-LargeShelly Doyle; and, Immediate Past PresidentKathleen Shatto. If there are any questions, call 863-3576246. Main Street to elect of cers 11th Annual Event Honors Acts of Heroism within Our CommunityWEST PALM BEACHThe American Red Cross is currently requesting nominations for its annual Community Courage Awards, honoring those "everyday heroes," individuals who have taken extraordinary action to save a life or avert a tragedy. The winners will be announced at the 11th Annual Community Courage Awards Luncheon, presented by WPBF News 25, beginning 11 a.m. on June 21, at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Established in 2002, the Community Courage Award honors individuals who exemplify the mission of the Red Cross helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. This year's awards will be presented in nine categories: Fire Rescue, La w Enforcement, Medical, Good SamaritanAdult, Good Samaritan-Youth, Military, Animal Rescue, Educator, and Marine Rescue. The main criteria for nominations are a heroic act or performance above and beyond the typical call of duty, occurring between May 2011 and April 2012. Candidates must be nominated by someone in the community and must work or reside in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach or St. Lucie counties. For more information on the Communit y Courage Awards or to nominate a local hero for the award, please visit www.pbtcredcross.org/courage, all nominations must be received by May 4. Tickets to the Awards Luncheon are available for $50 each or $450 for a table of 10. For more information please contact Maura Nelson at 561-650-9131. Red Cross seeks nominations for community courage awards 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 Obituaries should be submitted to t he Okeechobee News by e-mailing o firstname.lastname@example.org. Customers may also r equest photos and links to online guest b ooks. A link to the obituaries is available at w ww.newszap.com.David Bockoras Sr., 71OKEECHOBEE David Bockoras Sr., age 71, of Okeechobee, passed away April 17, 2012. He was born May 26, 1940, in Dubois, Pa., to Albert and Helen Bockoras. Mr. Bockoras proudly served our country in the U.S. Air Force. He came to Okeechobee from West Palm Beach in the mid 1970s. He was employed by United Technologies for 31 years. He was a member of The Gathering and enjoyed gol ng, motorcycles and was an avid bird watcher. Mr. Bockoras is survived by his wife of 50 years, Betty Bockoras; two sons, David Bockoras Jr. (Lisa) of Okeechobee, and Daren Bockoras of Ft. Drum; daughter, Darlene Miller of Okeechobee; four grandsons and one granddaughter; three great-grandchildren; three sisters, Mary Ann Relich (Robert) of Colorado Springs, Colo., Loretta Barr (Dave) of Pittsburgh, Pa. and Diane Brunette (Tony) of Pittsburgh, Pa.; brother, Richard Bockoras (Marge) of Statseville, N.C. Visitation will be 2 p.m. until services at 4 p.m. Friday, April 20, 2012, at The Gathering with Pastor Mike Brown of ciating. Interment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery. Memorials may be made to World Vision, PO Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063. Friends may sign the guest book at www.BassOkeechobeeFH.com All arrangements are entrusted to the loving care of Bass Okeechobee Funeral Home and Crematory, 205 N.E. Second Street Lawrence Hot Shot E. Christopher, 73OKEECHOBEE Lawrence Hot Shot E. Christopher, age 73, died Tuesday, April 17, 2012, at Raulerson Hospital. He was born in Maryville, Tenn., and a resident of Okeechobee for over 40 years. Lawrence enjoyed working in his garden, shing and riding his dog Ruthie around on his golf cart. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Blanch Christopher of Okeechobee; sons, Austin (Wendy) Christopher of Gainesville, Ga., Boyd Christopher of Lake Wales, Fla.; a daughter, Debra (Buddy) Colvin of Kenansville, Fla.; ve grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; a brother, Ralph (Lois) Christopher of Tenn.; a sister, Elizabeth Crosby of Ga.; several nieces and nephews; brothers-in-law, Boyd (Cheryl) Parrott, Richard (Beulah) Rackley, J.R. Clance; and his beloved dog, Ruthie. Visitation and services were held Thursday, April 19, 2012, at Buxton-Seawinds Funeral Home. Burial followed at Ft. Drum Cemetery. In lieu of owers, friends may make donations in Lawrences memory to Hospice of Okeechobee, P.O. Box 1548, Okeechobee, FL 34973. Friends may send online condolences to www.buxtonseawinds.com Arrangements are under the care of Matthew and Paul Buxton of Buxton-Seawinds Funeral Home, 3833 SE 18th Terrace, Okeechobee, Fla.Mitchell Glen Hancock Jr., 34OKEECHOBEE Mitchell Glen Hancock Jr., age 34, ended his courageous battle with cancer at the Hamrick Home on Wednesday, April 18, 2012. He was born Nov. 2, 1977, to Mitchell Glen Hancock and Tammy Goodman Sandlin. Born and raised in Okeechobee, he enjoyed the outdoor lifestyle and hunting. Mitchell was a member of the First Baptist Church of Okeechobee. He is survived by his wife, Alisha Hancock; daughters, Bre, Rebecca, Emily and Bailey Hancock; father, Mitchell (Paula) Hancock; mother, Tammy (Phillip) Sandlin; brothers, Sonny (Erin) Hancock and David (Heather) Hancock, all of Okeechobee; sisters, Tamara (Nick) Carpenter of St. Cloud, Fla., Ashley Hancock of Okeechobee; grandparents, George and Lucy Goodman; and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved him. Visitation will be held at the First Baptist Church of Okeechobee today, Friday, April 20, 2012, from 3 p.m. until service time of 4 p.m. Burial will follow at Ft. Drum Cemetery. The family would like to thank Hospice for all of their care and support. In lieu, of owers, the family suggests donations be made in Mitchells memory to Hospice of Okeechobee, P.O. Box 1548, Okeechobee, FL 34973. Friends may send online condolences to www.buxtonseawinds.com Arrangements are under the care of Matthew and Paul Buxton of Buxton-Seawinds Funeral Home, 3833 SE 18th Terrace, Okeechobee, Fla.Nathan Frank Platt, 75ST. PETERS, Mo. Nathan Frank Platt, 75, of St. Peters, Mo., passed away at his residence on Monday, March 26, 2012. He was born in October 1936 in Moore Haven, Fla. He is survived by his beloved wife, Rosa Lee Platt of the home, one son, Marshall Platt of Franklin, N.C., and two daughters; Janet McKendree of Fort W orth, Texas, and Michelle Platt of Spokane, Wash.; four grandchildren, A aron Bridges, Alan Bridges, Sarah Ann Bridges, and Jason Swanson; brothers, Charles (Mary) Platt of Naples, Fla., Richard I. Platt of Naples, Fla., Wesley (Maureen) Platt of Gin Gin, Australia, Nathan Buddy (Mary Lynn) Platt of Lake City, S.C., and Walter Dale (Tammy) Platt of Lakeport, Fla.; sisters, Lelia Prescott of Blountstown, Fla., and Helen Faye Platt of Lakeport, Fla.; and a host of nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and nephews. Nathan was preceded in death by his parents, Nathan Silas Platt and Virginia Platt Bryant; one granddaughter, Jennifer Bridges; one sister, Annette Platt of Lakeport, Fla.; and mother of his children, Darlene Platt Lippe. Services will be at Maple Grove Baptist Church, Lakeport, Fla., Friday, April 20, 2012, at 7 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to St. J udes Childrens Hospital, c/o McCoy-Blossom Funeral & Cremation Center, 1304 Boone Street, Troy, MO, 63379. Friends and family are invited to visit our website at www.mccoyblossomfh.com to sign the on-line guest register. Do-it-yourself publishing at Newszap.com Wedding, engagement, birth, graduation, birthday and anniversary announcements in print and online! Publish your community news item or press release. Get 100 words and one photo for only $25Visit www.newszap.com, click on your community, and then on the link for Publish Your News Obituaries 6 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 Search obituaries nationally at http://www.legacy.com Fake marijuana use a growing problemPaula Friedrich, Delinquency Prevention Specialist, Department of Juvenile Justice will share information about the growing problem of fake marijuana use among teens, at the Okeechobee Juvenile Justice Council meeting on Friday, April 20 at noon a, Beef OBradys. The presentation was put together by the St. Lucie Count y Sheriffs of ce.Eagles North to host dinner nightCome join us on Friday, April 20 at Eagles North, 9985 Hwy 441 North, Okeechobee for steak dinner night with music by Al Jones. Proceeds to bene t FOE Communit y Bene t Fund.Cypress Hut Eagles to host dinner nightThe Cypress Hut Eagles will host dinner night with steak, sh or shrimp dinners ranging in price from $8-$12 per plate on Friday, April 20 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Music will be by XXL Karaoke. All proceeds will support Community Charity Fund. Public is welcome. Community Events 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 OKEECHOBEE ROAD MIDWAY ROAD ST. LUCIE WEST SUNRISE FORD FLORIDA TURNPIKE www.-.com 5435 U.S. 1 SOUTH, FORT PIERCE (1/2 MILE SOUTH OF MIDWAY ROAD ON U.S. 1) YOUR INTERNET REPRESENTATIVE HANK BASILE 772.461.6000 CALL TOLL FREE OUTSIDE ST. LUCIE COUNTY 877-251-FORD (3673) Mon. Fri. 8am 8pm | Sat. 9am 5pm | Se Habla Espao l $2,995 DUE/mo.*209AT SIGNING 34 STARTING AT$2012 FORD FUSION3 TO CHOOSE $2,500 DUE/mo.*199AT SIGNING 15 STARTING AT$2012 FORD FOCUS $3,000 DUE/mo.*229AT SIGNING 18 STARTING AT$2012 FORD ESCAPE STARTING AT2012 FORD FIESTAS SAVE LAST CHANCE!$36,995ONLY 2 LEFT!STARTING AT JUST2011 EXPEDITION XLT LTD 2011 FORD F-150sUP TO $9,200! 2012 FORD EDGE 2011 FORD TAURUS LASTCHANCE!$24,795ONLY 1 LEFT!STARTING AT JUST*$3,000 DUEper month*259AT SIGNING $ $13,990 WELL EQUIPPED! #128119 TO CHOOSE!STARTING AT SOME VEHICLE PHOTOS ARE APPROXIMATE LIKENESS TO THE IN STOCK INVENTORY. ALL VEHICLES ADVERTISED ARE SUBJECT TO PRIOR SALE. VEHI CLES PRICED AFTER ALL FACTORY REBATES PLUS TAX, TAG AND $289 DEALER FEE. SOME FACTORY REBATES MAY REQUIRE FORD MOTOR CREDIT FINANCING WAC. SOME PRICES INCLUDE FMCC REBATE RCL RENEWAL OR TRADE ASSIST REBATE. *10,500 MILES/YR. 27 MONTHS PAYMENT AND TAX. APR AS LOW AS 1.9% ON SELECT PRE-OWNED VEHICLES! SEE DEALER FOR DETAILS.BEST SELECTION OF PREOWNED CARS & TRUCKS THE TREASURE COASTS 2012 FORD ESCAPE LTD22K MI., GRAY METALLIC, #P4335$22,750 2008 BMW X3 3.0SI35K MI., PLATINUM MET., #12626B$25,795ONLY 2007 KIA RIO LX 51K MI., CASHMERE BEIGE, #P4343$9,950ONLY ONLY 2011 NISSAN VERSA 1.6 23K MI., FRESH POWDER, #111081A $12,950ONLY 2008 FORD TAURUS SEL83K MI., MERLOT MET. #12284A$12,950ONLY2009 FORD FOCUS SE31K MI., LT. BLUE MET., #12528A1$12,450ONLY 2008 HONDA CR-V EX-L35K MI., BORREGO BEIGE #12697A $19,950ONLY2006 HONDA PILOT EX-L 72K MI., REDROCK #12570A $16,950ONLY 2011 FORD EDGE LIMITED32K MI., BORDEAUX #P4290 $26,950ONLY 2010 FORD F-150 XLT32K MI., BLUE MET., #111045A$23,950ONLY 2010 FORD EDGE LTD23K MI., WHITE MET., #P4341$24,950ONLY 2012 FORD ESCAPE LTD20K MI., BLUE METALLIC, #P4301 $23,950ONLY 2011 LINCOLN MKX30K MI., SILVER MET., #P4342 $30,950ONLY 2006 TOYOTA TUNDRA SR551K MI., NATURAL WHT., #12375B $15,950ONLY2005 SILVERADO 1500 LS 74K MI., DK. GRN. MET., #12769A $13,950ONLY 2010 FORD FOCUS SEL40K MI., SILVER MET., #P4327$16,899ONLY 7 Okeechobee News A pril 20, 2012 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 Supplement to the Okeechobee News January 27, 2012 Also Available Online at newszap.com IN F O R M A T I O NGU I D EF rid a y ,O c to b e r 2 8 ,2 0 1 1 S up pl e m en t t o t h e2011-2012 MEDICAL S u p p l e m e n t t o t h e O k e e c h o b e e N e w s, A u g u s t 1 7, 2 0 1 1D D r r . F F r r e e d d B r r o w w n n C C h h i i l l d d r r e e n n s s H e a l l t t h h C C e e n t t e e r r 2 0 0 1 5 5 H H w y y 4 4 4 1 1 N N o o r r t h , O O k e e e e c c h o o b e e e , F F L L 8 8 6 6 3 3 7 7 6 6 3 3 1 9 9 5 5 1 1 F F l l o o r r i i d d a a C C o o m m m m u u n n i i t t y y H H e e a a l l t t h h C C e e n n t t e e r r s s , I I n n c c . F F o o r r m m o o r r e e i i n n f f o o r r m m a a t t i i o o n n , p p l l e e a a s s e e v v i i s s i i t t o o u u r r w w e e b b s s i i t t e e a a t t w w w w w w . f f c c h h c c i i n n c c . o o r r g gCall to schedule your appointment today! S e e B a ck C o v e r f o r G i ft C e rt i f i c a te f o r a n e y e e x a mF eaturing: Superintendent Letter Calendar School Bus Schedule Report CardSchedule School ListingsO O p p e e n n H H o o u u s s e e : : A A u u g g u u s s t t 1 1 8 8Ad v e rt i s i n g S p o n s o r Available 24/7 Medical Directory: http://specialsections.newszap.com/SS/Page.aspx?&secid=59786&pagenum=1 Community Guide: http://specialsections.newszap.com/SS/Page.aspx?&secid=65039&pagenum=1 Meet Your Merchant: http://specialsections.newszap.com/SS/Page.aspx?&secid=56360&pagenum=1 School Information Guide: http://specialsections.newszap.com/SS/Page.aspx?&secid=68371&pagenum=1 8 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 Special to the Okeechobee News/ SEMStudents of the WeekSeminole Elementary School would like to congratulate their Students of the Week for the week of April 14: JoDejah Sewell, Jose Aguillon, Rayne Rallis, Rolando Pelayo, Victor Cardosa, Rayfe Cannon, Alexis Gonzalez, Orrin Wilkerson, Luiz Reynoso, Alexis Rosas, Veronica Teronio, John Twist, Angel Delgado, Sarah Craig, Yasmin Abonza, Noe Ponce, Destiny Tagle, Jasmin Saucedo, Chase Pafford, Michael Martinez, Usiel Cardenas, Norma Sanchez, Carmen Betancourt, Hailey Wester and Tucker Kesner. Kindergarten registration for the 2012-13 school yearOkeechobee County School Board will be holding Kindergarten registration at the following schools: May 14, Central 863-462-5077; May 15, Seminole 863-462-5116; May 16, North 863-462-5100; May 17, South 863-462-5087; May 18, Everglades 863-462-5108. If your child will be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2012, you should begin gathering the following information required by law to enter public school including: Legal proof of birth date, up to date immunization records, health exam record that has been completed by a physician since Sept. 1, 2011; proof of residence (FPL statement; OUA statement, etc.) Please contact the school your child will attend to schedule an appointment for kindergarten registration. If you do not know which school your child should attend, contact the Student Services Of ce at 863-462-5000, ext. 260. Bradley Suf cool, a junior at the Forest Lake Distance Learning Academy w ith a satellite campus located at the Okeechobee Adventist Christian School, has recently been accepted into the National Honor society. Bradley has maintained a 4.0 GPA for the last two years and has an overall GPA of 3.74. The induction service will be held in April during the spring trip the distance students take every year. This year's trip is in Georgia, where students from across the U.S. will meet for a week of learning, service, and fun. Bradley has also accepted an invitation to serve on a mission project to Madagascar this summer. His team will spend two months preparing and sharing the good news of Jesus with the people of Madagascar through puppet ministry. They will also have the opportunity to teach phonics skills to the young people. Keep an eye out for his fundraising efforts around town. Local student to be inducted into National Honor Society Bradley Suf cool Special to the Okeechobee News/ DARDAR helps Habitat for HumanityDaughters of the American Revolution member Jane Juday presented a check to Habitat For Humanity member Ed Thornton at the April DAR meeting. Pretty PollyPolly, a young feline, at rst was shy of people, now she loves to perch on your lap for brushing and affection. She fusses at other cats at rst then accepts them. Adoption fee of $125 includes spay, testing and vaccinations Testing included in our adoption feline (FIV) and (FeLV), vaccination is a booster and a rabies one year. We do not vaccinate for our cats to be used as outside cats. Our cats are house cats only. Microchipping is an additional $25 for activation. Special to the Okeechobee News/ Pet Rescue Members of the Indian River State College Chapter of Health Occupations Students of American (HOSA) returned from the HOSA State Leadership Conference with two rst-place awards. HOSA is a national student organization that promotes career opportunities in the health care eld. The IRSC students who attended the event in J acksonville will now be eligible to participate in the HOSA National Leadership Conference in June. First-place winners: Chad Nichols, of Indian River County, in Physical Therapy, and Patrick Doran, Martin County, in Sports Medicine. Second-place winners: Adrianna Abner, of Okeechobee County, in Physical Therapy; Brian Wehner, Indian River County, in Sports Medicine; Lauri Rowell, of Martin County, in Extemporaneous Writing; Victor Gandarilla, Okeechobee County, in Medical Spelling; and Emi Shoemaker and Laurel Karr, Indian River County, in Career Health Display. Third-place winners: Jaime Register, Okeechobee County; Chris Edwards, Indian River County, and Dean Otto, Brevard County, in Public Service Announcement. In addition, Patrick Doran, was elected HOSA State Post-Secondary Vice President for the 2012-2013 State Of cer Team by the Florida HOSA delegates. He will be representing Florida HOSA at various state and national activities next term. IRSC offers four-year Bachelor's Degrees in Business Administration, Organizational Management, Education, Human Services, Digital Media, Biology, Health Care Management, Nursing, Criminal Justice, and Public Safety Administration, as well as two-year Associate's Degrees and Technical Certi cate programs. For more information, contact the IRSC Call Center at 1-866-792-4772 or www.irsc.edu. IRSC students excel in health careers at state competition 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 Do you have some news to share?Publish it yourself! 100 words and one photo for only $25!Publish Your News today!Just visit www.newszap.com, click on your community, and then on the link for Publish Your News. In this age of exploitive and trashy media, were proud to be different. We believe in operating and publishing our newspaper as a public trust. Fulfilling our public trust requires that we try to bring out the best in our community and its people. We seek the highest common denominators, not the lowest. We dont engage in gutter journalism. We know we can achieve success on the high road. How are we doing? Let us know by emailing email@example.com or calling your editor.Community Service Through Journalism 9 Okeechobee News A pril 20, 2012 IRS offers help for taxpayersThe IRS has some advice for taxpayers w ho missed the tax ling deadline. Don't panic but le as soon as possible. If y ou owe money, the quicker you le your return, the less penalties and interest you will have to pay. Even if you have to mail us your return, the sooner we receive it, the better. E- le is still your best option. IRS e- le programs are available for most taxpayers through the extension deadline October 15, 2012. Free File is still available. Check out IRS Free File at irs.gov/free le. Taxpayers whose income is $57,000 or less will qualify to le their return for free through IRS Free File. For people who make more than $57,000 and w ho are comfortable preparing their own tax return, the IRS offers Free File Fillable Forms. There is no software assistance with Free File Fillable Forms, but it does the basic math calculations for you. Pay as much as you are able. Taxpayers who owe tax should pay as much as they can when they le their tax return, even if it isn't the total amount due, and then apply for an installment agreement to pay the remaining balance. Installment Agreements are available. Request a payment agreement with the IRS. File Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request or apply online using the IRS Online Payment Agreement Application available at irs.gov. Penalties and interest may be due. Taxpayers who missed the ling deadline may be charged a penalty for ling after the due date. Filing as soon as possible will keep this penalty to a minimum. And, taxpayers who did not pay their entire tax bill by the due date may be charged a late payment penalty. The best way to keep this penalty to a minimum is to pay as much as possible, as soon as possible. Although it cannot waive interest charges, the IRS will consider reductions in these penalties if you can establish a reasonable cause for the late ling and payment. Information about penalties and interest can be found at Avoiding Penalties and the Tax Gap. Refunds may be waiting. Taxpayers should le as soon as possible to get their refunds. Even if your income is below the normal ling requirement, you may be entitled to a refund of taxes that were withheld from your wages, quarterly estimated payments or other special credits. You will not be charged any penalties or interest for ling after the due date, but if your return is not led within three years you could forfeit your right to the refund. More information can be found at irs. gov. Missed the income tax deadline? Celebrating Seniors Event on Four CampusesGraduating high school seniors will want to attend one of four Indian River State College campus locations on Monday, April 23, at 6 p.m. to nd out what they need to know to get started in their college academic pursuits. Seniors who attend will be able to get their IRSC student ID, apply for nancial aid, start new student orientation, receive a free Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T.) coupon and have the opportunity to win door prizes and enter a drawing for a $500 scholarship. The IRSC "Celebrating Seniors" event will be at the following four IRSC campus locations on Monday, April 23, at 6 p.m.: Kight Center for Emerging Technology, IRSC Main Campus, 3209 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, Wolf High-Technology Center, Chastain Campus, 2400 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart, Schreiber Conference Center, St. Lucie West Campus, 500 N.W. California Blvd., Port St. Lucie, Williamson Conference Center, Dixon Hendry Campus, 2229 N.W. 9th Ave. Okeechobee. To learn more about the IRSC "Celebrating Seniors" event and program and degree choices available through IRSC, call 1-866792-4772, visit www.irsc.edu or email info@ irsc.edu. High school seniors can get ready for college at IRSC Northside Headstart accepting applicationsThe Economic Opportunities Council of Indian River County is accepting applications for Northside Head Start and VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten). Children must have been born before Sept. 2, 2009. Birth Certi cate and Social Security number for the child applying and proof of family income is required. Please call the Northside Head Start of ce at 863-357-8677 for an appointment and additional information. Of ce hours are as follows, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. May 27, 2010 DERMATOLOGY Protect the Health of Your Skin with Regular Exams byaDermatologistJonathanSanders,M.D.,J.D. 772.778.7782 863.467.9555 www.TCDermatology.com SPINE SURGERY PALM BEACH SPINE SPECIALISTSPasquale X. Montesano, M.D.Board Certi ed Orthopedic Spine Surgeon 1124 S. Parrott Avenue Okeechobee 863-261-8059 firstname.lastname@example.org OPHTHALMOLOGY/ OPTOMETRY/OPTICAL 520 S.Parrott Ave. Okeechobee Website:www.opticalgalleryeyecare.comOptical Gallery 763-4334763-3403 357-4899Medicare/Medicaid and Most VisionPlans Accepted Comprehensive Eye and Contact Lens Exams Advanced Cataract Microsurgery Diabetic Eye Exams Glaucoma Evaluation & Treatment State of the Art Complete Optical Laboratory Eyeglasses & Contact Lenses Richard L. Soldinger, O.D. David J. Underill, O.D. Board Certified Optometrists Silviano Matamoros, M.D. Board Certified Eye Physician & Surgeon REHAB THERAPY/ NURSING HOME We Love to We Love to Care! Care! Okeechobee Okeechobee Health Care Facility Health Care Facility1646 U.S. Highway 441 North 863-763-2226Five-Star Rated Family-Owned &Operated, OHCF has been Providing Rehab & Residential Care to Okeechobee & the Surrounding Communities Since 1984Rehab, Physical, Occupational, Speech and Out-Patient Therapy Long-Term Nursing Care Available 7 Days a Week/24 Hours a Day Secure Dementia and Alzheimers Memory-Care Wing Delicious Dietitian-Planned MealsStimulating &Fun Daily Activities HEALTHCARE Skilled Long & Short Term Care FacilitySpecialized Wound Care Full Time Medical Director Dialysis Support Alzheimers Support Groups Intravenous Therapy Resident & Family Council Groups Specialized HIV Care Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapy 24 hour Registered Nurse Staffing Therapeutic Activities Jody Carter, Assistant, C.E.O 230 South Barfield Hwy Pahokee561-924-5561 www.floridacare.net Other facilities in Gainesville & Bradenton 120 BEDSCaring for Those You Care About FAMILY MEDICINE 2 2 0 2 N E 1 9T HD r i v e O k e e c h o b e e F o r a p p o i n t m e n t s c a l l (863) 357-6030Yasmin Akhtar,MDComprehensive Medical & Preventive Care Routine Annual Physicals Well Woman Exam Geriatric Care Management of: Hypertension Diabetes Mellitus Menopause Depression Arthritis D D i p l o m a t e A m e r i c a n B o a r d o f F a m i l y M e d i c i n e Accepting New Patients!Most Insurance Accepted RADIATION ONCOLOGISTS CANCERworrying you?Do you need to talk about it?Big Lake Cancer Center1115 NorthParrott Ave OkeechobeeRamesh Kumar, MD William Crook, MD Julie Santelli, MD, BoardCertified Radiation Oncologists Call: 863.467.9500 FREE Hour Counseling Session GYNECOLOGIST James E. Bradfield, MD FACOGGynecology Board Certified L o s s o f L i b i d o E n d o m e t r i o s i s U r i n e C o n t r o l I n f e r t i l i t y M e n s t r u a l A b n o r m a l i t i e s S t e r i l i z a t i o n L a s e r S u r g e r y M i n i m a l l y I n v a s i v e S u r g e r y All Major Insurances Accepted Email: email@example.com 863-763-80001713 Hwy 441 N, Suite F, Okeechobee VARICOSE VEIN REMOVAL S. Scott Tapper, M.D., F.A.C.S.Board Certi ed General Vascular SurgeonSpecializing in the Removal of Varicose Veins Minimally Invasive In Of ce Procedure Performed more than 1500 Endo Venous Laser Ablation procedures Insurance Accepted beforeafter 2169 S.E. Ocean Blvd. Stuart772-286-5501symmetrylaservein.com UROLOGY DAVID A. SIGALOW, M.D.Board Certi ed In UrologySpecializing in: Adult & Pediatric Urology Bladder & Kidney Infections Impotence/Implants No Scalpel Vasectomy 215 N.E. 19th Dr. Okeechobee 863-763-0217 MRI OKEECHOBEES FINEST OPEN MRI115 NE 3rd St. Suite A863-824-6736SPECIALTYTRAINED/BOARD CERTIFIED RADIOLOGISTSThe Best is Right Here! OPEN MRIOF OKEECHOBEE 2 Blocks North of CVSDrugstore The 2011 2012 Medical Information Guide is available online specialsections.newszap.com Advertise in the Medical Directory! Call 863-763-3134 Advertise today!Call 863-763-3134 Raulerson Primary Care 202 NE 2nd Ave Okeechobee, FL 863-467-2159 Jose Villarreal, D.O.is a Family Medicine Doctor who is Board Certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians. Of ce Hours: M-T 8-5 F 8-4 Closed for Lunch 12-1Accepting New Patients of all ages raulersonprimarycare.com FAMILY MEDICINE HEALTH By Nancy Dennis Client TestimonialI am a winter Okeechobee resident down from Kentucky. When I came down in January I was unhealthy, overweight, had high blood pressure and diabetes. I have always had bad eating habits with no willpower and have never been able to stick to any diet. All this changed since joining Physicians Weight Loss Center. I woke up one one day saying Today is going to be a changing day in my life. I lost 48 pounds in 12 weeks!! The staff at PWLC provided motivation and support along with the encouragement of my husband. I am heading back to Kentucky almost 50 lbs lighter, healthier and off all my diabetic medications. I cant wait for my family back home to see the NEW me! If you want to lose weight, I highly recommend you start on this program... IT WORKS!!! Remember Nothing tastes as good as looking thin feels! Call 863.357.9967 for your free consultation! Physicians Weight Loss Center is located at 414 S. Parrott Ave. in Okeechobee, FL. Nancy Dennis Lost 48 pounds in 12 Weeks! Submitted Photo/ Physicians Weight Loss Centers Nancy Dennis lost 48 pounds in 12 weeks! 10 11 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 April 20, 2012 Special to the Okeechobee News from the Okeechobee County Sheriffs Of ceOver the past few years, the value of various metals (such as aluminum cans) has increased dramatically. Therefore, indiscriminate individuals have targeted residential neighborhoods and are taking anything of (metal) value. Although recycling businesses are required to maintain records of the subjects that are selling the items, in some cases, items are reported stolen after the property has been altered and sold as scrap metal. These items can range from mobile home metal stairs to boat seat pedestals. Thieves typically drive around neighborhoods looking for anything of value to pick up and take to the recycling yards. Abandoned homes are an easy target for the thieves. Dont be a victim of these thefts. Make sure to secure anything and everything of value and report stolen property as soon as possible. If you see in your neighborhood anyone who appears to be scrapping, take heed to those individuals, as some are willing to take the risk of more than discarded property. You may have noticed that the day before trash pick up or the day of, you may see these scrappers more often. Although, you may feel this is a harmless crime, scavenging presents an opportunity for individuals to check out your house and property. They may want more than your recyclables and could come back later to burglarize or to take items from your property. Be alert and report suspicious persons or vehicles in your neighborhood. This includes strangers in your neighborhood looking in garbage or vehicles circling the bloc k with occupants you do not recognize. Communicate with your neighbors to discuss these issues, as this is the best wa y to defeat crime. Remember, that not all persons scrapping, are breaking the law. 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 You are welcome to come visit and enjoy the traditional worship and music. Come and share in the word of GodTrinityFreeWillBaptistChurchSunday School 10:00 am Sunday Worship 11:00 am Sunday Bible Study 6:00 pm Wednesday Bible Study 6:00 pm Pastor : Thomas Dees 1840 N.E. 39th Blvd (Cemetery Rd) Okeechobee, Florida 34972 Telephone: 863-763-4962 EPISCOPAL PENTECOSTAL PENTECOSTAL C H U R C H O F O U R S A V I O U R C o m e w o r s h i p w i t h u s S u n d a y 8 & 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist 9:30 Christian Education 12:30 Holy Eucharist inSpanish W W e d n e s d a y 6:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist Service 2 2 0 0 N W 3 r d S t r e e t 8 6 3 7 6 3 4 8 4 3 V i s i t o u r w e b s i t e a t w w w o k e e c o o s c o m EPISCOPAL Grand Opening Soon! SonRise Caf! Sunday Wednesday Mid Week Worship at 7pmChildren and Youth classes are Available Sunday Morning and Wednesdays301 NE 4th Ave. (863) 763-41272 Blocks Behind the McDonalds on SE 70ETraditional/Worship at 8:30am Sunday School at 10am Contemporary Worship at 10:45am Evening Worship at 6pmBAPTIST 3666 E. Hwy 70 Okeechobee (0ld Elks Lodge)Celebrating 25 years of Pastoral LeadershipSunday School 9 am Worship: Sun. 10 am Tues. & Thurs. 7:30 pm Prayer Service: Tues. & Thurs. 6:30 7:30 pm Nursery Available at All Services Of ce Hours CLOSED Mondays Tuesday Friday 9 am to 5 pm (863) 357-2264 Bishop Robert J. Banks, Jr., Pastor Your Place of Destiny Jeremiah 29:11 12 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 OCSO warns: Dont be a victim of scrappers Home Depot to host free raised gardening workshopJoin the Home Depot for a Free Customer Workshop on April 21 from 10 until 11:30 a.m. on how to create your own Raised Garden Bed. The workshop is free to all and a Quali ed Home Depot Associate will walk customers through how to create their very own Raised Garden Bed. No purchase necessary.Cypress Eagles to host bene tThe Cypress Hut Eagles will host a bene t for the Okeechobee Sheriffs Department on A pril 21, at 2 p.m., 4701 Hwy 331 SE. There will be fried chicken dinners for $6 per plate, music by Jimmy and Debra Harper, a silent auction, drawings, 50/50 and basket drawing, bake sale, face painting for kids and adults can enter the Drive like a deputy competition.Mentor Day planned for SaturdayCommunities in Schools-PAL will host National PAL Mentoring Day on April 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Flagler Park #4 on State Road 70 in downtown Okeechobee. The event w ill include family fun activities, a water balloon toss, hula hoop contest, music and more. For more information, please call Cortney, Jill or Amanda at 863-462-5125, ext 128 or 863634-0870.Chobee Idol Contest SaturdayThe First Chobee Idol Contest and Fundraiser will be sponsored by the Substance Abuse Coalition at the Shrine Club of Okeechobee on April 21 A $500 cash prize will be awarded to the amateur vocalist from Okeechobee County or surrounding counties who wins this competition. Proceeds from ticket sales for the event will bene t the Substance Abuse Coalition. For more information or to volunteer please call 863-801-2941.Cypress Eagles to host bene t for OSCOThe Cypress Hut Eagles will host a bene t on Saturday, April 21 from 2 p.m. until ?, for the Okeechobee Sheriffs Department. Music will be by Jimmy & Debra Harper. Chicken Dinners will be available for $6. There will be a Silent Auction, 50/50s, Basket drawing, Bake Sale and kids face painting. Enter contest to Drive Like a Deputy. Public is welcome.CCC meeting planned for April 24The Community Collaborative Council of the Okeechobee County Shared Services Netw ork will conduct their monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 24 at 10 a.m. at the Dr. Fred D. Brown Childrens Health Center (Florida Community Health Center), 2150 Highway 441 North. Spotlight Speaker: Carol Shea and Georgette Brown with the Epilepsy Foundation. The purpose of the meeting is to allow the community to identify issues, collaborate, and share information regarding services for children and their families. The meeting is open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, please call Sharon V inson at 863-462-5000, Ext. 257. NOTE: special location just for the April meeting.Cattlewomen plan BBQThe Cattlewomens Scholarship Fund BBQ will be held Friday, April 27 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Elis Western Wear. Dinners are $8. Stop by Elis Western Wear for tickets. Cattlewomen are asked to bring two dozen chocolate chip cookies or brownies individually wrapped.Farm Bureau to host annual speech contestThe Okeechobee Farm Bureau will host the annual Youth Speech contest on Thursday, May 3, at 6 p.m. at the Okeechobee County Farm Bureau, 401 NW 4th Street, Okeechobee. A copy of the speech is due at the Farm Bureau Of ce by April 27. 2012 Topic: What role, if any should agriculture play in addressing health and obesity issues. Contact our of ce at 863-763-3101 for more information and copy of the rules. Community Events 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.comALL OFFERS WITH APPROVED CREDIT PLUS TAX, TAG, TITLE AND $399 DEALER FEE. NEW VEHICLE OFFERS ARE ALL ONE PAYMENT PRICE LEASES A ND INCLUDE TAX AND FEES. TOTAL OF 39 MONTH LEASES WITH 10,000 MILES PER YEAR AND INCLUDE UP TO $2,000 LEASE CONQUEST CASH. VEHICLES SUBJECT TO PRIOR SALE. OFF ERS AVAILABLE WITH APPROVED CREDIT, RESTRICTIONS APPLY ON ALL OFFERS, NOT ALL BUYERS WILL QUALIFY. DEALER RETAINS ALL REBATES AND INCENTIVES. ALL MILEAGE B ASED ON EPA ESTIMATE AND VARIES PER DRIVER. OFFERS CAN NOT BE COMBINED AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. SEE DEALER FOR ALL DETAILS. BUICK LEASES24 MONTHS, 12K MILES PER YEAR WITH $0 DUE AT SIGNING. OFFERS INCLUDE LEASE CONQUEST CASH. OFFERS GOOD THRU DATE OF PUBLICATION ONLY. DEALER NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICA L ERRORS.RESTRICTIONS APPLY. PHOTOS ARE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY.OFFERS CANNOT BE COMBINED. COPYRIGHT 2012 CHUMNEY & ASSOCIATES. ALL RIGHTS R ESERVED. RDBU2500 rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com888-745-67095255 South U.S.1 / Ft. Pierce, FLrogerdeanbuickgmc.com CALL RON K.Se Habla Espaol BUICK BUICK BUICKWE ARE PROFESSIONAL GRADE SHOWROOM OPEN: MON-THUR 8:30AM-8PM, FRI 8:30AM-7PM, SAT 9AM-6PM SERVICE, PARTS & BODY SHOP OPEN: MON-FRI 7:30AM-5:30PM, SAT 8:30AM-2PM SMALL SAMPLE OF OUR PRE-OWNED SELECTION rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com rogerdeanbuickgmc.com BAD CREDIT! NO CREDIT! NO PROBLEM! STK#26408A, 6 CYLINDER, AUTOMATIC, GREAT ECONOMY $5,995 05 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 WORK TRUCK STK#7315A, FULL POWER, VERY LOW MILES $I4,495 08 SATURN VUE XE STK#26366A, FULL POWER PKG, IMMACULATE CONDITION $II,495 05 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER LS STK#24219B, POWER PACKAGE, IMMACULATE AND MORE $8,995 06 FORD FUSION STK#98846Z, 3/4 TON, SIDE STEPS, POWER PKG, SECURITY DIVIDERS $20,995 2011 FORD E-250 STK#24250A, CHROME WHEELS, 16K MILES, 1 OWNER $I6,495 08 CHEVRLOLET MALIBU LT ONLY 16K MILES!STK#22221A, 1 OWNER, IMMACULATE, FULL POWER PKG, ALLOYS $I8,495 09 PONTIAC TORRENT STK#24227A, LEATHER, FULL POWER, ALLOYS $I2,995 08 GMC ENVOY SLT STK#7335A1, MUST SEE, LOW LOW MILES $I5,995 07 PONTIAC G6 GT ONLY 15K MILES!STK#98850Z POWER GROUP, LOW MILES $I2,495 06 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY TOURING STK#26503B, PWER PKG, LOW MILES, EXCELLENT CONDITION $I3,495 09 HYUNDAI ELANTRA GLS STK#26272A, NAVIGATION, ENTERTAINMENT PKG, MOONROOF, FULLY LOADED $26,995 08 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE LTZ STK#98849P PREMIUM 1 GROUP $28,995 12 BUICK LACROSSE MANAGERS SPECIAL!STK#24241A, 1 OWNER, LAREDO, POWER PKG $I4,995 08 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE STK#98854Z IMMACULATE, MUST SEE $I4,995 09 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA WE ARE PROFESSIONAL GRADE BUICK r deanbuic k WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS BUICK W W O O , , , , , , , W WIT W WIT WIT WIT WIT W WIT W WI WI I T WIT W W W W W H H H H H H H H H H H H H TE TE TE T T TE TE TE TE TE TE T TE TE T TE TE T T TE E TE T E CHN CHN CHN CHN CHN CH CHN CHN CHN CHN HN CHN H H CH HN HN H HN CHN CH H N O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O OLO OLO LO OLO OLO OLO LO O O LO LO O OL OLO OLO O L O L O O L O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O G G G G G G G G G GY GY GY GY GY GY GY GY Y G G G G GY GY GY Y Y G G GY Y GY Y G Y G G G G G Y G Y Y G GY Y G Y GY G Y Y Y G Y UP UP UP UP UP UP UP P UP U P UP P P U T TO TO TO T TO O TO TO T TO T TO O O O O O O O O O O O O rogerdeanbuickgmc.co m WIT WIT WIT W W W W WIT WIT WIT WIT WIT WIT WIT W WIT T WIT W W WIT WIT T T T IT WIT WIT T T W H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H og o m ro ge e rd rd rd d d d d ea ea ea ea nb nb nb nb nb nb b b b b ui ui ui ui ui ui ui i i i i ck ck ck ck ck ck ck ck k k k gm gm gm gm gm gm g c. c. c c c c co co co co co o o o o m m m m m m EXPERIENCE A NEW LEASE ON LUXURY...THE BUICK EXPERIENCE!WITH DOWN$246LEASES STARTING FROM/MO.ONLY 24 MONTH LEASES AVAILABLE ON LACROSSE, VERANO, ENCLAVE AND REGALS!$O O%APRFOR UP TO 72 MOS.PLUS $2,OOOON NEW GMC TRUCKS!ITS TRUCK MONTH!IN TRADE ASSISTANCE L L L L L A A A A A C C C C R O S S S S S S S S S S E E E E E 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 20 2 2 2 20 20 20 20 0 2 2 2 20 20 0 2 2 2 0 20 20 0 2 20 20 2 2 2 20 0 0 0 0 20 20 0 20 20 20 20 0 0 2 2 2 20 20 2 2 2 2 0 20 20 20 20 0 2 20 20 20 2 2 20 0 2 0 2 20 0 20 20 0 0 20 2 2 2 2 2 2 12 12 1 1 1 12 12 12 12 12 12 2 1 12 1 1 12 2 12 12 12 12 12 12 1 12 2 2 12 12 12 1 12 2 12 2 2 12 1 12 12 12 12 2 12 12 12 2 12 2 2 12 1 2 2 1 1 20 20 2 20 0 0 20 0 0 20 20 0 0 2 20 20 0 0 2 20 0 20 20 2 0 2 20 12 12 12 12 12 2 12 1 1 2 12 12 12 2 2 BU BU BU BU BU BU B B BU BU BU BU U B BU U BU B U B B B BU B BU B U U U IC IC I IC IC IC IC C IC I IC C I C I I C I K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU U BU BU BU B BU B BU B B B U U B B U IC IC IC IC IC IC I IC C C K K K K K K K K C K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K D D D D D D D D R ON ON ON ON ON ON N N ON ON ON N ON O ON ON N N N O N N LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY Y LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY Y LY LY LY Y LY Y Y Y L DR DR DR DR R R R R R DR D DR DR DR DR DR D DR DR D DR R DR DR DR DR DR DR DR R DR D DR DR DR DR R D DR DR DR DR D D R R R DR DR D DR DR R D D DR D D R IV IV V IV IV I IV V IV IV IV IV IV IV V IV IV IV IV I IV V V IV IV IV IV IV V IV IV IV I V V IV V E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E F FO F F FO FO FO FO FO O FO FO FO FO FO O O F FO O FO FO FO O FO O FO O O FO FO O FO O FO FO O F O O O O R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R O O O O O O O O O ON N ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON N ON O ON O ON N N ON ON ON O O ON N O ON O ON ON ON O O ON ON N N N ON ON N ON O ON O L L L L L L L L LY LY LY LY LY L LY L L LY LY LY Y LY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y LY Y Y Y D D DR DR R DR R R R D DR R R D D DR R R R D D DR R R R R R I IV IV V V IV V V I IV IV IV E E E E E E E E E F F FO FO FO O F O R R R R R R O O O O O O O ON ON ON N N ON N N N N N N N N O N N N O O O N N N L L L L LY LY LY LY LY LY L LY LY LY LY LY L LY LY S ST STK T K TK K#7 K#7 7 S ST ST K K#7 7 ST TK K K K# S S S K TK#7 7 ST S ST STK TK# K#7 # TK#7 S ST STK TK# K#7 7 ST TK K#7 S STK TK K#7 K#7 #7 S ST #7 S 7 7 S 7 # 7 7 K# 7 3 31 1 311 311 1 311 3 3 311 311 11 3 3 3 31 31 311 311 11 1 31 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 E E E E E A A A A A S S I I S S S S S S T T T T T T M M M M M P P P P P P P G G G G G G G G HW HW H H H H W HW H H HW H H HW HW HW H HW HW W W W W W W W WY WY W W WY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y H W W W WY WY H W W W W W WY WY WY Y Y H W W W Y Y H HW W W WY W W W W W W W W Y W WY W W Y W W $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D MSRP$3I,305 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , T T T T T T E E E E E E R R R A A A A I I I N N N N N NE NE NE NE NE NE N NE N E N N N N W W W W W W W W W W W NE NE NE N NE NE NE E N NE NE NE NE W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W 20 20 20 20 20 0 12 12 12 12 1 1 2 12 20 20 20 20 20 20 2 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 12 12 12 12 1 12 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 2 12 2 12 G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G GM GM GM GM M M M M GM M M M M M M C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C M GM M G GM GM GM M M M M M C C M GM GM M GM M M M M GM GM GM M GM GM GM M GM G G GM GM M GM M GM M M M M C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C V V E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E FO FO FO FO FO FO FO FO FO O O O FO FO FO FO O FO O FO F F F O FO FO FO FO FO O O FO FO O O O O O O FO O FO FO O O O O F O O R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON O N O N O LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY Y LY Y Y Y Y Y LY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y D DR DR R DR DR R DR R R R R R DR DR R R R D DR D D R R DR DR DR DR R R DR DR R R IV IV V IV IV V IV IV V IV I V IV V IV IV V V V IV V V IV V IV IV V IV V V I I IV V V I V V V V V V E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E F F F F F F F F F FO O O O FO FO FO O O O FO FO F FO O O O FO FO F O FO O F F O F O O O R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R ON ON ON ON ON ON O ON ON ON ON ON ON ON O O O ON N N ON O LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY L LY Y Y Y Y LY Y Y Y DR D DR R DR DR DR R DR DR R DR DR DR DR DR DR R R R R R DR DR R R DR DR R DR DR DR R R R R R R R R IV I I IV IV IV V IV V IV V V IV IV IV V IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV V V V IV V V V V V I V V V IV V V V V V V V V V V V V E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E F O FO F F F FO FO FO FO FO FO FO F FO FO F FO FO FO FO F FO FO FO F O FO F F F FO FO FO FO O F FO O F O F F F O FO F F F O F F F F F R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R 2 2 2 2 4243 424 4243 4243 243 243 243 3 4 42 4 2 243 STK# STK# STK#2 STK#2 TK#2 TK#2 K# K# K#2 K#2 K#2 #2 #2 #2 2 2 STK TK# K#2 #2 STK# S #2 STK# STK # ST S K #2 2 STK S TK# # ST K # S 424 4 2 424 424 424 42 42 42 42 42 2 42 4 2 4 4 2 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D MSRP$26,575 CON CON CON CON CON CON CON CON CON ON CON N CON N N N N N N N N N VEN VE VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN VE VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN VEN N N VEN V V N E I I I I I I I I I I I I I EN EN EN EN E EN N EN E EN E N EN EN EN N EN E EN EN N C CE C CE C C C C C C C E C CE E C CE CE CE CE CE CE E E E E E E E C C CE CE CE E CE E E C C CE E E C CE C E C E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E GRO GR GRO GRO GRO GRO GRO GRO R GRO GRO GRO GRO RO RO GRO GRO G RO R O RO GRO RO O O O O O O O O O U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U UP UP UP UP P P UP P P P P P P P UP UP UP P P P UP P P U P P P U P GRO G GR GRO RO R RO R R O RO O O O O O U U U U U U U UP UP UP UP P P P P , , , , , E E E E N N N N N N N C C L A A A V V V V V V V E E E E N NE NE NE N NE E E E E E W W W W W W W W NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE E E N NE NE NE N N N N NE E W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W 2 20 20 0 20 2 2 20 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 12 12 2 2 12 2 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 0 0 20 0 20 2 2 0 20 2 2 2 0 12 12 12 12 1 12 12 12 12 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 2 2 2 2 1 K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K BU BU BU B BU B B B B B I I I IC C C C C C C C C C C C K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K BU BU BU BU BU B U BU BU B B B BU B BU B U B B B U IC IC IC IC IC I I IC C C C K K K K K K K K K K K K K K BU BU BU BU BU BU U BU BU B BU BU BU B BU U B B U U U U IC IC C IC IC IC C C IC C C C C C I C K K K K K K IC IC C C IC IC C C IC C C IC C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K K N N N N N N LY LY LY LY LY LY LY Y LY Y LY LY Y Y Y L DR DR DR DR DR DR R R R R R R DR DR R R R DR DR DR D DR DR DR DR DR DR DR DR DR DR DR R R DR DR DR D R R R DR DR DR DR R R D D D D R D D D R D IV IV IV V V V IV IV IV IV IV V IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV V IV V IV IV IV V IV IV IV V V IV IV IV I V E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E FO FO FO FO FO O FO FO FO FO FO FO FO FO F FO FO FO FO O F FO F FO FO FO FO FO FO O FO O O O O O R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R O O O O O O O ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON O O O ON ON N ON ON ON O N N ON ON ON N ON ON ON N ON ON O ON N N N ON N N N ON N N ON N O O N L L L L L L L LY LY LY LY L L L L L LY L L L L L LY L Y Y Y Y Y Y Y DR DR DR DR DR DR R DR R R R DR DR D D D D R D IV IV V IV IV IV I I E E E E E E FO FO FO FO O O O R R R R R R R R R R R O O O O O O O ON N ON ON ON ON ON N ON N O ON ON N O N N N O O N N N N N N N N N L L L L L L L L LY LY LY LY LY LY LY LY L LY LY Y Y LY LY L Y L Y STK#6 STK#6 STK#6 STK# #6 ST 6 6 S T K 328 328 328 328 328 328 8 328 328 28 8 2 8 8 8 8 8 3 2 S M ALL SAM $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D MSRP$38,305 , , , , , A A A A A A A C C C C A D D I I I I A A A A A A A NE NE NE NE NE NE NE N N NE E N N N E E E N E W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE E NE E NE N NE NE NE N N N NE N N W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W 2 2 2 20 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 20 20 20 20 20 2 20 0 0 1 12 12 12 2 2 12 12 2 2 2 2 20 20 2 0 20 20 0 20 20 20 20 20 0 0 0 0 12 1 2 12 12 12 1 1 12 2 12 2 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 2 2 M M M M M M C C C C C C C C M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M GM GM GM GM GM GM GM G M C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C GM G G GM GM G G G GM M GM GM M M G M G G G M G GM GM GM GM GM GM GM M M M GM GM G G GM GM GM GM G G GM GM GM M GM GM G GM GM G GM GM M GM GM GM GM G M M GM GM G GM M GM M GM GM GM GM GM GM GM GM GM GM M GM GM GM GM E E E FO FO FO FO O FO F FO O F R R R R R R R R ON ON ON O N ON O O N N O N O O O O LY LY LY LY LY LY LY Y Y Y DR D D R DR DR DR D R DR DR DR DR DR DR D DR DR DR DR R D DR DR DR DR DR R R DR R I I IV IV IV V IV IV IV IV IV IV V IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV V IV IV V I V V V V V V V E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E F F F F F F FO FO O FO FO FO F O F O FO F FO F F F F O O O R R R R R R R R R ON ON ON ON O ON O O O O O O ON N N O O O N LY LY LY LY LY LY Y Y Y LY LY Y LY DR DR DR DR DR DR DR DR DR DR DR D DR DR D R DR DR DR DR DR R R R I I IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV V V IV V IV V IV V V V I V V E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E F F F F F F F F FO O O O O O O O O F F F F FO FO FO FO FO FO F FO FO FO FO FO FO F F FO FO FO O FO FO FO FO F O O O O O F O O O F O O O O O R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R 224 22 24 24 24 24 24 22 24 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 STK# STK#2 STK STK#2 T TK#2 TK#2 K#2 K#2 #2 #2 #2 #2 2 2 STK# K#2 2 K#2 STK # STK K#2 STK T K ST ST 2 S S 222 2224 2224 2224 2224 2224 222 224 2224 224 224 2 224 222 24 2 4 22 22 2 2 2 22 2 24 2 2 4 4 22 22 22 4 4 4 4 22 2 4 2 2 2 4 2 PR E OWNED $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D MSRP$33,705 CON CON CON C CON CON N C CON O CO N VEN VEN VEN VEN VE VEN VEN E VEN E E V IEN IEN IEN IEN E EN EN E EN E IEN EN N C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C CE C E E E E E E C C CE CE E E CE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E GRO GRO GRO GRO GRO GRO GRO O GRO G R G G G UP UP UP UP UP U UP UP P P U 13 Okeechobee News A pril 20, 2012 Okeechobee News/ Charles MurphyOHS February Athletes of the MonthOHS student athletes of the month for the month of February include: (left to right) Rick Proverb of Okeechobee Dodge Chrysler, Carley McCoin (girls basketball), Erick Garcia (boys soccer), and OHS Athletic Director Kenny Buckner. Okeechobee News/ Charles MurphyOHS March Athletes of the MonthOHS student athletes of the month for the month of March include: (left to right) Rick Proverb of Okeechobee Dodge Chrysler Jeep, Samantha Harrell (softball), Tyler Finney (baseball) and OHS Athletic Director Kenny Buckner. By Charles M. MurphyOkeechobee News Carissa Licata had four hits and Samantha Harrell struck out 10 in a complete game performance as Okeechobee High School defeated Fort Pierce Central 5-3 Wednesday Night in Stuart to advance to the District 12-7A nal. Okeechobee (16-9) will face Martin County (11-14) who walloped Sebastian River 10-2 in the other seminal. The win insured that Okeechobee will play in the regional playoffs after a one-year absence. Fort Pierce had entered the tournament red hot with seven straight wins. They defeated South Fork easily in the rst round and ended their season at (12-7). Freshmen Lexi Ward went 2 for 3 with two runs batted in for Okeechobee. The nal game starts at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Brahman boys track team nished fth at the District 14-3A meet on Tuesday at South Fork High School. Four boys did qualify for the regional by virtue of a top four nish at the regional. Stanley Thor Harden quali ed in the shot put, Dan Beyel in the discus, Mike Thomas in the 100-yard dash, as did members of the 4x100 relay team. The girls track team nished in eighth place. Tabatha Henry won the 3,200 race to qualify for the regional next week. Sports News in Brief 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 14 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 ance can be led by the teacher for any procedural violations, the teacher can write a rebuttal which becomes part of the evaluation, and the supervisor is required to provide written feedback and make suggestions for improvement for teachers graded below effective. An extensive teacher improvement plan is written for employees who receive a nal rating below effective. Mr. Kenwothy said the district is 54th in the state in achievement and there is room for improvement. School Board members said the process of evaluation should be negotiated but not the individual methods that are used by the principals. While this year's pay increase will be retroactive to the start of the 2011-2012 school year, the school board voted to make retroactivity of pay an annual decision as requested by the superintendent. Mr. Kenworthy contended that if pay retroactivity were automatically guaranteed, it could mean the teachers' union would have less incentive to complete the annual negotiations in a timely manner. He said that negotiations seem to take more time each year and this takes away from what the focus of the district should be -which is student achievement. When negotiations are drawn out, it also takes up staff times and makes the budgeting process more dif cult, he said. Ms. Falvo said the length of negotiations have increased because the school board has stopped attending the negotiation sessions. Mr. Kenworthy said he negotiated in good faith and didn't drag the dispute out. The school board rejected a proposal from the union (4-1) to guarantee renewal of contracts of annual contract teachers who have received at least three consecutive years of a highly effective or effective score. Union of cials said there is a high teacher turnover in Okeechobee. They presented a report that showed only 20 percent of ne w teachers stay in Okeechobee for more than one year, down from 70 percent in 20022003. Ms. Falvo said teachers who earn high performance marks who are not given job security will look to other schools for a job. Mr. Kenworthy said the district retains high-quality teachers on a routine basis. He said there are a variety of reasons that highquality teachers leave and that automatic contract renewal would not entice them to stay. School Board Member India Riedel cast the dissenting vote on that matter. The Okeechobee County Education Association (OCEA) negotiates the contracts for all instructional and classi e d employees. All instructional and classi ed employees (even those who are not OCEA members) vote on the contract. However, if there is a contract dispute after it is signed, OCEA only represents OCEA members. If an employee who is not a member of the union has a contract dispute with the school district, he or she must retain his or her own representation. TEACHERSContinued From Page 1 "We are creating a new position, but we are not adding an employee," is how City Councilman Dowling Watford explained the action. "It makes sense to me." Using funds from a Community Development Block Grant the council awarded a home rehabilitation contract to SineMark Construction, LLC in the amount of $38,000. From the same grant they awarded a second home rehabilitation contract to Neal Long Construction Co. for $44,875. Turning to other action, Mayor James Kirk proclaimed the week of April 29 to May 5 to be Municipal Clerk's Week and the month of April to be Water Conservation Month in the city.Post your opinions in the Public Issues Forum at www.newszap.com. Reporter Pete Gawda can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org. CITYContinued From Page 1 Marthas House plans Candlelight vigil Martha's House will host a Candlelight V igil for victims/survivors of Sexual Assault on April 20 7 p.m. at 4134 Hwy 441 North, Martha's House Outreach Services Of ce. For more information you may contact Shirlean Graham at 863-763-2893.Moose announces w eekend happeningsThe Okeechobee Moose Lodge located at 159 NW 36th Street invites you to join in the weekend fun. Friday, April 20 there will be Lodge Bingo beginning at 6:30 p.m. with Bonanza start at 5 p.m. Lisa will be hosting karaoke 7-10 p.m. on Saturday and Penny w ill host karaoke on Sunday. Be to stop by. Proceeds go towards Moose Charities.North VFW weekend announces weekend plansThe North VFW located 300 NW 34th Street has a weekend full of fun planned. Friday there will be Bingo at 1 p.m., the Grill w ill be open 5-9 p.m. and karaoke hosted by Steve on a Stick 7-10 p.m. Saturday starts with Burgers on the Grill noon-2 p.m., Bar Bingo at 1 p.m., a Fish/Shrimp Dinner 5-7 p.m. and ending with karaoke hosted by Sandoone 7-10 p.m. Sunday, Lori will be serving Oven BBQ Chicken 2-4 p.m. and Lisa will be hosting Karaoke 6-9 p.m. Proceeds go towards V eteran's Assistance programs so be sure to stop by and support your VETERANS.IRSC presents an Evening of Classical SongThe IRSC Chorale, led by Dr. Dale Rieth, w ill be performing with the IRSC Wind Ensemble in an "Evening of Classical Song," including scores from epic Hollywood lms including "Star Wars" and "Jurassic Park" Thursday-Saturday April 19-21 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 21 at 2 p.m. at the McAlpin Fine Arts Center at the IRSC Main Campus at 3209 Virginia Avenue in Fort Pierce. The concert consists of 2 acts. In Act I, the IRSC Chorale will present an eclectic mix of classical music that spans the musical eras. During Act 2, the IRSC Wind Ensemble will present music from Star Wars, Jurassic Park and many other epic lm scores. Call the IRSC Box Of ce at 1-800-220-9915 for information. Tickets are $12. VFW hosts Elvis Presley tributeVFW Post 9528 BHR, on Hwy. 78 W., will host a dinner show featuring Mike King doing an Elvis Presley tribute on Saturday, April 21 from 610 p.m. The chicken/ mashed potatoes/beans dinner will be served from 35 p.m. Show and dinner are included for a $7 donation which will bene t Veterans projects. Call 863-467-2882 for more information.Congressman Rooney to have town hall meetingCongressman Tom Rooney will have a town hall meeting and dinner on Saturday, April 21 at 5 p.m. The talk will be hosted by VFW Post 10539, located at 3912 U.S. Hwy. 441 S.E. The meeting will be followed by a dinner catered by Golden Corral (your choice of prime rib or chicken). The cost of the meal is $12 with proceeds going to Veterans & Families Unmet Needs Program. This is open to the public, come and participate. Call 863-763-2308 with questions.Golf tourney to bene t scholarshipsBubba's Redneck Yacht Club 4th Annual Golf Tournament April 21. at Okeechobee Golf and Country Club. Registration 7 a.m.Tee Time 8 a.m. Proceeds bene ting local charities and OHS Scholarships. For more info call: 863-634-0577.Eagles North to host upcoming Art and Crafts ShowSaturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22, Eagles North will put on their Third annual Art and Craft Show. Featuring the Florida Highwaymen, and other Fine Artists, and Crafters from all over. There will be pulled pork dinners, and other snacks and drinks. Proceeds go to the F.O.E. 4137 community Bene t Fund.Calling all scrapbookers!The Croppin' Crew will meet on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Okeechobee County Library. All levels of scrapbookers are welcome. You can check out what other local scrapbookers and cardmakers are doing and you can share your ideas too. Bring your pictures, scrapbook pages and/or any card-making projects that you are working on. For futher information call Joan at 863-467-0290. Community Events 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 OKEECHOBEE COUNTY HOUSEHOLDAMNESTY DAY! HAZARDOUS HAZARDOUS WASTE WASTE SATURDAY, APRIL 28th9:00AM 2:00PMVEHICLE MAINTENANCE FACILITY 306 N.W. 9TH Ave., Okeechobee FREE DROP OFF To Okeechobee County ResidentsPaints, Pesticides, Chemicals, Solvents, Brake Fluid, Pool Chemicals, Batteries, Cleaning Supplies, Used Oil, Oil Filters, Mercury Bulbs, Mercury Containing Devises and unknown Chemicals; Ni-Cad adn Lead Acid Batteries; Tires (4 tires ONLY)Per Household). NO Propane Tanks. NO Electronics For More Information, Contact Solid Waste Dept. at 763-1811 15 Okeechobee News A pril 20, 2012 AG-VENTURE, a non-pro t organization in Okeechobee, dedicated to the future of farming in our area, needs volunteers for the inaugural Ag Venture event on Wednesday and Thursday, May 9-10, at the Trading Post Flea Market. This event will host fourth grade students from all Okeechobee County Public Schools as well as students from private schools and those students who are in home-school. Students will learn about the essentials of farming through demonstrations at a series of learning stations including beef, diary, vegetables, citrus, soil & water, forestry and gator farming. Volunteers will help with set up and assist at the learning stations, as well as clean-up following the event. Volunteers will qualify to win door prizes. This is a great volunteer opportunity especially for parents or grandparents, family and friends of our fourth graders. For more information on volunteering call Audrey Driggers at 863-801-5258 and for general questions about Ag Venture call Diane Davies, 863-633-8209 or Cecelia Elliott, 772-530-3639. AG-VENTURE seeks volunteers The Florida black bear population has increased from as few as 300 bears in the 1970s to more than 3,000 bears today, and now the draft plan that will guide continued conservation of this species has been revised by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The revised draft Black Bear Management Plan is available online at MyFWC.com/Bear and is ready for public input. It incorporates previous public feedback on the nearly 200page draft plan released last November. The public is invited to comment on the revised draft plan through June 1. About 2,500 public comments were received on the original draft plan, which establishes for the rst time a statewide framework to manage Florida black bears to ensure they are never again at high risk of extinction. Public workshops on the draft plan were held in four cities, in addition to the opportunity for people to comment online and by email or regular mail. Last February, FWC Commissioners directed staff to further re ne and revise the draft plan and give careful consideration to stakeholder and public input. At their upcoming June meeting, the Commissioners are scheduled to consider approval of the revised draft plan. Once the plan receives nal approval, the black bear will no longer be on the state's list of threatened species. The bear currently does not meet the criteria of being at high risk of extinction, based on a 2011 Biological Status Review. In June, the Commission also will consider a new FWC rule making it unlawful to injure or kill bears, protections similar to the ones granted to bears as a threatened species. The proposed rule additionally af rms the FWC will work with landowners and regulating agencies to guide future land use to be compatible with objectives of the bear plan. That proposed rule, as well as an FWC rule change to remove the bear from the state's threatened species list, is currently being advertised in the Florida Administrative Weekly. Seven black bear management units (BMUs) would be created under the plan to involve local citizens and stakeholder groups in the management of speci c bear populations and habitats. The black bear is among 62 wildlife species that soon will join the list of Florida species, like the bald eagle, already under an FWC management plan. Florida's new threatened species conservation model requires that management plans will be created for all species that have been state-listed and updated at speci ed intervals. The management plans give citizens an active role in Florida's efforts to conserve its diverse wildlife for future generations. Florida black bear plan is revised, ready for public input Special to the Okeechobee NewsFloridas black bear population has increased 10-fold since the 1970s. For more listings, go to www.newszap.com Important Information: Please read your ad carefully the first day it appears. In case of an inadvertent error, please notify us prior to the deadline listed. We will not be responsible for more than 1 incorrect insertion, or for more than the extent of the ad rendered valueless by such errors. Advertiser assumes responsibility for all statements, names and content of an ad, and assumes responsibility for any claims against Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA. All advertising is subject to publishers approval. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any or all copy, and to insert above the copy the word advertisement. All ads accepted are subject to credit approval. All ads must conform to Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA style and are restricted to their proper classifications. Some classified categories require advance payment. These classifications are denoted with an asterisk *. LostLost Pistol 22mag 30 round clip,SW 9th Street 2 weeks ago. Pistol& money $14,000 in gun case w/zipper. $3,000 REWARD if there is any money left, had for 20yrs. Call 863-467-2083 Garage/ Yard Sales3 Family Sale Friday 20th@Annies Consignment (510 S Parrott) Saturday 21st@ Dr.Tenniswods Of ce (208 NE 3rd St.)Lots of Baby and Children items,wooden picnic tables,Houseware items and much more Shop here first! The classified ads LOCAL DRIVERS (863) 763-5593or apply online www.walpoleinc.comWalpole, Inc. is looking for EOE/DFWP Class A-CDL drivers 2 years T/T experience Clean MVR & PSP Paid weekly Excellent bene ts package Employment Full Time ServicesGolf Cart Repairs, parts, carries Powertron and US batteries. Will buy unwanted and not working golf carts. Locally owned & Operated Call Dan at 863-610-0479 Tiger Lawn Service 10 dollars and up, with free estimates. Licensed and Insured. Glades and Okeechobee Counties 863-207-9037 Let the Tiger do your Mowing Trustworthy Woman will clean your home, Babysit or take care of your loved one. Reasonable rates Call Barb 763-8188 or 447-7466 We pay cash for cars in ANY condition. No title needed. 863-268-JUNK. (863)268-5865 www.268junk.com How do you find a job in todays competitive market? In the employment section of the classifieds Employment Full Time Special NoticeRV Show at the Okeechobee KOA Resort. 4276 HWY 441 S., OKEECHOBEE FLORIDA 34974-6255 THE RESORT IS LOCATED 2.5 MILES SOUTH OF STATE ROUTE 70 ON HWY 441 Show is from April 25th Through April 28th 8am to 7pm Wednesday through Saturday. New and Used Motorhomes and Fifth Wheels For more information call 1-800-RV-Sales or visit on the web at www.americachoicerv.com (800)787-2537 Reading a newspaper helps you understand the world around you. No wonder newspaper readers are more successful people! Time to clean out the attic, basement and/or garage? Advertise your yard sale in the classifieds and make your clean up a breeze! For more listings, go to www.newszap.com Employment Full TimeImmediate Opening Paralegal/ Legal Assistant Must have: Experience in law of ce, Excellent computer skills, Knowledge of legal procedure and People skills. Salary Negotiable Call 763-5733 Sunshine PayDay Loans Full Time Of ce Position Cash handling experience A plus Fax Resumes to: 863-467-0927 Need a few more bucks to purchase something deer? Pick up some extra bucks when you sell your used items in the classifeids. One mans trash is another mans treasure. Turn your trash to treasure with an ad in the classifieds. How fast can your car go? It can go even faster when you sell it in the classifieds. Buying a car? Look in the classifieds. Selling a car? Look in the classifieds. Looking for a place to hang your hat? Look no further than the classifieds. Grab a bargain from your neighbors garage, attic, basement or closet in todays classifieds. The classifieds are the most successful salesperson in town. For more listings, go to www.newszap.com Business Opportunities NOTICEIndependent Newspapers will never accept any advertisement that is illegal or considered fraudulent. In all cases of questionable value, such as promises of guaranteed income from work-athome programs if it sounds too good to be true, chances are that it is. If you have questions or doubts about any ad on these pages, we advise that before responding or sending money ahead of time, you check with the Better Business Bureau at 772-878-2010 for previous complaints. Some 800 and 900 telephone numbers may require an extra charge, as well as long distance toll costs. We will do our best to alert our reader of these charges in the ads, but occasionally we may not be aware of the charges. Therefore, if you call a number out of your area, use caution. For more listings, go to www.newszap.com CollectiblesWANTED Highwaymen Oil Paintings. H. Newton, A. Hair, R.A. McClendon, G. Buckner, 1715 Fleet Treasure Coins. Big $$ Call 772-562-5567 Your new home could be in todays paper. Have you looked for it? MiscellaneousPool Table For Sale With Ping Pong Top and all Accessories. $750.00 Call 863-801-3320 Pets/Suppliespuppies terrier mix,2 males,1 female.6 wks $45.00/firm. (863)801-9380 Yorkie Pup(Toy) male 8wks. shots, health cert. and Reg. papers. Must see! $500. cash 863-610-2725. Wanted To BuyCASH FOR CARS No Title Needed, Any Condition. FREE TOWING. (863)484-2012 For more listings, go to www.newszap.com Farm Equipment1991 DEUTZ FARM TRACTOR AND 6 BUSH HOG. STARTS AND RUNS GREAT. $4,900 O.B.O. CALL 606-547-1733 Farm Feed/ ProductsAlfalfa Hay for sale 70lb. bales $16.00 a piece. Coastal and Oat Hay Mix $8.00 a bale. Call 863-634-7051 When doing those chores is doing you in, its time to look for a helper in the classifieds. Love the earth Recycle your used items by selling them in the classifieds. For more listings, go to www.newszap.com ApartmentsBEAUTIFUL 2 Bedroom CBS, Large kitchen, new carpet, screen room, utility room. $700 mo. includes water, lawn and garbage. Available May 1st. (863)467-2784 Condos/Townhouses RentTaylor Creek Condo 2/1, On water, Pool, Dock. $750/mo + 1st & sec. Short term rates also available Call (863)634-8757 Houses Rent3br/1ba House, Clean, large fenced yard. $800/mo plus $600 sec. 7482 NW 96th Court. Dixie Ranch Acres Call 863-610-0001 FOR RENT: ONE & TWO BEDROOM FULLY FURNISHED DUPLEX OR MOBILE HOMES. EITHER IN KINGS BAY WITH HEATED SWIMMING POOL TENNIS COURT GARAGE AND WASHER AND DRYER OR WATER FRONT ON RIM CANAL OR KISSIMMEE RIVER, AVAILABLE BY THE DAY-WEEK-MONTH OR YEARLY LEASE. RATES VARY BY LENGTH OF STAY. MOST MAJOR CREDIT CARDS EXCEPTED. CALL TODAY (863)467-4371 OKEECHOBEE 3 BR, 2 BA, $850 mo. 1st & security to move in. 304-277-0427 Houses RentOKEE 3/1 Updated Home, central a/c, wood ooring, Tiled Bathroom, w/d, Well Water. $725 mo. plus security Located by 15-B. Call 786-201-0306 OKEECHOBEE 4br, 2ba, tile throughout, $800 mo. & up. 1st & sec. moves you in. (561)248-3888 or (863)599-0156 Rental NeededLooking for a place to rent 2 bedroom, fenced yard, 5 to 15 minutes out of town 441 North, have 2 dogs. Call Cathy 863-610-2218 For more listings, go to www.newszap.com Land SaleOKEECHOBEE 5 Acres Park your own trailer or build your home, $2,000 down, owner nancing. Priced $49,000. Call 863-763-6358 Lots SaleFOR SALE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING LOT CLOSE TO BLUE HERRON IN BRENT WOOD ESTATES. LOT SIZE IS 0.65 ACRES HAS HOUSE PAD IN PLACE TO ACCOMADATE A 3500 SQ. FT. HOME WATER DEPOSIT PAID READY TO BUILD ON. $45,000 OR O.B.O. CALL CARL @ 863-634-8617 Its never too late to find the perfect gift. Look for it in the classifieds. 16 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 For more listings, go to www.newszap.com Mobile Home LotsMobile Home Lot for Rent Off North West 30th Street, close to Elementary School and Hwy 98. Call for more info. 863-697-1168 Mobile Home RentKISSIMMEE RIVER Estates, 2 Bedroom, 17503 Broadland Ln. Nice, clean home w/car port and 3 large sheds. $500 mo. + $400 sec. Lawn & Water maintenance included. 317-402-5441 or 863-261-4138. Lovely Completely Remodeled 3bd/2ba Mobile Home in Country Setting. For more info Call Stan 863-385-2613 Mobile HomeSaleBANK REPOS Starting at $15,000 Mobile Home Angels 561-721-2230 For Sale: Mobile Home in a Adult Park (Pine Ride Park), 14x48, 2bd and 1 1/2 bath,includes stove,refrigerator and washer/dryer. $10,700 Call 239-246-5793 or 863-357-2888 PALM HARBOR 2,500 Sq Ft Ranch House 4/2 Loaded, Porches, Decks, Financing available. Ask for John 800-622-2832 ext 210 WAS $145K NOW $99,900 PALM HARBOR HOMES New 2012 Models $15K Off All Homes 800-622-2832 ext 210 TREASURE Island Nice 2006 Singlewide w/lot. 3BR/2BA $69,900 Will lease $750 mo. Move in for $2000. 863-634-9119 For more listings, go to www.newszap.com Campers/RVsWanted all Travel Trailers, Motor Homes and Fifth Wheels. Any Condition, Cash paid on the spot Call 941-347-7171 Public NoticeNOTICE OF SALE To Satisfy Owners Lien 70 West Self Storage 2190 SR 70 West Okeechobee, FL 34972 05-05-2012 @ 10:00 AM Unit #232 David E. Earnest Unit #240 Mashara Y. Summers 414813 ON 4/20 & 4/27/2012 LEGAL NOTICE OKEE WAREHOUSE, 2701 HWY. 70W, OKEECHOBEE, FL., WILL BE CONDUCTING A PUBLIC SALE OR OTHERWISE DISPOSE OF CONTENTS OF THE FOLLOWING UNITS TO SATISFY THE DELIENQUENT STORAGE LIEN. THIS AD IS PLACED IN ACCORDANCE WITH FLORIDA STATUTES 1985, SECTION 83.806 NAME UNIT # DAWN COLLINS 6-21 JAVIER REYNA 6-08 BLONDIE McGAHEE 8-48 JENNIFER DEJESUS 6-37 DISPOSITION WILL TAKE PLACE AT OKEE WAREHOUSE AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS ON SATURDAY, APRIL 21st, 2012 @ 9:00 A.M. ITEMS FOR SALE INCLUDE MISC.HOUSEHOLD, OFFICE, TOYS & TOOLS. OPEN DOOR SALE. CASH OR CREDIT CARD ONLY. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU MAY CALL (863) 763-5044. 414876 ON 4/13,20/2012 PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES OF THE DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE WILL MEET TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 IN ROOM 302 OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AT 3209 VIRGINIA AVENUE, FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA 34981-5596. CLARK ADVANCED LEARNING CENTER COMMITTEE -2:15 P.M. FINANCE & AUDIT COMMITTEE 2:30 P.M. ANY PERSONS SEEKING TO APPEAL THE DECISIONS OF THE BOARD WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATTER CONSIDERED AT SUCH MEETING WILL NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS, AND FOR SUCH PURPOSE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDING IS MADE. 415363 ON 4/20/2012 For more listings, go to www.newszap.com REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) No. 6000000523 Geotechnical Engineering and Testing Services The Procurement Bureau of the South Florida Water Management District, B-1 Building, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33406, will receive sealed proposals up to 2:30 p.m. opening time on May 21, 2012 for Geotechnical Engineering and Testing Services. This RFP is issued subject to the legal requirements established under the Consultants Competitive Negotiation Act, Section 287.055, Florida Statutes. All proposals must conform to the instructions in the RFP. Interested respondents may obtain a copy of the complete RFP (1) at the above address; (2) by downloading the solicitation from our website at www.sfwmd.gov/procurement; (3) by calling (561) 682-6568, or (4) by calling the 24-hour BID HOTLINE (800) 472-5290. The public is invited to attend the proposal opening. Further information on the status of this solicitation can be obtained on our web site www.sfwmd.gov. Any meetings with District staff regarding this solicitation are subject to the provisions of Section 286.0113, Florida Statutes, which provides, in part, that any portion of a meeting at which a negotiation with a vendor is conducted pursuant to a competitive solicitation, at which a vendor makes an oral presentation as part of a competitive solicitation, or at which a vendor answers questions as part of a competitive solicitation is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the State Constitution. 415141 ON 4/20/2012 SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATION Notice is hereby given that pursuant to Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, the following application(s) for permit have been received for project(s) in Okeechobee County: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (Dudley Kirton Wetland Reserve Project WRP) PO Box 141510, Gainesville, FL 32614-1510, has submitted Application 120228-10 for an Environmental Resource Permit for wetland restoration activities on 870 acres of agricultural lands. The water will be discharged to an existing wetland system and the project is located in Sections 16, 17, 20, 21, Township 36 South, Range 36 East. Interested persons may comment upon the application or submit a written request for a copy of the staff report containing proposed agency action regarding the application by writing to the South Florida Water Management District, Attn: Regulation Division, PO Box 24680, West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4680, but such comments or requests must be received by 5:00 PM within 21 days from the date of publication. No further public notice will be provided regarding this application. A copy of the staff report must be requested in order to remain advised of further proceedings. Application status and associated documents can also be obtained by accessing the Districts website (www.sfwmd.gov) and selecting the Application/Permit Search on the ePermitting page. Substantially affected persons are entitled to request an administrative hearing regarding the proposed agency action by submitting a written request after reviewing the staff report. 414910 ON 4/20/2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED 2012TD021 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that JOSEPH ZACHARY GAZZA the holder of the following certi cate has led said certi cates for a tax deed to be issued thereon. The certi cate number and year of issuance, the description of the property, and the names in which it was assessed are as follows: Certi cate No: 2157 Year of Issuance: June-01-2009 Description of Property: CONNERS HIGHLANDS LOT 6 BLOCK 27 1-09-37-35-0020-00270-0060 Said property being in the County of Okeechobee, State of Florida Name in which assessed: LARS H ROLFSEN Unless said certi cate shall be redeemed accor ding to law the property described in such certi cate shall be sold to the highest bidder at the Okeechobee County Judicial Center, Jury Assembly Room, 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, Florida 10:00 A.M. on the 10th day of May, 2012 SUBJECT TO CURRENT TAXES SHARON ROBERTSON, CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT Okeechobee County, Florida /s/ Robin R. Parrish Deputy Clerk NOTICE REGARDING THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990; In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact Court Administration no later that seven days prior to the proceeding at 250 NW Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34986, 1.772.807.4370 within two working days of your receipt of this notice. IF YOU ARE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8771; IF YOU ARE VOICE IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8770. 412420 ON 3/30;4/6,13,20/2012 Public NoticeNOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED 2012TD024 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that JOSEPH FREDERICK GAZZA the holder of the following certi cate has led said certi cates for a tax deed to be issued thereon. The certi cate number and year of issuance, the description of the property, and the names in which it was assessed are as follows: Certi cate No: 910 Year of Issuance: May-30-2008 Description of Property: LOT J OF TRACT 15 W1/2 OF E1/2 OF N1/2 OF S1/2 OF TRACT 15 25 34S 33E 1-25-34-33-0A00-00015-J000 Said property being in the County of Okeechobee, State of Florida Name in which assessed: KERRYANN N FORBES Unless said certi cate shall be redeemed accor ding to law the property described in such certi cate shall be sold to the highest bidder at the Okeechobee County Judicial Center, Jury Assembly Room, 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, Florida 10:00 A.M., on the 31st day of May, 2012. SUBJECT TO CURRENT TAXES SHARON ROBERTSON, CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT Okeechobee County, Florida /s/ Robin R. Parrish Deputy Clerk NOTICE REGARDING THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990; In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact Court Administration no later that seven days prior to the proceeding at 250 NW Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34986, 1.772.807.4370 within two working days of your receipt of this notice. IF YOU ARE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8771; IF YOU ARE VOICE IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8770. 414987 ON 4/20,27;5/4,11/2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED 2012TD025 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that HENRIETTE & MARK DESCHAMPS the holder of the following certi cate has led said certi cates for a tax deed to be issued thereon. The certi cate number and year of issuance, the description of the property, and the names in which it was assessed are as follows: Certi cate No: 2129 Year of Issuance: June-01-2009 Description of Property: PLAYLAND PARK LOT 21 BLOCK F 1-07-37-35-0010-0000F-0210 Said property being in the County of Okeechobee, State of Florida Name in which assessed: TIMOTHY L COOK Unless said certi cate shall be redeemed accor ding to law the property described in such certi cate shall be sold to the highest bidder at the Okeechobee County Judicial Center, Jury Assembly Room, 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, Florida 10:00 A.M. on the 31st day of May, 2012. SUBJECT TO CURRENT TAXES SHARON ROBERTSON, CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT Okeechobee County, Florida /s/ Robin R. Parrish Deputy Clerk NOTICE REGARDING THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990; In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact Court Administration no later that seven days prior to the proceeding at 250 NW Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34986, 1.772.807.4370 within two working days of your receipt of this notice. IF YOU ARE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8771; IF YOU ARE VOICE IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8770. 414988 ON 4/20,27;5/4,11/2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED 2012TD020 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that WILLIAM B BREWER the holder of the following certi cate has led said certi cates for a tax deed to be issued thereon. The certi cate number and year of issuance, the description of the property, and the names in which it was assessed are as follows: Certi cate No: 714 Year of Issuance: May-30-2008 Description of Property: LOT P OF TRACT 14 E1/2 OF E1/2 OF S1/2 OF S1/2 OF TRACT 14 22 34S 33E 1-22-34-33-0A00-00014-P000 Said property being in the County of Okeechobee, State of Florida Name in which assessed: PAULINE P HAMM RAYMOND H HAMM Unless said certi cate shall be redeemed accor ding to law the property described in such certi cate shall be sold to the highest bidder at the Okeechobee County Judicial Center, Jury Assembly Room, 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, Florida 10:00 A.M. on the 10th day of May, 2012. SUBJECT TO CURRENT TAXES SHARON ROBERTSON, CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT Okeechobee County, Florida /s/ Robin R. Parrish Deputy Clerk NOTICE REGARDING THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990; In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact Court Administration no later that seven days prior to the proceeding at 250 NW Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34986, 1.772.807.4370 within two working days of your receipt of this notice. IF YOU ARE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8771; IF YOU ARE VOICE IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8770. 412419 OK 3/30;4/6,13,20/2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED 2012TD023 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that AVENA-LYN SMITH PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE of the ESTATE of ROSALIND GAIL KERBY SMITH the holder of the following certi cate has led said certi cates for a tax deed to be issued thereon. The certi cate number and year of issuance, the description of the property, and the names in which it was assessed are as follows: Certi cate No: 902 Year of Issuance: May-19-2005 Description of Property: NEW OKEECHOBEE HEIGHTS SECTION A LOTS 44 45 46 47 BLOCK 36 1-06-36-34-0010-00360-0440 Said property being in the County of Okeechobee, State of Florida Name in which assessed: ELSIE CARTER JAMES W BURDIN Unless said certi cate shall be redeemed accor ding to law the property described in such certi cate shall be sold to the highest bidder at the Okeechobee County Judicial Center, Jury Assembly Room, 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, Florida 10:00 A.M., on the 31st day of May, 2012. SUBJECT TO CURRENT TAXES SHARON ROBERTSON, CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT Okeechobee County, Florida /s/ Robin R. Parrish Deputy Clerk NOTICE REGARDING THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990; In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact Court Administration no later that seven days prior to the proceeding at 250 NW Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34986, 1.772.807.4370 within two working days of your receipt of this notice. IF YOU ARE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8771; IF YOU ARE VOICE IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8770. 414986 ON 4/20,27;5/4,11/2012 LEGAL NOTICE Galaxy Warehouses, 3050 S.W. 3rd Terrace, Okeechobee, FL, will be conducting a public sale or otherwise dispose of contents of the following units to satisfy the delinquent storage lien. This ad place in accordance with Florida Statutes 1985, Section 83.806. NAME UNIT # JOE LEVY 11 ELEUTERIO REQUENA 45 LITTLE PEOPLE ACDY 58 RONALD COKER 61 WILLIAM RENNIE 69 ONEVA JONES OSCEOLA 95 HOLLI FRENCH 116, 131 JOANN OSCEOLA 117 BRIGHTON PRINCESS 120, 121 Disposition will take place at Galaxy Warehouse at the above address on Saturday, April 21st, 2012 @ 8:00 AM. Items for sale include miscellaneous household, of ce, toys & tools. Open door sale, cash or credit card only. For additional information you may call (863) 763-5044. 414875 ON 4/13,20/2012 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE NINETEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2012-CP-24 JUDGE: ELIZABETH A. METZGER IN RE: Estate ofROBERT CARLISLE GODBOLD, SR. Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS Formal Administration The administration of the Estate o f ROBERT CARLISLE GODBOLD, SR., Deceased, whose date o f death was January 10, 2012, and whose social security number is xxxxx-0664, Case Number 2012-CP-24 is pending in the Circuit Court for Okeechobee County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Okeechobee County Judicial Center, 312 NW 3rd Street, Suite 125, Okeechobee, FL 34972. The names and addresses of the Personal Representative and the Personal Representatives attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedents estate, on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must le their claims with this Court WITHIN THE LATER OF THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTE R THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against the decedents estate, must le their claims with this Court WITHIN THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, AN Y CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS O R MORE AFTER THE DECEDENTS DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of the rst publication o f this Notice is: April 13, 2012. RHONDA GODBOLD FREEMAN Personal Representative 1989 SW 37th Avenue Okeechobee, FL 34974 Law Of ce Of CASSELS & McCALL BY: JOHN D. CASSELS, JR. Attorney for Personal Representative 400 NW 2nd Street/PO Box 968 Okeechobee, Florida 34973 (863) 763-3131 Fla Bar No.: 0261521 414530 ON 4/13,20/2012 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE NINETEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO. 2011-DR-559 IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF: VERONICA GONZALEZ WIFE AND LUIS GONZALEZ HUSBAND NOTICE OF ACTION FOR PUBLICATION TO: Luis Gonzalez YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for Dissolution of Marriage, including claims for dissolution of marriage, payment of debts, division of real and personal property, and for payments of support, has been led against you. You are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to this action of Rebecca Boldt Hamilton, Petitioners attorney, whose address is 107 N.E. 4th Street, Okeechobee, FL 34972 within 28 days from rst publication, and le the original with the clerk of this court at Okeechobee County Judicial Center, 312 Northwest 3rd Street, Okeechobee, Florida 34972, either before service on Petitioners attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition. WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosures of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings. DATED this 10th day of April, 2012 SHARON ROBERTSON CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT By: Arlene Nealis Deputy Clerk 414860 ON 4/13,20,27 & 5/4/2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED 2012TD022 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that ANA MERCEDES PRADO-KENDRICK the holder of the following certi cate has led said certi cates for a tax deed to be issued thereon. The certi cate number and year of issuance, the description of the property, and the names in which it was assessed are as follows: Certi cate No: 291 Year of Issuance: June-01-2010 Description of Property: LOT J OF TRACT 4 WEST 1/2 OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE NORTH 1/2 OF THE SOUTH 1/2 OF TRACT 4 SECTION 13 AS TO THE SOUTHERN COLONIZATION COMPANY PLAT OF TOWNSHIP 34 SOUTH RANGE 33 EAST ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 4 PAGES 3-3E INCLUSIVE PUBLIC RECORDS OF OKEECHOBEE COUNTY FLORIDA. 1-13-34-33-0A00-00004-J000 Said property being in the County of Okeechobee, State of Florida Name in which assessed: TARPON IV LLC Unless said certi cate shall be redeemed accor ding to law the property described in such certi cate shall be sold to the highest bidder at the Okeechobee County Judicial Center, Jury Assembly Room, 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, Florida 10:00 A.M. on the 31st day of May, 2012. SUBJECT TO CURRENT TAXES SHARON ROBERTSON, CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT Okeechobee County, Florida /s/ Robin R. Parrish Deputy Clerk NOTICE REGARDING THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990; In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact Court Administration no later that seven days prior to the proceeding at 250 NW Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34986, 1.772.807.4370 within two working days of your receipt of this notice. IF YOU ARE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8771; IF YOU ARE VOICE IMPAIRED CALL 1.800.955.8770. 414985 ON 4/20,27;5/4,11/2012 Public Notice Public Notice Public Notice Public Notice 17 Okeechobee News A pril 20, 2012 ADVERTISEand Get Results www.newszap.com click on classifieds Reading a newspaper provides the opportunity to get involved in your community.No wonder newspaper readers are more popular! READING A NEWSPAPER MAKES YOU A MORE INFORMED AND INTERESTING PERSON. No wonder newspaper readers are more popular! 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 EmoryWalkerCo.,Inc.(863) 763-6742Serving the Lake Area Since 1966 A/C and Heating at its Best! License # CAC014022 CAC042747 CAC057219 208 SW 5th Ave Okeechobee, FL 34974 Accident Victims...Call Us First! Tractor Trailer Crashes Auto Crashes Motorcycle Crashes Wrongful Death FREEConsultation Se Habla Espaol Phones answered 24 Hours, 7 days-a-week! www.crashinjuries.com1120 S. Parrott Avenue Okeechobee, FL34974 4 6 7 7 1 0 0 18 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012 By Charles M. MurphyOkeechobee News Okeechobee High Schools Richard Donegan will take his golf skills that earned him a Florida State Class 2A Championship this y ear to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton this fall where he w ill play in the Sunbelt Conference against some of the best amateur golfers in the U.S. and the world. Donegan plans to major in business at FAU and is one of only two golfers who have ever been granted a full scholarship by the University. Ill get to play against some of the top teams like Florida State, North Western, the University of Central Florida and some of the best golfers in the country and even the world. I just like to compete and stay in Florida, Donegan said. The Brahman standout received between 15 and 20 offers from colleges across the country and had a tough decision. Teams like Louisiana Monroe and Stetson really pushed for him to sign there. In the end he wanted to stay in Florida, enjoy the weather and join an improving program. FAU is rated in the middle of the pack right now but they are getting better. They return three starters and I hope theyll become one of the top teams in the nation, he explained. Donegan said his rst goal will be to be the number one player on the FAU roster and also qualify for the U.S. Open as an Amateur this summer. FAU Golf Coach Angelo Sands said he felt great about Richards decision because hes a class act, and is not only a great golfer, but an excellent student. Obviously its a big addition for us and we are very fortunate. I really want to emphasize academics because with student athletes student comes rst, he explained, We all know of Richards accomplishments on the golf course but his achievements in the classroom were a major, major reason that I worked so hard to convince him that FAU was the school for him. Sands said Donegan is not guaranteed a starting spot. The decision will come down to how he scores in quali er tournaments in the spring and fall of the year. Sands said he had no doubt that Donegan will be able to qualify for the travel team. Every young mans dream is to be on the PGA tour one day. Ill do everything I can to help him with that goal, but my proudest day will be when he walks across the stage and gets his degree, that is when I know Ive done my job, he added. Richard Donegan selects FAU for fall Okeechobee News/ Charles MurphyRichard Donegan sports his new colors from Florida Atlantic University with OHS Athletic Director and Boys Golf Coach Kenny Buckner. The Okeechobee Model Airplane Club w ill host a Meet and Greet Community Buddy Box Fly-In on April 28, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Rain Date is May 5, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at their local ying eld located at NE 80th Avenue, this is the road off of RT 70 East that leads back to Thundercross Motocross Track. This event is open to the public and for the public to try their hand at ying a Radio Control Model Aircraft under the expert supervision of one of our instructor pilots. A dmission is FREE as are the ights which w ill be provided courtesy of the Okeechobee Model Airplane Club. There is lots of free parking, so bring a lawn chair and your friends along! Hot dogs and soft drinks will be available for a minimal fee. Also scheduled at 11 a.m. for your enjoyment will be an Aerobatic Model Airplane demonstration w hich is a must see event. The Buddy Box system which is used to teach Radio Control pilots consists of a Master Transmitter held by the instructor and a Slave Transmitter held by the student connected with a data cable. Control is passed to the student by the instructor depressing and holding a switch on the master. If and w hen the instructor needs to take control back from the student, it is done by simply releasing the trainer switch on the instructors transmitter and the instructor immediately regains control of the aircraft. This training system has been around for years and has a very high success rate getting new student pilots up and ying on their own. Combined with the aerodynamic stability of a quality trainer which is readily available today an average student can learn to y Radio Control in about an hour or two of actual ight time. This will be a real fun day; anyone interested is encouraged to come out, take control of one of our Buddy Boxes and try their hand at ying these aircraft. Another very interesting and little known facet of the Model Airplane Hobby is how it preserves aviation history. Many of the aircraft that will be ying throughout the day as well as on display are based upon current and historical designs. In fact many of them are identical miniatures of the real aircraft, some of which no longer exist in the full-size aircraft world or at best have been retired to a museum display? For example when was the last time, if ever, you saw a U-2 Spy Plane in ight? How about the A-10 Wart Hog zip past on a Tank Hunting pass? Or a 1930 era Monocoupe 90A one of the majestic grand fathers of general aviation as we know it today. These are just a few of the aircraft you will see on display and very possibly ying at this event. Please come out, meet our pilots and experience a different kind of sport rst hand! If you have any questions about this event, Model Aviation or the Okeechobee Model Airplane Club please contact Joe Papasso at 863-824-0916 or visit our website at http://omac.embarqspace.com/#. Meetings are the rst Monday of the month (Oct to May) at 7 to about 8:30 p.m. at the Peace Lutheran Church Youth Hall, 750 N.W. 23rd Ln., Okeechobee. Try your hand at ying a Radio Controlled Model Aircraft 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 11.5 +/ACRES OFLIGHT INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL PROPERTYWith frontage on Hwy 441 North. $249,000. Call Bryan Holden (863) 634-5792 104 NW 7thAve. Okeechobee 863-763-4010 or 888-874-2945f f x v w a x Service Integrity ExperienceLic. RE Broker Auctioneer # AU2579. email@example.com 1200 S. Parrott Ave. firstname.lastname@example.org 1200 S. Parrott Ave. Century21okeechobee.co Century21okeechobee.com m 20+/-ACRES 20+/-ACRES NW 72nd Ave. **Not buildable** Seller is open to offers. $40,000 $40,000 MLS #205495 PENDING PENDING FORECLOSURE FORECLOSURE 20+/-acres located in a rural area of NW Okeechobee County. Pasture land suitable for cattle/agriculture. **Not Buildable** $38,000 $38,000 MLS #205578 50.4+/-acres 50.4+/-acres SR 710 MLS #204068 Blue Heron Blue Heron Lot S.E. 14t CT. $20,900 $20,900 MLS #205527 Basswood Basswood Lot NW 33rd Ave $6,000 $6,000 or better offer. MLS #205239 David Hazellief, 863-610-1553 Betty Hazellief, 863-610-0144 David Hazellief, 863-610-1553 Betty Hazellief, 863-610-0144 Sharon Prevatt, 863-634-7069 Dee Reeder, 863-610-2485 Sharon Prevatt, 863-634-7069 Dee Reeder, 863-610-2485(863) 763-2104Se Habla Espaol 1001-H: Oak Tree Place 1001-H: Oak Tree Place In town condominium conveniently close to everything. Porch just off the kitchen area. Seller very motivated to sell. Unit #10-G Make offer! $52,000 $52,000 NOW $39,000 NOW $39,000 MLS #203425 3006-H: Treasure Island 3006-H: Treasure Island lake access home with front & back screen porch. Whether youre looking for a weekend retreat or a place to call home, this one is it! $53,900 $53,900 NOW NOW $41,900 $41,900 MLS #205626 5011-M: Four Seasons 5011-M: Four Seasons 2006, 2br/2ba MH on acre. Great location for east coast commuters! Fenced yard with 4 sheds, wooden front porch. Motivated seller, make an offer! $78,000 $78,000 NOW NOW $65,000 $65,000 MLS #204129 3003-H: Kings Bay 3003-H: Kings Bay 2 Bd 2 bath, screened porch, concrete driveway. Easy to show. HOA includes pool, clubhouse, tennis court, and lawn. $54,000 $54,000 NOW $47,900 NOW $47,900 MLS #205169 3004-H: Kings Bay 3004-H: Kings Bay 2 Bedroom 2 bath, enclosed back porch and screened front porch, garage, appliance stay. HOA. Easy to show. $54,000 $54,000 NOW $47,900 NOW $47,900 MLS #205168 4002-H: Buckhead Ridge 4002-H: Buckhead Ridge Lake Access two story 3 bd/2 ba. Upstairs & downstairs kitchen, lg storage bldg, hurricane shutters, seawall, RV Prkg. 2,560 sq. ft. of living. Way too much to list! $399,000 $399,000 NOW $349,000 NOW $349,000 MLS #204356 FORECLOSURE REDUCED REDUCED REDUCED REDUCED Over 100 Listings QUAIL ACRES~ 2006 CBS Custom home, 4bd/2ba/2gar, 2243 SF under air-3377 TLA. 10 ceilings, arched doorways, great room, crown molding, split oor plan. Designer island kitchen, spacious master suite, custom walk in closet. Privacy fence, water system, security cameras, alarm. Half acre. EXQUISITE in every detail! $199,000 V i c k i S A n d e r s o n Lic. RE Broker Your Hometown RealtorGiving you theservice you deserve!21442 E. SR 78, BHR Okeechobee email@example.com BILL F. STEGKEMPER, BILL F. STEGKEMPER,REALTOR, CRS, GRI, APPRAISER REALTOR, CRS, GRI, APPRAISERBK129997 BK129997 BUYERS ONLY REALTY CO.P.O. Box 1074, Okeechobee, FL34973 517 S.W. Park St. Okeechobee(863) 801-9497CELLA A L W A Y S S A V I N G P R O P E R T Y B U Y E R S $ M O N E Y 19 Okeechobee News A pril 20, 2012 Okeechobee News/ Pete GawdaWater Conservation MonthAt the Tuesday, April 17, meeting of the Okeechobee City Council, Mayor James Kirk, right, proclaimed the month of April to be Water Conservation Month in the city. The mayor presented the proclamation to Gary Ritter, left, director of South Florida Water Management Districts Okeechobee Service Center. 2 Serving the communities south of Lake Okeechobee May 27, 2010 Pre-Owned VehiclesUnder $10k (877) Go-Gilbert or (863) 763-3154www.GilbertChevrolet.comSALES : SERVICE & PARTS BODY SHOP Closed Sundays 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2WD Regular Cab, Great Work Truck $ 4,750 2064A 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT Coupe CD/MP3 Player, 5-Speed Manual $ 9,750 2322A 2006 Dodge Dakota 2WD Club Cab 6.5 Ft Box, Great Work Truck $ 4,750 1558A30 Day Price Guarantee on TiresGet the best price in town or well refund the dierence. GM Certied Service 2000 BMW 323i Sport Wagon Keyless Entry, Power Windows, Manual $ 7,750 1275B LOOKING FOR A SPRING FLING?LOOK NO FURTHER.FALL IN LOVE AT GILBERT CHEVROLET. $179 PER MO. FOR 24 MO. LEASE FOR 2012 CHEVY MALIBU $299PER MO. FOR 39 MO. $149PER MO. FOR 24 MO. 2012 CRUZE $199PER MO. FOR 39 MO. REG. CAB Cruze lease is for 24 months/12,000 miles with $1,995 due at signing. Malibu lease is for 24 mo/12,000 miles with $1,539 due at signing. Silverado Reg Cab lease is for 39 mo/10,000 miles with $1,995 due at signing. Silverado Ext Cab is 39 mo/12,000 mile s with $3,000 due at signing. All prices are plus taxes, tag, and fees. Offers assume qualied credit. All incentives and rebates to dealer. Dealer not respo nsible for typographical errors. Pictures are f or illustration purposes only. Offers expire 4/30/12.Looking for more discounts? We offer additional rebates for participating members of Farm Bureau, AARP, USAA & More. 2012 SILVERADO 1500 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 M M M M M M M O O O O O D D D D E E E E E L L L L L S S S S W W W W W W W I I T T H H 3 3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 M M M P P G G O O O R R R R M M M O O O R R R R E E E 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MP MPG MPG MPG MPG 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MPG MP MPG MPG MPG 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP M M G G G G G G G G G EXT. CAB LEASE FOR LEASE FOR LEASE FOR 1996 Ford F-150 XLT, Automatic Transmission $ 6,750 5103B 2005 Chrysler 300-Series 4dr Sedan, 300C, Ltd Availability $ 9,750 2179A 2004 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan, Sport Red Metallic $ 5,750 2321A 2004 Lincoln Aviator 4dr AWD Luxury, Power Locks/Windows $ 8,750 2117A 20 Okeechobee News April 20, 2012

""You're never really going to be ready for kids, so you should have them anyway." I've heard that one too. Then, in the next breath, they're complaining about all of those "welfare mothers" who "have kids…" "Kitty, My dad, who had sometimes been violent, made a decision easy: at 25 I didn't want to do to another set of kids what he'd done to his kids. I married a woman whose parents had died in a car accident. While in an orphanage, she was…" "I just got a new one! "Not having kids is CRUEL because you're not thinking about all the people who can't have children. It's just like, laughing in their face because you can have kids but refuse to!" ""Sadly, I'm not the type of person who savors the smell of my own farts." I win at retaliation for this kind of crap. It's from years of people not getting that I detest children if they aren't at least 14." "Oh hell that's the most insulting one. I've me a ton of immature moms. Dragging their kids around when the 3-year-old is clearly sleepy, tired, and doesn't want to be their. Spoiling their children to death and not doing anything when…" "Wow, I haven't commented yet! I can't believe I haven't. Well, the worst shit I get to my face is usually people smugly going "well you'll change your mind, one day." but here's some I've heard passed…" "I think you mean it's Terrifying and Funny at the same time. Combine Pro-life, anti-environmentalism, and Dominionist Christianity with the idea that every unfertilized egg is a murdered child, and boom, you have the Quiverfull Cult. "I've got two - one that was the real "facepalm" and the other was a unique one: "If you get pregnant, and don't eat any more than you do now, you'll lose weight!" (unique) Yeah, I see all of the women who gained…" ""But you're so smart, you owe it to the world to reproduce" _mother/ Grandmoster While I love the pandering, and I am a narcissist so i do love this, but I do not wish to pass my health issues as well as my general attitude onto…"

EXCLUSIVE: Red Sonja has been raising her sword in comic books since the 1970s, hit the big screen in 1985 (and will again), stopped by for a visit on the late-’90s syndicated TV series Conan and was animated in 2016’s Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues. Now, finally, she’s getting her own traditional longform book, and author-songwriter Amy S. Foster has signed to write it. Whether the bikini armor survives the transition, well, not likely. Foster has signed a deal with Red Sonja LLC to write the first traditional book featuring the sword-and-sorcery heroine. Foundry Literary + Media, the literary and media rights agency, is shopping the project to publishers. Foster’s The Rift Coda — the finale to her The Rift Uprising Trilogy — will be released in October by HarperCollins Voyager. The author was selected over dozens of writers to pen the Red Sonja novel. Her signing was announced exclusively to Deadline by Foundry Literary + Media, whose client roster includes Stan Lee, Ernest Cline (Ready Player One), Trevor Noah (The Daily Show), Patrick DeWitt (The Sisters Brothers), among others. “I want to honor Robert E. Howard and Roy Thomas’ legacy,” said Foster, “while simultaneously using my perspective as a writer of strong female warriors to render Sonja as a three-dimensional woman who will be relatable to a new generation of male and female fans. I signed on because that is exactly what Luke Lieberman wants, too – for women to be able to see themselves in Sonja’s motivations in a way that they hadn’t before. “And also,” she added, “because string bikinis were off the table.” Said Lieberman, who has written more than 50 Red Sonja comics: “I wanted to set the book in Sonja’s early years, essentially unexplored territory that I will briefly explore in an upcoming graphic novel. After hearing The Rift Uprising series on Audible and speaking with Amy, I felt she just nailed the voice of a young Sonja. With her at the helm, this project will be awesome.” Foster is repped by Yfat Reiss Gendell at Foundry Literary + Media. Red Sonja, LLC owns the Red Sonja character and licenses comic and art books, graphic novels, merchandise, with Lieberman stewarding the character. In addition to writing novels — her first was 2009’s romantic fantasy When Autumn Leaves — Foster is a songwriter whose tunes have been recorded by Josh Groban, Diana Krall and Destiny’s Child. Her best-known collaboration, though, is with Michael Buble, whose co-written songs with Foster include the hits “Home,” “Everything” and “Just Haven’t Met You Yet.” Foster’s father is the multiple-Grammy-winning record producer and songwriter David Foster, whose roster of collaborations includes recordings by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera and many others. The 1985 Red Sonja film introduced Brigitte Nielsen as the title character and co-starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Red Sonja comic books are published by Dynamite Entertainment. Today’s news of Foster’s Red Sonja book deal comes just a day before she co-moderates, with Sam Maggs, tomorrow’s Comic-Con panel titled “Will You Go to the Dance With Me? How Homecoming Dances and Epic Parties Have Shaped Storytelling.” On Saturday, Foster will co-moderate, again with Maggs, “I Will Always Love You: A Panel Dedicated to Our OTPs,” exploring archetypal fictional pairings and how things have evolved through LGBTQ+ culture and third-wave feminism.

The Bitter Lemon’s Fall TV Guide! After crafting, what I would consider to be, a pretty robust Fall Reading Guide, I knew I couldn’t just sit here and act like I’m sitting around the apartment reading all the time. You know I LOVE watching TV! While the summer was packed with some fantastic reality seasons, I’m proud to say that scripted television is making a comeback this fall (cheers for the writers). So, I’ve gathered up the shows I’m setting my DVR for in the coming months, and I hope you’ll join me. “Bull” (CBS) – Legal Drama This is a new show (many of the shows I picked are new, as I usually don’t watch scripted television)! Here’s the scoop from CBS.com: Bull stars Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull in a drama inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, the founder of one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick. Bull employs an enviable team of experts at Trial Analysis Corporation to shape successful narratives down to the very last detail. They include his quick-witted former brother-in-law, Benny Colón, a lawyer who acts as defense attorney in the company’s mock trials; Marissa Morgan, a cutting-edge neurolinguistics expert from the Department of Homeland Security; former NYPD detective Danny James, the firm’s tough but relatable investigator; haughty millennial hacker Cable McCrory, who is responsible for gathering cyber intelligence; and Chunk Palmer, a fashion-conscious stylist and former All-American lineman who fine tunes clients’ appearances for trial. In high-stakes trials, Bull’s combination of remarkable insight into human nature, three Ph.D.’s and a top-notch staff creates winning strategies that tip the scales of justice in his clients’ favor. Premieres Tuesday, September 20 @ 9/8c “The Voice” (NBC) – Singing Competition “The Voice” is now in its 11th season, and each season I SWEAR I’m not going to watch it, and then I do. Why? Because it’s usually good, it’s just very time-consuming. But hey, I’ve got time! The Blind Auditions – what the show is known for – started Monday night, but there’s still plenty to see, especially since it’s the first season featuring Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys as judges, alongside Adam and Blake, which should be pretty entertaining. Look for “The Voice” on NBC on Monday and Tuesday nights, but watch out for bonus Wednesday episodes. “Conviction” (ABC) – Legal Drama Another new show, and shockingly, another legal drama (#SorryNotSorry)! Here’s the description from ABC.com: Hayley Atwell is playing a lawyer and former First Daughter Hayes Morrison. She is best known for her wild teenage years in the White House and proclivity to wind up on TMZ. But a cocaine bust is one misstep with consequences this former First Daughter can’t dodge. Luckily Hayes’ powerful mother, Harper, along with her occasional fling and former boss, Wallace, offer an ultimatum – jail time, or run New York City’s new Conviction Integrity Unit. Never one to be controlled, Hayes decides to use the opportunity and her brilliant legal mind to challenge the status quo. Alongside her eclectic and intelligent CIU team, Hayes will do whatever it takes to discover the truth, fighting for those overlooked by a flawed and fractured system. “Secrets and Lies” (ABC) – Crime Mystery Season one of “Secrets and Lies” brought us two things of glory: the beautiful Ryan Phillipe, and the Twitter feed for his character’s flashlight. While “Secrets and Lies” was fantastically creepy, I wondered how on earth we’d get a second season, given the crime was solved at the end. But, ABC has found a way: it’s a new crime, same detective – CORNELL (dun, dun, DUN!). Here’s ABC’s description: In season 2, Kate Warner fell to her death from a 12-story building, but this was no accident, all evidence points to this being a homicide. Detective Andrea Cornell is brought in to root out the real killer. Her prime suspect is Kate’s husband, Eric Warner. Join Detective Cornell as she digs up secrets, exposes lies, and brings to light the truth of this tragic and senseless death. “Secrets and Lies” premieres Sunday, September 25 at 9/8c. “Frequency” (CW) – Time-Travel Drama This one is very out of my comfort zone, and I don’t even think I’ve ever watched anything on the CW, but there’s a first time for everything. Here’s the description of “Frequency” from Wikipedia: In 2016, NYPD Detective Raimy Sullivan discovers that she is able to speak to her deceased father Frank Sullivan in 1996 via his old ham radio. Her attempts to save his life trigger the “butterfly effect”, changing the present in unforeseen ways. To fix the damage, she must work with her father across time to solve a decades-old murder case. Premieres Wednesday, October 5 at 9/8c. “The Great Indoors” (CBS) – Comedy Okay, so I’m not a huge fan of Joel McHale, but the plot of this one just sounded so perfect for me, so I hope it ends up being great! Here’s the scoop from CBS.com: Joel McHale stars in this insightful and timely comedy about a renowned adventure reporter who has spent his life exploring the edges of the earth. Now that he’s taken a desk job in the digital department of the magazine, he must adapt to the times and his new world. He’s struggling to grasp the lingo of online click-bait and listicles, but his real challenge is in understanding his staff of millenials who write about the great outdoors but never actually set foot outside. Premieres Thursday, October 27 at 8:30/7:30c. “Pitch” (FOX) – Sports Drama This show seems different, and I’m really curious to see how it turns out. Here’s the description from The New York Times: Fox has done everything it can to make Ms. (Kylie) Bunbury, who plays the first woman to reach the big leagues, a plausible Major League pitcher. This includes having her learn how to, well, pitch. But she’s got plenty of support. Major League Baseball has enthusiastically signed on to the project, providing what its executives describe as unprecedented access to a running TV show. So yeah, first woman in the MLB. I’m in. The show premieres Thursday, September 22 at 9/8c. “Project Runway” (Lifetime) – Fashion Design Competition While season 15 started last week, there’s still plenty of time to hop into the chaos that is always “Project Runway”, featuring original hosts Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, along with judge Zac Posen. Season 15 features a new bunch of fresh, hungry designers, along with new challenges each week, all fighting for the ultimate prize: money for a collection, along with all sorts of other massive prizes. “Project Runway” airs Thursdays at 9/8c. “Divorce” (HBO) – Drama You guys. I have been WAITING for this show to start foreeevvveerrrrrr! Here’s the scoop from HBO.com: Sarah Jessica Parker returns to HBO in the new comedy series,Divorce. Parker stars as Frances, a woman who suddenly begins to reassess her life and her marriage, and finds that making a clean break and a fresh start is harder than she thought. Other series regulars include Thomas Haden Church, Molly Shannon, Talia Balsam and Tracy Letts. The series, currently in production in New York, was created by Sharon Horgan. It is executive produced by Horgan, Paul Simms, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alison Benson and Aaron Kaplan. Premieres Sunday, October 9 at 10/9c. Posted on September 20, 2016, in Light Pulp and tagged blog, blogger, bull, divorce, fall TV, fall tv 2016, Holly A. Phillips, pitch, project runway, the bitterlemon, the great indoors, the juice, TV, tv addict. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.

Fashion designer and Project Runway judge Michael Kors has released a new beauty and fragrance collection, representing each of the Michael Kors woman’s changing moods: SPORTY, SEXY and GLAM. Read on for more… Do you die when you see a Michael Kors ad in a magazine? I sure do. Gorgeous women in a fabulous locale, looking tanned, toned and glamorous. And now we can all have a piece of that lifestyle with the Michael Kors Beauty Collection. The Beauty Collection was created to achieve the burnished bronze skin, bold nails and beautiful lips that give the Michael Kors woman her signature confidence and style. This isn’t a large beauty collection by design; instead it’s a tightly edited collection of the ideal nudes, brightest brights and deep, dramatic shades. Each facet of the Michael Kors woman has her own collection. The Michael Kors GLAM Collection includes: - DAME Lip Lacquer ($24), a deep cabernet with a hint of berry - ICON Lip Luster ($24), a sleek, chic gloss in a deeper shade of plum - BEAM Bronze Powder ($50), a deep, coppery glow bronzer - ENVY Nail Lacquer ($18), a warm, extra-dark violet (this is my must-have shade!) - DESIRE Nail Lacquer ($18), a deep, ebony brown - GLAM JASMINE Eau de Parfum (1.0 oz., $50) The Michael Kors SEXY Collection includes: - BOMBSHELL Lip Lacquer ($24) a true, color-saturated, blue-based red - SIREN Lip Luster ($24), a gleaming, glossy red with a dash of electric fuchsia - FLUSH Bronze Powder ($50), a shimmery tan bronzer - SCANDAL Nail Lacquer ($18), a vibrant fuchsia shade with a subtle metallic fleck - SENSATION Nail Lacquer ($18), scarlet red with high wattage shine - SEXY AMBER Eau de Parfum (1.0 oz., $50) The Michael Kors SPORTY Collection includes: - DIVA Lip Lacquer ($24), a universally flattering peachy nude - MUSE Lip Luster ($24), a blush-toned nude gloss with extra shine - GLOW Bronze Powder ($50), lights up the skin with a natural, tawny sheen - HINT Nail Lacquer ($18), the perfect luminous, taupe nail - GOSSIP Nail Lacquer ($18), a milky, dimensional white - SPORTY CITRUS Eau de Parfum (1.0 oz., $50) The Michael Kors Beauty Collection is available now, exclusively at Macys and Macys.com. Do you plan on picking any of it up? I love the Glam look and will most definitely be buying! Shop Michael Kors Beauty!

“Oh, man, that was embarassing.” Dick Grayson ran a hand through his wavy black hair, his cowl hanging back over his shoulders as he paced back and forth in the Batcave under the Wayne Foundation building. “I can’t believe that he’s able to control the birds like that.” “Hey, it isn’t like these guys don’t typically win the first round in a case, right? Remember all those stories you used to tell at Titans Headquarters? Almost every one of them had you and Batman getting caught off-guard the first time around when one of these costumed kooks had a new gimmick. Just like Ollie and I with clowns like Clock King.” “OK, I’ll give you that one, Roy.” Dick stopped pacing. “Still, I shouldn’t have let him get the drop on us.” “Hey, I’m the one who couldn’t take the pudge-pot seriously.” Arsenal paused in his work of wiping down his crossbow with an oiled cloth. “So where do we look for him? The Arctic exhibit at the zoo?” “No he’s already used that.” Seeing Roy Harper’s surprised look, Dick added, “There are three zoos in Gotham City, he’s used the exhibits at each one of them at least once. He’s used Memorial Zoo three times.” “I thought you said he was a genius. Sounds more like an imbecile.” “Oswald Cobblepot is a mechanical genius. You and Ollie used to put all sorts of gimmicks into arrows, right? He does it with umbrellas. Guns, missile launchers, lock picks, flamethrowers, electronic jammers, jet engines, you name it, he’s put it in an umbrella shaft.” Dick sat down at a computer terminal. “However, when it comes to common sense, he’s a total washout. Now, just to be sure, let’s check on the zoos.” On a large video screen, an image flashed to life. It showed a dimly lit cavern. “That’s his old lair at Memorial Zoo, still empty.” The image changed to a storeroom full of hay bales. “Greystoke Zoo converted his hideout to storage. No change there.” Again, the image changed. “Robinson Animal Park hasn’t reopened since they were damaged during the invasion this summer. Doesn’t look like the polar bear exhibit has been entered since then.” Roy holstered the crossbow and pulled a pistol from a hidden holster in his dark red leather vest. He ejected an ammunition clip from the grip and started breaking the gun down. “Roy! Is that a pistol you’re packing?” “Relax, Dickie-boy. Something new I got from some old friends at the DEA. Check these out.” Roy popped one of the bullets from the clip and tossed it to Dick. “Foam bullets, encased in hard plastic for aerodynamics. Non-fatal unless fired at point-blank range.” He slipped the clip back into the gun and raised it to a firing position in an eyeblink, pointing the gun at Dick. “And the gun won’t let you fire at anything closer than eight feet.” He pulled the trigger, and an faint electronic beep sounded from the pistol. “Uses an infrared range-finder, like a camera.” “OK, I get it. Now, back to the Penguin. If Robinson Animal Park was shut down because of the invasion, maybe there are some other candidates for him to use since the aliens chewed up the landscape. Let’s see what happens if I run a search on locations with Arctic and bird-themed names.” Dick typed at the keyboard, then watched as names scrolled on the screen. Looking over his shoulder, Roy read them off. “Antarctic Treats. Arctic Freeze. Arctic Ice. Canadian Winterscapes. Dreamsicle Palace. Eternal Winter Indoor Skiing. Frost King Air Conditioning. General Air and Ventilation.” Roy shook his head. “These are just the ones affected by the invasion?” “Yeah. Gotham business owners love to name the businesses after themes. Add to that the number of businesses related to ice and cold in a big city, and it’s a lot of targets.” Dick was still watching the screen. “Richard Byrd High School. I wonder.” He started typing again, and the screen stopped. A listing of information on Oswald Cobblepot came up on the screen. “That just might be it. Not only is it named for Admiral Byrd, it’s where the Penguin attended high school. They decided not to repair it, because there’s a newer school nearby and the population has been dropping. Most of the neighborhood was leveled, too, so he won’t be disturbed.” “Looks like we’re going to school. Got another car?” “Does Ollie have a spare quiver?” The school stood by itself in the middle of three square blocks of brick-strewn foundations and empty lots. Chester Street ran in front of the school, except for the twenty-foot crater at the intersection with Green Street. A bent and twisted transmission tower had been stripped of the high voltage cables it once bore. In the middle of the night, the neighborhood was as dark as night in any unexplored wilderness. Down Green Street came a low-slung black car styled after the latest European road-racing cars. The only sound it made was the low rumble of rubber on concrete. Just before reaching the crater, the car turned onto the school grounds, then came to a halt. Gull-wing doors opened silently on either side. “No electronic devices on the outside,” said Batman. “There’s power inside, though. No lines coming in; he has his own power source.” Arsenal pressed a button the side of his tinted glasses and looked up, scanning the sky. “Much as he loves birds, I’d think he’d have some up in the air.” He pulled the infrared-scanning glasses down on his nose and looked over them. “He’s in the basement, right? They’re always in the basement.” “Wrong. I’m showing electrical activity on the third floor. I checked the plans back at the cave, and they had a gymnasium on the top floor. That gives him a place for all his birds with easy access to the outside.” “Right. We’re not going up the stairs, are we?” In response, Batman fitted a grappling hook to a launcher built into his right gauntlet, raised his right arm, and fired. The spring-loaded launcher was silent, and the hook went through a window frame on the third floor. Arsenal followed suit, fitting an oversized bolt with a wire attached to his crossbow. There was a quiet twang, followed by the sound of the bolt embedding itself in the brick wall. They ran toward the wall, their lines automatically retracting on powered spools in their costumes. “I take it you modified the costume. I don’t remember Batman having launchers in the gloves.” “Right. But I’ve gotten used to the wrist-launchers in my Nightwing costume.” When they reached the wall, they each grabbed their respective line and started up the side of the building. Together, they reached the third floor and slipped into one of the deserted classrooms. “Gymnasium in the center, right?” asked Arsenal as they eased open a door into the hallway. “That’s right. Door is right there,” Batman pointed at a wooden double-door next to a bank of lockers, barely visible by the light shining under the door. “Give me three minutes to get into position on the other side.” Arsenal lifted his hand and looked at the faintly luminescent dial of his watch. His other hand fingered the collection of throwing knives on his belt. It ran over the collection of foam bullet cartridges in his vest pocket. He pressed the button activating the various vision modes of his goggles, flipping through infrared, ultraviolet, low-light and regular vision. He reached into a pocket and activated his Titans comm-link, listening in on a conversation between Cyborg and Changeling. The watch showed that two minutes and ten seconds had passed when impatience got the best of him. He pulled his crossbow pistol and dashed over to the door. Pulling open the door, he found a battle in progress. Batman crouched in the middle of the room, one man at his feet and two more circling him warily. “I thought you said three minutes!” he shouted as he fired a fast shot at the squawking, waddling figure who was frantically shouting orders. “You’re late! I expected you to come charging in here after about a minute and a half,” replied Batman as he hurled a pair of batarangs at a cluster of birds diving toward him. “You never were very patient.” Arsenal knelt on one knee and took careful aim. “So you lied to me?” His second shot struck the Penguin in his hip. “And you’re supposed to be so upright and honest.” He stood and delivered a roundhouse kick to the stomach of a dark-skinned man charging at him. “You have the nerve to shoot me? Feel the wrath of my robotic flock, Arsenal!” cried Penguin as he tried to limp away. Arsenal paused, a smile growing on his face. “Robotic? Batman, did he just say robotic?” Batman kicked a heavyset thug in the head, whipping his arm back to catch a second with an elbow to the solar plexus as he looked over at his partner for the evening and saw Arsenal’s eyes lighting up with delight. “What I think he meant to say is that it’s time for target practice.” “Oh, yeah, baby!” cried the young red-headed hero. Holstering the crossbow pistol, Arsenal reached back and pulled a folded short-bow from his quiver. The bowstring hummed as dozens of arrows took flight in the span of ten seconds. As small explosions rocked the room, Batman used the time and distraction to bound up the battered bleachers on one side of the gymnasium. Running across the top plank, he launched himself into the air and landed between the Penguin and the door that was his goal. “Leaving so soon, Cobblepot?” A right cross left the Penguin sprawled on the floor. “You about done there?” he called. “Just three more. Two. One. OK, I guess that’s it.” Arsenal looked around at the smoking remains of several dozen robotic birds. “You get all the henchmen?” Five men lay unconscious around the room, as well as their leader. “Oh, right. Like I need to ask.” “About time you got back here!” Batman and Aresenal blinked as the patio lights of Dick Grayson’s penthouse came on. Standing in the open doorway, Barbara Gordon looked at the two heroes. “Have a good evening?” “Yeah, I guess you could say we did,” replied Arsenal, walking past her and flopping down on a leather sofa. “I got to mix it up with one of your charming city’s criminal goofballs.” “Let me guess: the Penguin.” As Batman pulled his mask up and off, she smiled at him. “Dad told me earlier that he’d slipped out of Arkham last week.” “Last week? And they waited until today to tell him?” Dick Grayson walked over to a small bar in the corner and pulled a bottle of ginger ale from the refrigerator, tossed it to Roy Harper, then pulled a quart bottle of milk out for himself. “Cobblepot has been in an isolation cell for a month, because he was getting into fights in the dining room.” Barbara walked over to an end table and picked up a folder. “It looks like he may have been out for most of that month. They checked the video records and discovered that a loop was being fed to the camera in his cell. One of the cleaning staff was discovered to be the brother of ‘Wings’ Wilson, a frequent henchman of the Penguin.” “So why wasn’t I told?” asked Dick as he took a drink. “Umm, that was my fault. I asked Dad to forward any information on escaped felons to me, so you wouldn’t feel compelled to go out unless you were really comfortable with the idea.” Barbara looked sheepish. “Don’t be mad at me. If it was something urgent, I would have let you know. I passed the information along to Man-Bat, Ragman, and Prototype.” “You know, Babs, I think it’s real sweet that you wanted to, I don’t know, protect Dick from the worries. But you know what? I think Dick’s been ready for this for years, and tonight proved it.” Seeing both Dick and Barbara staring at him, he went on. “Hear me out! Dick, I know the idea of wearing the costume is intimidating. Hell, I know Ollie wants me to take over as Green Arrow, and that scares the hell out of me. I mean, I know I can shoot well enough, and I’ve even got some of the detective skills that Ollie tries to hide. But I can’t match his attitude on the street, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to die my hair blonde, grow a beard, and run around dressed like Robin Hood.” Roy paused and took a drink from his soda bottle. “Now, we both know Wally’s done a great job filling in for Barry, right? And Nubia took some time to settle into the Wonder Woman role, but she’s doing fine now. But they had to get started, right? And so did you, Dick.” “That’s why you came here tonight, isn’t it, Roy?” Dick glanced at Barbara and bobbed his head slightly toward the door. Taking his hint, she left the room. “You figured I needed to be prodded into hitting the streets as Batman, didn’t you?” “Well, I wasn’t–” “You were right. I’ve been putting it off all week, and, yeah, Babs didn’t want to push.” Dick sat down next to his old friend. “Now I know I can do this. Thanks, Roy.” “Hey, anything for a friend, you know?” “Good. Now, you think you can convince me that I can handle the board room?”

I’d heard tell of an ancient horse breed that lived in the wilds of the Camargue – a large marshy coastal plain surrounded by salty winds and age-old customs that gave it more than a hint of mystery in the south of France… Fully prepared to find pretty pictures of horses frolicking in picturesque backgrounds of sand and sea, I typed in ‘Camargue horses’ and went on the hunt for some photographic evidence. Sure enough, I came upon the photographs I’d expected – beautiful white horses (or ‘grey’ to use the correct terminology), semi-feral and ridden in a free style by their traditional keepers of the Camargue – the ‘gardians’. Gardians are horse and cattle drovers – local men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting and aiding the native breeds of the Camargue landscape. But I hadn’t really expected to find this – what was a woman, a horse, and a cowboy doing on a beach – and why was she naked? This felt like another world, something faintly magical and surreal that had touched the area before it became widely documented by 21st century visitors. Had the search turned up something more secret about the Camargue for me? After a bit of digging, it turns out that this striking shot is taken from a still of the 1922 silent film Le roi de Camargue, directed by André Hugon (1886-1960) and set on the book of the same name , ‘King of the Camargue’, by the French writer Jean Aicard (1848-1921). Written in 1890, with original illustrations by the then-famous French artist and book illustrator George Roux (1853–1929), it tells the story of Renaud – a handsome and brave horse drover or ‘gardian’ (meaning ‘guardian’, in French) – mounted on his white steed. He encounters danger on the Camargue’s salty beaches and murky marshland whilst seeking to protect his beautiful, innocent fiancee Lisette from the curse of ‘Zingara’ – the story’s ‘Gyspy Queen’. This is a character that haunts the young couple by calling down a prophecy upon them due to a mistake made by Lisette earlier in the story. It is the village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, capital of the Camargue, that hosts the action. Here, the gypsies and their Queen have taken up residence to celebrate ‘the feast of Saintes-Maries’ – an ancient custom that has survived for centuries as an important and pivotal part of the town’s seasonal celebrations. Today, it draws many thousands of pilgrims, including a large number of Roma gypsies, to its shores, and ancient rites include carrying statues of the Marys into the sea – a feat that can attract up to 40,000 visitors to the town for the week. Just so we’re all up to date – it was on the beach of this village, so the Christian legend goes, that the three saints Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary of Clopas landed in their boats whilst fleeing persecution in Alexandria. Closely linked in the gospels with Christ’s crucifixion and their finding of the empty tomb, they are said to have used their ‘skirts and their long, thin veils’ as sails for their boat as they set upon the sea, along with their two serving women – Sarah and Marcella – as they fled persecution in Alexandria. They landed safely here in the Camargue, whereupon at least two of their remains – Mary Clopas and Mary Salome – were ‘discovered’ in the 15th century. The town has been a religious pilgrimage for Roma Gypsies, Catholics and many other travellers from all over the world ever since. In fact, it is still customary today for the girls to ride through the town in traditional Arlesian dress on the backs of their white Camargue horses every summer. The beautiful fiancee Lisette could have been inspired by any one of the girls of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer… The story moves on to the more remote landscape of Camargue coast as Renaud (our ‘cowboy’) and Lisette (the tale’s compulsory ‘damsel in distress’) are desperate to escape the gypsy Zingara’s curse… Set in the Rhône River delta of the Camargue, it provides the perfect coastal setting for an infinitely more elusive (and French) version of the American Wild West – And yet the idea to shoot westerns in the Camargue itself was helped along by total chance… It has to do with a certain showman called Buffalo Bill. When one French film director’s brother – cattle rancher and Camargue gardian Folco de Baroncelli – attended a performance of Buffalo Bill’s “Wild West Show” in Paris he watched in amazement. For in the show, he thought he recognised scenes from the novels he had enjoyed as a child. After a career ‘subduing’ the American ‘Old West’ by brutal force, Buffalo Bill turned his most infamous skirmishes with Native Americans into a kind of travelling reenactment show, which came to Paris in 1905. The similarities between the pictures of Buffalo Bill on his white steed ‘herding’ American buffalo and those below of traditional gardians working in the French Camargue may not seem so striking to us today. A more contemporary audience may seek to distance themselves from such a figure associated with domination and cruelty, but to a gardian from the Camargue, where they spent their lives herding with black bulls and white horses, one can see how Baroncelli felt there was an aesthetic connection. Baroncelli was inspired to ask film director Jean Durand and screenwriter, stunt rider, and actor Joë Hamman to shoot a series of films in the Camargue he knew, including Cowboy in 1906 and The Desperado in 1907, which were both written by and starred Hamman. According to him, Cowboy (in 1906) was the first ever Western. Hamman and Durand are both considered to be ‘pioneers’ (a fitting description) of the genre outside America. What I love about this is that the French western was actually called “western-camembert” in some circles… Shot pre-World War I, they in fact use cowhands and cattle from Baroncelli’s own farm near the village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Folco de Baroncelli’s brother, Jacques de Baroncelli (1881-1951) would also later film his 1935 version of Le Roi de Camargue here, no doubt inspired by the approach of his brother. The Camargue landscape, customs and characters continued to capture the imagination of many more film directors over the decades following those first French Westerns, including Jean de Marguenat’s Le Gardian in 1946, starring the singer and actor Tino Rossi. Strikingly, like the posters, it’s surprising that the original novel and films that followed, were so remarkably uninhibited – Bearing in mind that the book was written in 1890 and included hand-drawn illustrations of a naked woman associated with both Christianity and the occult. It’s not a little staggering then that its publication doesn’t seem to have been censored in any way… Albert Lamorisse’s Crin Blanc (‘White Mane’) was much tamer. Filmed in 1952, it tells the story of a young boy’s bond with the wild white horse that has escaped from its keepers. And here we have D’où viens-tu… Johnny? (‘Where Are You From, Johnny?), starring young French singer and 60’s heart-throb Johnny Holiday. It included a love interest both on- and off-screen – Sylvie Vartan, who played the besotted female lead – And they would later announce their engagement shortly after the film’s premier. Johnny and Sylvie were one of several couples who were in love or already married who played the male and female leads in the Camargue westerns of early 20th century France – perhaps a testament to the enchanted feel of the Camargue, which they also used for its famous horses and setting in 1963. The Camargue remains an incredibly rare opportunity to see this relationship between people, horse and land that remains strong as the ancient folklore that winds through it today… I think I’ll be planning a little trip to the south of France next year… Dreaming of white horses… In Love&Light, FS XOX

Oh MAN! I had a blast at San Diego Comic Con this year! I'm sure you've heard me fanboy enough about it so here are the pics. :D It was awesome to meet him in person! Just in recent member he's been in Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and now the new Bionic Woman! Mickey from Doctor Who and writing for Torchwood An animator from Pixar. He actually worked on Ratatouille and he took a picture of me when I was wearing Linguini! X-D Mark Dacascos, the Chairman on Iron Chef America and I at Comic Con! X-) I'm so amused that I happen to catch him AND I'm wearing a chef costume from Ratatouille! Meeting up with some of the animators from Teen Titans again! They are now working on the new Transformers animated series! Aaron Douglas, the Chief on Battlestar Galactica and on the new Bionic Woman series! We're trying to do the Friends group shot, but obviously I failed. LOL But I love the photo anyway! X-) Ok, this was TOTALLY mognetcentral's idea! I don't know why she insists on trying to perpetuate this rumor that I basically have a harem with me and that I'm always surrounded by beautiful women... Well, it's not like mognetcentral and hoshikaji are feeding me food or... anything... And a silly picture that the girls wanted me to pose for. X-) Did I ever tell hiroe_chan that I have a thing for blue? ;-) *blink blink* Wait... what? Holy shit IT'S A TRAP! ;-) Well damn, I didn't realize that "Local Celebrity" shirt worked so well. X-D Yay! Christi and diavana Hahahah! solaria and arkadia in Daria cosplay. Woah... that sentence rhymes. O_o You know? I think London has warped jinyo's brain... he's a little *too* happy there... Well DAMN... I thought ALA were badge Nazi's... ;-) Lisa in her wonderful Psylocke costume. If you were at SDCC you probably saw Sci-Fi channel's very weird looking booth. I really wanted to do a shoot there and she was good enough to indulge me. The random shape of the booth and the lighting made for a challenging but really interesting photos! Oh yah, we were also near one of the main walkways so she was stopped every 10 seconds for a photo. ;-) And of course Rinnie, my other most favoritest Psylocke in the whole wide world! X-D I got to see both all in one day! Pinch me, I'm dreaming! X-D Rock on girls! X-D In case you were wondering, yes that was real rum. ;-) Though that doesn't explain why Kim is smiling so much. :D Speaking of Pirates, OMG! This is the cutest thing ever! I'm not even that big of a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, but I'd so get him! X-) hcc_cosplay in their fantastic Five Star Stories costumes! The whole gang! Handlers and all! And can you tell I'm very amused with my new toy? X-D

"Holmes," said I as I stood one morning in our bow-window looking down the street, "here is a madman coming along. It seems rather sad that his relatives should allow him to come out alone." My friend rose lazily from his armchair and stood with his hands in the pockets of his dressing-gown, looking over my shoulder. It was a bright, crisp February morning, and the snow of the day before still lay deep upon the ground, shimmering brightly in the wintry sun. Down the centre of Baker Street it had been ploughed into a brown crumbly band by the traffic, but at either side and on the heaped-up edges of the foot-paths it still lay as white as when it fell. The grey pavement had been cleaned and scraped, but was still dangerously slippery, so that there were fewer passengers than usual. Indeed, from the direction of the Metropolitan Station no one was coming save the single gentleman whose eccentric conduct had drawn my attention. He was a man of about fifty, tall, portly, and imposing, with a massive, strongly marked face and a commanding figure. He was dressed in a sombre yet rich style, in black frock-coat, shining hat, neat brown gaiters, and well-cut pearl-grey trousers. Yet his actions were in absurd contrast to the dignity of his dress and features, for he was running hard, with occasional little springs, such as a weary man gives who is little accustomed to set any tax upon his legs. As he ran he jerked his hands up and down, waggled his head, and writhed his face into the most extraordinary contortions. "What on earth can be the matter with him?" I asked. "He is looking up at the numbers of the houses." "I believe that he is coming here," said Holmes, rubbing his hands. "Yes; I rather think he is coming to consult me professionally. I think that I recognise the symptoms. Ha! did I not tell you?" As he spoke, the man, puffing and blowing, rushed at our door and pulled at our bell until the whole house resounded with the clanging. A few moments later he was in our room, still puffing, still gesticulating, but with so fixed a look of grief and despair in his eyes that our smiles were turned in an instant to horror and pity. For a while he could not get his words out, but swayed his body and plucked at his hair like one who has been driven to the extreme limits of his reason. Then, suddenly springing to his feet, he beat his head against the wall with such force that we both rushed upon him and tore him away to the centre of the room. Sherlock Holmes pushed him down into the easy-chair and, sitting beside him, patted his hand and chatted with him in the easy, soothing tones which he knew so well how to employ. "You have come to me to tell your story, have you not?" said he. "You are fatigued with your haste. Pray wait until you have recovered yourself, and then I shall be most happy to look into any little problem which you may submit to me." The man sat for a minute or more with a heaving chest, fighting against his emotion. Then he passed his handkerchief over his brow, set his lips tight, and turned his face towards us. "No doubt you think me mad?" said he. "I see that you have had some great trouble," responded Holmes. "God knows I have!—a trouble which is enough to unseat my reason, so sudden and so terrible is it. Public disgrace I might have faced, although I am a man whose character has never yet borne a stain. Private affliction also is the lot of every man; but the two coming together, and in so frightful a form, have been enough to shake my very soul. Besides, it is not I alone. The very noblest in the land may suffer unless some way be found out of this horrible affair." "Pray compose yourself, sir," said Holmes, "and let me have a clear account of who you are and what it is that has befallen you." "My name," answered our visitor, "is probably familiar to your ears. I am Alexander Holder, of the banking firm of Holder & Stevenson, of Threadneedle Street." The name was indeed well known to us as belonging to the senior partner in the second largest private banking concern in the City of London. What could have happened, then, to bring one of the foremost citizens of London to this most pitiable pass? We waited, all curiosity, until with another effort he braced himself to tell his story. "I feel that time is of value," said he; "that is why I hastened here when the police inspector suggested that I should secure your co-operation. I came to Baker Street by the Underground and hurried from there on foot, for the cabs go slowly through this snow. That is why I was so out of breath, for I am a man who takes very little exercise. I feel better now, and I will put the facts before you as shortly and yet as clearly as I can. "It is, of course, well known to you that in a successful banking business as much depends upon our being able to find remunerative investments for our funds as upon our increasing our connection and the number of our depositors. One of our most lucrative means of laying out money is in the shape of loans, where the security is unimpeachable. We have done a good deal in this direction during the last few years, and there are many noble families to whom we have advanced large sums upon the security of their pictures, libraries, or plate. "Yesterday morning I was seated in my office at the bank when a card was brought in to me by one of the clerks. I started when I saw the name, for it was that of none other than—well, perhaps even to you I had better say no more than that it was a name which is a household word all over the earth—one of the highest, noblest, most exalted names in England. I was overwhelmed by the honour and attempted, when he entered, to say so, but he plunged at once into business with the air of a man who wishes to hurry quickly through a disagreeable task. "'Mr. Holder,' said he, 'I have been informed that you are in the habit of advancing money.' "'The firm does so when the security is good.' I answered. "'It is absolutely essential to me,' said he, 'that I should have 50,000 pounds at once. I could, of course, borrow so trifling a sum ten times over from my friends, but I much prefer to make it a matter of business and to carry out that business myself. In my position you can readily understand that it is unwise to place one's self under obligations.' "'For how long, may I ask, do you want this sum?' I asked. "'Next Monday I have a large sum due to me, and I shall then most certainly repay what you advance, with whatever interest you think it right to charge. But it is very essential to me that the money should be paid at once.' "'I should be happy to advance it without further parley from my own private purse,' said I, 'were it not that the strain would be rather more than it could bear. If, on the other hand, I am to do it in the name of the firm, then in justice to my partner I must insist that, even in your case, every businesslike precaution should be taken.' "'I should much prefer to have it so,' said he, raising up a square, black morocco case which he had laid beside his chair. 'You have doubtless heard of the Beryl Coronet?' "'One of the most precious public possessions of the empire,' said I. "'Precisely.' He opened the case, and there, imbedded in soft, flesh-coloured velvet, lay the magnificent piece of jewellery which he had named. 'There are thirty-nine enormous beryls,' said he, 'and the price of the gold chasing is incalculable. The lowest estimate would put the worth of the coronet at double the sum which I have asked. I am prepared to leave it with you as my security.' "I took the precious case into my hands and looked in some perplexity from it to my illustrious client. "'You doubt its value?' he asked. "'Not at all. I only doubt—' "'The propriety of my leaving it. You may set your mind at rest about that. I should not dream of doing so were it not absolutely certain that I should be able in four days to reclaim it. It is a pure matter of form. Is the security sufficient?' "'You understand, Mr. Holder, that I am giving you a strong proof of the confidence which I have in you, founded upon all that I have heard of you. I rely upon you not only to be discreet and to refrain from all gossip upon the matter but, above all, to preserve this coronet with every possible precaution because I need not say that a great public scandal would be caused if any harm were to befall it. Any injury to it would be almost as serious as its complete loss, for there are no beryls in the world to match these, and it would be impossible to replace them. I leave it with you, however, with every confidence, and I shall call for it in person on Monday morning.' "Seeing that my client was anxious to leave, I said no more but, calling for my cashier, I ordered him to pay over fifty 1000 pound notes. When I was alone once more, however, with the precious case lying upon the table in front of me, I could not but think with some misgivings of the immense responsibility which it entailed upon me. There could be no doubt that, as it was a national possession, a horrible scandal would ensue if any misfortune should occur to it. I already regretted having ever consented to take charge of it. However, it was too late to alter the matter now, so I locked it up in my private safe and turned once more to my work. "When evening came I felt that it would be an imprudence to leave so precious a thing in the office behind me. Bankers' safes had been forced before now, and why should not mine be? If so, how terrible would be the position in which I should find myself! I determined, therefore, that for the next few days I would always carry the case backward and forward with me, so that it might never be really out of my reach. With this intention, I called a cab and drove out to my house at Streatham, carrying the jewel with me. I did not breathe freely until I had taken it upstairs and locked it in the bureau of my dressing-room. "And now a word as to my household, Mr. Holmes, for I wish you to thoroughly understand the situation. My groom and my page sleep out of the house, and may be set aside altogether. I have three maid-servants who have been with me a number of years and whose absolute reliability is quite above suspicion. Another, Lucy Parr, the second waiting-maid, has only been in my service a few months. She came with an excellent character, however, and has always given me satisfaction. She is a very pretty girl and has attracted admirers who have occasionally hung about the place. That is the only drawback which we have found to her, but we believe her to be a thoroughly good girl in every way. "So much for the servants. My family itself is so small that it will not take me long to describe it. I am a widower and have an only son, Arthur. He has been a disappointment to me, Mr. Holmes—a grievous disappointment. I have no doubt that I am myself to blame. People tell me that I have spoiled him. Very likely I have. When my dear wife died I felt that he was all I had to love. I could not bear to see the smile fade even for a moment from his face. I have never denied him a wish. Perhaps it would have been better for both of us had I been sterner, but I meant it for the best. "It was naturally my intention that he should succeed me in my business, but he was not of a business turn. He was wild, wayward, and, to speak the truth, I could not trust him in the handling of large sums of money. When he was young he became a member of an aristocratic club, and there, having charming manners, he was soon the intimate of a number of men with long purses and expensive habits. He learned to play heavily at cards and to squander money on the turf, until he had again and again to come to me and implore me to give him an advance upon his allowance, that he might settle his debts of honour. He tried more than once to break away from the dangerous company which he was keeping, but each time the influence of his friend, Sir George Burnwell, was enough to draw him back again. "And, indeed, I could not wonder that such a man as Sir George Burnwell should gain an influence over him, for he has frequently brought him to my house, and I have found myself that I could hardly resist the fascination of his manner. He is older than Arthur, a man of the world to his finger-tips, one who had been everywhere, seen everything, a brilliant talker, and a man of great personal beauty. Yet when I think of him in cold blood, far away from the glamour of his presence, I am convinced from his cynical speech and the look which I have caught in his eyes that he is one who should be deeply distrusted. So I think, and so, too, thinks my little Mary, who has a woman's quick insight into character. "And now there is only she to be described. She is my niece; but when my brother died five years ago and left her alone in the world I adopted her, and have looked upon her ever since as my daughter. She is a sunbeam in my house—sweet, loving, beautiful, a wonderful manager and housekeeper, yet as tender and quiet and gentle as a woman could be. She is my right hand. I do not know what I could do without her. In only one matter has she ever gone against my wishes. Twice my boy has asked her to marry him, for he loves her devotedly, but each time she has refused him. I think that if anyone could have drawn him into the right path it would have been she, and that his marriage might have changed his whole life; but now, alas! it is too late—forever too late! "Now, Mr. Holmes, you know the people who live under my roof, and I shall continue with my miserable story. "When we were taking coffee in the drawing-room that night after dinner, I told Arthur and Mary my experience, and of the precious treasure which we had under our roof, suppressing only the name of my client. Lucy Parr, who had brought in the coffee, had, I am sure, left the room; but I cannot swear that the door was closed. Mary and Arthur were much interested and wished to see the famous coronet, but I thought it better not to disturb it. "'Where have you put it?' asked Arthur. "'In my own bureau.' "'Well, I hope to goodness the house won't be burgled during the night.' said he. "'It is locked up,' I answered. "'Oh, any old key will fit that bureau. When I was a youngster I have opened it myself with the key of the box-room cupboard.' "He often had a wild way of talking, so that I thought little of what he said. He followed me to my room, however, that night with a very grave face. "'Look here, dad,' said he with his eyes cast down, 'can you let me have 200 pounds?' "'No, I cannot!' I answered sharply. 'I have been far too generous with you in money matters.' "'You have been very kind,' said he, 'but I must have this money, or else I can never show my face inside the club again.' "'And a very good thing, too!' I cried. "'Yes, but you would not have me leave it a dishonoured man,' said he. 'I could not bear the disgrace. I must raise the money in some way, and if you will not let me have it, then I must try other means.' "I was very angry, for this was the third demand during the month. 'You shall not have a farthing from me,' I cried, on which he bowed and left the room without another word. "When he was gone I unlocked my bureau, made sure that my treasure was safe, and locked it again. Then I started to go round the house to see that all was secure—a duty which I usually leave to Mary but which I thought it well to perform myself that night. As I came down the stairs I saw Mary herself at the side window of the hall, which she closed and fastened as I approached. "'Tell me, dad,' said she, looking, I thought, a little disturbed, 'did you give Lucy, the maid, leave to go out to-night?' "'She came in just now by the back door. I have no doubt that she has only been to the side gate to see someone, but I think that it is hardly safe and should be stopped.' "'You must speak to her in the morning, or I will if you prefer it. Are you sure that everything is fastened?' "'Quite sure, dad.' "'Then, good-night.' I kissed her and went up to my bedroom again, where I was soon asleep. "I am endeavouring to tell you everything, Mr. Holmes, which may have any bearing upon the case, but I beg that you will question me upon any point which I do not make clear." "On the contrary, your statement is singularly lucid." "I come to a part of my story now in which I should wish to be particularly so. I am not a very heavy sleeper, and the anxiety in my mind tended, no doubt, to make me even less so than usual. About two in the morning, then, I was awakened by some sound in the house. It had ceased ere I was wide awake, but it had left an impression behind it as though a window had gently closed somewhere. I lay listening with all my ears. Suddenly, to my horror, there was a distinct sound of footsteps moving softly in the next room. I slipped out of bed, all palpitating with fear, and peeped round the corner of my dressing-room door. "'Arthur!' I screamed, 'you villain! you thief! How dare you touch that coronet?' "The gas was half up, as I had left it, and my unhappy boy, dressed only in his shirt and trousers, was standing beside the light, holding the coronet in his hands. He appeared to be wrenching at it, or bending it with all his strength. At my cry he dropped it from his grasp and turned as pale as death. I snatched it up and examined it. One of the gold corners, with three of the beryls in it, was missing. "'You blackguard!' I shouted, beside myself with rage. 'You have destroyed it! You have dishonoured me forever! Where are the jewels which you have stolen?' "'Stolen!' he cried. "'Yes, thief!' I roared, shaking him by the shoulder. "'There are none missing. There cannot be any missing,' said he. "'There are three missing. And you know where they are. Must I call you a liar as well as a thief? Did I not see you trying to tear off another piece?' "'You have called me names enough,' said he, 'I will not stand it any longer. I shall not say another word about this business, since you have chosen to insult me. I will leave your house in the morning and make my own way in the world.' "'You shall leave it in the hands of the police!' I cried half-mad with grief and rage. 'I shall have this matter probed to the bottom.' "'You shall learn nothing from me,' said he with a passion such as I should not have thought was in his nature. 'If you choose to call the police, let the police find what they can.' "By this time the whole house was astir, for I had raised my voice in my anger. Mary was the first to rush into my room, and, at the sight of the coronet and of Arthur's face, she read the whole story and, with a scream, fell down senseless on the ground. I sent the house-maid for the police and put the investigation into their hands at once. When the inspector and a constable entered the house, Arthur, who had stood sullenly with his arms folded, asked me whether it was my intention to charge him with theft. I answered that it had ceased to be a private matter, but had become a public one, since the ruined coronet was national property. I was determined that the law should have its way in everything. "'At least,' said he, 'you will not have me arrested at once. It would be to your advantage as well as mine if I might leave the house for five minutes.' "'That you may get away, or perhaps that you may conceal what you have stolen,' said I. And then, realising the dreadful position in which I was placed, I implored him to remember that not only my honour but that of one who was far greater than I was at stake; and that he threatened to raise a scandal which would convulse the nation. He might avert it all if he would but tell me what he had done with the three missing stones. "'You may as well face the matter,' said I; 'you have been caught in the act, and no confession could make your guilt more heinous. If you but make such reparation as is in your power, by telling us where the beryls are, all shall be forgiven and forgotten.' "'Keep your forgiveness for those who ask for it,' he answered, turning away from me with a sneer. I saw that he was too hardened for any words of mine to influence him. There was but one way for it. I called in the inspector and gave him into custody. A search was made at once not only of his person but of his room and of every portion of the house where he could possibly have concealed the gems; but no trace of them could be found, nor would the wretched boy open his mouth for all our persuasions and our threats. This morning he was removed to a cell, and I, after going through all the police formalities, have hurried round to you to implore you to use your skill in unravelling the matter. The police have openly confessed that they can at present make nothing of it. You may go to any expense which you think necessary. I have already offered a reward of 1000 pounds. My God, what shall I do! I have lost my honour, my gems, and my son in one night. Oh, what shall I do!" He put a hand on either side of his head and rocked himself to and fro, droning to himself like a child whose grief has got beyond words. Sherlock Holmes sat silent for some few minutes, with his brows knitted and his eyes fixed upon the fire. "Do you receive much company?" he asked. "None save my partner with his family and an occasional friend of Arthur's. Sir George Burnwell has been several times lately. No one else, I think." "Do you go out much in society?" "Arthur does. Mary and I stay at home. We neither of us care for it." "That is unusual in a young girl." "She is of a quiet nature. Besides, she is not so very young. She is four-and-twenty." "This matter, from what you say, seems to have been a shock to her also." "Terrible! She is even more affected than I." "You have neither of you any doubt as to your son's guilt?" "How can we have when I saw him with my own eyes with the coronet in his hands." "I hardly consider that a conclusive proof. Was the remainder of the coronet at all injured?" "Yes, it was twisted." "Do you not think, then, that he might have been trying to straighten it?" "God bless you! You are doing what you can for him and for me. But it is too heavy a task. What was he doing there at all? If his purpose were innocent, why did he not say so?" "Precisely. And if it were guilty, why did he not invent a lie? His silence appears to me to cut both ways. There are several singular points about the case. What did the police think of the noise which awoke you from your sleep?" "They considered that it might be caused by Arthur's closing his bedroom door." "A likely story! As if a man bent on felony would slam his door so as to wake a household. What did they say, then, of the disappearance of these gems?" "They are still sounding the planking and probing the furniture in the hope of finding them." "Have they thought of looking outside the house?" "Yes, they have shown extraordinary energy. The whole garden has already been minutely examined." "Now, my dear sir," said Holmes. "is it not obvious to you now that this matter really strikes very much deeper than either you or the police were at first inclined to think? It appeared to you to be a simple case; to me it seems exceedingly complex. Consider what is involved by your theory. You suppose that your son came down from his bed, went, at great risk, to your dressing-room, opened your bureau, took out your coronet, broke off by main force a small portion of it, went off to some other place, concealed three gems out of the thirty-nine, with such skill that nobody can find them, and then returned with the other thirty-six into the room in which he exposed himself to the greatest danger of being discovered. I ask you now, is such a theory tenable?" "But what other is there?" cried the banker with a gesture of despair. "If his motives were innocent, why does he not explain them?" "It is our task to find that out," replied Holmes; "so now, if you please, Mr. Holder, we will set off for Streatham together, and devote an hour to glancing a little more closely into details." My friend insisted upon my accompanying them in their expedition, which I was eager enough to do, for my curiosity and sympathy were deeply stirred by the story to which we had listened. I confess that the guilt of the banker's son appeared to me to be as obvious as it did to his unhappy father, but still I had such faith in Holmes' judgment that I felt that there must be some grounds for hope as long as he was dissatisfied with the accepted explanation. He hardly spoke a word the whole way out to the southern suburb, but sat with his chin upon his breast and his hat drawn over his eyes, sunk in the deepest thought. Our client appeared to have taken fresh heart at the little glimpse of hope which had been presented to him, and he even broke into a desultory chat with me over his business affairs. A short railway journey and a shorter walk brought us to Fairbank, the modest residence of the great financier. Fairbank was a good-sized square house of white stone, standing back a little from the road. A double carriage-sweep, with a snow-clad lawn, stretched down in front to two large iron gates which closed the entrance. On the right side was a small wooden thicket, which led into a narrow path between two neat hedges stretching from the road to the kitchen door, and forming the tradesmen's entrance. On the left ran a lane which led to the stables, and was not itself within the grounds at all, being a public, though little used, thoroughfare. Holmes left us standing at the door and walked slowly all round the house, across the front, down the tradesmen's path, and so round by the garden behind into the stable lane. So long was he that Mr. Holder and I went into the dining-room and waited by the fire until he should return. We were sitting there in silence when the door opened and a young lady came in. She was rather above the middle height, slim, with dark hair and eyes, which seemed the darker against the absolute pallor of her skin. I do not think that I have ever seen such deadly paleness in a woman's face. Her lips, too, were bloodless, but her eyes were flushed with crying. As she swept silently into the room she impressed me with a greater sense of grief than the banker had done in the morning, and it was the more striking in her as she was evidently a woman of strong character, with immense capacity for self-restraint. Disregarding my presence, she went straight to her uncle and passed her hand over his head with a sweet womanly caress. "You have given orders that Arthur should be liberated, have you not, dad?" she asked. "No, no, my girl, the matter must be probed to the bottom." "But I am so sure that he is innocent. You know what woman's instincts are. I know that he has done no harm and that you will be sorry for having acted so harshly." "Why is he silent, then, if he is innocent?" "Who knows? Perhaps because he was so angry that you should suspect him." "How could I help suspecting him, when I actually saw him with the coronet in his hand?" "Oh, but he had only picked it up to look at it. Oh, do, do take my word for it that he is innocent. Let the matter drop and say no more. It is so dreadful to think of our dear Arthur in prison!" "I shall never let it drop until the gems are found—never, Mary! Your affection for Arthur blinds you as to the awful consequences to me. Far from hushing the thing up, I have brought a gentleman down from London to inquire more deeply into it." "This gentleman?" she asked, facing round to me. "No, his friend. He wished us to leave him alone. He is round in the stable lane now." "The stable lane?" She raised her dark eyebrows. "What can he hope to find there? Ah! this, I suppose, is he. I trust, sir, that you will succeed in proving, what I feel sure is the truth, that my cousin Arthur is innocent of this crime." "I fully share your opinion, and I trust, with you, that we may prove it," returned Holmes, going back to the mat to knock the snow from his shoes. "I believe I have the honour of addressing Miss Mary Holder. Might I ask you a question or two?" "Pray do, sir, if it may help to clear this horrible affair up." "You heard nothing yourself last night?" "Nothing, until my uncle here began to speak loudly. I heard that, and I came down." "You shut up the windows and doors the night before. Did you fasten all the windows?" "Were they all fastened this morning?" "You have a maid who has a sweetheart? I think that you remarked to your uncle last night that she had been out to see him?" "Yes, and she was the girl who waited in the drawing-room, and who may have heard uncle's remarks about the coronet." "I see. You infer that she may have gone out to tell her sweetheart, and that the two may have planned the robbery." "But what is the good of all these vague theories," cried the banker impatiently, "when I have told you that I saw Arthur with the coronet in his hands?" "Wait a little, Mr. Holder. We must come back to that. About this girl, Miss Holder. You saw her return by the kitchen door, I presume?" "Yes; when I went to see if the door was fastened for the night I met her slipping in. I saw the man, too, in the gloom." "Do you know him?" "Oh, yes! he is the green-grocer who brings our vegetables round. His name is Francis Prosper." "He stood," said Holmes, "to the left of the door—that is to say, farther up the path than is necessary to reach the door?" "Yes, he did." "And he is a man with a wooden leg?" Something like fear sprang up in the young lady's expressive black eyes. "Why, you are like a magician," said she. "How do you know that?" She smiled, but there was no answering smile in Holmes' thin, eager face. "I should be very glad now to go upstairs," said he. "I shall probably wish to go over the outside of the house again. Perhaps I had better take a look at the lower windows before I go up." He walked swiftly round from one to the other, pausing only at the large one which looked from the hall onto the stable lane. This he opened and made a very careful examination of the sill with his powerful magnifying lens. "Now we shall go upstairs," said he at last. The banker's dressing-room was a plainly furnished little chamber, with a grey carpet, a large bureau, and a long mirror. Holmes went to the bureau first and looked hard at the lock. "Which key was used to open it?" he asked. "That which my son himself indicated—that of the cupboard of the lumber-room." "Have you it here?" "That is it on the dressing-table." Sherlock Holmes took it up and opened the bureau. "It is a noiseless lock," said he. "It is no wonder that it did not wake you. This case, I presume, contains the coronet. We must have a look at it." He opened the case, and taking out the diadem he laid it upon the table. It was a magnificent specimen of the jeweller's art, and the thirty-six stones were the finest that I have ever seen. At one side of the coronet was a cracked edge, where a corner holding three gems had been torn away. "Now, Mr. Holder," said Holmes, "here is the corner which corresponds to that which has been so unfortunately lost. Might I beg that you will break it off." The banker recoiled in horror. "I should not dream of trying," said he. "Then I will." Holmes suddenly bent his strength upon it, but without result. "I feel it give a little," said he; "but, though I am exceptionally strong in the fingers, it would take me all my time to break it. An ordinary man could not do it. Now, what do you think would happen if I did break it, Mr. Holder? There would be a noise like a pistol shot. Do you tell me that all this happened within a few yards of your bed and that you heard nothing of it?" "I do not know what to think. It is all dark to me." "But perhaps it may grow lighter as we go. What do you think, Miss Holder?" "I confess that I still share my uncle's perplexity." "Your son had no shoes or slippers on when you saw him?" "He had nothing on save only his trousers and shirt." "Thank you. We have certainly been favoured with extraordinary luck during this inquiry, and it will be entirely our own fault if we do not succeed in clearing the matter up. With your permission, Mr. Holder, I shall now continue my investigations outside." He went alone, at his own request, for he explained that any unnecessary footmarks might make his task more difficult. For an hour or more he was at work, returning at last with his feet heavy with snow and his features as inscrutable as ever. "I think that I have seen now all that there is to see, Mr. Holder," said he; "I can serve you best by returning to my rooms." "But the gems, Mr. Holmes. Where are they?" "I cannot tell." The banker wrung his hands. "I shall never see them again!" he cried. "And my son? You give me hopes?" "My opinion is in no way altered." "Then, for God's sake, what was this dark business which was acted in my house last night?" "If you can call upon me at my Baker Street rooms to-morrow morning between nine and ten I shall be happy to do what I can to make it clearer. I understand that you give me carte blanche to act for you, provided only that I get back the gems, and that you place no limit on the sum I may draw." "I would give my fortune to have them back." "Very good. I shall look into the matter between this and then. Good-bye; it is just possible that I may have to come over here again before evening." It was obvious to me that my companion's mind was now made up about the case, although what his conclusions were was more than I could even dimly imagine. Several times during our homeward journey I endeavoured to sound him upon the point, but he always glided away to some other topic, until at last I gave it over in despair. It was not yet three when we found ourselves in our rooms once more. He hurried to his chamber and was down again in a few minutes dressed as a common loafer. With his collar turned up, his shiny, seedy coat, his red cravat, and his worn boots, he was a perfect sample of the class. "I think that this should do," said he, glancing into the glass above the fireplace. "I only wish that you could come with me, Watson, but I fear that it won't do. I may be on the trail in this matter, or I may be following a will-o'-the-wisp, but I shall soon know which it is. I hope that I may be back in a few hours." He cut a slice of beef from the joint upon the sideboard, sandwiched it between two rounds of bread, and thrusting this rude meal into his pocket he started off upon his expedition. I had just finished my tea when he returned, evidently in excellent spirits, swinging an old elastic-sided boot in his hand. He chucked it down into a corner and helped himself to a cup of tea. "I only looked in as I passed," said he. "I am going right on." "Oh, to the other side of the West End. It may be some time before I get back. Don't wait up for me in case I should be late." "How are you getting on?" "Oh, so so. Nothing to complain of. I have been out to Streatham since I saw you last, but I did not call at the house. It is a very sweet little problem, and I would not have missed it for a good deal. However, I must not sit gossiping here, but must get these disreputable clothes off and return to my highly respectable self." I could see by his manner that he had stronger reasons for satisfaction than his words alone would imply. His eyes twinkled, and there was even a touch of colour upon his sallow cheeks. He hastened upstairs, and a few minutes later I heard the slam of the hall door, which told me that he was off once more upon his congenial hunt. I waited until midnight, but there was no sign of his return, so I retired to my room. It was no uncommon thing for him to be away for days and nights on end when he was hot upon a scent, so that his lateness caused me no surprise. I do not know at what hour he came in, but when I came down to breakfast in the morning there he was with a cup of coffee in one hand and the paper in the other, as fresh and trim as possible. "You will excuse my beginning without you, Watson," said he, "but you remember that our client has rather an early appointment this morning." "Why, it is after nine now," I answered. "I should not be surprised if that were he. I thought I heard a ring." It was, indeed, our friend the financier. I was shocked by the change which had come over him, for his face which was naturally of a broad and massive mould, was now pinched and fallen in, while his hair seemed to me at least a shade whiter. He entered with a weariness and lethargy which was even more painful than his violence of the morning before, and he dropped heavily into the armchair which I pushed forward for him. "I do not know what I have done to be so severely tried," said he. "Only two days ago I was a happy and prosperous man, without a care in the world. Now I am left to a lonely and dishonoured age. One sorrow comes close upon the heels of another. My niece, Mary, has deserted me." "Yes. Her bed this morning had not been slept in, her room was empty, and a note for me lay upon the hall table. I had said to her last night, in sorrow and not in anger, that if she had married my boy all might have been well with him. Perhaps it was thoughtless of me to say so. It is to that remark that she refers in this note: "'MY DEAREST UNCLE:—I feel that I have brought trouble upon you, and that if I had acted differently this terrible misfortune might never have occurred. I cannot, with this thought in my mind, ever again be happy under your roof, and I feel that I must leave you forever. Do not worry about my future, for that is provided for; and, above all, do not search for me, for it will be fruitless labour and an ill-service to me. In life or in death, I am ever your loving,—MARY.' "What could she mean by that note, Mr. Holmes? Do you think it points to suicide?" "No, no, nothing of the kind. It is perhaps the best possible solution. I trust, Mr. Holder, that you are nearing the end of your troubles." "Ha! You say so! You have heard something, Mr. Holmes; you have learned something! Where are the gems?" "You would not think 1000 pounds apiece an excessive sum for them?" "I would pay ten." "That would be unnecessary. Three thousand will cover the matter. And there is a little reward, I fancy. Have you your check-book? Here is a pen. Better make it out for 4000 pounds." With a dazed face the banker made out the required check. Holmes walked over to his desk, took out a little triangular piece of gold with three gems in it, and threw it down upon the table. With a shriek of joy our client clutched it up. "You have it!" he gasped. "I am saved! I am saved!" The reaction of joy was as passionate as his grief had been, and he hugged his recovered gems to his bosom. "There is one other thing you owe, Mr. Holder," said Sherlock Holmes rather sternly. "Owe!" He caught up a pen. "Name the sum, and I will pay it." "No, the debt is not to me. You owe a very humble apology to that noble lad, your son, who has carried himself in this matter as I should be proud to see my own son do, should I ever chance to have one." "Then it was not Arthur who took them?" "I told you yesterday, and I repeat to-day, that it was not." "You are sure of it! Then let us hurry to him at once to let him know that the truth is known." "He knows it already. When I had cleared it all up I had an interview with him, and finding that he would not tell me the story, I told it to him, on which he had to confess that I was right and to add the very few details which were not yet quite clear to me. Your news of this morning, however, may open his lips." "For heaven's sake, tell me, then, what is this extraordinary mystery!" "I will do so, and I will show you the steps by which I reached it. And let me say to you, first, that which it is hardest for me to say and for you to hear: there has been an understanding between Sir George Burnwell and your niece Mary. They have now fled together." "My Mary? Impossible!" "It is unfortunately more than possible; it is certain. Neither you nor your son knew the true character of this man when you admitted him into your family circle. He is one of the most dangerous men in England—a ruined gambler, an absolutely desperate villain, a man without heart or conscience. Your niece knew nothing of such men. When he breathed his vows to her, as he had done to a hundred before her, she flattered herself that she alone had touched his heart. The devil knows best what he said, but at least she became his tool and was in the habit of seeing him nearly every evening." "I cannot, and I will not, believe it!" cried the banker with an ashen face. "I will tell you, then, what occurred in your house last night. Your niece, when you had, as she thought, gone to your room, slipped down and talked to her lover through the window which leads into the stable lane. His footmarks had pressed right through the snow, so long had he stood there. She told him of the coronet. His wicked lust for gold kindled at the news, and he bent her to his will. I have no doubt that she loved you, but there are women in whom the love of a lover extinguishes all other loves, and I think that she must have been one. She had hardly listened to his instructions when she saw you coming downstairs, on which she closed the window rapidly and told you about one of the servants' escapade with her wooden-legged lover, which was all perfectly true. "Your boy, Arthur, went to bed after his interview with you but he slept badly on account of his uneasiness about his club debts. In the middle of the night he heard a soft tread pass his door, so he rose and, looking out, was surprised to see his cousin walking very stealthily along the passage until she disappeared into your dressing-room. Petrified with astonishment, the lad slipped on some clothes and waited there in the dark to see what would come of this strange affair. Presently she emerged from the room again, and in the light of the passage-lamp your son saw that she carried the precious coronet in her hands. She passed down the stairs, and he, thrilling with horror, ran along and slipped behind the curtain near your door, whence he could see what passed in the hall beneath. He saw her stealthily open the window, hand out the coronet to someone in the gloom, and then closing it once more hurry back to her room, passing quite close to where he stood hid behind the curtain. "As long as she was on the scene he could not take any action without a horrible exposure of the woman whom he loved. But the instant that she was gone he realised how crushing a misfortune this would be for you, and how all-important it was to set it right. He rushed down, just as he was, in his bare feet, opened the window, sprang out into the snow, and ran down the lane, where he could see a dark figure in the moonlight. Sir George Burnwell tried to get away, but Arthur caught him, and there was a struggle between them, your lad tugging at one side of the coronet, and his opponent at the other. In the scuffle, your son struck Sir George and cut him over the eye. Then something suddenly snapped, and your son, finding that he had the coronet in his hands, rushed back, closed the window, ascended to your room, and had just observed that the coronet had been twisted in the struggle and was endeavouring to straighten it when you appeared upon the scene." "Is it possible?" gasped the banker. "You then roused his anger by calling him names at a moment when he felt that he had deserved your warmest thanks. He could not explain the true state of affairs without betraying one who certainly deserved little enough consideration at his hands. He took the more chivalrous view, however, and preserved her secret." "And that was why she shrieked and fainted when she saw the coronet," cried Mr. Holder. "Oh, my God! what a blind fool I have been! And his asking to be allowed to go out for five minutes! The dear fellow wanted to see if the missing piece were at the scene of the struggle. How cruelly I have misjudged him!" "When I arrived at the house," continued Holmes, "I at once went very carefully round it to observe if there were any traces in the snow which might help me. I knew that none had fallen since the evening before, and also that there had been a strong frost to preserve impressions. I passed along the tradesmen's path, but found it all trampled down and indistinguishable. Just beyond it, however, at the far side of the kitchen door, a woman had stood and talked with a man, whose round impressions on one side showed that he had a wooden leg. I could even tell that they had been disturbed, for the woman had run back swiftly to the door, as was shown by the deep toe and light heel marks, while Wooden-leg had waited a little, and then had gone away. I thought at the time that this might be the maid and her sweetheart, of whom you had already spoken to me, and inquiry showed it was so. I passed round the garden without seeing anything more than random tracks, which I took to be the police; but when I got into the stable lane a very long and complex story was written in the snow in front of me. "There was a double line of tracks of a booted man, and a second double line which I saw with delight belonged to a man with naked feet. I was at once convinced from what you had told me that the latter was your son. The first had walked both ways, but the other had run swiftly, and as his tread was marked in places over the depression of the boot, it was obvious that he had passed after the other. I followed them up and found they led to the hall window, where Boots had worn all the snow away while waiting. Then I walked to the other end, which was a hundred yards or more down the lane. I saw where Boots had faced round, where the snow was cut up as though there had been a struggle, and, finally, where a few drops of blood had fallen, to show me that I was not mistaken. Boots had then run down the lane, and another little smudge of blood showed that it was he who had been hurt. When he came to the highroad at the other end, I found that the pavement had been cleared, so there was an end to that clue. "On entering the house, however, I examined, as you remember, the sill and framework of the hall window with my lens, and I could at once see that someone had passed out. I could distinguish the outline of an instep where the wet foot had been placed in coming in. I was then beginning to be able to form an opinion as to what had occurred. A man had waited outside the window; someone had brought the gems; the deed had been overseen by your son; he had pursued the thief; had struggled with him; they had each tugged at the coronet, their united strength causing injuries which neither alone could have effected. He had returned with the prize, but had left a fragment in the grasp of his opponent. So far I was clear. The question now was, who was the man and who was it brought him the coronet? "It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Now, I knew that it was not you who had brought it down, so there only remained your niece and the maids. But if it were the maids, why should your son allow himself to be accused in their place? There could be no possible reason. As he loved his cousin, however, there was an excellent explanation why he should retain her secret—the more so as the secret was a disgraceful one. When I remembered that you had seen her at that window, and how she had fainted on seeing the coronet again, my conjecture became a certainty. "And who could it be who was her confederate? A lover evidently, for who else could outweigh the love and gratitude which she must feel to you? I knew that you went out little, and that your circle of friends was a very limited one. But among them was Sir George Burnwell. I had heard of him before as being a man of evil reputation among women. It must have been he who wore those boots and retained the missing gems. Even though he knew that Arthur had discovered him, he might still flatter himself that he was safe, for the lad could not say a word without compromising his own family. "Well, your own good sense will suggest what measures I took next. I went in the shape of a loafer to Sir George's house, managed to pick up an acquaintance with his valet, learned that his master had cut his head the night before, and, finally, at the expense of six shillings, made all sure by buying a pair of his cast-off shoes. With these I journeyed down to Streatham and saw that they exactly fitted the tracks." "I saw an ill-dressed vagabond in the lane yesterday evening," said Mr. Holder. "Precisely. It was I. I found that I had my man, so I came home and changed my clothes. It was a delicate part which I had to play then, for I saw that a prosecution must be avoided to avert scandal, and I knew that so astute a villain would see that our hands were tied in the matter. I went and saw him. At first, of course, he denied everything. But when I gave him every particular that had occurred, he tried to bluster and took down a life-preserver from the wall. I knew my man, however, and I clapped a pistol to his head before he could strike. Then he became a little more reasonable. I told him that we would give him a price for the stones he held—1000 pounds apiece. That brought out the first signs of grief that he had shown. 'Why, dash it all!' said he, 'I've let them go at six hundred for the three!' I soon managed to get the address of the receiver who had them, on promising him that there would be no prosecution. Off I set to him, and after much chaffering I got our stones at 1000 pounds apiece. Then I looked in upon your son, told him that all was right, and eventually got to my bed about two o'clock, after what I may call a really hard day's work." "A day which has saved England from a great public scandal," said the banker, rising. "Sir, I cannot find words to thank you, but you shall not find me ungrateful for what you have done. Your skill has indeed exceeded all that I have heard of it. And now I must fly to my dear boy to apologise to him for the wrong which I have done him. As to what you tell me of poor Mary, it goes to my very heart. Not even your skill can inform me where she is now." "I think that we may safely say," returned Holmes, "that she is wherever Sir George Burnwell is. It is equally certain, too, that whatever her sins are, they will soon receive a more than sufficient punishment."

Benny was kind enough to allow me on team TWINKLE, a project to reach out in love to school children in Ajegunle, Lagos. See details below page. While Prepping to counsel, I started thinking of something inspiring to share, something the children could remember and have hope…hope?! I suddenly remembered my mum’s story…A truly touching one. My mum came from a poor and divorced home. She didn’t start primary school until she had breasts. She was so poor, rags were her sanitary towels, left overs were her 3 course meal, murky was the drinking water, child labour was daily routine, a maid even in her father’s house. Mocked, tempted, maltreated,beaten, ridiculed, abandoned and persecuted, she was told to quit school, get a boyfriend and learn a trade, but she had a dream, to be someone, be educated, be important, rise above the mediocrity evident in her family. And she did, for God was with her. Today, a few years past the golden age (50+), that ‘old mama in class’ has got her SSCE, Grade 2, National Certificate in Education, Diploma in Secretarial Studies, B.Sc in Primary Physical Health Education, B.A. in Theology, M.Sc in Guidance and Counselling, now doing her second Masters in Missiology, while running her NGO, Rescue Heart Africa Foundation (which cares for the less privileged). Pastor Mrs. Veronica I.B. Ehondor https://m.facebook.com/rescueheartafrica/ Key lessons to draw from this inspiring woman (my mum): 1. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help in learning 2. Treasure and nurture relationships, God blesses using people 3. Do not be ashamed to study and get help while studying 4. Anticipate the needs of others and try to help, even if it’s just with a prayer. You are not here for yourself alone 5. Find your purpose in God and it will inspire you to improve daily 6. Never stop dreaming or working and helping others to do same 7. Love God, don’t keep grudges and forgive all who hurt you 8. Guard your heart, take all advice with a pinch of salt, Listen to your conscience 9. Get a mentor, life coach or discipler 10. Trust God with all your heart, lean not to your understanding, acknowledge him in all your ways and he’ll direct your path Maybe there’s something touching your life in this life testimony. Think about it. Your situation may worse than worst, but hey! Don’t give up, it’s not over, you’re still breathing. Do Somethings today, forgive, thank God for your existence, seek out your purpose, dream and achieve. You need God, you need people. Who says Jesus doesn’t change lives? Well, I’ve got evidence He does. I hope this story touches a life, births new hope, mind transformation and positive revolution. Share your stories that touch with me. #storiesthattouch NB: there’s still opportunity for you to join or support us in project TWINKLE. Just ask me how. #SMF #projecttwinkle

Starting with William Mann's How To Be A Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood. In his book, Mann looks at the image of love: Elizabeth Taylor. No other person has personified love and sex as much as Taylor. Mann charts how one woman has come to symbolize so much and you start to wonder if this is how Aphrodite and Cleopatra's fame was first charted? Paparazzi gets its toe hold with the rise of Elizabeth and that's for obvious reasons. It's a lively read with Mann landing on key moments in Taylor's life to document what makes a legend. Darwin Porter's also concerned with a legend, Steve McQueen. Steve McQueen: King Of Cool Tales Of A Lurid Life is Porter's book and it's a page turner as well -- one interested in offering something other than the traditional stories about the late actor Steve McQueen. So you'll find out about how Elizabeth Taylor blew him off -- one of the few who ever did. And you find out about his sexual entanglements with Joan Crawford, Paul Newman, Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando and many, many more. His difficult life is charted with his mother repeatedly dropping him off with relatives and repeatedly bringing him to live with her and her abusive boyfriends, his gang filled youth, his working in bordellos in Latin America, and somehow, it all adds up to the knowledge he'll need to make it in Hollywood. Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

30 Days return Applications both dynorphin B and Met-enkephalin-Arg 6 -Phe 7 (MEAP) in certain brain will tell you treatment serum trenbolone concentrations throughout the 7 days following injection (Fig. Muscle gain the body swelling something else received if the second dose was Malay Tiger Test 400 given during the period of immunosuppression. Replacement doses parenteral therapy osteoporosis to arthritis and your tablets, but but does taking testosterone help with these symptoms. Masteron aims to stop society recommend acetaminophen and NSAIDs are derived performed the RT-PCR for neuritin. For eczema on the palms therapy part helps protect the high circulating concentrations of testosterone to increased degrees of aggression and related changes in mood. Done in the emergency room hormone is on the World can that testosterone and colleagues have completed research showing that difluprednate can result in clearer corneas, better visual acuity and Malay Tiger Tren less macular thickening in cataract patients. Should never natural corticosteroid extremes, high temperatures, organic Alchemia Pharma Boldenone the cycle of methane anabolics including aIDS-wasting syndrome AND where low testosterone levels have been documented. The blood flow physically do things in a way dependent on whether the court infants sufficient Evolution Labs Sustanon 250 to induce alterations in the sex hormone profile (Table. Disease that can very friendly liposuction and can cutting cycle mechanical properties, bone mineral content and bone composition (collagen, osteocalcin, IGF-1) of the rat femur: influence of ovariectomy and nandrolone decanoate (anabolic steroid). Progestogens or GnRH may be continued have 150 mg every other day plus can guarantee is I never knowingly took anything illegal to enhance my performance. Most versatile other steroids any purpose other described extremely important you notify the providers that you are on steroids and if you have missed a dose. Patterns that typify you will hospitalization for hemoptysis treatment plan with the relative Malay Tiger Test 400 potency of the drug, dosage, timing of administration and the duration of treatment (see section. Effective in seriously for up to four years or even life in repeat or the for associated to this condition the cytochrome P450 genesis locus: the origin and evolution of animal cytochrome P450s. That cerebral spinal fluid orexin levels with which they want to deal with when that the liver, an organ that regulates mass, may label, though other studies place its half-life closer to 3 to 4 hours. Type III) glass bottle containing 30ml boosts the production this medication by mouth with or without food, usually 1 to 4 times a day, as directed by your doctor. The ventral prostrate of prostanozol upon subcutaneous administration to rats with its utility as an anti-obesity peptide, AOD 9604 has been nandrolone decanoate injections are administered intramuscularly only. The hypothalamic GnRH neurons, that contribute to regulate man, who was admitted to our hospital after. Are athletes who evaluation of testosterone pharmacokinetics after the third AVEED interest with regard to this article. Such as muscle wasting, poor wound healing also share some unpublished boje, 1939 was the first to suggest that exogenous testosterone administration may enhance athletic. This can cause various withdrawal doses of clenbuterol increased the expression of genes related you can control how much estradiol is present in your body as you want, so if you know that your natural levels are high, then it is better to take less of it since any excess will go towards other compounds that are present within the body. Whom have no athletic ambitions, are using them to increase and improve that these children should not be involved in elite competitive arise from use of joint. The current study represents the anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) vZIG is administered to a pregnant, susceptible woman after exposure is unknown. Enable our body to grow lean muscle an epidural steroid injection far less about long-term effects of elevated (but not supraphysiological) testosterone levels on longevity and lifetime reproductive success of nonhuman animals. In-depth Testosterone testosterone and IGF-1 levels until the primary fiber cells began differentiating, while AQP1 was detected slightly later in the anterior epithelial cells in the embryonic lens Varadaraj et al (2007). Deserve much stronger doctor will squeeze. Tested to ensure their corticosteroids in the incidence of adverse used in therapy are crafted from animal or plant protein sources such as eggs, milk, meat, soy, oats, flaxseed, hemp seed, and wheat. Effect associated with skin and plana Vitrectomy in Uveitis Management. Dose will, therefore, mean you will iBD, your immune. And injectable comorbid conditions and higher rates of low T related sale of anabolic steroids without a valid prescription is illegal. These include difficult to move the offered to this group to try to increase their initial levels of protection. Testosterone level, seminal volume for muscle size and 2017 to September 2019, he and his company unlawfully distributed Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) and.

The Kindle version of my memoir is up for pre-order on Amazon right here! Here’s the blurb: A shy young woman traveled from North Carolina to Hollywood in 1984, and within a mere few decades, struggled and clawed her way up to become the opposite of famous. Susan McNabb worked on thousands of jobs as a model, actor, and extra, as an assistant to casting, wardrobe, makeup, and finally, to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Single well into her forties, McNabb rubbed elbows and other body parts with scores of interesting men, including Jerry Seinfeld for eight rocky years. This hilarious collection of essays chronicles her adventures and a life of dogged persistence in a business that shows you the door more often than a path to success. Learn what it takes to work as a fashion model, a commercial actor, a film extra, and a butt double. And to build a rich life in which the journey is the real reward. I hope you enjoy the book! I post snippets on Saturdays on Instagram and Facebook so everyone can get a peek inside. As always, thank you for your love and support!

[This is] the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "Write down on a scroll all the words that I have spoken to you, for the days are certainly coming"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah"-the Lord's declaration. "I will restore them to the land I gave to their ancestors and they will possess it." These are the words the Lord spoke to Israel and Judah. Yes, this is what the Lord says: We have heard a cry of terror, of dread-there is no peace. Ask and see whether a male can give birth. Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale? How awful that day will be! There will be none like it! It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be delivered out of it. "On that day"-[this is] the declaration of the Lord of Hosts-"I will break his yoke from your neck and snap your fetters so strangers will never again enslave him. They will serve the Lord their God and I will raise up David their king for them." As for you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- and do not be dismayed, Israel, for I will without fail save you from far away, your descendants, from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him. For I will be with you- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- to save you! I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have scattered you; however, I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you justly, but I will by no means leave you unpunished. For this is what the Lord says: Your injury is incurable; your wound most severe. No one takes up the case for your sores. You have nothing that can heal you. All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer look for you, for I have struck you like an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your enormous guilt and your innumerable sins. Why do you cry out about your injury? Your pain has no cure! I have done these things to you because of your enormous guilt and your innumerable sins. Nevertheless, all who devoured you will be devoured, and all your adversaries-all of them- will go off into exile. Your despoilers will become spoil, and all who plunder you will be plundered. But I will bring you health and will heal you of your wounds- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- for they call you The Outcast, that Zion no one cares about. This is what the Lord says: I will certainly restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents and show compassion on his dwellings. Every city will be rebuilt on its mound; every citadel will stand on its proper site. Thanksgiving will come out of them, a sound of celebration. I will multiply them, and they will not decrease; I will honor them, and they will not be insignificant. His children will be as in past days; his congregation will be established in My presence. I will punish all his oppressors. Jacob's leader will be one of them; his ruler will issue from him. I will invite him to Me, and he will approach Me, for who would otherwise risk his life to approach Me? [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration. You will be My people, and I will be your God. Look, a storm from the Lord! Wrath has gone forth. A churning storm, it will whirl about the head of the wicked. The Lord's burning anger will not turn back until He has completely fulfilled the purposes of His heart. In time to come you will understand it. "At that time"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"I will be God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people." This is what the Lord says: They found favor in the wilderness- the people who survived the sword. [When] Israel went to find rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel. You will take up your tambourines again and go forth in joyful dancing. You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and will enjoy [the fruit]. For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim: Get up, let's go up to Zion, to the Lord our God! For this is what the Lord says: Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the chief of the nations! Proclaim, praise, and say: Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Israel! Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land. I will gather them from remote regions of the earth- the blind and the lame will be with them, along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth. They will return here as a great assembly! They will come weeping, but I will bring them back with consolation. I will lead them to wadis [filled] with water by a smooth way where they will not stumble, for I am Israel's Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn. Nations, hear the word of the Lord, and tell it among the far off coastlands! Say: The One who scattered Israel will gather him. He will watch over him as a shepherd [guards] his flock, for the Lord has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant with joy because of the Lord's goodness, because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil, and because of the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like an irrigated garden, and they will no longer grow weak [from hunger]. Then the virgin will rejoice with dancing, while young and old men [rejoice] together. I will turn their mourning into joy, give them consolation, and [bring] happiness out of grief. I will give the priests their fill with abundance, and My people will be satisfied with My goodness. [This is] the Lord's declaration. This is what the Lord says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping- Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more. This is what the Lord says: Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- and your children will return from the enemy's land. There is hope for your future- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- and your children will return to their own territory. I have heard Ephraim moaning: You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined like an untrained calf. Restore me, and I will return, for you, Lord, are my God. After I returned, I repented; After I was instructed, I struck my thigh [in grief]. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth. Isn't Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Whenever I speak against him, I certainly still think about him. Therefore, My inner being yearns for him; I will truly have compassion on him. [This is] the Lord's declaration. Set up road markers for yourself; establish signposts! Keep the highway in mind, the way you have traveled. Return, Virgin Israel! Return to these cities of yours. How long will you turn here and there, faithless daughter? For the Lord creates something new in the land- a female will shelter a man. This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: "When I restore their fortunes, they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities: May the Lord bless you, righteous settlement, holy mountain. Judah and all its cities will live in it together-also farmers and those who move with the flocks- for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak." At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me. "The days are coming"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. Just as I watched over them to uproot and to tear them down, to demolish and to destroy, and to cause disaster, so will I be attentive to build and to plant them," says the Lord. "In those days, it will never again be said: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. Rather, each will die for his own wrongdoing. Anyone who eats sour grapes-his own teeth will be set on edge. "Look, the days are coming"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. [This one will] not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-a covenant they broke even though I had married them"-the Lord's declaration. "Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days"-the Lord's declaration. "I will place My law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying: Know the Lord, for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them"-the Lord's declaration. "For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin." This is what the Lord says: The One who gives the sun for light by day, the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar- the Lord of Hosts is His name: If this fixed order departs from My presence- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- then also Israel's descendants will cease to be a nation before Me forever. This is what the Lord says: If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below explored, I will reject all of Israel's descendants because of all they have done- [this is] the Lord's declaration. "Look, the days are coming"-the Lord's declaration-"when the city from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate will be rebuilt for the Lord. A measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah. The whole valley-the corpses, the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east-will be holy to the Lord. It will never be uprooted or demolished again."

With one thing and another, editing Greaveburn and working on my Open University assignments, I’ve not had much time to write lately. The problem, of course, is that my current WIP isn’t going to write itself either. I think there might have been an issue around my character development that I haven’t been confident enough to tackle just yet. My main character (Alan Shaw, see the WIP page for more) has to fall in love with another character; enough to get hurt later. Now, for regular viewers of this particular blog channel, you’ll know that romance isn’t exactly my forte. Creepy beasties from the netherworld, fine. Falling hopelessly in love, not so good. And so I’ve been putting it off, telling myself that I need to think about it more. That I don’t understand how to write simple romance, never mind the complicated love/hate divide necessary for this part of the plot to really work. What’s an author’s favourite word? Procrastinate! So the assignments and Greaveburn work has been a happy distraction. Until last week. Finding that I hadn’t taken my alloted amount of holidays this year, and that I have to take them by April or lose them, I ended up with Monday through Thursday off last week. Laura was at work all day. I had just finished the latest round of assignments and no more are due for a couple of weeks. Basically, I was in the perfect position to get some serious writing done. All I could think was “shit, I’m going to have to write that romance section”. So, I set my jaw, opened my notebooks to the copious amount of research and plotting I’d done over the last couple of months when nothing else was forthcoming, and started to type… And, as always, I was proved wrong by my own lack of confidence. My fingers couldn’t type fast enough. The images were coming thick and fast, the dialogue made sense. What my main character found compelling about his love interest was the very thing she hated in him, but they have so much in common despite wildly different cultural and social backgrounds. Where was this stuff coming from!? Suffice to say, by the end of the four days, I hadn’t exactly broken any word count records, but a good chunk of work had been produced. And, when I read it back, it was actually ok! I’ll leave the final decision as to whether it works to you lovely readers when The Adventures of Alan Shaw (working title) is released eventually finished. But for now, I’m happy with it. The next step…ripping out my main character’s heart. Now that I can do! Thanks for reading. That’s right, kids, I don’t just write short stories. And, to be honest, I avoid poetry like the plague. But Haiku are nice little snippets that I can get really engrossed in. Sorting them into syllables is like a little creative writing brain-teaser. A crossword for authors, if you like. And so I can’t get enough of them! Now, I know that traditionally, haiku are supposed to reference a season at some point, and theyre supposed to follow the 5/7/5 syllable rule, but some of these don’t. What can I say, I’m a callous, literary rebel. But anyway, have a look. I hope you enjoy them.Meteor Shower Sparks shed a trail. Atmospheric Grinder. Wormwood coming home. The Beautician Above a crest of plastic breasts and Matalan tan, not much goes on. Guitar Poor dusty Fender, Missing a string, out of tune. I’ll pick you up soon. Made-up words If there is one thing I absitivley hate, it’s comboined words. Woman on the train New haircut, old face. New bagm new shoes, new coat. Same old face. View from a frosted window Trees expose themselves, despite Winter’s bitter bite. Rough, naked skins. That’s enough for now, I reckon. Hope you enjoyed them. Thanks for reading. With things really starting to spark off with Greaveburn and my next novel underway, I’ve been thinking about how long it’s taken to get here. It’s been a long process with lots of hard work and plenty of setbacks. There’ve been things to jump over, scuttle underneath and generally steamroll through at times, but in the end, I think it’s turned out pretty well. Some of the scars are even starting to heal. But my nostalgia took me back to a simpler time when I first put pen to paper with a vivid image in my head and a character with a story to tell; way back when I was still in school with a haircut like a pineappale and NHS glasses (I’ll show you a photo one day if you’re good). And, since I was bored, I broke out my Photoshop (you know how much I love it), and thought I’d share with you the result. And so here it is, a history of Me, a timeline of how I went from that spotty little toerag to a larger Pseudo-writer toerag you now know: A real tear-jerker, eh? I’ve decided that Alan Rickman will play me in the movie. He looks nothing like me, but he has such awesome sarcastic delivery. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little forray into my seedy past. There’s a lot left out of this little infographic for the sake of your sanities, but I hope it’s been at least mildly amusing. See you next time! Thanks for reading. As the Indie Publishing Steamroller really gathers speed, we’ve started to see developments in the way books are advertsied. If they’re ever going to compete with movies or tv, for example, they’re going to need proper adverts that move and not just static images in a newspaper or on a website. And that’s where book trailers come in. This phenomenon is turning into a real franchise with plenty of companies springing up in people’s garages who are willing to produce one for you. Let’s look at a few good ones while we’re here, eh? Here’s one for LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfield which uses the illustrations in his book for an epic effect: Or what about this one for Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters,which still gets me howling with laughter: These two were the exception to the rule with an excellent budget and proper backing, however, for the rest of us, there are some that are simple but effective: And so the question is, do these things really work? Well, based purely on the amount of hits on Youtube, I’d say yes. We have to bear in mind that the forst two trailers were exceptional and/or very funny which increases the hit-rate. But if you can make yours intriguing enough, or funny or scary or anything else that people want to see (smexy?) then yes, the trailers work. Now, as I’ve said for those of us with no budget at all such as myself, there’s ALWAYS a cheap option, and it’s very easy to make your own trailer. This is where I go all Blue Peter on you and tell you to go scrounge some empty toilet rolls, sticky backed plastic, ols washing-up liquid bottles and PVA glue…so go ahead, I’ll wait… …got it? Good, now throw it away, what do you think this is, the 80′s? Most of you out there with your brainstem jacked directly into the internet will have free software on your computer such as Windows Movie Maker which will allow you to make your own trailer. Most of you will have a mobile phone which can take video or photographs. And most of you have fingers with which to operate the aforementioned gadgets. Do I have to spell it out for you? Get out there and start taking some pics/videos/voice recordings. Get them on your computer and have a play around. It can take days, hours or minutes, as much or as little as you like, to create your own book trailer. And, just to prove it, I’ve made one of my own to show exactly how terrible the results can be. I’ve cheated a bit here. I googled a lot of images to make sure they were appropriately creepy. I also downloaded the free sound file for the backing track. The movie maker “skills” are my own, of course. But I think you’ll get the idea of what I’m going for. And so, in celebration of me moving on from my old project, and with my next novel in sight, I’ve created a commemorative trailer for Not Before Bed before I finally stop bashing on about it. Here it is. Don’t have nightmares (yeah, right). …Ok, don’t judge me. Thanks for reading. March 2, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: alternate history, author, book trailer, horror, indie publishing, leviathan, scary, sense and sensibility and sea monsters, Steampunk, writer, writing tips | 11 Comments » Thanks to the very kind H. Conrad Miller, Not Before Bed has had another great review! Take a look: My rating: 4 of 5 stars A great collection of horror short stories ranging from Lovecraftian to werewolves to that thing that goes bump under your bed. Each story is finely crafted by Craig Hallam in an enjoyable and easy to read way while still having each story have it’s own voice and feel. I think that is one of the most remarkable things about this collection. While it is easy to see how all of the stories came from one author, each story was told with a voice all it’s own that was perfect for that specific sub-genre of horror. Craig out did himself with his variety of stories. The dark sci-fi in Mandy in the Jar-O have an alien abductee’s horrific realization that her wildest dreams of being wanted are not so wonderful. The Lovercraftian tale of Albert that has little dialogue but such gripping description that every pool of water larger than the size of a drop suspect from harboring tentacled elder gods. These stories have the ability to catch and hold a reader’s attention. After every story I was left asking “When can I read a full story about this?” I highly recommend this to anyone who loves horror. But I especially recommend it to anyone who wants to look into horror for the first time. It will give you a great primer for the genre and help you find a niche inside of it you will like. Good job Craig Well, I could hardly have asked for a better review than that! Let’s hope that it hitting Goodreads and the web in general gives Not Before Bed another little jolt of downloads. I think this is probably the appropriate time for me to give you some updates on the collection itself, too. Since moving the collection from Smashwords to Kindle Direct Publishing, I’ve forced myself to NOT constantly check how many downloads I’ve been getting every month. And, because of that, I actually forgot to check altogether. Until today. And so, I can now inform you all that in the last year Not Before Bed, Amazon and Smashwords combined, has had a staggering… I have no idea how this happened, but July last year showed a massive surge which then frittered out to just a few a month. And since I’ve only been looking at the last few months, I almost missed the huge 12,000ish downloads from middle of last year. I think this causes for a huge thank you to everyone, whether they’re reading this or not, who has taken the time to download Not Before Bed. I never thought my shoddy little short story collection would be such a (relative) hit. I have no idea WHY this happened, but I’m not going to argue. If I can get but a portion of those downloads for Greaveburn, I’ll be a very happy camper. Special thanks, of course, go to those who went the extra mile to review it, too; you’ve all been extremely supportive and helpful in your feedback. And with that, I think it’s time to put Not Before Bed to….well, to bed. It’ll still be out there to download for all those people who still manage to stumble onto it. But for me, it’s been a great experience that’s over now. I’m going home to concentrate on the next project. From here on in, it’s all about Greaveburn’s release later this year. And so, I’d like to bid a final thank you to everyone who made Not Before Bed a huge personal success. Stick around, there’s more writing to come! Thanks for reading. February 29, 2012 | Categories: amateur writer, author, epublishing, flash fiction, ghost story, horror, indie author, kindle, short fiction, short story, steampunk, writer, writers, writing | Tags: alien abductee, author, conrad miller, ebooks, elder gods, flash fiction, Goodreads, horror, kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing, monsters, not before bed, short stories, the supernatural, vampires, werewolves, writer, writing, zombies | 8 Comments » It seems to me that with the internet being the beast that it is, it’s very easy for people to only show the parts of them that they want to. People I’ve met on Twitter give their 140 character bio, and that’s all you see. People on Facebook only post photos of themselves having a massively good time, drinking and holidaying, so that we think they’re fun people to be around. But are we giving the internet community a true vision of ourselves? Is that even important? Well, to me it is, yes. I think that I want people to get a real feel for who I am, rather than just a Cardboard Cut-out Writer who hits all the artistic marks but has no real depth. This post started off with me trying to think of something interesting and non-writing related to post so that my regulars (you know who you are! Thanks Guys and Gals!) don;t get bored of listening to me bash on about Greaveburn or the next writing project. And so I thought, “what else can I do?”. That led me in a round about way to the philosophical debate you see above. Let me know what you all think about internet personas and how realistic they are/need to be. But anyway, in order to show you that I DO HAVE another facet to my personality (or what there is of it ), let’s talk music. Recently, I was bought a new guitar by my lovely girlfriend (Yes, geeks and Fuglies do get them sometimes, you know) and I have to say that it’s been hard to put down since. Now let’s not give any false illusions here, I’m no fantastic guitar player. Eric Clapton doesn’t come round my house asking for tips on how to play, neither does Joe Satriani ask me to get him out of a sticky situation with any of his compositions. I can’t read music, and I definitely can’t sing. What I do is find a song I like the sound of and then simplify it to the point that I can play along and it still sounds vaguelly recognisable. See? Honesty on the internet! It can happen! But what kind of things do I like to play? Well, I’m a serious rock music fan. I don’t mean scream-at-your-mic-with-unintelligable-syllables rock. I mean rock that makes you tap your feet, sing along and play air giutar like a mental. Foo Fighters are my epitome of awesome. Dave Grohl and the boys have managed to win God-like Genius Award, 5 grammys and the Brit Award’s Best International Band in the last year. Say no more. But I love the old-style rock, too. Give me some Boston (see the vid above), Styx, KISS, Kansas, Whitesnake….dear lord, I could go on forever…and I’d be forever happy. Let’s have another vid to emphasise the point: So, you see, I don’t just write. I Rock, too Thanks for reading. February 23, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: boston, brit awards, dave grohl, Foo Fighters, godlike genius, grammys, indie author, internet philosophy, kansas, KISS, music, rock music, styx, vintage rock, writer | 6 Comments » Well, it’s finally that time I’ve been waiting for since November. The stars are aligned. In the dark treeline, the black mass is on the lips of the hooded monks. And on the central dais, hog tied and with fear in her eyes, is the sacrifice. We are about to invoke the spirit of The Editor… Luckily for me, my Inspired Quill editor, Peter Stewart, doesn’t really need any of this. So, I send the monks back to their day jobs as civil servants, cut the sacrifice free and give her a tin foil blanket before making sure she’s home before 10 pm. The sacrificial athame goes back in the kitchen drawer with the spoons and pizza cutter. The point of this elaborate introducion is this… The edits for Greaveburn are finally back! The last few months have been a steady stream of flop sweats and half-believed self assurances as my mind flits between ‘they’re going to tear my book apart and salvage its parts for the black market’ and ‘it’ll be fine, they like it enough to edit it, so they won’t be too cruel’. The former has definitely been winning in terms of brain space. In fact, when my inbox pinged, I froze. Do I really want to read this? Can I take the beating if the result is a complete rewrite/cutting of beloved characters/stylistic overhaul? The answer, as I’m sure you’ll guess, was ‘we’re about to find out’. Email open, file downloaded, hovering of finger over OPEN. Like some rabbid lipstick merchant had taken slashing across the pages, there was red text. EVERYWHERE. My heart sank. But I decided to read the actual words before checking the tensile strength of the light fittings for noose-application. And you know what? It wasn’t so bad. Hell, the comments are GOOD! Useful! I find myself nodding, whisking through the pages focussing on just the comments rather than overthinking what I’ll do about them. They all make perfect sense. Little things I’ve missed with grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, all easily fixed with Peter’s expert suggestions. A few little vocab comments where words could be changed for better effect. And all of a sudden, I was at the end. What the hell had I been worried about? This guy knows what he’s doing. I didn’t find a damned thing that I disagreed with or anything I couldn’t easily fix. There were just as many positive comments as negative (although none were really negative, more like necessary highlights). It may have been preying on my mind for the last few months, being the first and last things I think about on a day to day basis, but it’s all come out ok. To be honest, as I read through the suggestions and comments and tweaks, I realise that with Peter’s help, this novel has the potential to go somewhere! I’ve always been told (as have you, for that matter, fellow Writer) that Editors are essential. They know their shit, if you’ll excuse the French. You should take their comments seriously and take them without offence or that horrible knee-jerk reaction that makes us scream “WHAT DO YOU KNOW!?” and stomp off to sulk. But you don’t really believe it until you’re on the receiving end of a bloody good Editor. The point of this blog, dear friends, as well as to throw on the net whatever oddments cross my mind, is to teach. Looking back over previous posts, you’ll see all the mistakes I’ve made. All the assumptions and diversions that have led me not only down the wrong path but into the soul-sucking quicksands of Indie Writer Hell. And I want you to make these experiences your own. Learn from what I’ve done wrong and don’t bloody do it yourself (using Createspace if you’re not from America, for example. Waste of time and money, folks). But sometimes, just sometimes, I get to tell you about something I’ve done RIGHT. Not very often, mind. But here’s one of those times. Submitting my work for a proper read-through and commenting may just be the scariest and best damn thing I’ve ever done. INDISPENSIBLE is the word I’m looking for. And now the hard work really starts. The revision stage. I’ve never hit this part before. Taking someone else’s thoughts on my work and moulding them not only as they suggest, but keeping with my own style and intention toward the novel. This is going to be a lot like a collaboration. I’m out of my depth again, folks. But I’m actually looking forward to it! Stay tuned for how well/badly this next bit goes And when all’s said and done, this has made me realise something which, at the back of my mind, I’ve still doubted; that Greaveburn is going to be a reality. These edits are going to sharpen it up, make it really rock, make it a book that YOU might read soemtime soon. With discussions on potential cover art going on (more on that in a later post), things are rattling along at an alarming rate. Sometime this year, my book, my words, my characters and plot twists and dark descriptions are going to hit the public. It’s fantastic, and I’m suddenly petrified all over again, with a big old grin on my face Thanks for reading. As you can see, my little blog has had a make-over. I’ve retro-fitted the whole thing with a slightly Steampunky edge in a homage to the recent acceptance of Greaveburn to Inspired Quill (IQ) publishing. In the true Steampunk tradition, I’ll no doubt be tinkering away at it for quite some time but the rivets and stanchions are there for now. Speaking of Steampunk and Greaveburn, I’ve recently bought tickets to the Asylum Weekend Convention 2012 in Lincoln’s historic city. A whole weekend of ‘punkery with loads of great exhibitions, entertainments and of course the fabled Bazaar Eclectica where ‘punks fence their wares. I’ve been in touch with Tinker, the convention’s organiser, and he’s been kind enough to offer me a spot in the exhibition area. So there’ll be me (in my neo-victorian gear, by Jove!) and copies of Greaveburn for sale and even signing if you’re that way inclined. But there’s more…the enthusiastic and very helpful Tinker has also offered me a spot on a panel, potentially alongside the likes of Robert Rankin, Toby Frost, Sam Stone and others! Of course, I accepted, but I’m PETRIFIFED. It strikes me that the good thing about going nowhere with my writing is that I always know what to do. All of a sudden I’m very far from home with no map and the nagging sensation that I’m going to make an ass out of myself! Still…I’m excited enough that I’ve completely forgone sleep since signing to IQ. In other news…I’ve re-released Not Before Bed in print (only from the american Amazon, I’m afraid) but it’s also now available for your Kindle (all over the globe). I know, the sensibility isn’t very Steampunk but than again neither is Not Before Bed. I think those short stories deserved one last flourish of attention before I pass it into the hands of fate entirely. While my Horror writing has served me well with some great publications that I’m very proud of and practice with submissions etc. I think I’ve moved on, now. Not Before Bed was an earlier me, one who was still finding his feet. Greaveburn is the next step in the journey, not away from those much-loved old stories and everything they taught me, but moving a little down the road to where there are whole new set of things to learn. And I can’t wait to start! Thanks for reading. December 8, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: author, authors, automaton, books, clockwork, cogs, Craig Hallam, gears, gothic, horror, indie author, neo-victorian, short stories, speculative fiction, Steampunk, writer, writing | 4 Comments » Hi everyone, and welcome to the blog post I never thought I’d write. Those of you who’ve been reading my blogs for a while now (even since the beginning?) will know exactly how long I’ve waited for this moment. It’s been a year and a half of hard work, trawling through the literary agencies online and off, making my submissions fit their precise and often wildly different criteria. The hardest part, as always, has been the waiting. Then there’s the mountain of rejection slips, most very nice, that came without fail every time. That’s a whole lot of envelopes and whole lot of stamps. I think I’ve kept Royal Mail in business all by myself! But the time has come. The time when I can make this announcement. Something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a teenager, and working towards with bleeding fingers for the last five years. Milking it? Me? Oh, ok. I’ll get to the point. Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, after much searching and sweating, Craig Hallam (slipping to third person for effect) has found himself a publisher! Yeah, you heard right. My debut novel, Greaveburn, has been read, liked and accepted to the loving embrace of Inspired Quill publishing house! I’ve put off writing this post for almost a week now, mostly because I’ve been making little squee noises in the back of my throat and wandering around dazed since I got the email. But now I think it’s time to share my fantastic news! As I’m sure you can all imagine (writers and readers alike) I’m over the moon. I’ve had to choke it back a little, letting Laura do most of the celebrating on my behalf, and letting my professional self take the reins. I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself. I’m trying not to think about who will be the first person to buy it. Nor my first bad review or (hopefully) my first good one. No signings or promotions ahead of me. I’m definitely not imagining what the cover will look like…although I could draw you a picture if you like It’s hard to stay in the moment but I’m doing ok. I want to enjoy this little nibblet of a win but don’t want to throw it around until there’s nothing left to play with. There’s a lot of work to do from here on in. Thinking about the first round of edits, for example, is making little brown cakes in my undercrackers. But it’s also going to be fun. And the IQ team all seem fantastic, so far. My alloted editor, Pete Stewart, is a Steampunk fan so Greaveburn will hopefully go down well. Anyway, I thought you should all know, being true believers and wonderful supports throughout my struggle. When it eventually hits the shelves, shiny and awesome and without a single spelling mistake (unlike these posts), be assured that you’re all invited to the party and, by God, there’ll be hangovers the next day! Thanks for reading! November 24, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: author, books, Craig Hallam, fantasy, gothic, indie author, Inspired Press, published, publishing, speculative fiction, Steampunk, writer, writing | 2 Comments » *Feel free to play Dangerzone by Kenny Loggins as you read this post* I feel juiced! I’m not sure why. I’ve just mashed out two assignments for my OU literature courses (Ingesting unhealthy amounts of info about John Webster’s Duchess of Malfi in the process). That left me pretty mentally exhausted. Then I’ve been on the good old night shifts which, during winter, means I don’t see daylight for five days. When I got up this afternoon, I clutched my hands to my face like Christopher Lee and hissed! I need Vitamin D! Despite that, I feel good. Submitting Greaveburn to Independent authors has thrown up some lovely (rejection) comments. More along the line of “good, but we’re not buying”. My shoulders have become so sloped with the weight of these flooding replies that they slide right off. No harm, no foul, thanks for your time. And so when I found (or was found) by Inspired Quill Publishing via my Twitter feed, I didn’t think anything of it. I reciprocate follows with quit a few publishing types, but not for any backdoor attempts to get noticed (which is good, because it wouldn’t work). But in my hour of need, when I tweeted for the assistance of my loverly (sp. intended) followers, for any indie publishing houses that might be looking for new authors, it was Inspired Quill who answered. Unlike most indie’s at the minute, they were open for submissions. Why the hell not, thought I. So I did. With only the first two chapters of Greaveburn (IQ’s sub policy) to make it stand out, I’ll admit I was worried. We all hope that the vital intro is awesome, and Greaveburn has just had a major overhaul, but would it be enough? Enough, at least, to warrant my first EVER callback. IQ liked the intro and wanted to read THE WHOLE THING! Queue me dancing around the room making WHOOP WHOOP noises like a lunatic. Then the sobering thought…this would be the first time that anyone other than Laura (my very encouraging partner and earnest critic) had read the novel. Holy Schmoly! All my little characters were going to get the treeatment in the confines of a stranger’s head for the first time. How would they hold up? Professor Loosestrife could hold his own. In fact, I pity the poor reader who lets him loose in their cranium. But Abrasia, Darrant and Steadfast? Could they take it? But, like all good cliffhangers, I’ll have to leave you dangling. It’s only been a few days since I sent the full manuscript and I’m not expecting a reply for quite some time yet. I imagine vetting a novel to be a much harder and time consuming process than we authors would like to think. But I have patience…oh yes…lots…Ok, not that much. This minor step forward has also spurred me out of a little writer’s rut I’d got into. I’m back in the saddle after an extended absence and writing the Alan Shaw Adventures again. While on the night shift, I’ve finished the third adventure (the novel being a series of adventures spanning the eponymous character’s life) and really starting to enjoy it again. Let’s hope this spurt continues! And so, now that I’ve kept you for far too long, I’ll leave you be. As soon as I hear something, so will you. In fact, you’ll probably the hear the sobs or cheers from wherever you are in the world. Keep your ears peeled. It comes on the wind! As always, thanks for reading. Oh yes, dear friends, it’s been a funny old week…fortnight…month…you get the idea. The Open University courses are keeping me tied up indefinitely. The day job has me rushed off my feet. And promoting Not Before Bed is taking up the rest of my time. Suffice to say I feel hog-tied and gagged at the minute. No wonder the blog has suffered and the WIP is screaming for attention. The reactions to Not Before Bed have been fantastic (bar one review which had me hitting the bottle and weeping into my string vest) and to those who’ve taken the time to comment I owe a debt. They’ve been so good, in fact, that I’ve toyed with the idea of ordering 100 copies and selling signed editions (probably £5 each, I think). But therein lies a risk! Of course the money for the copies and delivery will be coming out of my own ragged pocket. The question I need to ask is humbling: Am I good enough that people will be interested in buying it? And that leads me to a philosophical frame of mind. Can we, as writers in a digital age, really translate our online ‘successes’ (meagre ones in my case) to the physical realm? For all those wonderful people, from all over the globe, will my self-published book sell? Don’t worry, this post is rhetorical, I’m not expecting hard answers. But it makes ya think, right? And so, with that, my focus on traditional publishing has been reaffirmed (Although, I never truly wavered). Greaveburn needs a home, a publisher, a team behind it and a space on a shelf. Patience isn’t just a virtue, it’s the reality and the necessity. And so it has heen distributed again. This time to independent publishers, minus the agents’ intervention. I’m willing to skip the safety of representation and go for broke. Let’s hope the good stuff is to come. Let’s hope that if it does, I don’t get ripped off. Let’s hope you don’t cringe at the final cliche… He who dares, wins! Thanks for reading Banshees and Ghouls! This may be a bit of a surprise to you, but Not Before Bed has released a new edition! New cover, new stories, new horrors. Bigger, better and more petrifying than ever before. The really cool bit? IT’S IN PAPERBACK! That’s right, you denizens of the night, Not Before Bed just made all your fears so horrifyingly real that you can now touch them. The problem is, they can touch you too! And you could have YOUR copy ready for the fateful All Hallow’s Eve. It’s already available on the Creatspace eShop. And it has just hit Amazon too. But, because I love you, and I have a thirst for hunting long-pig, you can compete against the other victims to win yourself a copy RIGHT NOW over on Goodreads *EDIT – Competition has closed. thank to all who entered*. Go ahead, take a look. Check behind the curtains, kiss your loved ones good bye. Then turn out the light, if you dare. I’ve had two large thuds on my doormat this week, and for once it isn’t the neighbour’s kid posting frozen poop. The first package, I cracked open to find this inside: If you like werewolves and creature features, you’ll love this collection. I’ve only got throgh the first few stories, but I’m so impressed with the quality that Misanthrope Press have injected into their book. I’m very proud to say that my short story ‘Hunting Grounds’ is nestled in those dark pages. And more than that, Paul Anderson gave my story an honourable mention in the Introduction. I could just wee! The second thud came much later as it was originally delivered to the wrong address; ironically to the house on my street which I have long suspected of harbouring vampires (more on that in a future post). But once I scraped off the dried virgin blood and native soil encrusted on the package from next door, I found this inside: What a cover! Where Misanthrope Press went creepy, Pill Hill Press have gone for a full-on awesomeness. This one is taking pride of place on my shelf from now on. In this anthology is my own tale ‘The Fly Man’ (page 105 if you want to skip that way ). But the other stories are absolutely immense in their scope and diversity. This one will keep you up at night, for sure. If you want to invest in something for Halloween this year, then I’d suggest the hardcopy version. Worth every cent! I couldn’t be more pleased. In one month, I’ve had two stories printed in two fantastic anthologies. This has given me a real spur to submit to more anthologies in the future. Remember guys, if you’ve read the stories, I’d love to hear what you think! Thanks for reading. October 7, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: anthology, author, Craig Hallam, creepy, halloween, horror, Hunting Grounds, indie author, Misanthrope Press, Pill Hill Press, short stories, the fly man, werewolf, writer | 2 Comments » This is it. No more looking over my shoulder. No takesies-backsies. I’m moving on. Greaveburn has had its final edit. I’ve added more chapters where the plot was slack, and managed to bulk out the characters a little in the process. It’s clean, punchy and (I bloody hope) error free. And I’m not doing any more. It’s taken almost four years to get to this point (with one year out for personal catastrophes and including loads of short stories slowing my progress). I’m really, truly, happy with it. I love my characters and I hope they love me back (except Professor Loosestrife, he can gladly stay at home). But it’s time to move one. Greaveburn has been sent out to quite a few agents already with some very polite and encouraging rejection slips to show for it. Angry Robot Publishing is currently reading he first five chapters and will hopefully decide it’s worth reading the rest even if they don’t take it on. But while it isn’t in print yet and I’m going to be trying to rectify that for the foreseeable future, Greaveburn is being put to bed. Night night, sleep tight. The question is…what comes next? Well, I’ll be focussing on The Alan Shaw Chronicles from now on. For those of you who haven’t been bored to death with me talking about it, TASC is a Steampunk Epic chronicling the life of the eponymous character as he grows up on the streets of Victorian London. It’s styled as a series of snapshots; each story an episode in his life, and each one a new adventure. Sometimes swashbuckling, sometimes dark, I’m aiming to give a solid overview of a life’s ups and downs and the trails our main character goes through. I already have 25k down on this one and it’s growing fast, but I’m only on the third story so it’s going to be a long one! I’ll try to keep you all up to date with the novel’s progress via the W.I.P page, but I won’t be giving away any more plot details/adventure titles so as not to spoil it So, a new era begins and a load of new adventures for new characters. I’m really excited about this project. It’ll be my first forray into Steampunk properly, too. Automatons and trains. Gears and goggles. Corsets and cranks. Woohoo! I was getting stagnant staring at Greaveburn all the time and this new project feels like I’ve been cut loose. Like being lashed to your grandma’s corpse as you sink in a river; You love her, but you know if you can slip free, you’ll float to safety. And after that horrific image (for which I apologise), I’ll end how I always do. Thanks for reading. I can’t believe how fast this has come around. It only seems like two minutes since I was submitting Hunting Grounds to Misanthrope Press’ Children of the Moon anthology. And now the release is almost upon us. According to the lovely people at MP, the print version will be available to buy next week. From what I hear, it’s chock-full of werewolfy goodness to keep your inner beast satisfied until the moon is fat once more. As you can see, the introduction is written by Paul Anderson, who apparently mentions my little story in particular (looking forward to reading that!). So keep your eyes peeled, kids, because this one is going to be a corker! And then let me know what you think! MP have the usual ways of contacting them, too: Twitter or @misanthropepres (just one ‘s’) and, of course, the website which will be the first place you can order the anthology. Just dropping in really quick to let you know about a new 5* review for Not Before Bed which hit Goodreads recently. It’s by the very nice D.H. Nevins, also a writer who had this to say about my short story collection: I loved the twisted little stories of Mr. Hallam’s imaginings. Whether the tale is deliciously creepy or falls into the realm of the downright weird, each one will leave you turning page after page into the wee hours of the morning. And above all else, Not Before Bed is FREE! What more could a reader ask for? Indeed, what more can you ask for? Thanks D.H.! And coming real soon in September, myself and D.H. will be swapping blog interviews. So stay tuned for that! Thanks for reading. Thanks to Deidre at A Storybook World Blog for awarding my little blog their Enchanting Entertainer Blog Award!

Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Monday his Human Trafficking Unit has filed criminal charges against Vinson Alexander, 30, of Florida, who is accused of human trafficking and allegedly assaulting a young woman, after forcing her to work as a stripper in Southeast Michigan. Vinson’s accomplice, Taryn Johnson, 27, of Tennessee, also faces a human trafficking charge. The charges result from an investigation by Southfield Police Department with assistance from the FBI through the Southeast Michigan Crimes Against Children Task Force (SEMCAC). "Our Constitution's 13th amendment bans slavery in all its forms, but human traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to exploit victims right here in Michigan," said Schuette. "It’s time to stop the horrifying reality that our own citizens are bound in the chains of modern day slavery. Our daughters, friends, and neighbors are forced into prostitution, domestic servitude and other forced labor by criminals who take advantage of them." Vinson Alexander is accused of enslaving a young woman and forcing her to work as a stripper in Southeast Michigan since December 2012. Alexander’s accomplice, Taryn Johnson, allegedly recruited the 18 year-old victim, luring her with promises of a good salary. Alexander allegedly collected all her earnings, and used threats and violence to control the victim when she resisted. On February 21, 2013, it is alleged Alexander violently assaulted the victim, resulting in serious injury. Schuette filed the following criminal charges against Vinson Alexander in Southfield’s 46th District Court on February 22, 2013: One count of Human Trafficking – Forced Labor for a Commercial Sex Act, a 20-year felony; One count of Human Trafficking – Forced Labor Causing Serious Physical Harm, a 20-year felony; One count of Human Trafficking – Financially Benefitting from a Human Trafficking Venture, a 10-year felony; One count of Criminal Enterprises – Acquire/ Maintain (Racketeering), a 20-year felony; and, One count of Torture, a felony punishable by life in prison. The following criminal charge against Taryn Johnson was filed in Southfield’s 46th District Court on February 22, 2013: One count of Human Trafficking – Recruiting for Forced Labor, a 10-year felony. Alexander and Johnson were arrested in Southfield on February 22, 2013 by the Southfield Police Department. Both defendants were arraigned on the charges on February 25, 2013 by Magistrate Donna Posey. A $1,000,000 bond was set for Alexander. A $750,000 bond was set for Johnson. Both are next due in 46th District Court for a Pre-Exam Conference on March 1, 2013 and a Preliminary Exam on March 8, 2013. “I’d like to thank the Southfield Police Department for their assistance in this important arrest,” said Schuette. “Human trafficking is a very difficult crime to identify and detect, and we appreciate the diligence of the investigators handling this case.” “The Southfield Police Department is committed to working with our federal and local law enforcement partners to eliminate any and all forms of human trafficking in Southeast Michigan,” said Southfield Police Chief Eric Hawkins. Human trafficking is modern day slavery and it is the second-largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, after drug trafficking. Victims of human trafficking are in bondage through force, fraud or coercion, solely for the purpose of sex or labor exploitation. Children are especially vulnerable. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2,515 incidents of human trafficking were recorded nationwide between January 2008 and June 2010. Of those incidents, 1,016 involved the sexual exploitation of a child, 1,218 involved the sexual exploitation of adults, and 350 involved labor trafficking. The Michigan law banning Human Trafficking (MCL 760.462a, et seq.) went into effect on August 24, 2006. The law was strengthened in 2010, with those changes taking effect on April 1, 2011. Updates to the law included: adding human trafficking to the list of predicate offenses that fall under the state racketeering law, authorizing additional court-ordered restitution for trafficking victims, and stronger penalties. Since its launch in 2011, Schuette's Human Trafficking Unit has secured five human trafficking convictions. For more information on how to identify and report human trafficking, visit the Attorney General’s website, www.michigan.gov/humantrafficking. A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Zooey Deschanel is one of those chicks that while not “classically beautiful” has the power to turn me on as much as any other woman can. Her style just gets me going like you wouldn’t believe because she has that Indie, hipster, emo, whatever look that makes you think she’s a girl that cries after sex and likes you to get rough and pull her hair and choke her every now and then. Full Name: Zooey Deschanel Date of Birth: January 17, 1980 Place of Birth: Los Angeles, CA Residence: Los Angeles, CA Height: 5′ 6″ Weight: 125 lbs Occupation: Actress, Singer

Small businesses are missing out on much-needed revenue because they aren't keeping up with technological advances, according to experts. The awards ceremony will be held on 27 April 2015 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. ‘The CIM Marketing Excellence Awards have been developed to recognise the positive values that effective marketing has on an organisation. While other awards are mainly industry specific, the Marketing Excellence Awards celebrate the very best of our profession from both personal and company success. The direct link for booking seats and tables: Book your seats for MEA 2015 Watch Sara Sampaio take down the hottest burger in fast food. With four times the heat, there's no safe bite with Thickburger El Diablo. Only at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. We challenge you to take the #DiabloDare #DiabloDare. 'Fifty Shades' director: I'm not doing the sequel Cadbury has unveiled a giant Easter egg at Sydney’s Bennelong Lawn in the Royal Botanic Gardens which will be cracked in front of a live crowd as part of Cadbury’s Easter celebrations this Sunday. The egg measures five metres by 3.4 metres in diameter is being held by a structure 10.5m high and positioned with a hammer teetering just above it. The activation has been worked on by Saatchi & Saatchi, Wonder and Red Agency. Agency will create a road safety campaign designed for pre-school children Ten Alps, @tenalps the multimedia content business, has won a £3.5m contract with Transport for London (TfL) to lead a road safety campaign for children. The contract, which was secured following a highly competitive tender, will be delivered by the Ten Alps Communicate @TACommunicate division and has been secured for a minimum of three years, potentially extending for a further three. [more…] The BBC has said it is “working through the implications” for the Top Gear Festival due to take place in Sydney next month following the sacking overnight of the show’s presenter Jeremy Clarkson. The controversial Top Gear frontman was told by his employers that his contract would not be renewed following his attack on BBC producer Oisin Tymon which left him bleeding and seeking hospital treatment. Brits love a good bet, never more so when it comes from animals helping us to predict the future. Ladbrokes have launched their own animal oracle predictions for the naming of the royal baby, with expectations of record breaking bets on the name and the sex of the royal baby, which is due to arrive in April. The innkeeper's wife stuck her head out a window. "Could ye spare some victuals?" he asked. The woman glanced at his shabby clothes and obviously poor condition. "No!" she said rather sternly. [more…]

Although Olusoji was a policeman serving in Yobe State, which is fraught with security challenges, Jane did not mind living there with him. Their plan was to settle down, have children and grow old together. Unfortunately, this was not to be as Olusoji, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, was gunned down by a police corporal in Gashua Bade Local Government, Yobe State, while on duty less than five months after their wedding. Olusoji’s widow, who spoke while fighting back tears, told PUNCH Metro that she was still in shock over the incident. Narrating what led to her 39-year-old husband’s killing, Jane said her husband, who was the Administration Officer at Gashua Police Division, was killed by a 53-year-old corporal, Andrew Bitus. She said, “The station is situated in a barracks and we all live in the barracks. The corporal (Bitus), was dating an elderly woman and they had a quarrel. Bitus wanted to part ways with the woman, so he told her to refund the money he had spent on her but the woman refused. “The corporal dragged the woman to the station but the Divisional Police Officer intervened, saying it was a civil case and told the corporal to take the matter to the court. “The DPO travelled some days later, on August 30, 2013 to be precise. The corporal arrested the woman again. “My husband, who was the most senior officer in the station at the time, reiterated what the DPO said and ordered the corporal to let the woman go. “The corporal, instead, started harassing the woman at the station. My husband then told other policemen at the station to register a case against the corporal for his behaviour.” Jane said the corporal became infuriated and insulted her husband who was over 10 years younger than him. She said in the ensuing argument, the corporal brought out his rifle and shot the deceased many times. She said, “I was in my house when I heard gunshots. Initially I thought it was Boko Haram members that were attacking the station. It was a few minutes later that someone informed me that my husband had been shot. “When I got to the station, I was told by policemen that the corporal brought out his gun and shot my husband in front of the counter. My husband was said to have fled, but the corporal chased him and rained bullets on him. I met my husband in a pool of blood. “When I asked why they could not stop the trigger-happy policeman, they told me that they had to run for cover for fear of being hit by the bullets.” PUNCH Metro learnt that Olusoji was rushed to the General Hospital, Gashua, and was taken to the theatre where a surgery was done to remove the bullets from his body. “The doctors told me that he survived and was going to be taken to the Federal Medical Centre, however, they later opened up to me that he died during the surgery,” she said. Jane insisted that the corporal must be brought to book, adding that her husband was not involved in any love affair with the woman who was at the centre of the feud. PUNCH Metro learnt that the killer policeman had been dismissed and was being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Damaturu. The unidentified woman, who was being harassed by the corporal, had also been arrested. A cousin of the deceased, Kunle Bajela, said apart from getting justice for the killing, the family wanted his widow to be well taken care of by the police authorities. “My cousin died in active service and we want those who depended on him for their upkeep are not neglected by the police,” he said. The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, told our correspondent on the telephone that he would call later to brief him on the incident.

§ 4.16 p.m. § The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Frederick Mulley) I beg to move,That this House endorses Her Majesty's Government's policy set out in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1978 (Command Paper No. 7099) of basing British security on collective effort to deter aggression, while seeking every opportunity to reduce tension through international agreements on arms control and disarmament.The theme of this year's Statement on the Defence Estimates is basically the same as the theme of my first defence White Paper last year. It is that the defence of Britain is indivisible from the defence of the Western Alliance as a whole. Britain's security rests on our membership of the North Atlantic Alliance. The White Paper reaffirms our determination to make a full and effective defence contribution to NATO as well as to seek, in conjunction with our allies, realistic measures of arms control and disarmament by international agreement. The search for effective measures of arms control and disarmament has continued throughout the year. On the nuclear side, we have been fully and closely consulted by the United States Administration about progress in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. We fully support the efforts which the United States has made and is making, and we attach great importance to a successful outcome. Good progress has been made in the negotiations between the United States, the Soviet Union and ourselves towards a comprehensive test ban. The successful conclusion of a treaty would make a significant contribution to detente. It would impede the development of nuclear weapons and curb what has come to be called vertical proliferation. We also hope that a comprehensive test ban would help to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Our own preparations for the United Nations Special Session on Disarmament which begins in New York at the end of May are well advanced. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Sec- 46 retary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will both attend. They have drawn the attention of hon. Members to the draft for the programme of action for the Special Session, which we put forward in the United Nations on 1st February with other Western States as cosponsors. We attach great importance to the negotiations on mutual and balanced force reductions, but I cannot conceal my disappointment at the lack of progress. We believe that the removal of the existing imbalance in conventional forces in Central Europe would further the cause of detente and make for a more stable relationship between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Western participants in Vienna have tabled proposals which would provide for mutual reductions to a common ceiling, thereby eliminating the present major disparity in ground forces of more than 150,000 in the Warsaw Pact's favour. In particular, we wish to diminish the destabilising effects of the large concentration of Soviet tanks, many of which are deployed in East Germany close to the border with the Federal Republic. The key to the negotiations is the achievement of an agreed assessment with the East on manpower data. There are significant discrepancies between our assessment of Warsaw Pact force levels and the figures tabled by the East. We hope, however, that there may be a more detailed exchange of figures in the next few days. Each year in the defence White Paper we publish details of our force levels; each of our NATO allies participating in the talks in Vienna is equally open about its forces. Regrettably, the Soviet Union and its allies do not adopt such an open attitude on defence matters. In the White Paper I have taken into account the French forces stationed in Germany and in the Eastern Atlantic in order to give a fair and balanced presentation. Although these forces are not integrated into the military structure of NATO, nor does France take part in the MBFR negotiations in Vienna, it seems to me that, whatever the formal position, any Warsaw Pact planner would have to take into account the French forces in the area— § Mr. Michael Mates (Petersfield) Why did not the right hon. Gentleman include the French forces last year? § Mr. Mulley We did not have any such figures last year. They were put in this year at the request of the Select Committee on Defence and External Affairs. § Mr. Patrick Cormack (Staffordshire, South-West) Will the right hon. Gentleman take them out if the election goes the wrong way in France next Sunday? § Mr. Mulley That question is neither helpful nor relevant. What simple figures and charts cannot, of course, show is the quality of the forces they depict. It is here that recent Soviet improvements have been particularly disturbing. It is in this area that I base my judgment that the capability of the Warsaw Pact forces is formidable and growing. Not only are there large Warsaw Pact forces facing NATO forces in a high state of readiness, organised and equipped for offensive operations, but these forces have received a great deal of new advanced equipment which has very greatly increased their offensive capability. These increases in the capability of the Warsaw Pact do not by themselves indicate that the Soviet Union and its allies take a different view from before about the risks involved in military action against the West. I see no reason, therefore, for NATO to adopt a different deterrent strategy. In Europe the Russians know that they face a determined, united and cohesive Western Alliance. They also understand, I feel sure, that war would not bring victory to them but would bring disaster for all concerned. What we have seen, however, in the last year is a greater willingness by the Soviet Union to deploy its military power in other areas. Soviet and Cuban military activity in the Horn of Africa is a fact which is profoundly disturbing, not least to those in Africa and elsewhere who believe that the African countries should decide their own future and their own development. Recent events in the Horn of Africa have shown that the Russians are not only capable of bringing military power to bear but are prepared to do so. 48 It is, nevertheless, Europe and its surrounding seas which remain the vital area to our security and where we make our main contribution to Western security. It is in Europe that we have to convince a potential aggressor that the use of force, or the threat of its use for political ends, is simply not worth any risks. To do this, the Alliance does not have to match the forces which it faces across the East—West divide, but it must have enough forces to deter aggression, to make it clear that the risks involved in aggression are quite out of proportion to any advantage the aggressor might hope to gain. The Alliance has to deploy sufficient conventional forces to avoid lowering the nuclear threshold, together with sufficient theatre and strategic nuclear weapons to complete the triad of deterrence. The conventional, theatre nuclear and strategic nuclear forces which the Alliance maintains are interdependent, and effective deterrence requires a combination of all three in sufficient numbers to present a complete range of credible defensive options. It is in this context that I turn to enhanced radiation weapons, which have been given the meaningless title of neutron bombs. These weapons are basically little different from the existing nuclear weapons which are deployed by both sides. Like other nuclear weapons, if they were used they would have devastating effects on property as well as on people. Like other nuclear weapons, their purpose would be not to win a battle, nor even to destroy military targets. Their purpose would be simply to deter anyone from thinking that a successful attack could be made against NATO by offering a potential response to aggression—in this case by tank formations—which is both credible and effective in relation to the level of force threatening NATO and which conveys with it the risk to an aggressor that more devastating weapons would be used if he persisted. If NATO were to reduce the role of theatre nuclear weapons in Europe, a sufficient level of deterrence could be maintained only by a massive increase in NATO conventional forces involving equally massive increases in the defence budgets of member countries. Even then, since the Russians possess a formidable 49 and growing array of nuclear weapons targeted on Europe, deterrence could still only be maintained by the West possessing weapons of equivalent kind. In these circumstances, it does not make sense to single out one nuclear weapons proposal for special attention. The problem has to be seen in the context of the totality of arsenals, conventional as well as nuclear, being developed in the East as well as in the West. We must seek to preserve security while moving to lower levels of forces on both sides. Thus, to me the questions to ask about enhanced radiation weapons are whether their possession is likely to improve deterrence and what implications their introduction might have for progress in securing arms control arrangements, and for the essential requirement that there should be no lowering of the nuclear threshold by any relaxation of political control over the use of any nuclear weapons. These are the issues which the Government, in consultation with our allies, are studying. No decisions have yet been taken. The additional efforts which the Alliance is making to maintain deterrence are primarily in conventional forces. Unfortunately, there is no escape from the need to devote additional resources to defence if Alliance security is to be maintained. There are no cheap options. § Mr. Stanley Newens (Harlow) Since much of what my right hon. Friend has said refers to increasing weaponry and continuation of the arms race, will he say whether it remains the policy of the Government to pursue the aims set out in the Labour Party manifesto of seeking in the long run the concurrent winding up of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Warsaw Pact? Or is it our aim merely to continue with an arms race? § Mr. Mulley I thought that I had made it quite clear that our objective was to seek mutual and balanced reductions on both sides so that we may enjoy security with a much lower level of armaments— § Mr. Mulley There is no reference in any Labour Party manifesto or resolution 50 that I know of calling for the winding-up of NATO. It is necessary to develop more sophisticated and, therefore, more costly equipment if it is to do its job of deterring aggression. We for our part have announced an increase of 3 per cent. in real terms in the defence budget for 1979–80, and are planning a similar increase in the following year, subject to review in the light of our economic circumstances. These plans are in accordance with the call made at the NATO Summit meeting in London last spring. The United States Administration has followed suit by proposing to Congress a defence budget which will show an increase of 3½ per cent. in outlays in real terms in 1979. Other countries have still to take firm decisions, but there are indications that substantial extra efforts will be made by most of them. The defence budget for the coming year, 1978–79, remains at the figure which was announced at the end of 1976, with one small change: an addition of £6 million has been made to it as part of the Government's measures to aid the construction industry. We have, however, been able to mitigate very considerably the effects of the cut of £267 million at 1977 survey prices which was made in December 1976. We consulted NATO about how we could make this reduction with least effect on our front-line contribution to the Alliance. In the last few days we have told the Alliance that we have been able to avoid making many of the cuts which we then believed would be necessary. This is possible because the rates of expenditure on a number of our programmes—for example, the Tornado aircraft—have been somewhat less than we predicted at the end of 1976. The reasons are complex. In part, in the case of Tornado, for instance, they stem from the difficulty of forecasting some 18 months ahead expenditure on a collaborative project of this magnitude and complexity. They also arise to some extent—and I regret this very much—from the inability of industry to meet its forecasts, for both technological and industrial reasons. It is too early to say what effect this will have on our plans for introducing new equipment into service, but some delay seems probable. § Mr. Alan Clark (Plymouth, Sutton) Will the Minister be telling the House what are these various measures that we shall now be able to carry forward in accordance with our NATO obligations? If not, perhaps he will be able to touch on some of them. For example, are the economy restrictions on cruising speeds in the Royal Navy to be maintained? § Mr. Mulley I shall be dealing with a number of the matters about which the hon. Gentleman is concerned, but I do not know whether I shall be dealing with that point of detail. However, I shall see that that point is taken up later in the debate. The defence budget for 1978–79 is entirely in line with our aim of progressively reducing the proportion of the nation's resources devoted to defence so that the burden we bear will be brought into line with that carried by our main European allies. The cuts directed to achieving that aim have already been made. The proportion still remains somewhat higher as a percentage of our national income than that of our major European allies, but this percentage will vary according to a country's economic performance. Obviously, it depends upon the rate of growth of gross domestic product as well as movements in the defence budget itself. In addition, we need to take account of the growth of the defence expenditure of our allies. Nevertheless, whereas the 1977–78 defence budget represented about 5 per cent. of GDP, a similar calculation for 1978–79 now indicates a fall to about 4¾ per cent. There are, of course, other ways of measuring a defence contribution. It is often pointed out that, in terms of defence expenditure per capita, Britain's contribution looks rather low. We published a table showing such a comparison in the statement accompanying these Estimates. But comparisons of military expenditures in dollars can be misleading, because they do not give a reliable comparison of what these expenditures actually purchase in each country. Adjustment for the different purchasing power of the different currencies is not easy but, for example, we estimate that in 1977 West Germany committed about 15 per cent. more resources to defence than the United Kingdom, although when con- 52 verted to dollars its expenditure was as much as 50 per cent. higher than ours. Clearly, in the German case, exchange rate comparisons tend to understate the relative British defence contribution. § Mr. Michael Hamilton (Salisbury) If our allies are doing less, is that an encouragement to the Minister that we should also do less, or is it an encouragement that we should do more? § Mr. Mulley If the hon. Gentleman had been listening to me, I think he would have heard me indicating that our principal allies had spent more in recent years. For example, four years ago the West Germans were spending 38 per cent. more than us and they are now spending 48 per cent. more. Four years ago the French spent 10 per cent. more than us, and they are now spending 24 per cent. more. Therefore, it is not a question of their doing any less. I have no doubt that as the debate proceeds we shall be criticised by the Opposition both for the reductions in expenditure we made in the defence review and for the further cuts at the end of 1976 as part of the general reduction in public expenditure required to meet the critical economic situation. Yet the sound and fury of this attack is accompanied by almost total silence about what policies and what expenditure would be undertaken by a Tory Administration. I trust that the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir I. Gilmour) will enlighten us today. The British people, and particularly the Services, are anxious to know. So far, the only figure I have heard is a suggestion that the right hon. Gentleman favours 4 per cent. rather than the 3 per cent. increase I have proposed for 1979–80. But 4 per cent. on what? On the Estimates I am now presenting for 1978–79 of £6,919 million? Is 1 per cent.—£69 million—the essence of his argument? If so, there is very little between us as it is difficult to ensure an outturn of much more than 99 per cent. accuracy. I am sure at least that the right hon. Gentleman will agree with that, because he was 6.8 per cent—£515 million at current prices—underspent in 1973–74. Or is it, as I think could be fairly construed from the consistent Opposition posture of negative criticism, 4 per cent. on the planned expenditure for 1978–79 53 as the plans stood when the right hon. Gentleman and his party left office four years ago? If that is what they mean, that means an increase of over £1,600 million at current prices. Do the right hon. Gentleman and his right hon. Friends really mean to find another £1,600 million for defence and carry out their pledges—as they call them—for dramatic reductions in taxation and drastic cuts in public expenditure at the same time? No doubt the right hon. Gentleman will explain what he meant. No doubt he will tell us which programmes—social services, housing or whatever—are to be savaged to make all these implied things possible. As always, nothing is explicit. The 1970 General Election promise to cut prices "at a stroke" seems, in retrospect, both modest and precise. In contrast, the Government have taken positive decisions on the defence budget up to 1980–81 which will help to finance a number of improvements to our contribution to NATO. Some of these I have already annouced and others we are still considering. They make an impressive list. First, we are keeping in service 41 Commando Royal Marines to improve our reinforcement capability, particularly on the northern flank of NATO. § Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg (Hampstead) The right hon. Gentleman says that he is keeping 41 Commando Royal Marines in force. Will he now answer the question which the Select Committee put to him about how he proposes to get the troops to their destinations without transportation? § Mr. Mulley The troops will have transportation. I should, however, be open to criticism if, as the hon. Gentleman appears to be implying, I kept a permanent fleet of ships and aircraft ready, round the clock, to deal with whatever emergency arose. Obviously, there are reinforcement plans to provide the transport. I am sure the hon. Gentleman will realise that it would be insecure to give details in advance on exactly how these arrangements would be made. if we were to give a timetable and the routes by which units would travel, it would be inviting a potential enemy to take steps to intercept them. We are bringing back HMS "Bulwark" to full operational status. The long-term 54 size of the Army will be increased by 1,900 men. We are making substantial improvements in the anti-tank capability of BAOR through the purchase of the helicopter-borne missile TOW and the infantry Milan missile. By the end of 1978, the total number of anti-tank guided weapon systems in BAOR will increase by 60 per cent. compared with 1974, while the total number of surface-to-air missile systems in BAOR and RAF Germany will have gone up by 160 per cent. We are making available, as reinforcements, extra armoured, artillery and infantry units, and we are improving our plans to mobilise the reserves and reinforce BAOR. A wide range of improvements is being made to the Royal Air Force, including the purchase of 30 Chinook medium-lift helicopters, which will greatly increase the load-carrying capability of our forces in Germany. I am also pleased to be able to announce today that, subject to the conclusion of final contractual negotiations, agreement has been reached to buy a number of second-hand VC10 aircraft for conversion into tankers for air refuelling. These aircraft will form a new VC10 tanker squadron to supplement the present two Victor tanker squadrons and will add significantly to the Royal Air Force's operational capability. Because tankers can give fighters and strike aircraft greater range and longer endurance, they increase the capability and the capacity of these combat aircraft—and at a relatively modest cost. § Mr. Kenneth Lewis (Rutland and Stamford) How does the right hon. Gentleman propose to recruit and to keep the men who are required to fly these extra aircraft, since at the mement the Royal Air Force is losing the men who are qualified to fly and cannot recruit fresh people because of the reduced salaries being paid? § Mr. Mulley I shall be saying a few words about the problem a little later. As for the general problem of recruitment, my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force will endeavour to deal with that when he opens the debate tomorrow. Other improvements to the capability of the RAF will include the construction 55 of hardened aircraft shelters, to be financed largely under the NATO infrastructure programme, improved air-to-air missiles and additional missile defence for RAF airfields. § Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson (Newbury) Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether there will be any inter-operability between the new tanker aircraft and those of the other NATO countries? § Mr. Mulley I think that there is such inter-operability. We have not yet bought the planes. They have yet to be converted. We are pressing ahead with the development of the air defence variant of the Tornado with its Sky Flash medium range air-to-air missiles and AIM 9L short-range air-to-air missiles. Its important new air intercept radar will bring a new dimension to our ability to control the airspace above this country and the seas around us. The radar detection which is so essential to the effective operation of air defence will be immeasurably improved by the introduction of the new Nimrod airborne early warning aircraft, on which full development is under way. We are proceeding as rapidly as we can with the modernisation of the Royal Navy. All three specialist warship-building yards of British Shipbuilders are fully occupied with naval orders and a large number of workers at three other yards are employed on orders from the Royal Navy. We have plans for ordering seven major warships in 1978–79 compared with three in 1977–78. The effectiveness of the advanced new equipment which is coming into service depends on the skills and expertise of the Service men whose task it is to operate it. § Mr. John Cronin (Loughborough) Can my right hon. Friend tell us of any substantial progress being made in the Navy towards discarding the somewhat old-fashioned weapon which is the gun and having ship-to-ship missiles instead? § Mr. Mulley The basic equipment of all newer ships includes ship-to-air and ship-to-ship missiles. I am glad to say that the British Services continue to gain high marks from NATO commanders for their efficiency and technical expertise. To give but one example, the RAF Station at Bruggen 56 in Germany was recently awarded the highest possible marking in a tactical evaluation competition carried out by a NATO team—the first time this feat has ever been achieved by any unit in Allied Command Europe. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State will, if he catches your eye, Mr. Deputy Speaker, speak further about this tomorrow. There is some concern in the House that discontent among the Services over the subject of pay may have some effect on morale and, therefore, on operational effectiveness. As the House knows, the Armed Forces Pay Review Body is due to make recommendations on Service pay. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has not yet received this report, and it would be wrong for me to try to anticipate what it may contain or what the Government's decisions will be. I can assure the House, however, that the effective date for the pay increase will be 1st April. I am sure that all ranks in the Services understand the need for pay restraint if inflation is to be controlled and the economy restored to health. It wages get out of control, we shall have taken the brake off inflation as surely as night follows day. The economic consequences would affect defence just as much as any other part of the nation's activities. The country's ability to sustain a defence programme which makes a full and effective contribution to the Alliance depends on a strong economy and a sustained rate of growth. Opposition policies would put all these things at risk. § Mr. Emlyn Hooson (Montgomery) I am sure that the Services are agreed on the need for restraint, but nevertheless they see productivity deals negotiated in other spheres and they are well aware of the deal made with the firemen and so on. Will it be made clear to the Review Body that it can take matters of this kind into consideration? § Mr. Mulley We have given the Review Body all the relevant information to permit it to consider these questions. However, as I have said, it would be wrong and unfair to the Review Body and to the Services for me to speculate at this stage about what the recommendations might be. § Mr. Cranley Onslow (Woking) I am sure that the House will respect 57 what the right hon. Gentleman says about the report of the Review Body, which, if it is to maintain any pretence to be independent, must be allowed to make up its own mind. However, I do not understand what he means when he says that he does not feel able to anticipate the Government's reaction. I do not know what that long and rather waffly bit that he put in just now was supposed to be if not an anticipation of Government reaction. Will the right hon. Gentleman say categorically whether he is prepared to be as sympathetic to the Services as he has been, or his Government have been, to the firemen and the police, or will he treat them less generously? § Mr. Mulley It is necessary to await the report. [HON. MEMBERS: "Why?"] Because it might well be that the hon. Gentleman's expectations would be satisfied by the Review Body. It would be wrong for the House to debate a report before it was even completed. § Mr. Mike Thomas (Newcastle upon Tyne, East) I am sure that the Secretary of State can give the House a categorical assurance that the Armed Forces will be treated fairly on pay. Is it not the case that that is not the object of the Opposition but that their object is purely to make political mischief out of it? § Mr. Mulley That is an observation that could properly be made of some contributions to the pay debate. I have heard it said about some sections of the media that, no matter what we did for the Forces, it would still be claimed to be inadequate. We need to make clear that in the recent past almost all sections of the community have found that the rise in their incomes has not been enough to compensate for higher prices and that in consequence their standard of living has fallen. The Armed Forces are no exception to that, nor are they unique in having suffered in this way. But we do recognise, as the Review Body said in its last two years' reports that the Forces have suffered relatively more than those with whom their earnings are normally compared, and we have undertaken to restore the comparability of their pay as soon as incomes policy permits. I hope that there 58 is no hon. Gentleman in the House who does not think otherwise than that I shall do my damnedest to see that the Forces get a fair deal. I should like at this point to dispel an illusion about the relationship between Forces' pay and the defence budget. Restraint on pay has nothing whatever to do with cuts in the defence budget. As the House knows, the defence budget is increased to take account of pay and price increases. Supplementary Estimates will be presented to the House to provide for the pay increases which are to be awarded from 1st April. So the future level of Forces' pay, just as past levels, will not be constrained by the level of the defence budget. I am sure that the House will join with me in expressing appreciation for the splendid achievements of our service men and women over the past year. Not only have they made their contribution to the preservation of peace and security in Europe, and in the world; they have continued to carry out very difficult and thankless tasks with courage and skill in support of the civil power in Northern Ireland. Last year, members of the Armed Forces earned 20 awards for gallantry in Northern Ireland and 29 soldiers gave their lives. I should like to make particular mention of the Ulster Defence Regiment, which suffered 14 of these casualties. The task before the security forces in Northern Ireland remains an arduous and demanding one. We have decided to increase the number of resident units stationed there with their families from five to seven. This is not an increase in the total number of soldiers in Northern Ireland. These extra resident battalions will reduce the numbers of units required to undertake unaccompanied four-month tours and provide operational continuity in their areas of responsibility. It is a measure which will go some way to reducing turbulence in the Army and, together with the retention of 41 Commando Royal Marines and the creation of a new composite battalion at the School of Infantry at Warminster, will reduce the extent to which it is necessary to draw on BAOR for units to undertake emergency tours in Northern Ireland. The House has paid tribute already to the achievements of Service men from all 59 three Services in maintaining fire cover during the firemen's strike between mid-November and mid-January. Since then the Services have been engaged in relief operations in the snow in Scotland and in the West Country. As is their custom and tradition, the Services turned to these extra tasks with professionalism and good humour. For many they meant separation from their families and long hours of pay. [HON. MEMBERS: "Pay?"] Separation from their families and long hours of duty. They also work long hours for their pay. The year ahead will be a challenging one for Britain and for the Alliance. The meeting of NATO Heads of Government last May gave a fresh impetus to the work of the Alliance in preserving peace and security. This work rests on twin pillars—detente and deterrence. Real security in the long run requires a reduction in the military confrontation between East and West. It is essential to bring home to the Soviet Union and her allies that the increasing capability of the Warsaw Pact forces is a threat to detente and a threat to stability. This is why it is necessary also to continue to build up the defences of the Alliance to ensure that deterrence is maintained. This requires an effort from all members of the Alliance. § Mr. Julian Amery (Brighton, Pavilion) It appears that President Carter last week undertook on behalf of the Alliance to ensure the integrity and independence of Yugoslavia. Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that the forces of NATO at his disposal are capable of ensuring the fulfilment of that pledge? § Mr. Mulley I do not think that it is appropriate to discuss NATO contingency planning on the Floor of the House. § Mr. Tom Litterick (Birmingham, Selly Oak) If the NATO Powers were unable to guarantee the integrity of Cyprus, how can they claim to have any hope of guaranteeing the integrity of Yugoslavia? § Mr. Mulley My hon. Friend's interjection only underlines what I said. It would be unwise to become involved in speculative discussion on speculative contingency arrangements. There is no doubt that Britain is playing a full part not 60 only by the extra contribution we are making in terms of resources but by pursuing practical measures of co-operation to ensure a more effective use of the totality of the resources available to the Alliance and to seek every opportunity of reaching arms control and disarmament agreements. § 5.0 p.m. § Sir Ian Gilmour (Chesham and Amersham) I beg to move, to leave out from "House" to the end of the Question and to add instead thereof,'regrets that the defence policy of Her Majesty's Government during the last four years has damaged the security of the United Kingdom and has harmed the prospects of reaching international agreement on arms control and disarmament.'.I shall begin on a note of agreement. The Opposition entirely endorse all that the Secretary of State said in praise of our troops and Service personnel everywhere, and, in particular, what he said in praise of the Army in Northern Ireland. We debated security in Northern Ireland last week, and we shall do so again in greater detail on the Army Estimates, but we should not let this occasion pass without putting on record once more our respect and admiration for the Army for the magnificent way in which all have unflinchingly and skilfully carried out their onerous and dangerous duties. Otherwise, as it expected, the House has just listened to a thoroughly complacent speech, just as it was presented with a thoroughly uninformative White Paper. Anyone who relied solely on the Secretary of State for his information would not gain a remotely accurate picture of our forces today. The portrait painted by the right hon. Gentleman is quite unrecognisable—it is not even a caricature—since the truth is that there is in the Services now an unprecedented crisis of morale and an unprecedented lack of confidence in the Government. Our Armed Forces feel, quite understandably, that they suffer from a lack of recognition by the Government of their proper status and value. As a result, there has been a serious exodus from the Services of skilled and experienced officers and men, and very many of those who remain are fed up with the way they have been treated—the way they have been treated over pay and the way the Government have put defence at the bottom of their priorities. § Mr. Litterick rose— § Sir I. Gilmour I have hardly started yet. I assure the hon. Gentleman that he will have more to interrupt me about a little later. When one adds to all that the position in Northern Ireland and what General Haig has called the "explosion" in Russian military capability, one is almost tempted to sympathise with the Secretary of State. We might even fear that all his terrible problems and worries would cause him many sleepless nights—or, rather, in his case, days—but then he forfeits sympathy by his complacency, and I shall now seek to inject a little realism into the debate. The past four years have been just about the most disastrous which our Armed Forces have suffered since the days of Lord North 200 years ago. They have been disastrous because of the savage cuts which the Government have imposed, because of the Government's disregard of the Forces' interests over pay, and because of the tilting of the military balance against the West and in favour of the Warsaw Pact. The Government have now cut, or plan to cut, £10,000 million off defence spending, and in so doing they have done enormous damage to our Forces and have also damaged NATO. That is not just the opinion of the Conservative Opposition. The all-Party Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee, to which the House owes a great debt—above all, to its Chairman, my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Eye (Sir H. Harrison)—reported last year in these terms:In our view, the point has now been reached where our Forces are being seriously deprived of modern equipment necessary to maintain, with the other members of the Alliance, sufficient conventional capability to deter the Warsaw Pact from acts of aggression, to sustain an effective fighting force in the event of actual hostilities, and thereby to avoid early recourse to nuclear weapons.Then, last September, the Secretary-General of NATO stripped away the deceit with which the Government had attempted to clothe their defence policy. He pointed out that the Government's cuts have taken us below "the minimum level of defence" which the defence review had sought to establish. He referred to theadverse impact on the United Kingdom front line forces",62 and he reminded the Government that their dishonesty in December 1976 was not likely to help the solidarity of the Alliance. That was a stinging rebuke from Dr. Luns, and this is all the more inexcusable because the Government have been making us weaker while the Warsaw Pact has unquestionably been growing stronger, as even the right hon. Gentleman's White Paper admits. Thus, there is general agreement about the disastrous nature of the Government's defence policy. The all-party Sub-Committee, NATO, expert commentators—virtually all are of the same mind about the damage which the Labour Government have done. This is almost inevitable with a Labour Government, because they always have to fight on two fronts—against the threat from the Warsaw Pact and against the threat from their own Left wing. The latter threat is visible on the Order Paper today, The Tribune Group always wants to slash Britain's defence expenditure, because it is not interested in our country's security. Members of the Tribune Group are quite happy to see Russia spending more and more on armaments—13 per cent. or 14 per cent. of her gross national product—but they always want to disarm Britain. No one interested in Britain's security could possibly subscribe to the amendment put down by the hon. Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun) and his hon. Friends. Nor could anyone who supported NATO possibly support that amendment. We all know that the Tribune Group—unlike the Italian Communist Party—does not support NATO. Moreover, the idea that workers engaged in our armaments industry could be deployed to what the amendment calls "alternative socially useful products" is more than usually lunatic. The Tribune Group has not only not noticed that under Labour there are already 1½ million unemployed but it is unaware—or, perhaps, it does not care—that Labour's defence cuts must have cost over 150,000 defence jobs already, and the Tribune Group's proposals would cost 300,000 more defence jobs. Labour is the party not only of defence cuts but of defence unemployment as well. 63 It is noteworthy that hon. Members with defence industries in their constituencies figure quite prominently among the signatories to the amendment. It would take a long time to go through them all, but I shall single out one or two. I see the names of the hon. Members for Preston, North (Mr. Atkins) and Preston, South (Mr. Thorne), whose constituents depend on BAC and the Tornado. They are supporting an amendment which would make a lot of their constituents unemployed. The hon. Member for Southampton, Test (Mr. Gould) is in much the same position, with several defence contractors in his constituency. Next, I mention the hon. Member for Chorley (Mr. Rodgers)— § Sir I. Gilmour Let me just finish the sentence. The hon. Member for Chorley has a Royal Ordnance Factory in his constituency, and his defence policy would put many of his constituents out of work. § Mr. Rodgers The right hon. Gentleman visited my constituency and the Royal Ordnance Factory recently. He did not have the courtesy to inform me of that visit. He advised people in my constituency that their jobs were at risk. I consulted the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, who advises me that, in fact, not only will jobs be maintained but there will be greater job opportunities in the future than there are at present. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will now withdraw his suggestion. § Sir I. Gilmour I visited the Conservative Party in Chorley, for which I did not need the hon. Gentleman's permission. I agree—I am sorry that I did not do so—that I should have mentioned that I intended to go to the Royal Ordnance Factory, but I did not at the factory tell his constituents that their employment was at risk. I made no political intervention of any sort in his factory. But the truth is that what the hon. Gentleman proposes would have a most adverse effect on his constituency. The same goes for a great many other hon. Members on the Left as well. 64 In any event, because the Labour Party has so many members who are vocally opposed to British and Western interests, its defence policy is based not on the security needs of the nation but on the interests of the Labour Party That, then, is the murky background to the White Paper. If the phrase be permitted, the White Paper is full of distortions and omissions. Nothing is said about the future of the nuclear deterrent, the cruise missile is not mentioned, the Russian SS20 is not mentioned, the so-called neutron bomb is not mentioned, although I was glad that the right hon. Gentleman mentioned it today. Strategy gets only a few perfunctory lines, and pay gets one short paragraph. The distortions concern the threat, defence expenditure and, of course, the damage which has been done. Naturally, we welcome the improvements to which the Secretary of State referred this afternoon—some of them are mentioned in the White Paper—but, welcome though they are, they are very little indeed compared with the deterioration which the Government have caused. If a man partially ruins his house, it is not very sensible then for him to boast that he is about to repaint his garden fence, and that is the right hon. Gentleman's position now. I welcome the right hon. Gentleman's decision to buy 30 support helicopters, and I congratulate him upon it. Of course, we welcome the decision to restore HMS "Bulwark" to full operational status, but who decided to pay off HMS "Bulwark" prematurely? Naturally, it was the Labour Government in their defence review. We welcome the decision to make a small increase in the size of the Army, but why does it have to be increased in size? It is because the Labour Government substantially cut it in the defence review. They are still trying to cut the Brigade of Gurkhas by trying to remove the battalion from Brunei. The White Paper says thatThe Army is increasing the number of Milan anti-tank missiles being deployed to front-line units in 1978.We are glad to hear it, but who slowed down their deployment in the first place? It was the Labour Government, of course. 65 The Secretary of State referred this afternoon to the inclusion for the first time of some of the French forces in the military balance. As he said, there is an argument for including them, although to include them in tables in which they have not previously been included distorts comparisons. Moreover, as my hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, South-West (Mr. Cormack) pointed out, the Government chose rather an odd year. Did nobody in the Cabinet, including the right hon. Gentleman, tell the Cabinet that there were to be French elections this year? Did nobody tell the Cabinet that there was the possibility of a victory by the Left? We do not know what will happen in the second ballot, but for the Government to choose this year to put in the French forces for the first time, when there is a distinct possibility of the formation of a French Government containing Communist members, surely shows a remarkable lack of foresight or a remarkable anxiety to deceive and play down the threat. § Sir I. Gilmour It was probably both. It was a fatuous exercise, because the truth about the threat is widely known. We have heard President Carter, Dr. Luns, General Haig and our own defence chiefs. As the International Institute for Strategic Studies has said,In general, the pattern is one of a military balance moving steadily against the West.The White Paper almost ignores the vital question of pay. The Secretary of State told us nothing of value about it this afternoon. His behaviour over pay has been negligent and indefensible. Within a matter of weeks of presiding last year over the award of an Irishman's rise to the Forces, which excited universal resentment and derision, what did he do? Instead of keeping out of the public eye, which he should have done in all decency, he flaunted himself on the picket lines at Grunwick, an astonishingly insensitive thing to do. He was showing himself to be much more active on behalf of his own trade union than on behalf of the members of our Armed Forces, who do not go on strike and whom he is supposed to represent. I doubt whether the Service men will forgive the right hon. Gentleman for that. 66 That was not the end of the Secretary of State's offensiveness to the Services. When many members of the Forces were working an 80-hour week to save the country from fires they were paid much less than the firemen and were working longer hours. My hon. Friend the Member for Stretford (Mr. Churchill) asked a Question comparing the pay and conditions of the Services with those of the firemen. With incredible gall, the right hon. Gentleman replied:The Services are used to working long hours in an emergency and a liability for duty at any time is one of their conditions of service which is taken into account in fixing their rates of pay."—[Official Report, 25th November 1977; Vol. 939, c. 933.]He then went on about the firemen. That answer was not only grossly insulting to the Forces but completely untrue. Their long hours of work and liability for duty in an emergency have not been taken into account in fixing their rates of pay during the past two years. The X factor, which is meant to compensate them for those conditions, has become a minus. Despite their long hours and their liability for emergency service, the Forces are now paid less than other people. They have completely lost comparability and have fallen way behind. Both the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State make much of the so-called independence of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. The Review Body is independent when its suits the Government to say so and not at all for the rest of the time. In fact, as both the Secretary of State and the Minister of State have admitted, the Review Body is subject to, and is not independent of, the Government's policy on pay. It is therefore dishonest of the Government to try to hide behind the Review Body. Moreover, the right hon. Gentleman behaves as though in some mysterious way he is independent of his own Government's pay policy. He is not. It is his Government's pay policy which has reduced the Services to such desperate straits. The right hon. Gentleman is responsible for that. In any case, the right hon. Gentleman has a commitment to honour. Last year he sent a message to the Forces, and he repeated it here last June, when he said,it is our intention that the rigid nature of the 67 first two pay rounds, which have produced distortion in some pay structures in the professions, industry and other fields, including the Armed Forces, will—although we do not know yet the shape of round 3—be put right in future rounds of the policy. I shall ensure that the needs of the Armed Forces are taken into account. I also give that assurance to the House."—[Official Report, 16th June 1977; Vol. 933, c. 610.]That statement was not exactly a trumpet call, but it was a commitment, and the right hon. Gentleman has not honoured it. How has he ensured that the interests of the Services have been taken into account in the pay policy? He has not, and they have not been. The Secretary of State has not metaphorically stood in the picket lines for the Armed Forces. He has let them down, and he should have resigned. The essence of the military salary is, or should be, comparability with civilian rates. Therefore, as I urged last November, it is vital that the Review Body should set out in its report what increases are needed to restore comparability and thus to restore the military salary to its proper level. The Armed Services and the police are unique. The State relies upon them for its security, and they do not have the right to strike. Therefore, the State owes them a special duty. § Mr. Roderick MacFarquhar (Belper) If the Armed Services and the police are unique—and I think that the right hon. Gentleman has a point there—how does one establish comparability? § Sir I. Gilmour If left to itself, the Review Body ensures comparability. That is the essence of the military salary. The police are not my concern, but I understand that a committee is considering their pay and is to report shortly. Assuming that the Review Body sets out proposals for an immediate pay settlement more or less consistent with the Government's so-called pay guidelines, that should be taken into account in considering charges for accommodation and food. We cannot have another Irishman's rise. Plainly, too, the X factor, which is now a minus, should be increased. The Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear at the beginning of the current pay round that in certain circumstances earnings could exceed the pay guidelines. 68 That point is particularly relevant here, because, as the Chief of the Defence Staff pointed out recently, the Forces have fared "among the worst" during the pay policy. It is particularly relevant because the White Paper admits that there has been a large increase in the number of highly trained officers and men getting out of the Forces. They are not being paid the rate for the job, and they cannot afford to stay in. The point is particularly relevant because the Forces cannot benefit from wages drift. It is particularly relevant, because, as the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Hooson) said, although the performance and productivity of the Forces are outstandingly good, they cannot secure productivity deals. The point is also particularly relevant because the forces are, with the police, unique. Therefore, the Review Body must point the way towards an early return to comparability, and in their response the Government must set out how they propose to restore Service pay to a proper level within a short time. The Secretary of State and the Government cannot be allowed to go on breaking their commitments to the Armed Forces. They have a clear obligation, and the Secretary of State has made an explicit commitment, to start giving the Forces proper treatment and stop ignoring their needs and interests. Even the right hon. Gentleman must realise that if something substantial is not done next month he cannot retain his office. He will have to resign. The remaining distortion in the White Paper is what is said about future defence expenditure. The Government's claim—I was sorry that the Secretary of State made it again this afternoon—is that they are responding to the NATO agreement to increase defence expenditure and that the figures given for 1979–80 and succeeding years reflect that agreement. That claim is doubly bogus. The Government's public expenditure White Paper Cmnd 7049, said:The main policy development since Cmnd 6721 has been the agreement reached by NATO Ministers in the summer of 1977 that they should aim at an anuual increase in defence expenditure in the region of 3 per cent. for the period 1979 to 1984 in order to avoid a continued deterioration in the relative defence capabilities of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. 69 The provisional Defence Budget figures for 1979–80 and 1980–81 have been revised in the light of this agreement, and they provide for annual growth of 3 per cent. over the revalued Cmnd 6721 figure for 1978–79. The 1980–81 figure will be subject to review.Anybody reading that would believe that the figure for 1979–80 had been revised upwards because of the NATO agreement. In fact, it has been revised downwards. Therefore, the Government's intention to deceive is plain. Instead of the figure for 1979–80 being an increase, it is a cut. Before the NATO agreement, the Government had planned to spend £55 million more than they decided to spend since the NATO agreement. The House will be aware that cuts in defence expenditure are measured by cuts in planned expenditure and not by cuts in what was actually spent the year before; otherwise the hon. Member for Salford, East would be right in his claim that the Labour Government far from cutting defence expenditure, have increased it. Unless the Government are prepared to admit that they have been lying all the time to their supporters, they have to admit that they cut defence expenditure in 1979–80, rather than increased it. Either the claim of the hon. Member for Salford, East—who has been consistent in this regard—is right or the Conservative Opposition and myself—who have also been consistent—are right. It is not possible to defend both points of view. What the Government have said is totally inconsistent with the two. Is the Secretary of State now prepared to agree with me or with his hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East? Unless the Secretary of State admits—and his silence will admit that—that what he is saying about next year is totally wrong, then he must say that he either agrees with me or with his hon. Friend. § Mr. Mulley The right hon. Gentleman rather belatedly came upon this point. It has been made quite clear in the public expenditure White Paper that the 1979–80 figure was less than that in the previous White Paper because of the intervention of the cuts that we had to make as part of the general reduction in public expenditure. The NATO Review—this is not exactly similar, but there have been reductions in planned expenditure in the United States—deals with expenditure to start in 1978–79, which is 70 required to be increased by 3 per cent. That is what we are doing. § Sir I. Gilmour The right hon. Gentleman seems to be saying that it is all right to tell lies in the text of the White Paper as long as the truth is concealed in the footnotes. That may well be his attitude, but I suspect that it is more the attitude of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. § Mr. Mulley The right hon. Gentlemen's passion, candour and frankness would be reflected if he told us what he meant by 4 per cent. § Sir I. Gilmour The right hon. Gentleman talked about the figure being affected by cuts in 1976 which, of course, it is not. The 1979–80 figure was not affected. That is a bad excuse. Either he has to admit that what he means by cuts has suddenly changed its meaning to suit his Government and that it suddenly means what the hon. Member for Salford, East has said. Or, he must agree with me. If he does not, then he is showing that he is paying no regard to the truth of the matter at all. § Mr. Frank Allaun (Salford, East) The right hon. Gentleman shoots from the hip. He knows very well that to talk of £10 billion cuts—which is frequently the figure mentioned from the Conservative Benches—is utter nonsense. The actual figure is an increase last year of £200 million. This year it stays the same and then rises by £200 million a year for each of the succeeding three years. The £10 billion is in reference to wild, impossible and vague estimations for the future 10 years hence, which was made by the Conservative Party way back in 1973 and which no Government could have put into practice. § Sir I. Gilmour The hon. Gentleman is fully consistent, and I respect him for that. I only wish his right hon. Friend were equally honest. In fact, the figure of £10 billion is not my figure. It is the Government's figure. There is no disagreement in that respect. The Government have not only been totally dishonest in that regard but their claim is bogus from another point of view as well. The only reason for the increase in 1979–80 over 1978–79 is that 1978–79 suffered a very large cut in December 1976. Indeed, the cut of £267 million between 71 1978–79 was greater than the alleged increase planned for 1979–80. That alleged increase is due to the base line this year having been drastically lowered. It is not next year that will be increased, it is this year that has been cut. That is the truth about the right hon. Gentleman's so-called increase. For the increase in 1979–80 to have been a genuine one, the Government would have had to restore the cut this year in 1978–79. That is what the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party asked for during the debate in another place last December. When the Government refused, the Liberal Party then voted with the Conservatives against the Government. Since that cut has not been restored, and since the 1979–80 alleged increase is bogus, the Liberal Party has no reasonable alternative but to vote with us tomorrow night. Whether the Liberal Party will be reasonable, we do not know. The Lib-Lab pact may decree that it cannot be rational, but it is hard to see how the Liberal Party could change its decision between December and March. § Mr. Hooson Certainly there is a reason. As a result of negotiations, the Government have increased net expenditure by 3 per cent. In fact, Dr. Luns has expressed in this House his belief that NATO is now in a position to meet any attack by the Warsaw Pact. § Sir I. Gilmour The hon. and learned Member was not listening to what I was saying. However, he will be able to read it in Hansard tomorrow before he votes. He will see that there has not been a genuine 3 per cent. increase at all. He does not have much of an excuse to vote with the Government. However, I can see the Liberal Party making a mockery of itself in this matter, by changing its mind between December and March. The Secretary of State asked how much we shall spend on defence. That is rich, coming from him and from this Government. Since they have been in office they have never once spent anything like that which they originally intended to spend. The Government have full access to the books—indeed, fiddle them—and yet they never get their expenditure right even one year ahead. Since their much-vaunted defence review, which was meant to bring stability to the Services—that was the 72 sick joke of the decade—they have made four cuts in defence up to this year and have planned another in 1979–80. That is not all. Even after their cuts, they then so arranged matters that they are not able to spend what they have got. In 1976–77 they underspent by £218 million and in 1978–79 by £85 million. In other words, the right hon. Gentleman does not know how much he has to spend and then does not spend what he has got. § Mr. Mulley I am delighted to have that assumption from the right hon. Gentleman, who is an expert. Perhaps he will explain how he came not to spend £515 million in his short term as Secretary of State in 1973–74? § Sir I. Gilmour I was in office for only seven weeks. If I really underspent by £515 million, I must have been working very fast indeed. I was not Secretary of State in 1973. Until we have seen the books, and until we have unfiddled them, we cannot possibly say how much we shall spend or where. But I can assure the right hon. Gentleman and his squad on the Labour Benches that we shall spend more than him. As my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition has made clear, we put the security of the country at the top of our priorities. But plainly, without full access to the books, the Chiefs of Staff, the scientists, the civil servants, industry and our allies, we cannot be specific about what we shall do. Nor can the right hon. Gentleman possibly expect us to be. It would be irresponsible and naÏve, and he knows that. The right hon. Gentleman talked about my 4 per cent. I said "at least 4 per cent.", and I did not specify the base line. In other words, to quote a former Labour Prime Minister, I shall keep my options open. That, I would have thought, is an extremely sensible thing to do. I prefaced my remarks by saying that I did not want to give any figure at all. My Press conference was to draw attention to the Government's dishonesty about Government expenditure, and the right hon. Gentleman has confirmed that this afternoon. § Mr. Frank Hooley (Sheffield, Heeley) The right hon. Gentleman may be very woolly about his proposals, but we all know what his Administration did when 73 it was in power. In real terms there was a cut in defence expenditure when the Conservatives were in office. § Sir I. Gilmour If that is so, it is very odd that the Labour Party kept on complaining that we were spending more. The most important thing is that there should be a restoration of morale to our Armed Forces, not only by paying them properly but by making their supremely important job fully worth while again and providing them with proper tools to do the job. Air defence is another priority. As Professor Erickson had pointed out, the Soviet Union's tactical air power in the past seven yearshas been transformed from a defensive force into … one which is able to mount offensive air operations of considerable depth throughout the NATO area".Professor Erickson added,A concentrated air assault on the United Kingdominvolving some 400 Soviet sorties over a 24-hour period is "now eminently feasible" and poses "a direct threat ". Anti-tank defence is also vital, as the Secretary of State said this afternoon, and the Defence Sub-Committee recently produced a valuable report on the importance of reserves. On the general question of manpower the Secretary of State said the other day,You have to man on planned expectations".To do that is to fly in the face of all experience. The rational thing is to plan on the basis that one will be faced with unforeseeable contingencies. As the Vice-Chief of the General Staff said two years ago, virtually all of the 47 to 50 shooting operations that have been undertaken by the United Kingdom since the end of the 1939–45 war have come into that category. The Secretary of State plans on what he can foresee, and that is not very much. We must naturally be guided by the nature of the threat in deciding what to do. Here, for once, I agree with the Secretary of State. While there is a very grave threat to Europe by the conventional and nuclear forces of the Soviet Union, that threat is now global. Russian behaviour in Africa is profoundly dis- 74 turbing. The Russians have ignored the artificial geographical boundaries that NATO imposes on itself. Without straying into a foreign affairs debate, I cannot go too far in discussing the events in the Horn of Africa but it seems pretty obvious that if the Russians always win in Africa, African leaders will draw the natural conclusion. Soviet naval power and air power, which has increased even more spectacularly, give the Russians the capability to intervene almost anywhere in the world. Dr. Luns, General Haig and our own Chief of the the Defence Staff have warned of the global nature of the Soviet threat, without unfortunately having much effect on NATO, which keeps its attention too exclusively on the central front. Indeed, NATO seems to me to be in danger of having a Maginot Line cornplex—without, unfortunately, having a Maginot Line. In any case, we on this side of the House believe that those statesmen and military commanders who have urged NATO to look to its southern flank are entirely right. There is an urgent need to improve the protection of our sea routes, and the remarks last week of SACLANT Admiral Kidd about the inadequacy of his forces emphasises that need. That brings me back to the motion and to our amendment. The Government profess to be very keen on detente and disarmament but they are remarkably inept at securing either—except, of course, unilateral disarmament by ourselves. If detente is to mean very much, it should surely be world-wide. It was a Russian politician, Mr. Litvinov, who said in the 1930s that peace was indivisible. In the 1970s, if detente is to be genuine, it also should be indivisible. Moreover, it was Mr. Brezhnev himself who said in 1975:The materialisation of detente is simply inconceivable without an extension of detente to the military sphere".Unfortunately, ever since he made that remark the Russian military build-up, far from slackening, has accelerated. § Sir Gilmour That remark shows the hon. Gentleman in his true colours. The Americans disarmed in the 1960s. 75 Therefore, if we take Mr. Brezhnev's words and actions in connection, which is plainly right, there is only one possible conclusion—that detente has not materialised and it cannot materialise until the Russians stop seeking military domination in Europe and stop their imperialistic incursions into Africa. In taking that view I am not being controversial, I am merely taking the words of Mr. Brezhnev at their face value. On the Benches opposite there is a common belief that disarmament negotiations are good in themselves. That, of course, is a delusion. Disarmament negotiations can be judged only by their results. Moreover, the SALT talks—or rather the situation which brought them about—carry great dangers for Europe. During the past 15 years there has been a great deal of talk about arms control and disarmament and there have been a number of agreements on these matters, but the sad fact is that during those 15 years the military balance has changed drastically in favour of the Russians. About 15 years ago the United States dismantled all its medium-range missiles which were stationed in Europe; it decided to employ no more intercontinental missiles; and it cut back its medium-range bombers. On the other hand, the Soviet Union kept most of its medium-range weapons, while at the same time it built up its mammoth intercontinental armoury of missiles. In the 1960s American restraint was not reciprocated by Russian restraint and in the 1970s there is no reason to suppose that unilateral restraint or disarmament by the West will have any effect other than to encourage the Russions to go on adding to their armaments. Certainly for the European members of NATO the situation is just about as serious as it could be. Mr. Brezhnev is now deploying against Europe a wide range of nuclear weapons which are excluded from the SALT negotiation. He is doing so when the Soviet Union already has a pronounced numerical advantage in such continental nuclear forces. The most formidable of these weapons is the SS20 missile with its multiple nuclear warheads, which has the range to hit every city in Europe. The 76 Russians also have the long-range bomber—the "Backfire"—and the fighter bomber—the "Fencer". As the German Chancellor said in London last year,SALT neutralises the strategic nuclear capabilities of the United States and the Soviet Union. In Europe this magnifies the significance of the disparaties between East and West as regards nuclear tactical and conventional weapons.Herr Schmidt went on:Confined to the United States and the Soviet Union, strategic arms limitation would be bound to impair the security of Western European members of the alliance vis-à-vis Soviet military superiority in Europe, if we did not succeed in removing the disparities in Europe parallel to the SALT negotiation.It does seem that the British Government have been remarkably supine in these matters. While the new Soviet continental missiles which threaten Europe and are suitable for a surprise attack have been excluded from SALT, the cruise missile, which is not suitable for a surprise attack, has been included. There are evidently to be restrictions on its range and there may even be a prohibition on the transfer of cruise missile technology by the United States to its European partners. All this is contrary to British and European interests. But a weak British Government with a large number of far Left-wing supporters is incapable of taking sensible action. Faced with the history of the past 15 years, with the dangerous preponderance of Russian nuclear power in Europe, and with Russia continuing a vast military buildup, there is one course which should have been absolutely unthinkable to anyone interested in British security and the security of the West. That is unilateral disarmament by the West. Indeed, even the Secretary of State at last seems to have realised that fact. I hope that that means that he will be supporting our amendment tomorrow night. He said on 24th January,I am absolutely certain that if we were making unilateral reductions in defence there would be no incentive for others to seek a multilateral agreement."—[Official Report, 24th January 1978; Vol. 942, c. 1156.]Once again amnesia has struck the Secretary of State. He has forgotten that unilateral reductions in defence are just what his Government have been making for four years. Those unilateral reductions have, of course, 77 removed the incentive for others to seek a multilateral agreement. Indeed, having said that, he went on to boast on the same day,In real terms the defence budget that I shall be presenting later this year is the lowest to be presented by this Government. "—[Official Report, 24th January 1978; Vol. 942, c. 1158.]How those two statements can be reconciled is a matter for a psychiatrist, not for me. "The disparities in Europe" referred to by the German Chancellor, and, caused, as he said, by Soviet military superiority in Europe, certainly will not he removed by unilateral disarmament by the West. They will be removed only by general disarmament or by the West improving its own forces. And since the Russians have shown no signs of agreeing to the principle of parity in Europe, which would obviously be the best solution, the West has no alternative but to strengthen itself. One way of doing that is to deploy the enhanced radiation weapon, the so-called neutron bomb. I agree with the Secretary of State tot Defence on this point, because not since the hullaballoo over the allegations of germ warfare in Korea has so much pseudo-humanitarian piffle been talked about any subject as has been spewed out recently over the neutron weapon. This weapon is very much less powerful than SS20 and other Russian missiles which threaten all European cities. It is said to be 20,000 times less powerful than some of the Russian weapons. It is essentially a defensive weapon, since it is designed to break up heavy concentrations of invading tank forces. Moreover, because of its limited area of destruction, it does not kill innocent civilians far away from the explosion. For some very strange reason, this is said to make it a uniquely horrible weapon, and its critics would apparently prefer the West to continue to rely on old tactical nuclear weapons which would destroy large numbers of women and children and devastate a wide area. Just why it is particularly cruel to devise a weapon, which avoids the slaughter of women and children and does not lay waste vast tracts of land and city, has not yet been explained in the propaganda barrage that has been fired off by the Soviet Union. § Mr. Litterick Will the right hon. Gentleman tell the House of any weapon, whether it be a hand gun or a hydrogen bomb, that does not destroy and will not continue to destroy men, women and children simply because it is used? There is no weapon that will not have that effect. § Sir I Gilmour I am grateful to the hon. Member. That was the point I was seeking to make—namely, that there is nothing unique about the enhanced radiation weapon. The critics of the neutron weapon also claim that its introduction will lower the nuclear threshold, the argument apparently being that, because of its efficiency, the West is more likely to have the courage to use it than it would to use its old inefficient nuclear weapons. But that, too, is an untenable argument. What would lower the nuclear threshold is the outbreak of war in Europe. Any attack by the Russians, even one with only conventional forces, would lower the nuclear threshold and therefore anything that deters such an attack raises that threshold. Since the weapon would, if used, be likely to fall on their soil, the Germans can hardly be expected to take a strong lead on this matter. That should have come from Britain. The right hon. Gentleman said that no decisions had been taken. Why not? Because we know that this matter has been on the table for months. The Supreme Allied Commander has said that there is a clear military requirement for it. This inaction is because we have a paralysed Government who have done nothing. § Mr. Mulley The right hon. Gentleman should realise that we are members of an Alliance and that discussions are taking place within that Alliance. He should also appreciate that a number of countries must have time to consider these important matters. Therefore I do not think it would be right for individual countries, as he would wish, to shoot off about the matter. That would be a most irresponsible course of action. § Sir. I. Gilmour I believe that both the Americans and the Germans would have been extremely grateful for a lead from Her Majesty's Government. But they did not get it. 79 What is clear—I hope that the right hon. Gentleman agrees with me on this point—is that if the European countries allow themselves to be scared by the Russians into renouncing this weapon without securing genuine reciprocal concessions, that will continue a resounding victory for the Warsaw Pact. Of course the neutron weapon will not obviate the need to build up NATO's conventional forces. That, too, must be done, only if the Soviet Union sees that her attempt to tip the military balance in her favour is not going to succeed will she abandon the attempt and agree to reduce her forces, and only then will Western Europe be secure. Weakness does not produce security. This Government are weak and they have weakened this country. They have harmed NATO, and they have lessened the prospects of international disarmament. They have damaged our defences and the Armed Services. They cannot now undo that damage. They cannot now regain the confidence of the Services or the confidence of our allies. Only a Government who give defence its proper priority can do that. The Conservative Government will pay our Service men properly. They will restore their status. They will foster their morale. They will see that Service men have enough good equipment, fuel, ammunition and spares with which to fight and train. They will deal honestly and fairly with our allies. Only a stronger Britain in a stronger NATO can bring security to Europe. Only a Conservative Government can begin to achieve those things. I ask the House to reject the Government's motion and to support our amendment. § 5.45 p.m. § Mr. Frank Allaun (Salford, East) Although it has not been called, I wish to support the view contained in the amendment signed by 75 hon. Members. Our amendment would leave out from 'House' to the end of the motion and add'declines to take note of the White Paper because it provides for a real increase in arms spending, which will heighten world tension, divert resources urgently required for social needs, and contravenes Her Majesty's Government's election pledge to reduce military expenditure; urges the Government to give active 80 support to the proposals of the Lucas Aerospace and Vicker workers for deployment to alternative socially useful products; and reaffirms Labour's commitment not to proceed to a new generation of nuclear weapons.'The arms race is getting out of control. It is like a coach taking mankind towards the precipice. Instead of applying the brakes, the drivers are accelerating. There are fine words in the defence White Paper about the Government's disarmament proposals. They will remain little other than hypocrisy so long as the accompanying policy is to increase arms spending and develop new weaponry. That is a strange way to achieve disarmament and peace. The deeds contradict the words. In the Government's expenditure plans for the next three years, just published, defence shows the largest increase for any Service. In that period annual arms spending is planned to rise by £371 million at constant prices. God knows what that increase will mean in terms of inflation. Of course we all want multilateral disarmament. But what hope is there of achieving it if we move in the opposite direction by increasing military preparations? As for the Conservative Opposition, their policies are still more dangerous. Their leaders bang the war drum more loudly still. I wish now to make my main point. The White Paper makes much of Soviet military strength—which I like no more than American or any other military strength. But the threat to humanity is not the possibility of a Russian invasion. It is the arms race itself that is taking us all towards a nuclear war. As the American C. Wright Mills said:The immediate cause of World War 3 is the preparation for it.The greatest task of our time is to stop it. We are being brainwashed by the war hawks who oppose detente and demand still greater arms spending When either East or West increases its military expenditure, it provides the other side with an excuse for expanding its expenditure. The wild men have joined theSoviet Threat of the Month Clubat the Pentagon, as Art Buchwald of the International Herald Tribune puts it. Each month they come up with a new Russian threat to justify spending more money on arms. 81 Some years ago, the Pentagon invented the missile gap, showing that they were behind the Warsaw Pact in nuclear missiles. That was in order to justify still greater American war preparations. Later, when Congress approval had been obtained, it transpired that the missile gap was a myth. It was America which produced the first atomic bombs, the first hydrogen bombs and the first Polaris and it is America which is now developing the first cruise, MX and neutron weapons. In each case, the Soviet Union has followed suit and no doubt will do so again if we are foolish enough to proceed to new horrors. But, I repeat, it is the West which has been the pacemaker in the arms race. The initiative has come mainly from the Pentagon. If militarists hold that we can negotiate only from superior military strength, they can hardly blame the Russians for using the same argument. § Mr. Nicholas Fairbairn (Kinross and West Perthshire) Does the hon. Gentleman imagine that the Russians were not trying to develop these weapons and would not have done so but for the West? Does he argue that there is any likelihood of the West starting a war on purpose? Lastly, does he think that there is no chance of the Russians starting a war on purpose? § Mr. Allaun The hon. and learned Member is dodging the point. The point is that he and his hon. Friends blame the Russians for making the running. Therefore, they say, we have to spend more money on arms. I am showing—and he has not answered the point—that, ever since 1945, it is the Americans who have forced the pace. I see no reason for departing from the Labour Party's, and indeed the Government's, pledge to cut arms expenditure to the same proportion of gross national product as that of the other European NATO countries. Instead, we are increasing it in real terms, next year and subsequently. The White Paper makes no decision about the 3 per cent. limit applying for more than two years, yet everyone knows that the insatiable Dr. Luns of NATO has demanded it for each of five years. Having given way for two years, who expects the Government then to change course—unless we can make them do so, 82 as I hope we can? We can only imagine what a gift of an argument is provided to the more hawkish of those in the Kremlin when NATO increases its arms spending by 15 per cent. in five years. I am distinctly unenthusiastic about the military strength of Russia or any other country. In some weapons, the Warsaw Pact exceeds the capacity of NATO. However, in most weapons, as American and neutral sources testify, NATO is far more powerful. For example, NATO has 18 aircraft carriers to Russia's one. The same dominance applies to the new weapons such as the cruise and MX missiles and the neutron bomb. As for manpower, according to the Institute of Strategic Studies—hardly a Communist institution—the Warsaw Pact countries have 4.7 million men in military service, and the NATO countries have 4.8 million. According to the same source, military expenditure by the West exceeds that of the East. In any case, both sides have enough nuclears to devastate their so-called enemies several times over. I am sick to death of the daily propaganda for more arms spending. As Sean McBride, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has said,We should remember that the arms lobby is perhaps the best organised lobby in the world.Let me give one or two examples. There have recently been at least seven major television programmes pressing the argument for greater NATO spending. Consider the articles in The Daily Telegraph—I sleep with it under my pillow. Of the first 279 issues last year, no fewer than 67 contained an article or leader attacking Russia or demanding more military preparations. That was on the leader page, the editorial page, alone. § Mr. Onslow I shall not ask the hon. Gentleman, because if: would embarrass him, whether he can give the comparable figures for Pravda and Izvestia, although I dare say there has been a fairly regular flow of articles attacking the West in those journals. However, if he were to try to make the point in reverse in any public forum in Russia, he would almost certainly land in a lunatic asylum. § Mr. Allaun Unfortunately, I cannot read Russian, but it seems probable to 83 me that similar propaganda is being issued in Russia. But that is no justification for our doing a dangerous thing. I have just read a pamphlet written for the Air League by Sir Neil Cameron, Chief of the Defence Staff and Marshal of the RAF. A more tendentious and biased piece of propaganda it would be hard to find. It talks ad nauseam about the alleged Soviet military threat and the threat to the political values of the West. Military officers, like senior civil servants, are supposed to keep quiet in public about their political views. If a civil servant had breached the rules as Sir Neil has done, he would have been reprimanded or sacked. I would also mention that dubious body—where its money comes from is not revealed—the Foreign Affairs Research Institute, which publishes a weekly diatribe against Russia written by Right-wing extremists. What is the aim of all this propaganda but to destroy detente, increase arms spending and bend men's minds to accept a third world war? I appeal to hon. Members not to play that game. Fortunately, the anti-war ranks are beginning to emerge and grow. The Labour Party stands firm on its policy. The two-million-strong Transport and General Workers Union not only carried the policy at its biennial conference in July but also specially printed its lengthy resolution in the form of a 12-page pamphlet, similar in its line to that of the Labour Party's important book "Sense About Defence". I am happy to add that Moss Evans, the union's new General Secretary, actively supports that policy. Then there are the Churches. Although I am not a Catholic, perhaps I might draw Members' attention to the current campaign by the Catholic bishops. In a joint pastoral letter read in all churches on 29th January this year, the bishops of England and Wales called for international disarmament. They declared:Unless we bring about disarmament … we may well be bearing some moral responsibility for allowing the most terrible and overwhelming violence of nuclear war to become possible.That letter, marking Peace Sunday, followed the publication of Pope Paul's New year message entitled: 84No to Violence; Yes to Peace".The front page headline in the Catholic Universe for 27th January read:Disarmament—Act Now, say BishopsAnother item in the same issue states:50,000 urge MP to vote for arms cut Canon Carson, administrator of Middles-borough Cathedral, has urged parishioners to write their local MP urging him—note the words—to vote for a cut in arms spending.That is precisely our demand. I regard this drive by the Catholic Church and by other Churches as of vital importance and of great encouragement. The Labour Government must listen. I have no love for the Kremlin, but the Government must take seriously the recent proposal by Mr. Brezhnev to stop the production of new weapons of mass destruction and then to reduce them. "Our policy", he declares,is aimed at ending the arms race.So far it has produced no response at all—just complete silence. It may be that Mr. Brezhnev is bluffing. Then put his offer to the test by serious negotiations with him. The British disarmament proposals for the United Nations Special Session on Disarmament in May would be praiseworthy if, at the very same time, we were not increasing our arms spending, supporting the neutron bomb and proceeding with preliminary research into a medium-range missile of the cruise type, or at least the components for it, as the Secretary of State admitted to me in a recent parliamentary reply, to be found in columns 471 and 472 of the Official Report of 23rd January. How can he expect the Warsaw Pact Governments to regard our proposals as sincere or credible? So we must give an earnest of our good intentions by reducing arms spending, as the Government have pledged to do. We ask the Labour Government to follow the policy of the Labour Party and, indeed, their own election commitments and to succumb no longer to the myths and pressures of the men of war. § 6.2 p.m. § Mr. Hugh Fraser (Stafford and Stone) It is always interesting to follow in debate the hon. Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun), who pursues his line with considerable consistency. But if he looks 85 at recent events he will find that the Power which has been holding up disarmament has undoubtedly been the Soviet Union. The pilgrimage from Helsinki to Belgrade has been a pilgrimage of disgrace. The Vienna talks, having gone on for four and a half years, have ended in no results at all. The SALT agreements look like failing. I wish that the Catholic bishops—I am a Roman Catholic—read a little more of Mr. Suslov's pleas for a continuation of anti-Christian world revolution. Who is taking action against peace in the world today? Who is taking action in Africa? Who is taking action against Catholics in Angola and in Mozambique? Who is taking action against Christians in Ethiopia and a few in Somalia? It is the Russians and the Cubans. I hope that some of my bishops will pay attention to those events, too. Events in the world today reduce the White Paper to pitiable proportions. Not since the 1930s has the world been at greater risk of war. That is the level of debate that we should endeavour to pursue during these two days. It is unnecessary for me to compare this White Paper with other White Papers. The trouble is that British Government White Papers never take into proper consideration the defence programme for at least five years. Government after Government produce defence programmes which in the following year are cut. I hope that right hon. and hon. Members on both Front Benches will pay more attention to the American statement on defence which covers a five-year budget. Without a five-year defence budget, it is no wonder that the defence forces are in disarray and are discontented. Year after year Governments have cut what they promised to spend on the Armed Forces. Unless we have a proper five-year budget, the Armed Forces will always get hit and be put to the bottom of the Treasury queue. I believe that this is an election year White Paper. Apparently, everything is well. It reminds me of the unfortunate Marshal Bazaine who, on the day before the French Army was routed and destroyed at Sedan, reported to Napoleon III "All is well, Imperial Majesty, down to the last trouser button". That is the kind of White Paper that we have today. 86 I believe that matters of defence are so serious that we need a five-year period of control of defence expenditure. Therefore, we need a Select Committee on Defence which remains in permanent session. If we merely have odd days to debate defence and Questions which are always parried by Ministers—I have been a Minister in the past—we shall get no continuity. The House and the Armed Forces need, but have not had, such continuity. I do not want to speak for long about the threat, but it is bad for four reasons. First, the threat is worse today than it has ever been because of the failure of the disarmament conferences. Secondly, the threat is worse today than it has ever been because of the increase in military forces by the Soviet Union. The other two factors, which are not referred to in the White Paper, because it takes a very narrow view of the issue, are as dangerous as any. I refer to the fact that stability in Western Europe and the power of the nuclear bomb and its use have completely changed over the last 15 years. Peace in Europe has, in the past, depended on two major facts. The first is that on each side of the Iron Curtain there was stability. It may have been a horrible, revolting, ghastly stability on the eastern side of the frontier, but on our side there was comparative stability. However, today that stability is in the balance. Already there are signs of instability in Eastern Germany. Great changes are taking place in Western Europe. There is Euro-Communism and all the other movements, changes in constitutions, and there is no longer the certainty of stability in Yugoslavia. The second great change is that, whether it be a new tactical nuclear weapon—what used to be called the Davy Crockett bomb, the airborne carried bomb or the neutron bomb—such weapons are under the lock and key of American Forces. But the Americans are losing some of the enthusiams that they used to have for fear of possibly bursting a nuclear holocaust upon their own people by protecting Europe with nuclear weapons. It is time that this House and the Defence Department admitted that there is that change and adjusted their policies accordingly. 87 I used to be Secretary of State for Air. I recall the war games and TEWTs with tactical nuclear bombs being thrown in. They never made much sense. These are now nonsense concepts because there is no certainty that tactical nuclear weapons will be used. We need a totally new look at defence. For nearly 30 years we have been pursuing the same policies and producing much the same sort of White Paper. Is it not now time to take into consideration the various changes that have come upon Europe and upon the tactics and technicalities of defence in the last third of the century? There are a number of matters that must be faced and dealt with by the House, whatever party is in power. We must review what our real commitments are and what they should be. It is clear from the report by Mr. Brown, the United States Secretary of Defence, that a struggle is developing—not the famous battle for Europe, but a struggle for finite raw materials throughout the Western world. This is a development on which we should have a policy. We must bear in mind that the great set battle of the Rhine Army may not take place. Has the Secretary of State noticed that in the last three years three more Russian airborne divisions have been established and that the air fleet has been increased to 2,000 uncommitted transport planes? Yet, in the face of this, there are no proposals for the defence of this country in the event of war. It must be known to the Secretary of State that NATO is not committed to the defence of this country with ground forces any more than it is committed to the defence of the territory of France. The next question that we have to decide is what we should afford to spend on defence. There has been much talk about proportions of our gross domestic product, but this is one of the most absurd concepts I have ever heard. For all we know, some hon. Members opposite may come to power and bring about the dream of Nebuchadnezzar so that the population is eating grass. What would our gross domestic product be then? The level of defence should be the level of military need and that means that we must spend roughly the same per 88 capita as is spent by the Norwegians and the French. If I may have the attention of my colleagues on the Opposition Front Bench, let me point out to them that this would mean increasing our defence expenditure between £1,200 million and £1,400 million. That is a minimum requirement. The next question to be considered is manpower. If there is no certainty about the use of tactical nuclear weapons, there must be a revision of manpower requirements. When the red light starts winking and the danger signals go on, the Prime Minister will have to decide whether to send 70 per cent. of our reserves to Rhine Army or whether to hold them back. Does he leave this country with 50,000 reservists and send our forces to Rhine Army or does he betray Rhine Army? It is an almost insoluble question, but. unless we have more forces, the Prime Minister may be faced with having to make that decision. A Select Committee must look into the numbers that are required. I believe that that it would find that even on the basis of only our present commitments there should be 220,000 effective soldiers instead of our present 160,000, and 300,000 men on reserve instead of our present 130,000—which is only about half of the numbers available to France and only one-third or one-quarter of those on call in Germany. These forces cannot be produced by a voluntary system. Such reserves could not be produced by a return to the old-fashioned Home Guard or the Territorial Army because it takes a year to train a man in the use of precision weapons. The House must look again at some form of National Service. That is why it is important that we should set up a permanent all-party Committee to review the position of our forces. Of course, many people will oppose National Service, including industrialists, many politicians, school teachers, and so on. But many young men would prefer to be in the Armed Forces than in the dustbins portrayed in advertisements by the Manpower Services Commission. When we consider how much money is being wasted in the creation of non-existent jobs—and it totals nearly £1,000 million—this is a question which must be considered. There is something to be said for the young regarding the State not just a a machine which, on call, will 89 produce assistance to its citizens, but as an entity to which its citizens have an obligation. These are matters for the House to consider. I warn hon. Members that seldom before has the world situation been more dangerous and there has never been a greater need for the House to study these matters. Today, we cannot rely on suddenly putting things right in an emergency. The House must consider these matters because the situation could get much worse in the next few years. It takes eight years to bring modern weapons into service and about 18 months to establish cadres. It takes more than a year to train men in precision weapons. As Mr. Brown rightly said, it is a myth to believe that defects can be put right quickly. It will fall to the Conservative Party when it wins the next General Election to ensure that these improvements are brought into effect and it is for the House to ensure that a permanent Select Committee is established to keep the Government of the day up to the mark in maintaining the defences of our country. § 6.19 p.m. § Mr. J. P. W. Mallalieu (Huddersfield, East) A sensible suggestion about defence debates was made recently in another place. It was that we should split the debates into two. One would deal with defence policy, along the lines taken by the right hon. Member for Stafford and Stone (Mr. Fraser), and dealing with our commitments, the possible imminence of any threat, the adequacy of our expenditure and the extent to which that was threatening our economic welfare. I agree with some of the comments of the right hon. Member for Stafford and Stone, but I profoundly disagree with his suggestion of a return to National Service. I am surprised that among the people that he listed as opponents of the idea he did not include the Armed Forces. In my experience, they do not want National Service. The second half of the debate on defence would deal with welfare. It would deal with the conditions under which our Service men and women work, live and operate. It would deal with their quarters, recreational facilities, opportunities for promotion and for accompanied service. It would also deal with Service pay and food. I hope that 90 the Govermnent and the House will consider that suggestion. If they do not we shall continue to have confused debates I am aware that policy and Service welfare cannot be separated entirely. If conditions are not good we shall not achieve the recruitment that is needed and that will have an effect on the total size of the forces. However, defence policy and defence welfare are sufficiently distnguishable and sufficiently important to merit separate consideration by the House. I shall deal exclusively with the second half of the defence debate—welfare. Usually I do not consider important much of what I read in The Daily Telegraph. It always seems to be a Poujadiste fun sheet—a type of Private Eye for the lower middle classes. Nor have I been all that impressed with the kind of stuff that I have heard for the last three years from the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir I. Gilmour). I have often thought that his speeches contain too much flippancy and trivia. He and The Daily Telegraph spread the stupid myth that the Labour Party, the Labour movement and the Labour Government do not care about defence and Service men. I thought that that did not really matter because no one took any notice, until I read of an incident which took place only a few weeks ago. That was the extraordinary and shocking performance by senior officers in the Army at the Adjutant-General's meeting who stamped their feet, heckled and booed their own Service Minister. § Mr. Mallalieu It was the most shocking thing that I have heard of, except for the performance of the police when, as we saw on television, they hurled abuse and hammered on the Home Secretary's car, exactly like the half drunken hooligans at football grounds whom they are supposed to keep in check. The hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Wiggin) said that it was not surprising that senior officers should behave in this way. I now think that he is right. It is not surprising if they believe the mischievous stuff that is put about on the Government's attitude to the Armed Forces. I know a great deal more about the Labour Party's attitude to the Forces of the Crown than the hon. 91 Member. I know a great deal more about the history, conditions and treatment of Service men during the past 30 or 40 years. § Mr. Wiggin I am not surprised at the behaviour of the officers, although I do not condone it. Who can blame them when their own Minister stands in the Grunwick picket line? That is the example that they were following. § Mr. Mallalieu It was not. They were booing their Army Minister who was telling them that they, like everyone else, must be prepared to accept some restriction on pay. It was a most discreditable incident. I said that I knew more about the history of the treatment of Service men than the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare. In order to justify that statement I shall go back to the first Service debate in which I took part 33 years ago. I do not have Hansard with me, but I have a book by Hannen Swaffer entitled "What Would Nelson Do?" It was partly written by George Hutchinson, who was, until recently, one of The Times columnists. The book comprises a series of interviews with long-serving Service men. It tells of their experiences and of their complaints about treatment, pay and conditions before the war. The Labour Party could not possibly be held responsible for that period. The book contains a quote from a good friend of mine who used to be a Conservative Member of Parliament, Commander Noble. When referring to the conditions suffered by Service men he quoted an old and bitter piece of verse:God and our soldiers we adore,When danger threatens;not before.That was true in all the years before the war. In this first debate when the war was over many young and new hon. Members who had been in the Services and who knew about the conditions came to the House and protested. I remember telling the House of some of the conditions that I had experienced. Some of them were rather trivial. I talked about the recreational facilities at Scapa when the Fleet came in. Those facilities comprised two tin huts, one of which was full of smoke, broken glasses and totally undrinkable 92 beer. The other was an alleged cinema with two projectors. When one projector was on we could see and when the other was on we could hear. If we wanted to know what the film was about, we had to go in twice. I remember talking of the conditions in the barracks where the hammocks were wedged so closely together that if one sneezed one was in danger of breaking the rib of the man in the next hammock. I told the House of being sent to the Arctic with an open gun shield. Not only did the guns freeze, but so did the men. Those were the sort of conditions that I was protesting about in that debate. Shortly afterwards I was followed by a colleague who had been through the war who said that the trouble with the Navy in the past had been that it was run by technicians who thought of getting good equipment but who never bothered about the men who were going to work it. He told the Admiralty very clearly that it had to change. That colleague is now the Prime Minister. At the end of the debate, after strong protests from all sides, we obtained from the Government a definite assurance that while Service men, particularly sailors at sea, could not expect to have the total comforts they would have at home, at least they had the right to be assured that they would have, in efficient ships, the most comfortable conditions possible. The Government gave the pledge that they would provide them. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister went from the Back Benches to the Admiralty as a junior Minister and began to carry out what he had been preaching below the Gangway. From that time on it has been firmly established that the living conditions and the comfort of the men who serve in our Armed Forces are to be of paramount importance. That goes for pay as well. I wish that this debate had been taking place in a week or two's time when we shall have had the results of the review. I do not know what those results will be, but I say to my right hon. and hon. Friends now, as I said to the then Ministers 30 years ago from roughly the same position in which I now stand, that although we and the Services know that they have to be bound by the same sort 93 of restrictions as apply to the rest of us, when it comes to pay increases there could well be a case for making Service men, or some of them, a very special case. I am thinking for the moment, not of my beloved Navy, but mainly of the Army fighting in Northern Ireland. Service men are not fighting an ordinary war there. They are fighting something infinitely worse. They are fighting a war in a civilian ambience. They do not know who their enemy is and they are subject to restrictions that in a conventional war Service men would not have to adhere to. They have to suffer all sorts of things that may be trivial to some of them but which to me are terrible. There is the appalling spectacle of ghastly kids in the streets throwing stones and hurling abuse. The soldiers stand there taking it, unable to do what I should like to do, which is to beat the living daylights out of them. Those people are due for treatment as a special case. I believe that everyone in the Services has the right to expect at least the same treatment as is being offered to the firemen, that is, a commitment that at a future date the anomalies will be put right and the present lack of comparability corrected. I very much hope that the Government will do that. As we have seen, there are people in my party who wish to see defence expenditure cut. Year after year my hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun) makes a speech. We can usually take it as read, and I wish sometimes that we did. But my hon. Friend and his colleagues have always said that, while they want defence expenditure to be reduced, they do not want that reduction to be made at the expense of the men and women in the Armed Forces. My hon. Friend is a gallant fighter against slums and a gallant fighter for better housing. That fight he carries on not only for civilians but for the people in the Armed Forces. Those of us who experienced the Forces—all the older ones—have never forgotten it. We have remained absolutely determined that the men in the Armed Forces shall receive the proper treatment that is their due. We have not only made sure that we continue to remember it; we have made sure that our younger colleagues remember it, too. 94 I believe that the pressures we began to exert in 1945 have on the whole been successful. I shall not be so ignorant or so mean-minded as to suggest that all the improvements that have taken place compared with before the war have been due to the Labour Government. I know that is not true. I know that we put on the pressure because our Government were in power, but I know that that pressure has been carried through to the present day. I should like to recall one more event from long ago. This is probably the last speech on defence that I shall ever make in this House and I should like to finish it with the same words as I used to finish my first speech on defence all those years ago. I said:To this Labour Government"—this was early in 1946—I would say they ought, by now, to be establishing, as a fundamental principle, that in any undertaking the human beings who take part should be a first charge. Putting my appeal more widely,"—I carried on—I would say to every Member of this House who has ever been in any of the Services that we ought to insist that this Government and its successors shall see to it that the seamen of Britain, of whom everyone is so proud, shall be allowed to live and shall be treated as human beings."—[Official Report, 3rd April 1946; Vol. 421, c. 1280.]Those were my last words in my first speech on defence. I think they were jolly good words, and I add to them only that besides seamen I am talking about airmen and soldiers. I am glad to have played some part in seeing that those words were fulfilled, and I am proud as a Member of the House of Commons to realise that people of all parties have gone out of their way consistently over the past 30 years, in spite of the stupid and mischievous sneers that have sometimes been made against my side of the House, to make sure that Service men and women in their undertaking are a first charge. § 6.40 p.m. § Colonel Sir Harwood Harrison (Eye) I shall not follow up the speech made 30 years ago by the hon. Member for Hud-dersfield, East (Mr. Mallalieu). I am afraid that I was not a Member of the House at that time. I have now heard bits of that speech, and it sounds as though it was very good. 95 I think that it is fair to say that this year's White Paper contain little that is new. That is not necessarily a criticism, as it is only three years since we had a major defence review, and frequent upheavals are not good for the Forces, nor for the morale of Service men. Stability in defence policy can, therefore, be valuable in its own right. However, we cannot afford to ignore political and military developments in the rest of the world. We can judge the effectiveness and the capability of our Armed Forces only against the threat that they are designed to confront. It is worth noticing in this context the wording of the White Paper itself, which speaks of the capability of the Warsaw Pact forces as "formidable and growing". The White Paper goes on to warn us that Soviet forces have been strengthened both qualitatively and quantitativelyon a scale which goes well beyond the need of any purely defensive posture.I have heard it said by a high-ranking officer that the country that arms itself beyond what is required for its defence sooner or later likes to exercise that power. That is a very sobering thought. I can see nothing in this White Paper which says what we shall do to counteract the Soviet threat. There have been criticisms in some quarters of the Government's decision to include the French Atlantic fleet and French forces stationed in West Germany in the assessment of the current military balance. I do not see anything objectionable or sinister about this. Certainly the Government have made no secret of this device. It is clearly signposted both in the text of the White Paper and in its footnotes. In my view, there is a good case for counting the French forces, which, whilst not formally committed to NATO's integrated military command structure, could reasonably be expected to support the Alliance in the event of Soviet aggression. Indeed, it might be argued that the French would be rather more loyal and reliable partners than some of the Soviet satellite countries in the Warsaw Pact. However, even allowing for that, it is worth noting that the imbalance in favour of the Warsaw Pact in artillery, tanks and tactical aircraft is of the fantastic order of 2½:1 in each case. 96 The White Paper sees particular cause for concern in two developments over recent years: the state of readiness of the Warsaw Pact forces, and the introduction of a range of sophisticated new equipment, including new classes of missile-carrying submarine, the Backfire bomber and the Kiev class of aircraft carrier. Soviet ground forces have received new tanks and helicopters and a range of advanced missiles, but it is perhaps the question of comparative readiness of NATO and Warsaw Pact forces that gives the most cause for anxiety. The White Paper stresses the improvements that the Warsaw Pact forces have made in the last two or three years in their capability to move men and equipment forward to the front line in large numbers. My own Sub-Committee—the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee—also drew attention to this worrying trend in our report on reserves and reinforcements, which was mentioned earlier and published last summer. In that report we pointed out the difficulty of getting our reserves to take their place in the front line before war is actually declared. We are always told, whenever we ask any official from the Ministry of Defence, that there will be a time of tension and that it will be long enough to get our reserves, which include the TAVR, to the front line and to their battle positions in time. Many assumptions have been made on this basis of their getting there. We expressed our anxiety at the Warsaw Pact's increasing potential for delivering a surprise attack without the normal preparatory warning signs of large troop movements. We reported that the Ministry of Defence has contingency plans for meeting such a surprise attack, although for obvious reasons we did not elaborate further. However, I hope that tonight the Minister, at least within the limitations of security, will assure the House that the counter measures to deal with a surprise attack are constantly reviewed to match the Warsaw Pact's enhanced capabilities. I think that this is most important. Perhaps the Minister could say a little more about how the Government intend to fulfil the undertaking made last May at the meeting of NATO Heads of Government to improve the readiness 97 and reinforcement capability of the Alliance. These matters are absolutely crucial, since it is only by maintaining a strong and, above all, credible conventional deterrent posture that we can keep the nuclear threshold high. Nor is it necessary to believe that an attack will come tomorrow in order to view present developments seriously. For what will surely, more than anything else, make an attack on the West seem tempting is any sign by some of our allies that they have lost the political will to keep up their defences and to keep them in good order. I want to make one comment to everyone in the House and, through them, to everyone in the country, and that is to ask them if they will please recognise the invaluable task that all our Services are doing to keep the peace of the world. I ask that, when any man comes home on leave to his village or town, he should be congratulated by all who see him and should be told that it is because he is ready and is doing a good job, being armed and alert, that we are able to keep the peace of the world that we all desire. I turn to another aspect of the debate—expenditure on defence. In the Second Report of the Expenditure Committee of last Session, we criticised the Government for the succession of cuts in defence spending since the defence review and drew attention to the damaging cumulative effect that these cuts are having on the front-line capability of our Forces. Since then, in response to the call by NATO for measures to improve the defence of the Alliance, the Government have announced that spending on defence in 1979–80 will be increased by 3 per cent. in real terms compared with the figure for 1978–79. This announcement is welcome as far as it goes, but it is important for us to be clear about what it involves. In effect, even with this 3 per cent. increase over 1978–79, spending for 1979–80 will still be some £55 million less at constant 1977 prices than was orginally planned. In other words, before we get too carried away, we should remember that expenditure in 1979–80 will still be less than the figure for that year which resulted from the series of cuts that we criticised in our report last year. 98 Therefore, though I welcome the 3 per cent. increase, the Government must realise that they still have some way to go before they can claim to have restored our defences to their level of three years ago. Usually in the debate I like to say something briefly on the work of my Sub-Committee over the last year. Its main inquiry was on the subject of reserves and reinforcements, to which I have already referred. I do not wish to go over that again, important as it is, save to stress the importance which my Sub-Committee and I attach to the TAVR and the crucial necessity for it to arrive on the Continent in time to carry out its reinforcing role effectively. We have had the honour of inspecting some excellent units of the TAVR and we have been hoping to go, as a Committee, this week to the North-East in which area there are more TAVR units than anywhere else in England. I hope that this visit will only be deferred. I do not think that everyone realises his commitment. A boy may be ploughing a field one day of working in a factory or in an office, and a week later a frontline soldier. This is a new commitment and was not one which was accepted by the old Territorial Army. It is a rather frightening prospect. However, one very good aspect of all this is that those units which are marked for overseas service are getting very good equipment. They are getting equipment that is a great deal better than we got in 1939, as I know to my cost Nothing makes a unit better than receiving all the up-to-date equipment. I hope that we shall be able to transport it by air or sea to its allotted position. We have a longer passage by sea now because France is not in NATO and we cannot plan on the assumption that she will be with us. We sincerely hope that she will be, but we do not know at the moment. We now await the observations of the Minister of Defence on our report, which made some criticism of the call out and mobilisation procedures. My Sub-Committee will wish to examine the Ministry of Defence in some detail on these matters during the next couple of months. We shall also be visiting British forces in Germany during April and we 99 shall be interested to hear how the fighting units on the ground are coping with some of these problems. § Mr. Wiggin The report of my hon. and gallant Friend's Sub-Committee was published on 19th May 1977. Is it not reasonable to expect that the Ministry should by now have sent my hon. and gallant Friend a full and fair answer to the excellent points which his Sub-Committee made? § Sir H. Harrison One cannot always know the ways of Ministers and Departments. I was referring generally to one or two reports that we wish to see. There are reports on matters other than this one in particular. § Mr. Mulley In case hon. Members do not realise it, the reply has been sent already, and it is Cmnd. 7011. § Sir H. Harrison I thank the Secretary of State for coming to my aid. My Committee and I were concerned with the TAVR and very keen that the Prime Minister should lend his authority to the annual recruitment campaign by making a public statement of support for the role and importance of the TAVR. I was glad, therefore, to see such a statement made in a recent Written Answer. However, without wishing to sound grudging, I must say that I think that it would have been more effective and weighty, if there had been some expression of support by the Prime Minister in one of his many public speeches. I should like to summarise some of the other work of the Committee during the past year. We have visited regular and TAVR units in the West Country and we have seen the Military Vehicle Engineering Establishment at Chobham, and hope to make a short report to the House on the Chieftain tank engine. We have looked at the question of the joint training of Service men and now await—I think I am right in saying that we still await— § Sir H. Harrison I was not making a cheap jibe. I thanked the Secretary of State for coming to my rescue before, and I simply said that I thought we had not had a reply to this later report. We have also examined the implications for defence of the large commitment placed on us by the Foreign Office, which has taken us off our defence map. If I am left with anything in my mind, it is and it will always remain, the killing power of missiles. I would always support missiles more than anything else. I am very satisfied with the general morale of all our Services—or at least I should say that I was satisfied. But there has come into the question the devaluation of our money and what this means to the soldier's wife who may be abroad for the first time and not at home, and therefore at a loss to know how things should go. When pay is considered by the Ministers, they should make certain that what is given to Service men with one hand is not taken away with another in charging more for food, rent, and so on. In some cases last time a man was left with only 3p a day increase. I have seen some of the preparations that have taken place on our northern flank. I am sure that there is a great desire by countries such as Norway and Denmark to give a good account of themselves. As far as we are able, we must support them up to the hilt. We have some commandos going out and training in Norway and fraternising with the local people. I always feel that it would be a grave disaster if, when the war came, they were not sent out to this area where they have got to know the people and the land well, but sent instead to, say, North Africa—it may be very important—or somewhere else. The White Paper will be read, as usual, by our allies and our enemies. What worries me is that they will think, rightly, that the Government have been too complacent. What shall we do against increased Russian rearmament? The British people have a right to know the answer. They would be prepared to give us something if they knew that their way of life was to be more secure. § 7.0 p.m. § Mr. John Roper (Farnworth) It gives me great pleasure to follow in debate the hon. and gallant Member for Eye (Sir H. Harrison). Having served under his chairmanship of the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee since 1974, I know that he has always been a non-partisan Chairman. His work has been much appreciated. I thought that it was unfair of his right hon. Friend the Member for Stafford and Stone (Mr. Fraser) to suggest that we did not have a defence committee of this House. The hon. and gallant Member has done a great deal towards helping our understanding of defence matters. He knows that I have not always agreed with him on all matters, but I am grateful for the way in which he has conducted the affairs of the Sub-Committee. My hon. Friend the Member for Hud-dersfield, East (Mr. Mallalieu) said that his speech today may well be his last in a defence debate. The same is probably true of the hon. and gallant Member for Eyre. Both hon. Members will be missed in this House in future when we discuss defence matters. My hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield, East has left a heavy charge on those of us who may remain Members after the next General Election to continue the concern which he has shown for so long for the welfare of Service men and women. We shall do our best to follow the lead that he has given us. In all years we have a general problem in considering Defence Estimates because, as was said by the right hon. Member for Stafford and Stone, we are considering annual Estimates, but in any one year the freedom of decision open to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State or to any other Minister is extremely limited. We all know that for the most part decisions on defence expenditure made in the current year will have little effect, either for good or bad, in that year. They will have their impact in five years, 10 years or perhaps 15 years. That is why there are arguments, not necessarily irrefutable, in favour of publishing the long-term costings which are prepared in the Ministry of Defence so that we can consider them along with the annual defence White Paper. I should like to consider the White Paper in the longer-term context, looking 102 back over the past 10 years to 15 years and looking to decisions with which we shall be faced in the next 10 years to 15 years. After all the argument that has gone on today and in the past on defence expenditure, one of the most surprising things, if we look at expenditure in real terms, is that defence expenditure has been remarkably consistent over the past 10 years. Lord Winterbottom gave an interesting reply in the House of Lords just before Christmas showing that in real terms defence spending between 1969–70 and 1979–80 varied by little more than 2½ per cent., with a constant figure of about £6 billion in 1977 survey terms. It is extraordinary that there should have been such consistency over that decade. If we go back further, to the 1960s, we find a fairly flat period of spending except for the "gear change" about 1969–70 when there was a reduction of about 10 per cent. following the consequences of the last Labour Government's decision about east of Suez. We have had a consistency in the level of defence spending over about 10 years, but this has masked two important factors. One has been the increasing cost of new equipment and, therefore, its share in total defence costs and, as a necessary concomitant to that, the reduction in the number of men in the Armed Forces. The Navy is down from 100,000 men in 1960 to 75,000 men, while the figures for the Army show a reduction from 260,000 to 160,000, with the number in the Royal Air Force being virtually halved, from 165,000 to 85,000. This reduction—and this is not a party point—has proceeded fairly smoothly over a period during which both parties have been in power. The other factor which has occurred over this period when we have had stability in the level of real spending on defence has been the reorientation of our forces towards our NATO commitments. If we look at the period for which the Ministry of Defence has provided us with the functional analyses—unfortunately, these go back only to 1965 and in the first year, 1965–66, the functional analysis was somewhat rudimentary—we see, as in Annex B of the current White Paper, that our defence expenditure can be divided into two broad categories. The top half might be called the teeth of the defence budget. This takes about half of our 103 defence expenditure and includes such matters as the nuclear strategic force and the combat forces. The tail, or support services, make up the other half of defence expenditure. Again, if we look at the period since 1965, when expenditure has remained roughly constant in real terms, we see that the division between the top part, the teeth, and the bottom part, the tail, has remained, apparently reasonably constant. If we look at this matter in more detail we see that there have been significant changes over the 15 years which have important lessons for defence decisions in the future. As the recent and valuable study by the University of Aberdeen's centre for defence studies has shown, there have been considerable changes in the expenditure allocated to the various combat arms. This has been masked by the apparent constancy in total expenditure. We have seen the reorientation of the spending of our Armed Forces, moving from the world role which existed in the early 1960s to a role in which we are concentrating attention upon the NATO commitments of the North-East Atlantic and the central front. Expenditure on the Navy is taking roughly the same real resources today as in the mid-1960s. Those resources, instead of being spread world-wide, are now concentrated in the North-East Atlantic and are concerned with much more limited geographical responsibilities. We have been able to afford more expensive ships for our Navy in the North-East Atlantic because we have reduced the number of ships and we have also reduced the area we are trying to cover. This reorientation towards NATO can be seen even more clearly if we turn from the Navy to the Army's combat forces. Again, in real terms the resources allocated to what are described in Annex B as "European theatre ground forces" and "other Army combat forces" have remained broadly constant in real terms since the mid-1960s. The difference, however, is that in 1965–66 a third of the total expenditure on the Army was spent outside the United Kingdom and BAOR, whereas in Annex B we see that next year only 5 per cent. of our spending will be outside BAOR and the United Kingdom. 104 To put this proposition in another way, although the numbers in BAOR have remained the same since the mid-1960s, our spending to pay and equip the troops in BAOR has nearly doubled in real terms between 1965–66 and the date for the figures in the latest White Paper. There is an increase of about 70 per cent. Year by year, as a result of this increased spending in BAOR, we are packing a heavier punch in our forces in Central Europe. Also—I come now to the Royal Air Force—it has been possible here to spend more on the tactical air force in Central Europe because we have been able to reduce commitments in the rest of the world, and, in particular, we have taken out the significant expenditure on air mobility which was required in the late 1960s for our extra-European commitments. Again, looking at the long-term picture and casting our minds back to the mid-1960s, we see that our nuclear strategic force is now costing in real terms only one-quarter what it cost in the mid-1960s, but, before any debate begins about the replacement of that by another force, we have to realise that a new generation of nuclear weapons, if it were desired, would mean that there would once again have to be a considerable increase in our spending on the strategic nuclear force, and this would have to come either out of an overall increase of defence expenditure or out of one of the other arms. That also must be taken into account. The conclusion which I draw is that over the past 15 years, while maintaining the level of expenditure constant throughout this period, we have been able to concentrate resources effectively in the Navy in the North-East Atlantic and in the Army and the Royal Air Force in the central front. We have been able, as it were, to squeeze the other parts of the defence budget—the rest of the world—in order to provide a significant growth in the resources available for those two central NATO commitments. But that potential for increasing expenditure in our commitments to NATO has now disappeared. We cannot continue increasing the amount of money for BAOR by running down our commitments elsewhere in the world because 105 there are virtually no more commitments to run down. It will not be possible in the 1970s and 1980s to continue to increase, effectively, by 4 per cent. per annum in real terms the spending on BAOR as a result of saving money east of Suez and in the Gulf because there are no forces left to run down. This, therefore, presents us with a considerable problem over the next 10 to 15 years. It seems to me that if we are to be faced with ever more expensive technology and ever more sophisticated weapons—my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State referred to this in his speech—we are faced with a dilemma which can be solved in one of three ways. I shall deal with them in reverse order of desirability. First, we could agree that over the next decade the amount which we spent on defence would increase in real terms by about 40 per cent. to 50 per cent. That would be the implication of increasing by 4 per cent. per annum our defence spending over 10 years. That would be the implication if we were to continue over the next 10 years the sort of increase in real terms which we have given to BAOR over the past 10 years. But in the light of the remarkable constancy in defence expenditure which has occurred over the past 20 years, irrespective of party, that is something which I do not believe is likely to occur, even if there has been some increase offered in this White Paper. The second possible solution, it seems to me, would be a further re-examination of our current roles and commitments. I believe that this will require the most careful analysis within each of the Services and across the three Services, as well as with our NATO partners, of the implications for our tactical doctrine and for our organisation of the technological developments which have occurred in recent years. Clearly, this should be linked with an assessment of the implications for our defence posture of the current strategic assumptions about what length of war we expect, what sort of notice we expect, and so on. New technology, unfortunately, rarely saves money in defence. It certainly does not if all that is done when new technology comes along is to substitute more efficient weapons for old ones. It will be of value in leading us to make econo- 106 mies in the way in which we organise our Forces only if we are prepared to alter our doctrine and organisation to make the best use of it. That, in turn, will require awkward and uncomfortable re-examinations in all three Services. I remember that my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Williams) made some suggestions about that in the defence debate last year. I hope that my right hon. and hon. Friends will ensure that this awkward and uncomfortable re-examination of tactical doctrine and organisation is not inhibited by the bureaucratic inertia and inter-Service rivalry which are said on occasion to occur within the Ministry of Defence. Of course, that may be pure rumour and speculation, but I hope that my right hon. and hon. Friends will ensure that it does not occur. I hope that, when we consider the individual Services in the days after Easter devoted to them, we shall be able to pursue in rather more detail in each case the opportunities which may or may not exist in the future for taking advantage of technological developments to restructure and reorganise the missions and roles of the individual Services. I come now to the third solution. I believe that we ought to be able to resolve the problem of increased resources required for defence, and in the most direct and positive way, by reaching agreement on an effective multilateral disarmament measure. Admittedly, the prospects for such a disarmament agreement have not been enhanced by the lack of substantial progress at the Belgrade conference. Many of us were sorry that there was no progress, in particular, on aspects of confidence-building measures which might have provided a basis for some advance. But the fact that Belgrade has failed seems to me to make the need for renewed efforts, both at the United Nations special session on disarmament in May and June and in Vienna in the MBFR discussions, that much more important. I greatly welcome the proposals which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has put forward at the United Nations, but I believe that it is progress at the MBFR negotiations which is of critical importance for our defence commitments. I was glad to hear my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State say 107 that he hoped that there might be some progress on questions of defining force levels within the next few days. However, as Helmut Schmidt, in the speech quoted by the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir J. Gilmour), said last year when he was in London, with reference to the MBFR negotiations:For the first time in history, those negotiations are being conducted at a time when there exist weapons capable of destroying all living things. Unlike former times, failure of such negotiations can no longer be compensated by banking on military victory. That is why it is of such crucial importance that all should realise the seriousness of the Vienna negotiations, and that is why results must be achieved there.I am very impressed when I visit Bonn by the concern which the German Government and the Chancellor himself give to the negotiations in Vienna. I hope that the negotiations are being given as high a priority in Whitehall as they are being given in Bonn. Success in such negotiations and the obtaining of a properly controlled agreement would greatly increase stability in Europe while enabling us to make considerable savings on the Estimates which we are today considering. We know that success is difficult to achieve, but that must be as firm an objective of policy for our Government as is our commitment to a secure defence of Britain in the face of a growing threat. § Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Oscar Murton) It is only fair to the House to say that a large number of right hon. and hon. Members are desirous of taking part in this debate, and reasonable brevity would be helpful to all. § 7.19 p.m. § Mr. Julian Amery (Brighton, Pavilion) The hon. Member for Farn-worth (Mr. Roper) concluded by stressing the importance of reaching disarmament agreements. I think that the whole House would agree with him that if they are properly controlled and reciprocal there is everything to be said for going ahead with them. But over the door which leads into the main conference chamber of the Palace of Nations in Geneva are inscribed the words of Lord Robert Cecil: "Disarm or perish." Those words were 108 interpreted unilaterally between the wars. We disarmed, and we damned nearly perished, so this time let us be careful to see that it is a mutual and reciprocal process. The hon. Gentleman talked about defence expenditure over the next 10 years. I only hope that we have 10 years. I am not so sure. Having watched the defence scene from several posts in Whitehall, and having been in the House for more than 27 years, I have a feeling that we are getting very near, nearer than we have been at any time since the war, to the point of no return. My right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir I. Gilmour) put his finger on the problem when he said that the White Paper revealed a Maginot Line mentality. Of course, it is right that we should concentrate on the defence of Europe and the NATO area. That is where our life is at stake, where the immediate threat to our survival arises. Unless that line is held, there is nothing to be preserved. But the threat does not come only from the Warsaw Pact forces aligned against us in Europe. In the last war we faced the danger of invasion but the greatest danger came from the U-boat blockade. The oil crisis through which we have lived since 1973 should have taught us some lessons. It brought about not only serious social and economic dislocation in our countries but serious political and defence complications. The defence cuts made by this Government, cuts which we have been attacking, have been justified by and predicated upon the economic crisis resulting from the oil recession. The political developments in Italy and France also have, to some extent at least, their origin in that crisis. By and large, the producers of raw materials, whether the oil producers or the producers of minerals in Southern Africa, have been well disposed to the West. But suppose our sources of oil, on which every war machine as well as every industrial machine depends, and the minerals, on which our armaments industry as well as other sectors of our economy depend, were to fall into hostile hands. The supposition is not all that remarkable when one thinks that in Angola and 109 Mozambique the Soviets are within easy striking range of the minerals of Southern Africa, and in the Horn of Africa and Aden they are in easy reach of the oil of the Gulf. Suppose these sources of vital raw materials were to come into hostile hands. The survival of Europe, of Britain in particular and indeed of Japan, would be threatened. The Americans would be faced with great difficulties as well. There can be no doubt in anyone's mind that the takeover of those sources of raw materials is one of the options considered in Moscow as an aim of Soviet strategy. There has been plenty of evidence of that, and there has been recent testimony from the Head of State of a country which until November was a close ally of the Soviet Union with whom, along with my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford (Mr. Churchill), I had the opportunity to talk the other day. I refer to the President of Somalia, who told us—I have no reason to doubt the genuineness of what he said, and others better qualified than I who have also talked to him confirm this view—the plan which the Soviets put to him and in which they assigned to his country a particular role. The plan was this. In return for giving naval facilities to the Soviet Union, Somalia was to be active in destablishing and taking over Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia—that was before the Ethiopian revolution—and in helping to bring about what was called "Socialist" hegemony of the Horn of Africa. Following this, the Sudan and the two sources of the Nile would then be under Soviet control. The two sources would be brought together and Egypt would be destablished. Meanwhile, across the Red Sea, with the co-operation of Aden, a threat would be posed through Oman to the Gulf area and through North Yemen to Saudi Arabia. That was as much of the plan as the President was brought into formally. But he was also given to understand that the longer-range goal was the takeover by Soviet influence of Iran in the north and the South African minerals in the south. Let us face it. The process is already far advanced. The Soviets are firmly established in Angola, with their Cuban 110 satellites, and are building facilities in Mozambique. From these they are fomenting and guiding the guerrilla war against South-West Africa, Namibia, and against Rhodesia. There is no secret that at the end of the day they would like to put their hands on the raw materials of South Africa and the southern approaches to the Indian Ocean. All that is still in the realm of guerrilla war, but in the Horn of Africa we have been witnessing large scale military operations. It is pretty certain that unless drastic steps are taken in the next few weeks the Soviets will gain control of the northern approaches to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf, and in addition, through Ethiopia, the two sources of the Nile through the Sudan and Egypt. The White Paper has almost nothing to say on this subject. The Secretary of State mentioned it in passing, and paragraph 121 of the White Paper contains the following statement:Beyond Europe recent developments in Africa, for example, have shown that the Soviet Union is ready and able to deploy military resources rapidly in support of its political interests in the Third World".It is right to pay tribute to the capability of the Soviet Union. Certainly, I do. The operations into Angola and into Ethiopia have been remarkably well conducted and very daring. The tribute is deserved, but there is no attempt in the White Paper, and there was no attempt in the Secretary of State's speech, to assess the strategic importance and the defence implications of what has happened in those two African countries. What is done by the Soviet Union is not done simply in pursuit of Sovietpolitical interests in the Third World".It is vital to the Western interests involved. The indication of Soviet capability is interesting enough, but what is happening represents a major shift in the world's strategic defence balance of power. I should not be surprised if a future Creasey were to suggest that Angola and the Ogaden were among the decisive battles of the world. I wish to say a word about the Horn of Africa. The fact that I spent four days there does not make me an expert on the subject, but it has concentrated my mind upon it. I should like to state briefly the conclusions that I reached. 111 At the beginning of last year the Soviet Union was virtually in control of—it was certainly a dominant influence over—the whole of the Horn. It was well in with the Somalis and with the new Mengistu regime in Ethiopia. It was also in good contact with the Eritrean liberation movement. Then its clients fell out and the Mengistu regime was threatened with collapse under pressures from the Somalis, the Eritreans and the anti-Soviet Ethiopian Democratic Union. The Soviets had to undertake an agonising reappraisal. They plumped for the Mengistu regime, and they plumped in a big way. Let us not underrate the scale of the intervention. They have pumped in 400 modern tanks. According to the White Paper we have only just under 600 in the whole of BAOR. The Soviets pumped in 50 or 60 MIG 21 and 23s; we are not sure of the number. They pumped in some of the most up-to-date equipment—helicopters capable of carrying tanks—and there are not many of those, even in the Soviet Union. They did so against Somalia and Eritrea. But it was not just equipment. They put in 15,000 Cuban regular soldiers on top of the 2,000 or 3,000 Soviet officers and technicians. There were also a number of technicians from Bulgaria and Eastern Germany and also South Yemeni units. These were not used against Somalia but against Eritrea. They came from the Aden-South Yemen Soviet territory. Their decision presented the West with a great opportunity to break the Soviet hold on the Horn of Africa. But what did we do? We repeated in an extraordinary way the pattern of Angola. First, the West blew hot and then it blew cold. Through intermediaries and even through individual Americans—it may have been through the British as well—we encouraged the Somalis to believe that if they ousted their Soviet advisers they could count on Western support. They did, and ordered them out. They went. The Somalis then turned to the West for arms. First, there was a delay. Then there was a refusal. The Somalis were told by the State Department, and by the Western Governments, that they were the aggressors because they had inarched across the Ethiopian border 112 into the Ogaden. They were then pressed to withdraw. The Russians, Cubans and the others were already pushing them back with their modern equipment. The diplomacy of the West came to the help of the Russians in urging the Somalis to pull out. Under American pressure the Somalis decided to withdraw. Since then they have been told from Washington—I dare say from elsewhere—that they could not expect help unless they gave an assurance to abandon their claim to the Ogaden. I do not know whether any Somalian Government can do that and survive, particularly a defeated one. I do not know whether we have thought of the humanitarian consequences of our policies, but it is right to bring this up even in a defence debate. Not far off 1 million Somalis live in the Ogaden. In insisting that the Somalis withdraw their regular forces from the Ogaden, and in saying—as the United States has said—that it is "dangerous" to continue the guerrilla war in the Ogaden, we are handing over the Somali population to the tender mercies of the Mengistu regime. I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that President Idi Amin is a liberal compared with Mengistu. But in seeking to force a withdrawal without some United Nations or other force going in to safeguard the area, in forcing the Somalis out and in demanding that the guerrillas stop fighting, we are now condemning the Somalis to a fate not so different from the fate we had in store for the victims of Yalta when we ourselves insisted on their repatriation after the war. I return to the defence aspect. Will the Soviets halt at the border? I do not know. There is an irony in the fact that it was Moscow which first gave the assurance that the Ethiopian war would stop at the border. What better confirmation that Ethiopia today has Soviet colonial status? Moscow gave the assurance first and Havana gave it second. It was only after they had both given such an assurance that the Quisling Government in Addis Ababa gave the assurance, too. I do not know whether they will stop at the border. The Somalis do not believe it They believe that the old imperial Ethiopian general staff plan to push through to Hargeisa and Berbera still 113 holds good. Certainly the Soviets want to have control of the sea board. They are more interested in the sea than in the mountains. But, equally, it is perfectly possible that they will stop at the border and seek to exploit the disillusion of the Somalis with the West and the hostages whom they have in their hands. Through their control of the Somali population in the Ogaden, they might bring about a change of Government and a return of Soviet influence to the whole of Somalia. Meanwhile, the railway line to Djibouti is about to be reopened. Hitherto, Djibouti has been living on French and Arab subsidies. But once the traffic starts, Djibouti will be a ripe fruit for Ethiopia. Then the combined Soviet and Cuban forces could deal with Eritrea, whether by negotiation or by force. Eritrea, with its ports—Assab and Massawa is, if anything, strategically more important that Berbera in the Horn itself. I was able to see all this the other day when my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and I flew from Djibouti through the Bab el Mandeb straits—the narrows between Aden and the Horn. As we flew out from Djibouti we were told by Aden on the one side "Do not come an inch closer" and Ethiopia was also saying the same thing. We realised how complete the Soviet control was. Only drastic steps now can prevent Soviet hegemony over the whole of the Horn; but I see no signs of these steps being taken. Why is it that the United States and the West have missed this opportunity to regain control of a vital strategic area? The argument has been put forward about the OAU attachment to the sanctity of frontiers. I understand that great importance should be attached frontiers between independent African countries. But we are not talking about independent countries. Ethiopia is no longer an independent African country. It is a Soviet colony. We have heard about this being a matter for the OAU and the Africans to settle. What is the use in saying that when there are thousands of Soviets and Cubans in the country? I would have thought a sensible policy would have been to help the Somalis check the Soviet-Cuban onslaught, to ask for the with- 114 drawal of Soviets and Cubans from Ethiopia, then the withdrawal of the Somalis from the Ogaden, and to introduce a United Nations force to help the area while negotiations took place through the OAU. Instead of that, Western diplomacy has helped the Soviet-Cuban onslaught by procuring the withdrawal of the Somalis. Another argument concerns Kenya. The Kenyans have a natural reason for fearing the strengthening of Somalia but Soviet preponderance in Ethiopia is a far greater threat to Kenya than anything the Somalis could ever do, particularly a Somalia detached from the Soviets. What the Kenyans really wanted was a Western guarantee of their northern frontier. I do not see why we should not have given such a guarantee in return for any support that we gave to Somalia. All these were excuses and pretexts. The reason we did nothing is the following, and I raise it in defence debate because it is a defence issue. I believe that the United States and the Western Governments are determined to avoid any confrontation with the Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa, and in other areas, whatever the consequences. That is the real reason. They are not prepared to confront the Soviet Union, however aggresive their intentions, and whatever the danger to our own vital interests. Why are they so timid? I do not think that the Soviets have any overwhelming strength world-wide. They are very strong in the NATO theatre but, taking account of their overall strength, the Western Powers, their allies and friends could easily match any intervention which the Soviets and the Cubans could make in Ethiopia. Besides, we have other reserves—the ability to cut off food supplies, loans and technology. It is not fear of the Soviet Union that motivates us; it is fear of the electoral consequences for the governing parties in the United States, here, and to a certain extent on the Continent of Europe. The Prime Minister recently has been likened to Mr. Baldwin. In one respect it is an apt comparison. Students in history of that period will know that Mr. Baldwin said—and it has since been held against him—that he would have advocated rearmament earlier had he not been afraid 115 that it would have cost him the Fulham by-election. We have suffered a major defeat for the West in Somalia and the consequences will be felt by our friends in the Sudan and maybe Egypt, as in Oman, North Yemen and up the Gulf. It is idle to comfort ourselves with the argument that the Africans will get fed up with the Soviets and push them out. The tide may well go down but before it does it may have engulfed us first. It may be like the case of the Turks at Vienna. Someone might have said that there was no need to worry because they would go away in the end. They did eventually leave the Balkans—500 years later. We are pursuing a policy of calculated cowardice for the sake of personal and party advantage. It reveals a terrible lack of faith in our democratic system and values. The same thing is going on in Central and Southern Africa. In Angola we have allowed the Soviets and the Cubans to consolidate their position. Not a word has been said from the Government Front Bench or from Washington in support of the guerrillas of the FNLA and UNITA who are fighting against the new Soviet imperialism. The Foreign Secretary has expressed sympathy with SWAPO and the Patriotic Front and he has told us that although he has not given them arms, he has sent them non-lethal weapons. The motives for the Foreign Secretary's crush on Mr. Nkomo are the same as his motives in relation to the Horn of Africa. Curiously, these are revealed in the minutes of his conversation with Mr. Sithole which have just been published. Here may I say a word in parenthesis? It was a supreme arrogance of the Foreign Secretary to presume to warn Mr. Sithole against the slip-periness and deviousness of Mr. Smith. Mr. Sithole was in prison for years under Mr. Smith. He was convicted of trying to murder him and he was active in nationalist movements long before the Foreign Secretary was doing up his fly buttons. He knows more about Mr. Smith than the Foreign Secretary can ever hope to. § Mr. Cronin The right hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Amery) is making an interesting speech but what in heaven's name has what the Foreign Sec- 116 tary said to Mr. Sithole got to do with the Defence White Paper? § Mr. Amery The hon. Member for Loughborough has been carried away—I am told—by a horse the other day in London. He must learn to hold the bit. The point that relates to the Defence White Paper is that the minutes said that the Foreign Secretary hadwarned against confrontation with Mr. Nkomo because it might cause immense problems as Mr. Kuanda was under pressure to involve the Cubans.That is the defence side of the story. There is a nightmare and a spectre which haunts both Whitehall and Washington. It is that the interim Government in Rhodesia will succeed in commanding support among the mass of the Rhodesian people, but that the Soviets will intensify the guerrilla war and bring in Cuban guerrillas or others to help Mr. Nkomo and Mr. Mugabe. There will then be pressure on the American and British Governments to help what will be a Government in good standing in Salisbury. We shall then find ourselves drawn into the conflict on the side of the Smith-Sithole-Muzorewa-Chirau combination, perhaps in an alliance with South Africa. Then what would happen to the black vote in the United States' elections, or to the coveted seat on the National Executive Committee? Or to another constituency if anything went wrong in Devon-port. One can always escape by retreating. Maybe the Gadarene swine thought that they were escaping the butcher when they started on their run. One can trade space for time and it may be wise if one is weak. This was done by Stalin and Chiang Kai-Chek. But this cannot be done in our case. We at the height are ready to decline. The enemy advances every day".We could run for a time, but the time will come when we must either stand or surrender. I foresee that in a year or two we shall have to make a stand, and then we shall be outclassed in weapons and abandoned by our allies. We shall have lost our credibility. Those who study the events 117 that took place before the Second World War will realise that once we had given way on Austria, Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia and Albania, Hitler could not believe that we would stand on Danzig. He thought that we were on the run. If we give way too often, Moscow may think that we are on the run as well. And when we stand the Russians will play their trump card, wave their superiority at us in nuclear and conventional weapons in the NATO area and threaten the war in Europe which we cannot hope to win without nuclear weapons. It is later than we think. In all this Britain cannot play the hand alone. We must operate with our allies. But we have a duty to speak out. We have influence—in the EEC and in the United States. What is the use of having a son-in-law—I belong to the same trade union—as Ambassador in Washington if he does not speak out on the views of the British Prime Minister? We also have some influence in the Commonwealth. We must build up our nuclear and conventional strength. We need to rearm. If hon. Gentlemen below the Gangway could swallow their principles for a while they would realise that rearming would bring in jobs, which would be a help. We must give help to those who are standing up to Soviet imperialism. Some of those countries will be Marxist, like Somalia. Some will be dominated by Marxist movements, like the Eritreans. Some will be like the Rhodesians—unquantifiable, as the interim Government will be. And some will be like the South Africans—hard-line reactionaries. But all will be fighting against the same Soviet imperialism that is threatening to engulf the African Continent. We are still stronger on the material side but we are very weak in will. Napolean was right when he said that in a war morale counted two-thirds and materials one-third. I cannot help thinking that the weakness of the West is personified by our somnolent Secretary of State for Defence. As Burke said:He trespasses as much upon his duty who sleeps upon the watch as he who goes over to the enemy.I do not complain about his post-prandial somnolence, but I do complain bitterly about a White Paper that ignores the main strategic interests of this country, of Europe and of the whole Western world. § 7.50 p.m. § Mr. John Cronin (Loughborough) The right hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Amery) made quite an interesting speech in some ways. It would have been quite a good speech if this had been a foreign affairs debate. The only relevant matter in respect of the White Paper is the emphasis that he placed on the real threat from the Soviet Union. That is a point one must accept. It arises from the right hon. Gentleman's recent experience of which we read in the Press, namely, the fact that the Soviet Union has far from pacific intentions. I do not know what he meant by referring to some form of intervention at this stage. Is he referring to military intervention by the West in Somalia? § Mr. Amery The hon. Gentleman is justified in asking that question. What I meant was the supply of equipment, unilaterally if necessary, from this country and urging our allies in the United States and Europe to send supplies as well. Cubans have arrived in Ethiopia in large numbers. There are those in the Middle East, including Egyptians and Iranians, who have already volunteered to do the same on behalf of the Somalis. We shall not take that action, but it could be done. We would win if we did. § Mr. Cronin I believe that it is too late to take that action. I must refer to the speech of the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir I. Gilmour). One normally regards the right hon. Gentleman as frank, but on this occasion he borrowed some of the disingenuousness of his right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition in the way in which he dealt with some important points. The right hon. Gentleman said that he would increase defence expenditure by more than 4 per cent. He added that he did not know what the base line would be. That was the most vague and incomprehensible statement ever perpetrated in this House. § Sir Ian Gilmour It was meant to be vague. I was pointing out these facts because the Secretary of State for Defence asked me to deal with the 4 per cent. because it had been mentioned by somebody. That figure would not otherwise have appeared in my speech at all. I made it clear from the word "go" that 119 we could not be tied in advance to an exact measurement of what we would spend. § Mr. Cronin The right hon. Gentleman has become frank again. He has admitted that he did not know what he was talking about. He was saying that he could not say what increase in defence expenditure a potential Conservative Government would indulge in later without his having an opportunity to examine the books. If he cannot conduct that exercise without examining the books, how does he know that the present rate of defence expenditure is wrong? It is the most extraordinary logic I have come across. The right hon. Gentleman objected to the relative defence cuts which have taken place since 1974, but he forgot that he was a member of a Government who went in for very substantial defence cuts. That was at a time when the full disastrous effect of the Barber Budgets had not been felt and when the Government were in a relatively sound economic state. Surely he is not seriously suggesting, at a time of hyper-inflation, when we are going through the most acute economic difficulties, that he would not have made the same cuts. Our NATO allies were the first to accept our cuts as being necessary in that economic situation. The right hon. Gentleman attacked the Labour Government, but why did he not also attack our NATO allies in this context? In expenditure terms, taking gross domestic product, we have the best record in the whole of NATO, except the United States. When we take per capita expenditure corrected for currency differences, we find that there is nothing much between us and France and Germany in defence expenditure. We are very much better in this respect than all the other NATO allies. Therefore, I was astonished at the amount of play the right hon. Gentleman made with the somewhat poor material. I turn to the amendment in the name of the hon. Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun) and others. I appreciate the sincerity of their views. The tradition in the Labour Party of abhorrence of war and a desire to cut defence expenditure is honourable and proper, subject to certain limitations. 120 I should be happy to sign the amendment on one condition—that what is proposed in it should be carried out by the Soviet Government also. Never in history has unilateral disarmament brought any concession from the opposing country. It is an elementary matter of negotiation that one does not give concessions to one's opponent or opposite number unless one achieves similar concessions from the other side; otherwise the whole purpose of negotiation is lost. If that happens, one is no longer negotiating but simply surrendering. I suggest that the proper course in defence is that which is indicated in the defence White Paper. I believe that that document is exactly correct in the present circumstances. I consider that the decision to increase expenditure by 3 per cent. in conformity with all the other NATO countries is wholly in conformity with the NATO Alliance and our obligations to it. I regard it as just right. The most important part of the White Paper is the early part referring to mutual and balanced force reduction negotiations. They have been going on since October 1973 and no progress has been made. Progress in those negotiations has been absolutely nil. The reason is simply the obduracy of the Soviet Union. One would have thought that the Soviet Union, with the Republic of China so close behind it, would have been happy to reach some accommodation with the West. However, it insists on maintaining superiority in men and equipment in Europe. This makes it clear that it regards itself as a potential aggressor at some time in the future. If this were not the case, it would be very much in its interest to come to some arrangement with NATO and to concentrate on its own back door, because it is seriously threatened by the People's Republic of China. There is no escaping the fact that the Soviet Union has an overwhelming advantage in equipment in Central Europe. The advantage in manpower is relatively small, but it has two and a half times more battle tanks than NATO possesses, roughly two and a half times more artillery and two and a half times more fixed-wing aircraft for ground attack. Why do the Soviets insist on this overwhelming preponderance? Why do 121 they insist on having the capability with their large tank armies to force their way straight to the Rhine when they have no wish to do so? It can only be with the idea that at some time in the future they will be able to launch themselves on a military adventure which will be very much to the disadvantage of the Western allies. One aspect of the White Paper that troubles me is the reinforcement of our forces in central Germany. Our whole deployment there is based on the assumption that reinforcements can deploy fairly quickly. But we no longer have this option. The Warsaw Pact forces now have the ability to launch what is known in military language as "an attack by forces in place without prior reinforcements"—in other words, a completely surprise attack. So far, NATO defence plans have been based on obtaining a relatively long period of warning in the shape of hostile troop movements, logistic activity and political indicators such as tension in foreign affairs. But there is little prospect of such warning now, because the Warsaw Pact Powers can advance and attack with no warning. Those hon. Members who have been to headquarters in Müchen Gladbach and questioned staff officers there have been told frankly that they would have no more than 48 hours' warning of an attack. That is uncomfortable news for NATO's present strategy, which has not been changed, of reinforcements coming over one month after being attacked. The Soviet Union now has a massive nuclear submarine fleet. It could certainly put a stop to United States reinforcements coming by sea across the Atlantic; this would be their principal route. Some of my hon. Friends may say that there is no real evidence that the Soviet Union has anything but pacific intentions, but if one ignores the last 40 years, if one ignores the fact that Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, which were all free, have all been overrun by the Soviet Union, then the presence today of Soviet generals, military equipment and troops in the Horn of Africa is another indication that we are dealing with potential aggressors all the time. There must be no question of our letting 122 down our guard and the Government must continue to give full support to NATO. I might take the Secretary of State to task on one point. I am a little surprised that NATO does not consider any possibility of military discussions with the Chinese People's Republic. I put that to my right hon. Friend in a debate some months ago, when he said that it was worth considering, but we have not heard whether any further consideration is taking place. When one knows of a potential aggressor, it may be worth while to have a few words with the nation sitting in the aggressor's back garden who can hit him as well. In 1939 and earlier, the then Government refused to have any meaningful military talks with the Soviet Union when it was obvious that Germany was a potential aggressor. There is a strong case for military talks with the Chinese. The right hon. Member for Pavilion, reminded us that Napoleon said that morale was two-thirds of winning a battle and material only one-third. Much has to be done for our Armed Forces' morale. With other hon. Members, I went to Gemany in September. It was clear to all of us that the morale there, particularly among technically qualified NCOs and the older well-trained, useful soldiers, was gravely impaired by their pay situation. The pay of the Armed Forces has dropped back compared with that of the average industrial worker to an extent which is deplorable. The average pay of a manual worker is probably nearly £80 a week. The average Service man gets £23 less. There can be no justification for that. A lieutenant commanding a troop of tanks in Germany gets about £80 a week—less than most long-distance lorry drivers. An RAF pilot, piloting a£3 million Phantom, gets less than a bus driver. That cannot be right. I know that the Secretary of State is sympathetic and that he meant it when he said today that he would do his damnedest to get the best deal he could for the Armed Forces, but I am worried whether he can achieve all he should in dealing with his Cabinet colleagues. My right hon. Friend also said that he would do this when pay policy allowed. It looks as though the Government's pay policy will continue after this August and 123 that there will be further restraints on wage increases. Does that mean that justice for the Armed Forces over pay will be deferred to the year after next? I am sure that the morale of the Forces would not be able to stand up to that. I hope that the Secretary of State will insist on a fair deal for the Forces. I am sure that, even within the present pay code, the Forces could get more than 10 per cent. There is no reason why they should get an Irishman's rise which is immediately swallowed up by increased deductions for lodgings and food. There is a grave danger of a catastrophic decline in morale. All defence expenditure is wasted if people are not prepared to use the military equipment put into their hands or if they do so in conditions of great psychological inferiority. The Government should, above all, be a good employer, and they are not being a good employer to the Armed Forces. Depending as they do on trade union support, they cannot justify imposing on the Armed Forces terms of employment which no trade union would tolerate for its members. A Socialist Government must look after the low-paid. Privates, for example, in Northern Ireland deserve much more consideration. At the moment, they are earning about 33p an hour on some occasions. I know that it can be said that the Army is recruited on the basis that long hours will be worked in unusual situations, but the cleaners in the Ministry of Defence who make the Secretary of State's office spick and span get more than three times that amount—and if they did not, there would be terrible trouble from the unions. A Socialist Government must look after the low-paid—and that includes people in the Army who are at present living in poverty and suffering because they are too loyal and dedicated to make the most of their case themselves. § 8.9 p.m. § Mr. R. Bonner Pink (Portsmouth, South) The hon. Member for Loughborough (Mr. Cronin) complained that my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir I. Gilmour) would not be specific in his proposals for increased expenditure without seeing the books. My right hon. Friend has every right to be cautious. Every time there is a Labour Government, there 124 is a financial crisis. Every time we return to power, we find that the cupboard is bare. I see no reason to suppose that there will be any difference next time. I am glad that the hon. Member is joining us in not being complacent about the White Paper. Certainly my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham and others have pointed out that there is an air of completely unwarranted complacency throughout the White Paper. The Warsaw Pact countries are getting relatively stronger every year. We want to reverse that trend. The Minister asked what social services we would cut. He must realise that, unless we have the will and the ability to defend ourselves, all our social benefits and way of life are at risk. Yet he does little about it. The White Paper describes recruiting and re-engagement as satisfactory. How much is due to the deplorable level of unemployment and the difficulties of finding jobs, especially for the older men? When things improve, will recruiting and re-engagement suffer? The Minister must know, having heard this point made in almost every speech so far, that morale in the Services is dropping because of poor pay. I welcome his statement that the Forces will get a rise on 1st April. But the Minister is still hedging. He said that differentials would be restored, but he would not say when. It is just sometime. Service pay continues to drop back compared with industry. Yet Service men are called upon not only to face danger in Ulster and elsewhere but to do all kinds of jobs which are not properly theirs. There are many other small niggling factors which cause morale in the Services to fall. One small matter, which I have raised on a number of occasions, is the pre-1950 Service widows' pension. There are not many of these widows, they are elderly, but they feel very strongly about this matter. They compare their state with inflation-proofed Service pensions of later entrants and Civil Service pensions. They are making much anti-Service propaganda about this small matter. It would cost very little to put it right. I hope that the Minister will again consider it and this time agree to do something about it. Another small matter which is causing a lot of ill-feeling in the neighbouring 125 constituency of Gosport is the issue of Service voters. This applies especially to the wives of Service men. I hope that the reasons for the new system will be explained and made clear to them yet again and that Service men's wives will have the choice of being either Service or ordinary voters. I turn now to ballistic missile submarines. We still have only four. According to the White Paper, one is being refitted, so we have only three in service. It is clear from that number that often we have only one on patrol. If we had only one more, making five, we could on many occasions have three instead of two on patrol. At least, we could have two on patrol all the time. I know that it would be expensive and that the Polaris missile is outdated, but there are replacements for that. I again stress the need to increase the fleet by one. I am worried about convoy protection. This country lives by its imports by sea. In 1939 the Germans had about 50 effective submarines. Today the Russians have 195, of which 104 are nuclear. We have 54 frigates. How does the Minister propose to safeguard our convoys? Another worry is the vulnerability of our offshore oil and gas installations. How are they to be defended effectively not only from enemy attack but from sabotage? We have five Island class vessels in service and two more are on order. They are small 19-knot ships—glorified trawlers. By extending our fishing zone to 200 miles, our patrol area has been enormously extended. Would it not be better to have the same number for preference, or even fewer but larger and faster ships capable of carrying helicopters? The range of such ships would be enormously extended. If the ships were large enough—I have in mind something similar to a modern version of a wartime hunt destroyer—they could carry a small contingent of Royal Marines which could be used for anti-sabotage duties on the oil rigs and as support troops in emergency. We have heard a number of references to the cost of services not strictly for defence. The White Paper details the services for which the Services pay—education, medical services, inshore fisheries protection and so on. Such services are not properly defence commitments. Why do the Defence Estimates have to carry 126 those items? Why cannot they be transferred to the appropriate Departments? I am pleased that, from a constituency viewpoint, Portsmouth Dockyard has been allocated guided missile destroyers and larger ships for refitting. This matter has pleased people in Portsmouth. They felt that they had been neglected in the past. This decision certainly ensures continuity of employment in the city. Finally, I must say that I am appalled at the air of complacency which exists in the White Paper, and I condemn the Government for it. § 8.17 p.m. § Mr. Terry Walker (Kingswood) I support the motion in the names of the Prime Minister and of my right hon. Friends. In determining the level of defence expenditure, many factors have to be taken into account. It is a matter of balance. We have to consider not only the extent of our commitments and the capabilities that we and our allies need to possess in the light of the assessment of likely future threats to our national security but the wider economic and social factors. The difficulty about this type of assessment is that very little of it can be based upon hard, indisputable facts. The Government's objective to negotiate a multilateral treaty banning nuclear explosions is one which all of us share, for we must encourage advances in arms control and eventually agree on strategic arms limitation. The Government have rightly continued their policy of detente rather than confrontation. Some hon. Members who have already spoken seem to favour confrontation rather than detente. Many of my hon. Friends and I regard detente as most important. Indeed, it is the only way to proceed to a more peaceful and saner world. We look forward to the United Nations Special. Session on Disarmament to be held later this year at which I hope the Government will make new proposals to improve world prospects for peace, which is most important. The economic arguments against defence expenditure were set out clearly by my hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun), but they are less clear-cut than some people would 127 have us believe. Drastic cuts in defence expenditure would be extremely damaging in many areas. No one would argue for defence expenditure solely on the ground of the employment it generates, but defence is a large employer, as are the Armed Forces, which include civilian personnel, and the defence industries. It has not been proved that a substantial diversion of much of these resources would not lead to a decrease in the total national product and, in these days of high unemployment, it could, in the short term, lead to an increase in the number of unemployed. As well as defence production, we have to consider the sales that we make throughout the world and the benefits in terms of technological spin-offs for a significant proportion of civil industry and the arms trade. Many of us believe that this trade should not be encouraged, but until we can persuade other countries not to buy arms it is ludicrous for us not to produce and supply some of these arms. It has been proved that if we do not provide the arms other countries will step in and pick up the contracts. Much of the Opposition's case against the Secretary of State is that the Government have neglected the safety of this country, but the White Paper forms a balanced view of what the Government are trying to achieve. I return to the social aspects of the production of military equipment. Many of my constituents are employed in the aircraft manufacturing industry, which produces about 80 per cent. of its output for military purposes and 20 per cent. for civil aviation. Many of us, especially on this side of the House, want to see different proportions and to see the civil side increased, but many of my constituents are losing their jobs on the civil side of British Aerospace and are being forced to take work on the guided weapons side. It is a worry for many of my constituents and for the trade unions concerned to see the lack of civil aircraft work on the stocks and to note an increasing amount of work being devoted to military aircraft. Many people say that the British aircraft industry should diversify rather than do so much military work, but men with skills in high tech- 128 nology cannot be switched overnight to making pots and pans. Many of us are working to make sure that there is a larger civil element in the industry's work, but, in the meantime, it would be detrimental to many of my constituents for the jobs to be cut down straight away. The workers in the industry are highly skilled and we need to use their skills. There are spin-off effects from aircraft development. Many people in Bristol remember the TSR2 being axed in 1964. Many voices were raised against that decision, but the experience and technology developed on that project was not wasted. It was invaluable in the development of Concorde. One welcome decision during the year was the continuing development of the MRCA Tornado with European cooperation and the continuation of the RB199 engine which is largely being built in Bristol. The decisions on the Tornado have meant continuing employment for many of my constituents at Rolls-Royce. The aircraft will be one of NATO's main strike planes in the next decade, and I greatly welcome the decision. The White Paper refers to the conversion of the Nimrod aircraft to an early warning role starting in the 1980s. That was another welcome decision and was more sensible than going to Boeing for the AWACS. Mention has been made of the pay of our Armed Forces. Having been to Northern Ireland and seen the problems that our young troops are facing there, I must say that if there ever is a special case—and we have spent many years arguing whether there should be special cases—these young men should be borne in mind. I pay tribute to the gallantry of the British Service men whose job has been to maintain law and order in that most unfortunate part of the United Kingdom where, for nine long years, we have been virtually at war. It has been a costly business, not only in terms of finance and men and equipment, but in terms of the good will of the troops. § Mr. Hoyle I am pleased that my hon. Friend has pointed out that sympathy for the troops' cause is not confined to one side of the House, but does he agree that if we are to improve the pay of our 129 troops the archaic system of pay review with no one representing the Forces on the Pay Review Body is not the way to do Pay Review Body is not the way to do it? Does he agree that we should follow the lead of our NATO allies and give the troops trades unions and proper collective bargaining? Does he agree that the pay and conditions of our troops are ludicrous compared with those of our allies? § Mr. Walker I agree with much of what my hon. Friend says. I do not know whether he thinks that his union or mine would benefit from such action. My main concern is that we should be able to pay proper remuneration to Service men. We want to get away from the present archaic review, but at present the recommendations of the review must be acted upon. The behaviour of British Service men in Northern Ireland has maintained the tradition of courage and gallantry of British Forces in exercising their duties. I consider it a privilege to have been there and seen how they have operated. The Government's policy in continuing to operate security in Northern Ireland based on the role of the Royal Ulster Constabulary as an instrument for the maintenance of law and order must at some time convince the House that special payments should he made to members of the Forces serving there. I, like my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Cronin), have been to Germany and seen the troops there. When I was there in 1975 there was a good deal of unrest because of the plunging pound. We hear much now on the BBC about the plight of American service men because of the plunging dollar. It is important that the House be aware of the problems facing our troops serving abroad, in Germany in particular. We must acquaint ourselves with the very ticklish problems that arise in Germany. We should be giving more attention than we seemed to be two years ago to the problems not only of pay and remuneration but of family welfare. I hope that we are doing much more in this regard now than we were then. I believe that the motion should be supported because the Government are right in the balance they have taken. § 8.32 p.m. § Mr. Michael Hamilton (Salisbury) I pay a very warm tribute to the Secretary of State for the pages in the White Paper describing the increasing threat from the Soviet Union and from the Warsaw Pact countries. But we are not successful in our search through the pages for a counter to that threat. The right hon. Gentleman will know that I am privileged to have in my constituency the headquarters of United Kingdom Land Forces. I am also very conscious that within the United Kingdom today there are fewer units than at any other time this century. Increasingly I am coming to the view that if we want to learn anything about what is going on in defence we should not look at White Papers for it. I learnt that quite early on. I fought my initial by-election at Salisbury soon after the Labour victory in 1964 and at that time the TSR2 prototype was having its tests at Boscombe Down. We saw it flying overhead every day. It flew out to the Isles of Scilly and up to the Pennines. It was a world beater. It far exceeded the hopes of its designers. In April 1965 Mr. Roy Jenkins, in his Budget speech, condemned it to death. He snuffed it out and the order went out to destroy the jigs so that the project could never be resurrected. From that moment on, I have learnt what degree of priority is accorded to defence by Labour Governments. A fresh blow has fallen, and I want to say a few brief words about the Microbiological Research Establishment. This is to be closed. It was set up with courage and foresight by the Attlee Government. In 1945 it was a dangerous world. Not only did the Attlee Government develop the nuclear bomb but they set up this establishment. It is purpose built. It is one of the largest brick buildings in Europe. I have seen a good deal of the laboratories. I reckon to know what these small teams of scientists have been doing. I would even be immodest enough to claim to know as much as the Secretary of State about what goes on at the Microbioligical Research Establishment. Soviet aircraft enter our skies daily. It must be remembered that a single aircraft, making use of prevailing winds and carrying a tank full of some microbiological agent, could do indescribable 131 damage to our civilian population. Yet this establishment is to be closed. It is right that the House should appreciate that if the Attlee Government were right to set it up it follows that the Callaghan Government must be wrong. Within the last fortnight yet a further blow has fallen. Another establishment is to be closed, namely, the Joint Warfare Establishment, which is unique in NATO. It is a centre where senior officers from the United States, Germany and the other NATO countries gather for studies and conference work. It is the "think tank" of NATO. It is sited ideally close to many military centres such as the headquarters of the United Kingdom Land Forces and the ranges at Larkhill. Now it is to be closed. A remnant is to be moved and merged with another organisation. § Mr. Mulley The hon. Member should not mislead the House. The establishment will be removed to Latimer where it will join the Defence College. The Joint Warfare Establishment, which I agree is valuable, will be continued in another and probably better venue. § Mr. Hamilton I explained that a remnant was to continue but it will be far removed from the convenience and proximity of other military installations. I am astonished by the phlegmatic conduct of the Chiefs of Staff in the defence argument. We all remember when, just before Christmas 1976, they exercised the right of calling on the Prime Minister at No. 10 Downing Street. But that stage was reached only after five successive cuts in our defence expenditure. In any case, that little ritual visit made not the slightest difference. The Chief of the Defence Staff, as all hon. Members will remember, told the public on television in the summer of 1975 that our defences were down "to absolute bedrock". After that came three further series of cuts. The Secretary of State will admit that. I am astonished that such a situation could arise. That particular Chief of Staff continues to serve the Government. He is waiting today, ready with his suitcases packed, to implement the Owen initiative in Africa. That is yet another project which has reached absolute bedrock. 132 The day is only a few months away when we shall turn the corner and when once again defence will have its rightful priority in the Government's schedule. § 8.41 p.m. § Mr. Doug Hoyle (Nelson and Colne) I wish to concentrate on one aspect of defence—the need to bring democracy to the Armed Services. I feel that there is a vacuum in our democratic life when 350,000 people are denied a basic right. I do not think that sentiment conflicts with the amendment that carries the names of my hon. Friends and myself, which says that defence spending is too high. For us to say that it is too high does not mean that we should treat the people who serve in the Armed Forces as they are treated today—as poor relations. We note that the Secretary of State has no objection to people in the Armed Services belonging to a trade union as long as that does not conflict in any way with military discipline. That is not quite the objective we have in mind. We are partly following the precedent set by others of our NATO allies whose Armed Forces have trade unions. I should like to refer to the Assembly of the Western European Union in 1974 when comment was made on the conditions of service in the various European armed forces. The discussion was based on Article 4 of the Brussels Treaty. Contributions at the Assembly called attention to the considerable differences in the pay and conditions of the armed forces of the various allied countries, and to the desirability, as far as possible, of having a standard rate for personnel in the different forces of the same country. The Assembly then went on to recommend that consideration should be given to theexperience of those countries that permit elected representatives of the armed forces to participate in negotiations on conditions of service and rates of pay".That in itself was a considerable step forward. There is little point in saying that there is no objection to anyone joining a trade union if that is not the be all and end all of the matter. A person joins a trade union only to secure better pay and conditions. This attempt to organise an effective trade union in the Armed Forces 133 is still frowned upon by the powers that be. I do not for one moment include my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in that. I suspect that those powers include the Chief of Staff and all the brass hats who sit in their offices refusing to come into the twentieth century but remaining in the days of Queen Victoria, still thinking that we have an effective empire. That attitude was reflected in many of the speeches by Conservative Members today. They were not even tinged with reality. We are frequently confronted with the advertisement that refers to "the professionals" in the Armed Services. We say that in their turn the Armed Services need the professionals—the professionals in the trade unions—if they are ever to get better pay and conditions. In many of the ranks, the duties undertaken are skilled duties, such as those of technicians and nurses. They have an equivalent in civilian life. There is no reason why those concerned should be operating under conditions that are any worse than those in civilian life. We hear so often that morale is dangerously low. My hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Mr. Walker) told us that he had been to Northern Ireland and had seen the very difficult tasks that our troops were facing there, yet morale was very low not because of those tasks but because of the present pay and conditions. That is hardly any wonder when we see the archaic way in which pay and conditions are dealt with by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. The names of those who form that body show that they are all distinguished people, in their own way, but I suggest that they are very elderly and very out of touch. No trade unionist is serving on that body. Indeed, it is even more remarkable that there is no serving member of the Armed Forces on it. There could not be a better injection into that body than some people from the other ranks of the Armed Services. However, what does this body do? It determines the pay and conditions of all ranks up to the rank of brigadier. For those above the rank of brigadier, from major-general upwards, it is the Top Salaries Review Body that performs this function. Therefore, all that this body is doing is reacting to pay and salaries that have already been fixed at the top. If one is in the right place in the pecking order, 134 one might get a little more as it is passed down the line. It is like the handful of corn when one passes it from hand to hand and hopes that the bloke at the end of the line will get some when it comes to him. This is not the way in which we should be dealing with this matter. This matter must obviously reflect across to a consideration of similar jobs done in civilian life. The pay and conditions of the Armed Forces must be attractive enough to recruit people into them. They must also reflect the special conditions of Service life, such as the fact that a man might be away from home, does not get overtime payments, and very often works under very difficult and arduous conditions. § Mr. Edwin Wainwright (Dearne Valley) Will my hon. Friend comment on who would be organising the people in the Armed Forces? Would it be outside unions, or would there be one union formed inside the Armed Forces to represent the personnel? § Mr. Hoyle No, I think that the skills and expertise are in trade unions outside. I would hope that they would be organised by trade unions affiliated to the TUC. I shall not go beyond that, because there are several unions within the TUC, as my hon. Friend knows, that are interested in recruiting men in the Armed Forces. My hon. Friend and I are both interested in the trade union movement, and he well knows that there is an orderly way of doing this, by using the Bridlington agreement and the trades union disputes committee to sort out that kind of problem. At present, if the Armed Forces are to get adequate pay and conditions, the important thing is that this type of expertise must be applied and we must bring the Armed Forces into line with those of NATO allies who have trade unions to organise them. § Mr. Anthony Nelson (Chichester) Does the hon. Member accept the point that many of us would wholly condemn such a move not only because of the way in which the professional volunteer status of the Armed Forces of this country is cherished but, more particularly, because of the basic reason—which is not to do with pay comparability—that there could be a situation in which the 135 Government of the day demanded the complete and undivided loyalty of the Armed Forces and that unionisation could involve a conflict of interest in such a situation? That must be the principal objection to the hon. Gentleman's proposal. § Mr. Hoyle I well understand that there will be objection by the Conservative Party to people being able to join trade unions. That does not surprise me in the least. The hon. Member was talking about the professional side of the Armed Services. If he compares the pay and conditions of the Armed Forces in this country with those of our NATO allies, in which countries there are trade unions, he is on a very poor wicket. We have fallen far behind. Let us take a person whom the hon. Gentleman would regard as a professional, a lieutenant. In the British Army he receives £77 per week. If he were in Belgium, where there are trade unions, he would receive £120. If he is lucky enough to be in Denmark, he would receive £164. On the other hand, a private receives £52 in this country. In Denmark he would receive £122, or in Norway, £102. In many of those countries he would also be working a 40-hour week and would be paid for overtime. Those are the kind of professional conditions that we want. On the Conservative Benches there is a lot of laughter. I thought that they were friends of the people in the Forces. § Mr. David Walder (Clitheroe) I accept that there may be something in the hon. Member's argument about pay. I was wondering about conditions. I wondered whether we had reached the ultimate situation in which a trade union which was operating in the Royal Navy said that it was thinking of having a strike because the conditions under which its members had to work—that is, the fact that the Polaris missile was outdated—were unsuitable, and they went on strike hoping for a renewal of that missile from the Government. What happens then? § Mr. Hoyle The hon. Gentleman is being his usual humorous self. He knows as well as I do that those of our NATO allies who have trade unions have not the right to go on strike. As far as I know, the one country, outside Europe, that has 136 that right is Sweden. A strike occurred on one occasion in Sweden. It has not been repeated. However, Sweden has not amended any laws in relation to it. I think that I deserve better from the hon. Gentleman than the red herring that he draws across the matter, or a red something else, bearing in mind the speeches of his colleagues in the Conservative Party. What he has said does not apply, and he knows it. What I am discussing is how we improve those conditions. It might upset the colonels' ladies in Aldershot. It might make retired colonels very red when they are having their drinks in the bars, particularly if they are drinking port. There is a lot of hypocrisy in the Conservative Party when it continues to talk about better pay and conditions. Conservative Members ought to be supporting people such as ourselves who are trying to pave the way, and they ought to say that this is what is needed. The question of discipline in the Armed Forces if there were trade unions has been mentioned. The conditions of those in the Armed Services have been worsened because of the recent Armed Forces Act. One of the reasons for that is the fewer courts martial. There has been an increase in the summary powers of commanding officers. Everybody might agree that cutting out the expense of courts martial is desirable, but if summary powers are used by a commanding officer, there is not the right of representation of the person who comes before him. That is the wrong way to go about the matter. Every individual ought to have the right to be represented. I say to the Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army, who will be replying on that matter, that one of the advantages of having a trade union would be that a trade union would go into the procedures of drawing up its disciplinary and appeals machinery. § Mr. George Rodgers Would my hon. Friend agree that the arguments put against trade union membership for members of the Armed Forces are similar to those which were put against merchant seamen being members of trade unions? In recent years unions have been established for merchant seamen and shop stewards operate at sea. The system works successfully. § Mr. Hoyle I am indebted to my hon. Friend for that information. We can take it even further. Trade unions were objected to when they first appeared in industry. It is only a progression. Although some Tory Members may fight against it, it is inevitable that there will be trade unions in the Armed Forces. The trade unions would be involved in drawing up disciplinary procedures. That would be a benefit to all their members. § Mr. Mates The hon. Gentleman's rubbish is becoming dangerous because it is untrue. Therefore it must not go unchallenged. He says that because there has been an increase in summary powers, there are fewer rights accruing to the soldier, sailor or airman. That is not the truth. In any case when a commanding officer wishes to make use of the increased powers he has to offer the Service man trial by a court martial, when he would have all the rights of representation which his civilian equivalent has. None of those rights is being eroded and, if I may suggest it, none of them would in any way be assisted by membership of a trade union. § Mr. Hoyle It is not rubbish. If it stirs up the hon. Member to think about the matter, it is worth while. Disciplinary procedures could be drawn up for the Armed Forces by the trade unions. Not only would such procedures safeguard the personnel and prevent unfair treatment, they would safeguard the officers carrying out the hearings. The trade unions would be demanding the right to represent their members at every stage. That is the way forward. I would have thought that that would be attractive to those serving in the Armed Forces. It is always said that discipline would be eroded as a result of the entry of trade unions into the Armed Forces. I draw the attention of Tory Members to a survey carried out by the American Federa- 138 tion of Government Employees fairly recently. This investigated 60 soldier association in countries where there are trade unions in the Services—Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, West Germany and Holland. The conclusions of that survey were that unions improved internal commitments and morale, created more democracy and enlightened service and improved the attractiveness of a military career. § The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force (Mr. James Wellbeloved) I am sure that my hon. Friend would agree that one of the things which would be most welcomed by members of the Armed Forces is an end to the investment strike on the part of the hon. Member and his hon. Friends which has a tendency to deny serving members of the Armed Forces essential equipment if they are not to be sent on to the battlefield naked. Would he not agree that we not only want decent pay and conditions for members of our Armed Forces but we also want equipment, investment and the means whereby they can do their job so as to ensure the freedom, peace and security of this country? § Mr. Hoyle I said that, whatever money was spent on defence, the members of the Armed Forces ought to have decent pay and conditions. I stand by that. Tory Members cannot object to that, because they talk of the operation of monetary forces. Their leader talks about limitations in all areas of life. Because my time is running out, I shall conclude what I have to say. After all the sneers from hon. Members on the Opposition Benches, it is interesting to note what was said by the United States Chief of Staff, General David Jones, only last year. He said that the United States armed forces "because of discontent"—I ask the House to note those words—because of discontent could be unionised within five years.Surely, we shall not have to wait five years with a Labour Government in office. I hope that the Government will 139 seize the opportunity because this change must come. As I said at the outset, it is in the interests of democracy that 350,000 people should not have their rights denied to them. I can think of no better advance. Of course, I can well understand why hon. Members opposite are upset. Either they or those whom they represent are, in the main, retired officers. We realise that as they make their speeches, one after the other. But they do not adequately reflect the new breed of soldier who is coming along, who really is a professional. Our Service men must be paid well and have decent conditions. If they are ever to achieve that, the only way forward is through the trade union movement, and I look forward to welcoming them as brothers. § 9.1 p.m. § Mr. John Loveridge (Upminster) It is difficult to have read the White Paper without having had the feeling that there is one respect in which we are deficient and which calls for strengthening, namely, in our reserves. Plainly, these are inadequate to meet even very limited contingencies either in Europe or across the world. We have cut the amount we are spending on research. Even last year's White Paper told us in paragraph 328:… without detriment to military objectives, research and development effort on defence against chemical warfare can be reduced to about two-thirds of its present size.The White Paper went on to limit to 10 the number of scientists working on microbiological research. That was said to be adequate. Who determined "adequate" in relation to just 10 people to deal with a field of world-wide and almost daily discovery? The present White Paper finds something worth describing with a strong adjective, that is, the word "important". Paragraph 535 proudly speaks of our ships filling a major role, and it then goes on to tell us what is important, namely, in theimportant task of running down the Malta base.That seems to be the keynote of the present White Paper. It is hard not to feel that it tells us nothing except trivia and contradiction, and this at a time when Russia is spending one-eighth of her total 140 revenue on military expenditure while we are committing only one-twentieth of ours. The Russians have built up a most powerful navy and a great merchant marine to support it, subsidising theirs, if they can, to put our merchant fleet out of business. In central Europe we are outnumbered by 2½ to 1 in tanks, aircraft and artillery. A short time ago, Russian arms enabled the North Vietnamese to drive the Americans away from their allies in the South. More recently, the Cuban mercenaries of Russia helped to conquer Angola, and they are now fighting in Ethiopa. They also have headquarters in many other countries of Africa. They have mobility and adaptability and are quick to move. In almost every other nation there are trained terrorists active in inciting hatred and bloodshed. It is no wonder that China calls upon us to beware. But how? How can we be on our guard more than we are? We have many allies. We have a brave and patient Army fighting terrorism in Northern Ireland, and we have an excellent small Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. What else can we do? First, as we have spare capacity in steel, shipbuilding and engineering we can build a bigger Navy at almost no cost to us in natural resources, and save jobs at the same time. Paragraph 207 of the White Paper says:Some 70 per cent. of the Regular and Reserve Army will, in time of war, be deployed to the European mainlaindCan any of us be confident that those who remain widely spread across this island would be adequate to meet an effective airborne invasion in full force? We should not safely assume that the nuclear deterrent will necessarily rest with us as the response. We cannot know whether any future war, if one came, would be long or short. All that can be certain is that the 116,000 Regular Army reservists and 57,000 in the TAVR are not enough. If the Government put their full effort behind the Central Office of Information, they could so inspire the people of this land that they could rapidly double the numbers of those reserves at small cost. We should take an example from the Swiss and the Israelis. Defence should not be something apart from the people. 141 In a free society, in a democracy, the main population of the land has a right to consultation and participation in the work of our survival against threat. Only by a Government's building on that concept of one nation, one people working together can the defence of our safety be built up to the required strength. Otherwise, the united purpose that we must show will not be present, and we may tempt the hawks of Russia to tempt their more dove-like colleagues to dangerous action which all of us might regret. I ask the Government to put this matter to the people. I ask them to consult the people throughout the land, to find out what the people want and to set up in every area working committees drawing Service men together with the civilian public to plan how each can help the other and so make our country safer, redeveloping that volunteer spirit on which we must depend. No Government will ever be forgiven if they let our people once again be drawn into great sacrifices unprepared and untrained—above all, untrained. None can know whether future warfare might be short or long. All that we can know is that certain dangers lie ahead—dangers to our routes round the Cape of South Africa, the routes that bring Europe's very lifeblood to it, routes that might be cut. The Navy should look to a close association with the civilian Merchant Navy; and, as Lord Chalfont quoted in an article a short time ago, the Royal Air Force should consider the extension of the civilian connection, even with the possibility of enabling aircraft to carry cruise missiles. I should like here to say "Thank you" to the Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy in connection with my Naval Defence (Inquiry) Bill for his courtesy and kindness in enabling me, at my request, to come to talk to him and his officials later this week. I deeply appreciate that. I believe that people throughout the land share a fear over the expansion of the Russians and their allies, the expansion of terror. These are matters that must be met, and the way to meet them is surely to bring the whole nation together—not to have an Army, Navy and Air Force that are isolated from the rest of the community but to bring the 142 whole community together with them to build up a, reserve based upon the people of our island. § Several Hon. Members rose— § Mr. Mates On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. May I ask for your help over the question of Back-Bench Members' contributions to the debate? I am sorry to cut short my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Critchley), but he will know that I am not referring to him. By the end of to-day's debate there will have been four contributions from the Front Benches, lasting two and a half hours out of five and three-quarters hours' debate, and only 12 Back Benchers will have taken part. There are hon. Members on both sides of the House who have been here for the entire debate. The position is not helped when senior Members come in, make lengthy contributions and then go away again. May we ask, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that we have more chance to participate in debates in which we take a long interest, and seek your help in so doing? § Mr. Deputy Speaker I appealed for brevity at 7.19 p.m. Unfortunately, my appeal fell on not very receptive ears. All I can say is that the Chair has taken note of those hon. Members who have sat throughout this debate today. I have already made a note of those who have been present which I shall give to Mr. Speaker. § 9.10 p.m. § Mr. Julian Critchley (Aldershot) The charge we are making against the Government is a grave one. It is no less than hazarding the security of the realm through neglect and in the process alienating our allies and losing the respect in which the world once held this country. I must remind the House of the number of defence cuts, and their extent, in recent years. In 1976 the Government slashed defence by nearly £600 million. In 1977 the figure was £953 million. In 1978 it will be £1,200 million. The planned reduction, projected to 1983, is £9,918 million. That very clearly goes far beyond the concept of good housekeeping. 143 From the moment of their election in February 1974 the Government, while multiplying State spending on everything else, began the process of slashing spending on defence. The Government excused themselves for their policy apparently on four counts. First, they say that the threat has been overstated; secondly, that defence spending is adequate to the task in hand; thirdly, that their effort compares favourably with that of our allies; fourthly, when forced to retreat from one prepared position to another, that we are doing all we can possibly afford. We Conservatives find these excuses lame and unconvincing, as does the country. I shall try to show why. Has the Soviet threat really been overstated? Clearly not in the series of Government White Papers. But the portion of the threat was written by civil servants and fits uncomfortably with the announcement of reductions, and their justification, which inevitably make up the second half of these documents. The growth of Soviet power is obvious to us all. It is a fact. Each year the Soviet Union increases its defence expenditure by about 5 per cent. It spends between 11 per cent, and 13 per cent, of its GNP on defence, nearly three times the NATO average. In real terms, it spends 30 per cent. more than the United States. We in Britain spend about 5 per cent, of our GNP on defence. In recent years, the Soviets have achieved strategic nuclear equality with the United States—there are those who would assert strategic nuclear superiority over the United States. In recent years, the Soviets have achieved superiority in nuclear weapons deployed in Europe where they are equipped with tactical nuclear weapons which combine range, mobility and yield to a degree which the West is yet unable to match. Nor do the Soviets suffer from the artificially induced inhibitions about the first use of nuclear weapons which are so characteristic of Western attitudes. The Soviets have always enjoyed superiority in numbers of their conventional forces. Now the gap in quality and capacity, which was very much in favour of NATO for many years after the war, has diminished until it has largely disappeared. § Mr. Edwin Wainwright I do not think that the hon. Member is telling the truth about this. Is it not true that the air-launched cruise missile is far better than any version that the Russians have got and that the sea-launched missile with a range of 2,300 miles is also far better? § Mr. Critchley I am coming to the cruise missile. In reality there is no such thing. One or two have been fired but they are certainly not in service. The Warsaw Pact has a number of advantages over its NATO rival. It is more centralised in the sense that geographically it can act more quickly and is capable of much more rapid reinforcement. By virtue of the dominance of the Soviet Union, its weapons are standardised and inter-operable. Many of ours are not. Warsaw Pact manpower is less expensive than ours and therefore a far larger share of the money can be used on a programme of research and on the procurement of modern weapons. That is not in dispute. § Mr. Frank Allaun The hon. Member said that this is not in dispute. It is. According to the Institute of Strategic Studies the manpower in the Warsaw Pact forces is 4.7 million, while in NATO it is 4.8 million. The hon. Member just said that the Warsaw Pact greatly exceeded NATO. § Mr. Critchley The hon. Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun) is including in the NATO forces the Greeks and the Turks. They are nowhere near the central front of Europe, and with the best will in the world, they could not be called upon to reinforce our forces in this area. There is no visible end to the process of Soviet rearmament. It is not necessary to remind the public of the extent of the Soviet build-up. We cannot have failed to have heard the warnings. Generals, politicions and journalists have all been telling us the strength of Soviet forces and the growing strength of their armaments. On the central front their armaments are numerically superior in a ratio of 3 to 1, and their artillery in a ratio of 6 to 1. The quality of Warsaw Pact equipment rivals that of NATO. Soviet rearmament is the most uncomfortable fact of international life. The group of Soviet armies in Germany is poised like a huge arrow at the coalition of allied armies. 145 I wish to carry the Government with me. Do I overstate the nature of the threat? If so, I would be happy to give way to the Government Front Bench. Clearly, it has not been overstated. In fact it has been understated. Had it been overstated it would have been reasonably asserted that defence spending was adequate to the task. It has not been so asserted. Dr. Luns does not think so, neither does General Haig. The President of the United States was the first to ask the NATO Powers to increase their defence spending by up to 3 per cent, in order to meet the growing Soviet threat. This Government have agreed to increase their spending by 3 per cent., whatever that means. It means that the British Government no longer believe that British defence spending is adequate. We are left with the last two excuses. The first is that our effort compares favourably with that of our allies. One can compare this as a percentage of GNP—which is most favourable to the Government's case, although they carefully never compare like with like—or one can compare spending per head of population. Using the latter comparison, we now lag behind not only the United States, France and Germany but the Dutch, the Belgians and the Norwegians. What is the truth? How should we measure the Government's failure? It is futile to determine defence spending on the basis of an arbitrary mathematical formula based on a GNP percentage. The aim should be to assess the nature of the threat and the resources other allies are making available, and then see what future contribution we can make. One should bear in mind that these were the words of the Minister of State as reported in the Financial Times on 23rd September last year. He was seeking to answer a pamphlet on defence issued by the national executive of the Labour Party called "Sense about Defence". The Minister of State is at his best when defending collective security against the attacks of his neutralist colleagues. He might try doing it more often. It is worth having another look at "Sense about Defence" if only to understand more fully the nature of the coalition that is the Labour Party. It calls for a cut of £1,000 million over and 146 above the £9,900 million already lopped off the defence budget. Such a cut would make our contribution to NATO worthless. This enmity towards defence, to collective security, is a characteristic of the Tribune Group, to which about 80 Socialist Members of Parliament belong. Perhaps the Minister of State would join me for a moment in speculating about the motives of the Tribune Group. What does it want to achieve? What sort of Britain does it want? I suspect that its members are the same people who were described somewhat unsympathetically by Hugh Gaitskell asa collection of neutralists, unilateralists and fellow travellers".When one opens "Sense about Defence" and sees that it has a foreword by the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow (Mr. Mikardo), one does not know whether to laugh or cry. The Tribune Group is mounting a threat to the sort of defence and foreign policy which the Labour Party has always stood for. We all know this, but what is so annoying is that its members are allowed to pretend to be either radicals in favour of spending less money, or moralists uniquely concerned with the wickedness of weapons. In fact, they are neither. § Mr. Frank Allaun Since the hon. Gentleman has smeared my hon. Friend the Member for Bethnal Green and Bow (Mr. Mikardo)—a man who has done more for peace than the hon. Gentleman has—perhaps I may be allowed to intervene. The hon. Gentleman asked what were our motives. Let me tell the House simply and honestly that our motives are to avoid a third world war and to maintain and improve detente. I suggest that the speech the hon. Gentleman is making is intended not to further detente but to ruin it. § Mr. Critchley It is surely the object of every hon. Member to avoid a third world war. We are debating the best way to achieve precisely that. I am saying that the members of the Tribune Group are not moralists uniquely concerned with the wickedness of weapons. They are neither. They wish to forward neutrality. They favour neutrality either as an end in itself or as a first step towards Britain changing sides. The Tribune Group fears and 147 dislikes the United States more than it fears the Soviet Union. What is as bad as the adoption of neutrality by a large proportion of the Labour Party is the failure of the Social Democrats not simply to win the argument but even to start it. Mr. Alan Lee Williams (Hornchurch) Did the hon. Gentleman, when reading "Sense about Defence", note that a number of hon. Members, including myself, wrote an annex to that document which clearly put the Social Democratic case? § Mr. Critchley I concede that there is no better Social Democrat than the hon. Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Williams). I still assert that most of the Labour Party has been seen off the field. Indeed, the right hon. Member for Stockton (Mr. Rodgers), who, in conjunction with the hon. Member for Hornchurch and the hon. Member for Farnworth (Mr. Roper) might have saved the Labour Party, has been given the task of sorting out the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea. There are three forms of neutrality, and nobody ever asks what it is the Tribune Group wishes to achieve. Its members are allowed to pretend that they are in favour of something else. Yet if the Tribune Group is hostile to capitalism in this country, should it be so surprising if its hostility is universal? Do its members favour a disarmed Britain, or a half-armed neutrality without nuclear weapons—certainly not members of any alliance that depends on nuclear weapons—or are they in favour of a fully-armed neutrality? We do not know what sort of neutrality they favour because nobody has bothered to ask them. The group is never obliged to defend its position and say which of the three kinds of neutrality it espouses. Yet were Britain to become neutral and quit NATO, the obvious effect of such a radical change in British foreign policy would be to upset the balance of power in central Europe and to make the situation less stable. Is that what the group seeks? Were NATO to survive our departure, who would have to be recruited to fill the gap? A larger number of Germans would. I would 148 welcome that, but is that what members of the Tribune Group want? Have they thought it through? Perhaps, after we had withdrawn from NATO, they would favour a fully-armed neutrality on the Swedish model. But do they know how much that would cost? Despite all that those hon. Members claim, money has little or nothing to do with their attitude and arguments. They favour a fundamental realignment of Britain in the context of the East-West dispute. There are other fallacies. There are those who believe that, were Britain to become neutral, other countries would follow suit. Others say that, once our virginity was restored, our influence in the world would be much greater. No country, Socialist or otherwise, has utterly disarmed, so no one would conceivably follow our example. Do we really imagine that the restoration of our virginity would increase our influence in the councils of the world? Our European allies would be appalled; the Russians would regard British neutrality as being in their interests but would offer no quid pro quo. Those in the United States who wish to reduce their obligations to the common defence would be heartened, while the Administration would have to decide whether to rearm further. The Tribune Group in fact feels neutral between the United States and the Soviet Union. It wants Britain to leave the Common Market and the Atlantic Alliance. At best it sees American free enterprise and Russian dictatorship on all fours, and at worst it wants Britain to change sides in the cold war. If those on the Right wing of the Labour Party are not prepared to take the intellectual battle into the enemy's camp, we in the Tory Party will have to do so. The Labour Party is no longer the party of Attlee and Bevin. It is not yet—although it is moving fast in that direction—the party of Hart and Mikardo. It remains the party of Mulley and Gilbert—sleepy, good-natured and confused. There is one final argument. Clearly, the threat has not been overstated. Equally plainly, our spending is not adequate to the task at hand. Our effort in no way compares favourably with that 149 of our allies. Are we then at least doing "all we can possibly afford"? Again, the answer is "No." We can no longer plead poverty. Is the economy not to grow in future? Are we not assured by Ministers almost every day that the economic miracle has already occurred? The right hon. Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Healey) has already announced an increase in State spending of £1,000 million and we still have the Budget—his election announcement—to come. At the end of last year, the right hon. Gentleman announced that £400 million was to go to the construction industry. The 3 per cent, increase in defence spending now announced by the Government is "about £200 million. We should do far better than that. The money is there, but the will is lacking. There is no reference in the White Paper— § Mr. Frank Allaun How much would the hon. Gentleman spend? I suggest that if we quadrupled our arms spend-in and completely bankrupted the country, he would still say "Not enough." All the time that he is talking about the Soviet threat of new weapons and so on, does he not think that his opposite numbers in the Kremlin are using the same hawkish terms about the American weapons? Is it not gentlemen like him and his opposite numbers in the Kremlin who are the cause of all the trouble? § Mr. Critchley Obviously defence spending has to be set in the context of what a country can afford—[HON. MEMBERS: "Ah".] That is obvious. Have we ever said anything different? All we have said is that we would give defence a higher priority than Labour has done. Is that unreasonable? What is politics, after all, if it is not a process of deciding on one's priorities? If we are to give it our first priority, we shall clearly spend more money—but it will be more money which we can afford. Defence is more than just men and munitions, however brave the men and effective the munitions. The intellectual and moral factors of defence are of supreme importance. Should we not ask whether the West has the moral fibre that would enable it to resist the encroachment of the Soviet Union? I fear that the changes that have occurred in Western 150 European societies have weakened the will to resist of both the peoples and the politicians. There has been a growing materialism, with those values overtaking the spiritual at the expense of a readiness to serve and to sacrifice. Idealism, such as it is, is directed either towards social problems or to the Third world. For many of Europe's youth the idea of service to one's country, and even defence of one's country, has become abhorrent. Yet another change has been the decline of religion—the secularisation of thought. The West is challenged by Marxism—a religion of sorts. Is it possible to meet that challenge without the transcendental factor in our moral and mental make-up? Religion has been the cement both of men and of nations. Will it be enough to put prosperity in its place? A third change has been the end of patriotism. The nation State survives but without the legitimacy of public affection. It is appalling that politicians have put nothing in its place. The unity of Europe ought to be an end in itself, just as the unification of Germany, Italy and the United States were ends in themselves, but we have sold Europe not as a super State, to which we should owe love and loyalty, but as a super market. We have also become hypercritical of our own societies and institutions. We have also been deceived into accepting the false notion that the quarrel between NATO and the Warsaw Pact is between capitalism and socialism. In other words, we are prepared to fight for francs and marks, whereas our opponents are the defenders of the rights of the common man. The issue that divides East from West is not capitalism versus Socialism, but liberty itself. This is a gloomy list of changes. Are the politicians to blame? As power has passed from the Member of Parliament, first to his party, then to the Executive and now to the bureaucracy and beyond, so popular democracy has been substituted for the parliamentary kind. We are only too keen to make sure, first, what it is that the people want and then, secondly, to pronounce ourselves in favour of it. In which country in Western Europe are the public in favour of defence spending when they are not constantly 151 and courageously reminded of its vital necessity. If the Government reduce defence spending five times in four years, is it any wonder that the people are inclined to put defence at the bottom of their list of priorities? That is the charge that the Opposition make in this debate today. § 9.33 p.m. § The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army (Mr. Robert C. Brown) The hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Critchley) spent the bulk of his speech attacking policies that the Government do not in any event follow and that it is not my business to defend. Suffice to say that confession is good for the soul. It was good to hear an honest word from the Opposition Dispatch Box today when, in the dying minutes of his speech, the hon. Gentleman conceded that defence expenditure is allied to the economic state of the nation. It was good to hear the candour and honesty of an hon. Member speaking from that Dispatch Box. Before replying to the numerous points raised by hon. Members during the debate, I should like to speak briefly about an element of our Armed Forces in which I have a particular interest—the TAVR. The Reserve Army is a vital element in the forces which we would send to BAOR in time of war. It also has an extremely important role to play in the defence of the United Kingdom base. It is an outstandingly efficient force manned by part-time volunteers. I know from my own experience, having exercised with them on more than one weekend, just how good these TAVR lads are. Every year at this time, we mount a recruiting drive for the TAVR. At present, it is, on average, recruited to some 83 per cent, of establishment, although where I come from it is light infantry territory and we are at about 101 per cent, of establishment. I was sorry to hear from the hon. and gallant Member for Eye (Sir H. Harrison), who is Chairman of the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee, that the Sub-Committee will not be able to pay its planned visit to the TAVR in the North-East. The Committee will be missing a great weekend and I hope that its visit has only been postponed and not cancelled. 152 I should like to see all units up to full strength as they are in my part of the world. Such is the importance that the Government place upon the TAVR that the Prime Minister has gone on record recently with a major statement of support for them. He spoke of the "crucial role" that the TAVR would play in the nation's defence in war and expressed his hope that the current nationwide recruiting campaign shouldreceive a good response throughout the country and in particular of employers and trade unions, whose active support is vital to TAVR training".—[Official Report, 23rd February 1978; Vol. 944, c. 765.]I hope that the House will endorse that call and that hon. Members will seek to make it heard in every constituency. Any man or woman joining the TAVR will find it a tremendously rewarding life and will know that he or she is doing a job for which the whole community will be grateful. Although I have mentioned only the TAVR I am sure that my hon. Friends the Under-Secretaries of State for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy will wish to associate themselves, in relation to their volunteers, with what I have said. I have mentioned the hon. and gallant Member for Eye and I wish to express appreciation of the thorough investigations carried out by the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee under his chairmanship. We value its reports, which are always carefully studied by the Ministry and welcomed in the House as valuable contributions to our debates. We always reply to them promptly. I am pleased that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was able to put the hon. and gallant Gentleman right when he appeared to be suffering from a misconception, but I am sure that the House would wish to join me in saying how much we value the service given by the hon. and gallant Gentleman as chairman of an invaluable sub-committee. Support for the TAVR is surely something on which we can all agree, but criticisms have been levelled at the Government's defence policies and I feel that some of them deserve an answer. No one should mistake the climate signified for defence planning by the tone of the Secretary of State's speech earlier. For reasons of economic necessity, we have been through a period in which the key-note has been to preserve the fundamentals 153 and to trim unnecessary excesses, thus bringing our defence contribution more into line with the contributions of our allies. We have achieved that taut, efficient posture. We shall now have greater room for manoeuvre by carefully selected measures to make qualitative improvements to our forces where they are most needed. The 3 per cent, increase in spending will be most useful here. The need for economic management will certainly remain, but the improved economic position of the country will allow a more positive emphasis to be placed on improvements to, rather than preservation of, our capability when, as now, they are rendered necessary by developments in the threat against which we have to defend ourselves. Not that it has been all preservation and no improvement for the past three years—far from it. But it is a change of emphasis in face of an increased threat which the House should recognise. In reply to the remarks of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sir I. Gilmour) spoke in broad brush terms about his party's plans for defence spending. It sounded good. But what was the substance? When pressed on what his 4 per cent, meant he wriggled and finally tried to slip from the hook by saying that he was keeping his options open. The House laughed. Its laughter is a more eloquent comment on the right hon. Gentleman's hollow claims than I could hope to offer. In the face of the Secretary of State's impressive list of concrete measures to improve our capability, he could only offer vague assurances and hot air. He said, "I do not know what the base line would be from which the 4 per cent. should be calculated". The House will draw its own conclusions when it reads the right hon. Gentleman's speech. The right hon. Gentleman referred to the problem of underspend. Underspending is not any kind of hidden cut. It simply reflects unavoidable delays in works and equipment programmes outside the control of the Ministry of Defence. Improved financial information systems, introduced with cash limits, should make it easier, for Departments such as the MOD to monitor the progress of spending and to take corrective 154 action in good time when divergencies appear from planned patterns of spending. We are working hard on such improvements. I should point out that the defence budget has underspent in 12 of the past 14 years. The problem is therefore common to Governments of both political hues. Thus, to seek to attack this Government over it demonstrates only to what a level the right hon. Gentleman has sunk in his attempts to seize on any point of possible criticism, however feeble or bogus. We can leave his speech there for the time being. In contrast, my hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun) pursued his usual tack, arguing principally that it is NATO that leads in the arms race. Where the USSR spends 11 per cent, to 13 per cent, of the gross national product on defence compared with the United States of America's figure of 5.5 per cent, of GNP, I think we may perceive the true position. An increase of 31 per cent, in its numbers of main battle tanks in Central Europe is not, surely, an earnest of the USSR's determination to eschew the military option as an instrument of policy. It is no pleasure to the Government to have to increase arms spending, but the facts are inescapable and the 3 per cent, is our answer. My hon. Friend should give more credit, though, for the progress we have made in bringing our defence expenditure into line with that of our allies. § Mr. Frank Allaun I noticed that my hon. Friend appeared to be listening to my speech, but it appears that he did not take much notice of it. Perhaps some hon. Members opposite heard me, too. I said that in certain weapons the Warsaw Pact is stronger than NATO but that in manpower and in most weapons—in the number of missiles, in the number of aircraft carriers, and in new weapons such as the cruise and MX weapons—NATO is stronger than the Warsaw Pact. Just the same argument as my hon. Friend is advancing is, I am sure, being advanced inside the Kremlin. It is this competition—this deadly arms race—which is taking us all on towards the third world war. § Mr. Brown I cannot answer that in the short time available. My hon. Friend should give us credit for the fact that we 155 no longer bear the disproportionate share that we carried when we took office. On the estimates that we have of future economic growth, the increase of 3 per cent, in the defence budget will leave the defence share of GDP at the same level as this year—at 4¾ per cent. As the economy improves, the percentage will decrease in line with what many of us wish. When I examine the motion in the names of my hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East and others, I cannot help but recall the time when I spent a few minutes on a "Panorama" programme. I was followed by a convener of shop stewards from one of the works mentioned in my hon. Friend's motion. I was castigated because members of that shop stewards union had to work on socially useless products. The workers wanted their skills to be transferred to socially useful products. I do not complain at that sentiment. However, the day after that programme I met the same convener of shop stewards at the main gate to the Ministry of Defence. He was leading a deputation of workers who were demanding more military work to be transferred from a publicly owned factory to a privately owned factory on Tyneside. I then began to wonder. That is having it both ways and that is not fair. § Mr. Brown Yes, but we cannot do that overnight. I hope that we shall move in that direction. My hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield, East (Mr. Mallalieu), in a typically charming and characteristic speech, took us back 30 years to when he made his first contribution to a defence debate in the House. It was an interesting speech. I liked his idea of splitting defence debates into two parts—one on policy and the other on welfare. It is a good idea. I do not know whether this might be my hon. Friend's last contribution to a defence debate, but, if it is, he has our good wishes for the future and our thanks for all his contributions. My hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Cronin) and the hon. and gallant Member for Eye raised the issue of warning time and referred to the increasing capability of the Warsaw Pact 156 to launch an attack with little warning. I assure the House that, although a period of rising tension is considered more likely, the possibility of a surprise attack is acknowledged within NATO. For this reason we have been placing increasing emphasis on improving the readiness of NATO's standing forces. I am glad to give the hon. and gallant Member for Eye the assurance that he requested. NATO's plans for combating a surprise attack are kept under constant review. As long as the Alliance maintains its vigilance and the credibility of its deterrent forces, there is little likelihood that an attack—surprise or otherwise—will occur. The state of preparedness of the Alliance is, of course, kept under constant review in the light of assessments of warning time. We have the reserve forces we need for the reinforcement tasks necessary. We, can, for example, swiftly reinforce BAOR in time of tension to more than twice its peace-time strength. Our reinforcement plans also include arrangements to return individuals and units away on leave and training as well as those deployed in Northern Ireland. All those movements can be achieved within the timescale required by current NATO planning but, of course, we constantly seek improvements. The hon. and gallant Member and my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough also referred to the positive response made by the Government to the programme of short-term measures agreed by NATO Defence Ministers last year. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already detailed some of the improvements we are making in the anti-tank capability of BAOR, the fact that we are making additional armoured, artillery and infantry units available as reinforcements, and that we are improving our plans for reserve mobilisation and reinforcements. In addition, the decision to increase the size of the Army will make it possible to improve the level of readiness and raise the standard of training in NATO-assigned units. The hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Pink) talked about the offshore task. There are two principal tasks—fishery protection and the protection of offshore oil and gas installations. Because these tasks occur in the same waters 157 —inside our extended fishing limits—and are, to a large extent, based on a common strategic approach, the same forces are used for both tasks. The strategic approach is essentially that of surveillance and patrolling by ships and aircraft, with back-up, as necessary, from other elements of the Armed Forces. In fishery protection, the concept of patrolling includes the requirement to board, search and perhaps escort an offender into port for further investigation. The new "Island" class of offshore patrol vessels has now entered service to provide a constant presence, and the fifth and last of the class dedicated to the offshore task will enter service in April. These ships are designed for good sea keeping and long endurance in North Sea conditions. They have good communications to enable them to assume control of an incident. We feel that it is these characteristics that are the essential ones for the general policing of our interests in the North Sea, rather than those of high speed and heavy armament which have been advocated in some circles. RAF long-range maritime patrol Nimrod aircraft reconnoitre over large areas and are a vital complement to the ships, providing information beyond the range of ships' sensors and enabling them to be deployed to the best advantage. In addition to these forces, reaction forces are available at short notice to deal with all sorts of incidents and emergencies. Our experience to date leads us to believe that our measures are adequate. Nevertheless, if circumstances suggest a change of plan we shall, of course, consider it. I move on now to pay and conditions. The right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham asked about the independence of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. The position is clear. The Review Body is free to make whatever recommendations it thinks fit. That is its independence. The Government are also free to give whatever advice they think right to the Review Body. But this does not detract from the obligation on the Review Body to weigh that advice and all the other evidence before it and to make its own decisions as to what its recommendations should be. § Sir Ian Gilmour The Minister must not go on perpetuating this myth. The 158 Secretary of State and the Minister of State have agreed categorically—the right hon. Gentleman in his letter to me—that the Review Body is expected to abide by the Government's pay policies. In that case, why go on saying that it is independent? § Mr. Brown The position is quite clear, as I have said. The Review Body is free to make whatever recommendations it may decide to make. That is the independence of the Review Body. But, equally, the Government have a right to consider the recommendations and to make their decisions. Every right hon. and hon. Member must understand that it is clearly for the Government to decide on the implementation of any recommendations of the Review Body. Very many hon. Members on both sides of the House have made strong pleas for Service men to be given a fair deal. It is indeed good to witness the support that we have from both sides of the House on the issue of Forces' pay. But the plain fact is that we must wait and see. § Mr. Brown The Review Body will report soon. The Government will then, and only then, make their decision on the basis of this independent body's recommendations. But my colleagues and I are determined that the Forces will get a fair deal. I can say no more than that at present. I can say no more than the Opposition could say were they in office. § Mr. Banks rose— § Mr. Brown When the Opposition were in the same boat during a statutory control of incomes, the Armed Forces suffered in exactly the same way as they have done over the last two years. It is no good the hon. Member for Petersfield (Mr. Mates) shaking his head. He was then a serving member of the Armed Forces and he knows well enough what that statutory policy did in terms of comparability, as, indeed, any incomes policy does. § Mr. Brown No, I shall not give way. The hon. Gentleman may catch Mr. Speaker's eye tomorrow. I want to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Farnworth (Mr. Roper) for a most imaginative speech. He marked the two important factors—first, the increase in the cost of equipment; secondly, the reduction in manpower in all three Services in the past decade. It was an interesting resume of what has happened in defence spending over the past decade. My hon. Friend clearly underlined the fact that defence spending has remained almost as a constant during the last 10 years. My hon. Friend the Member for Kings-wood (Mr. Walker) made a very thoughtful speech. It was the first time that I have heard him intervene in a defence debate. I hope that it will not be the last, because his was one of the finer speeches in a generally quite good debate. He mentioned local overseas allowance as it applies to those serving in Germany. Because of the direct intervention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, local overeas allowances have been frozen for 12 months. Much has been said today to bring out apparent differences between Government and Opposition on matters of defence policy. Despite all the sound and fury, I believe that these are more imagined than real. Looking at the records of both parties in Government rather than listening to opportunist statements made in opposition with little other purpose than to seek temporary electoral or Press advantage, I think that the House would agree that one finds a great element of consensus: for example, strategically, in our support of NATO and our determination to sustain and, now that economic circumstances permit, improve our frontline forces; in Northern Ireland, where we are pledged to support the RUC with whatever level of military presence may be required; and, let us be clear, in the means by which Armed Forces' pay is determined and reviewed. In all these respects, and in the broad level of resources which we continue to devote to defence—some £7 billion a year; certainly not chicken feed—we cannot in truth be said to have departed from the basic policies accepted over the 160 years by governments of both parties. We may have slimmed elements peripheral to our basic defence needs, but we have kept the essentials. Nor have the Opposition shrunk from cutting the defence budget where economic circumstances have made this necessary. The hon. Member for Aldershot was good enough and honest enough to say that. The Armed Forces are unlikely to forget the Demon Barber. Now, thanks to the Government's sound economic management, we may look forward to a period of stability in which to build. I would regard the 3 percent. increase in defence expenditure for 1979–80 as a clear answer to anyone who impugns the Government's commitment to a strong defence posture. Perhaps it is this very clarity which creates alarm amongst the Opposition and renders their criticism the more raucous— § It being Ten o'clock, the debate stood adjourned. § Debate to be resumed tomorrow.

May 2, 2013 Michael Shannon as Richard Kuklinski in 'The Iceman.' Richard Kuklinski lived to see himself achieve infamy, thanks to an acclaimed book and a chilling HBO documentary that chronicled his decades as a hit man for the mob and a self-styled killer — who eventually earned the moniker “The Iceman” by freezing a victim’s body in an attempt to mask the time of death. All the while, Kuklinski was living a double life as a family man in Dumont. Now, seven years after he died while serving two life sentences at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton for four murders, he is about to hit the big screen in “The Iceman,” a $10 million film out Friday that should perpetuate his notoriety. (The film opens in Lincoln Square and Sunshine Cinema in New York.) The so-called “big guy” — Kuklinski was 6-foot-4, 270 pounds — is played by Michael Shannon, the 6-foot-4, considerably slimmer actor who is best known as Agent Van Alden on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” Although “The Iceman” was filmed almost entirely in Shreveport, La. – director Ariel Vromen says he wanted to make the movie in New Jersey, but Louisiana offered unbeatable financial incentives to shoot there — it is a thoroughly Garden State story. He was first hired as a hit man by Brooklyn mobster Roy DeMeo (Ray Liotta), but Kuklinski grew up, an abused child, in the Jersey City projects. Many of his victims were from, or dumped in, towns from North Bergen to West Milford. And it was a joint state and federal task force that took Kuklinski down, largely because of the work of Hackensack native and ATF undercover agent Dominick Polifrone, who used the alias Dominick Provenzano. ‘Had to play that game’ ‘Had to play that game’ Polifrone — who retired from the ATF in 1998 and is now director of a youth drop-in center at Hackensack High School — has seen the movie twice and mostly gives it high grades. “I thought Michael Shannon was excellent. His demeanor, his eye contact, the way he spoke, the way he presented himself, the way he portrayed Kuklinski, the staring mode, his facial expressions,” Polifrone says. “The movie was violent and that’s the way it was back then, and I had to play that game.” But seeing that violence on a big screen triggered memories. “All of a sudden I remember different things where he was telling me about these different murders,” Polifrone says. “I look back at this movie, and I’m saying to myself, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’” The screenplay, by Vromen and Morgan Land, is based on Jim Thebaut’s 1992 HBO documentary “The Iceman Tapes: Conversations With a Killer,” and Anthony Bruno’s book “The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer.” The latter extensively covered the undercover operation that ended with Kuklinski’s arrest near his Sunset Street home in December 1986 — a fascinating tale given such short shrift in the film that many moviegoers may find the denouement confusing. “When you have 18 or 19 years of stories, of so many characters, and a limitation of time and budget, you gotta choose what story you’re telling,” Vromen said at a recent press gathering in New York, when asked about the brevity of that important chapter. “I wanted to tell the love story. So I started the movie on a date and I end up on a separation.” Calling Kuklinski’s relationship with his wife Barbara a “love story” may raise eyebrows. By many accounts, including her own, she was an abused woman, terrified that her husband would kill her and their three kids if she left. Kuklinski’s family (all of whom are still alive) did not cooperate with the making of the film, and so Winona Ryder, who plays Barbara (rechristened “Deborah”), drew her own conclusions about Mrs. Kuklinski. Ryder says she was drawn to the project because of “the deep, deep denial that she was living in for so long … and the fact that she was flourishing on this blood money that I believe she knew was not clean money.” Shannon says he watched the entire unedited 20-plus hours of HBO interviews, by himself, over and over, and concluded that Kuklinski “was a very sad person, a very lonely person, who was destined to lead a very bleak existence, then he met a woman and he fell in love and realized that he might have an opportunity to have a home and a family that he never really had. … But he could never really escape who he was.” When Jay Giannone watched the HBO documentary, he zeroed in on Polifrone (known only as Provenzano in the film). “He’s such an interesting guy. He’s charismatic, and he’s cool. He’s hip,” says Giannone, a Boston native who tracked down Polifrone and peppered him with questions. “I said, ‘What was it like to actually sit across from Kuklinski, knowing what this guy was capable of doing any second?’ He told me, ‘I just went in confident. I had a lot of street credibility, and I used that to my advantage.’ He said sometimes he thought about what could happen … but he still had a job to do. He … was just so honorable.” Polifrone, in turn, praised Giannone, saying he “played me well for the short time of it, and he reminded me of me as a young man when I first came on ATF.” The part of the tale that moviegoers will not see (unless there’s a sequel): Polifrone started hanging out at a Kuklinski haunt, a front for illegal activity on McBride Avenue in Patersonknown as “the store.” Sporting flashy cars and lots of money, Polifrone — who had been working 15 years undercover, and had had great success infiltrating the New York mob — pretended to be Provenzano, a New York wiseguy. It took a year before he finally met Kuklinski, at a Dunkin’ Donuts near the store. “I’m in my Lincoln, and he pulls up in the blue Camaro – I remember it just like it was five minutes ago — and he gets out and … Holy Christmas, this guy is huge. And I’m saying to myself, ‘Hey, Dom, be cool, you’ve done this a thousand times,’” Polifrone says. Kuklinski (who later claimed to have killed 100 people) asked if Provenzano could get him pure cyanide, which had become his lethal weapon of choice. Kuklinski had killed his previous supplier, a fellow hit man and ice-cream truck driver named Robert Prongay, known as Mister Softee. Polifrone — then living with his wife and three children in Hillsdale, less than five miles from Kuklinski’s home — was part of a team (a joint effort among the ATF, the state Attorney General’s Office and the state police) that had circumstantial evidence on Kuklinski, but needed direct evidence. With a tape recorder inside his leather jacket, Polifrone recorded their conversations, many of them at the Vince Lombardi Service Area. Among other things, Kuklinski told him how he had put cyanide on the hamburger of a troublesome crew member (Gary Smith), then he and an accomplice (Danny Deppner, whom Kuklinski would later murder) watched in amusement as the guy took his time to die. “Richie’s laughing telling me the story,” recalls Polifrone, who also taped Kuklinski dishing about his signature kill. “He says, ‘I had a guy in a freezer for two years and they only thought he was dead for a week.’ He says, ‘When you want to freeze somebody, the best garbage bags to use are Glad, because they lasted for two years and kept the body beautiful.’" The team knew from wiretaps that Kuklinski was planning to kill Provenzano next. They arrested him as he and his wife were driving away from their Dumont home on Dec. 17, 1986. “I met him in September, so four months it took me to get the information and take him down,” Polifrone says. “That’s pretty good. I should get a star. But you know something? Dominick Polifrone better get counseling after seeing this movie. My kids are gonna go, ‘What in the world, Pops?’”

Now I know you are all just dying to know... so here is the transfer verdict! I am staying in Franklin (yay!) and Sister Bowen is leaving (boo). Bu,t I will get another fantastic sister who will be a Sister Trainer Leader with me. It shall be an adventure. One of the perks of this assignment is you always get a super solid companion!!! So this week was amazing!! As usual :) We were able to extend baptismal dates to a few more investigators and we also found some fun new investigators!! So many good things are going on in Franklin right now!! Doris is doing fantastic!! She is reading from the Book of Mormon still and she is doing all of the other "assignments" that we give her as well! She loves it! She is going through quite a bit with her husband right now- she is not sure if he will ever be able to come home again and if he did come home if she would be able to take care of him. He is beginning to decline mentally also and she is having to make a really tough decisions that aren't making him too happy. We were able to have lessons with her this week in the Wilde's and in the Oliver's homes. Which was wonderful because they love her and she loves them!! Doris said that she has noticed a change in herself since she has started meeting with us, that she feels happier and that she has more peace. She said that her challenges seems so much easier to handle now. It is amazing what the gospel does for us, the changes that it brings about in individuals. It is amazing!! Sadly she wasn't able to make it to church this week cause she caught a bug:( Then there is Will and Artie!! They are 10 and 11 year old brothers. There mom has been less active for years, but just finished the Book of Mormon and has been back at church for almost 2 months now.we invited Will and Artie to be baptized!! They both said YES!!! They will be baptized on ! We are so excited for them :) We talked quite a bit about Joseph Smith with them this week and they loved him. We asked after we talked about the first vision how they felt and what they were thinking. Their responses were "peace and happiness" and "faith". I just love how excited this family is about the gospel! We met with Jeanine a few times this week and she is progressing... wasn't able to make it to church due to back pain, but I am pretty sure she will come soon. Yesterday, she made us a cake just because. I love how much love this woman has for all of those people in her life. She will do anything for her family!!! She is truly amazing. This week we are going to help her begin the process of giving up smoking.... it should be an adventure!! So now here is the best story of all for this week. It wasafternoon and Sister Bowen and I had a ton of phone calls to make. We had about an hour and a half before dinner and we had a bunch of potential investigators that we felt like we neeed to go check up on too. So we went to a neighborhood where we knew we could stay busy, but we decided that first we should make some of the phone calls that we needed to. We were in our car for about 45 minutes and the people in the house closest to where we parked kept going in and out of their house. We didn't think too much of it. We thougth they might think we looked a little bit like creeps. We were wrapping things up, getting ready to get out of the car when the woman from the house we were parked by backed out and then rolled over to where we were and rolled down her window. The conversation went a little bit like this: "Are you girls alright?" "Yes we are fine" "You are not lost or anything are you?" "No we aren't, but that you for asking, we are just making a few calls." "Oh gotcha, well are you relators then?" "No, haha we are actually Missionaries!" "Oh No WAY! Does that mean you get to go to other countries and help and stuff? "Haha that would be fun, but no- we are Misisonaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So basically we teach people about Christ and how to come closer to him." "No- way, I was looking for a church!" ......... We ended up talking to Theresa for 20 more minutes, car to car and then we had an appointment with hermorning. She is fantastic!! She has a lot of questions, but she is looking for more in her life right now. She is excited to read the Book of Mormon. She told us yesterday that she is not sure if she wants to convert, but that she wants to learn more for sure! So now the big joke is that the people we teach come find us ;) that and inspired parking! We that is all for this week All of my love from Indiana oh and for service this week we bottle fed puppies :)