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There was a direct heart-to-heart line of communication between rock's greatest stars because at heart they were the same human being. Both were lonely only children reared by overprotective matrons intent on binding them fast to home and mother for the rest of their lives. Both escaped from their throttling families by striking rebellious poses that made them generation heroes. At heart, though, both remained sad little blue boys, disposed to spend their lives in drugs and dreams, though sometimes roiled to passion they poured into their records. Hence, what "Heartbreak Hotel" did for John Lennon was give him a startling foreflash, a proleptic vision of his future life.
Goldman's assertion of his disillusionment is a bit hard to credit, given that his book gives no indication of ever having been touched by respect or even sympathy, but perhaps one should allow for the conversion syndrome.
Joyce Carol Oates recently coined the term "pathography" for the current fashion for the study of a well-known person's life that focuses on flaws, failures, and misdeeds. The Lives of John Lennon, however, almost deserves a category all its own, one that combines the attributes of pathography with those of the philippic and of black propaganda, such is the extraordinary variety of techniques of defamation employed in it. The most important of these are:
A. The Indelible Anecdote. If Goldman had not sufficiently appreciated the power of creative mise en scène before he wrote Elvis, he certainly did afterward, since the one thing about that book remembered by everyone, including a great many people who never read it, is that the King allegedly took pleasure in watching teen-age girls who wrestled wearing white cotton panties. That scene has entered folklore, and it scarcely matters whether it actually happened. The Lennon book has a similarly vivid if less spectacular vignette positioned near the beginning (although chronologically belonging near the end of Lennon's life) that has already acquired currency: the resentful Yoko planting cat-turd land mines in John's path as he vacantly wanders the halls of their flat in the Dakota.
There are those mornings, however, when Yoko is a bit too slow and John catches her in the act! Then there's hell to pay. John seizes Yoko by her great mop of hair and hauls her, screaming and scratching, to the stove, where he threatens to set her hair afire! That's why there's never a match in this kitchen.
The grotesque squalor of the scene is hilariously memorable, but did it ever happen? This question leads naturally to
B. The Tainted Source. The above anecdote, like many of the book's most sensational claims (inter alia, Lennon's two alleged murders), is solely based on the recollections of Marlene ("Marnie") Hair, whom Goldman characterizes as "Yoko's only close friend and confidante." It is, naturally, hazardous to base significant claims on hearsay, especially second-hand hearsay, but Hair is a particularly iffy witness. David Fricke and Jeffrey Ressner, who examined many of Goldman's sources in Rolling Stone (October 20, 1988), point out that Hair hardly knew Lennon, and that her casual relationship with Ono came to an acrimonious end with a $1.5 million suit that Hair filed in 1982, claiming that her small daughter was injured while on an outing with the Lennons' small son. This does not necessarily mean that all her testimony is fictitious, but it does make the notion of her being privy to Lennon's most tortured and intimate confessions seem doubtful, to say the least.
Goldman draws from other poisoned wells: one is Fred Seaman, a sometime factotum for the Lennons and nephew of two of their employees, who was indicted in 1983 for the theft of Lennon's personal diaries—which he was attempting to doctor, to bolster his claim that Lennon had appointed him as his biographer. Another is Allan Williams, a Liverpool promoter who tried and failed to become the Beatles' manager in the early days, and has spent two decades attempting revenge by retailing bitter accounts of the events of that time. Goldman interviewed very few principals; both of Lennon's widows declined to talk, and he did not even bother to approach the other Beatles. As a result, his research mostly consisted of interviews with single-incident witnesses and with former underlings and sometime pals with axes to grind, as well as of selected readings in and wholesale and uncredited derivations from previously published books by other hands. As Fricke and Ressner illustrate at length, Goldman embroidered upon and distorted the stories he heard to make them more scurrilous, and it is clear from the most general acquaintance with Beatle lore that when he had to choose between two or more versions of an incident, he invariably chose the one that showed his subject in the worse light. Since the book is not annotated, it is largely impossible to tell where given anecdotes or details originated.
Meanwhile, Goldman's background research was either slovenly or nonexistent: on the subject of LSD, for example, an important subtheme, the only establishing quote is from a novel called Groupie (author unidentified). Goldman's book does not appear to have been fact-checked by anyone, and it is so studded with minor errors (e.g., the name of the lower Manhattan neighborhood is given as Alphabetsville; Dave Dellinger is said to be the member of the Chicago Seven who later became a devotee of Guru Maharaj Ji) that any reader would have doubts about the solidity of major assertions. It does not seem to have been checked for grammar, either, or even proofread: the name of Lennon's half-sister, Julia, for example, is spelled two different ways within three paragraphs.
C. Set a Thief to Catch a Thief. Goldman is capable of temporarily sympathizing with anyone as long as he or she suits his purpose. What this means in practice is that he will accept a given party's slurs against another as fact, while ridiculing statements made in defense of either of them. A case in point is his treatment of the relationship between Ono and her first husband, Tony Cox. Goldman portrays Cox through Ono's (bitter, unforgiving) eyes: he is the devil incarnate, and she the victim of his violence and dishonesty. A bit later he presents Ono from Cox's (bitter, unforgiving) viewpoint: she is a witch and a shrew, and he the family man she continues to persecute. Nowhere else in the book is either shown sympathetically. The process is repeated in lesser form elsewhere in the book, where acquaintances of Lennon's that Goldman actually interviewed are first used for damaging purposes and then trashed themselves.
D. When Did You Stop Beating Your Wife? Goldman reverses gears in other ways. The Beatles in their early days were raucous and fairly belligerent, wore leather jackets and played loud, hard music; they were, in fact, a punk band. When Brian Epstein became their manager late in 1961, he insisted on polishing their act; a clean-cut look, a modest and studied demeanor onstage. On this subject Goldman first takes a time-honored line: the Beatles were emasculated by Epstein ("Nobody in the history of show business ever took such a screwing. As for John, he never got over the fact that he sold out"). A few pages later he states, "Though the press would long insist the Fab Four were puppets in the hands of a 'pop Svengali,' the reverse was the truth. Every identifiable feature of the Beatles' fabled image…was the product of the boys' own tastes and invention." Hyperbole aside, the truth probably lies at a point midway between those two sets of statements; the Beatles conspired with their manager to broaden their appeal.
But Goldman's volte-face has a point, beyond merely generating as many footpounds of negative impact as possible. Some pages earlier, he makes the assertion, based on bits of old gossip and on the word of the voluble Marnie Hair, that Lennon enjoyed a long-standing affair with Epstein, who was openly homosexual ("His passion…had long been focused on Brian Epstein, whom he confessed years later he had 'loved more than a woman' "). Therefore, Goldman's point in crediting the Beatles with responsibility for such traits as "the way they shook their hair on a high falsetto note" is to make out that they were even faggier than their manager. Likewise, when he states that "the Beatles were created by John Lennon, who fashioned them in his own image," and goes on to recite the most obvious characteristic of each of the four and show how every adjective applied equally well to Lennon alone, he is merely stressing his theory of Lennon's multiple-personality disorder. After all, he has previously made Lennon out as the weakest and possibly the least talented of the four. Either way, he has sealed off the exits.
E. Damned and Double-Damned:
Lennon during the Summer of Love [possessed] a vastly different public image from any he had displayed in the past. Just a couple of years before…if anything happened to excite his ire, he would erupt in physical violence. Now he seemed a different man. Indeed, everybody commented on how much John had changed…. A childhood friend…observed: "Even a couple years ago the old animosities were still there: refusing to talk to anybody, being rude, slamming the door. Now he's just as likely to say to people "Come in. Sit down."… John himself ascribed his revolutionary change of character to acid…. Diurnal acid dropping produces an effect rather like XTC [sic], the "love drug." Hence, instead of mental pinwheels, the tripper feels himself bound in affectionate communion with everything he sees, like Titania embracing an ass.
If affection and courtesy are sinister, imagine the darkness lurking behind apparent happiness:
Lennon began to suffer from a new fear: that people would suspect him of being a stoned freak. To conceal his mental derangement, he adopted a simple but effective disguise. When addressed by a stranger, John would smile. "If you look happy, nobody ever questions," Lennon instructed….
Drug-induced paranoia, seen through Goldman's pervasive suspiciousness, is like the image of one distorting mirror reflected in another.
F. The Gratuitous Slur. When the Beatles played the Royal Variety Show in 1963, to an audience that included the Queen, the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret, Lennon famously quipped, "Will all the people in the cheap seats clap your hands? All the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry." Goldman laboriously contrives another score against his subject:
The story of how John Lennon addressed the audience at the command performance is one of the most familiar of rock legends—and one of the least understood. The gag was carefully scripted…. In the original draft it read: "…if you'll just rattle your fuckin' jewelry!"
Goldman uses this to make a semipoint about how Lennon wished to be a working-class rebel, but only a middle-class faker would think of cussing in front of the Queen. However, he never did say it, did he, and no source is given for the assertion that he had considered saying it, so that one can only surmise that the anecdote, like much of the book, was designed for skimmers who won't read every word and will come away shocked that a Beatle dared talk French to Her Highness.


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Toting food somewhere? These handy food carriers will transport your famed pie or casserole without a hitch
(10 Photos)
Erin Renzas
Nov 1, 2012 at 11:59AM
Courtesy of Rachael Ray
This oval-shaped Stoneware casserole dish can go from oven to the sturdy insulated carrying bag to the table with ease. ($49.99 for the 4-quart casseroval and $19.95 for the carrier dome at Seventh Avenue)
Yummy recipes, DIY projects, home decor, fashion and more curated by iVillage staffers.
The very dirty truth about fashion internships... DUN DUN @srslytheshow http://t.co/wfewf
Behind-the-scenes pics from iVillage.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Cup runneth over? Fire driving for five
By Len ziehm Special to Sun-Times Media October 3, 2011 11:24PM
Chicago Fire v Houston Dynamo
Updated: November 15, 2011 12:26PM
The Fire's late-season drive to make the MLS playoffs is still going strong, but it'll be put briefly on hold. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final is Tuesday night against the host Seattle Sounders, and plenty of history will be on the line.
The summerlong Open Cup has been played annually since 1914 and the Fire could become the third team to be a five-time champion, joining the Bethlehem (Pa.) Steel and Maccabi Los Angeles. If Seattle wins, they would be only the second team to win three consecutive titles, along with the New York Greek-Americans.
MLS didn't begin play until 1996, and the Fire won its four Open Cups in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006. Frank Klopas, the club's technical director and interim head coach, scored the winning goal in overtime in the 1998 final, his last match before retiring as a player.
The tournament is open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with the Chicago-based U.S. Soccer Federation. The Open Cup final interrupts the Fire's playoff run, which has featured five wins plus Saturday's 1-1 draw in Houston in its last seven matches.
With his eye on the Open Cup, Klopas kept five usual players out of his starting 11 at Houston and was satisfied with the draw.
''It was very important not to lose the game,'' said Klopas. ''A win would have been great. We tried to push the game to win, but a [standings] point is good.''
The Fire is three points behind the New York Red Bulls, who hold the 10th and last playoff berth, with three matches remaining.
The lone Fire goal Saturday was also big for striker Dominic Oduro, who delivered against the team that dumped him one game into this season.
Oduro's 12th goal for the Fire kept him within two of leader Dwayne De Rosario of D.C. United in the chase for MLS' coveted Golden Boot, which goes to the year's top goal-scorer.
''That game is past,'' Oduro said. ''Now we have the U.S. Open Cup finals. That's what we're concentrating on.''
The Sounders (16-6-9) have done much better than the Fire (7-8-16) in MLS play, but Seattle coach Sigi Schmid also used a makeshift lineup in a 2-1 win at New England on Saturday to insure a rested team for the Open Cup battle.
In MLS matches, the Fire lost at Seattle 2-1 on April 9 and managed a scoreless tie in the June 4 rematch at Toyota Park.


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Beko LLC, Arçelik company's subsidariy in Russia, was named "Company of the Year" in Russia for its social responsibility programs that range from education to sports.
Beko's corporate social responsibility program includes supporting the development of children and young people, with a contribution to the improvement of schools in the Vladimir District and contributions to youth sports activities.
The internationally held "Company of the Year" awards are organized by the State Duma's Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship Committee, Budget and Tax Committee and Foundation for the promotion of the entrepreneurship.
Back to Breaking News


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New Travel Diary Software
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our E-mail Digest or RSS Feed. We will then send you the stories that are posted each day in an e-mail digest. We use a service called Feedburner for delivery of these emails. You will receive an e-mail from Feedburner after you subscribe and you must click on that email to activate your subscription. Thanks for visiting and enjoy all the information!
RV.Net Blog Admin
OK – you are almost ready to hit the road. You have been planning your trip of a lifetime for months (or even years) now. For some you have a planned route with day by day stops pinpointed and booked, for others you just have a general direction of travel planned. You have purchased or built the motorhome, caravan or trailer of your dreams. You have retired, taken long service leave or just given up the job to fulfill your dreams.
When you get home again you will have some great memories and lot of photos. But what about the rest of the memories – where was that great campsite I found, how much did I really pay for fuel, what is the phone number or email address of those great friends we met along the way, or how much did the trip cost me. There is a great new tool for recording all the details of your trip.
Nomads Notes allows the traveler to record all aspects of a trip. Features include a day-by-day journal for chronicling daily activities; track multiple vehicle mileage, fuel consumption and fuel cost, nightly campsite details, locations and costs etc, as well as a photo album to record pictures taken, and a contacts list to record details of the friends you meet along the way. Other features include all expenses that you can categorize yourself, vehicle maintenance and radio and TV stations.
Here is a sample screen shot of Campsites (center). A trip log is on the left and a current trip mileage, fuel and expenses dashboard on the right.
There's no need to worry about complicated formulas to work out your fuel economy or your expenses. Nomads Notes does it all for you.
Even if you want to use some parts of the program and record only your fuel economy, expenses and campsite information, you do not have to use the rest. It is up to you which aspects of the program you use.
The software runs on any windows platform. You can download it direct to your computer – no waiting for the postman to arrive. After sales support is offered by email, and a 100% money back guarantee applies. (See website for details.) You can pay by credit card or PayPal.
Nomads Notes is practical, complete travel diary that provides organization without effort, makes the trip easier and provides the information in a concise format to share with family and friends that will be used as a reference for years to come.
For more information and screen shots see the Nomads Notes website www.nomadsnotes.com or contact Gail at email@example.com


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On March 31, New York's MCC Theater held its raucous Miscast gala, an annual fundraiser honoring one veteran theater artist — this year, the fearless Allison Janney — with a concert program line-up that features Broadway stars performing songs typically sung by the opposite gender. Last year, you might remember Jeremy Jordan and Jonathan Groff stopping the show with Smash's "Let Me Be Your Star." This year was no different, but we'll get to that. First, Janney. READ FULL STORY
Tag: Jeremy Jordan (1-4 of 4)
'Six by Sondheim': Darren Criss, Jeremy Jordan, and America Ferrera sing 'Merrily We Roll Along' -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
Theater fans, Gleeks and Ugly Betty mourners (I'm all three), get ready to lose your minds!
On Dec. 9, HBO premieres Six by Sondheim, a brand-new documentary that profiles arguably the greatest composer in contemporary musical theater, Stephen Sondheim. Directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator James Lapine and produced by former Times theater critic Frank Rich, the doc takes a deep look at six of Sondheim's greatest songs, deconstructed and defined by Sondheim himself. READ FULL STORY
Jeremy Jordan and Jonathan Groff sing gender-bending cover of 'Let Me Be Your Star' -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
It's Smash as you've never seen it before.
What if Broadway vets Jeremy Jordan (Newsies) and Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening) had been vying to play Marilyn Monroe on the first season of the Broadway-set NBC drama instead of Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty? Well, alternate-universe shippers can rejoice! On Monday, Jordan and Groff belted out a gender-bent version of the show's signature ballad, "Let Me Be Your Star," at a benefit for the Off Broadway's MCC Theater (whose current production, Really Really, stars Girls' Zosia Mamet and Parenthood's Matt Lauria).
This year's "Miscast" fund-raiser featured a bunch of theater-friendly celebs performing tunes originally written for performers of decidedly different ages, genders, or ethnicities. Tony-winner Jane Krakowski tackled the title song from the Latino-centric musical In the Heights, while her former 30 Rock castmate Cheyenne Jackson paired with Jordan to play Side Show's conjoined twins Daisy and Violet on "Who Will Love Me As I Am." But nothing can top Jordan and Groff's wiggy take on "Let Me Be Your Star."
Check out the clip below. READ FULL STORY
See the cast of Off Broadway's 'The Last Five Years' perform the song 'Shiksa Goddess' -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
So you can't wait for Jeremy Jordan (Smash) and Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) to star in the just-announced Richard LaGravenese-directed big-screen musical The Last Five Years? Well, this month Off Broadway's Second Stage is staging a revival of composer Jason Robert Brown's 2002 chamber musical, which follows an aspiring writer and a struggling actress through the ups and downs of twentysomething love in New York City. Brown's show has garnered a cult following since it premiered a decade ago, thanks in part to its ingenious structure: His story unfolds chronologically from their first meeting, while hers is told backwards from the dissolution of their marriage.
And if you really, really can't wait to see something of The Last Five Years, here's an exclusive clip of Adam Kantor (Ezra from The Good Wife) belting the heck out of the number "Shiksa Goddess" in rehearsals. You'll also catch a glimpse of costar Betsy Wolfe (most recently of Broadway's The Mystery of Edwin Drood) and Brown himself. He's directing the Second Stage revival, which starts performances March 7 for an April 2 opening.
Follow Thom on Twitter: @ThomGeier
Read more:
This Week on Stage: Jesse Eisenberg and Edie Falco open Off Broadway
Meet the four young stars of Broadway's 'Matilda the Musical' — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
Shia LaBeouf reveals 'creative differences' with Alec Baldwin after exiting Broadway show
EW Stage hub
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Rebel Race's military-style obstacle courses challenge athletes from all backgrounds to shed humdrum day-to-day routines to experience the primal joys of mud, sweat and glory. Emerging from the mire in various states across the country, each Rebel Race packs its rucksack with tests of physical and mental toughness, rousing racers and washing machines alike to triumph in the face of sloppy opposition. After dashing through fire, climbing walls, and scaling mountains of hay, race participants bask in the collective kudos of parties, which include live entertainment, food, and beer for purchase. Camping options encourage participants and spectators to transform races into weekend getaways, while awards recognize each day's standout competitors and most-humble mud pits.
For more than 30 years, Cousins Paintball has been at the forefront of the paintball industry, equipping hundreds of thousands of players for battle. In addition to fun and thrill, the business prioritizes safety, providing participants with full masks to protect eyes and faces, and specially designed paint is free of any harmful ingredients. With referees overseeing competitive battles, players are free to keep their eyes on the prize as they race to capture the flag or compete in special events.
In Jack Kerouac?s On the Road, narrator Sal Paradise has this to say about New York?s most famous river: "If you drop a rose in the Hudson River at its mysterious source in the Adirondacks, think of all the places it journeys by as it goes out to sea forever?think of that wonderful Hudson Valley." At Mountain Valley Guides, the kayaking team allows customers to heed Sal?s thoughts and explore the river's expanse of open water, marshes, islands, and cliffs.
The Survival Race?s 5-kilometer track challenges racers to navigate a gauntlet of mud-laden terrain. Staggered waves of up to 300 runners each conquer military-style obstacles, wade through murky water, and slide through muddy trenches before reaching the finish line to celebrate at a shindig awash with delicious eats and smitten swamp monsters. Afterward, a Facebook album aids online nostalgia by showcasing dirt-caked athletes and their marshy feats.
The two-level Pride of the Hudson rewards sightseers with glimpses of idyllic shorescapes lining the waters of the Hudson River during narrated tours. Gaze upon the lush silhouette of Storm King Mountain and the anachronistic battlements of Bannerman Island's Scottish castle as you heed the insightful tales of the region and vague warnings about red-colored suns. The two-hour cruise also ferries passengers past World's End, the river's deepest point, and the historic campus of West Point Academy. Though not included in today's Groupon, voyagers can visit the cash bar for a chilly libation before proceeding toward the open-air top and bow decks or the climate-controlled main deck, which offers panoramic views from wraparound windows. Tours take place throughout the week and, due to its enclosed main deck, the Pride of the Hudson will slosh on during inclement weather, through guests are free to bring umbrellas and cloudglasses to enjoy the elements.
Each year, MudManX issues runners the world?s dirtiest challenge: a race across mud-slathered obstacles that test both agility and laundry skills. Designed with the assistance of US Special Forces and Mother Nature's cool sister who lets you play in puddles, the course features obstacles inspired by the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water. While exploring the course, runners travel through mud pits, past fiery trails, and over icy water before securing the boon of beer and live music. The post-race after party welcomes a DJs and includes a MiniX obstacle course so children as young as eight can finally discover the joys of getting dirty.
In the fall, MudManX also gets into the spirit with the MudSpooktacular, a Halloween-themed race that turns the mud course into a battleground for survival. In addition to navigating obstacles, runners also have to contend with waves of undead attackers, evading the costumed ghouls during a desperate dash for the finish line. No matter the tie of year, proceeds from the events benefit the American Red Cross, whose volunteers often rush through harsh and dirty conditions to deliver food, clothing, shelter, and comfort to those in need.


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Indoor play day at Tacony PAL
Thursday, November 7
GIBBONS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Nov. 9. New York. Package includes transportation, refreshments, two-hour luncheon cruise on the Spirit of New York and Radio City Christmas show. 215-722-8825, 215-674-3863.
An aspiring Eagle Scout from the Northeast lost his life in an automobile accident on Oct. 26 after spending the morning doing volunteer work in Pennypack Park. The tragedy occurred at about 12:36 p.m. on eastbound Red Lion Road near Northeast Airport, Philadelphia police said. Christopher Alvelo, 17, and three other teens were passengers in a Ford pickup truck when the driver, Alvelo's 51-year-old stepfather, lost consciousness.
Police seek the public's help in identifying two masked men who robbed a 7-Eleven in the Holme Circle area early last Friday.
A surveillance camera at a Somerton playground filmed a teenager spray-painting graffiti on a basketball court on Oct. 17. Now detectives are trying to identify the vandal.
It's a Northeast tradition 58 years in the making.
The American Legion's 5th District and McNally's on Rhawn invite all U.S. military members past and present, along with their families and their friends, to commemorate Veterans Day while raising money for a worthy cause, the Delaware Valley Veterans Home.
Vandals did an estimated $50,000 in damage to Lincoln High Schools athletic field in early September.


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Duke's Secret Salsa
Duke....PLEASE....fresh tomato...and Cilantro! and food processor...not blender! — Beachbumette 7/10/2010
Jelly Baby Vodka
Several questions: What are "jelly babys" are they jelly beans? why put the bottle in the dishwasher? Is this a drink? — 5/30/2010
Best Ever Blueberry Coffee Cake
Very easy...and very good....Next time I may use mixed berries and possibly some brown sugar. — webtexan 5/15/2010
aphilbeck8....I challenge you to find something that you CAN'T dip into this...haa haa3 years ago pdikeman
give it a try and get back with me to make suggestions...they are always welcome!
(try dippin a slice of your pizza!)
Hey! What do you dip this with chicken, beef, vegetables?3 years ago aphilbeck8
You didn't offend me! I don't mind comments on my recipes at all. Thank you very much for the medal sir!4 years ago Beachbumette
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Yonge-Dundas Square
Yonge-Dundas Square is a unique focal point of the downtown Toronto community and located just steps from our Toronto hotel. The Square is designated for use as a public open space and a Toronto event venue that can accommodate events of various sizes throughout the year. You'll discover a wide range of activities in the Square: community celebrations, theatrical events, concerts, receptions, promotions – events that appeal to residents and tourists alike and provide a showcase for local businesses. Bond Place is an ideal location to stay the night and enjoy the festivities in the square.


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Seattle's been making national headlines lately and I am reminded why I really really hate the news. In fact, if it's possible, I probably hate the news even more than I hate eggplant. Which is to say, I'd rather subject my digestive system to a slimy, tasteless vegetable than indulge in the doom and gloom reports that mark our daily news.
On a daily basis, tragedies, every day situations, and the decay of humanity are sensationalized and emotionalized in order to produce ratings. Whereas at one point the daily news was intended to inform us of the world's happenings, nowadays it seems to be nothing more than tabloid-style prophecies of death, fires, missing children, rape, car accidents, war, and everything wrong with the world. Is it true that these things are occurring on a regular basis? Yes. But as I've often lamented here before, if the news reports were centered on the great and exciting things taking place throughout the world, far fewer people would watch.
Can you imagine a news broadcast dedicated entirely to celebrating the fabulous things taking place throughout the earth? We could call it "Extreme Makeover: World Edition!" Three times a day the show would report on families that made their final mortgage payments, people who were on their deathbeds and then completely healed of cancer, lost children found, unemployed finding jobs, miracle car crashes where the passenger walks away unharmed, the victories in war, stolen money returned 100-fold, and interview every day people getting out of debt.
Too bad it'd never take.
There is something really sick and twisted about human nature that is actually pacified, if not downright happy to watch other people in their sufferings. We've all done it before. We've secretly sat back as we watched the latest horrific news report thinking to ourselves, "Man, I'm sure glad that wasn't me." The stress of our days and cares of our lives are at least made somewhat better by the knowledge that it wasn't our house that got robbed last night or our child shot to death on the street.
If our selfish news-watching highs weren't enough cause for concern, we always have our desensitization to fall back on. I recall during Hurricane Katrina, I eventually just turned the television off. It wasn't that I didn't care. It was that I knew my own limitations. The degree to which I personally could take action to help that situation was not aided by my television. You can only watch people in desperation for so long before the repetitive images of the same interviews and footage begin to numb you to the reality that people don't have to live that way.
I think we actually believe that we have the best of intentions. We want to be informed, we want to be sympathetic and we want to be spurred on to some sort of emotion, be it rage, sadness, or even consciousness. These motives notwithstanding, I believe our mass media does nothing more than reinforce lies in our minds that "what we see is what we get." Things are just going to get worse so we might as well protect our own and throw up a prayer for the rest of our world.
The problem with this effect is that it calls few people to accountability for their ability to change their world. Rarely do I see media honestly reporting on the cause/effect nature of many of country's most tragic events. We hear the media asking questions like "How could this happen?" or "Who's to blame for this?" In fact, we ask those questions ourselves. Yet little energy is spent answering the questions "Does my city really have to function like this, and what needs to be done to change it?"
To some extent, there is no incentive to change the way our society functions. We accept that violence and murder rates will increase and there are entities in this world that actually thrive off high crime rates. Where there's crime, surely there is a compelling news story, right?
The answer to the real questions could put our local news affiliates out of business. Even worse, it could put our low self-esteem "At least I'm doing better than 'them'" attitude in jeopardy of losing its Linus blanket.
(Image Copyright: Peanuts)
There is (or was) a Web site that specializes in reporting only good news. I thought I had it bookmarked, but I can't find it now. I'll keep looking. I'm sure at least one of your other readers knows about it, too. I think it was Christian owned/operated, but the reporting was non-partisan.
And I beg to differ with your opinion that "it'd never take." To wit, your allusion to the show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." That's basically what that show is, right. Good news in an hour-long, overly sappy format. Same with the new show Miracle Workers on ABC. Granted, those two are very specialized, but I think a 1/2 newscast that featured the distribution by Sears of 22 washers/dryers to residents of a trailer park--courtesy of Katrina, and the restoration of sight in one eye for a little boy blind from birth (after 3 or 4 failed cornea transplants) would definitely work. I think if they built it, they (viewers, advertisers) would come.
I should move to Cali and pitch it. If they can do Hogan Knows Best, they can do "Lookin' Up." Hey, a name. I'm on my way.
Posted by Johnnie | March 28, 2006 |
Link | Reply
I believe the site is called www.happynews.com.
Posted by Jerry Mcclellan | April 4, 2006 |
Link | Reply
Well, there you go. Thanks, Jerry. I'll try not to misplace this bookmark again.
Oh, and my original comment should have read:
...but I think a half-hour newscast that featured the distribution by Sears of 22 washers/dryers to residents of a trailer park--courtesy of Katrina--and the restoration of sight in one eye for a little boy blind from birth (after 3 or 4 failed cornea transplants) would definitely work...
It was missing the word "hour" and a couple of dashes (--).
Posted by Johnnie | April 5, 2006 |
Link | Reply
Why I'm Not a Republican Parts I, II, III, IV
Reflections on the Ill-Read Society
The ROI of a Kid
The Double-Minded Haters
Hip-Hop in Education: Do You Wanna Revolution?
Oh parent Where Art Thou?
Requisite Monthly Rant: the State of the Nation
College Curriculum Gone Wild
Walmart Chronicles
An Open Letter to American Idol
Gonorrhea and the City
Disclaimer: This is my personal blog. The views expressed on these pages are mine alone and do not represent those of my dog.


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Rite of Spring
Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
Oct 5-6, 2013
We open our season with the 2nd Suite from Ravel's Daphnis & Chloe and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, the revolutionary score that rocked the musical world to its foundations a century ago. In between, Janice Chandler-Eteme returns to the HSO to sing Strauss's glorious, ultra-romantic Four Last Songs.
Ravel : Daphnis & Chloe, Suite No. 2
Strauss : Four Last Songs
Janice Chandler-Eteme, Soprano
Stravinsky : The Rite of Spring
ArtsFreePress is not affiliated with this event or performing arts organization. Purchase tickets to this performance by clicking the buy tickets button.


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McCallum Graduate School of Business Graduation Information
Graduate Students
- Petition to Graduate Process
- Eligibility
- Graduation Petition Deadlines
- Commencement Participation
- Degree Conferral Dates
- Graduation Honors
- Diploma Availability
- FAQs
Commencement 2014 Ceremony Info
- General Ceremony Information
- Cap and Gown Information
- Communication prior to ceremony
- Diploma pick up
Petition to Graduate
Students expecting to graduate must file a Petition to Graduate via MyBentley by the deadlines published on the website. Students completing more than one degree or certificate must file a separate petition for each one.
To access the petition forms
log in to MyBentley
click on the Academic tab on the top
click on Academic Student Self Service on left
click Main Menu
click Graduate Student Main Menu
click Petition to Graduate
Students eligible to graduate and receive a diploma must:
complete all required and elective course requirements within the declared degree program
have a degree GPA of 2.7 and a major/concentration GPA of 2.7
clear all financial obligations with the university
Graduation Petition Deadlines
|Final course(s) will be completed in the following semester:
|File a Petition to Graduate via MyBentley no later than:
|Your Degree will be awarded on:
|Summer 2014
(includes May intesive courses)
|March 17, 2014. If you missed this date please contact the Registrar's Office for furthur instructions.
|October 24, 2014
|Fall 2014
|July 15, 2014
|February 27, 2015
|Spring 2015
|October 1, 2014 - November 19, 2014
|May 16, 2015
|Summer 2015
(includes May intensive courses)
|Between Feb 1, 2015 and March 20, 2015
|October 30, 2015
Commencement Participation Policy (Walker Policy)
If you are taking your final course(s) during the summer 2015 semester then your degree will be awarded in October 2015. You are invited to attend the May 2015 Commencement Ceremony; however, students who will be short of the graduation requirements by six or fewer credits at the end of the spring 2015 semester may participate as "walkers" in the May 2015 commencement ceremony. In order to participate, you must file the Petition to Graduate via Mybentley by March 10. Please be sure to select the "October 2015" graduation date as well as "I plan to participate in the May 2015 Commencement Ceremony." This will put you on the list of ceremony participants and commencement mailing lists.
In order to "walk" in the Graduate Commencement Ceremony, the October candidate must meet all of the following criteria:
No more than 6 credits away from completing your degree requirements as of May 1, 2015
Planning to take your final course(s) during the summer 2015 semester
Registered for your final (summer 2015) course(s) by May 1, 2015
May not be subject to review by the Academic Performance Committee
Have a degree GPA of 2.7 or above as well as a major/concentration GPA of 2.7 or above
Have no outstanding student account balance
Degree Conferral Dates
Degrees are awarded three times a year (Oct/Nov, Feb/March and May). However, there is one ceremony per academic year, in May. All three graduating classes are invited to attend the May ceremony.
If you complete your final course(s) during the summer semester, your degree will be awarded in Oct/Nov.
If you complete your final course(s) during the fall semester, your degree will be awarded in Feb/March
If you complete your final course(s) during the spring semester, your degree will be awarded in May.
For example, a student who completes his/her final course in December 2014 will be conferred his/her degree on February 27, 2015. The diploma will list February 27, 2015 as the graduation date and it will be available for pickup/mailing no sooner than March 20, 2015. The transcript will say "Degree Awarded February 27, 2015". The student should list February 27, 2015 on his/her resume as the graduation date.
Please note: May intensive courses and May study tour courses are part of the summer semester, not spring. Any student completing his/her final course as a May intensive or study tour will be awarded his/her degree at the conclusion of the summer semester (October).
Graduation Honors
Please review the Graduate School Catalog
Diploma Availability
May Graduates
Your diploma will be available on the day of the May commencement ceremony. No diplomas will be released until the ceremony officially concludes.
Oct/Nov and Feb/Mar Graduates
- If you selected "I will pick up my diploma" on the Petition to Graduate, you will receive notification by mail when it is ready to be picked up. Your diploma will be available approximately two weeks after the official conferral date. You may pick up your diploma at the registrar's office on the first floor of the Rauch Building (Rauch 101). Please bring a photo ID with you as your diploma will not be released to you without one.
- If you selected "Mail my diploma" on the Petition to Graduate, the diploma will be mailed to the address you provided on the Petition to Graduate approximately two weeks after the official conferral date.
I am an MBA student. Will my concentration be printed on my diploma? No. The diploma will read "Master of Business Administration"
I have special accent marks in my name. How do I communicate this to the Registrar's office so that my diploma is printed correctly?There are several ways:
When filling out the "Diploma Name" section of the Petition to Graduate, you can type your name in a word document with the accent marks. Then copy and paste it into the petition field.
Fax your request to the Registrar's Office, 781.891.3428
Email your request to the Registrar's office, email@example.com
I am a Day MBA, Emerging Leaders MBA, Professional MBA, or MS+MBA. What will be printed on my diploma? The diploma will read "Master of Business Administration". MS+MBA students receive 2 separate diplomas - one MBA and one MS and must file separate graduation petitions via MyBentley.
I completed some extra graduate courses that do not count toward my MS/MBA degree. How does that affect my GPA? Please review the Graduate School Catalog.
I will be completing my second graduate degree at Bentley. How are graduation honors determined for each degree? Please review the Graduate School Catalog.
When will a transcript be available with my degree conferral date printed on it? Approximately two business days after the official conferral date. Once the conferral date is posted to the transcript, it may take up to 5 business days to process transcript requests.
Am I able to obtain multiple copies of my diploma? No, only one original is produced and valid
I want to purchase a frame for my diploma. What size is it? Diplomas for MBA and MS degrees are 11 x 14 inches; Certificates are 6 x 8 inches
I plan to attend the Commencement Ceremony, but I owe money on my student account. Can I still participate? No. You must have no outstanding student account balance to participate in the ceremony.
Do my guests need tickets to get into the Commencement Ceremony? How many of my friends and relatives can attend? See Commencement Site
I graduated from Bentley as an undergraduate. Can I wear the same cap and gown to the graduate ceremony? No, the gown and hood are different.
2015 Graduation Ceremony Information
For General information, including cap and gown purchase, please go to Commencement Site
A letter containing general information about the ceremony will be sent mid-March to the following groups:
• All October 2014 graduates
• All February 2015 graduates
• All May 2015 graduation candidates (who have filed a Petition to Graduate by 3/15)
• All October 2015 graduation candidates (who have filed a Petition to Graduate by 3/15 stating that they would like to attend the May 2015 ceremony as a "walker")
A packet containing more detailed information will be mailed in mid-April – only to the subset of the students listed above who have indicated on their Petition to Graduate that they plan to participate in the May 16, 2015 ceremony.
The third and final letter will be mailed several days prior to the ceremony – only to students who previously indicated that they would be participating in the May 16, 2015 ceremony.
**Please be sure that your address is kept up to date with the Registrar's Office** so that you don't miss out on these important letters. If you did not receive a letter mentioned above, please contact the Registrar's Office.
Diplomas will be available for pickup immediately following the commencement ceremony. The specific location will be determined at a later date and will be included in the letter sent to graduates and candidates in mid-April. Please note that diplomas are never distributed until the commencement ceremony has officially concluded.


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St. David's Medical Center And St. David's North Austin Medical Center Named Among Nation's 100 Top Hospitals® By Truven Health Analytics
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On Feb. 25, 2013, St. David's Medical Center and St. David's North Austin Medical Center were named among the nation's 100 Top Hospitals ® by Truven Health Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters). Truven Health Analytics is a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. This is the fourth consecutive year that St. David's Medical Center has received this prestigious ranking and the second consecutive year for St. David's North Austin Medical Center.
"We are pleased that two of our facilities—St. David's Medical Center, which includes our St. David's Georgetown Hospital campus, and St. David's North Austin Medical Center—have been listed among the top hospitals in the nation," David Huffstutler, president and chief executive officer of St. David's HealthCare, said. "This honor is a direct reflection of our commitment to providing patients with the highest quality of care."
The Truven Health 100 Top Hospitals study evaluates performance in 10 areas—mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patient stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; post-discharge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia.
St. David's Medical Center and St. David's North Austin Medical Center were among only nine Texas hospitals to be recognized with this designation.St. David's Medical Center and St. David's North Austin Medical Center were selected from among nearly 3,000 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals in the United States for demonstrating that high-quality patient outcomes can be achieved while improving efficiency. According to the organization, if all hospitals performed at the same level as the 100 Top Hospitals award winners (based on analysis of Medicare inpatients over one year):
- More than 164,000 additional patients would survive each year.
- Approximately 82,000 patient complications would be avoided annually.
- The average patient stay would decrease by nearly half a day.
- More than $6 billion could be saved.
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Earn your certificate in Music Ministry from an ATS-accredited institution of higher learning. The Floyd and Elaine Flake Music Ministry Certificate at United Theological Seminary is a six-course program feared to enhance one's ability to provide outstanding leadership of music ministry in the 21st century Christian Church.
Courses cover a wide range of relevant topics including bible, theology, spiritual formation, leadership, songs and hymns, organizational management, recording, music technology, voice teaching, and more.
Course Format
Some courses are offered online, while the others are taught in intensive, hybrid, retreats.
Workshops and Concerts
A week-long session of workshops, networking, and concerts will be featured at United's Dayton campus.
Cost for The Floyd and Elaine Flake Certificate in Music Ministry is $1,800 ($300/course), plus meals, housing and course materials.
Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake and Rev. Dr. Margaret Elaine Flake
Former U.S. Congressman, the Reverend Dr. Floyd H. Flake and wife Rev. Dr. Margaret Elaine Flake are pastors of the more than 20,000 member Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, Queens. Greater Allen Cathedral's operations are a national paradigm of church-centered, faith based, public/private community educational and economic development. Both Rev. Dr. Floyd and Elaine Flake earned their doctor of ministry (D.Min.) degrees from United Theological Seminary and are products of two historically black universities. Rev. Dr. Floyd Flake holds a B.A. from Wilberforce University and Rev. Dr. Margaret Flake earned a B.A. Degree from Fisk University.
23 Week Online Program
23-Week Online Program January – July 2014
Teaching Biblical Faith and Ministry
Jan. 27 – March 7, 2014
Students will deepen their understanding of the Bible as foundational for Music Ministry.
Theology in Music: An Introduction
March 17 – May 2, 2014
This course is an exploration of the roles theology plays in the church and its music programs.
Spiritual and Music Ministry Formation
May 12 – June 20, 2014
Students will study various understandings of Christian spirituality and how it may be nurtured in music and contemporary life.
Students will be required to perform a S.W.O.T. analysis of their music ministry context and will, through careful consideration of the congregational, pastoral, and communal needs, build an effective strategic plan to grow and enhance their music ministry. Upon completion of this course students will have a working document outlining the process to lead and implement their strategic plan.
1 Week Residency Music Intensive/Workshop
July 21 – 25, 2014
Congregational Songs
Students will explore songs and hymns in the Christian church tradition. It will also include basic composition and arrangement techniques for ministers creating songs for congregations.
Technology in Music Ministry
Students will learn about recent advancements in music technology that can benefit the development of their music ministry.
Ensemble Leadership
Students will be given tools to develop vocal and instrumental ensembles for worship services. Students will deepen their knowledge in vocal pedagogy for singers (i.e. soloists, praise teams, choirs, etc.) and budding musicians.


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movie reviews
home | metro santa cruz index | news | santa cruz | news article
By Bill Monning
IN JANUARY, as part of an effort to tackle the budget deficit, Gov. Schwarzenegger proposed eliminating California's 6 percent gasoline sales tax and replacing it with a 10.8 cents per gallon excise tax. While that might seem like good news for consumers, it comes at a high price. In the short run, drivers could see a slight drop in gas prices, but the excise tax would increase another 6 cents by 2020 and very likely show up at the pump. The governor's rationale for the gas tax flip is to redirect money designated for transportation (by Prop. 42 voters) and use it to fund other programs.
The governor's proposal, if implemented, will have a devastating impact on the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District in the short term while undermining longer-term efforts to reduce CO2 emissions under A.B. 32. Under the governor's proposal, Santa Cruz Metro stands to lose $6.5 million annually in state and local funds, nearly 20 percent of its budget. According to Metro, the proposed cut will result in the reduction of bus service in Santa Cruz County from 39 fixed routes in full operation to four. ParaCruz, which shuttles people with disabilities to health appointments, would be cut from 37 to 10 vans, potentially jeopardizing lives. Metro staffing would be reduced from 375 employees to 80 and would result in the elimination of 24-hour service on many routes and a cessation of subsidized fares for UCSC and Cabrillo College students. Residents in rural areas like Bonny Doon or Live Oak could be stranded. When workers can't get to work, our economy suffers further.
Another consequence of the governor's plan is the prospective loss of union jobs. Santa Cruz Metro employees are represented by the United Transportation Union. When union jobs are lost, workers lose health benefits and without work need to rely on public benefit programs for health-care coverage for themselves and their families. Linked to these proposed cuts will be a devastating impact on the Metro's current commitment to upgrading its fleet to comply with A.B. 32's CO2 emission reduction objectives. It is ironic indeed that the "Green Governor" seeks to balance the budget by targeting public transportation, a proven tool in the fight against carbon emissions.Another adverse impact of the governor's plan will be a reduction of funding for public education under Prop. 98, which is based on sales tax revenues. The Legislative Analyst's Office has noted that the gas tax flip would reduce funding to public schools this year by around $800 million.
It is important to note that the governor's budget proposal is facing strong opposition from the state Legislature. Last week, as a member of the Assembly Budget Sub Committee 5 on Transportation and Information Technology, I expressed my concern about the impacts of transit funding cuts to jobs in Santa Cruz County. I asked Mr. Mark Monroe, an analyst with the Department of Finance, whether they had calculated the increased costs to the state from unemployment claims for the thousands of public transit employees who will lose their jobs statewide. The answer was "No." I encourage constituents to voice your concerns directly to the governor's office. He argues that there are no other options. I disagree. As Californians we have to articulate a vision of the state we want to live in and be prepared to consider all options, including revenue options, to reverse the decline of our state's most critical institutions.
Bill Monning is the assemblymember representing District 27, which includes parts of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and Monterey counties.
Send a letter to the editor about this story.


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Saad al-Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister, has called for calm in Lebanon in the wake of Hezbollah's announcement that some members of the group will be implicated in his father's murder.
Al-Hariri, speaking at a conference of his Future Movement party on Saturday, tried to tamp down fears that Hezbollah's announcement will spark sectarian violence in Lebanon.
"There are those who fear or even hope that the murder case will unleash a Lebanese crisis or confessional strife," al-Hariri said.
"There are attempts... to organise campaigns aimed at sowing confusion and concern in the minds of the Lebanese people. There is no need for this fear... we call for calm."
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, said on Thursday that "undisciplined members" of the group will be linked with the 2005 assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former prime minister.
The UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon is investigating al-Hariri's murder. Lebanese media reported earlier this week that it could issue its first round of indictments later this year.
'National interest'
In an interview published on Friday in the London-based Al-Hayat, al-Hariri said that the tribunal's findings would be in Lebanon's "national interest".
"I will look at the national interest, and the national interest is the truth," al-Hariri said. "If it wasn't so, why was the tribunal established?"
Hezbollah has been critical of the tribunal since it began its work last year. Nasrallah repeated the group's complaints on Thursday, calling the tribunal "biased" because it "does not look into the possibility that Israel is implicated".
Rafiq al-Hariri and 22 others were killed by a bombing on the Beirut seafront on February 14, 2005. The assassination sparked an international outcry and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
The murder has been widely blamed on Syria, but Damascus has routinely denied involvement.
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American Zombie
Directed by Grace Lee
CAAMFest is proud to highlight the work of director Grace Lee, known for her acclaimed films JANEANE FROM DES MOINES and THE GRACE LEE PROJECT, as this year's Spotlight. In addition to screening her films AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS and AMERICAN ZOMBIE at this year's festival, Lee will be in attendance discussing her experiences in modern cinema at the event, In Conversation With Grace Lee.
In AMERICAN ZOMBIE, filmmakers Grace Lee (CAAMFest Spotlight Honoree) and John Solomon (NONSENSE MAN) team up to shoot a documentary about high-functioning zombies living in Los Angeles and their struggles to gain acceptance in human society.
Co-presented by AAS-SFSU


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Home » Posts tagged 'Power'
Tag Archives: Power
Twitter, Democracy, and UFOs
Another figure from my sociological theory class that influences my thinking is Manuel Castells (pictured). He is a professor of sociology and communications at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California. His theoretical focus is on the nature of modern communication with special focus on the impact of technology. In short, he argues that access to communication avenues (namely internet driven) are disruptive to previous power structures. It's unclear, he says, how this new democratic process will play out over time. But the role of technology (twitter, Facebook, etc) have clearly played a critical role in protest movements across the globe.
Castells has been on my mind frequently since I covered him in class last month. The implications of his thought echo every day when I try to follow the twitter "conversations" on my feed. The air quotes are there because it's not clear if the intent is engagement or the repetition of a specific comment designed to score points. I was caught up in one of those interactions for a good part of yesterday afternoon and by the end of it had a hard time understanding where individual tweets fit into the conversation.
The other day I went to Castells' web page at USC to look over his work. One article available for download caught my attention. Titled "Communication, Power, and Counter-Power in the Network Society", it appeared in the International Journal of Communications in 2007. It's an interesting piece (trust me) that says much about modern cable media and internet communication. I'll quote some pieces from the article and then try to draw out implications.
I will also analyze the process of formation of counter-power, which I understand to be the capacity of a social actor to resist and challenge power relations that are institutionalized. Indeed, power relations are by nature conflictive, as societies are diverse and contradictory. Therefore, the relationship between technology, communication, and power reflects opposing values and interests, and engages a plurality of social actors in conflict. (239)
Two things are significant in this paragraph. First, there is a tension between institutionalized power and non-institutionalized power. Technology becomes essentially disruptive to the dominance (the technical term is hegemony) of the institutional authorities. Second, where in the past we've had two party conflict (think classic Marxian thought of owners and workers) now we have multifaceted sources of conflict. This multiplicity of voices can often get mistakenly read in dualistic terms when something far more interesting is going on. Modern technological conversation may be more like classic New England town meetings that the bimodal world of cable news programs.
The communication system of the industrial society was centered around the mass media, characterized by the mass distribution of a one-way message from one to many. The communication foundation of the network society is the global web of horizontal communication networks that include the multimodal exchange of interactive messages from many to many both synchronous and asynchronous. (246)
The key words in this passage are "horizontal" and "multimodal". Communication streams are occurring rapidly with multiple conversations occurring at the same time or with conversations resurfacing into new dialogue. I just saw someone retweet a comment from April. That tweet is re-introduced into a new dialogue to make a point or restart an earlier dialogue. The horizontal is important because it speaks to the equalizing force of modern media. You may be a power-broker in institutional life but I have my 140 characters and my tweet gets out there regardless.
And it is self-generated in content, self-directed in emission, and self-selected in reception by many that communicate with many. We are indeed in a new communication realm, and ultimately in a new medium, whose backbone is made of computer networks, whose language is digital, and whose senders are globally distributed and globally interactive.
Castells uses the prefix "self" three times in that sentence. The essence of this new form of communication is personal expression (earlier he calls it "electronic autism"). This is where attempts to label other participants as heretics, hypocrites, or heathen becomes problematic. People writing on the internet are attempting to communicate their thought processes (often while still in flux). But we tend to treat the written word as fixed text, not the exploration of ideas.
The emergence of mass self-communication offers an extraordinary medium for social movements and rebellious individuals to build their autonomy and confront the institutions of society in their own terms and around their own projects. Naturally, social movements are not originated by technology, they use technology. But technology is not simply a tool, it is a medium, it is a social construction, with its own implications. Furthermore, the development of the technology of self- communication is also the product of our culture, a culture that emphasizes individual autonomy, and the self-construction of the project of the social actor. (249)
There are clearly individuals who use social media to critique established institutions. There are others who simply ask their questions they don't feel free to ask within the institutional context. Still others use social media like defensemen in a hockey game (it's on in the background as I'm writing), assisting the institutional powers and putting the metaphorical puck back in play. What Castells catches, however, is that the democratizing impact of the medium allows for shifting definitions. There is a process of social construction operating through which people attempt to find collective understanding.
This is where the UFOs from the title come in. One of my favorite articles in the sociology of religion was written in the 1970s about a UFO cult then operating in Oregon (sadly, it turned out to be the Heaven's Gate group who committed suicide in San Diego following the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet). The sociologists (Balch and Taylor) interviewed adherents who said they felt supported by the group and its leaders but didn't buy the UFO stuff. They then said that the researchers couldn't tell anyone that they had doubts. Many adherents repeated the same warning.
One of the dynamics of modern internet communication is that individuals are free to share what they think outside the dynamics of institutional sanctions. This is consistent with the central argument I've been making about testimony vs industry evangelicalism. The dynamic of self-expression is important to identity while it is simultaneously destabilizing institutional power.
Therefore, not only public space becomes largely defined in the space of communication, but this space is an increasingly contested terrain, as it expresses the new historical stage in which a new form of society is being given birth, as all previous societies, through conflict, struggle, pain, and often violence. New institutions will eventually develop, creating a new form of public space, still unknown to us, but they are not there yet. (258)
Here's where all this leaves me. Twitter and Facebook have no mediating mechanisms. There are no referees who say "that was out of line" or "you've missed her point". There are no structures to bring people together for dialogue (although I loved that someone suggested we start a kickstarted campaign to fund dinner for four for two competing twitter figures and their spouses!). Castells' last sentence is timely. We need new forms of public space that allow the positive attributes of democratic, multi-vocal, authentic forms of communication without resort to power moves.
Until those forms develop, we'll need to show the discipline to offer Grace one to another.
Evangelicalism's "Come to Jesus" Moment
I really didn't think it was time to write this post. I've been working toward constructing my take on the future of evangelicalism in a postmodern society and am still reading material that frame those ideas. But after last week's WorldVision announcement, conflict, and retraction set off a raft of "end of evangelicalism" posts, I decided it was time to run with what I have and refine it later. As I was telling a friend today via e-mail, blogs aren't good at nuance because they reflect one's best thinking to date and there are space limitations. So we'll consider this another run at the concept. I'll keep unpacking in future posts, I'm sure.
For more background, I recommend this piece I wrote to summarize my presentation at the Wesley conference in Idaho four weeks ago. My basic argument is that evangelicalism, between 1990 and 2010, has been focused on boundary maintenance, the protection of position and power, and orthodoxy. That stance has created a backlash among the millennial generation that has caused many to question if they want anything to do with evangelicalism at all, if evangelicalism relates to anyone outside the church, and if we need new models from which to express religious life.
Much of the reasonable response from these millennial bloggers has been somewhat reactionary. They worry about guilt by association with many who pride themselves in the kinds of posturing they grew up with. It reminds me of a conversation I had about my Christian faith when I started graduate school. My fellow students weren't troubled by my identity as a Christian sociologist. They just wanted an assurance that I wasn't going to be like "that guy" who chased people around the drink table at parties telling them that they were sinners. In short, "if that's what it means to be evangelical, I don't want it."
I've heard various versions of the "that guy" argument over the years. It happens in Sunday School where someone wants to articulate theological grounding but doesn't want to sound like their dogmatic cousin. It happens in churches where leaders demand adherence to their positions as a condition of continued affiliation. It's not just the young who are having these identification issues.
But I'm not prepared to let the bad behavior of individuals or groups give them control over the evangelical label. I think it has a unique meaning (albeit one that's broader than conservative groups or the media seem to allow).
I consider evangelicals as people committed to God's Story (read N.T. Wright's When God Became King for an elaboration), who hold to the full expression of Jesus the Christ (incarnation, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, kingdom-builder, and Lord), and who believe that the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinful ways, calls us to turn toward the Kingdom around us, and instructs us how to participate in the unfolding of that now-and-not-yet Kingdom.
But living as evangelicals in a complex, diverse, postmodern world calls for a very different stance that we've used in past decades. We've been enamored with Empire when we should be focused on simply sharing our stories. We have been focused on abstractions and arguments when we should pay attention to the people who cross our paths.
This is why testimony is important. We allow the story of our walk with God, however messy, to intersect with the story of another. This is why the harder stories like those in Jonathan Merritt's recent book excerpt are so important. They don't hide behind platitudes but show God at work in the real issues of life. This shouldn't be news to us. The disciples on the road to Emmaus shared their pain and met Jesus. Philip shares his story with the Ethiopian Eunuch once he's led by the spirit to one considered unclean. Peter tells the story of his vision and the apostles celebrate Cornelius as a full member of God's family.
My title today has two meanings. First, it suggests that there are some things that evangelicalism needs to give up, to get straight, to reorient. I'll make some general suggestions of these and unpack them in future posts. Second, it suggests that we should come as little children when we follow Jesus. Not just in simple faith when believing but in the trust and collaboration that characterizes healthy children at play.
"Coming to Jesus" will require some significant changes to evangelicalism as we've known it if it is to ever be true to its potential. We will need to begin with assumptions of diversity instead of unanimity. I wrote in my last post that faithful religious groups can see things in different ways. We need an evangelicalism that affirms this reality, whether we're talking to evangelical Episcopalians who have affirmed a gay bishop or talking to a writer who celebrates complementarity. We will have to live with the discomfort of knowing that we differ from our sisters and brothers in Christ. Jesus said that's what the world would be looking at. We will need to affirm the questions that arise from the lived experience of everyday Christians instead of making our faith about which big pastor-author we follow. That may mean the end of "influential evangelical" lists which would a blessing. We will come to value the voice of an individual blogger as a personal search for authentic faith without looking for litmus tests that are the equivalent of Steven Colbert's "dead to me" board. We will need to be looking forward to the Kingdom Jesus is unfolding in our very midst and not looking backward at some glory day when we could assume everyone agreed with our position. I'm convinced that this look backward is really a type of Christian Civil Religion, where we simply assume people have faith because of where they grew up (I'll unpack this on another day, but it speaks to the issues I raised in this post.) As David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw point out in Prodigal Christianity, we must begin by outlining our own position. We will need to practice sacrifice, beginning with our demand that we be proven right. This is a central issue of faith. Rather than demanding our way or the validation of our viewpoint, we will need to put ourselves in the place of the other. This will call us to a position of compassion for others, especially those we think are unlikely. As Matthew 25 reminds us, they might just be Jesus.
In short, we need to come to Jesus as children. Trusting, open, engaging, happy to play well with others. There is a reason that Jesus celebrates their faith. He was trying to teach the disciples an important lesson. They were fighting with themselves about issues of power and dominance ("who will be the greatest?"). Amazingly, one of the key instances of this happens right after they say the transfiguration! They're believing correctly in terms of who Jesus was didn't keep them from the power games that were essentially self-serving.
15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. 16 But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."
Notice that Jesus isn't rebuking the pharisees here. It's not the religious and political leaders who needed a "come to Jesus" moment. It was Christ's followers. It took a long time for them to get it. But the Holy Spirit led them to deeper understandings so that they lived and died as representatives of Christ. By having the faith of a child.
Two Modes of Evangelicalism: Industry Evangelicalism
This is a follow-up piece on last week's post that connected Thomas Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions to the changing nature of American Evangelicalism. It also builds off of the post I wrote for the Respectful Conversations dialogue on the future of evangelicalism. Finally, it's informed by my reading of Molly Worthen's Apostles of Reason on the early years of evangelical establishment.
To be fair, this is still a work in progress (isn't that what blogs are for?). I'm trying to wrestle with some distinctions that can align with some of what we're seeing in a number of areas in both the sociology of religion and contemporary evangelicalism. I want to contrast two forms of evangelical expression: Industry Evangelicalism and Testimonial Evangelicalism.
From a purely sociological perspective, I'm using what Max Weber called "ideal types". These are ideal only in the sense that they don't exist in real life. In fact, the differentiation between the forms may exaggerate characteristics in ways that border on caricature. But that's still useful from a theoretical standpoint. Weber was able to contrast real-world situations with his ideal types to understand the social dynamics in operation. Two of his most famous analyses based on idea types are his examination of economic systems (the Protestant Ethnic and the Spirit of Capitalism) and his church-sect typology.
As I'm conceptualizing it, Industry Evangelicalism is concerned with maintaining a following. This requires a media platform, organizational structure, and easily identifiable leadership (with an equally identifiable set of followers and defenders). Its power is dependent upon separation from other organizations, a sense of being persecuted and misunderstood, and a publishing or broadcasting infrastructure.
On the other hand, Testimonial Evangelicalism is based on the authentic sharing of story. It is based on interpersonal relationships. Any power that is involved is the social psychological power of personal story. The story is authentic because it rings true. It avoids pat answers and mischaracterization. It is willing to risk holding contradictory positions and tolerating ambiguity. In short, it is best expressed in John 9:25: when asked how Jesus had healed him, the blind man said "I don't know: what I do know is that once I was blind and now I see."
What I am suggesting is that we're seeing a shift from Industry Evangelicalism to Testimonial Evangelicalism. This is an important distinction. What many see as a decline in Christian commitment within society is not a decline but is a transformation. This is always the way God's church has remained fresh and vital in the midst of a society prone to the syncretism of combining religious perspectives and affirmation of distinctive cultural values.
I'll unpack the theoretical implications of Testimonial Evangelicalism in my next post. First, it's necessary to explore Industry Evangelicalism.
In American Grace, Robert Putnam and David Campbell argued that one of the contributing factors for the growth of religious "nones" is the dogmatism and harsh stances of evangelical leaders. Younger generations found public comments and harsh tones to be a bridge too far, essentially saying "if this is what it means to be evangelical, I don't want it." This pattern is replicated in work on millennial questions about evangelicalism. I'd also suggest that the gulf between evangelical churches and mainline churches is as much this matter of tone and dogmatism as it is about theology.
There are a host of examples of Industry Evangelicalism. I'll ignore the Duck Dynasty controversy here because I've already addressed it except to wonder who put out those Facebook pages about "standing with Phil Robertson". Were these put up by some individual DD viewer? Probably not. It is far more likely that organizations that search for religious conflict put together these Facebook pages and asked Christians to "like" them. If I were really cynical, I'd think that "liking" got you on some mailing list. I'm sure that happens in the political arena and fear that the same models are being used in Industry Evangelicalism.
This week offered some concrete examples of the ideal type. I don't have all the details behind these examples, which is where Weber's approach is useful. They offer some indicators even if they aren't perfect matches to the ideal type.
A group of Baptist college and seminary presidents raised concerns over the role of biblical inerrancy espoused (or not espoused) by their faculty. In the process, they raised concerns about academic freedom as generally understood within the academy. Peter Enns, reflecting on the article today, suggests "There is no hope here of reasoned, learned, discourse. Only circling the wagon and protecting turf." Circling wagons and protecting the institutional turf reflects the prioritization of "our position" above all else.
Christianity Today had an interesting article this week on changing ties between Christian colleges and their sponsoring denominations. It's a good piece and reflects the tensions present between attempting to build an inclusive enrollment (the article connects to C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity) while the alumni and trustees are denominationally connected. The article observes that denominational giving is down compared to years past. While Union University president David Dockery does a good job of connecting these changes to non-denominationalism, he's quoted at the end of the article expressing concern that loss of denominational structure "will likely lead to a weakening of the college's Christian identity." There is a presumption that it is organizational form and control that protects identity and that a college's ethos (and the commitment of its faculty) is not strong enough to maintain identity. The impression this gives, while softer than the Baptist presidents above, still privileges institutional form above exploration and authentic dialogue.
Also this week Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas and seen on thousands of television screens each week, released advanced information from his new book in which he says that President Obama is setting the stage for the Antichrist. It may be progress that he doesn't think the president IS the antichrist but it still reflects a conflictual style that takes a legitimate disagreement (same-sex marriage) and puts it in the starkest possible context. It will sell books for sure. More importantly, to be called out in the Huffington Post is exactly what Industry Evangelicalism needs for success. The HP folks will ridicule the position taken by Pastor Jefress and he (and his folks) will take great solace in being disliked and misunderstood by HP. It's good for the "brand". (The similarity between this strategy and political structures is particularly disconcerting).
Yesterday Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill church in Seattle (and subject of lots of questions about the originality of his books) tweeted "If you aren't a Christian, you're going to hell. It's not unkind to say that. It's unkind not to say that." I'm not really trying to explore the theology of universalism. I was really trying to figure out what prompted the tweet in the first place. Driscoll's followers wouldn't be surprised at the tweet. His detractors would be outraged. Was he hoping for push back on what he saw as unquestionably Christian orthodoxy? Or, as my friend Ryan Thomas Neace wondered, is it about the need to present a simply constructed worldview where answers are easy and uncomplicated? Again, I'd argue that the tweet operates to keep the organizational position consistent in the face of complexity.
A consistent theme in Apostles of Reason is the development of evangelical infrastructures against supposed critics and pitfalls from outside. While there are major stories of accommodation to cultural changes (I just finished the chapter about Christian colleges pursing secular accreditation), those are always seen as pragmatic moves that must be watched closely to protect the institution from outside interference.
In short, then, I'd offer three keys to knowing if we're dealing with Industry Evangelicalism: 1) is maintaining the status quo necessary to protect institutional power; 2) is there money to be made or followers to be developed through the immediate controversy; and 3) do the players hyperbolize their position and exaggerate their victimhood?
As I'll argue in my next post, Testimonial Evangelicalism offers an entirely different set of characteristics that are more reflective of life in a complex, postmodern, messy, diverse culture. It's not less Christian. It's a different expression of the Truth of the Gospel.
400 Years of Avoiding the Race Question
I decided that the focus of tomorrow night's Race and Ethnic Relations class should be about the linkage between African American history and contemporary race relations, including the differential life outcomes that are so contingent on black/white issues. So I spent a good chunk of the weekend developing a fly-over version of African American history. I'm covering a period of 400 years in three hours. Forgive me if I overgeneralize.
I broke the history into four sections: Jamestown to the Emancipation Proclamation, Reconstruction to Brown v Board, Montgomery to the Voting Rights Act, and Affirmative Action (LBJ expansion) to Obama. In each period, one finds economic exploitation, political posturing, tensions between federalism and states rights, and occasional vindictiveness. Each time, someone takes a step to correct "the race problem" and then someone else reacts to that attempt. Eventually, the original attempt to improve the situation gets modified (emasculated might be a better word) by the Courts. It feels like little progress.
The use of executive action seemed to be a recurring theme. The Emancipation Proclamation itself, Truman integrating the military, Eisenhower and JFK calling in federal troops to force Southern school integration, or LBJ extending affirmative action as federal policy. This is understandable. It's not hard to see how someone concerned about a situation feels willing to take a step to ameliorate the injustice.
Then I come to things like Reconstruction. What you have there is a vindictive group of Radical Republicans (not to be confused with today's group) who wanted to punish the South for seceding. So they invoked laws that upset the racial order and imposed it from Washington. The minute that Reconstruction ended, Jim Crow laws start showing up to allow the South to do what they wanted and reassert self-management.
I looked at the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The former passed the Senate 73-27 but the South voted 1-21 against. Same pattern with the VRA: bill passed 77-19 with all 19 of the no votes coming from the South (if you count Robert Byrd in West Virginia). The outgrowth of this lopsided approach was Nixon's "Southern Strategy" which kept race-baiting at the forefront of electoral politics and flipped the Dixiecrats into the Republican party.
Earlier courts went to extremes in the Dred Scott decision or Plessy v. Ferguson. More recently, Courts have consistently taken issues like affirmative action and then chipped away at its intent. In most cases, the rights of the privileged were given priority over the rights of the marginalized that the originally policies purported to address.
At the end of my review, I'm struck with a depressing picture. The African Americans who were supposed to be the focus of The American Dilemma, were used as pawns in battles between regions of the country or political philosophies. Little progress could be made because that would upset the balance of power that the factions were dealing with.
If I'm right, and I desperately need someone to tell me I'm not, then there's little hope for positive change on issues of racial equality. Because the powers that be will keep pretending that they're pursuing policies to help African Americans when they're really trying to win a political battle that furthers their own power.
It will take a citizenry willing to say that racial inequality is unacceptable, that it is our future at risk, that we are willing to move beyond our own self-interests in pursuit of the common good. Not because that will show "those folks" in the South or the Republican party, but because our brothers and sisters of color require our action.


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Gnote 3.14.1
A port of Tomboy notes app
Gnote is actually a C++ port of Tomboy. It is a very small application and it's supposed to support most of the add-ons that were initially designed for the Tomboy utility. Furthermore, the program lets users to easily import their Tomboy notes, and features an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI), very similar to the Tomboy one, only that is follows the new GNOME Human Interface Guidelines (HIG).
The notes are not shared with Tomboy
It is essential to note here that Gnote does not share the storage with Tomboy. When opening the application for the first time, it will automatically copy (read: import) existing data from the Tomboy and StickyNote applications. In case something goes wrong and your Tomboy notes can't be imported by Gnote, simply copy the contents of the hidden ~/.tomboy folder over to the newly created ~/.gnote directory.
Installing Gnote
Installing Gnote in your favorite Linux distribution is easier than you might think. For example, the Fedora Project includes this handy note-taking app in its operating system. However, it can be quickly installed on any Fedora-based OS using the yum install gnote command, or apt-get install gnote for Debian-based distributions, including Ubuntu Linux.
WebDAV is supported at the moment
By default, the program comes with four Notes Categories called 'Notebooks', Active, All, Important and Unfiled, as well as two notes which will instruct users on how to use the application and about using links inside notes. The app's settings can be found in the App Menu when using it under the GNOME desktop environment, and will provide users with the ability to set a service for syncronization (WebDAV is supported at the moment), change various general settings, and enable or disable plugins.
Bottom line
No matter if GNOME is your default desktop environment or not, Gnote is a very good and lightweight note taking application that does exactly what is says on the tin.
Reviewed by Marius Nestor, last updated on December 7th, 2014
- price:
- homepage:
- live.gnome.org
- license type:
- GPL v3
- developed by:
- Hubert Figuiere
- category:
- ROOT \ Desktop Environment \ Tools
In a hurry? Add it to your Download Basket!
- Fixes:
- Manual spelling fixes (#700422)
- TOC licence notice fixes (#737918)
Application descriptionGnote is an open source graphical application that allows users to take notes on their computer. It has been designed ...


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The Drywater Band's Grammy award winning staff includes notable recording artists, session musicians, record producers, worship leaders, and audio engineers. Designed to meet the needs of the most discriminating clients, the Houston, Texas based group sets the standard for corporate, special event, & wedding entertainment. By matching the most appropriate vocalists and musicians to specific genre preferences, Drywater provides a customized & authentic musical experience. The band also utilizes industry contacts to hire notable touring recording artists as special guest performers.
The Drywater Band performs as a 7 to 15-piece group consisting of male vocals, female vocals, keyboards, pedal steel guitar, lead guitar, baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, bass, drums, fiddle, and percussion. Choose your own instrumentation, or consult with music director Bruce Wiggins regarding the best lineup for your genre, song, and personnel preferences.
The Drywater Band's expansive 350+ song repertoire includes a wide variety of different musical styles including Top 40, Rock, Pop, Country, Disco, R & B, Jazz, Latin, and Hip-Hop. The group is well-known for their ability to authentically recreate studio quality renditions in a live setting. Select your favorite songs from the band's repertoire, and Drywater will customize the perfect set list.
For cocktail and dinner the band plays lower volume acoustic and instrumental songs. When it's party time, the group seamlessly segues, transitions, and medleys through a barrage of up-tempo dance hits. Engaging the audience, the band never misses a beat, and provides non-stop music throughout the sets. Performing one power house sing-a-long after another, Drywater encourages audience participation. When appropriate, slow and mid-tempo songs are mixed in.
The Drywater Band's production includes premium sound reinforcement, wireless microphones, in-ear monitors, energy efficient LED stage wash lighting, and break music service, and is covered under the band's $1,000,000 liability insurance policy. Drywater's self-contained production can accommodate nearly any situation from an intimate 50 person dinner in a small banquet room to a 1500 person corporate event in a 30,000 sq. ft. ballroom.
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In addition to providing high-energy dance bands for corporate events, Drywater can provide professional dancers, instructors, and interactive line dance instruction. The group is also well adept at performing "house band" duties at corporate awards ceremonies and presentations. Technical directors can rest assured knowing that the band is experienced with "stings", "in-ear monitors", "talk-back mics", "reprisals", "cues", and "stem mixes".
Serving Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York, The Drywater Band is also available internationally for private parties, corporate events, weddings, and select club dates.
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CBS 2 - Search Results
Seven Arrested in October for Selling Meth
BLACK HAWK COUNTY, IA (CBS 2/FOX 28) -- An Eastern Iowa drug task force says it has taken more than $1 million worth of meth off the streets.
Authorities say recent operations in Black Hawk and Bremer Counties have resulted in the arrests of 7 individuals.
All face charges of possesing meth with intent to deliver.
The Tri-County drug enforcement task force says it has seized 26 lbs of meth over the last three months, which is worth nearly $2 million.


text: I am going to live my life my way, the people that are in my life are the people I choose to have in my life not the ones that choose me. I always been true to my self and others and live expected non less than that. I would be the ceci that I love to be the secure, intelligent, sexy, passionate, loud, cheerful, helping and friendly Ceci that i have always been and tough on the people that have to say something about that :)


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Plan Specification: HHF-3395
Total Square Footage: 2,045
Main Level: 1,560
Second Level: 485
Bedrooms: 4
Baths: 2
Garages: 2
Width: 57 ft Depth: 32 ft
Foundation: Basement, Crawl Space, Walk-out Basement
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Plan: HHF-3395
This striking contemporary flaunts a unique exterior of vertical siding, shed roofs and glass. I designed the home with a tuck-under garage, making it ideal for a sloping lot. Without the garage, it may be built on a level lot. A semi-circular silo houses the stairway to the private master suite on the upper floor, which features a skylighted bath and a private balcony. The skylighted foyer opens to a huge Great Room, also with skylights. A cathedral ceiling, a large fireplace and lots of glass are other highlights.
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