text:
Christianity, Edmund Smith, Education, Ex-Gay, Ex-Gay Survivors, Information, Joseph Goh, LGBT, Transgender, Transsexuals
Edmund Smith and Real Love Ministry are no strangers to those familiar with the ex-gay movement in the Far East. Like his counterparts, Edmund Smith ignores the validity of homosexuality by exploiting his heterosexual self, wife and children as proof of his ex-gay-ness, and along the way he also added the title "ex-transsexual", parroting a gross revision of what is known as Gender identity Disorder by confusing it with his cross-dressing habit which ended after his boyfriend asked him to be a full man.
A peak into Christianity Malaysia shows he has been active again in the last few years, going to churches around Malaysia, preaching on the "sexual brokenness" of LGBTs, while continuing weird and at times comical attempts to rebrand his drag persona into a medical condition (transsexualism) then claims to be out of a "lifestyle" (for real?) and somehow relate it back to homosexuality (what?).
I will definitely be writing an open letter soon on his blatant misrepresentation of transsexuals, which is a concern because what he preaches is against all medical and health stances, as he took three distinct unrelated issues – homosexuality, gender identity, sexual identity – and mashes them up to whatever he wants to call them to fit his story, trivializing the sufferings of those born transsexuals, who have to endure physical stress of the brain sex being at odds with the birth sex, into a mere cross-dressing issue.
Till then, I shall swallow my justifiable anger for the time being *inhale*; it is my pleasure to present to you an authoritative theological perspective from a friend Pastor Joseph N. Goh, in response Edmund Smith, in the light of the latter's latest sermon. Pastor Joseph shares his thoughts as "an accessible, and a theologically- and pastorally-meaningful response to Pastor Smith, with the hope that it will help both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ Christians see that there are alternative ways of understanding LGBTQ persons in relation to the Christian faith, scriptures and theology."
Well Pastor Joseph N. Goh, over to you:-
Pastor Edmund Smith and "A Homosexual Lifestyle"
My reflection is conceptualised as a response to a sharing by Pastor Edmund Smith on February 23, 2014 at the Community Baptist Church at Kota Damansara, Selangor, Malaysia, on "how God restored his identity as the son of the Living God from a homosexual lifestyle."[1] This sharing was subsequently published in the Malaysian Christian news website Christianity Malaysia on March 5, 2014.[2] Smith and his wife, Amanda, are "the founders and directors of Real Love Ministry (RLM), an organisation that trains individuals into becoming Befrienders for the Marginalised Communities."[3]They lead a church called RLM Fellowship, "to cater mainly for [sic] the sexually broken and Befrienders to sexually broken."[4] Their project can be summed up in "Smith's message to sexually broken people (SBP) … that 'change is possible and he is a living example what the Creator God has done in his life.'"[5]He advocates a 'conversion' for "lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals,"[6] individuals whom the news report identifies as "the sexually broken,"[7] and on par with "compulsive masturbators, prostitution involvement, porn addiction, and all the other sexuality issues."[8]
My reflection responds to the major points which were reported from Smith's sharing, but also to numerous verbatim quotes from Smith himself within the news report. I feel for and respect Smith's honesty, vulnerability and courage in sharing his life, particularly the sufferings and confusion he underwent as a child. Nevertheless, I feel that it is necessary for me to express my disagreement with some of his points. Throughout the news report, Smith refers to "a homosexual lifestyle"[9] as sin, conspiracy with the devil, and against God's plan. Moreover, he asserts that an abandonment of "a homosexual lifestyle" is possible due to the grace of God, and quotes from various scriptural passages to substantiate his points. In this reflection, I offer alternative insights and interpretations in response to Smith's various ideas of "a homosexual lifestyle" in Christianity Malaysia. After a brief look at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ)[10] persons and the Bible, I respond to Smith's discourses in various sections of this reflection by discussing themes of God's gift, God's transformative love, and Churches and LGBTQ Christians. My reflection is not meant to be a highly academic project or a personal attack. Instead, as a queer-gay Christian man and ordained minister, I try to provide an accessible, and a theologically- and pastorally-meaningful response to Pastor Edmund Smith's sharing. It is my earnest hope that this humble reflection will help both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ Christians see that there are alternative ways of understanding LGBTQ persons in relation to the Christian faith, scriptures and theology.
LGBTQ Persons and the Bible[11]
Christian scriptures have often been used against persons whose "sexual orientation or gender identity or gender expression"[12]challenge and transgress heteronormative socio-cultural expectations, [13] namely LGBTQ persons. The use of Christian scriptures against LGBTQ persons is often referred to as "textual harassment"[14] or "bible bashing,"[15] and the scriptural references used are frequently cited as "clobber passages."[16] Yet, as LGBTQ Christians who cherish our faith, many of us have learned that those who use the Bible against us often overlook the socio-cultural contexts of the Bible, and understand the Bible only through singular, heteronormative ways. Scripture scholar Mary Anne Tolbert reminds us that Bible writers "participate[d] in cultures that were deeply patriarchal and nationalistic."[17] Due to the socio-cultural conditions at that time and as a matter of 'survival,' these writers rejected "the supposed sexual, religious, and social practices of outsiders or foreign colonizers was as much a political statement bolstering group survival as it was a religious belief."[18] Therefore, anything that was regarded as 'not from the culture' of the writers was rejected as sinful, and this greatly influenced the way they thought of their relationship with God and wrote the scriptures. These time-specific understandings became "'naturalized' or universalized in contemporary evangelical readings"[19] among many Bible scholars and readers over the years, without critically examining the relationship between ancient texts and modern day lives.
As LGBTQ Christians, we are gradually realising that the Bible does not condemn us: heteronormative interpretations of the Bible do. This realisation has helped us to reclaim the Bible as our holy book and, as lesbian minister Nancy L. Wilson says, "to fearlessly read the Bible, to apply its healing and empowering message to [our] lives."[20] We realise that "there is not one way of reading the Bible."[21]Instead of absorbing hateful and destructive interpretations of the Bible, we are learning to 'see' ourselves in the Bible, and draw many constructive and life-giving meanings from it for our own lives. We understand that God has many messages for us as LGBTQ Christians through the Bible. We realise that, as theologian, scripture scholar and LGBTQ-ally Jeffrey Kuan says, "how we read and use the Bible depends on what it means in our particular life of faith and how we understand its authority."[22] As LGBTQ Christians, we reject the distortions and misinterpretations of scriptural passages that are used against us by individuals such as Edmund Smith, who insist that we must "change" and abandon our "homosexual lifestyle" in order to be acceptable or 'whole' in God's eyes. Instead, when we read the Bible, we see in it the love of God who creates us as we are, and as we are becoming. This perspective helps us to understand our relationship with, and knowledge of God. This relationship with God, and the desire to know God, can be understood in a simple way as theology, or 'God-talk.' For LGBTQ people, this "talking about God"[23] is also known as "queer theology," or "'talk about God by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning people as well as … allies.'"[24] My reflection travels along these perspectives.
God's Gift
Many mainstream Christian institutions seek to draw a line between knowing that one has same-sex attraction and acting on this attraction. The Roman Catholic Church, for instance, is against violence towards LGBTQ persons and teaches that LGBTQ persons "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity."[25] In rejecting the idea "all those who suffer from this anomaly are personally responsible for it,"[26] the church sees same-sex attraction as abnormal, but not wrong or sinful in itself. At the same time, the church also says that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and can in no case be approved of."[27] In simple terms, the church sees same-sex attraction as sort of 'neutral,' but any same-sex activity as sinful.
Pastor Edmund Smith claims that "orientation is not a sin but lifestyle is."[28] Like the Roman Catholic Church, Smith believes that it is possible to separate "orientation" from "lifestyle." What Smith really means by "lifestyle" is unclear. LGBTQ persons are as diverse as their non-LGBTQ counterparts. There is no such thing as "a homosexual lifestyle," or that homosexuality is itself a lifestyle. Regardless of sexual attractions, gender identities and gender expressions, different people have different lifestyles. Moreover, the different ways in which people live are not necessarily and at all times dictated by their sexual attractions, gender identities and gender expressions. It seems very likely that in saying "lifestyle," Smith is making a reference to the way he used to "practice [sic] a transgender lifestyle at a young age … wear dresses, grow long hair, and play with dolls,"[29] and the instances in which he "dressed up as a woman on stage as a professional performer."[30] Or perhaps he is talking about genital activity. I find many problems with this understanding of "lifestyle." First, Smith appears to be projecting his own sense of guilt and shame from his past into his sharing and understanding of "lifestyle." Second, he seems confused about the differences between "homosexual," "transgender," cross-dressing and a sense of enjoyment in activities that are commonly associated with women. Thus, he lumps sexual attraction, sexual expressions, gender identity and gender expression – all different realities – into what he calls "a homosexual lifestyle." Third, Smith's idea of "lifestyle" fails to consider the endlessly diverse ways in which we form loving commitments, discover and celebrate the beauty of our genders and sexualities, and have intimate connections with God as LGBTQ Christians. He disregards the fact that many of us see our gender identities, gender expressions, sexual attractions and sexual expressions as gifts from God.
In advocating that "orientation is not a sin but lifestyle is,"[31] Smith calls for a split between same-sex attraction and activity. I find problems with this separation, and I see it as completely artificial and "inhuman." Becoming human means that one tries to be true to oneself at all times. To insist on a disconnection between same-sex attraction and activity is to promote schizophrenia in LGBTQ persons who are struggles to be honest with themselves. Moreover, becoming human means that the various aspects of human existence are always interconnected. The many parts that make up what it means to be human cannot be dissected into categories that are completely disconnected from each other. Furthermore, to separate "orientation" from "lifestyle" is to advocate the understanding of 'love the sinner, hate the sin.' This means that one can tolerate the person's same-sex attraction, but any expression due to that attraction is not acceptable. Religious studies scholar Anne Pellegrini and gender scholar Janet Jakobsen observe that this sort of tolerance "maintains the very structures of hierarchy and discrimination on which hatred is based."[32] In other words, the call to separate "orientation" from "lifestyle" maintains the perception that as LGBTQ persons, we are somewhat "abnormal," yet we should be tolerated as a matter of Christian charity, as long as we do not get involved in any same-sex activity.
I am grateful that Smith admits that "all people are sexual beings."[33] In the news report, Smith holds the opinion that "God gave us sex as an intimacy to be enjoyed within marriage but the devil perverted it."[34] This leads me to believe that he understands "sex" as genital activities which generate intimacy. I also understand his idea that "the devil perverted it" to mean that God's gift of sexuality is heteronormative and meant only for heteronormative marriages. To put it differently, his idea is that sex is valid as long as it is between a man and a woman within a marital commitment.[35] I believe that sex between men and women in loving commitment is God's gift. Yet, I also believe that any just and egalitarian sexual relation between men and women as consenting adults is God's gift. In fact, I believe thatall just, respectful and egalitarian sexual relations between human beings as consenting adults are gifts from God. Lesbian theologian Carter Heyward reminds us that "to speak of the erotic or of God is to speak of power in right relation."[36] Christian ethicist and LGBTQ-ally James B. Nelson says that human relationships show "God's own passion for connection"[37] with human beings. Simply said, this means that any form of intimacy in which human beings respect each other reflects God and God's gift, as well as God's desire to connect with human beings. To say that sex is valid only if it is "enjoyed within marriage" between a man and a woman is to say that God discriminates against those who do not feel called to be sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex, or who do not feel called to get married. It is to say that God is heteronormative, that God planned for all human beings to be exclusively heteronormative and married, and that LGBTQ persons are a gross perversion of God's plan. I disagree, because my experiences have taught me that the world is made up of people with extremely diverse gender identities and sexual attractions. This helps me to understand that God creates diversely. I see sexual activity as God's gifts for all persons, regardless of how they identify their gender or sexuality, and with whom they choose to engage in sexual relations. In all instances of sexual activity where intimacy, mutuality and respect are present, and where persons are treated as persons instead of sexual objects, God is present.
God's Transformative Love
Complexity of Human Lives
I truly sympathise with Pastor Edmund Smith on the negative experiences of his childhood. I am genuinely pained by how Smith's father was "devastated that Edmund was not the child he had been dreaming of"[38] and that "he never looked at Edmund, said anything nice to him, or hugged him"[39] as expressions of fatherly love. I feel sorry that Smith's mother's "[desire] to have a daughter"[40] caused her to become "a depressed mother."[41] No child wants to feel unwanted and unloved, just as no LGBTQ person wishes to feel unwanted or unloved because of his/her sexual attraction, gender identity or gender expression. What Smith experienced in his life is regrettable, and it shows his yearning for love and acceptance, not unlike for many LGBTQ persons. Yet I am unsure of Smith's claims that his mother's condition caused her to "[give] birth to a very sad child,"[42] and that "whatever that goes through in the emotion of a mother does affect the emotion of a child."[43] I do not disagree with Smith that "children can tell a lot of things … [and that] … there's power in the tongue especially for certain kids with certain type of personality, just one sentence, it would affect them terribly."[44] Yet, even if Smith was a disappointment to his parents, subjected to verbal abuse and humiliation, and that "his mother would allow him to practice a transgender lifestyle [sic] at a young age … to wear dresses, grow long hair, and play with dolls,"[45] one cannot presume these events as the causesofSmith's sexual inclinations towards men and engagement in activities that are often linked to women. I agree with him that "it's not God's fault"[46] and "God didn't create [him] that way,"[47] but to say that "something went wrong in the womb"[48] is an overly simplistic way of explaining what happened to him.
Blaming The Devil?
Similarly, to blame the devil for the existence of LGBTQ identities, attractions and expressions is simplistic. It is almost like saying that life is only a "a cosmic struggle between God and the Devil,"[49] and human beings are pawns in this battle. It reminds me of how those who avoid taking responsibility for their actions say "the devil made me do it!" More importantly, to say that "the devil perverted"[50] what Smith understands as necessarily heteronormative sex and human beings is to dismiss the beautiful complexity of human existence, as well as to dismiss God, the Author of diverse human lives. According to God's designs, human lives are not exclusively heteronormative. Neither can human life be easily thought of as either black or white, because human life is like untold variations of countless colours. Nevertheless, I believe that human beings struggle with discerning what is constructive in their lives, and often fall short by committing sin, or taking up what is destructive. God inspires and guides human beings to choose what is constructive, but they do not always make decisions in favour of what is constructive. To blame the devil for life's tragedies is to gloss over the reality that life has many tragedies, and also that we are responsible for what we do as human beings.
Becoming the Best we can Become
Human beings are not helpless and passive victims of circumstances. Even if we make destructive decisions, we are able to turn around and make constructive decisions. In other words, we are able to transform ourselves, and when there is transformation for the better in human lives, God is present. Based on this perspective, I truly appreciate Smith's insight that "God makes all things beautiful… the devil throws [a] lemon, [and] God turns [it] into lemonade."[51] God's ability to make all things beautiful is God's transformative love. I understand this to mean that human beings are able to overcome hardship and destruction with God's assistance. Just as Smith states that "feeding on negative emotional garbage brings about a negative self-identity,"[52] I believe that human beings are capable of bringing about positive self-identities by choosing to feed on positive emotional resources. As human beings who embrace God's transformative love, we are able to see beyond the immediate, and ponder on the wonderful ways in which God is acting in our lives. Unlike Smith, however, I do not see the power of God in "[making] all things beautiful"[53] in terms of abandoning "a homosexual lifestyle." Rather, I see this transformative love of God as actively constructing the lives of LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ persons that have been affected by negative childhood experiences. I see this transformative love of God as a powerful force in helping LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ persons in facing the ongoing challenges of life. I do not see this transformative love of God as making LGBTQ persons 'turn straight,' or become 'real men' and 'real women' according to heteronormative expectations. God's ability to turn lemons into lemonade is an invitation from God to allhuman beings—LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ—to become the best human beings that they can possibly become.
Relationships of Love
Smith says that "all … who are in Christ … must remember God is not merely … God but He's … Father, He's Father God, He's Daddy … We are no longer orphans." He emphasises this image of God by stating that "we have a perfect Father (in Heaven) today, through Christ." I appreciate Smith's image of God as paternal, especially because his previous negative experiences with his own father does not deter him from seeing God as father. I do, however, want to stress that God is also mother, brother, sister, friend and lover. These are all human imageries that help us to understand and form a loving relationship with God through an appreciation of the rich and various relationships that we form with fellow human beings.[54] Using Smith's words, these imageries help us to understand that "Jesus Christ didn't give us a religion but a relationship with Him." The relationships that human beings form with God in Christ is the model on which human beings form their relationships with each other. God's relationship with all human beings is based on love, not on their gender identities or sexual attraction. If relationships between human beings reflect relationships between human beings and God, then these relationships are based on love, and not fixated on heteronormative demands of gender identities or sexual attractions. Love and relationships between human beings take many diverse forms, but if they are based on respect, egalitarianism, justice, mutuality and honesty, God is present. As queer theologian Lai-shan Yip says, "diverse sexual expression is affirmed as reflecting the Triune God."[55]
When he says that "there's something higher than you[r] emotions"[56] and "you don't live your life based on orientation and feelings,"[57]Smith is saying that LGBTQ Christians should not give in to, but should 'overcome' their emotions, attractions and feelings as LGBTQ persons. I do not agree that just because someone is LGBTQ, he or she is automatically is living in sin.[58] Nevertheless, I believe that these words can be interpreted in another way for LGBTQ Christians. I agree that there is something higher than our emotions, and that is God, as well as God's command of love that is expressed in Christ.[59] Regardless of whether we identify as LGBTQ or not, we do not need to be enslaved by destructive sexual urges that can hurt ourselves and others. Any person can be sexually broken. Yet, God invites us to deepen our emotions, orientation and feelings by showing love and respect to ourselves and to others.
Regardless of whether we are single, in loving commitment with our partners, in other creative forms of relationship or friendship with others, God calls us to show and live by respect, egalitarianism, mutuality and honesty to ourselves. Smith says that "because we are in Jesus Christ and in the Spirit, we are therefore victorious in every sin in our lives."[60] I would like to reinterpret his words by saying that we can be victorious not by giving up our supposed 'sinfulness' as LGBTQ Christians, but by overcoming temptation and sin in the way that every Christian is called to do. As LGBTQ Christians, we can allow ourselves to be transformed and empowered by God to show love in all circumstances of our lives.
Churches and LGBTQ Christians
God's invitation for us to love is particularly relevant if we are Church leaders, workers, helpers or representatives. So many LGBTQ Christians have been wounded by the discrimination and rejection of their Churches. When Pastor Edmund Smith says that "the Church needs to be the source of truth, information, comfort, and acceptance for people who are struggling sexually,"[61] he means that Churches need to be pastoral and kind to LGBTQ Christians in order to help them overcome their "homosexual lifestyle." I believe that every human being has the right to be free and choose what is best for himself or herself. If an LGBTQ Christian believes that he or she 'does not want to be' LGBTQ anymore and seeks guidance and counselling from the Church, it is his or her right, even if I do not agree with him or her, or believe that it is possible. Nevertheless, what about LGBTQ Christians who love God, our Christian faith and our Churches, and who continue to have same-sex relationships? What about LGBTQ Christians who believe that we are gifted by God in our gender identities and sexual attractions, but are misunderstood and rejected by our societies, families, friends and Churches? Just as Pastor Edmund Smith states that he is living proof that it is possible to change with the help of God in order to be his true self, so too do we as LGBTQ Christians desire to be our truest selves and living signs that it is possible to live as LGBTQ persons and Christians before God.
Smith says that "the church should be the place to offer godly counselling."[62] What kind of godly counselling can Churches offer to LGBTQ Christians who celebrate their gender identities and sexual attractions? I believe that Churches bear a great responsibility to show kindness and acceptance to LGBTQ Christians, not out of pity or in a condescending way, but to welcome them as they are, and to help them discern how God is acting in their lives. Churches must not hold a hidden agenda to 'convert' LGBTQ Christians out of their "homosexual lifestyle," but to ask them what they need. Churches must help LGBTQ Christians to understand that the Bible is a socio-cultural product, and in some cases cannot be taken literally and applied to modern day Christians. Churches need to journey with and empower LGBTQ Christians who have internalised homonegativity, self-hate and low self-esteem.[63] Churches need to assist, support and defend LGBTQ Christians by helping them understand that society stigmatises and rejects them because of misconceptions and misunderstandings. Churches must also demonstrate humility in admitting that Churches themselves have played a major role in the ill-treatment of, and self-hate among LGBTQ Christians over the years because of narrow interpretations of scriptures and theology.
In his sharing, Pastor Edmund Smith says that we are "in Christ,"[64] and that each of us is "the child of the most High God."[65] These words reflect the truth that each of us, LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ, is precious in the eyes of God. Those of us who identify both as LGBTQand Christian must learn to deepen the reality that God created us and loves us as we are. We need to remind ourselves that God invites us to express our gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual attractions in just and loving ways. Therefore, our identities and our expressions may be different from the norm, but they are not sinful because they are gifts from God. We need to learn that our gender identities and sexual attractions are very complex, and do not always fall neatly into the categories that our societies and Churches have simplistically constructed. We need to seek deep within our hearts in order to learn how we can be true to ourselves, and to connect the different parts of our lives in order to live honestly as sexual human beings. We must learn to reclaim the Bible as our holy book and its message as our way of life. We must understand how and why the Bible is often used against us, and we need to reject the interpretations that abuse us and try to break us. As LGBTQ Christians, we are invited by God to become the best human beings we can become by exercising respect, egalitarianism, justice, mutuality and honesty towards others. God's transformative love dwells within us, and it is our responsibility to live it out as human beings and as Christians. Churches play a special role in helping LGBTQ Christians to understand themselves and to grow as human beings and followers of Christ.
I would like to conclude my reflection by quoting from Pastor Edmund Smith. Although he uses these words in a different context, I find them very uplifting and encouraging for LGBTQ Christians who celebrate their gender identities and sexual attractions as blessings from God. These words speak of faith, hope and love for LGBTQ Christians as they walk along the journey of life as children of the living God:
"Today as I looked back, God was in my life from the very beginning … God was doing great and mighty things, bringing me to where I am today. God is amazing. I tell you He is doing wonderful things behind your back that you don't even know of. Right now in your life, wherever you are, God is doing something behind your backs. Whatever God is doing is always good! Hold on to His Promises! In due time, you will see the good things that God's been doing."[66]
Note: I would like express my gratitude to Lai-shan Yip for her insights, comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this reflection.
[1] For the full news report, see Adeline Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ," Christianity Malaysia, last modified March 5, 2014, accessed April 4, 2014, http://christianitymalaysia.com/wp/celebrating-manhood-christ/.
[3] Ezra Chim, "'She' Is My BROTHER – Pastor Edmund Smith of Real Love Ministry (RLM) in Malacca," Christianity Malaysia, last modified October 16, 2012, accessed April 6, 2014, http://christianitymalaysia.com/wp/she-brother-pastor-edmund-smith-real-love-ministry-rlm-malacca/; for more information on Edmund Smith, see Ee Chien Chua, "Finding Real Love," Asian Beacon, last modified July 28, 2013, accessed April 6, 2014, http://www.asianbeacon.org/finding-real-love/; Adeline Lum, "Freedom in Christ for Sexually Broken People,"Christianity Malaysia, last modified April 12, 2013, accessed April 6, 2014, http://christianitymalaysia.com/wp/freedom-christ-sexually-broken-people/; Adeline Lum, "Am I Adam or Eve?," Christianity Malaysia, last modified April 15, 2013, accessed April 6, 2014,http://christianitymalaysia.com/wp/adam-eve/; Adeline Lum, "There Is Hope for the Sexually Different People," Christianity Malaysia, last modified April 21, 2013, accessed April 6, 2014, http://christianitymalaysia.com/wp/hope-sexually-people/.
[4] Chim, "'She' Is My BROTHER"."
[5] Ibid.
[6]Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ."
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[10] Lived experiences reveal a massive and diverse range of gender and sexual identifyings beyond this simple acronym. "LGBTQ" is used in this reflection merely for ease of reference to those whose gender and sexual identifyings contradict heteronormative expectations. See note 14.
[11] For this section, I have chosen to focus on queer readings of scriptures, even though I acknowledge the important contributions of postmodern, feminist, liberationist and postcolonial interpretations.
[12] "The Yogyakarta Principles: Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity", March 26, 2007, 11, accessed April 4, 2014, http://www.yogyakartaprinciples.org/principles_en.pdf.
[13] In this reflection, I use the word "heteronormative" to refer to the valorisation of heterosexuality, as well as the presumption of particular sexual outlooks and practices that are considered as socially-acceptable and 'normal.'
[14] Mary Ann Tolbert, "What Word Shall We Take Back?," in Take Back the Word: A Queer Reading of the Bible, ed. Robert Goss and Mona West (Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2000), vii.
[15] See Mona West, "The Bible and Homosexuality," http://mccchurch.org/download/theology/homosexuality/BibleandHomosexuality.pdf(accessed April 5, 2014)
[16] See Mona West, "The Power of the Bible," http://mccchurch.org/download/theology/queertheology/PowerofBible.pdf (accessed April 5, 2014).
[17] Tolbert, "What Word Shall We Take Back?," vii.
[18] Ibid., viii.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Nancy L. Wilson, "Our Story Too … Reading the Bible with 'New Eyes,'"http://mccchurch.org/download/theology/homosexuality/OurStoryToo.pdf (accessed April 5, 2014).
[21] Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos, "How to Read What We Read," in Body and Soul: Rethinking Sexuality as Justice-Love, ed. Marvin M. Ellison and Sylvia Thorson-Smith (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2008), 63.
[22] Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, "Reading with New Eyes: Social Location and the Bible," Pacific School of Religion Bulletin (Winter 2003):1,http://www.psr.edu/reading-new-eyes-social-location-and-bible (accessed April 5, 2014)
[23] Patrick S. Cheng, Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology (New York, N.Y: Seabury Books, 2011), 9.
[24] Ibid.
[25] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed (E-Book). (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997), no. 2358, accessed October 15, 2013,http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm.
[26] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics", para. 8, last modified December 29, 1975, accessed October 16, 2013,http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19751229_persona-humana_en.html.
[27] Ibid.
[28] Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ."
[29] Ibid.
[30] Ibid.
[31] Ibid.
[32] Janet R. Jakobsen and Ann Pellegrini, Love the Sin: Sexual Regulation and the Limits of Religious Tolerance, Sexual cultures (New York: New York University Press, 2003), 50.
[33] Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ."
[34] Ibid.
[35] It is interesting to note sacramental theologian Kenan B. Osborne's observation of the early life of the church that "the first indication of marriage is … around 400 and a clear sacramental acceptance only in the twelfth century." Kenan B. Osborne, Sacramental Theology: A General Introduction, (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1994), 6. Hence, Smith's claim that "God gave us sex as an intimacy to be enjoyed within marriage" must not be romantically spiritualised to the point of neglecting the rather late recognition and acceptance of marriage as a component of church life in history.
[36] Carter Heyward, Touching Our Strength: The Erotic as Power and the Love of God (San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, 1989), 3.
[37] James B. Nelson, Body Theology (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox, 1992), 23.
[38] Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ."
[39] Ibid.
[40] Ibid.
[41] Ibid.
[42] Ibid.
[43] Ibid.
[44] Ibid.
[45] Ibid.
[46] Ibid.
[47] Ibid.
[48] Ibid.
[49] Adriaan S. van Klinken, "Gay Rights, the Devil and the End Times: Public Religion and the Enchantment of the Homosexuality Debate in Zambia," Religion 43, no. 4 (2013): 520.
[50] Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ."
[51] Ibid.
[52] Ibid.
[53] Ibid.
[54] As an example, feminist theologian Maria Anicia B. Co says that "a father-God who is not experienced as a patriarch can equally be experienced as a mother-God." See "Discerning the Voices from Women's Experiences," in Discipleship of Asian Women at the Service of Life, ed. Virginia Saldanha, vol. II (Bangalore, India: Claretian Publications, 2011), 80.
[55] Lai-shan Yip, "Listening to the Passion of Catholic nu-Tongzhi: Developing a Catholic Lesbian Feminist Theology in Hong Kong," inQueer Religion, ed. Donald L. Boisvert and Jay Emerson Johnson, vol. 2 (Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2012), 76.
[56] Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ."
[57] Ibid.
[58] Here, I agree with queer theologian Mary Elise Lowe's opinion that 'sin' is not simply "an autonomous subject with a stable sinful will." See "Gay, Lesbian, and Queer Theologies: Origins, Contributions, and Challenges," Dialog 48, no. 1 (2009): 55.
[59] John 13: 34-35.
[60] Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ."
[61] Ibid.
[62] Ibid.
[63] "Internalised homonegativity" is my preferred description for the common term "internalised homophobia." In my opinion, many LGBTQ persons absorb and internalise many kinds of negativity, not just a fear of being different in gender identity or sexual attraction.
[64] Lum, "Celebrating Manhood in Christ."
[65] Ibid.
[66] Ibid.
Joseph N. Goh is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Gender, Sexuality and Theology with the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University, Malaysia. He holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, CA. Identifying as a queer-gay ordained minister with the North American Catholic Ecumenical Church (NACEC), Goh is also a member of the Emerging Queer Asian Pacific Islander Religion Scholars (EQARS) and editor of the Queer Asian Spirit E-Magazine (QAS E-Zine). Goh holds and celebrates the belief that diverse gender orientations, gender expressions and sexual orientations are gifts from God.
For more on Goh, please visit the website, Joseph N. Goh.
© Joseph N. Goh
This re-post is requested and permitted by the author.


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If you are looking for wall décor, a piggy bank or bookends, you are sure to find what you are looking for at BabyAge.com. Our selection of nursery décor includes a variety of wall appliqués that are sure to spruce up your babys nursery and spark your little ones imagination. From Wall Candy Art Flutterflies to Animal Themed Kids Book Ends by Teamson, our nursery décor is timeless and will follow your baby throughout the first years of childhood.
Nursery Décor
Bed Ink Peace Sign Twin Dustruffle
My World Trucks at Work Pillow
House of Hazel by Oliver B Pouf$99.99
Out of stock

subset: commoncrawl


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Environmental Crime
Environmental Crime
Environmental crime refers to any activity that breaks environmental law and harms the environment. As nature and environmentalism encompass a variety of areas, environmental crime does as well. Criminal activity in this realm includes crimes against wildlife, breaking pollution-control laws, smuggling oil and metals, trafficking timber, and many more. It is a growing national and international problem, and can harm a country's economy, security and ecology.
According to Interpol, environmental crime is often carried out by large crime syndicates and is usually committed hand-in-hand with other crimes such as drug trading and weapons smuggling. International organizations that enforce environmental crime include Interpol, the United Nations' Environmental Programme, and in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency.
As time has passed and the issue has grown, the penalties of committing environmental crime have become more severe, with jail time and expensive fines commonly handed out as punishments. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)


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Sen. Benjamin Cardin
Click below to hear the interview
Jump to main content.
Sponsored By:
Host Tom Temin brings you the latest news affecting the federal community each weekday morning, featuring interviews with top government executives and contractors. Listen live from 6 to 9 a.m. or download archived interviews below.
Wednesday - 8/18/2010, 9:08am EDT
Click below to hear the interview
By Suzanne Kubota
Senior Internet Editor
Maryland Senator Ben Cardin (D) is asking the Defense Department to move as quickly as possible to address contamination issues at Fort Detrick in Frederick.
The area was used to both test and store chemical, biological and radiological material in the 1950s and 1960s, including, said Cardin, possibly Agent Orange.
While there has been no link established, an investigation has been launched to determine whether testing at the fort is responsible for a rash of cancer cases in the area.
"We know that there were effects from the use of these chemicals that are still not fully understood," said Cardin, "and we just want to make sure that the contaminants have been totally cleaned up."
To that end, Cardin told Federal News Radio he has called the Army to sign a Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before December 1, 2010.
"We know that there were tests done there that could very well have compromised the drinking water...contaminated the underground water supply and we want to make sure that every test is done and every remedial action is taken."
While he told the Federal Drive he believes DoD understands the seriousness of the issue, he said "it's important to have an independent party that evaluates whether the Department of Defense is doing everything that they need to do and that's why we want the FFA entered into quickly."
"There are different aquifers that go through the area," said Cardin. "We want to make sure that if there are areas that are not safe, that they're not used; that the wells are not drilled to that level."
For more on Senator Cardin's view of what's ahead for Congress, including tax credits for small business and job creation, listen to the interview linked above.
This story is part of Federal News Radio's daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.


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In general, it's not a good idea to give your baby water until he's about 6 months old. Until then, he'll get all the hydration he needs from breast milk or formula, even in hot weather.
Giving a baby younger than 6 months old too much water can interfere with his body's ability to absorb the nutrients in breast milk or formula. It can also cause his tummy to feel full, which curbs his desire to feed. (While small sips of water probably won't hurt your baby, it's best to check with his doctor beforehand during those first six months.)
In rare cases, a baby who drinks too much water can develop a condition known as water intoxication, which can cause seizures and even a coma. Water intoxication happens when too much water dilutes the concentration of sodium in the body, upsetting the electrolyte balance and causing tissues to swell.
Adding too much water to your baby's formula not only risks water intoxication, it means that your baby is taking in fewer nutrients than he needs. Carefully follow the package directions for mixing powdered or concentrated formula and don't try to stretch formula by using more than the recommended amount of water.
In some instances – if your baby has gastroenteritis, for example – the doctor might advise you to give him an electrolyte drink like Pedialyte or Infalyte to help prevent dehydration.
Once your baby is 6 months old, it's okay to give him sips of water when he's thirsty. You still don't want to overdo it, though, or you might give him a tummy ache or make him too full to eat well. After his first birthday, when your baby's eating solids and drinking whole milk, you can let him drink as much water as he likes.Read more about what kind of water to use for formula.


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NORFOLK (AP) -- Families stood pierside Thursday to see their loved ones assigned to USS Barryhead to sea.
The guided missile destroyer is off to the European theater to support maritime security and security cooperation efforts in the region. The crew will help protect Europe from ballistic missiles.
During its last deployment in July 2011, the Barry launched 55 Tomahawk cruise missiles in support of establishing a no-fly zone over Libya.
Budget uncertainties could affect how long Barry's crew is gone and the number of port visits they make. The ship's six-month deployment could change depending on the budget situation, officials stated.
The Barry was to make a stop at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown before heading to sea. Because of an approaching winter storm expected to hit the Northeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic, SURFLANT spokesman Lieutenant Commander Bill Urban told 13News the Barry will remain at the naval weapons station until Monday.


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Men's Basketball Dominates Boards by 25 in 112-93 Win over Queens; Advance to Semis of CC Tourney on Friday at Mount Olive
March 2, 2010
MISENHEIMER, N.C. Up by as many as 30 and 22 at the half, Pfeiffer University had to fend off a second half by Queens holding on for a 112-93 victory over the Royals in the first round of the 2010 Conference Carolinas mens basketball tournament on Tuesday night. With the win, the Falcons improve to 18-9 overall advancing to Friday nights semifinal at top-seeded Mount Olive. The Royals see their season come to an end at 13-15.
Both sides traded baskets in the first three and a half minutes combining for six lead changes and three ties. James Crowder (High Point, NC) started a 17-2 Falcon run with his jumper at 16:13 of the first period. Crowder also finished the stretch with a triple, right in front of Jeff Pettiway (Edgewood, MD) and his three-ball. Later in the half, Crowder would hit on a couple of more threes to push the first-half lead to 20 and 30 four minutes apart. Pfeiffer led 58-36 at the intermission.
After yet another triple by Crowder 15 seconds into the second period, Devon Seaford (Charlotte, NC) began a quick run for the Royals that brought them under a 20-point deficit just two minutes later. A Reggie Hopkins (Gastonia, NC) three-point play helped Queens creep to within 16 at the 15:11 mark.
A three-point play by Davon Gilliard (Charleston, SC) put Pfeiffer back up 19, 71-52, with 14:14 to play in a lead that stayed that way until the halfway point of period two. Brandon Nichols (Fayetteville, NC) hit a long-range three, along with Preston Newlin (Graham, NC), which had the Royals 13 back with 8:48 to go. A couple of threes by Pettiway neutralized the situation for a couple of minutes, before the visitors again came back, this time cutting the lead to a dozen, on an Andre Lockhart (St. James, BARBADOS) bucket and free throw.
A layup by Antonio Stabler (Garner, NC) had Queens within striking distance at 11, with just under five minutes to go. Inside two minutes, as another three-point play, this one by Sean Eads (Greenville, SC) brought the Royals inside of single-digits, two free throws by Pettiway and Gilliard would again stifle their run. Pfeiffer would finish that final 1:42 on an 11-1 run to hold on for the victory.
Crowder led all scorers with 31 on the night, one of six Falcons in double-figures. Eads paced the Royals, with five in double-digits, with his 15. Chris Woods (Thomasville, NC) posted the only double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Pfeiffer dominated the boards out rebounding Queens 52-27.


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How to display artwork by you little Picassos
Associated Press / Dynamic Frames Inc.
Dynamic Frames Inc. Lil DaVinci Art Gallery frame set includes four frames. Each of the frames opens from the front so parents can easily change out their children's artwork. The frames can hold 50 pieces of artwork so they also help the parent store and preserve their children's masterpieces.
Mandy Rose
Mandy Rose incorporated her children's artwork on a gallery wall in the dining room of her home in Carterville, Ill. The framed finger painting is a real conversation starter, she said.
Pottery Barn Kids
Pottery Barn's butterfly art cable is a temporary way to display children's art.
"They caught me throwing some away, and they were not happy about it," Mandy Rose of Carterville, Ill., said of her three children.
Rose, who loves to decorate her house and writes about it at houseofroseblog.com, decided to combine some of her kids' work with professional pieces and family photos in a montage on her dining room wall. She even commissioned one of the kids to create a finger painting for an eye-catching frame she had bought.
"People always ask, 'Did your kids make that?"' she said. "It's a real conversation starter."
Children's art absolutely has a place in home décor and can add a welcome personal touch, said Esther Sadowsky, owner of Charm & Whimsy, an interior design firm in Jersey City, N.J.
"Sometimes my jaw drops when I see the work of my customers' children," she said. "Children's art displayed in a house — it's a home then."
Like Rose, she suggests displaying kids' works in art groupings. She often lays out the pieces on the floor so she and her client can visualize how they fit together. "You can make a beautiful arrangement," said Sadowsky, who has a painting she made as a 12-year-old hanging in her own living room.
Rose laid out the items for her "gallery wall" on the floor as well. She snapped photos of various arrangements so she could compare them, and went through her house to find frames in the same color palette to create cohesion in the grouping.
Sadowsky has sent parents to big box stores or craft stores to buy inexpensive frames. It's possible to find frames with precut mats for a more professional look. Do-it-yourselfers also can use construction paper or foam core to create mats for artwork, she said.
In her children's playroom, Rose strung wire between two hooks and allows the kids to pick and choose what they want to hang up. The setup allows them to highlight favorite paintings and projects until they make something they like better.
Finding a temporary place like that to display work makes sense, agreed Jeffry Cudlin, a professor of curatorial studies and practice at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He routinely highlights the work of his 4-year-old son, Miles, at home to show him that the family values handmade art.
Cudlin uses binder clips to hang Miles' art in an ornate frame that usually hangs in his dining room; the clips mean he can rotate different pieces through the frame for an ever-changing display.
Deciding which pieces to keep long-term can be a challenge, Cudlin said. He looks for work that includes loved ones or commemorates a special event. He routinely frames Miles' work and gives it to family members who are represented in the drawing.
He also finds that he appreciates many of his son's drawings more after he asks questions about them. The art provides insights into how the preschooler views the world, and helps preserve his thoughts, Cudlin said.
"His way of thinking about things — the way he experiences the world — you're not going to get that back," he said.
Cali Sanker, education coordinator of the Ohio State University Urban Arts Space in Columbus, recommends saving a child's pieces from various ages to create an artistic record of his or her growth.
"It is not only a special way to reminisce about your child's younger years, but a special way of embracing how much they have grown," she said.
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Metallic studs and sequins trim the neckline and decorate the front of this sheer crepe top. Dolman sleeves and a slight hi-lo silhouette lends a breezy, carefree look to the design. We finished the look with a back cutout for a sexy touch of skin.
- Size 1 measures 25 1/2" from shoulder
- Polyester
- Hand wash; line dry
- Imported


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CHARLOTTE — It was another pole to checkers night for Kyle Busch. After claiming the pole position for Friday night's Nationwide Series race, Busch held off series points leader Austin Dillon to win his series-best 11th of the season.
The win marked the eighth time in nine pole wins that he has won from the starting position. The victory was Busch's eighth win in the series at Charlotte and 62nd career win.
While in Victory Lane, Busch announced that he and his wife, Samantha, were donating all the race winnings to the Pretty in Pink Foundation to combat breast cancer.
"I didn't think we were going to win the thing, but somehow I got to the top (of the track) and started making time," Busch said.
Sam Hornish Jr. finished third and remains eight points behind Dillon in the battle for the Nationwide Series Championship.
Busch was first off pit road under a caution for a restart on Lap 163 of the 200-lap race, and kept the lead until Hornish Jr. caught him on lap 180. Hornish's Ford began to fade on lap 193. Busch passed him in Turn 2 and was on his way to the checkered flag.
Elliot Sadler's chances for a championship ended following a strange wreck in Turn 1. While in the tri-oval, Reed Sorenson clipped the edge of the infield grass with his left side tires and shot up into the No. 14 Camry of Eric McClure.
Brian Vickers darted to the inside to avoid the wreck and hit Sadler, his JGR teammate, as Sadler was leaving pit road. Sadler later returned to the track after repairs to his damaged car but crashed on Lap 66, and ended up in 35th place.


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Find out competitive Matilda composer Tim Minchin's brief history with Broadway, who he's rooting for this year and why he wants to set up an "actual cage fight" with Cyndi Lauper.
In Rebecca Naomi Jones' first vlog, she takes us backstage at Hedwig and the Angry Inch and shows off her fancy dressing room.May 21, 2015
It's award season and that means about a million events for Max and the cast of An American in Paris. Tag along and see if you recognize anyone.May 19, 2015
Disney's smash hit adapation of the beloved animated film is a Broadway sensation. Find out why!November 10, 2014
Jim Parsons and the cast of David Javerbaum's An Act of God chat about the divine new Broadway comedy at Studio 54.May 14, 2015
Disney has done it again with their new stage adaptation of the animation hit Aladdin! Hear all about the new family favorite from the stars and creators in this video trailer.July 15, 2014
Find out why audiences have fallen in love with this fantastical musical inspired by The Wizard of Oz.October 19, 2014
Learn all about the Tony-winning smash hit musical comedy that's one of Broadway's biggest blockbusters ever.October 24, 2014
Laura Michelle Kelly films a special vlog episode as the cast of Finding Neverland records their cast album.May 14, 2015
Tony Award nominee Alex Sharp sits down to talk about his acclaimed Broadway debut in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.May 15, 2015
Party with Kristin Chenoweth, Vanessa Hudgens, Darren Criss, Helen Mirren and all the winners at the 2015 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards. Also, check out their 10-second acceptance speeches!May 20, 2015
It's Only a Play Tony nominee Micah Stock on resume lies, the best thing he's ever won and his secret crush.May 15, 2015
An American in Paris Tony Nominee Brandon Uranowitz on the early role he sucked in, his secret crush and the Sia song that makes him cry.May 18, 2015


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Tim Burton
Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks & Richard D. Zanuck
Daniel Wallace John August
Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery
Albert Finney as the oldest Edward Bloom
Billy Crudup as William Bloom
Danny DeVito as Amos Calloway
Ewan McGregor as younger Edward
Helena Bonham Carter as Jennifer Hill (Jenny)
Jessica Lange as Sandra K. Bloom
Marion Cotillard as Joséphine Bloom
Matthew McGrory as Karl the Giant
Miley Cyrus as 8-year-old Ruthie
Robert Guillaume as Dr. Bennett
Steve Buscemi as Norther Winslow
Distributed by
Columbia Pictures
Release Date
Dec 10, 2003
Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Movie Description(Click Here To Hide)
The story revolves around a dying father and his son, who is trying to learn more about his dad by piecing together the stories he has gathered over the years. The son winds up re-creating his father's elusive life in a series of legends and myths inspired by the few facts he knows.
Previous Next


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Note that the algorithm in javalc6's comment checks UTF-8 compliance by the letter of the specs.
This means that overlong byte sequences will pass. For example: 0xC0 0xAF can be used to encode U+002F, the slash character. While legal, this character is more properly encoded as 0x2F. Overlong sequences are unnecessary and should be avoided; they have been - and still are - used in various attacks (like directory traversal attacks).
It also means that high Unicode characters outside the Basic Multilingual Plane will pass; this means characters above U+FFFF, composed of 4+ bytes (hieroglyhps, cuneiform, etc). You need to decide if you want those characters or not. If you do, be aware that they often cause compatibility problems (for example with JSON and some databases).
mb_check_encoding(), mb_detect_encoding(x, y, TRUE), and the other comments up to now all reject characters outside the BMP and overlong sequences.


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The Income Tax Course (INCOME TAX COURSE) offers everything you need to know to learn how to prepare taxes like a pro160. Convenient locations, and class times, mean you'll learn from the best on a schedule that works for you. Your tax preparation career starts here!
- Introduction & Course Overview
- Wages, Income and Taxes
- Filing Requirements
- Dependent Exemptions and Support
- Dependent Related Filing Statuses
- Interest and Dividend Income
- Capital Assets
- Earned Income Credit
- Other Income
- Adjustments to Income
- Itemized Deductions
- Self-employment Income
- Depreciation
- Credits
- Education Credits
- Retirement Contributions
- Retirement Distributions
- Passive Income
- Penalties and Amended Returns
- Tax Planning
- Ethics
- Practice
- Reviews & Exams
The course consists of 75 hours161 of instruction which includes instructor led sessions, web-based training, and practice sessions. Additional time commitments outside of class homework will vary by student. Some examples of additional time spent outside the classroom may include: tutoring to understand more complex tax concepts, participating in study groups and completing generally assigned home work.
The Income Tax Course (ITC) starts with a foundation of tax theory where concepts build upon each other. Students are encouraged to actively participate in classroom discussions to understand concepts and ideas as early as possible. Issues with foundational topics should be addressed prior to moving on to other topics.
Basic computer skills and reliable access to the internet are required.
While the cost of the course may vary based upon location, the course content is consistent around the country. The cost of the course does not in any way determine the content or quality.
In most cases the price of tuition (course fees) includes the book fee. However, in some states the cost of books and materials is separate.
Classes generally meet for 3-hour sessions, 2-3 times per week or on weekends for 3-hour sessions. Class schedules can vary by location.
Yes, bilingual courses are taught in English and the instructor or assistant will be able to answer questions in Spanish as needed. Textbooks will be provided in both English and Spanish and course exams will be offered in a bilingual format.
Classes usually begin early August to mid-September and go through November. Specific dates will be listed with the class you have chosen to attend.
We vary our class times and locations to accommodate our students. The H&R Block Income Tax Course is designed for busy people with jobs, school or family commitments.
Classes are held days, evenings and weekends. If you miss your regular time, you may be able to take a class at another time that week. And, if you are traveling in the U.S., you may be able to take a course at another H&R Block location nationwide to ensure you won't miss anything.
Our general attendance requirements state that participants cannot miss or fail to complete more than 8 hours of any of the instructor-led sessions. All self-study web-based training session must be completed in order to successfully complete the course.
The class attendance requirement may vary based on the specific state where the class is held.
Enrollment is allowed up to and including the first week of class, but is discouraged after that time.
The course covers basic tax preparation and gives you the foundation needed to prepare a tax return. Our Tax Pros take advanced classes that focus on areas of special interest.
No credit for previous education or training is offered. Credits earned at the H&R Block Income Tax Course may not transfer to another educational institution.
No, you're not required to have a college degree. Graduation from high school or an equivalent degree is required in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas.
If a student is under the age of 18, the signature of a parent or guardian is required.


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We never get used to it. No matter how many cases of cruelty our team investigates, the brutality of it still hits us hard in the heart. This case was no exception. In mid-July our Humane Law Enforcement department received a call from an eyewitness who saw a father and son beating their cat to death with a stick. We jumped into action.
Quickly finding the deceased cat in a garbage bag on the side of the road, our Agents subsequently obtained a search warrant for the home. A search uncovered a broken stick encrusted with cat fibers and blood in the attic. Jean Rog Murat, 60, and his son, Robenson Murat, 29, were arrested and taken into custody.
The Kings County District Attorney indicted the duo on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals; overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; and failure to provide proper sustenance for animals. If convicted, the defendants will face a maximum of two years of incarceration.
"This was a heinous act on an innocent animal and a clear case of violent abuse," says Stacy Wolf, Vice President and Chief Counsel of the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement department. "We praise the district attorney for his commitment to hold these perpetrators accountable for their cruel and callous acts."
Animal cruelty is a crime in every state. With your help, we fight back. Please join our battle against animal cruelty today!
That man and his son should be beaten with a stick and bloodied. 2 years for killing a defenseless animal! Definitely the law needs to be stricter and have alot more consequences for hurting an animal.
they will not get 2 years, but probably just a fine. Hey give me a room with the 2 of them and a stick..well justice would be served
2 years is a JOKE! That's just giving them the "OKAY" to do it again! Who knows how many other animals they've harmed?!?!
Give me 10 mins and Ill beat the living s*** out of them both. Then just as they're about to take their last breath and beg for help I'll run them over with my car, then put it in reverse and run over them again. I have zero mercy for people who beat animals.
two years isn't enough, lock the pukes up And throw away the key. Someone should jab a stick into the father & son's eyes. I love my two cats dearly and can't even imagine what I would do to someone if I saw them abusing a helpless animal. It also reminds me why my cats are indoor house cats and not allowed to venture into the pathetic world outside that has creeps like this in it.
Only two years!!!! /:-|
They deserve 10 at least
I'm really amazed. Don't get me wrong. I agree 100% that two years is not nearly enough for these sick, cruel persons. But the fact that at least there's some degree of law enforcement simply amazes me. I wish there was an agency like ASPCA in my country. Here cruelty to animals goes unpunished. I really admire what you do.
A max of two years? Are you kidding? It should be a minimum of two years or more for every time they hit the poor cat. This is just a sick joke. The only reason for such weak laws is because our jails are full of killers & rapists. We need to punish the offenders with the same sentence they gave their victims. I believe in "An eye for an eye"!!!
God put us here to protect the innocent. They did not get them max they deserve. Their judgement will come. Glad to see they were caught!
I hope wnoever convicts them to their sentence sees all the comments on this page and realizes they need to get more than 2 years.


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Commencing a lawsuit without the assistance of an attorney can be difficult. Court staff cannot take the place of an attorney or give you legal advice. If you choose to proceed without an attorney, you must understand that you will be held to the same standards as an attorney in following procedural rules and meeting statutory requirements. You may wish to consult the resources and materials available at the Dakota County Law Library located at 1560 Highway 55, Hastings, MN 55033.
To start a lawsuit and sue someone, you must complete, serve and file a Summons and Complaint. These papers are called the pleadings. They are the first papers filed with the Court to start the lawsuit. These papers tell the Court what happened and explain what relief you are requesting the Court to grant you. You are called the plaintiff(s). The person(s) that you are suing is called the defendant(s).
You will usually sue the defendant in the county where he/she/they reside, however, this may change depending on the circumstances of each case. Jurisdiction can be complicated and because each case is unique, you may wish to consult an attorney. Court personnel cannot give you legal advice as to where you must sue the defendant.
The first part of the Summons and Complaint is called the caption and must list the full name(s) of the party(ies). Do not use initials or titles such as Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. (middle initials are acceptable). If you are suing a company or corporation (business entity) you must list the name correctly. You may wish to contact the Secretary of State to verify the type of business entity and to get the correct name. The names of the parties are important. If you have the wrong name you may not be able to collect your judgment even if you do win in court. The summons must be signed.
The complaint states your claim against the opposing party and the relief you are requesting. The complaint should answer the following questions:
What happened?Where did it happen?When did it happen?How were you damaged?What relief do you want the court to grant you?
You must state a claim upon which the Court may grant relief. You should set this information out in numbered paragraphs in the complaint using plain language and being as specific as possible. You must be careful to include all your information and requests for relief. It is important that you follow all statutory requirements and procedural rules. Once the complaint is answered by the opposing party you will not be able to make changes without special permission from the court.
When the complaint is completed, you must have a copy of the Summons and the Complaint served upon the defendant(s). If there is more than one defendant, each defendant must be served. An independent third party who has no interest in the proceedings, is not a party to the lawsuit and is over the age of 18 must serve the Summons and Complaint. The papers must be handed directly to the party(ies). This is called personal service. Depending upon the circumstances of your case, there may be other methods of service. You may wish to consult an attorney or the Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure regarding methods of service. The person who serves the papers must fill out and file an Affidavit of Service with the Court.
After you have served a copy of the Summons and Complaint on the Defendant(s), you must file the original Summons and Complaint and the affidavit of service with the Civil Division of the District Court. The filing fee must be paid at the time of filing.
After you have filed your Summons and Complaint with the Court, you must file a Certificate of Representation within 7 days and an Informational Statement must be filed within 60 days. You will then receive notices from the Assignment Division regarding scheduling deadlines, trial dates and ADR requirements. Meeting these requirements is your responsibility. Representing yourself and not having an attorney will not be an excuse for failure to meet deadlines, file documents or appear in Court.


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Script section containing code for Liveperson Chat Solution
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Chicken Scratch is an ASPCA Blog feature that highlights interesting news about farm animals and their welfare.
- This might be a new low. Lawmakers in Kentucky got sneaky and added ag-gag language to a bill to ban gas chamber use at animal shelters—a bill that the ASPCA and other animal welfare groups had previously come out in support of. They're trying to make it illegal to expose animal abuse on factory farms. The same thing is happening in Tennessee. Please take action if you live in TN or KY. Wherever you live, become a part of our Advocacy Brigade to stay updated.
- With the help of our advocates and a multi-interest coalition, this year we've defeated ag-gag in New Hampshire and Indiana. Last year we defeated ag-gag bills in all 11 states that proposed them.
- Finally, all 50 states will have felony-level penalties for animal cruelty now that South Dakota has passed Senate Bill 46—a huge milestone. But this and many other state laws exclude farm animals from protection. We will continue to work to close loopholes: All animal abuse should be taken seriously and punished appropriately.
- The Food and Drug Administration says drug companies have agreed to comply with the agency's recommendation to phase out antibiotics used to accelerate farm-animal growth. Unfortunately, the same drugs can just be relabeled and used to "prevent" the illnesses caused by inhumane, unsanitary conditions on factory farms. This won't help animals or the growing number of children getting sick from antibiotic-resistant infections.
- A Dutch advertising standards commission decided that McDonald's in the Netherlands was wrong to say on its website that it does not use cheap, fast-growing broiler chickens, and forced the company to take down the language. But these are the same types of chickens used for meat in the States, too. Learn more about fast-growing chickens at TruthAboutChicken.org
How in the heck can a state criminalize disclosure of inhumane treatment of animals. It doesn't get any more convoluted than this. It goes against all that we know as moral and right. Don't have to be a brain surgeon to see that this is being fueled by the dispiccable practices of big ag.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. --I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man." Mahatma (Mohandas) Gandhi (1869-1948)
Dhyan. You could not have said it better. The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the treatment of it's animals. Where are the morals of so called human beings. Go Animal right activists. Ghandi is great. The U S is not doing so great are they.
Not only Ghandi is good. There is a man who is still alive named AD Williams. He has some beautiful quotes about animals and our world we share with these beautiful creatures.
The gag is the single stupidest thing I've heard of. Why don't the states in question do something about the idiots supporting said gag. Don't they understand that unsanitary living conditions are bad for the people consuming said animal products... People who vote.
My heart feels heavy tonight. I do not understand how the US can allow animals to be treated with cruelty. Why does the US have anything to do with countries like China who skin dogs and other animals alive and then let the fur be sent back here to be used on our clothing. Why would the FDA consider sending our chickens to China to be processed and then sent back knowing how many poisonous products of food have come from the same place. I recently learned that China won't allow the US to send any cosmetics there that have not been tested on animals first, yet we can't buy anything here almost that doesn't say made in China. I know that China is not the only country that practices horrible cruel things on not only animals but it's people. I can't imagine one of my dogs screaming in pain and trying to get away as its fur is being cut from its body and then being thrown on a pile while it breathes it's last breath. I'm both saddened and angry!! What can we do to stop the cruelties!! Those done to not only farm animals but all animals?
good point jackie i love all animals and totally agree with you.
but you can't just hate china becase some people kill and torture animals cos most chinese people love animals so you can't
blame a whole country.
I'm not saying i agree with hunting skining and slaughtering all the
animals I just don't want to be an ignorent racist.
I only hate the people who are in the fur industry and and help
kill the animals but a whole contry is just not right.
Save the animals!!!!!!!!
I run a small organic farm and have been farming for a bit over a year. Being antifactory farm I thought the best way to fight the system and educate myself would be to actually get in and do it. I've learned alot, and interestingly, I'm less anti-factory farm than I was. I still think everyone is better out on pasture, but im sure when its 35 degrees out and raining a few of my hogs wouldn't mind a vacation to a dry 70 degree climate controlled building.
Not using anti-biotics has increased my rate of viral death in infants. I borrowed a boar pig from another organic friend and can think thats the only place where a pig virus came to my farm. Either way my gilt farrowed and 8 or 9 of the 14 piglets died late term inside mom due to a virus. It was really painful to watch dead baby after dead baby fall out of mom. It was too late to treat the other two pigs who were pregnant and exposed, luckily they didn't get sick. Though they had two failed pregnancies before, so maybe they already lost their litters to the virus. In that case I really don't know where the virus came from. But, hey, humans the the flu randomly, too.
I also tried worming "natural" ways. One of the young pigs was continually sickly looking and growing slow. I finally pulled out the big guns and used chemical ivermectin and all my pigs dropped loads of round worms. Judging from the evidence in the pasture the sickly girl dropped a fist sized ball of worms out of her guts. Now she's growing.
It did really make me question not using antibiotics and wormers at all. People who don't farm demand anti-biotic free which is both good an bad. Seeing animals suffer in the name of "organic" does no more good than shooting them up with antibiotics. There needs to be a middle ground and an understanding *most* farmers, even many *gasp* factory farmers, really do care about their livestock.
Sick livestock is less productive and profitable. However, using antibiotics unnecessarily also costs money. More and more farms are using bio security practices to protect livestock, but its still not 100%
Please don't try to vilify antibiotics. Outlawing all preventative antibiotics won't stop suffering. It will change the kind of suffering. Again, I'm not saying that all antibiotics are good any old time, but to take away tools and options from farmers in keeping their herds healthy is cruel in its own way.
Instead of fighting with farmers try to work with them, not fight them. The more the animal right fights the farmers, particularly with language that stirs more emotion than fact, the less they care to listen to our concerns and the more they move to defend their corporate overlords.
Politicians who would support cruelty to animals. How low and ignorant and despicable can anyone go.
Not only does China skin the dogs and cats alive but they also torture them for 60 days before killing as they think that makes the meat better. Just look at pinterest if you doubt what I'm saying. Think about it, China doesn't raise cows. Can't the people taking these horrific pictures save the animal? Why do they skin them alive can't they euthanize them if they have to eat them for food? What can be done to help these dogs and cats in China and Korea? I've never seen such horrible treatment. The pictures will haunt you 24 hrs everyday.


text:
Lady Falcon Soccer Adds Three More to Incoming Class in 2011
April 26, 2011
MISENHEIMER, N.C. – Pfeiffer University women's soccer head coach Elijah Denton has announced the signing of three more student-athletes who will join the Lady Falcons soccer program in the fall of 2011. Melissa Montoya (Mine Hill, NJ), Jill Maykut (Oviedo, FL) and Hannah Hill (Monroe, NC) have all inked to play college soccer at Pfeiffer.
Montoya enters the Village as a midfielder from Dover High School. In her time with the Tigers, Montoya received all-state and all-county awards to go along with her two years of all-conference honorable mentions. Montoya played her club ball in the northeast with the New Jersey Rangers Liberty.
Maykut will transfer into Pfeiffer as a defender from Polk State College in Florida after her playing days at Lake Howell High School. Maykut was named an All-American at Polk State in 2009 and 2010, while being named the most athletic female on campus in 2009. Maykut, a team captain, has also received all-South region defensive MVP honors from 2006-2009 and named second team all-conference twice. Off the field, Maykut played volleyball and lacrosse in high school as a three-sport star while participating in FHPA and FCA. Her club days were spent with the Central Florida United (CFU) Lightning.
Hill, from nearby Monroe, will begin her collegiate career after a successful campaign at Central Academy of Technology and Arts. Hill held down a pair of positions at midfield and defense as a varsity captain in all four seasons. Hill was named team MVP during her sophomore and junior seasons while registering all-conference and all-region awards. Like Maykut, Hill was also a three-sport athlete adding volleyball and basketball to her resume. In the classroom, Maykut is a National Honor Society member, a volunteer for the US Army Reserve Family Programs and a North Carolina Teaching Fellow Finalist.
The Lady Falcons are tentatively slated to open up the 2011 season on Thursday, September 4th at 4:00 p.m. hosting Newberry in their season opener.


text:
Here we go, I hope I didn't miss anything.
Emergency funds- 3 to 6 months
Debt- 500k mortgage 4%
100k HELOC 6%
50k misc school loans, car 4-5%
500k commercial property 5%- I am now a partner in my business, most principal partners own the real estate, and our rent pays the mortgage + 10% extra principal a month
The HELOC was mostly paid off, but used to pay the 20% down on the commercial property
Tax filing status- Married filing jointly
Tax rate 35% now, 39.6 possible in 2013, 2014 as wife may be increasing income
State of residence- Florida (no state income tax)
Ages- His early 40's, hers early 30's
Desired Asset Allocation 60/40 to 70/30 stock/bond, 15-20% international stock
Size of portfolio- mid 6 figure
Current assets;
Vanguard Value ETF (VTV, ER 0.1%) 1%
Dominion (D) 5%
His 401k
Black Rock S&P 500 (MASRX, ER 0.3%) 30%
Columbia Small Cap Index (NMSAX, ER 0.47%) 4%
Franklin Strategic Income (FRSTX, ER 0.9%) 4%
Delaware Diversified Income (DPDFX, ER 0.92%) 4%
His tIRA
Vanguard Total International ETF (VXUS, ER 0.18%) 17%
Vanguard Intermediate Bond ETF (BIV, ER 0.11%) 10%
His Roth
Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ, ER 0.1%) 5%
Vanguard Total Bond EFT (BND, 0.1%) 2%
Vanguard Intermediate Bond ETF (BIV, ER 0.11%) 4%
Her Roth
Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ, ER 0.1%) 3%
Vanguard Intermediate Bond ETF (BIV, ER 0.11%) 1%
Amana Growth FUnd (AMAGX, ER 1.13%) 6%
Current Allocations;
50% US stock
17% International Stock
25% Bonds
Yearly Contributions;
$50k his 401 k, current contributions 70/10/10/10 in MASRX/NMSAX/FRSTX/DPDFX as listed above
his 401k is maxed, and the "company" match and funds is actually part of his overhead as a partner
her 401k to be determined
5.5k his tIRA
5.5k her backdoor Roth
6450 HSA (we use his primarily as a retirement account with good health so far)
Utah 529 for our toddler, $7k now, $5k added per year now
taxable- not adding much here, aggressively paying down HELOC first, then mortgage
401k funds available
Ready Assets (MRAXX, ER .69%)
American Funds World Growth (RWICX, 1.1)
BR Global Allocation (MDLOX, 1.16)
BR Health Sciences (SHSAX, 1.32)
BR high Yield Bond (BHYAX, .93)
Franklin Strat Income (FRSTX, .91)
Goldman Sachs Real Estate (GREAX 1.44)
GS Short Dur Gov't (GSSDX, 0.84)
MFS Conservative Allocation (MACFX, 1.03)
Oppenheimer Developing Markets (ODMAX, 1.36)
Oppen. Int'l Bond (OIBAX, .98)
Victory Established Value (VETAX, 1.08)
Prudential Jennison Mid Cap (PEEAX, 1.06)
Delaware Diversified Income (DPDFX, .92)
Columbia Small Cap (NMSAX, 0.47)
RS Global Resources (RSNRX, 1.45)
Invesco American Value (MSAVX, 1.32)
Black Rock S&P 500 (MASRX, 0.31)
American Funds New Prospective (RNPCX, 1.12)
My biggest challenge is that my largest contribution every year is 401k, but the funds here have the highest ER's. I tried to make this as Bogleish as possible.
The HSA and the individual stocks are holdovers of pre-Bogle days
I tried to model things with a heavy dose of Swensen and Bernstein, and get rid of the slice and dice, although there is still a bit of slice and dice. The last "slimming" of the portfolio got rid of short term bonds, focusing more on intermediate, and got rid of small cap value and growth ETF's.
We have recently renewed our focus on spending less, and are aggressively paying down debt. We have paid off about 50% of our house in about 5 years.
I think I should contribute more to bonds in my 401k to "catch-up" my underweight total bond allocation.
1. Should I simplify or change my 401k contributions?
2. I have not been in a high deductible insurance plan the last few years (no HSA contributions), but will be again this year. Should I start a new HSA with lower fees, and if so, can I roll the old one into it?
Any other recommendations would be appreciated! I have tried to simplify, but think I need a nudge to simplify further. Thank you for your time.


text:
Binswanger's Disease Center - Fresno, CA
Fresno Neurologist Doctors for Binswanger's Disease
Type of Physician: Neurologist
What is a Neurologist?
A certification by the Board of Psychiatry & Neurology; practitioners focus on the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease or impaired function of the brain, spinal cord, muscles and nervous system, as well as the blood vessels that relate to these structures. The neurologist is often the primary physician but also serves as a consultant to other physicians and may render all levels of care, including the continuing care of outpatients and/or inpatients. The neurologist will often perform and interpret tests that relate to the nervous system or muscles.
Specialty: Neurology
Common Name:
Neurologist Doctors in Fresno *
Perinatal Medical Group
Internal Medicine Clinic
University Neurology Associates
University Neurology Associates
Central California Fac Med Grp
University Neurology Associates
University Neurology Associates
Sanjay J Chauhan MD Inc
Neuro-Pain Medical Center
Neuro-Pain Medical Center
Harvey L Edmonds MD Inc
George K Siu MD Inc
Frank L Cantrell MD Inc
Sierra Valley Medico Inc
Wolf Epilepsy Center
Nighat Sarwar MD
Nighat Sarwar MD
Walton MD Incorporated
Kaiser Permanente Med Ctr Frsno
Fresno Neurobehavioral Assocs
Kaiser Permanente Med Ctr Frsno
Kaiser Permanente Med Ctr Frsno
Spruce Multi-Specialty Group
Madhav Suri MD
Community Nrlgy/Plmnry Med Grp
Margolin Brain Institute
California Neurological Center
Melvin R Helm MD
Loan Nguyen DO
Childrens Hospital Ctl CA
Childrens Hospital Neurology
Childrens Hospital Ctl CA
Vladimir Royter MD
Adventist Health Community Care
Michael N Baker MD
Yao Liu MD
Visalia Medical Clinic
Boota S Chahil MD
Richard L Pantera MD
Valley Neurology Medical Clinic
Shyam Bhaskar MD
Neurology Associates Of Tulare
Kin C Chan MD
Diana J Hylton MD
Thomas B Bryan MD
Children's Hospital Of Merced
Ramu Thiagarajan MD
Porterville Developmental Ctr
Sierra Park Orthopedic/Neurolgy
Fatemeh Pazouki MD
Turlock EMG & Neurology
Hillside Internal Medcn/Nrlgy
Choo Seng Lee MD
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in California, USA, the county seat of Fresno County. Fresno is located in the center of the wide San Joaquin Valley of Central California, approximately 200 miles (322 km) north of Los Angeles and 170 miles (274 km) south of the state capital, Sacramento. The name Fresno is the Spanish language word for the ash tree and an ash leaf is featured on its flag.
Binswanger's Disease
What is Binswanger's Disease?
Binswanger's disease (BD), also called subcortical vascular dementia, is a type of dementia caused by widespread, microscopic areas of damage to the deep layers of white matter in the brain. The damage is ...
Other Related Binswanger's Disease Articles
Emergency Contact for Fresno
Nearby Fresno Hospitals *
Community Regional Medical Ctr
VA Central California Hlthcare
Fresno Surgical Hospital
Saint Agnes Medical Center
San Joaquin Valley Rehab
Community Behavioral Health Ctr
Kaiser Permanente Medical Ctr
Fresno Heart & Surgical Hosp
Clovis Community Medical Center
Children's Hospital Central CA
Adventist Medical Center-Selma
Madera Community Hospital
Adventist Medical Center
Adventist Medical Ctr Hanford
Central Valley General Hospital
Naval Hospital Lemoore
*Provider Directory Terms of Use:
The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval.


text:
It has been extremely erratic today.
Thread: Getting booted.
Is it just me or is this site acting up like it normally does?
It has been extremely erratic today.
Just Basenotes being Basenotes.
Not just you, "off and on" throughout the day.
Same here
Embrace the quirkiness ! LOL.
Visit my huge swap page: http://www.basenotes.net/threads/211...-ml-Gotham-etc
Or visit my Sales page: http://www.basenotes.net/threads/211...o-make-offers!
Samples, etc. for Sale at my Crystal Flacon page: http://flacon.ambaric.net/viewtopic.php?t=282
My fragrance blog: http://bigslyfragrance.wordpress.com/
This is the drydown of parfum basenotes.net --- something every BN is hating...
Basenotes has so much money but they refuse to fix it. SMH.
I would rather have an acting up Basenotes than no Basenotes at all
For those who don't know, the server for Basenotes exists on an interdimensional rift, shifting from galaxy to galaxy.
It really infuriates me when I find a really fascinating thread, type in a well thought out 10 line reply only to have it crap out. I could throw the Laptop. I try to frantically type in a few word reply mostly and hit enter just so as not to lose it.
I'm certainly getting 'whiffs' of Basenotes here when a little more linearity and tenacity is called for.
It's not too bad right now.
The last time I've typed this it swallowed up the post though, so I might be wrong lol.
The connectivity problem is so chronic I'm almost used to it. It's only when I visit other sites that I realize how bad Basenotes is. It is the only site I have any real problem with.
There are really more important things in the world to worry about.
+10000000000 DATABASE ERRORS. Nothing unusual. I would be suspect if I came on one day and it worked. Thats when we worry.
What's up with the pure protein banners? I have to reload the page 3 times before any link works.
Is the juice worth the squeeze?
Cumbersome as it may seem typing your post in a parallel running program such an email or Microsoft Word, then copying it and pasting and posting to the Basenotes Thread of your choice works.
These things cannot be long hidden: the Sun, the Moon, the Truth--Buddha
BN plus members can turn off the ads!!!!!!
If you subscribe, you can escape being advertised to
Anyone else can use Adblock
And agree, Firefox.
The rest is being worked on, as I understand it, a lot of re-programming going on, but a lot of data to preserve, maybe?
Last edited by lpp; 9th March 2013 at 08:42 PM.
That felt good........again.
I think I started a bitch thread about a month ago.
Or was it two months?
I hate that Pure protein banner on the top, everytime I change or renew the page that thing just expands by itself, why they put there an expand button if it's going to do it anyways.
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
Pathetic. Whats funny, we as Basenoters (after this site in fixed, if ever) will find some was to call this vintage Basenotes and wish it, the way it was.
Apart from some downtimes, didn't notice anything unusual so far.
I don't think I've ever seen it this bad, today, the 9th. When I do manage to connect I get about 5 minutes.
It's sad that nobody will do anything about it. I am sure some forum members would be willing to help out if they could.
I consider this website to me just as important as a library. It needs to be up and running....regardless of what stands in it's way.
Hello, QWERTYOP.
Damm, I hate reformulations ;->
Edit - in spite of the quirks and drop outs etc., this site is brilliant. Lots of great information, and loads of helpful / knowledgeable members. The drop outs and other issues are a little irritating, but I don't find it all that bad.
Last edited by Paul P; 10th March 2013 at 12:45 AM.
@Paul P - it's a 'one off', isn't it
I just open another window & check out what's happening in the big wide world!
Or something.
What does he want for Basenotes anyways ?
When it gets really bad, I swear I am going to Fragrantica. But the lack of decent forums, and the thought of re-typing in 221 frags reviews I have tried and reviewed always dissuades me. I like their picture notes, and that we 'vote' on which notes are most prominent, but the reviews are not the same quality as BN and you can't easily see how many likes/neutral/dislikes a frag. has.
That damn Pure Protein banner is a royal p-i-t-a if you use an iPad. I understand the need for advertising income and I will gladly click on a banner or two but not when that banner holds the page hostage. The only thing a banner like that does is guarantee that I will avoid their product at all costs.
Basenotes has been working perfectly for the past couple weeks. Haven't gotten one database error. :crosses fingers:
See links to Adblock (no connection) for various platforms in first thread above.
Agree, huge improvement - very crossed fingers too


text:
|Shopping cart is empty.
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text:
Guest blog written by Deborah Dubow Press, ASPCA Regulatory Affairs Manager.
We frequently hear tragic news stories involving animals traveling in airplane cargo holds, and it's no wonder—these animals are exposed to lots of dangers in transit. They can be left on the tarmac in the hottest summer months, transported in unsafe carriers that do not meet humane standards, or be carelessly lost in the shuffle of air cargo traffic.
Currently, the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires airlines to report the losses, injuries and deaths of pets only. Reporting requirements exclude commercial shipments of animals—like a batch of puppies heading from a breeder to a pet store. This means that there are many appalling incidents the public never hears about.
The DOT Responds
A new rule proposed by the DOT could lead to greater transparency by airlines and help give people a clearer picture of the risks involved in transporting animals as cargo. The new rule would require airlines to report incidents involving commercially shipped cats and dogs, as well as more than double the number of airlines required to report incidents.
While the proposed rule is better than the one in place now, it still has room for improvement. For instance, it doesn't cover all animals transported as part of a commercial air shipment—only dogs and cats.
Take Action!
The Department of Transportation is accepting comments until August 28. Please tell them that all animals deserve to be protected during air transport while being shipped as cargo. In your comments, please include the following:
- You support the DOT's decision to extend coverage to all dogs and cats.
- Reporting requirements are essential to inform consumers about the risks associated with transporting animals by air, and people deserve this information so they can make informed decisions about traveling safely with their pets.
- You want the rule to extend reporting requirements to all animals shipped commercially, not just dogs and cats.
Go to regulations.gov to submit comments directly to the DOT.
The ONLY required field is the "Comments" box -- all others are optional.
I have to fly my dog cargo to the UK from the USA.Pets are not allowed in the cabin on any Airline to this country.Virgin Atlantic has a flying club" the paws club " for pets which is supposed to bthe safest .Anyone have any experience with this Airlines
as far as pet travel is concerned?
Animals should NOT be considered cargo. At the prices to ship animals and cargo, they could easily be transported in a humane method using space in the passenger cabin. The current shipping methods are far too disturbing and inhumane for animals.
Would you ship your kids in the cargo area!!!!!!!!!! Animals don't have a voice so we need to speak up for them. Common sense, not that common!
If I wouldn't fly cargo then my animals will not. Some people just don't care about their animals and if they did then there would not be so much cruelty and they don't care if animals have feelings. Some people need to put themselves in their animals shoes. If you plan on flying your animal in cargo it is your fault if something happens to your animal. But I do agree that it is high time that the airlines start informing some of these ignorant animal owners of what might happens if thier animal is flown as cargo and not as a living breathing being.
We trust you with our pets when we fly with them. You are RESPONSIBLE for their safety and someone should oversee when they are not protected by the airlines. There has to be a mandatory oversight for lacking in this care. They are valuable and important to the pet owners and we deserve to know they are safe when we fly with them.
Yes, every animal deserves to be protected during air transport, and while I strongly support this action, I propose going further. I would like the DOT to consider requiring better conditions for animal transport overall. They need even the most basic comforts humans enjoy in the passenger cabin above, i.e., temperature control, sound proofing, and air circulation. It is terrible that we transport animals with the cargo in a freezing, excruciatingly loud, and stuffy luggage compartment. They are living things, and they need basic comforts as much as anyone else.
We know better. Our fuzzy family members deserve to be treated in the best way, to be kept safe when they are scared, and not to be hidden away in cold or hot cargo areas. Please do the right thing and change your procedure to accommodate the animals who fly. Thank you.
Animals are not luggage. Please upgrade your flying conditions for animals. They deserve better than being treated like a suitcase. Thank you.


text:
Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.
Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.
Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.
from notes by Angela Hewitt © 2012
extrait des notes rédigées par Angela Hewitt © 2012
Français: Marie-Stella Pâris
aus dem Begleittext von Angela Hewitt © 2012
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel
|Walter Gieseking – The complete Homocord recordings and other rarities
Walter Gieseking is known as one of the greatest 20th-century pianists, and his playing of Debussy and Ravel in particular is often regarded as definitive. For most of his recording career he recorded for Columbia, but his earliest recordings were ...» More
|Debussy: Solo Piano Music
A new recording by Angela Hewitt finds her in Gallic mode with these performances of Debussy's most delightful and evocative works, including the dreamy Clair de lune and the enchanting Children's Corner.» More
'Will give much pleasure to harpists, day-dreamers, and the good old-fashioned romantics in our midst' (Gramophone)» More
|Irene Scharrer – The complete electric and selected acoustic recordings
|York Bowen – The complete solo 78-rpm recordings