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When Judd Apatow's "This Is 40" was first announced, it was described as not a sequel to "Knocked Up" by Universal even though the film is clearly a look at the lives of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) a few years after the events of that film. Now the new poster (like the recent trailer) plays with that tag describing the film as the "sort-of sequel to 'Knocked Up'. " Nice wink at that original claim, Uni.Read More »
In his ten rules for writing, Elmore Leonard forgoes the advice of Ernest Hemingway, and says: "Never open a book with weather." Well, Mickey Spillane isn't one for niceties or poetry, and he certainly lived by that code, as the late author's "Lady, Go Die!" doesn't mince words from the get go: "They were kicking the hell out of the little guy."Read More »
So, will "Cosmopolis" be the freaky return to form that David Cronenberg's fans have been waiting for? Or will it be this year's "Southland Tales" at the Cannes Film Festival? In about a week we'll find out. Until then, here are some more images from the film to get you primed.Read More »
Here's the official trailer for You, Me & The Circus, written and directed by Ty Hodges and produced by Omar Epps (Brooklyn WorksFilms).Read More »
With cameras rolling this spring on "Passion," Brian De Palma's first feature film in six years, there's no doubt it will be a hot item when it's repped at the Cannes marketplace, and certainly this first official image from the film will get people talking.Read More »
TCM Presents AFI's Master Class - The Art of Collaboration with David O. Russell and Mark Wahlberg is filmed in front of an audience of AFI fellows studying at the AFI Conservatory. It's the second in AFI's series exploring artistic film collaborations; the first was between Steven Spielberg and John Williams.Read More »
"Detropia" is more than just a portrait of a city. The latest film from "Jesus Camp" filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady is ultimately a moving and powerful micro-portrait of a hurting nation.Read More »
The hopes and prayers of sci-fi geeks and cinephiles were answered yesterday as news officially came in that Ridley Scott's semi-"Alien" prequel "Prometheus" had landed an R-rating, as all four "Alien" movies did before it. The director had been non-committal about what rating he was shooting for, and even notoriously interference-happy studio boss Tom Rothman, in a sign of the new filmmaker-friendly side of 20th Century Fox, had promised that the film would "not be compromised," regardless of what rating it received. And so it came to pass: the MPAA have given it an R for "sci-fi violence including some intense images, and brief language," and it'll be released without a frame cut.Read More »
The trailer for Ben Affleck's third film as director, "Argo," has arrived. Based on the true story of the CIA pretending to make a movie in order to rescue diplomats from Tehran following the 1979 Iranian revolution, the film stars Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Richard Kind, Scoot McNairy, Clea DuVall, Chris Messina, Michael Parks and Taylor Schilling. Check out the trailer (and compare it to Affleck's "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town") below.Read More »
While we're not even halfway through the cinematic year, we can pretty much guarantee that few movies will have a finale as brazen, bizarre, absurd and thrilling as William Friedkin's black as coal comedy/thriller "Killer Joe." But then again, there are few movies out there like it. Stamped with an NC-17 rating by the MPAA (likely due to that climatic scene), LD Entertainment is bravely soldiering on with a theatrical release (good for them) and the trailer has now arrived.Read More »


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El-Erian: Romney More Nervous About QE3 than Obama
Mohamed El-Erian, chief executive officer of Pacific Investment Management Company, gives his opinion on the fiscal cliff, the global economy, and an uncertain economy.
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Vita Coco CEO: The Business of Coconut Water
45:28 - Michael Kirban, Vita Coco's co-founder and chief executive officer, discusses the business of coconut water with Bloomberg's Angie Lau on "First Up." (Source: Bloomberg)

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zydeco fish
musings, rants, rambles, and typographical errors from a toronto librarian
Sunday, May 01, 2016
Gods And Queens: Untitled (2008)
Not only is the album entitled Untitled, but every song on the record is also entitled Untitled. 1000 copies were released in three colours: purple (425 copies), orange (425 copies), and clear (150 copies). My copy is purple. Each record was bundled with a CD of all of the tracks. I guess you'd label this band as noisy hardcore. Discogs applies the terms Hardcore, Shoegazer, Indie Rock. I guess that works. The band's bandcamp page says this:
"Gods And Queens have never claimed to be re-inventing the musical wheel. The band play a noisy, melodic brand of music directly influenced by 1990′s stalwarts Unwound, Lush, or Lungfish." [source]
It's not a bad record, but I don't listen to it very often. Despite being released in limited quantities, the record is not valuable. I couldn't find any tunes on youtube.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Godley + Creme: Ismism (1981)
In this case, I will disagree with Mark Allan over at Allmusic, who wrote:
"Prone to pretension, these two English Frank Zappas revel in outright silliness on much of this album, which was also released as Snack Attack. The mix puts their voices higher than usual, highlighting some truly bent tales of munchy madness, desert skullduggery, and JFK assassins. For contrast, there's the gorgeous "Wedding Bells," a rare AM hit for the former 10cc mates. Throughout all of this, you get the nagging feeling this pair was capable of so much more." [source]
Snack Attack, on its own, makes this a five star record. Who cares about the other tracks?
"I feel like Kojak sitting in a Cadillac
I gotta eat, I gotta eat a Flapjack
a stack, a rack, a six-pack Jack
just call me Jack Kerouac
click-clack open up the hatchback
I could eat a Bubble car or a packamack
pattacake, pattacake Big Mac
good God it's a snack attack"
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Lol Creme & Kevin Godley (AKA Godley & Creme]: L (1978)
Godley & Creme's 3rd record, after leaving 10cc, is entitled L. I often wonder what inspires a band or singer to choose a title like that. In the internet age, it is difficult to search. Also, consider the anaemic New Zealand band called No. That is simply a dumb name. In any case, Mark Allan at Allmusic said this, and it hard to completely disagree with:
"Together, these two multi-instrumentalist studio freaks were the British Frank Zappa. Overwhelmed by their own cleverness, they often wasted brilliant production and gorgeous vocal harmonies on trite material. The title of this album and a song called "Sandwiches of You" offer a hint of the problem. It's impossible to feel any emotional attachment to the material because of a sense that everything these guys do is tongue in cheek. This is a thoroughly forgettable outing by two chaps capable of much more." [source]
Still, there are some interesting elements in the mix. I also love the minimalist jacket design, even though the title of the record leaves much to be desired.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Goddo: Pretty Bad Boys (1981)
Pretty Bad Boys contained a genuine big hit, the singular of the LP name: Pretty Bad Boy. I think it was a big hit, or maybe it was just locally popular. Who knows?
Hey you good lookin'
In the very front row
You're the kind of sweet thing
That I'd like to know
Maybe we could make eyes
After the show
Your can have it fast
You can have it slow
I guess you've figured out
What's on my Mind
After the gig
We could have a real good time
You show me yours
I'll show you mine
Bring a willing girlfriend
She can be next in line
I'm just a pretty bad boy
I'm just a pretty bad boy
Pretty bad boys need pretty bad
pretty girls too
Ya' know what
We could go to my place if you're so inclined
Got rugs , beds, showers, lubricants
And things that bind
I ain't no Mike Mandel
But I can read your mind
Just your eyes are screamin'
Although I have never seen Goodo live in concert, I have seen Mike Mandel perform. As I mentioned earlier, I always thought that this was the end of the line for Goddo, but the band released a CD in 1992, In 2001, they released an anniversary edition of the live record. A CD of new material was released in 2003. There was a compilation in 2008 and a new live record in 2013. I haven't heard any of that stuff.
Monday, April 25, 2016
David Bowie: ★ (Blackstar) (2016)
Look up here, I'm in heaven
I've got scars that can't be seen
I've got drama, can't be stolen
Everybody knows me now
Look up here, man, I'm in danger
I've got nothing left to lose
I'm so high it makes my brain whirl
Dropped my cell phone down below
Ain't that just like me
By the time I got to New York
I was living like a king
Then I used up all my money
I was looking for your ass
This way or no way
You know, I'll be free
Just like that bluebird
Now ain't that just like me
Oh I'll be free
Just like that bluebird
Oh I'll be free
Ain't that just like me
- Lazarus, David Bowie
On January 9th, I held in my hands a copy of ★ (Blackstar) on vinyl. I put it back on the rack, thinking that I would pick it up later because I had something else in my hands that I wanted to buy, though I can no longer remember what that was. The next morning, I looked at the newsfeed on Facebook. The first thing I saw was "RIP David Bowie." I really thought that one of my friends had written a short, macabre review of the new David Bowie record. However, scrolling down the page confirmed that Bowie was dead and I was stunned, absolutely stunned. After all, his new record had just been released.
Over the subsequent hours and days that followed, light was shed on the fact that Bowie had been suffering from cancer and that this record was a parting gift, a last, great piece of art. How many people get to go out like that? He turned his death into art. It's really an incredible and courageous and giving act. But, it is also profoundly sad. I've never felt so upset about a celebrity death since the murder of John Lennon.
Of course, once Bowie died, finding a copy of this record on vinyl or CD was impossible. I had to wait for a repressing, which I finally obtained. I have been listening to it and I really like it, but listening to this record is a profoundly saddening experience. Although I have had a copy for weeks now, it has take me some time to write something about it.
I felt the same loss when Lou Reed died. I heard about his liver transplant, but I still hoped for a new record. I felt that some of his later records were among his strongest: Ecstasy, Set the Twilight Reeling, but not The Raven (well, maybe parts of it). Also, Lulu confounded me, but I will admit that parts of it work. Suddenly, he was gone, like the friends Reed memorialized in Magic and Loss.
But, back to Bowie. The Next Day was a welcome surprise, after Bowie's ten-year absence. When I heard about the new record, I thought that we all could look forward to several fabulous more Bowie records. This is not to be the case, sadly. It's extra sad because I loved the later Bowie output. Many Bowie "fans" were never really fond of his later period, but I loved in all. I really liked Earthling, Hours, Heathen, Reality, and, especially, Outside. I wasted Bowie to keep making records.
I consider myself lucky for having seen Bowie in concert during the Earthling tour in Toronto in a small venue. We saw the David Bowie Is exhibit in Toronto when it came through. That was also really interesting.
By the way, I watched part of Lady Gaga's Grammy's "tribute" to Bowie on Youtube. What a train wreck that was. It was simply horrible and I switched it off after about 2 minutes. To begin with, I really hate melodies. But, more importantly, I think she was the wrong person to do a tribute. I just do not see how anyone could imagine that these two singers have anything in common, despite the theatrical elements. Lady Gaga's music, to my ears is, frankly, awful.
Bowie was one of my favourite musicians. He will be missed.
I wrote everything above some time ago, but I delayed in posting is. I think I wasn't entirely comfortable writing about his death. And then, Prince died last week, and we are going through this all over again. Now I worry about all of my favourite aging rock stars, like Leonard Cohen, Bob, Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, the remaining Beatles, Stones, and Zeppelin, etc. An entire generation of music will pass away in the next ten to fifteen years. But, Prince was way too young.
Goddo: Lighve: Best Seat in the House (1981)
The cover and title are perhaps a tad misogynistic, but it was the early 1980s. I guess we can forgive them for that. This is a really solid double live (or lighve) record. Here's more from the CITY TV broadcast. Goddo records are not hard to find, and they should be priced at under $10 each.
Friday, April 22, 2016
Goddo: An Act of Goddo (1979)
This record is probably as good as the first record, but maybe not quite as good as the second. It sounds like a Goddo record, with lots of big sounds and solos. The most well known track on this record is the infectious So Walk On.
Here's a clip some youtuber has posted from that CITY TV and CHUM FM simulcast I mentioned earlier. You get a good sense of what these guys were all about. They should have been more famous.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Goddo: Who Cares (1978)
This record is entitled Who Cares, I guess. If you read all of the text on the cover, the real title might be: If Indeed It's Lonely At The Top WHO CARES It's Lonely At The Bottom Too! I mean, that's what is printed on the jacket, but others just refer to it simply as Who Cares, without a question mark.
Once again, it was released only in Canada. I suppose it can be hard to make it in the music business if your records aren't being released in the USA.
I'd argue that this record is better than the first. So many bands or singers have a hard time with the second record, but not in this case. Cock On is probably the most recognizable track. I also really like Sweet Thing and Oh Carole (Kiss My Whip), a sexual tribute to Carole Pope of Rough Trade. Oddly (and this will come up much later), Carole Pope was apparently the world's first openly-lesbian singer, so it's odd that Godovitz would sing about her in a very heterosexual way. But, as a adolescent, she did something for me, but more on that later.
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Goddo: Goddo (1977)
If you were asked to name a Canadian power trio, you would probably come up with Rush, or maybe even Triumph, before Goddo. There's nothing wrong with that. Rush is far better known. On the other hand, Goddo was relatively unknown, especially outside of Canada, and that's too bad.
I was surprised to learn that Goddo had any history after the early 1980s, According to the band's webpage, they were around longer: In 1983, "[a]fter years of touring, the band collapsed under the weight of its own excesses and debt. A five piece reconfiguration called GODO later emerged with Godovitz leading the brigade through the mid-80s." The band released some stuff in the 90s and 2000s. I had no idea and I haven't heard any of it.
The band took its name from front-man Greg Godovitz. I was never sure if this was a good name or not, but after a while, one loses the ability to judge a name that one has gotten used to. Just think of all the crazy band names that we have become accustomed to. You know, like Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel or the Dead Kennedy's.
I have a particularly strong memory of watching a Goddo concert on one of those CITY TV and CHUM FM simulcasts. I also watched Rough Trade and Max Webster, and I think others. Since it was difficult to see many concerts in my small hometown, this was really cool. The instructions were to place your stereo speakers on either side of your TV. The music was then broadcast in stereo over 104.5 CHUM FM and the video from CITY TV, which I think was channel 79 at the time. So, you just had to turn up the stereo and turn down the TV, and you were set. But, in our case, we had one of those stereo cabinets, so the speakers could not be moved without great difficulty. Still, it worked well enough.
Anyway, the first record is a solid rock LP. It has some classic Goddo tunes like Under My Hat, The Bus Driver Blues, Drive me Crazy, etc.
As far as I know, this record was released only in Canada, first on LP and later on CD.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
The Glove: Blue Sunshine (1983)
Steven Severin (of Siouxsie and the Banshees) joined up with Robert Smith (of the Cure) and vocalist Jeanette Landray. As a big fan of both the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, I had to have this.
Landray sings all but two of the tracks, something I didn't realize when I purchased the record. The Glove recorded one LP only, Blue Sunshine. For some reason, this album didn't make a big mark and it seems to have faded into obscurity, but It was re-released on heavyweight vinyl in 2013. I have the first UK pressing.
Monday, April 18, 2016
Philip Glass: Songs From Liquid Days (1986)
I have a large collection of Philip Glass CDs, but not much on vinyl. This record is a strange electronic, classical pop record. The list of collaborators is long and interesting, and includes: Paul Simon, Suzanne Vega, The Kronos Quartet, Linda Ronstadt, The Roches, David Byrne, and Laurie Anderson. If you like Mr. Glass, you will probably like this. If not, it might be a listening challenge.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Genesis: Invisible Touch (1986)
It's easy to see why some people feel that this record is really a Phil Collins solo record masquerading as a Genesis record. I have to say that this is the weakest of the Genesis records, though I have never heard We Can't Dance or ...Calling All Stations. On the other other hand, there are still some interesting Genesis moments, like part 2 of Domino. I'll also admit to liking Land of Confusion, which is a political song. That might have been a first for the band. I don't hate Tonight, Tonight, Tonight or The Brazilian, which is something.
However, the title track, Invisible Touch, is really insipid as is In Too Deep and Throwing it All Away. For me, this was the end of the line for Genesis.
This record was 6x platinum in the US. How can that be? Well, my sister's ex-boyfriend bought a copy at full price. I paid $1 for my copy.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Genesis: Mama (1983)
The flipside to Mama (Long Version) on this Canadian 12" single is It's Gonna Get Better (Long Version). No one needs a long version of that track. The long version of Mama is not bad, though.
Genesis: Genesis (1983)
Back in high school, some of my friends were absolutely enamoured with the track Mama. In fact, at a school dance, they tried to get as many people as possible to request that the DJ play that song. The replied by saying that no one would dance to it. But, after a couple of dozen requests, the DJ relented.
To me, this is a schizophrenic record. It has some really commercial moments, like That's All, which really is a nice snappy little tune. Illegal Alien is simply offensive to any Genesis fan. And, if I were Mexican, I think I would be pissed off at the moustaches, the references to tequila, and the hangover. In other words, it brings in a whole bunch of Mexican stereotypes. What's worse is that Phil Collins sings in a pseudo-Mexican accent. This is a case where the band seems to have lost its way. I suppose one might be able to argue that while the track might come across as racist, that may not have been the intent, but the execution is definitely problematic. In any case, I think it's a lesser Genesis song.
I am also not a fan of Takin' It All Too Hard or It's Gonna Get Better. They are rather anaemic. Just a Job to Do is OK but not great. On the plus side, there are some good moments, like Silver Rainbow, Home by the Sea and Second Home by the Sea. And, I don't mind Mama.
But, back to the school dance. No one danced to that song when the DJ finally put on the record. I mean, how could you? The DJ abandoned the track less than halfway through and put on some unmemorable top 40 track that I cannot remember.
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The Simple Monitor Desktop
Flickr user d.chasenelson's desktop is simple, only has a few widgets, and a simple gradient wallpaper that's not at all distracting. It's ideal for a second screen when you're working in the first, or just as a quick monitor view you can minimise other things to check out. Here's how to set it up.
The Mirrored Colour Dual-Monitor Desktop
We don't highlight dual display desktops nearly as often as I'd like, so when orbmeiser submitted this dual monitor setup, I took notice. He's running Netrunner Linux on dual displays, and here's what he used to set everything up.
The Buncho Desktop
The Tropical Desktop
The Pale Mountain Desktop
The Dark Planet Desktop
Reader tatersneggs put together this Rainmeter-powered desktop that's flashy enough, but actually doesn't use a lot of widgets to get a neat, personal look. Here's how he set it up.
The NXT Nebula Desktop
Reader ravenclawwit stumbled on the NXT theme for Rainmeter, and put it to great use in this beautiful, functional desktop. That circle in the upper left? It's actually a dock, packed with shortcuts. Here's how it all works, and how to set it up.
The Sunset Firewatch Desktop
We've featured a Firewatch Desktop before, but now that the game is out, we're seeing more than a few — and who can blame you, the game's atmosphere is a huge draw, and the landscapes are gorgeous. Reader jadita put this one together.


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NewsFreedom, HomosexualityTue Feb 12, 2013 - 4:57 pm EST
French gay 'marriage' bill passes in lower House
PARIS, February 12, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a vote of 329-to-229, the Lower House of the French parliament has voted to bring in "gay marriage," a decision that is generating a surprising force of opposition in this heavily secularised country. The bill must now go on to the Senate for final approval.
The bill proposes to change the legal definition of marriage to being between two persons instead of a man and a woman, and allows same-sex partners to adopt children.
Backed by President François Hollande's Socialists and other left-wing MPs, the bill has prompted some spectacular public outpourings of opposition. Among those demonstrating against the bill are some homosexuals who say that it is not necessary to change the definition of marriage, given that existing civil partnership legislation grants most of the same privileges and rights.
Religious leaders have objected that the proposed legislation grants no allowances for conscientious or religious objection. In September, the French minister of Justice, Christiane Taubira, gave an interview with the Catholic paper La Croix saying, "We are very conscious of all the philosophical and anthropological dimensions attached to marriage. But we consider that they cannot and should not collide with the requirements of equality."
France's existing hate-crimes laws will likely create a legal conundrum for anyone who maintains strong religious or philosophical objections to the notion. French law makes it a crime to "discriminate" based on sex and "sexual orientation" and "sexual identity." Among those most immediately affected by the law will be the mayors of French towns to whom the task of officiating at weddings belongs. Several representatives of the association of 36,000 mayors have already voiced strong objections, based on freedom of conscience, to the government.
But the government has shown no inclination to budge on the issue of conscience rights. "We are in a state of law; the civil code will be modified, it will be imperative for everyone, including mayors," Taubira said.
The bill has been under clause-by-clause debate in the lower house for weeks, with the discussion at times becoming heated. Conservative members of the National Assembly slowed the debate, insisting that each separate clause be fully examined. The filibuster involved nearly 5300 amendments that had to be cleared away before the bill itself could be voted on.
Opposition came from conservative Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim leaders and it is widely acknowledged that the enormous demonstrations they organised have played a part in boosting public support for natural marriage. While most mainstream papers have reported the findings of the poll by Le Parisian in January 2012 that found about 60 per cent of the French public support the measure, what was rarely mentioned was that that support has been steadily falling. By November the same year, opposition had risen to 52 percent.
It is estimated that all together the marches, which began in October, have drawn millions to preserve natural marriage in the law.
Perhaps most surprising, among the most organized opponents has been a group of homosexuals who have voiced strong support for the meaning of marriage as inextricably connected to biology. The group Homovox has created videos that included "Jean-Marc," the mayor of the village of Bergueil, who said that the first consideration must be not the wants of adults, but the needs of children.
"Gay marriage," he said, is simply "not biologically natural".
"We (gays) do not have the fertility, in the sense of making a baby. We have plenty of other forms of fertility. Artistic, for example, and other forms of fertility.
"In my case, I feel I've connected with my village, and I've reinvigorated a village that was dying, fading. I know how to create ties within my community.
"In summary, the law I advise would be whatever's best for the child. One must favor what is best for the child. Nobody can deny, I believe, that it's best for a child to have a mother and a father who love each other as best they can."
"Jean-Pier," a documentary writer, said the push for the change in law comes mainly from militant homosexual political activists, and that most gay people he knows have no interest in "marrying". But mainly the issue, he said, is in the unequal application of equality, namely one that excludes the child.
"For me, the question behind this, the fundamental issue, is the child," Jean-Pier said.
"Among the responses I've heard, I've had this business of freedom and equality. Then I pose this question: What of the freedom and equality of the child? The child won't have its equality vis-a-vis its friends in school. Its peers may have divorced and blended families, but they have, at least, a father and mother."
NewsFreedom, Gender Thu May 5, 2016 - 1:52 pm EST
Texas AG to Target: Show me how you'll protect women and kids from criminals
AUSTIN, Texas, May 5, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – The latest backlash Target received as a result of its transgender bathroom policy was a letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asking the company to provide its safety policies to protect women and children from "those who would use the cover of Target's restroom policy for nefarious purposes."
"Target, of course, is free to choose such a policy for its Texas stores," Paxton wrote in a letter to Target CEO Brian Cornell. He noted the possibility of the Texas Legislature addressing the issue in the future, but said, "regardless of whether Texas legislates on this topic, it is possible that allowing men in women's restrooms could lead to criminal and otherwise unwanted activity."
"As chief lawyer and law enforcement officer for the State of Texas, I ask that you provide the full text of Target's safety policies regarding the protection of women and children from those who would use the cover of Target's restroom policy for nefarious purposes," Paxton continued.
More than 1.1 million people have pledged to boycott Target over its new policy allowing men to access women's bathrooms. Opponents of the policy worry that it puts women and children at risk by emboldening predators, who may now freely enter women's restrooms.
Target's new policy is "inclusive," the company claims, and they say "everyone…deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally."
"Texans statewide can no longer be silent on the issue of protecting the safety of women and children," Texas Values President and Attorney Jonathan Saenz said in a statement Wednesday urging Texans to boycott Target. This is the first time in its history the pro-family group has called for a boycott.
"We need all Texans to understand that Target is using this radical change in their store policy to try convince people that our laws should be changed in this dangerous direction as well," said Saena. "Our goal with this boycott is for Target to change its dangerous new policy, to raise awareness of the real threats to safety that these policies bring and to help businesses and lawmakers understand the significant opposition to such measures that is growing daily… Texans all across our state must join this Boycott Target effort before someone gets hurt."
On Tuesday a male allegedly filmed an underage girl at a Frisco, Texas, Target fitting room. Police are searching for the man.
There have been numerous incidents of male predators across North America accessing women's facilities and citing transgender policies as allowing them to do so.
OpinionFaith, Politics - U.S. Thu May 5, 2016 - 12:28 pm EST
Christians, America has reached a crisis point. Are you ready to take up this challenge?
May 5, 2016 (Albert Mohler) -- For nearly two and a half centuries, Americans have enjoyed the enormous privilege and responsibility of forming our own government—a privilege rarely experienced throughout most of human history. For most of history, humanity has struggled with the question of how to respond to a government that was essentially forced upon them. But Americans have often struggled with a very different reality; how do we rightly respond to the government that we choose?
To put all of this in historical perspective, the Framers of the American experiment understood that a representative democracy built on the principle of limited government would require certain virtues of its citizens. These would include a restraint of passions and an upholding of traditional moral virtues, without which democracy would not be possible. As the idea of limited government implies, the citizenry would be required to carry out the social responsibilities of the community without the intrusion of government and, thus, citizens would be expected to have the moral integrity necessary for such an arrangement. The Framers of the American Republic also agreed that it would be impossible to have a representative democracy and a limited government if the people did not elect leaders who embodied the virtues of the citizenry while also respecting and protecting society's pre-political institutions: marriage and family, the church, and the local community.
Thus, the idea of a limited government requires that society uphold and pursue the health of its most basic institutions. When a civil society is weak, government becomes strong. When the family breaks down, government grows stronger. When the essential institutions of society are no longer respected, government demands that respect for itself. That is a recipe for tyranny.
Much of this was essentially affirmed until the early decades of the 20th century when progressivists began promoting an agenda that fundamentally redefined the role of the federal government in public life. By the middle of the 20th century, the Democratic Party had essentially embraced this progressivist agenda, becoming committed to an increasingly powerful government—a government whose powers exceeded those enumerated in the Constitution. At the same time, the Democratic Party also began advocating for a basic redefinition of the morality that shaped the common culture. By and large, however, the Republican Party continued to maintain a commitment to the vision of America's founders, advocating for a traditional understanding of morality while also upholding the principle of limited government.
By the 1980s, the two parties represented two very different worldviews and two very different visions of American government. For decades, each party has acted rather predictably and in ways that accord with their fundamental principles. All of that, however, has now changed.
The 2016 presidential campaign has developed in an entirely unpredictable manner and, in many respects, represents a crisis in American democracy. This crisis is not limited to either party. Bernie Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont, has won several stunning victories in the primary season over presumed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. While it is still extremely likely that Clinton will become the Democratic nominee, Sanders support among voters represents a populist flirtation with Democratic Socialism. This pattern is something few Democrats could have imagined just one year ago. What this foray into Democratic Socialism represents, then, is a radical adjustment of the Democratic Party's basic economic principles. Thus, even if Hillary Clinton becomes the nominee, the process will likely drag her even further to the left, eventually redefining the Democratic Party before our very eyes.
But if it is remarkable to see what is happening in the Democratic Party, it is absolutely shocking to see what is happening among Republicans. Traditionally, the Republican Party has established its reputation by standing for the principles advocated by the American Founders—limited government upheld by the health of society's primary institutions such as marriage, family, and community. Yet Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, represents virtually everything the Republican Party has typically defined itself over against. Clearly, both political parties are now redefining themselves. What is not clear is where each party will ultimately end up. What is also not clear is whether the American experiment can survive such radical political change.
As already noted, the American experiment in limited government requires that the citizenry and those who hold public office honor certain moral virtues and respect the institutions that are crucial for a society to rightly function. Yet, we now find ourselves in a situation where the three leading candidates for president show little to no respect for such institutions in their articulations of public policy.
This fundamental redefinition of the American political landscape requires Christians to think carefully about their political responsibility. Make no mistake; we cannot avoid that responsibility. Even refusing to vote is itself a vote because it privileges those who do vote and increases the value of each ballot. In truth, we bear a political responsibility that cannot be dismissed or delegated to others. Every Christian must be ready to responsibly steward his or her vote at the polls.
To put the matter bluntly, we are now confronted with the reality that, in November, Hillary Clinton will likely be the Democratic nominee and Donald Trump the Republican nominee. This poses a significant problem for many Christians who believe they cannot, in good conscience, vote for either candidate. As a result, Christians are going to need a lot of careful political reflection in order to steward their vote and their political responsibility in this election cycle.
Headlines from around the world tell us that other representative democracies are at a similar moment of redefinition. Political turmoil now marks the United Kingdom and also nations like France and other key American allies. Perhaps democracy itself is now facing a crucial hour of decision and a crucial season of testing. It is no exaggeration to say that democracy is being tested around the world; it is certainly being tested here at home. Yet if this is a moment of testing for democracy, it is also a crucial moment for Christian witness. This election cycle is going to be a particular test for American Christians—and we are about to find out if Christians are up to this challenge.
Reprinted with permission from Albert Mohler.
NewsBioethics Thu May 5, 2016 - 12:23 pm EST
'Sick and twisted': Scientists keep embryos alive outside womb up to 13 days for experimentation
May 5, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Two teams of scientists have announced that they have been able to keep human embryos alive outside the womb for 13 days for the purpose of conducting scientific experiments. Some call the announcement the onset of a "Brave New World," while others are petitioning lawmakers to lift sanctions that would keep scientists from experimenting on newly conceived babies even longer.
Researchers from Cambridge University, King's College, and Rockefeller University said in two separate reports that they stopped at 13 days only to avoid violating an internationally accepted law. At least 12 nations restrict the amount of time a newly conceived child may be kept alive in a laboratory to 14 days, the point at which scientists believe "individuality" begins.
The newest development allows scientists to observe newly conceived human beings after the point at which implantation in the womb would have occurred.
Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, one of the studies' lead researchers, said her team's breakthrough could advance embryonic stem cell research and "can improve IVF success."
Some scientists have called on the international community to extend the amount of time such experimentation can take place.
"If restrictions such as the 14-day rule are viewed as moral truths, such cynicism would be warranted," three experts – Insoo Hyun, Amy Wilkerson, and Josephine Johnston – wrote in a commentary published yesterday in Nature magazine. "But when they are understood to be tools designed to strike a balance between enabling research and maintaining public trust, it becomes clear that, as circumstances and attitudes evolve, limits can be legitimately recalibrated."
Pro-life experts said the experimentation destroys human life and could lead to grave ethical dilemmas by extending the research.
"No human being should be used for lethal experimentation, no matter their age or stage of development," said Dr. David Prentice, a professor of molecular genetics and an Advisory Board Member for the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center. "The 14-day rule is itself arbitrary, and does not assuage those who believe life begins at the moment of sperm-egg fusion. Moreover, allowing experiments on human embryos beyond 14 days post-fertilization risks the lives of untold more human beings, because it further encourages creation and destruction for research purposes."
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, called the experimentation "sick and twisted."
"Science has undeniably proven that a new human life, with unrepeatable DNA, begins at conception," she said. "There is no reason for experimentation on that human life and science itself should not be heralding thae fact that a tiny human being can survive now for two weeks outside of the womb, all for the sole purpose of experimentation."
Dr. Prentice noted that embryonic stem cell research "has yielded no benefit thus far," leading even its most vocal advocates, such as Michael J. Fox, to admit it has not lived up to its promise.
"If this research does not stop at 14 days, where does it stop?" asked Prentice. "This is a risky step which could encourage further eugenic attitudes and actions."
Dr. Prentice encouraged Congress "to have a full and open debate on the issue of human embryo research before the research community moves further without oversight."


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Tyler Koteskey, Secretary of the 54th AD Central Committee and President of Young Americans for Liberty at UCLA, will be the night's guest speaker.
LA County RLC has the muscle, and it's time to flex. We are forming action committees aimed at making this club the premier political threat in the county and state. Check back for more details and invite your friends/family.
This meeting is open to all Republicans and their guests. Lots of free parking. There is no collective food order, just order what you like!
My first meeting although I have been a member for more than a year.
0 · January 12, 2013
Subject: [News] "Did We Just Kill A Kid?" - Six Words That Ended A US Drone Pilot's Career.
Business Insider - Military & Defense
December 17, 2012
[Note: Iraq's primary export is Oil.
Afghanistan's primary export is Opium].
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|By PR Newswire
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|March 27, 2014 05:15 PM EDT
BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio, March 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Easter is a holiday that brings families together to honor their annual traditions. Often, these favorite pastimes include creative expression, such as coloring and decorating eggs. This year, Brand Castle, manufacturer of interactive baking kits, sparks new ways families can join together and showcase their creativity with Easter and spring themed baking kits, including the Crispy Rice Bunny Kit, Blooming Cupcakes Baking Kit and Flower Cookie Bouquet Kit.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140327/CL92630
Brand Castle's Crafty Cooking Kits® brand Crispy Rice Bunny Kit and Blooming Cupcakes Baking Kit, and In The Mix® brand Flower Cookie Bouquet Kit are perfect Easter and springtime activities that bring families together around the kitchen to create their very own sweet treats.
The Crispy Rice Bunny Kit includes everything needed to make these adorable bunnies come to life—just add butter. The kit makes two crispy rice bunnies and directions are easy. All the instructions on how to prepare, heat, shape and decorate these awesome Easter bunnies are included. Families can also show off their amazing creations by taking a picture and submitting them to the Crafty Cooking Kits website for the world to see. Best of all, the sweet memories of baking and family togetherness will last long after the Crispy Rice Bunny treats are gone!
The Blooming Cupcakes Baking Kit brings the garden to the kitchen with flowerpot cupcakes! This kit includes oven-safe silicone flowerpots that bake perfect cupcakes. The family baking activity kit includes cake mix, frosting mix and decorations for six flowerpot cupcakes. In addition, the Blooming Cupcakes Baking Kit features tips and ideas for other fun decorating and baking options.
Spring blooms when families arrange their own Flower Cookie Bouquet Kit. Baked fresh from the oven, these bright, colorful flower-shaped cookies are the perfect dessert to enjoy with family and friends. The comprehensive kit includes most everything needed to bake, decorate and display these flower cookie pops that make beautiful and delicious centerpieces.
"We are a company that loves to give families inventive ways to work together and craft," said Jimmy Zeilinger, president of Brand Castle. "Seasons and holidays like Easter and spring are an ideal time to launch new and colorful baking kits like the Crispy Rice Bunny Kit, Blooming Cupcakes Baking Kit and Flower Cookie Bouquet Kit to give adults and children this special opportunity."
The Crispy Rice Bunny Kit, Blooming Cupcakes Baking Kit and Flower Cookie Bouquet Kit can be purchased at Walmart and additional retailers nationwide. Product samples and additional photos are available; requests may be made to the press contact. For more information on Brand Castle, and its Crafty Cooking Kits and In The Mix product lines, please visit www.brandcastle.com. You can also follow Brand Castle, Crafty Cooking Kits and In The Mix on Facebook.
About Brand Castle
Brand Castle is located in Bedford Heights, Ohio and was founded in 2005 by Jimmy Zeilinger and his wife Andrea. Brand Castle is the leader in interactive baking kits for consumers of all ages and offers an extensive selection of over 300 interactive baking kits sold under the brand names of Crafty Cooking Kits™ and In The Mix™ and other numerous licensed brands such as Disney, Hello Kitty and Crayola. Brand Castle interactive baking kits can be purchased at well-known retailers like Bed Bath and Beyond, Christmas Tree Shops, Toy's R Us, Cost Plus World Market, Target and Walmart. Brand Castle prides itself on providing consumers with high-quality, great tasting baking kits that create lasting memories shared between family and friends. For more information regarding Brand Castle's product line and opportunities, contact Jimmy Zeilinger at 216-292-7700 or e-mail him at jimmyz(at)brandcastle(dot)com.
Rebecca Suhy
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SOURCE Brand Castle
You think you know what's in your data. But do you? Most organizations are now aware of the business intelligence represented by their data. Data science stands to take this to a level you never thought of – literally. The techniques of data science, when used with the capabilities of Big Data technologies, can make connections you had not yet imagined, helping you discover new insights and ask new questions of your data. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Sarbjit Sarkaria, data science team lead ...
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Struggling to keep up with increasing application demand? Learn how Platform as a Service (PaaS) can streamline application development processes and make resource management easy.
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Much of the value of DevOps comes from a (renewed) focus on measurement, sharing, and continuous feedback loops. In increasingly complex DevOps workflows and environments, and especially in larger, regulated, or more crystallized organizations, these core concepts become even more critical. In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 18th Cloud Expo, Andi Mann, Chief Technology Advocate at Splunk, will show how, by focusing on 'metrics that matter,' you can provide objective, transparent, and meaningfu...
May. 2, 2016 08:30 PM EDT Reads: 687
If there is anything we have learned by now, is that every business paves their own unique path for releasing software- every pipeline, implementation and practices are a bit different, and DevOps comes in all shapes and sizes. Software delivery practices are often comprised of set of several complementing (or even competing) methodologies – such as leveraging Agile, DevOps and even a mix of ITIL, to create the combination that's most suitable for your organization and that maximize your busines...
May. 2, 2016 07:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,877
In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Klein, CEO and Co-founder of Rachio, will discuss next generation communities that are using IoT to create more sustainable, intelligent communities. One example is Sterling Ranch, a 10,000 home development that – with the help of Siemens – will integrate IoT technology into the community to provide residents with energy and water savings as well as intelligent security. Everything from stop lights to sprinkler systems to building infrastructures will run ef...
May. 2, 2016 07:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,044
SYS-CON Events announced today that Peak 10, Inc., a national IT infrastructure and cloud services provider, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Peak 10 provides reliable, tailored data center and network services, cloud and managed services. Its solutions are designed to scale and adapt to customers' changing business needs, enabling them to lower costs, improve performance and focus inter...
May. 2, 2016 06:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,294
In the world of DevOps there are 'known good practices' – aka 'patterns' – and 'known bad practices' – aka 'anti-patterns.' Many of these patterns and anti-patterns have been developed from real world experience, especially by the early adopters of DevOps theory; but many are more feasible in theory than in practice, especially for more recent entrants to the DevOps scene. In this power panel at @DevOpsSummit at 18th Cloud Expo, moderated by DevOps Conference Chair Andi Mann, panelists will dis...
May. 2, 2016 06:00 PM EDT Reads: 709
Up until last year, enterprises that were looking into cloud services usually undertook a long-term pilot with one of the large cloud providers, running test and dev workloads in the cloud. With cloud's transition to mainstream adoption in 2015, and with enterprises migrating more and more workloads into the cloud and in between public and private environments, the single-provider approach must be revisited. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Yoav Mor, multi-cloud solution evangelist at Cloudy...
May. 2, 2016 05:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,560
Artificial Intelligence has the potential to massively disrupt IoT. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, AJ Abdallat, CEO of Beyond AI, will discuss what the five main drivers are in Artificial Intelligence that could shape the future of the Internet of Things. AJ Abdallat is CEO of Beyond AI. He has over 20 years of management experience in the fields of artificial intelligence, sensors, instruments, devices and software for telecommunications, life sciences, environmental monitoring, process...
May. 2, 2016 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 984
Increasing IoT connectivity is forcing enterprises to find elegant solutions to organize and visualize all incoming data from these connected devices with re-configurable dashboard widgets to effectively allow rapid decision-making for everything from immediate actions in tactical situations to strategic analysis and reporting. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Shikhir Singh, Senior Developer Relations Manager at Sencha, will discuss how to create HTML5 dashboards that interact with IoT devic...
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See storage differently! Storage performance problems have only gotten worse and harder to solve as applications have become largely virtualized and moved to a cloud-based infrastructure. Storage performance in a virtualized environment is not just about IOPS, it is about how well that potential performance is guaranteed to individual VMs for these apps as the number of VMs keep going up real time. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Dhiraj Sehgal, in product and marketing at Tintri, will discu...
May. 2, 2016 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 901
So, you bought into the current machine learning craze and went on to collect millions/billions of records from this promising new data source. Now, what do you do with them? Too often, the abundance of data quickly turns into an abundance of problems. How do you extract that "magic essence" from your data without falling into the common pitfalls? In her session at @ThingsExpo, Natalia Ponomareva, Software Engineer at Google, will provide tips on how to be successful in large scale machine lear...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that SoftLayer, an IBM Company, has been named "Gold Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 18th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York, New York. SoftLayer, an IBM Company, provides cloud infrastructure as a service from a growing number of data centers and network points of presence around the world. SoftLayer's customers range from Web startups to global enterprises.
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The National Association of Broadcasters issued a statement applauding the results of a new nationwide poll conducted by Harris Interactive, which show that a sizeable majority of American cell phone users would like the ability to listen to their favorite local radio stations through a built-in radio receiver on their mobile phone. The survey, conducted as part of an online nationwide omnibus survey of 2,587 adults representing the U.S. general adult population, was conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by the NAB.
Would use a cell phone to access local radio stations
How important would a radio built into your phone be during emergencies
(Very/somewhat important)
May 2-3, Lansing, Mich.
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Vote Now InfoComm Rental & Staging New Product Awards 2016
Les Goldberg – Delivering the Message for Live Events
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DEG: 7 million 4K TVs and Counting
Analyst: Video Subscriber Trends 'Far Worse Than Reported'


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From the Editors
Status/الوضع Issue 3.1is out! Have a listen!
The new mammoth issue of the Arab Studies Journal is out! Click here.
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Journalist Who Questioned Legitimacy of Saudi Regime Suspended from National Press Club
On Monday, 14 November 2011, I went to a news conference at the National Press Club, where I am a member, titled "His Royal Highness Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Sa'ud of Saudi Arabia." I asked a tough question at the news conference -- a question that dealt with the very legitimacy of the Saudi regime. Before the end of the day, I had received a letter informing me that I was suspended from the National Press Club "due to your conduct at a news conference." The letter, signed by the executive director of the Club, William McCarren, accused me of violating rules prohibiting "boisterous and unseemly conduct or language." After several days of efforts, I have been able to obtain video of the news conference. The video shows that I did not engage in any "boisterous and unseemly conduct or language."
Saudi Arabia has basically been a center of counter-revolution in Arab countries: the Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia, as did the Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh for a time; the Saudi regime reportedly tried to prevent the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak from stepping down; Saudi Arabia moved into Bahrain to stop a democratic uprising there. And of course, it oppresses its own people, maintaining control through a combination of intimidation and, in effect, buying off much of the population. When major protests were attempted earlier this year, they were quickly put down and garnished little attention from most media outlets. The Saudi regime arguably represents one of the narrowest of elites -- it is not the 1%, it is perhaps the global 0.001% -- and with hardly a pretense of merit. The Saudi regime continues to get weapons from the United States, further preventing the possibility of peaceful change.
Prior to the event, I skimmed some material from Human Rights Watch on Saudi Arabia:
- Saudi Arabia: Stop Arbitrary Arrests of Shia
- Saudi Arabia: Free Islamic Scholar Who Criticized Ministry
- Saudi Arabia: Women to Vote, Join Shura Council -- But Reforms Exclude Other Forms of Discrimination
Toby Jones (Rutgers University, author of Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia) recently wrote of Saudi Arabia:
"The absence of public protest has little to do with the legitimacy of the ruling family, the uncertain popularity of an aged autocrat or the purported conservative nature of Saudi society. Many Saudis, whether pious or not, harbor deep frustrations with the country's rulers. They share the same grievances about injustice, oppression and stifling corruption that have mobilized protesters elsewhere.
For more on Saudi Arabia and its prospects for protest, read Madawi Al Rasheed's "Yes, It Could Happen Here: Why Saudi Arabia is Ripe for Revolution" and Christopher M. Davidson's "Lords of the Realm: The wealthy, unaccountable monarchs of the Persian Gulf have long thought themselves exempt from Middle East turmoil. No longer."
In the course of his over thirty minutes of remarks, Turki al-Faisal took issue with the term the "Arab Spring." This was not because he thought a term like "Arab Uprisings" would be more appropriate, as others I know have argued. Rather, it was because, he said, he preferred the term "Arab Troubles." I found it quite distressing that someone would openly say that moves toward democracy were "troubles."
Peter Hickman, the moderator for the event, called on me for the first question. Here is the exchange (transcripts below the video):
Husseini: There's been a lot of talk about the legitimacy of the Syrian regime, I want to know what legitimacy your regime has sir. You come before us, representative of one of the most autocratic, misogynistic regimes on the face of the earth. Human Rights Watch and other reports of torture detention of activist, you squelched the democratic uprising in Bahrain, you tried to overturn the democratic uprising in Egypt and indeed you continue to oppress your own people. What legitimacy does you regime have -- other than billions of dollars and weapons?
Hickman: Sam, let him answer.
Unidentified speaker: What was the question?
Turki: [motioning Husseini to the podium] Would you like to come and speak here? Would you like to come and speak here?
Husseini: I'd like you to try to answer that question.
Turki: I will try my best sir. Well sir, I don't know if you've been to the kingdom or not?
Husseini: What legitimacy do you have, sir?
Turki: Have you been to the kingdom?
Husseini: What legitimacy does your regime have, other than oppressing your own people?
William McCarren [Executive director of the National Press Club, who had come up to Husseini and was literally-face-to-face]: Put your question and let him answer, we have a whole room of people.
Husseini [to McCarren]: He [Turki] asked me a question. He asked me and I responded.
Turki: No you did not respond.
[off audio, some back and forth continues between McCarren and Husseini, see below]
Hickman: Go ahead [Turki] --
Turki: Anyway ladies and gentlemen I advise anybody who has these questions to come to the kingdom and see for themselves. I don't need to justify my country's legitimacy. We're participants in all of the international organizations and we contribute to the welfare of people through aid program not just directly from Saudi Arabia but through all the international agencies that are working throughout the world to provide help and support for people. We admit this, as I said that we have many challenges inside our country and those challenges we are hoping to address and be reformed by evolution, as I said, and not by revolution. So that is the way that we are leading, by admitting that we have shortcomings. Not only do we recognize the shortcomings, but hopefully put in place actions and programs that would overcome these shortcomings. I have mentioned the fact that when you call Saudi Arabia a misogynistic country that women in Saudi Arabia can now not only vote, but also participate as candidates in elections and be members of the Shura Council. And I just refer you to your own experience to your women's rights, when did your women get right to vote? After how many years since the establishment of the United States did women get to vote in the United States? Does that mean that before they got the vote that United States was an illegitimate country? According to his definition, obviously. So, until, when was it -- 1910 when women got to vote -- from 1789 to 1910 United States was illegitimate? This is how you should measure things, by how people recognize their faults and try to overcome them.
Husseini: -- So are you saying that Arabs are inherently backward? --
Hickman: Sam, that's enough -- this lady to the right, you're next.
I was very glad to get the question in and and I was happy that Turki responded. I think his response opens the door to a lot more serious reporting. For example, Turki's response that Saudi Arabia gets legitimacy because of its aid programs is an interesting notion. Is he arguing that by giving aid to other countries and to international organizations that the Saudi regime has somehow purchased legitimacy, and perhaps immunity from criticism, that it would otherwise not have received? This is worth journalists and independent organizations pursuing.
Turki ignored the general question of authoritarianism and human rights abuses, but he cited reforms that the Saudi regime is allegedly going to implement, like allowing women to vote for the first time in the Shura Council elections, slated for 2015. This raises a lot of other questions: Would these reforms, that he seems to take credit for and pride in, have had a chance of happening were it not for what he calls the "Arab troubles?" And how meaningful are they? Does that mean Saudi Arabia will become democratic in any meaningful way? Or will the same basic monarchical structure continue? Also, Human Rights Watch notes that the regime does not seem to be "reforming other areas of discrimination against women, such as the guardianship system that authorizes male control over women and the ban on women driving."
The point that I was trying to follow up on -- this notion by Turki that somehow because the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibiting the right to vote on account of gender was not passed until 1920 -- that this somehow excuses Saudi Arabia from being so authoritarian and prohibiting women from voting until today seems highly dubious. It seems to accept the notion that Arab people should be behind the United States in reform by 100 years. I've heard similar statements by George W. Bush -- when he was supposedly pushing for Arab democracy he denounced the notion that democracy was somehow good for some people but not for others. However, this was a very problematic thing coming from Bush given that he was using the rhetoric of "democracy" -- as well as "non-proliferation" and "human rights" -- to justify war. And it was perhaps most hollow coming from Bush because he was close allies with the most authoritarian of Arab regimes, including Mubarak and the Saudis as he was saying it. So the point is a critical one -- democracy, and increasing meaningful democracy, is good for all people. But the point shouldn't be misused to pursue oppressive policies.
I should note that there have been tensions at the Press Club before, some with me, some with other journalists. See "Banned from First Amendment Room." Several years ago, McCarren and I were in the elevator together at the Press Building and he told me that I was causing him a great deal of grief because of my questioning of officials. He said that there were a lot of other places in Washington, D.C. -- think tanks and such -- that host officials without the officials having to deal with such questioning. I told him I understood his point, and even sympathized to a degree I wasn't trying to drive officials away, but that this was the National Press Club, that it should be known for its independence and not be a place where officials would come because they expected to avoid serious scrutiny. I said I thought that events at the Press Club would carry more weight and be more interesting the more critical the questioning was -- and that events that were simply flacking for an official were hollow and less deserving of thoughtful attention. I walked away feeling like we had understood each other better.
Another issue is that tough questioning seems to be done selectively, and of course this is an issue not just at the National Press Club. When individuals who seem at odds with the establishment, like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Jeremiah Wright have spoken before to the Press Club, they were very critically questioned. Others, however, are treated rather reverentially. I have participated, and at times benefited from some of this. When the Austrian Neo-Nazi Jörg Haider came to the Club, Hickman, the same moderator at the Turki event, allowed me to give him quite a grilling with several followups -- at least four or five, much to my joy -- and congratulated me for my efforts afterwords.
During the beginning of Turki's reply to my question, McCarren continued speaking to me, he had walked right up to me and spoke in a rather obnoxious tone, telling me to let Turki answer the question. I told McCarren that I was simply responding to Turki's question to me. McCarren continued speaking in an obnoxious manner to me and I said to him "are you threatening me?" He responded: "Absolutely." We had an exchange after I left the news conference as well. After the event, I sent an email to Hickman asking if he knew where I could get video of the news conference and he replied cordially but could not help provide the video, which I was finally able to obtain after several days.
Later that afternoon, I got an email with the notice of suspension signed by McCarren. The letter states: "We are suspending your membership for two weeks, effective immediately, due to your conduct at a news conference held at the National Press Club on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. Your action was in direct violation of House Rule 4 and grounds for immediate suspension.
"House Rule No. 4 states: 'Boisterous and unseemly conduct or language in or about the Club premises or in connection with any Club-sponsored event is prohibited. Any member so offending shall be liable for immediate suspension by any Member of the board or the manager or his designee pending investigation by the board, which shall render final action.'
"This matter will be review ed by the Club's Ethics Committee. A meeting will be scheduled prior to the end of your two week suspension to discuss your conduct and the violation. The Chairperson of the Ethics Committee will contact you to schedule the meeting.
"In the meantime, you should not come to the Club or use its facilities for any reason."
The charge is false. I did not engage in "boisterous and unseemly conduct or language" -- I engaged in tough journalism with a powerful government official from an autocratic regime that is allied with the U.S. government. This apparently warrants suspension from the National Press Club in Executive Director McCarren's view.
1 comment for "Journalist Who Questioned Legitimacy of Saudi Regime Suspended from National Press Club"
Simply because you can wave Madawi Al-Rasheed and Toby Jones around, dosent mean sir you are correct in your analysis about Saudi Arabia. You may dislike the regime, and say all you want about it, but it garners support from the public - as a symbol of unity, as a continuation of tribal loyalty, and as the basis of national identity. Your tone is obnoxious, and betrays a holier-than-thou attitude (which was hyprocritcally followed by a 'do you think Arabs are backward?' type of question) No Sir, you clearly dont know anything about Saudi Arabia or the issues we face - and more importantly, the visions we have for our own country.
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The Box
Christmas is over. New computers, television sets and DVD players are up
and running. Michele Taylor suggests eco-friendly homes for the old ones. I n 1972, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards hoisted a television set over a hotel's 10th-floor balcony and let go. Glass, metal, mercury and lead shattered across a rooftop below, and a rock-star craze began.
In today's less heady, more environmentally aware times, dumping unwanted electronics is a pedestrian affair.
One recent morning, Molten Media Community Trust's operations manager, Gerry MacPhail, was sitting in the company's doorway when he shouted: "Incoming". There was no drug-crazed lunatic about to drop a TV set from the rooftop, but a short, bald man in beige loafers had pulled up and popped his boot. Molten Media volunteers unloaded a seven-year-old computer. "It's too old to be reused," MacPhail said. "We'll recycle that."
Molten Media takes about 100 tonnes of electronic equipment annually. Its mission is to reuse and recycle as much as possible to keep toxic components -- such as antimony, cadmium, bromine and beryllium -- out of landfills. The company sells TVs as security monitors.
MacPhail and Molten Media volunteers repair newer-model computers. Any electronics they can't fix and resell -- such as toaster ovens, cordless phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, stereo equipment, DVD players or vacuum cleaners -- are stripped down. Component parts are sold to metal, plastic and glass recyclers. Less than 10 per cent ends up in landfill.
Molten Media recycles its profits back into the community. It sells refurbished, updated, internet-ready computers which, MacPhail says, "will take kids from primary through secondary school for just $300".
For those who cannot afford $300, he offers a sweat equity plan. "We also give computers away to toy libraries, youth centres, women's refuges and bedridden patients," MacPhail says.
"We have far more requests (for free computers) than we can fill. The more money we make on donated items, the more computers we can give away."
Molten Media is self-supporting and receives no government funding. MacPhail asks computer donors to include original power cords, software and manuals. If a company wants to give a large number of items, he likes a heads-up phone call.
MacPhail also requests that drop-offs be made during business hours. "If we're not here, don't leave it," he says. Mischievous kids cruise the streets at night, and "anything left on the pavement gets thrown through windows".
Where to recycle
A total of 270,000 tonnes of rubbish, a mass greater than the world's largest cruise liner, ends up at the Kate Valley landfill every year. Disposal fees are $125 a tonne. The journey from Christchurch is 130km a round trip.
Molten Media
205a Wordsworth Street, Sydenham
Phone: 377-1154
www. molten.org.nz/home.html
Recycles: everything except whiteware and broken television sets.
Ezy PC
37 Lancewood Drive, Westlake
Phone: 322-9358 and 027 291-5315
ezypc. ownsthis.com/index.htm
Recycles: everything except whiteware and broken television sets.
Christchurch Freecycle
This website offers free materials exchange, set up as a Yahoo Group. Anyone can join. It simply requires a Yahoo account name, which is fast and free to set up.
groups. yahoo.com/group/chchfreecycle/
Metro Place in Bromley (off Dyers Pass Road), Styx Mill Road in Redwood (off Main North Road), Parkhouse Road in Wigram (off Curletts Road)
Phone: 941-7513
www. ecodepot.co.nz
Recycles: most computer gear (hard drives, keyboards, mice, etc) in saleable condition. Does not accept pre-2002 computer monitors.
Donate NZ
This online donation exchange matches donors and donees.
www. donatenz.com
Mobile phones:
Telecom retail shops in Christchurch recycle landline and mobile phones.
Vodaphone retail shops in Christchurch recycle mobile phones.
More info:
Christchurch City Council's website at www2. ccc.govt.nz/targetsustainability
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Azure とは、簡潔に言うと Microsoft のクラウド プラットフォームのことです。超初心者でも、少しの手順を踏めば簡単に Microsoft Azure 上にWebサイトやアプリケーションを構築することができます。開発者向けのツールを使わない、シンプルな構築手順について、わかりやすくご紹介いたします。
Microsoft Azure offers many new business scenarios and solutions that are difficult to implement using traditional corporate environments. One of the most dynamically developing approaches is the concept of Big Data. When we talk about Big Data, everyone understands it differently. Despite this, everyone would probably agree that we are talking about large volumes of data. From this report, you will learn about different ways to use Microsoft Azure in this context.
Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were undoubtedly the most important sporting event of 2014. During the Games, the official website of the Games became the most popular sports website in the world. We shall take a look under the hood and analyze its distributed architecture organically built on Microsoft Azure in order to cope with the rapidly growing and unpredictable load. Come and learn about the interesting problems we faced, as well as about how we designed our system in accordance with the strict requirements for this class of solutions.


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Back pain (also known as dorsalgia) is pain felt in the human back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, join...Read on Wikipedia
Back Pain and Bladder Prolapse
Treato found 74 discussions about Bladder Prolapse and Back Pain on the web.
1.64% of the posts that mention Bladder Prolapse also mention Back Pain (74 posts)
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| Carole 67
Hi, everyone: I'm new at the board, so I hope someone can help. A few years ago I started noticing a small bump in the vaginal area. Now, it feels like an orange there. I went to my GYN and she said that my bladder is pushing on my vaginal wall. When I go to the bathroom I get very small streams of urine out, and I'm very bloated, and have gained five pounds of water weight. This morning, I woke up with a terrible lower back pain. It was very hard to get out of bed without yelling. Do any of you experience severe back pain with a prolapse of any kind. Thank you very much
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