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The Film:
There are some horror films that attempt to give us a realistic fright fest, with believable characters and a situation that anyone could find themselves in, then there are films like "In Fear," where logic takes a backseat to incompetency and plotholes. Using only three characters, writer/director Jeremy Lovering presents the story of Tom (Iain De Caestecker) and Lucy (Alice Englert), a young man and woman who are on their way to a music festival. After a stop at a pub, Tom tells Lucy that he's booked a room at a motel that's supposed to be rather lovely. Even though the two aren't really a couple, she reluctantly agrees, and soon the two are following their guide car to the motel's secluded location. Their guide brings them to the entrance of a maze of roads that will supposedly take them to their destination, but after following the signs for some time, they find themselves going in circles. As night falls, frightening things begin to happen, including the mysterious appearance of a man in a white mask who tries to grab Lucy from the car. The two eventually (literally) run into another victim, Max (Allen Leech), of whoever is behind these strange happenings, someone who supposedly knows how to get out of the maze they're stuck in. However, it quickly becomes clear that Max may not be exactly who he claims to be.
Obviously Lovering was going for something along the lines of "The Blair Witch Project" meets "The Strangers," but unfortunately his whole idea comes crashing down because of what I mentioned right up front: incompetent characters who simply aren't believable. Having characters dumber than rocks has become something of a standard horror staple, but as to why is anyone's guess. Perhaps if you're aiming for a more comedic approach, it would be an asset, but if you're trying to make a serious horror film, it does nothing but take the audience out of the story every time they make a dumb decision. A few examples from "In Fear" include the couple continuing to follow the signs throughout the film even when they clearly aren't leading them anywhere, stopping to check on a complete stranger who was standing in the middle of the road seconds after Lucy was attacked, not figuring out Max's true identity within the first few minutes, and Tom's complete ineptitude during a fight later on in the film. Supposedly the actors weren't working from a script, and perhaps that was the problem. If Lovering had bothered to come up with an actual screenplay, perhaps he would have seen the numerous issues plaguing his little film.
Going back to the films he was trying to emulate, having a "Blair Witch"-like scenario certainly wasn't doing him any favors. As we clearly saw in that film, having people wander around in circles trying to find their way out makes for a pretty dull experience. "The Strangers" was a better film to aspire to given that it was able to present a pretty good thrillride, but the characters there were at least believable and didn't show their stupidity every few minutes. "In Fear" could have worked as a contained horror flick, but when you're sitting there shaking your head over and over at the characters' inexplicable actions, there's very little chance that you're going to sympathize with them or get engaged in their plight. Having such characters may work for some horror films ("Friday the 13th"), but here they're simply detrimental to the effect that Lovering was going for, leading to an attempt at a serious thriller that is just laughable.
"In Fear" is presented in a 2.35:1, 1080p transfer of varying quality. Early on, the picture is decently sharp and clear, but when the film shifts to a night setting, the direction, cinematography, and lighting are rather poor, making it difficult to tell if it remains that way for the last hour or so. The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio is a little on the soft side, but after making the necessary adjustments, it comes through loud and clear. Overall, the experience is tolerable, but it leaves you wishing that more could have been done for the latter part of the film.
Special Features:
In Fear: Behind the Scenes: This is a decent 12-minute behind the scenes featurette that features interviews with the cast and crew discussing how they went about making the film. The most interesting parts of it have Lovering explaining his concept behind the film and the circumstances under which it was made (no script, improv, etc.). Worth watching if you're looking to learn more.
From the questionable quality of the production to the uninspired film itself, it should be abundantly clear by now that this is not a recommendable release. Lovering may have had intriguing ideas about evil and violence, but he just didn't know how to display them effectively, especially in a film where the audience is too busy questioning every move the characters make. Hopefully he'll learn that he needs to look closer at their motivations to see that they make sense. That way he has a much better chance of getting us hooked on the thrills he so desperately wanted to achieve, but was unable to deliver. This being his first theatrical film, it's best he learns this now, or else his next attempt could end up the exact same way, and then we really would be going round in circles just like Tom and Lucy.
Score: 2.5/5
Available on Blu-ray and DVD starting tomorrow.
Recent Blu-ray/DVD releases: Oldboy (2013), Cold Comes the Night, Gravity, Mr. Nobody, The Americans: Season One, Hellbenders, Rocky: Heavyweight Collection, Chicago: Diamond Edition, All is Lost, Austenland, How I Live Now, Night of the Demons, Witchboard, Dallas Buyers Club, The Fifth Estate, Captain Phillips, You're Next, A Single Shot, Insidious: Chapter 2, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
Now playing in theaters: Pompeii, Labor Day, The Wolf of Wall Street, Her, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Inside Llewyn Davis, American Hustle, Saving Mr. Banks, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Also be sure to check out my lists of the Best and Worst Films of 2013.
Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.


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Is there a source to require eating meat at the Hanuka meal?
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Mishna Berura 529 note 19 mentions in passing a requirement to eat meat and drink wine on Chanuka.

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Dec 5, 2011 11:47 AM
Surprise your guy by telling him you're getting him something from La Perla. Something for him to wear, from La Perla. GrigioPerla is that pleasurable rarity in men's fragrance - it's neither heavy nor reminiscent of an air freshener. With spicy notes like coriander, basil, and rosemary on top of a mossy, leathery, not at all foody base, this is definitely one for a man, not a mannequin.
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My eyesore yard and reasons for it...
Friday, June 29, 2012
My husband has Alzheimer's and has lost what little ambition he had for yard work. He said the back yard didn't matter cause you can't see if from the street. (Wrong!) We have nosey neighbors on both sides and they are also worried about our terrible weeds spreading to their yards.
I have been trying to talk my husband into doing a "better job" on the yard patrol but I don't think he "gets it."
Soo anyhow my daughter said I should mow (I could do that), but I am afraid of the gas powdered brush whacker I bought and also decided it is too dangerous for my husband to use. Luckily his grandson will be coming back to finish off the weeds and re-mow the lawn as it was quite long when he dide it last week and it has popped up unevenly and needs to be spruced up. When he is here I hope to get him to clean out our gutters which won't work at all because there is so much debris in them.
I am really surprised the neighbors didn't report us sooner as the weeds were about 3 feet high and the notice from the city said no weeds or grass can be 10 inches high.
I think the neighbors don't want to say anything to our faces cause they might be asked to help us out somehow (fat chance of that).
So tomorrow the yard will be "legal" again and I can quit worrying until about 10 days from then when it will need mowing and whacking again.
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Sorry your neighbors aren't supportive. I have been very lucky in that respect. Do they realize that your husband has Alzheimer's? I wasn't aware of that and am sorry to hear. My mom was diagnosed in 1999. Hope that someone steps up and gives you a hand.
hugs...Mary Anne
1451 days ago
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Do you have no organizations that could help you? I know my grandson has done lots of community service work with the boy scouts, and that has entailed helping with yard work etc. I have a wonderful neighbor, My husband nor I can do what we once did, and actually we do not have any yard equipment anymore, it wore out, we gave it away or our son took it to his house, We do have a gardener, but all he does is mow and edge (and not great) but I for the most part can do the rest,
The water situation in Southern California is not the best, and our rates more than doubled last year, That was enough to quit having the beautiful green lawn, now it is shabby, and gets watered a bit one time a week. Of course when people put in these yards, no one told us about how water was going to go up. So my yard is not very different than most on my block, Money does force a person to conserve (although I do know it is important)
I wish your neighbors were a little more understanding, and thought about what should be done.
I have one very helpful neighbor. they are all ok, but this one goes beyond the term neighborly, and I realize I am very lucky to have them.
You have a good grandson too, so hopefully it will all work out.
1454 days ago
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Sorry your neighbors aren't more helpful but very glad you have such a helpful and loving grandson.
Blessings and hugs,
1454 days ago
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praying your neighbors will offer help.
1455 days ago
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Sometimes....sometimes if you talk to people directly, they end up helping. Maybe ask one of the neighbors for a suggestion of a kid who could help? Once they hear the situation presented, they just might find a way to help themselves. Here's hoping!
But do try not to worry about it too much. Weeds are so insignificant in the long run.
1455 days ago
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Sorry your neighbors are not more understanding of
yoursituation but that is so common these days.
Once you have it done, it would help if you could
keep ahead of it. We last mowed our yard 3 weeks
ago and everything is brown.Weeds? They are
too scared to grow LOL!
Try to have a good weekend. HUGS!
1455 days ago
Comment edited on: 6/30/2012 12:07:59 AM
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Your neighbors know that your husband has Alzheimer's, they should be helping you with the yard work.My neighbor, her husband has MS. Every winter my husband plows their driveway & sidewalks. They try to pay, not once did he take anything. They have a grandson & son in-law that mows the grass.I also think churches need to get together & volunteer there time to reach out to those that have an illness. I wish we lived next door to you we would help you. Take care
1455 days ago
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Chereskin repositions
April 14, 2003-- Home Textiles Today,
Ron Chereskin Home, which debuted at the October 2002 market, has come back with a repositioned line that focuses on texture, menswear fabrics, bedding accessory pieces and unique sheeting designs.
With a look that could be broadly defined as "urban comfort," it targets younger couples.
"I see it positioned between the look of Calvin Klein and all that embellishment you find in Croscill and Veratex," said designer Ron Chereskin.
In bedding, Chereskin Home introduced six new beds at the recent spring market here, along with complementary quilts and 100 percent cotton throws knitted in a Chereskin sweater pattern.
"We've moved away from the jacquards to woven fabrics, yarn dyes, sweater throws and designs with hem treatments," said Larry Queen, president and coo, Britannica Home Fashions, which produces the label's bedding.
The line showed variety in its constructions. Fern offered a textured embroidered comforter in blues and warm grays and 250-count, yarn-dye striped cotton sheeting with a coordinating 2-inch insert to the attached hem. Chelsea Square featured a cotton corduroy comforter with suede trim arranged in a grid pattern that reverses to a chocolate yarn-dye menswear stripe; sheets are 250-count yarn-dye striped with a contrasting trim insert on the hem. Paisley Plaid was topped with a textured ribbed comforter reversing to a mini-plaid yarn dye, with silk and cotton yarn-dye stripe and plaid accessory pieces.
Texture was also the focus at licensee Maytex, which produces table linens and shower curtains. Corduroys, plaids and embroideries crossed the line, as did other looks.
For the table, Maytex introduced Cobble Quilt, a '50s-influenced modern geometric pattern in eight solid colors; DuPont, a solid-color design featuring zigzag stitching and contrasting borders on a washable cotton-rayon blend; and Paramount, a highly texturized cotton woven in natural frames with vertical color panels and parallel shots of Lurex, along with other looks. Maytex also made some additions to Chereskin holiday lines that previewed during winter market.
"The important thing about Chereskin's holiday is that it's more about holiday entertaining than 'holiday' colors," said designer Victor Hollingsworth. "It can transition into other festive seasons."
Corduroy designs also were featured in shower curtains, along with an attached metallic ribbon curtain; a sheer with chenille striping; an all-over embroidery on cotton; and a 100 percent linen burnout pattern.
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In all, 21 present, future, and former Stanford athletes are scheduled to compete in junior and senior events at the U.S. Championships. Of those, four current Cardinal are competing in the senior championships, including three on Thursday – Bain, Weissenbach, and Michael Atchoo, who was unable to advance out of the first round of his first-round heat in the 1,500.
Collegiate record-holder and NCAA champion Kori Carter begins her quest for a world championship berth in the 400 hurdles on Friday when the Stanford junior runs her first-round race at 3:45 p.m. PT.
In the U.S. junior championships, taking place simultaneously at Drake Stadium, Stanford was well represented. Stanford freshman Megan Lacy was second in the women's 5,000, incoming freshman Dylan Duvio was second in the men's pole vault, Stanford freshman Thomas Graham was fourth in the men's 5,000, and Stanford freshman Claudia Saunders advanced to the final of the women's 800.
Among alums, Russell Brown '07 advanced to the final in the senior men's 5,000. Chris Derrick '12, Brendan Gregg '11, and Jacob Riley '11 were scheduled to run the 10,000 at 7 p.m. PT.
Bain, the two-time Pac-12 champion and owner of the longest throw by a collegian this year (183-10), threw 174-0 on her first throw, but was unable to improve on her next five attempts in windy conditions. However, her sixth-place finish was a personal best in senior U.S. championship competition.
Weissenbach was second in her heat in 2:03.39 to qualify automatically. Weissenbach, who turned 19 on Sunday, ran with a conviction that belied her age. She was fourth in a tight five-runner pack that came through the first 400 in 1:03. But Weissenbach pushed forward, passing three runners on the backstretch.
Trailing only Maggie Vessey, a veteran from Santa Cruz, Weissenbach held off an attempted charge from behind while maintaining her pace to the finish line to guarantee the second and final automatic berth from her heat.
Weissenbach ran negative splits – a 60-second second lap following a 63 first – on the way to running her second-fastest time of the season. The freshman qualified 14th for the 16-runner semifinals Friday at 6:08 p.m. PT.
The second heat of the men's 1,500 featured not only Atchoo, but two former Stanford All-Americas, Brown and Garrett Heath '08.
With 46 runners, the route to the 12-runner final was difficult, with only three automatic qualifiers from each heat and the next three fastest advancing. Despite a relatively fast first heat, the competitors in the second heat seemed to content to take their chances on a slow tactical race. Indeed, the entire field was bunched through two laps, with everyone in contention for a top-three spot.
Heath seemed in prime position, running to the outside of Olympic silver medalist Leo Manzano to set the pace, with Brown tucked behind and Atchoo close, but a bit farther back.
With 600 left, Atchoo scrambled to find space, but there simply wasn't any and on the penultimate stretch, he was stuck on the rail. In the scrum that followed, Atchoo was left behind while Brown, Heath, and Manzano dueled down the straightaway.
Brown found room on the inside to make a push to the front and held strong, but Heath, despite his fine position, could not hold his pace and was passed by two runners in the final 50 meters.
Atchoo was 14th in the heat and 41st overall in 3:51.64, while Brown earned passage to the final in second (3:47.64). Heath, however, was fifth and, because of the slow early pace that affected the final times, could not advance, running 3:48.03.
Brown, the 2007 Pac-10 1,500 champion, will run in the final Saturday at 3:40 p.m. Brown had been training in Eugene, Ore., but will be moving to New York City after this season to be closer to his fiancé, former Stanford volleyball player Njii Nnamani '07, who begins a career as an investment banker.
In the junior 5,000, Lacy was left to duel with Hannah Oneda of Johns Hopkins for second while William & Mary All-America Emily Stites bolted to a huge lead. With Stites already across the line in 16:13.77, Lacy battled Oneda on the backstretch and drew ahead down the final straight to finish in 17:01.38.
Duvio, who will join his brother Dalton on the Cardinal pole vault crew next season, cleared the winning height 16-8 ¾, but lost to Daven Murphree on fewer misses. Duvio, who has a best of 17-3 ½, missed twice at 15-11, and once each at 16-4 ¾ and 16-8 3/4, while Murphree was perfect at those heights.
Graham and teammate Kevin Bishop were part of a tight nine-runner pack heading into the bell lap of the 5,000. Graham joined the chase for the lead while Bishop fell back, but Graham ultimately was dropped on the backstretch and finished in 15:05.38, with Bishop 11th in 15:23.96.
Saunders finished second in her first-round heat and advanced on time. Saunders, a hurdler in high school, is competing in her first season in the 800.
Only the winner was guaranteed an automatic berth to Friday's final, and Saunders made her bid by taking the lead out of the break. Just before the end of the first lap, she was passed by South Carolina's Lisa Zimmer, and soon after by Oklahoma State's Savannah Camacho.
Saunders fell back with 150 to go, but maintained her speed and found room at the rail to pass Zimmer down the homestretch and finish a step behind Camacho. Saunders finished in 2:09.78 for second in the heat and was second among non-automatic qualifiers and fifth overall.
In the senior women's 3,000 steeplechase, Sara (Bei) Hall '05 did not advance out of her first round heat, clocking 10:28.60 to finish 22nd of two sections. Hall was the initial leader in her race and was second after two laps, but dropped sharply midway through and fell out of contention.


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Royalty Free Music & Incredible Ways To Customize It
Royalty Free Music — Striving & Gentle & Hopeful
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The following tracks match: Gentle, Striving, Hopeful
Fresh AspirationsA climbing and gently striving piece that looks to a positive future.https://www.smartsound.com/strata/images/STRATHF_200.jpgSingle66003-ST$ 39.9566003-EX$ 59.9566003-W$ 149.95Emotions: Atmospheric, Gentle, Heartwarming, Innocent, Soothing, Striving, Ambient, Drama, Hopeful, Emotional, Poignant, Soft Genre: Ballad, Indie, Easy-Listening/New Age Production Types: Indie Film, Short Film, Action-Drama, Biography, Spoken Word/Narration, Background Instrument: Strings, Instrumental
Fresh Aspirations from the album Heartfelt
Challenging PuzzleTrombone, honeyed strings and a rolling snare propel this hearty and confident track to a comical ending.https://www.smartsound.com/artist/images/ASFB04_200.jpgSingle7100193-ST$ 39.957100193-EX$ 59.957100193-W$ 149.95Emotions: Driving, Energetic, Exciting, Happy, Tongue-in-cheek, Positive, Cool, Uplifting, Comical, Competitive, Delicate, Effervescent, Expansive, Fierce, Fresh, Funny, Gentle, Goofy, Incessant, Inspiring, Majestic, Motivating, Powerful, Striving, Tense, Thrilling, Triumphant, Wacky, Whimsical, Quirky, Fun, Hopeful, Fantasy, Investigative, Magical, Military Genre: Orchestral Production Types: Kids, Animation, Video Games, Comedy Instrument: Orchestra, Studio Orchestra, Bass (Acoustic), Brass, Chimes, Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass), Flute, Harp, Oboe, Percussion, Piano, Strings, Instrumental
Challenging Puzzle from the album Orchestral Comedy
Soft SellWarm acoustic theme with positive vibes. Family, trust, joy.https://www.smartsound.com/strata/images/STRATOP_200.jpgSingle7100172-ST$ 39.957100172-EX$ 59.957100172-W$ 149.95Emotions: Driving, Energetic, Positive, Cool, Uplifting, Inspirational, Confident, Fresh, Gentle, Heartwarming, Incessant, Inspiring, Leisurely, Motivating, Powerful, Pulsating, Refreshing, Soothing, Striving, Triumphant, Hopeful, Simple Genre: Earthy, Outdoorsy, Soulful, Corporate/Technology, Pop Rock Production Types: Commercials, Corporate, Nature, Corporate Communications, Home Videos, Product Videos, Background Instrument: Rock/Pop Band, Bass (Electric), Drums, Guitar (Acoustic), Acoustic, Instrumental, Guitar
Soft Sell from the album Organic Pop
Someday SoonA positive and lofty track that looks ahead to better times.https://www.smartsound.com/strata/images/STRATHF_200.jpgSingle66009-ST$ 39.9566009-EX$ 59.9566009-W$ 149.95Emotions: Positive, Gentle, Striving, Drama, Hopeful, Quiet, Soft Genre: Ballad, Indie, Easy-Listening/New Age Production Types: Indie Film, Short Film, Action-Drama, Biography, Spoken Word/Narration, Tribute/Memorial, Background Instrument: Strings, Instrumental
Someday Soon from the album Heartfelt
By The StreamThe ocean's waves crash nearby in this steady venture along the coast. You can feel the cool breezes blowing. Acoustic guitar is assisted by a lyrical cello.https://www.smartsound.com/music/images/lovestories.jpgSingle4504-ST$ 39.954504-EX$ 59.954504-W$ 149.95Emotions: Atmospheric, Gentle, Reflective, Serene, Striving, Hopeful, Emotional Genre: Earthy, Folk, Ballad, Easy-Going, Easy-Listening/New Age Production Types: Biography, Tribute/Memorial, Background Instrument: Guitar (Acoustic), Violoncello, New Age Ensemble, Instrumental, Guitar
By The Stream from the album Love Stories
InspirationTell a profound story or honor a hushed and sacred moment with the inspiring orchestral grandeur of this stirring film score.https://www.smartsound.com/music/images/romance.jpgSingle908-ST$ 39.95908-EX$ 59.95908-W$ 149.95Emotions: Uplifting, Inspirational, Atmospheric, Confident, Dignified, Dramatic, Expansive, Gentle, Heartwarming, Innocent, Inspiring, Majestic, Motivating, Panoramic, Powerful, Spirited, Striving, Hopeful, Emotional Genre: Orchestral Production Types: Cinematic Instrument: Orchestra, Acoustic, Instrumental
Inspiration from the album Romance & Memories
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Discussion (109) ¬
I hate people like that.
I hate Anime in general.
In the end it all comes down to preferance. I personally have a respect for it as my dad was in the military and we lived there for 4 years… a lot of the stuff that gets popular over here… is well… not the most popular anime back over there… or they completely ruin it over here like with 4Kids did with one piece. I have an appreciation for the language and its fun to try and learn it through watching shows.
Unfortunately… a lot of people think that well.. its weird to like it… but it isnt… its just like people liking say… comic books… only they move and talk.
But I digress, I think this is probably one of the most NORMAL traits Joey has shown so far XD Seeing as he has a tendancy towards creepy.. its good to see him interested in something that a growing part of the country likes.
I really love his character its so complex and entertaining to watch ^^
I'll admit, I like Anime better when it's subbed as opposed to dubbed… But, as a whole, I don't watch that crap anymore…
I realized how much cartooning is spiraling down the toilet when I realized that AMERICAN cartoonists are trying to copy the style. Teen Titans just killed it for me, though it was dieing a LONG time before that…
Not only that, but I took a look at the Anime crowd… and shuddered… I may not care much about how I look, but that is ONE crowd that I'd much rather stay away from.
It only gets bad i find when the genre is copied by everyone and their… well, you know.
Avatar was a very nice adaption. makes me respect Nikelodeon at least for that part.
(Firstly, since I'm responding directly to what you said, let me clarify I don't mean to flame or be personal here. Got nothing personal against you, promise. Now, ahem…)
"[The anime crowd] is ONE crowd that I'd much rather stay away from." – Odos
Yet you don't stay as far away as possible from the furry crowd, many of which frequent this site? (At least logically, I'm betting they're popular guests here)
It's silly to judge someone by their hobbies or blame said interests for poor social skills. Perhaps they would be better in social situations and would take better care of themselves if people didn't continually ostracize them?
Anyhoozle, anime certainly has its ups and downs, just like American animation (think Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends as compared to Johnny Test as compared to Family Guy as compared to Venture Bros. as compared to… Okay, you get it by now). There is some truly great anime out there (Neon Genesis Evangelion always comes to mind) and there's a lot of crap (InuYasha, Bleach, Ronin Warriors, Sailor Moon) but there's always variety. It's not really fair in my opinion to say anime only has one style, just like it's not fair to say American animation has one style.
As for the Sub vs. Dub "debate," I've almost always preferred dubbed, unless the English voices were just so unbearably bad I had to go with subtitles (Gravitation, I'm lookin' at you). But for the most part, I think the whole argument is silly and trivial. It's like telling someone that because they like cheddar cheese instead of American on their ham & cheese that they are unequivocally wrong. That they have no right to eat a ham & cheese sandwich with cheddar.
Just enjoy the sandwich! Or get a different sandwich if you don't like it!
NERD FIGHT! *mortal theme song starts*
… you are now my new favorite person.
But you have to also remember theres the fandoms in the fandoms… its just like with the drama shows… everyone's gonna have different opinions on what they like. Some people are going to like the fantasy or the Scifi or the realistic it could happen love stories…
To call certain ones crap totally disrespects the people that worked so hard to make the shows. Just as much time if not more is put into these shows than most cartoons here in the states… and if they werent popular and if they were just … crap… then shows like Sailor moon (watched it as a little girl) Inuyasha (as a teen) and others couldnt go on as long as they did.
Even if you dont like them.. i dont think its fair to call them crap.
Still, I do love your perspective on what they were saying.
It also seems just a bit hypocritical to start condemning certain shows as crap after ranting about how people can watch what they want. (Especially when your example of "good" anime is frelling NGE and your "crap" list consists of some of the most popular shows, adapted from manga by the best authors, out there.)
Zekermeme, the most likely reason they class as crap in his eyes is because they go on pretty much forever, they realize they can make a lot of money out of it, then make an endless story full of fillers that quickly gets boring.
Yeah, I realized I should have been more clear that in my opinion – which is purely opinion and not to be used for reference when checking out anime, btw – those shows aren't particularly good. I could've – and maybe should've – also gone into detail about why I dislike those shows and what makes them, again, in my opinion, not worthy of being considered "good."
(And just for the record, popular =/= good, nor does amount of time and work = good. That might sound harsh, but just because a twelve-year old works on a story for a semester of Jr. High and puts all of their heart and soul into it, that doesn't make it classic literature. Again, this is just my analogy, and my particular views on the subject.)
In short, sorry, twasn't my goal to present my opinion as fact or truth.
Also, to whomever called me a "he," the name is Sophie. And I iz a lady. =)
Ever read XKCD?
"Correlation doesn't imply causation, but it does waggle its eyebrows suggestively and gesture furtively while mouthing 'look over there'." – alt text, XKCD #552
It's the same thing with popularity and quality. While, technically, it's true that something being popular doesn't necessarily mean it's good, popularity is a strong indicator of quality. After all, how many ways are there for something to become popular without being good?
I suppose I may be getting too involved in this, since like Mouko, I liked the items on your crap list (except Sailor Moon, never did watch it) and despised Evangelion. And it doesn't really matter anyway – now that you've acknowledged that all that is a matter of opinion, arguing about it is just a waste of time for everyone. In this case, though, I really just wanted to point out that claiming that the idea that popularity corresponds to quality is a logical fallacy is, itself, a logical fallacy, and when used in this context more or less a strawman.
What's funny is that my opinion is the exact opposite of yours. XD; I loved Sailor Moon, Inu-Yasha, and Bleach… but I despise NGE and think it's a pretentious piece of overrated junk.
But I guess this falls under me thinking (ingredient I perceive to be weird) doesn't belong on sandwiches.
I try to stay open-minded for everything, that's why I don't define a cartoon for the country it is from, or anyone who like it a wirddo… I like anime, I like american style, I like the national style… every has its pros and cons but, what don't have it?
I have already gone to some animecon and like it, and even listenning to what some people says, I would love to go to some furrycon… I prefere to form my own opnions instead of following "labels".
thats my mann knows how to watch anime correctly
I don't even WATCH Anime. I just find watching it stupid.
In mangas they leave a lot more in, and it isn't abridged for the "innocent children" who might watch it.
Who'd have guessed Shaman King had so many bath scenes? Not that I'm complaining, mind you…
I definately liked the manga better for shaman king… though I was severly upset that mantas dad freakin hit him while he was in the hospital… seriously… what the heck…
weird its still tuesday where I live.
lolz, I loved subbed things, not to hate on the translators, but something is lost when taken out of context.
Oh man.
Rick, you've opened the flood-gates.
But for the record, I prefer dubs.
R.I.P. Toonami. T __ T
Agreed with Theo, Toonami was awesome.
i miss toonami >.<
Dubs suck, even Anime with a medium fluent sub is better
It depends, most dubbes suck, but some are okay. Personaly, I prefer subbes, but Toonami did a pretty good job.
That's just sooo true. Actually, no dubs *or* subs. That's hardcore!
Yup, every 2 episodes or so, "Oh wow, I understood that word!"
interesting how Joey's creepy friends have no names.
Joey needs to start finding some better friends to hang out with.
I love the alt text for this comic! It just adds to the funny!
Anime is pretty much crap this day. at least as far as filelrs and blood shed. Now, Gina Densetsu Gin, THAT is good anime. Old school blood-bath.
That said, I prefer manga nowadays.
I suppose I will add my two cents…
Although dubs can be good (examples: DBZ, yu yu hakusho, cowboy bebop, trigun, hamtaro)
They are often worse than the subs for 2 reasons
1. Bad voices/acting (Granted I can't speak any language other than English so I don't know if they are doing any better, but i certainly sounds better from my point of view.)
2. Companies will edit the original to localize it, market it toward a younger audience, because they think something might be too risque', or just because they felt like it
Sailor moon and one piece are both good exaples of these two.
P.s. It;s not even just anime. The same can be said of many foriegn cartoons. I was watching some Jungledyret clips a few nights ago and although the English version wasn't bad, it didn't compare to the original, simply because they made it a bit more kid friendly than it already was. and the actors had great voices, but weren't too good at acting. I have yet to see a good live action dub though.
The biggest problem with voice acting in dubs is that most of the companies doing the dubbing are stuck with third string voice talent, and that is in as measured within the rather limited North American talent pool.
The translation may or may not be an issue, but a lot of nuance is often lost. For example, a lot is said in how honourifics are used or not used, and this is often stripped in a dub.
As for liking/not liking anime as a universal statement: That's like saying you either like or don't like films and TV.
ObDSW: Watched stuff raw in 1-6 weeks of original Japanese air date, (6eps/tape, plus time to ship from the guy on a work term).
Raw = Subs > Mediocre minimum-wage terrible voice acting lifeless American Dubs
Tell that to Cowboy Bebop or Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
I for one noticed how Joey's friend's tag is always covered so we have no clue.
As for the Anime debate, its just like any other genera, it has its pros and cons. I prefer subtitles to dubbuing but thats because my ears arn't up to snuff.
I applaud the use of the 'Joeys creepy friends' tag. With subs and dubs, I really don't care for the most part although subs are far superior to dubs that have been tampered with by marketing execs. Yet on the other hand I'd sooner take a professionally done dub than some of the horrors in translation that sometimes sneak out of the fansub scene…
As for anime in general, I do enjoy a fair amount of it but it suffers from Sturgeon's Law just as much as everything else does.
hehe had a few friends like that, I prefer the original because its uncut but I still like the dubs no matter what, just wish when they bring it over to America they would leave it alone ya know
well, that sure explains why Joey is so artistic~ btw, kinda nice seeing him in recent comics xD
hes kinda cute~ =P
The difference between dubbed and subbed stuff depends on the Anime.
Like, Original Japanese Pokemon is a lot more interesting when subbed without all those censored things by 4kids.
And the subbing of Wolf's Rain is too literally translated, so it makes less sense than the dubs.
…On the same note, my friends do this to me ALL THE TIME.
…And who has a VCR anymore? I mean, I did a double-take at the tape.
*blinks* whats a…vee..sea..arrrre?…isnt that a dvd case hes holding? (dont you dare take that seriously)
i watch anime in the REAL way its intended to be watched….fansubbed by 733t /btards for free on yewtoob…
That is a lotta pink on just one guy.
Cow & Chicken and Johnny Bravo blows Anime out of the water any day.
Go America. Even though I live in Canada. But we get overlooked. So, go America.
No. No. And no. There are good american cartoons yes. There are bad anime yes. But Cow and Chicken and Johnny Bravo should never be compared to anime. Ever. They are the epitome of all that is horrid in cartoon history.
I wouldn't say Johnny Bravo is "horrid", especially in the case of those episodes that parody classic movies like "The Fugitive". However, I will agree that it isn't on the same level as any of the anime I've ever seen.
It's like comparing Mickey Mouse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; there's not enough of a stylistic similarity to actually make any comparison. They both have humanoid animals, and that's about it. Same for Johnny Bravo and most anime: they both have heroes with unrealistic looking hair(usually), and that's about it.
i usually prefer the subbed version of anime because a whole lot of the time the American voice actors are sub-par, especially when you've already watched episodes with subtitles.
that aside: fan-boys/girls ruin everything! –_– please no fan-fic/slash jokes!
I went to an anime club before. It was creepy and I left because I wanted to see something else.
Your honor, I submit to state's evidence Black Lagoon, Ghost in the Shell SAC, and Hellsing as examples of good dubs.
Sometimes the settings make more sense to have dubs, imho, such as Hellsing where the characters are mostly Brittish/English speaking. It's all in the voice actors. Like someone mentioned, it's more a problem of when importing companies cut or hide things (4Kids) from the original to make it more kid friendly.
I've always hated what they did to the digimon series when they dubbed them, the name changes peev me the worst but they cut out half the entertaining dialogue, (like Daisuke's fight with agumon when he calls him a B*stard), subs for me thanks with a few manga exceptions G.I.T.S and Appleseed for example
sometimes subtitles move to fast XD i can never catch everything their saying
my friend does that, he hate all dubbed animes but the same thing subbed he loves. i just want to strangle him. *rages*
Animes is all good and dandy in some ways, but of cartoons and Anime, what is your favorite thing of all time. Me, Samurai Jack, just because it was that awesome.
Ditto on the SAMURAI JACK!
I still like anime though.
Two things.
1) The glory of DVD lets people choose which version they want without having to buy separate copies. Awesome.
2) I loathe subtitled anime, for the most part, as well as the self-proclaimed "purists" who demand it only be watched that way. I assure you that unless the director used a foreign language in the film itself, or made one up, or just really, REALLY liked one or more specific voice actors, the "original intent" was for the audience to understand what the **** was being said.
Makes for a funny comic.
Subs are simply the way it was meant to be watched. A lot of effort goes into making a show English-friendly who's characters were originally animated to speak Japanese words. When you try and change the language, the lips don't match and the meanings may not always make sense (Example: Japanese puns)
Watching it in it's native language gives you a better idea of what was really going on versus what the editors want you to see. This is true for a lot fo anime, but not for all. Case in point, I started re-watching Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters in Japanese to see if it's any better. It's not.
Hehehe, I love it when the alt text sums up exactly what I was thinking in the first place. People still use VHS tapes?
Joey's creepy friend's need names.
Anyone who's seen what 4kids did to YGO and One Piece would know that those of us who dislike dubs have a valid reason for it.
Hey guise, I wrote a song! It's about…
Personally, I prefer subbed anime, since I've often found that dubbed anime tends to have rather horrible voice actors. However, things like Ouran High School Host Club (despite feeling like it misses a lot of the stuff in the english version) has some excellent voice work.
Then there's Digimon. I don't think I ever COULD watch it subbed. The english is just too funny <3
anime is cool. subbed or dubbed doesnt matter to me. i just enjoy it.
I prefer subbed just because the voices usually fit the characters better.
I started watching Anime in OVA because the acting sounds more natural than most dubbed versions to me… but I'm not gonna get into that discussion. *veers away from massive comments above*
I only just noticed the tags for "Joeys creepy friends". If Joey was so weird I wonder what quirks they have. XD
Its always nice to see Joey some more, hes not been in the spotlight much
yeah windows sux
My personal opinion on it is that those who demand it to be shown subbed really ought to be able to understand Japanese well enough that it's an aid if they miss a few words. For me, I know enough Japanese to understand, so I tend to watch subbed on my own; but with my friends, I'll watch a dub. Sure, some are crappy. All in all, it's still better than game voice acting, so I'll take what I can get.
meh, I usually dont care either way. if something I want to watch is available in either, then I'll watch it. I will say however. most of the time, the subbed one sounds better.
Am i the only person who notices that that anime dude looks like Largo from Megatokyo
At least itz not fansubed (or … you can't tell anyways)
One of the best Housepets! comics so far. So much truth in this.
Hi there Novil! Nice to see you here
Heh. I like OVA's sometimes. However, I'm not even paying attention to the screen which is why I watch dubs so often. Well… Listen more then watch.
However, I like the dubs for FMA a lot. ^w^
It's sad that people fight over subbed or dubbed, no matter what, the same thing in the show will happen, it dosen't matter if a few words change or if it's completely genuine, you'll live.
Blood is censored, cheezy lines replace the original ones. It does make a difference, I've seen many such examples. Shaman King with dubs and than with subs – the difference is like day and night
I absolutely adore dubs, and I don't understand how people can go around saying they prefer subs. You spend most of your time reading the subtitles that you miss half of what's going on.
At least with dubs it's actually in your own language, and you can actually understand the storyline a hell of a lot better.
Only dubs I hate are ones by 4Kids. They edit out all the great stuff… ;-;
I don't care if the anime is dubed or subed, as long as I can watch it. ^_^
For those who say anime sucks, watch Azumanga Daioh, Rurouni Kenshin(except season 3), Basilisk, Samurai 7, FLCL, and Now and Then, Here and There.
As for manga try Nana, Kurasgi Corpse Delivery Service, Honey and Clover, Sorcerer Hunters and Dominion Tank Police. If you are 18 or over I highly recommend Bersek.
There's one thing they got right with the 4Kids One Piece. The person who voiced Zolo previously voiced Guts.
NEVER EVER EVER say that 4kids did anything good with onepiece again!!!
thats just blasphemous.
also good manga, love hina, negima, the world god only knows, and zatchbell
His expression towards the VCR tape is funny. he's like, "What is that?" lol
So, so true. Joey's creepy friend has the right of it.
Oh god so true.
I try to watch movies/series in the original language that it's filmed in.. The voice director for the dub is not as likely to care about the correct inflection/emotion behind the words.
I watched Rent Lola Rent in German, and Angel-A in French.. I enjoy watching movies/et cetera in the format they were originally intended.. I see it as widescreen vs. standard.
Try watching Shrek dubbed. They actually did a good job with it! Of course, this was more the initiative of Dreamworks themselves tan any ot the particular dubbing directors.
Which sadly is not the intention of Anime licensees. They only care for profits >_<
i don't see what is so great about undubbed. i can follow the subtitles or the action, but not both. sure, some of the voice actors suck, but at least it's in a language i can understand…
in my opinion i think the subbed is better for one reason they sound more fluent in the language, and second the dubbed versions voices switch more often than most character's moods…
>.> how i see it….
Subs ftw! It's mostly for the little notes that subs give, which the dub ones don't give squat about. I just want to know what the Japanese writing means D: and dubs won't tell me! Also it totally helps me read things faster and makes my eyes multitask! (Or so I'm convinced of….like how online games helped me with typing and video games with eye hand coordinating….IT'S TRUE!) XD
I prefer subtitles, because I just can't stand dubbed voice acting. It's all terrible. I'd rather watch the film with the original voice actors in whatever language they speak because it just sounds more natural.
And the acting contain the director's vision, which makes it truer to the original.
Most dub scene directors give a crap about it and say "excellent" in the 1st take…
XD I love the tag for the other guy. "Joey's creepy friends". Also, so true. XD Dubbs have some okay voices but overall most dubs suck, but subtitles are just as annoying. XD Anyway. Love the one off stuff
RE: picking up subtleties in with the subtitles.
I watch subbed anime rather than dubbed for two reasons: voice acting sucks on many dubs (not all, I have seen some very good dubs) and secondly, I speak Japanese (not perfectly for sure) and the subs help me catch what I miss, but I pick up on the subtleties through the Japanese itself, not the subs. Love the comic btw, XD
Haha ^^ Well I'd have to agree. i'd rather watch a movie with original sound and reading the text. And it's anoying if the lips aren't synced with the dubbed sound…
I can't stand guys like that.
Seriously, when they import shows to japan from america, they don't pull crap like this, they dub it over and everyone's happy. So these guys need to shut the heck up before I clock them.
…Ah, I get it. He's actually refering to the lousy voice-acting xD
When you're listening in a language you don't understand, you can pretend the voice acting and the script are good even if it sounds terrible, and the subbed dialogue is terrible.
Yay! An otaku housepet!!
dubbed all the jp voice sux
LOL so true…
Hi there, long time reader, first time poster. Love the comic, btw.
I always prefer dubbed, since I like to listen to anime when I get bored of the current scene, and do other things on the computer.
I always prefer the subbed,dubbed sounds so crap…probably because I'm asian.
One-two puch to fanboys. WIN!!!
Hehe I see pixels, and as always great work.


text:
Ambria Springer
2006: All-Horizon League Team recipient...earned 2006 AVCA All-Midwest Region accolades and AVCA All-American Honorable Mention honors...named to the 2006 Horizon League All-Tournament Team...earned Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honors on August 28...led the league with 3.84 kills and 4.92 points per game...ranked second in the conference with 1.24 blocks per game...ranked first in UIC career records book with 312 blocks assists...ranks sixth with 85 career solo blocks...ranks seventh with 1,221 career kills...ranks first in the UIC single-season records book with 160 totals blocks and sixth with 495 kills in 2006...holds sixth place in UIC single-match records book with a career-high 30 kills versus UW-Green Bay on Nov. 4...led the Flames in kills (495) and blocks (160)...ranked second in the squad with 0.47 assists and third with 0.29 service aces her game...posted a career-high 49 total attempts against Cleveland State in the semifinals of the 2007 Horizon League Tournament on Nov. 18...career-high 10 digs versus DePaul on Aug. 26...career-high seven assists against Western Illinois on Sept. 15...matched career-high three service aces versus CSU on Sept. 30...tied career-high four solo blocks on three occasions.
2005: All-Horizon League Team recipient...named conference offensive player of the week on Sept. 12...led the Flames with a .292 attack percentage, solo blocks (22) and total blocks (113) in 2005...second on the UIC squad with 395 kills...ranked sixth in kills (395) and seventh in attack percentage (.272) in the Horizon League...recorded a career-high 26 kills in a five-game victory over Youngstown State on Oct. 14...posted a season-high five digs in UIC's season opener versus Northern Illinois on Aug. 26...notched a career-high 47 attempts on two occasions, most recently in a five-game win over Wright State on Oct. 8...recorded a career-high .639 attack percentage (26-6-36) against Youngstown State on Oct. 14...posted a career-high five assists versus crosstown rival Loyola on Oct. 28...notched a career-high four solo blocks against Northern Illinois...posted a season-high seven block assists versus UW-Milwaukee on Oct. 22...led UIC in attack percentage in six matches last season, topping the Flames with a .639 attack percentage against Youngstown State...garnered a match-high with 26 kills versus the Penguins on Oct. 14...powered UIC in total blocks eight different matches, leading the Flames overall with nine versus Cleveland State on Nov. 11...posted 29 double figure kill matches on the season...helped the Flames to a five-game win over Denver on Sept. 3 with 19 kills...dished out seven block assists in a four-game victory over UW-Milwaukee on Sept. 23...garnered 22 kills and five block assists versus Wright State on Oct. 8...posted over 13 kills and five total blocks in UIC's last two contests...posted a .419 attack percentage (16-3-31) against Youngstown State in the Horizon League Tournament on Nov. 12.
2004: Posted the second most kills on the squad with 291 overall and 123 in Horizon League play...led UIC with 116 total blocks (15 solo)...was fifth in the Horizon League with 1.08 blocks per game and seventh in Horizon League action with 1.09 blocks per game...twice tied for the Horizon League's fourth most total blocks in a match against both Jacksonville State (2 solo, 8 assists) and UW-Green Bay (1 solo, 9 assists) on September 18th and October 2nd, respectively...poured in nine kills and five digs in a three-game sweep of Delaware State on September 3rd...notched a career-high 20 kills and nine digs against Alabama A&M on September 4th...led the Flames with six kills against Memphis on September 4th...named to Memphis Invitational All-Tournament team...pounded home a match-high 19 kills, career-high nine block assists, which tied her for 6th most in school history for a single match, and hit at a clip of .472 to lift UIC to the five-game victory over DePaul on September 10th...topped UIC in kills against both Loyola (11 kills) and Northwestern (16 kills) on September 11th...named to Chicago Challenge All-Tournament team...connected for 13 kills and eight block assists in a five-game win over Chicago State on September 14th...totaled 14 kills against UL-Lafayette on September 17th...had a team-best 14 kills against Ole Miss on September 17th...was one of five players in double-figures with 12 kills against Jacksonville State on September 18th...named to Rebel Classic All-Tournament team...totaled 13 kills and four block assists in a four-game win over Youngstown State on September 24th...picked up a team-best eight kills and six total blocks (2 solo) against UW-Milwaukee on October 1st...garnered 14 kills and 10 total blocks (1 solo) against UW-Green Bay on October 2nd...those nine block assists tie her for the sixth most in school history for a single match...led UIC with 11 kills against Loyola on October 8th...had six kills and a team-best seven block assists against Bradley on October 11th...posted 12 kills and finished with a hitting percentage of .350 (12-5-20) against UW-Green Bay on October 29th...tallied 10 kills against UW-Milwaukee on October 30th...earned 11 kills and six block assists against Western Illinois on November 2nd...contributed 10 kills and six total blocks (2 solo) in a four-game win over Wright State on November 12th.
2003: Totaled 40 kills during her rookie campaign...recorded four kills, three blocks and a service ace in her collegiate debut against UW-Green Bay on August 30th...collected four kills for a hitting percentage of .571 (4 kills, 0 errors, 7 attacks) against Clemson on September 20th...garnered a season-high 10 kills against UW-Milwaukee on October 10th...connected for a hitting percentage of .375 (8 kills, 2 errors, 16 attacks) against Eastern Illinois on October 14th...posted four kills without an error against IUPUI on November 4th.
Prep/Personal: Three-sport athlete at Riverdale High School...helped Riverdale to a record of 36-21 as a junior and an appearance at Sub State...recorded 23 kills and 19 solo blocks against Lebanon in the Region AAA championship contest...earned several honors throughout her career including: All-District, Honorable Mention, Best All-Around Athlete, Who's Who Among America's Athletes, Gatorade Will To Win Athlete in both volleyball and track, most aggressive, most blocks, sprinter of the year, Winners Never Quit award and the Distribution Educational Club of America...daughter of Latricia Springer...born on November 13, 1984...major is law.
Career Stats
UIC Career-Highs


text:
By Dave Leach - How is it possible for a restrictionist (who wants further restrictions on legal immigration) to go to Heaven – even if he has "accepted Jesus into his heart"? How can that be possible when Jesus could not more clearly have said people who will not "take in" the "stranger" (immigrant) will go to Hell?
Matthew 25:41-46 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels...for...I was a stranger, and ye took me not in....Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Yet here comes the Family Research Council's daily email yesterday (7/8/2014 5:13 pm) complaining that
a flood of migrant children are putting a face on the immigration crisis. Fifty-two thousand faces, to be exact....Today, those consequences are painfully clear, as tens of thousands of children sit in southern detention centers, living symbols of the administration's lax attitude on immigration. ... ignoring the problem is no longer an option.... this immigration catastrophe could have been avoided if the administration had simple (sic) upheld the law. [As restrictionist Republican senator Jeff Sessions put it,] "[Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson] is the top law enforcement officer with regard to immigration in America! And he could not say, 'Do not come to America unlawfully, it violates our laws, we cannot accept that, if you do so you will be deported, and if you bring children, you both are going to be deported.' Why couldn't he say that?" [Congress should not even appropriate funds to care for these children until we get them deported, as Rep. Bob Goodlatte put it,] "until we have some clarity that we're going to be taking action in this country that will keep this from happening in the future."
The Family Research Center is one of America's leading efforts to shine the light of the Gospel on American politics. How can they be resentful that these thousands of child refugees have made it more or less safely across our borders? It is a "problem" that they are here, still alive, instead of being slaughtered back home? Obama's "lax attitude" takes the blame for the children not already being dead?
FRC is reaching out to the same audience which marketers consider vulnerable to solicitations showing some of these same children in need of basic necessities. Except that FRC reaches out especially to the Christians among that audience. Are Christians so much more hard-hearted towards desperate children than the general TV audience?
The cultural counterpart in Bible times must have been the hand wringing when the poorly maintained drum heads broke that were beaten while children were thrown on the blazing red hot arms of the "god" Molech, to drown out the children's screams lest the parent's hearts hear them and their hearts soften. FRC's ideological ancestors must have said
A flood of juvenile screams are putting a voice on the child sacrifice crisis. They are living witness to the king's lax attitude on drum head maintenance. Ignoring the children is, tragically, no longer an option. This crisis could have been avoided if the king had simply maintained the drum heads. Why couldn't the king have just told the children, "Do not scream. It violates our laws. We can't accept that. If you do so we will beat our drums to drown you out."
Not to be outdone, evangelist Brannon Howse's email the day before had this subject line: "Americans Lose while Immigrants Gain". It is a repost of Phyllis Schlafley's article by the same title, which is a rehash of Steven Camarota's "study" alleging that most of the new jobs created in America were taken by immigrants.
Camarota's study is another study. But Schlafley? She has been a champion of conservative Christian causes for decades. How can she stand so doggedly on a road Jesus said lead to Hell? And Howse? An evangelist who purports to apply the Gospel to current political and theological events, called "Worldview Weekend"?
Not only can nothing deter them from the road directly to Hell, by employing all the influence God gave them to expel Jesus' "strangers/brethren", but they are on the road directly to Hell by demanding fast tracking of Mark of the Beast government surveillance technology to keep those "illegals" from working.
(For Scriptures and review of economic facts, see The Stranger Project.)
So was Jesus stupid? Is that what Brannon Howse, Phyllis Schlafley, and FRC believe? Jesus said refusing to "take in" the Stranger is a sure ticket to Hell. Brannon Howse and FRC refuse to "take in" the Stranger, but they insist they are going to Heaven, because they "accepted Jesus into their hearts", or some such words.
And now I read that my favorite Alaskan governor and soccer mom, Sarah Palin, piled on yesterday, writing for Breitbart. She has a plan for impeaching Obama precisely because he is soft on Jesus' "strangers/brethren". Couldn't she pick an issue a little less alien to God? Is that, Biblically, really the worst thing Obama has done?
Here's what being soft on Jesus' brethren has cost us, in her mind:
The federal government is trillions of dollars in debt; many cities are on the verge of insolvency; our overrun healthcare system, police forces, social services, schools, and our unsustainably generous welfare-state programs are stretched to the max. It's the American worker who is forced to deal with Obama's latest crisis with our hard-earned tax dollars while middle class wages decrease, sustainable jobs get more scarce, and communities become unrecognizable and bankrupted due to Obama's flood of illegal immigration.
Jesus must be a real loser. Really out of touch with reality, when He dictated Luke 6:38. According to Sarah.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Maybe Sarah just needs a hug. Either that, or the rules on her planet are very different than the rules on Jesus' planet.
Do you know the reaction I get from Bible believers like Sarah, FRC, Howse, Schlafley, etc when I get a chance to quote a verse or two? Eye rolling! Can you believe that, a Bible believer eye-rolling away a Bible verse?
And of all people to trudge towards Hell, Charlie Daniels??? He tweeted, "Obama could raise his numbers exponentially over night if he went to the border and said PRESIDENT NEITO, [President of Mexico] PUT UP THIS WALL!!!!"
That's one of those jokes where you have to imagine there is probably an association that you can't quite confirm. Mexico has a moral obligation now, as Gorbachev did to tear down the Berlin wall, to put UP a wall, and where? next to where we have already put up a wall which isn't keeping people out?
But we're talking Charlie Daniels. That's enough excuse for a news story, without any necessity that it entirely makes sense. As long as the headline includes "Charlie Daniels", it doesn't matter what else it says. It will get hits. I need to do that. I think I'll use Marilyn Monroe. No, Elvis Presley. "Elvis Presley said yesterday that he will unveil a new immigration song." Millions will say "I KNEW he was still alive!"
Glenn Beck isn't supposed to be eligible for Heaven, my friends tell me, because he is a Mormon. And yet here he is bringing truck loads of food and teddy bears for the children, and pointing out the obvious: "Politics is turning us ugly", and "When America stops being good, we are no longer able to be great".
I was asked, "do you think he is sincere or is he just seeking publicity?" What a great country America is, that a man can do good and be accused of seeking honor, and no one can tell the difference! In the article, Beck says the publicity he is getting isn't all that desirable, and I think everyone knows what kind it is before he described it:
Beck said that "everybody" told him not to talk about other controversial issues, like the caliphate, in the past, and that he is hearing the same thing about his stance that we must care for the children who have crossed into America illegally."Everybody is telling me I'm seeing subscriptions down; I'm seeing Mercury One donations down," Beck said, growing emotional. "I'm getting violent emails from people who say I've 'betrayed the Republic.' Whatever. I've never taken a position more deadly to my career than this — and I have never, ever taken a position that is more right than this."
Or at least more innocent. More obviously just. As Jesus' driving out demons was as just as just gets, yet he was accused of serving Satan! Jesus said when hate is so strong it defies reality itself, that is getting into "unforgivable" territory. Matthew 12:22-32.
This is disorienting to me.
All my church life I have been taught that anyone who "accepts Jesus into his heart" will go to Heaven, and everyone who does not will go to Hell.
Therefore, all my Bible believing, religious conservative Republican friends will join me in Heaven, while members of my own family who decline to "accept Jesus into their heart" will go to Hell.
My faith in this simple formula is shaken. Can I believe members of my own family, who have not "accepted Jesus into their hearts", but who are friends of Jesus' "strangers/brethren", are going to Hell, while these enemies of Jesus' "strangers" are going to Heaven? What shall I tell my beloved family members? If God is able to save Bible-believing, Stranger-expelling Christians, is He not able to save my Jesus-denying but Stranger-welcoming family?
Yet how can I believe these quite sincere, if willfully ignorant Christian conservative restrictionists are not going to Heaven? Although their blind spot is serious enough to threaten America's survival, they have so many other things right. Is that nothing? They are surely above the majority of Christians who, by comparison, barely lift a finger to help these "strangers" whom Jesus called His "brethren", or even to double check their prejudices by the Word of God.
Fortunately it is not terribly important for me to figure this out. When I reflect on the pervasiveness of sin, it seems impossible that God could save anybody from it. I am grateful for Jesus' answer:
Luke 18:25-27 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
1 Corinthians 4:5 tells us what we don't know yet, that makes it impossible for us, at this point, to judge who will go to Heaven.
But in the spirit of Ezekiel 3:18-20, I warn my fellow Christian conservatives who are full of reasons why Matthew 25 doesn't apply to them: don't be so smug. God doesn't put numerical limits on how many get in Heaven. What if millions of Jesus' "strangers" whom you have successfully excluded from the God-given rights you have enjoyed, are in Heaven.
What if you show up, only to see Jesus consoling tens of thousands of children for the troubles you made sure they remained in. Will you be able to stand living forever in their company? Will you self-deport?


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There may not be a lever on the electronic voting machines to pull to vote a "straight" party ticket, but that did not deter Levy County voters as they cast votes for Republican candidates in every office on the ballot in Tuesday's general election.
Emergency personnel got to use their extrication skills when a two vehicle accident on Tuesday, Oct. 21, shortly after 12:30 p.m. at U.S. Highway 27 and County Road 335A trapped the occupants in the vehicles.
The Levy County Sheriff's Office reports the following arrests:
• Oct. 21, Galdino De Jesus Araisa-Madera, 21, Morriston, public order crimes violation non-resident exemption driver's license. Bond $500.
• Oct. 21, Christopher Barron, 31, Chiefland, possession of marijuana.
• Oct. 23, Kyle Bryan Bell, 19, Archer, burglary, grand larceny. Bond $150,000.
• Oct. 26, Elbert Scott Bullard, 42, Cedar Key, battery.
• Oct. 24, Robert James Carter, 22, Williston, burglary, grand theft. Bond $105,000.
New representatives were crowned this past weekend. From left, Little Miss Williston 2014-2015 Alexcia Dubois, niece of Michael Mulkey and Rene Slaughter and sponsored by The Kirby Farm; Miss Williston 2014-2015 Kaylee Nicholson, daughter of Emmett and Billie Jo Whitehurst and sponsored by Fugate Forestry., Jr. Miss Williston 2014-2015 Sarah Dykstra, daughter of Duane and Tina Dykstra and sponsored by her parents.
Special to the Pioneer
In heartbreaking fashion the undefeated Red Devils dropped their final game 22-20 to Lake Butler. The Bulldogs stopped the Red Devils on the one yard line on the extra two point conversion attempt for the tie with 13 seconds left in the game to preserve the victory. The Red Devils were in the Championship game for the third year in a row, defeating Bradford in 2012 and losing to Bradford in 2013.
Now through Tuesday, Nov. 4, any Levy County resident who needs transportation to the polls has access to free transportation.
Tammy Jones, supervisor of elections, has partnered with Levy County Transit to make sure anyone who wants to vote has a ride to the voting booth.
Early voting takes place at the supervisor's office in Bronson through Saturday, Nov. 1. On Tuesday, you must vote in your home precinct. Call Levy County Transit at 352-486-3485 to make your reservation.
Bronson Town Council Member Berlon Weeks resigned his seat on the council Tuesday through a letter sent to town officials.
Sometimes training your dog to be obedient requires first training yourself.
Stacy Moore, the Muttman, has taken a centuries' old method of animal obedience and honed it into something that can be applied to dogs – and their masters–everywhere.
Animal training is in Moore's blood.
As far back as 1932, his family has been involved in the entertainment industry with animal shows. He trained his first dog, Opie, when he was six years old and has produced shows for Disneyland, Disney World, Sea World, Six Flags and Busch Gardens.
Copyright © 2016
The Williston Pioneer is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Williston, Fl, and the surrounding area.


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Version 3.0Release date: November 1st, 2015
- New Major overhaul of infrastructure
- New Spring Integration 4.1
- upgrade DHTMLX 4.2
- upgrade Jasper Reports 6.2
- fix Stability, performance & UI enhancements
Pixel Core Framework is designed to solve problems that arise in development of many enterprise-level applications. The Framework is based on open technologies and allows for the final product to be market ready in short time. Framework helps to relatively easy build enterprise-level applications.
Be undeniably efficient.
Pixel Nation Inc. provides consulting services in designing enterprise level solutions. We also developing complete solutions utilizing our insight knowledge of the Framework and underlying technologies.
Recently Pixel Nation Inc. developed number of enterprise applications for different vertical markets such as Banking, Retail and Telecommunication.
Majority of these projects are based on the Pixel Core Enterprise Framework. For instance, Merchant Directory, Fleet Cards Processing and Settlement System were designed and developed for banking sector. Customer Portal and Advanced Testing and Staging System were built for cable TV operators. White label gift card purchase application and online food ordering were done for retail sector. All mentioned products actively evolving and being supported by Pixel Nation Inc.
Framework is built on top of Java eco-system, thus enables products based on it to run on virtually any platform with JVM implementation (Windows, Linux, Solaris, AIX, etc.)
The system is based on 3+ tier distributed architecture. Web UI is built with extensive use of JavaScript and HTML5 components. Middle tier is based on Java ecosystem and utilizes latest design methodologies. The persistence layer is built using modern ORM technologies.
The Framework provides efficient way of creating robust user interfaces. By utilizing latest web technologies it enables creation of real-time blotters for trading applications, as well as tables with dynamic data loading that can handle millions of records.
Out of the box the Framework provides support for building multilingual applications by both enabling UI localization and making necessary business object localizable.
Framework includes standalone reporting engine that can operate as a central hub for generating pixel perfect documents that can be exported in a variety of document formats including but not limited to PDF, Excel, CSV, Word and HTML. Reports can be generated ad-hoc or on a schedule and displayed on a web page, or delivered to e-mail or transmitted to remote location.
Complex applications require administrative inteface to manage every aspect of the application. Pixel Core Framework includes many such interfaces out of the box; they provide management capabilities for users, user roles and permissions, schedules and much more.
Sample screenshots of some administrative pages provided by Pixel Core Framework out of the box
"Pixel Nation has earned their way to become an indispensable and inseparable extension of our core Engineering and Development team. From a personal perspective, as well, Pixel Nation has truly become a valued and integral part of the Adara family."Joseph D Nucara http://adara-tech.com →
"As we started using Core Framework, within very short period of time we were able to build complex distributed system that exceeded our initial requirements. The Framework is powerful, expandable and simple to use. We are using it extensively right now and will definitely be using it with our upcoming projects."Andrei Korshakov http://www.st.by →
"Pixel developed key components of our processing and merchant systems. They always overdelivered on promise. We were extremely pleased to work with Pixel. They not only meet all of our requirements but provided valuable recommendations and solutions as well."Eugene Volkov http://credorax.com →
For general questions, bug reports or press inquires please fill out the form below.
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Applications are built based on three+ tier architecture1. User Interface
Applications could be developed on any platform that supports Java 8 and higher (Windows, Linux, MacOS-X). We recommend using Eclipse as primary IDE. Final deployment is built using Apache Ant. We do not enforce using any particular development tools.
Framework supports distributed processing. Starting with version 3.0, various components of the system are connected via messaging bus.
Framework is designed to work with very large data sets. One of the existing applications is working on PostgreSQL 9.1 and supports over 9000 tables simultaneously.
In telecom example the system is used for testing and staging of cable set-top boxes. In this case the system is capable of storing up to 21 million records per day into highly normalized database. Also, Framework utilizes in-memory caching for performance improvements. We have solutions built using the in-memory data grid for maximum scalability and performance.
Developers have complete freedom selecting and implementing data processing algorithms. Depending on product requirements, processing could be implemented inside database engine, on the application level, or in a distributed environment. Framework has built-in support for parallel processing.
Yes. Two types of grid components are supported – full loading and dynamic loading. If data set contains relatively small number of records (up to 1000 records) full load method could be used. List of permissions could be used as an example for such type of data handling. The dynamic loading method could be used for the tables with large number of records. Framework supports real-time update of the data in the tables. For instance, this approach could be useful in applications visualizing stock prices in real time. All methods are supported on service level.
System is build around Java eco-system. There are many third party libraries that support various communication protocols: TCP Sockets, JMS, FTP, HTTP, RMI, RPC, etc. Support for many protocols is already included in the framework. System architecture enables developers to write effective integration modules.
Yes, Pixel Core Enterprise Framework extensively uses Spring Framework. It is built around the concept of Inversion of Control. Authorization and transaction management are implemented using AOP aspects. One of the aspects, for instance, trims all string values passed through any setter method.


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Michael Hirsh, senior editor at Newsweek, discusses the neoconservatives providing the foreign policy expertise to the Rudy Giuliani campaign, their conflation of all Muslim resistance anywhere together into "Islamo-fascism," and the lessons of North Korea for Iran.
MP3 here. (14:07)
Michael Hirsh covers international affairs for Newsweek out of Washington. He was the magazine's foreign editor from January 2001 to January 2002, and helped to guide Newsweek's award-winning coverage of the September 11 attacks and the war on terror. Before that he was a senior editor/chief diplomatic correspondent in the Washington bureau, writing about foreign affairs and international economics.


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Beaded lace and tulle trumpet style gown. Never Worn! Purchased dress before we had a venue set. We are getting married in Mexico and gown is not feasible for that environment. Has a sweep train and sweetheart neckline that flatters all curves!
- Alterations: stitching added to bustline, taken in slightly at waistline, cups added.
- Preservation Method:
- Terms of Sale: All Sales Final
- Original Owner: Yes
- Has Original Receipt: Yes
- Location: Charlotte, NC
- Will Ship to: Anywhere at Seller Expense
- Payment Methods Accepted: Other
Please read our BUYER'S GUIDE before purchasing a dress online.


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VIDEO | Wii U Thursday, September 13, 2012 | 6:56 PM
Rayman Legends: Castle Rock footage
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- Xbox unveils Project Scorpio
- Koei Tecmo announces Berserk (working title)
- Techland officially becomes a global video game publisher
- No Man's Sky delayed to August 9
- Mass Effect: Andromeda will now ship in early 2017
- EA & Respawn developing a new Star Wars game
- Dishonored 2 will release worldwide on November 11
- Alicia Vikander to star as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider
- Patrice Désilets and Ubisoft settle on 1666 Amsterdam
- Lionsgate launches over 100 films on Steam
- Mirror's Edge: Catalyst release date pushed to June 7
- Dark Souls The Board Game on Kickstarter, funded in 3 min.
- GameStop unveils publishing label GameTrust
- MercurySteam announces Raiders of the Broken Planet
- IMGN.PRO to reveal new horror game at PAX East


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Conformation transition kinetics of regenerated ...
|Conformation transition kinetics of regenerated Bombyx mori silk fibroin membrane monitored by time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy
|Chen Xin, Shao ZhengZhong, N. S. Marinkovic, Lisa M. Miller, Zhou Ping, M. R. Chance
|Biophysical chemistry
|Start page
|End page
|The ethanol-induced conformation transition of regenerated B. mori silk fibroin membrane from a poorly defined to the well ordered state was monitored by time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for the first time. From the analysis of FTIR difference spectra, taken on time scales as short as 6 seconds and up to one h after addition of ethanol, intensity vs. time plots of an increasing band at 1618/cm were observed indicating formation of a beta -sheet coincident with the loss of intensity of a band at 1668/cm indicating decreases of random coil and/or silk I structure. Both infrared markers were fitted with identical biphasic exponential decay functions, however, there was a clear burst phase occurring prior to the onset of the observed transitions. The conformation transition process is indicated to either proceed sequentially through (at least) two intermediate states that contain different levels of beta -sheet structure or to have parallel pathways of initial beta -sheet formation followed by a slower perfection phase. The first observed process forms in a burst phase a few seconds after mixing (or even faster), prior to the collection of the first spectrum at 6 seconds. The second observed process occurs with a time constant of ~0.5 minutes, the intermediate present at this stage then continues with a time constant of 5.5 minutes completing the observed formation of the beta -sheet. The conformation transition of this slower intermediate is not only indicated by an analysis of the kinetics of the random coil and beta -sheet-specific bands discussed above, it roughly coincides with the appearance of an additional infrared marker at 1695/cm, which may be a marker for beta -sheet structure specific to the formation of the perfected structure. The conformation transition of this protein analysed by infrared spectroscopy provides insight into a part of the fascinating process of cocoon formation in B. mori..
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Laura V
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 302
Location: UK
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:27 am
Post subject: Re: This Just In
Susan/DC wrote:
He also said that in Massachusetts the number of gay people who have applied for marriage licenses are disproportionately female, so it seems as if it's true that women want to be married more than men do. This is something that rom coms and comedians have said for years, but it's not something easily proved if the only people who can get married are heterosexuals. OTOH, since married men live longer and according to most surveys are happier than single men (or married women), it's always struck me as odd that men don't want to marry.
According to
national statistics
, the opposite has been the case in the UK:
More men than women formed civil partnerships. In 2006, 60 per cent of all civil partners were male compared with 66 per cent in December 2005. In England, 9,913 male and 6,260 female partnerships were formed up to the end of 2006. The corresponding figures were 633 and 498 in Scotland, 318 and 309 in Wales and 71 and 57 in Northern Ireland.
Male civil partners tended to be older than female civil partners. The average age at formation in the UK in 2006 was 47 for men and 44 for women compared with 54 and 46 in December 2005.
Of course, this doesn't take into account the possibility that there are more gay men than lesbian women, but I'm not sure there are figures for how large each of those groups are, so it's difficult to work out the proportion of each group which enters into civil partnerships.
One might also want to look at the proportions of bisexual men and bisexual women who enter into civil unions, but that wouldn't necessarily tell one a great deal about attitudes towards committed relationships since they'd have been able to enter into marriages in the past if they were involved in heterosexual relationships, and so it would only be bisexual people in same-sex relationships who would be appearing in the figures for civil partnerships.
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Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 314
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:13 pm
Post subject: Re: This Just In
Laura V wrote:
Of course, this doesn't take into account the possibility that there are more gay men than lesbian women, but I'm not sure there are figures for how large each of those groups are, so it's difficult to work out the proportion of each group which enters into civil partnerships.
Not sure where I picked this up from but if I remember correctly of the male population 2% are gay and 1% is bi, and for the female 1% are gay and 2% are bi. I am happy to be corrected if someone has better information
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Laura V
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 302
Location: UK
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:16 am
Post subject: Re: This Just In
Yuri wrote:
Not sure where I picked this up from but if I remember correctly of the male population 2% are gay and 1% is bi, and for the female 1% are gay and 2% are bi. I am happy to be corrected if someone has better information
I've gone and done a bit more searching and found
this about the UK
In 1990, 93.3% of men said they had only ever had sexual attraction towards the opposite sex, whilst by 2000 this had fallen to 91.9%. 93.6% of women in 1990 said they had only ever been attracted to men, but by 2000 this had dropped to 88.3%. From this we can therefore deduce that 11.7% of women and 8.1% of men have felt a sexual attraction towards the same sex at least once in their lives.
but they also say that
It is very difficult to calculate even the approximate number of gay people, and in estimating even roughly how many gay people there are anywhere, the following points have to be kept in mind:
* How many people we estimate are homosexual depends on how we define homosexuality.
* Many more people experience sexual feelings for someone of the same sex than report recent sexual experience with someone of the same sex.
* Because homosexuality is stigmatised it is more likely to be under than over reported.
Of course, people may feel or act on a sexual attraction towards someone of their own sex but still not identify as "gay" "lesbian" or "bisexual". There are some 2005 Government statistics (
The Telegraph
One in 16 Britons is homosexual, say the first such figures compiled by the Government.
It means that six per cent of the population - about 3.6 million people - are gay or lesbian.
Whitehall actuaries calculated the figure as one in 16.66 while analysing the financial implications of the new Civil Partnerships Act, which allows same-sex partners to "marry" and gives them similar rights to married couples in areas such as tax, pensions and inheritance.
Giving up on the statistics, I also came across a
human interest story
about a couple who've had to wait decades to get legal recognition of their relationship:
for Roger and Percy it has been 40 years of waiting. They were introduced through a matchmaking friend who thought the young academic and Percy, a South-Africa born actor, would get on like a house on fire. They soon realised they wanted to spend their lives together.
Teach Me Tonight
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Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1502
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:59 pm
Post subject:
At a meeting Saturday I got a sample of the kind of fact-free fear-mongering propaganda being spread by opponents of gay marriage. I haven't read anything that divorced from reality in years (speaking as a regular reader of F&SF). The sample was passed out to alert several ministers in the group to what they might run into.
Legal gay marriages started in California yesterday and the world didn't end.
My local paper reported that more than 100 gay marriages were held in San Diego county yesterday.
The opposition from some people reminds me if the cliché: "I destroyed X in order to save it". Rather than perform gay marriages, the county clerks in some counties in California closed down all marriages in their counties.
I believe the percentage of couples in Europe who bother to marry is much lower than in the USA. I wonder if all the furor supposedly to "defend" marriage will end up leading to less marriages in the USA the way the religious wars of a few centuries ago contributed to more secular (less religious) modern European culture.
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Laura V
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 302
Location: UK
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:44 am
Post subject:
Mark wrote:
I believe the percentage of couples in Europe who bother to marry is much lower than in the USA. I wonder if all the furor supposedly to defend marriage will end up leading to less marriages in the USA the way the religious wars of a few centuries ago contributed to more secular (less religious) modern European culture.
One thing that always astonishes me is how important religion is in US elections. Here in the UK it's pretty much seen as a private matter/a matter of conscience and Prime Ministers rarely mention God, and it's certainly not an issue that I've been aware of during election campaigns. In fact, when
Mrs Thatcher gave a speech
to the Church of Scotland about sin it caused outrage (it really wasn't seen as appropriate for her to be lecturing them on this topic) and when
Tony Blair seemed to be hinting
that God had told him to go to war in Iraq there was outrage from many, and even an MP who supported him admitted that it wouldn't increase Blair's popularity:
"If this was anything to do with trying to appeal to the electorate, he wouldn't be so excruciatingly honest," he said.
"If he was trying to go that awful American route of guns, gods and gays and try to link politics to religion, then he wouldn't be doing it this way."
That quote's rather telling when it comes to highlighting the perceived difference between the US and UK on the place (or lack of it) that religion should have in political discourse.
It seems really bizarre that in the US, where there's supposed to be separation of Church and State, there's actually more mention of religion in politics, and more focus on politician's religious views, than in the UK, where there isn't a separation of Church and State.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 722
Location: under a cockatiel
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:37 am
Post subject:
It's about time. I can't believe CA let Massachusetts scoop them on this one. Now all we have to do is work toward making it legal everywhere in the States, so it becomes so commonplace that when the fiftieth state legalizes day marriage, the news is "It took them that long?" not "OMG they'z lettin gayz marry!"
Reality has a well-known liberal bias.
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Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1502
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Post subject:
Perhaps an American split personality tendency partially explains what Laura V mentioned. I recall years ago reading something that mentioned American culture having both Apollonian and Dionysian aspects (or puritanical and prurient). Perhaps the founders of this country realized we needed to build the separation of church and state into our Constitution because of theocratic segments of our culture.
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Posts: 2733
Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:35 am
Post subject:
Religion has been a problematic element in politics for centuries, in England as well as in the U.S. and in Iraq. I think, in fact, that the more or less unsuccessful attempt to separate them in the U.S. arose from the conflicts the mix presented in England, from the 16th C. and before. That the British take less note of them in their political campaigns today is perhaps more from having learned from experience as much as that church and state are one, although that fait accompli would tend to make religion a less volatile subject, I would think.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 567
Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 6:38 pm
Post subject:
The stand of opposing gay marriage has always baffled me--I just can't see it as anything more than people trying to legI alize their uncomfortable reaction. I don't see any problem at all with allowing religious organizations or anyone else from NOT performing them, but I can't think of any reason at all not to allow the same benefits--medical, legal and so on. Men and women are supposed to be equal under the law, and so should be able to legally marry a man or a woman.
'Keeping society the way it is', 'protecting heterosexual marriage' and so on...maybe it's where I'm from, but those arguments don't make sense to me. Protecting marriage from what? Marriage has experienced plenty of changes over the centuries, and customs vary from culture to culture already.
I am against forcing organizations to marry anyone if they dont' feel comfortable with it, but I don't see how it's better to forbid organizations that DO want to do this.
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Joined: 05 Apr 2007
Posts: 173
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:42 am
Post subject:
Allyson wrote:
The stand of opposing gay marriage has always baffled me--I just can't see it as anything more than people trying to legI alize their uncomfortable reaction.
Since marriage was meant to protect the offspring of the coupling of the man and woman involved, this is one reason to find a reason to oppose. Same sex coupling does not produce offspring.
Then there is the complaint of "My partner of many years got sick and his family, who hasn't bothered with him/her for years, stepped in and has taken over, not even letting me visit" or similar. If you're partners and you want to have medical protection ... sign a medical power of attorney. You're protected. If you have joint property or want to make sure whatever you have goes to your partner ... sign a will.
Actually legalized, government involved marriage is more about getting fees (notice, those marriage licenses are free and you can't file for divorce without a fee) than rights. The point that a same-sex couple should have the same rights to employer provided insurance, government taxing benefits, etc. -- well, the government can modify the tax rules. And employers don't have a mandate to provide benefits. They do it, really, only to attract employees. Employer provided health insurance actually came into play during WWII because there was a government mandate about salaries -- they didn't want companies boosting salaries to entice workers from one war-needed company to another. Hence Insurance was provided as an extra.
My biggest problem with the idea that same sex marriage should be legalized to give the partners the same rights as hetero marriage partners -- hey, why should I have to say I'm gay if I want those same rights? Give "household" partners those rights ... and you'd probably find more single parents living together in a manner that provides children with more parenting. Example: Two single moms, one who makes a really good living, one who only is "getting by" pair up. The worker works, the other becomes a stay at home mom ... or only has to work part time with the kidlets in school. Health coverage for the blended family. No extra child care charges for each. But, to get this, they have to "get married?"
I'm more for a legal contractual situation for gays and lesbians than "marriage."
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