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Sam Harris: The Truthdig Interview
Posted on Apr 3, 2006
By Blair Golson
(Page 3)
In your book, you write that when a suicide bomber blows himself up, the role that faith played in his actions is invariably discounted. His motives must have been "political, economical, or entirely personal." Why does faith get a free pass?
This is one of the interesting things about our discourse right now. Our own religious demagogues, the fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, will call a spade a spade and observe that there is a link between Islam and the kind of violence we see in the Muslim world. While I don't agree with these people on anything else, they are actually offering a much more candid and accurate diagnosis of the problem, vis a vis Islam, than anything that's coming from the Left.
Leftists, secularists, religious moderates, and religious liberals tend to be very poorly placed to recognize that when somebody looks into a video camera and says, "I love death more than the infidel loves life," and then blows himself up, he's actually being honest about his state of mind.
This is not propaganda, this is not politics and economic desperation masquerading as religion. People are really being motivated by the content of religious beliefs, and there are people who are really willing and eager to blow themselves up because they think they're going to get to paradise.
Square, Site wide
You assert that Islamic suicide bombers aren't using religion as a pretext for political or economic grievances. But how do you know?
First of all, the 9/11 hijackers showed no evidence whatsoever of being people who were concerned with poverty or the plight of the Palestinians—that's just not where their heads were at. They were talking about the evils of infidel culture, and the pleasures that await martyrs in paradise.
When you read about what they were doing with their lives, these people did not seem to have a political bone in their bodies. And they were not people who personally suffered oppression under the U.S. , the British, or the Israelis.
Osama Bin Laden is another example of this. He is not somebody who himself had been victimized, and he's not somebody who, if you read his diatribes, spends a lot of time thinking about the poor. In fact, he only added the Palestinians to his list of woes as an afterthought. Originally, he was really concerned about theological offenses, about the fact that there were infidel boots on the ground near the holy sites of Mecca and Medina.
So we have people who are unambiguously well off, unambiguously well educated, willing to hit the wall at 400 miles-per-hour. And they spend a lot of time talking about paradise and virgins.
So it seems like a case of really tortured reasoning that somehow religion is not the motive for their actions—that their motives are economic or political—even though they are saying it is, and doing things that are only rational in light of these religious beliefs, and when they themselves have no economic or political grievances.
You spend a long chapter writing about beliefs as "principles of action"—that, given the right set of beliefs, a person will almost inexorably act in a certain way. Applying this to Islam, you say that given the tenets of a religion that guarantees a place in heaven for martyrs, it's no wonder we see so many Islamic suicide bombers. However, if the connection between belief and action were this absolute, then how do you explain that all Moslems aren't suicide bombers?
There's always the question of whether you really believe what you say you believe. We have gradations of belief and certainty. Clearly if you were certain that paradise existed, and if you were certain that death in defense of the faith got you and everyone you loved into heaven for eternity, it would only be rational to die in those circumstances.
What we are finding is that there are people who really are certain, or at least are functionally certain of these propositions, and are eager to blow themselves up in the process of killing infidels, because they're quite sure that the creator of the universe wants infidels to burn in fire for eternity. Of course, any Muslims they happen to kill in the process will go to paradise as well, and will be quite grateful to have been sent there.
Once you imagine what it would actually be like to believe these things, this behavior becomes totally reasonable. You find mothers of suicide bombers literally celebrating the deaths of their children, who have blown themselves up in crowds of other children at discotheques. This is the most obscene and inexplicable human behavior—and yet, it is totally reasonable, given what many Muslims say they believe about martyrdom.
What do you mean when you say that intolerance is intrinsic to every creed? And what are the implications of that?
The core claim of every creed is that it, alone, is true. The truth is, if you're a Christian, Jesus really was the son of God, and was really resurrected, and he's really coming back to judge the living and the dead. This is a fact. It is metaphysically true, it is physically true, it is historically true; if you're standing on the right spot at the right time, you're going to see Jesus come back with a host of angels.
This description of the world is either right or wrong. If it's right, only the Christians are right, and only the Christians are going to heaven. So this doctrine, by definition, excludes the truth-claims of every other religion . Muslims claim that Jesus, while he was a prophet, was not divine, and that anyone who thinks he is divine is going to go to hell. This is explicitly spelled out in the Koran. These are mutually incompatible claims about the way the world works. They're worse than that. They're incompatible claims that are extremely motivating, because their adherents think that the difference between believing the right thing and the wrong thing is the difference between spending eternity in hell, or eternity in paradise. And that's a very big difference.
What is it about the tenets of Islam that present a greater danger to the survival of our species, than, say, the tenets of Christianty?
The doctrine of martyrdom and Jihad is more explicit and central to the Islamic faith. There have obviously been martyrs and a lot of killing that has been reconciled with the doctrine of Christianity over the years, and it's certainly possible to read the Bible in a way that will justify the Inquisition and all of the other things we've seen in the history of Christianity that seem every bit as bad as what we're seeing in the Muslim world now, but there are a few unique features of Islam that are problematic.
One is that it is a much more coherent doctrine, which is to say that the Koran is a much shorter, more coherent book, and there is no sermon on the Mount in there that you can fixate on and use as a bulwark against the rest of the dangerous gibberish in the book in the way that you can with the Bible.
The basic message of the Koran really is hatred of the infidels. The infidel is fit only for the fires of hell; the creator of the universe is in the process of mocking and cursing and shaming and destroying and not forgiving and not reprieving the infidel.
Your job is to ignore the infidel, by all means do not befriend the infidel. When you get the power: subjugate, convert, or kill the infidel. And those are really the only three choices.
Devout Muslims take the Koran and the Haddith seriously because there is no other brand of Islam. There is no moderate school of Islam that suggests the Koran was really just written by men and may not be the word of god, or has to be interpreted very, very loosely. Most Muslims are what we would call "fundamentalists" in the Christian world.
But what about the tradition in Islamic societies of consulting with Mullahs or Imams before acting on a directive in the Koran? Don't those people tend to moderate the harshest edicts of Islamic law?
It's not that there's not a wealth of discourse about what the Koran actually says. There is a lot of Muslim scholarship out there. The problem is that there really is no basis for what we would call a moderate and genuinely pluralistic worldview to be pulled out of Islam. You really need to do some seriously acrobatic theology to get an Islam that is compatible with 21st century civil society. This is witnessed virtually every day we open the newspaper now, the latest case being the apostate in Afghanistan who converted to Christianity. The basic message of this episode should be clear: this is a government that we came in and reformulated and propped up, and the fact that it had to have a constitution that was in conformity to Islam, opened the door to the true face of Islam, which is: apostasy is punishable by death. That is a fact that no liberal exegesis of Islam is going to change. We have to find some way to change it, of course. Islam needs a reformation. But at present, it's true to say that the real word of God in Islam is that if you change your religion, you should die for it.
Isn't that also the case in the Bible? Don't we see similar edicts and punishments for apostasy?
Yes. There's nothing worse than the first books of the Hebrew bible: Leviticus and Deuteronomy and Exodus, these are the most barbaric, most totalitarian, most Taliban-like documents we can find. But there are a few loopholes, and these loopholes don't exist in Islam, to my knowledge. One loophole for Christians is that most Christians think that Jesus brought us the doctrine of grace, and therefore you don't have to follow the law. While it's true that there are other moments in the New Testament when Jesus can be read as saying that you have to fulfill every "jot and tittle" of the law (this is in Matthew)—and therefore you can get a rationale for killing people for adultery out of the New Testament—most Christians, most of the time, don't see it that way.
The Bible is a fundamentally self-contradictory document. You can cherry-pick it in a way that you really can't the Koran, even though there are a few lines in the Koran that say, "Allah does not love aggressors"—if you hew to just those few lines, you can say things like, "Osama Bin Laden is distorting the true teachings of a peaceful religion." But the basic fact is that Osama Bin Laden is giving a very plausible reading of Islam. You have to split hairs to find a basis for what we would recognize as real moderation in Islam.
Then by that logic, why aren't we worried that Jews, for instance, who aren't necessarily following Jesus' doctrine of grace, why aren't we worried that they are also directed to kill for apostasy? Why are we only so focused on the Muslims when the edicts are the same in both books?
Again, the details really matter. It really matters what people specifically believe. And with Jews, you don't have this idea of martyrdom, you don't have this explicit promise of paradise, the after-death state is not spelled out with any kind of specificity in Judaism, and Judaism is very much a religion of this world. Also, the Jews are massively outnumbered. There are something like 15 million Jews on the planet, and they have tended to be the most beleaguered population historically, so they have not been in a position to demand that people observe their law and to threaten death to infidels.
But is it really your position that were they in the majority, they would follow edicts of killing heretics in the same way that Muslims seem to in higher numbers?
This is an interesting question. If you had an Orthodox Judaism that was truly ascendant, then it would be problematic. The Jewish settlers are really deranged by their theology, and I would argue that they are some of the most dangerous and irresponsible people on earth right now. If anyone is going to push us to a third world war, it's going to be Jewish settlers doing something stupid like tearing down the Dome of the Rock, or fighting to the death to assert their claims on the West Bank. This expression of Judaism is problematical, without a doubt. But the eschatology of Judaism is rather specific, and they're waiting for their messiah to come back, for the temple to be re-built, and for the Sanhedrin to be reconvened. If you asked them what they will do once all this happens, what law will we need to live by when the messiah comes back, I think you'll find the Orthodox Jews will be open-minded about killing people for adultery or working on the Sabbath. I don't know what argument they could find against doing these things.
Next Page: "[The term Atheist is] conceptually unnecessary…We don't have words for people who are not astrologers or alchemists; we don't have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive."
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By Grofaz, April 5, 2006 at 10:33 am Link to this comment
Why don't you move to Sweden if it's so terrific?
By kenneth Hodges, April 5, 2006 at 10:30 am Link to this comment
Sam is a good philosopher and writer and speaker. He has gathered together the case against religion as it now stands. What he refuses to do is suggest what we can replace it with. Brain Science or physics or chemistry are not the only "Sciences". Since Religion is about behavior, where will we turn to find an exemplar for behavior - especially the eternal people who find it difficult to read, or reason, or leave their childhood behind (they are worthy and they are legion). What would you suggest? Where will they go for an imaginative life? For relationship to the group? Music and dance in groups? For exemplars? For a weekly encouragement? For psychological insight? For teaching by the wise and learned? For membership in the community? For catchwords to live by? For admonishment to develop their positive emotions, like love, hope, beauty, participation? For knowledge about life's social constraints? Manners? Behavioral management? Etc., etc. Science is wonderful and Sam is wonderful but Scientists are narrow and afraid of their emotions. God (you should excuse the expression) forbid that we become dependent on a University scientist for Community cohesion in imagination and beauty. I think we tried that in the French Revolution and it was a failure. There is some hope in the soft Sciences, Psychololgy, Anthropology, Primatology, Genetics, concern for the Environment we experience, sexual relationships, the wise management of children, Etc., etc. But none of these Scientists who are admonishing us to "kill" or "destroy" religion has the faintest idea of what to replace it with. They are unconsciously heartless. The kind of people who want children to learn everything through the computer. Unconscious, competive ruthlessness personified. Not a clue about the human need to imitate and to succeed at cohesive relationships. We are a group animal; chemically so, but not just that. When the Scientists get down to the practical matter of replacing the defunct religions we have now with inspired and insightful social groups, dealing with mystery and beauty and meaning in the style (as an example) of our American philosopher Thoreau, then count me in. Until then I find the whole argument reminiscent of warriors dressing for battle, utterly unable to cope with difference and supportive change in a still mysterious Universe.
By Lucy M., April 5, 2006 at 10:09 am Link to this comment
Religions are not the issue. How we have used religious beliefs and values to serve our political and economic interests have been most destructive to our world and humanity. I fear that secular so-called "rational" beliefs can also attract the extremists among us and create as much havoc as the other fanatics out there.
By Fran Schiavo, April 5, 2006 at 9:37 am Link to this comment
The better question isn't whether one believes in God, it's whether one believes God created man or man created God.
By Carmelita McQuillan, April 5, 2006 at 9:05 am Link to this comment
"There are societies that are profoundly irreligious by our standards. Australia, Canada, and Japan, along with basically all of Western Europethese are places that have a very different relationship to religious faith."
The present Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, ran on a "family values" platform, among other issues. Most Canadians (only 36% or so voted for him and he is the head of a minority government) have had cold chills run down their backs when hearing him trumpet out "God Bless Canada!" at the end of some of his speeches. In recent days we have also heard such stirring phrases as "We will not cut and run", referring to Canada's (unpopular) military presence in Afghanistan, although the embedded media is working on that.
Despite repeated requests (we are SO polite!), he never revealed the sources of most of his campaign funding. Fundamentalist groups on both sides of the border are suspected.
It's starting to get frightening. Sam Harris's anti-faith foundation can't get started soon enough.
By Mike, April 5, 2006 at 8:26 am Link to this comment
The Univ. of Minnesota study had the following:
[Edgell believes a fear of moral decline and resulting social disorder is behind the findings. "Americans believe they share more than rules and procedures with their fellow citizensthey share an understanding of right and wrong, she said. Our findings seem to rest on a view of atheists as self-interested individuals who are not concerned with the common good.]
This is the reason I don't proselitize atheism. Most people think that you are immoral if you're an atheist. And once they have branded you as such, it's very difficult to change it. My experience with fellow atheists has been the opposite. The atheists I meet are almost always more interested in the common good than religious types. But other people can't understand why you would "do the right thing" without the fear of hell or hope of heaven behind it. Why? They only understand self-interest! I do the right thing because it's better for everyone, including me, in the long run. It's called enightened self-interest.
By Willow Boudell, April 5, 2006 at 8:11 am Link to this comment
This is why the whole approach of Neopaganism and Wicca is so fascinating. While there are a few fundamentalists from these groups who believe whatever their leader and/or a dimestore book tells them about their faith, most Wiccans know that Wicca as a faith is a modern invention based on ancient shamanic practices, ceremonial magic, legendary practices handed down traditional lines, wonderful poetry from Doreen Valiente, and a whole lot of work borrowed or invented by Gerald Gardner.
So why practice something you know is at least part invention? For phenomenal cosmic power? No, for communion with one's fellow humans and to celebrate life. These are people gathering together, bringing their pot lucks to ensure a good feast, and creating the type of spirituality they want to practice. The idea of magic (with or without a K) doesn't have to be considered supernatural. Remember the word IMAGINE?
So why practice if you don't attain any supernatural reward? Dion Fortune defines magic as the art of changing consciousness at will. Magic focuses the attention, changing your mindset, which can result in physical changes as well. Who knows the limits of the imagination? At least, there's no claims of exclusivity or special status over others when one knows one is working with imagination.
Even understanding the bloody history of most religious movements, one can still see that religion can also provide comfort and healing. Trying to eliminate faith or religion is like throwing out the baby with the bath water. However corrupt and bloated a religious institution becomes, there are usually gems of truth and wisdom to be found, if one cares to look for them.
Neopagans in general gravitate to whatever God(s) and/or cultures hold meaning for them, gaining inspiration from the world's treasure of thought and culture and reworking these into a religious expression of their unique spirituality. If we were to examine creation as if it were God'(s) Garden, would we really only expect to see one type of flower?
By Gary Llewellyn, April 5, 2006 at 8:10 am Link to this comment
I think that the 911 attack on American soil was a "Humanity changing" event, and I predict Sam's overly ambitious seeming agenda is actually almost certain to succeed!
By Mike, April 5, 2006 at 8:06 am Link to this comment
I have been an atheist for about 30 years and agree with almost everything that Sam Harris espouses. But I think we atheists need to be pragmatic about the likelihood of a majority status or even being a large enough constituency to have major influence on our government. It isn't going to happen this century. And we have many crises approaching or currently upon us that need to be dealt with. Number one on that list is the destruction of our environment which will end all conversations, forever, if we don't get our political leaders to take the long view.
I think it would be more practical to convince the faithful that what they are doing is not in accordance with their holy book. This can be done - you can justify ANYTHING with these vague and malleable scriptures.
Most people need their religion and aren't going to give it up just because of "reason". They can always fall back on the faith concept.
By Nancy Robertson, April 5, 2006 at 8:02 am Link to this comment
Thank you for another great interview, Sam. I agree with every word you said and look forward to supporting the new foundation in some way.
By Barrie Johnson, April 5, 2006 at 7:41 am Link to this comment
I had almost arrived at the conclusion that I was the only sane human left on earth, and then I read Sam Harris. It was like a breath of arctic air in this hot bed of insanity. unfortunately, little can be done to correct it, because religion is a deep abiding emotion in which they have been inundated from birth. brainwashed in fact, they are unable to question their leadership on any subject connected with their religion, such as politics. which is, in part, why DeLay kept being re elected. Where knowledge ends, religion begins. To Kathleen, #6422, is it really almost 12%? how wonderful if it is. that would give some small hope.
By Louis N. Proyect, April 5, 2006 at 7:02 am Link to this comment
Sam Harris: "Given that fact, I think our culpability is somewhat mitigated, because I think there was a very good argument for trying to create a model democracy in the heart of the Muslim world, and Iraq was a plausible place to do that."
Take up the White Man's burden—
Take up the White Man's burden—
Take up the White Man's burden—
Take up the White Man's burden—
Take up the White Man's burden—
Take up the White Man's burden—
Take up the White Man's burden—
By elfrijole, April 5, 2006 at 7:01 am Link to this comment
I agree with most of what Sam says, but I have a couple of points I differ on. First, while I know that Islam is a major motivator for suicide bombers, I think there is another factor at play here; Muslims are not armed competitively to the people they fight. Do we really think that if they had fighter jets, tanks, attack helicopters, and cruise missle that they would strap bombs to themselves? There might always be suicide bombers, but I think they come from poorly equipped and opressed minorities that have no other means of attack. Even the 9/11 hijackers likely would have used other means if they had them. Religion still would be the source of the conflict, but the means of attack would be much different. I think suicide bombers convince themselves of the benefits of martyrdom, at least in some degree, because they have to in order to go through with the only attack they can carry out.
My second disagreement with Sam is that I think he's far to forgiving of our misadventure in Iraq. Saying that our responsibility for how things have gone is somewhat mitigated is insane. Plenty of people predicted this very outcome in Iraq before we ever went to war. It is clear now, and it was clear before the war that the middle east was not ready for democracy. Let's not forget that we aren't there to "spread democracy." We're there to find WMD's (how's that going?)
Ignoring the politics of oil is also a big mistake in my opinion. If Iraq didn't have oil, would we care how the Iraqi people were being treated or what kind of government they had? Absolutely not. The best proof of this is the plethora of brutal dictators that rule opressed people around the globe, and our complete lack of care for their plight when oil is not involved.
I'm in complete agreement that WMD's hould be kept out of religous nut jobs hands. So, let's start by getting our own religous nut job president out of the white house and out of control of the thousands of nukes he controls. As insane as the idea is that some one like Iran get "the bomb," isn't it also alarming that our own president has abandoned nuclear non proliferation, and has also advocated researching and building "useable nukes?"
By David Hickman, April 5, 2006 at 7:00 am Link to this comment
In regards to the question about how atheists should identify themselves, I agree with Sam that "atheist" carries too much baggage.
Here's how I respond when someone asks me if I believe in god. I answer, "I'm not superstitious. I believe in reality, not religion or astrology or tarot cards or any other silly superstitions."
I think saying NOT SUPERSTITIOUS is the best way for atheists to identify themselves because it carries no baggage but at the same time puts religious people in the position of having to explain why their religion is any different from any of the other silly superstitions.
By Michael Oren, April 5, 2006 at 6:25 am Link to this comment
Sam Harris has articulated my own thoughts very well. Pascel Boyer (Reigion Explained) too provides an analytical approach to the belief system based on "inference systems" evolved in the course of human evolution as "a need to form cooperative links between individuals within a society." Religions appear to provide a survival advantage in this context.
The survival advantage to individuals outside the religious communities requires an organization like Sam Harris may be working towards. Perhaps to provide an alternative place to go on Sunday mornings. A place where people can study the richness of secular thought regarding morality and ethics. Perhaps even delving into the true Buddist ideals (Fundamental Buddism?)
Keep up the good work! Know that there are many on your side. Also know that these ideas may lead to violent reprisals. Organized religions have strong self interests that will not be yield easily.
By Madir Mabbott, April 5, 2006 at 5:52 am Link to this comment
The attraction of religious views over athiestic ones come down in essence to the impression that religions convey a positive and hopeful message, but that atheism is nihilistic. Some people who are scientifically educated find the skeptical, evidence-based approach of the Sciences to contain an essentially positive spirit characterised by inquiry, honesty, rigour and continuous learning - but they are usually in a minority. For most people, sadly, Science is equated with materialism and a denial of the human spirit. Apparently this fear extends to many intellectually rigorous forms of inquiry; people sense instinctively that the mind has won out over the heart and feel excluded, or even threatened, rather than welcomed by its world view.
What is required is that we promote an understanding of life which has deep values of compassion, truth, love, and growth at its core, freed from the superstitions and authoritarianism of past thinking. A spirituality which is life affirming, that celebrates those aspects of existence which remain essentially mysterious, yet welcomes the answers that modern Scientific inquiry can offer. A fully mature engagement with life which unites heart and mind, body and soul, left-brain and right.
A philosophy of life needs to be able to say YES as often as it says NO if it is appeal widely.
By Paul M., April 5, 2006 at 5:42 am Link to this comment
The people who are smart (not necessarily nice or good) use religion to manipulate others. The people who are "not smart" (some are very nice and very good) allow themselves to be manipulated by religion.
By allenahansen, April 5, 2006 at 4:44 am Link to this comment
I'm reading this at 4:30 am in the land of the Jerry Springer People, and for the first time in months I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm going straight from here to Powell's and putting myself on the pre-publication list for your upcoming works. I'm particularly intrigued with your research utilizing MRI modalities for charting a neurophysical component to religious belief. Fascinating stuff. Thank you so much for having the balls to state the obvious about this planet of monkeys.
By TomChicago, April 5, 2006 at 4:39 am Link to this comment
It is not necessary for Mr. Harris to "succeed" in raising the numbers of atheists/agnostics/humanists from 3% to 80 or 100%. We need only to refuse to deny the obvious, to borrow one of his phrases, and say out loud what we see.
By Morris Bocian, April 5, 2006 at 2:54 am Link to this comment
The comments some people make associating the likes of Hitler and Stalin as atheists have little merit. You might as well say they wore similiar shoes and acted as a result of those similarities. People make a concerted effort to live in the present or live in the past. Dictators and fascists are the products of a very old school with predictable old school results. Fire can sometimes be fought with fire. However, I am not sure if religious intolerance can be successfully fought with intellectual intolerance of religion. I do think that pointing out the absurdities of a dogma is helpful. As mentioned with the Klan, you can humiliate people with common sense and hopefully reason should prevail.
By Jake Kidde-Hansen, April 5, 2006 at 2:32 am Link to this comment
When the 501c is up and running and you need some "counter" missionaries in East Africa, give me a shout!
By j., April 5, 2006 at 2:12 am Link to this comment
Complete, articulate writing, amazing talent.
By James (Zantar) Loomis, April 5, 2006 at 1:55 am Link to this comment
Beliefs of any faith are the problem, Christian and Islam alike. Reason won the battle with faith a long time ago, but it doesn't seem to have seeped down or raised all boats equally. Awkward time in history, no doubt : We evolved to believe in Alpha apes in the sky, and matured to discover a whole different reality-Darwin and molecular biology.
By Phil C., April 4, 2006 at 11:24 pm Link to this comment
Best of luck with the new organization. I look forward to the opportunity to further the cause.
By John F. Howes, CPA, April 4, 2006 at 11:11 pm Link to this comment
It is enlightening to read your material. Rarely does one find someone who can articulate so forcefully about the irrationality of religion.
If you are looking for someone to assist with the compliance side of setting up and maintaining your non-profit, I'd be honored to help you.
By R. A. Earl, April 4, 2006 at 10:11 pm Link to this comment
Changing an attitude is a most difficult challenge, and changing the collective attitude of millions/billions of "sheep" seems an almost insurmountable obstacle.
And say, as with the KKK, the "religious" become humiliated and their numbers dwindle to insignificance, what then will the billions of superstitious and psychologically needy masses turn to for "spiritual" support?
It seems to me most humans have not evolved sufficiently to accept sole responsibility for their existences and behaviors. Most REQUIRE support to make it through. Removing Christianity and Islam without offering another opiate to take their places just won't happen, in my opinion. Perhaps the devils we know might prove preferable to the one(s) waiting in the wings!
However, I applaud Sam Harris' efforts and courage and wish him every success baiting his chosen bears. I do think, though, he'd be more likely to find a cure for the common cold or to reverse global warming.
By Nick Pavey, April 4, 2006 at 10:07 pm Link to this comment
More unassailable wisdom from Sam.
By tympanachus, April 4, 2006 at 10:06 pm Link to this comment
I'm reminded of Terence McKenna (http://deoxy.org/mckenna.htm) when I read Harris. Terence was filled with a similar enthusiasm for the prospects of humandkind though he professed a personal Eschatology that featured a near term (2012) singularity.
John Hogue also comes to mind. He has made this prophecy:
"The Aquarian age supports spiritual loners, not obedient sheep. As misfits, what spiritual rebels have in common is their differences. Anarchy is their unifying bond. They will never be soldiers of any Christ - Hitlerian or holy.
"The authentic gurus of the paradoxical Aquarian Age will not be Messiahs in the Picean role of savior, they will simply be the way-showers for those who are rebellious enough to seek their own truth. The 'Messiah' of tomorrow is not a man, nor even a son of man, but a spiritual force field generated by many human beings who share one thing in common - their individual search for themselves. Every seeker will be buoyed by the presence of the other's unique urge for spiritual transformation. Aloneness breeds togetherness. With their people, the Aquarian masters will dissolve themselves into a new phenomenon in the evolution of enlightenment, the mass presence of the greater Messiah called the Buddhafield.
"Unlike ashrams and monasteries of the past, this field is less a place, more like a wellspring of shared consciousness, where energies of many seekers pool together into a matrix of silent communion - a launching ground for a Buddhatomic chain reaction ~ where each seeker is capable of influencing 100 others to each 'turn on' 100 more seekers to an alternative, life-affirming state of awareness."
Harris may be building a foundation for a new high-gain node in the emerging Buddhafield. Or he may be lining up on a windmill. Needing some optimism, I'll expect the former.
By Anon Y. Mous, April 4, 2006 at 9:56 pm Link to this comment
i heart sam harris. keep up the good work sir, there are still a few rational minds out there.
By Pat Huntington, April 4, 2006 at 9:47 pm Link to this comment
People never really look at their own religion, nor at themselves in that context. Throughout the ages man has believed in a concept called God. He or she thinks this is necessary because life is a sorrowful affair, an affair of contstant battles, conflict and misery with an occasional spark of light, beauty and joy.
According to the intellectual capacity of the inventors of these religious formulas, the concept of God, the Savior etc. man has always been trying to reach a state of bliss or truth. The authors of these ideas and concepts have laid down either a system or a path that must be followed in order to achieve the ultimate reality. So man has tortured his mind through discipline, through control through self-denial, through abstinence, austerity—inventing different ways to approach that reality.
All the systems of the East and West imply constant control, constant twisting to conform to a pattern laid down by the priest, by the sacred books, by all those unfortunate things that are of the very essence of violence. Their violence is not only in the denying of the flesh, but also in the denial of every form of desire, every form of beauty, and in controlling and conforming to a certain pattern laid down. Then the disciples through cunning propaganda, through cunning ways of capturing the mind of man, establish a church, a dogma and rituals.
If people could just look at this, they would be able to see the absurdity of it all, intellectually, verbally etc. One can see the absurdity of having any belief at all; one sees the idiocy of any ideology. One can begin by denying the outward gods, with their priests—of any organized religion—one must completely deny these because they have no value at all. They have bred wars, have separatged men; whether in the Jewish religion, the Hindu religion, the Christian religion or Islam. They have destroyed man, separated man and are one of the major causes of war and violence.
So can we see the emptiness of our lives, and the shallowness of our existence? Americans spend more money on trying to fill this emptiness than any other country in the world. Is it not time to see through all this and discard all this nonsense. This does not mean that one becomes an atheist or an agnostic or that he or she becomes cynical or bitter. On the contrary, you can then see the nature of belief and why people make belief so extraordinarily important. It is because we are AFRAID. This is basically the reason. It is fear of the basic grind of life, the fear of not achieving physically, not having power, prestige and so on.
So why do we seek at all? Is it not for one's own self interest? Now that you have realized that, you can discard that as well. The fact is, it is necessary to discard all seekings. It is then that you can come upon the implication of the seeking something that you already know, that you have already lost, and you are trying to get it back. If you are "seeking" does this not imply that you will recognize it when you find it? The idea of recognition is the action of memory. The real fact is that you already have a concept or idea of what you are seeking. Therefore, what you are seeking has no real bearing in truth. It is just an idea out of your own memory.
Therefore, one must devlop that state of mind that is really free from all search, from all belief—without becoming cynical, without stagnating. A mind that is not caught in any form of belief, not caught in self-created belief, not seeking anything. . .is tremendously alive. Perhaps then you can see that truth is only from moment to moment. Like viture, like beauty, it is something that has no continuity, which is the product of time, and time is thought.
Keep in mind that all action is the result of ideation. Can you not see the possibility of having a mind that is very quiet, neither thinking or afraid, and therefore, extraordinarily alive and intense. True passion implies total self-abandonment. It is this kind of mind that can create a new society in which the activity of self-interest has very little place. It is only with this kind of religious mind that there can be peace both outwardly and inwardly. Without this striving, there will be true love in the world.
By Doug Stewart, April 4, 2006 at 9:45 pm Link to this comment
I have been following Sam Harris since his first appearance on C-Span He is, of course, right. My friends think I might be nuts, but I have been saying the same things for about 25 years.
But I think he cannot succeed. TruthDig's own statistics (only 3% rational in this country?) bear that out. Unless aliens land tomorrow and prove that the universe was not created for the exclusive use of humans, y'all ain't gonna get it!
It is not just the fundy Islamics, it's not just the fundy Christians, the fundy Buddists, the fundy Mormons,Sieks,Jews,Shintoists,Pagans,Hindus and on and on and on. It is religion that's the problem. Jesus said, "By their fruits shall you know them." What are the fruits of religion? Death, death, and more death. Remember that the first mass bombing in the U.S. was in Kansas City and created by Christians—NOT Muslims.
I support Sam and the few other voices "crying in the wilderness," but I doubt they will ever suceed. It seems we still need to be told and belive the old myths about where the lightning comes from, why there are catastophic storms, and why we ain't rich, and sombody up there likes us. Bull!
With the possible of WWI—an accident wating to happen and except for the Ottomans—What war hasn't been fought without a religous root? The American Civil War?—possibly. But the Southern fundys—who were literally correct in saying that the Bible supported slavery—were opposed by Northern anti-slavery Unitarians, Episcopalians, closet atheists, and others. WWII? Yes, but Germany was trying to impose an occult, pagan theology at least on it's own people. Go back before that and it's all religion—and to Islam, the Crusades are a current reality, not a footnote to history.
Spitiuality is something that fundys don't understand, and so they kill it whenever possible.And there is spituality outside of religion. Zen Buddists (NOT their fundys)come very close to the truth, I think, but even they have their own brand of fundys.
I do not thnk that humankind will find it's self or it's heart or it's reality until we release the superstitions of our ancient Neolethic campfires. And, Sam, I don't think that tme will be soon. If we survive the next 50 years, maybe. Maybe. I hope . . .
By Joseph Finn, April 4, 2006 at 9:29 pm Link to this comment
For all of my adult life I have asked myself why I do not believe in the ideas of the religious community. It is fundamentally reasonable to me that the worlds religions cannot all be correct.
Religion, I have come to understand is believing whatever you were taught to believe. Since I do not believe what I was taught, I searched and struggled to find something of value to believe in. My father said to me many years ago, "You must believe in something."
So, here is what I believe:
God is existence.
God is existence.
God is existence.
By demar, April 4, 2006 at 9:29 pm Link to this comment
As usual, Sam is clear. I look forward to hearing more about his foundation. Can you find another term? Politically correct is a bull shit way of condeming tolerance. Right wingers like it because it allows them to be racists and flog those who wish to be tolerant of others. Being tolerant of religous mumbo jumbo and other stupidities is something the world can not afford anymore. It's time for people to take a position. So from that perspective, tolerance is out the window.
By Ernst Lurker, April 4, 2006 at 8:59 pm Link to this comment
We cannot coexist with religious fanaticism, so we have no other choice but to bring all these medievalists into the 21st century. Tanks and guns are counterproductive, they only create more hostility. But a media blitz combined with humanitarian efforts would sound more promising. Our war on terror won't lead anywhere, but we can undermine the underlying fervor. The printing press took a long time to enlighten the Europeans who fought a 30 year religious war. We have better technology today.
By Joe DeAmicis, April 4, 2006 at 8:51 pm Link to this comment
I never could reconcile why people who exercise reason in most facets of their life choose to abandon it completely when it comes to their religious beliefs. I can only conclude that the concept of death without a nirvana afterlife waiting in the wings is so frightening that they willingly engage in massive self delusion. Unfortunately the consequences are leading us to a place where true morality is snuffed out in the name of religious dogma.
By Ted Radamaker, April 4, 2006 at 8:50 pm Link to this comment
I am proud to support Sam Harris in any way I can. From my first contact with his views to the present I haven't found anthing with which I do not agree. I wish him every success in his future ventures to make the world a more rational place. This was an excellent interview.
By David Hickman, April 4, 2006 at 8:45 pm Link to this comment
Awesome! This is the best thing I've read by Sam Harris to date, and he's written many good articles.
I think this article puts forth some of the clearest and most irrefutable arguments against the evil of religion that I've ever read.
By Ted Swart, April 4, 2006 at 8:43 pm Link to this comment
It seems that by sheer fluke I am going to be the first to comment. Let me say right away that it was a deluxe interview and I was much encouraged by the news that you have a new book coming out and that you are planning on creating an orgnization that will wage a war to propagate well-founded ideas.
By Albert Shears, April 4, 2006 at 8:41 pm Link to this comment
Sam: Make your next book" The new Bible for a modern world in which science has clarified many of the ancient questions which led to the formation of religion dogma over the centuries" Glad to hear about the Foundation. Quite a challenge. It is remarkable how people of faith in this world have the ideas they have when they look so stupid reciting their dead theses. Why hasn't man adapted as the world has modernized? Why have men kept their ancient ideas. It is very interesting.
By James, April 4, 2006 at 8:34 pm Link to this comment
As long as you don't suddenly take up cartoon drawing, I think you're in good shape, security-wise.
Looking forward to your upcoming book. Keep up the good work, please.
Thank you!
By email@example.com, April 4, 2006 at 8:17 pm Link to this comment
Voltaire, Robert Ingersoll, Bertrand Russell and now we have Sam Harris.
By Herb Stein, April 4, 2006 at 8:01 pm Link to this comment
Keep up the good work!
By lightiris, April 4, 2006 at 7:16 pm Link to this comment
As usual, you have done a beautiful job articulating what so many of us have difficulty saying. This is a beautiful distillation of basic truth that deserves to be read and reread. I so much admire your tenacity in forcing this much-needed dialogue into the open. Please keep doing what you're doing; I, and many others, so much appreciate your efforts and leadership.
By Bill, April 4, 2006 at 7:15 pm Link to this comment
Fix this paragraph:
Applying this to Islam, you say that given the tenets of a religion guarantee a place in heaven for martyrs, its no wonder we see so many Islamic suicide bombers. However, if the connection between belief and action were this absolute, then how do you explain the all Moslems arent suicide bombers?
By Pat Barton, April 4, 2006 at 7:01 pm Link to this comment
Faith is about comfort. And power. Comfort for the afraid. Power for those who know how to use the fear to build empires, big and little.
The universe is operating as matter run by physics, expands and retracts, life being created by chemistry. Who knows where, who knows why. Can the germ really understand the body.
The need to be important somehow creates the myths. I groped, you grope. Stop trying so hard. Be occasionally funny. We're just germs.
By Kathleen Abrams, April 4, 2006 at 6:50 pm Link to this comment
I think the athiest population is closer to 12%. It is the fastest growing "faith." More high school students are embracing athiesm. I think more people would become "believers" if they thought we were had a larger following. Everyone loves a winner! I suggest not marketing athiests as such a minority of 3%.
By Gilbert Labiaga, April 4, 2006 at 6:47 pm Link to this comment
Sam Harris is a force of reason. he can see the unreason of dogmas or religous fanatics. The world and humanity is in peril on the hands of both the muslim and christian loonies. We must join hands and prevent these crackpots before they detonate the nuke, because their God told them this is the right way to punish the sinners and by so doing earn them the right to heaven or is it hell?
Right Skyscraper, Site Wide
Right Internal Skyscraper, Site wide


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Video: "It's the end of change as we know it" if Brown wins MA
posted at 10:45 am on January 16, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
Give Mr. Hyperbole, Ed Schultz, his due here. First, he manages to stay within the bounds of reason in this clip, discussing the potential impact of a Scott Brown win over Martha Coakley in Massachusetts. He also argues, correctly, that moderate Democrats in states a lot less Democratic than the Bay State will have to rethink their position on the Obama agenda, even if Schultz laughably calls Joe Lieberman a "Blue Dog" Democrat. He only gets off base when he calls Obama's response "angry," when in fact "bewildered" looks more appropriate (via Mary Katharine Ham at the Weekly Standard):
The only way Schultz' prediction fails is if the red-state Democrats like Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, Evan Bayh, and others believe the spin that Coakley's loss is entirely her fault and not a reaction to the Obama agenda. Even lousy candidates get elected to statewide office in the Bay State as long as they have a D next to their name, however, so don't expect them to ignore the obvious. If the backlash to the Pelosi-Obama agenda can take out a safe Democratic Senate seat in Massachusetts — or even come close to losing it in one of the bluest of blue states — then moderates in red states like Nebraska, Indiana, Arkansas, and others don't stand a chance. They'll start looking for reasons to reassert their independence, starting with ObamaCare and continuing with cap-and-trade. Schultz is right — it will be the end of the Obama agenda as we know it.
But what does that mean for 2010 and Democratic leadership? Nancy Pelosi is probably safe for now, but Harry Reid may no longer be necessary. If the Senate can't get a health-care bill passed with 60 Democrats, it won't get one passed with 59, either. The reasons Reid hasn't yet admitted defeat for his seat in Nevada, where he polls below 40% now, are (1) he has millions in his campaign warchest, and (2) he can't push through ObamaCare as a lame-duck Majority Leader. The Massachusetts race shows fairly clearly that millions of dollars won't rescue a Democrat from the outrage that the Obama agenda has provoked, and Reid's continued presence has become an albatross around the neck of his son Rory, who wants to run for governor on the damaged brand of the Reid name. If ObamaCare runs aground, there isn't much reason to linger to November to take his well-deserved beating at the polls.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Whether you are a renter or a homeowner, effective climate control makes your home comfortable all year. Maintaining your HVAC equipment properly ensures that it continues to run reliably and efficiently in the most extreme temperatures of the season. For that reason, you should plan to have HVAC service on an annual basis.
During your yearly visit, your HVAC professional will:
- Perform a full safety check of the system
- Examine all components for damage or excessive wear
- Lubricate moving parts
- Clean coils
- Inspect ducts and vents
- Check connections to electrical or ventilation and tighten as needed
- Flush or clean drain lines
- Clean and inspect furnace burners
- Check and replenish refrigerant as needed
- Provide education on purchasing and changing filters regularly
This type of HVAC service extends the life of your HVAC system by reducing the friction on moving parts and identifying potential issues before they result in major breakdowns. System performance is improved since air leaks are corrected and components are unclogged. HVAC service provides early detection of any potential safety issues before they become dangerous to your family. The potential for breakdowns and short equipment life is greatly reduced with proper preventive care.
You can ensure that your climate control equipment continues to perform efficiently and safely by changing your air filters on a regular basis and scheduling a precision tune up annually.
Russell's Heating and Cooling has been providing outstanding service to the Hampton Roads area since 1977. Our award-winning work is backed by a worry-free guarantee to give you peace of mind when investing in HVAC service and equipment. To schedule your precision tune up or repair service, contact us today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HVAC service and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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|Preventative Maintenance image via Shutterstock


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The RJD old guard is unhappy with former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi's assertion that she and her sons would supervise the party affairs during the period of her husband Lalu Prasad's incarceration.
The day the designated CBI court at Ranchi sentenced RJD chief to five years imprisonment for his involvement in the fodder scam of 1994-96, party MP Raghuvansh Prasad Singh reached Delhi to attend a meeting of a parliamentary committee.
"The late Bal Thackeray was disenfranchised for six years by the Election Commission in 1999, but had continued to lead the party. Talk of finding a successor to Prasad at this stage is as outrageous as finding a replacement for a political leader or MP when they are on overseas visits. Prasad continues to remain our leader", Singh told HT.
An application seeking bail for Prasad is expected to be submitted in the High Court by Prasad's legal team on October 17.
Shortly after Rabri Devi told a television channel on Thursday that she and her sons Tejaswi and Tej Pratap would supervise RJD affairs in Prasad's absence, Singh decided to absent himself from the party meeting convened by her at Patna on October 6. Later in the day, she called Singh in an apparent effort to assuage his feelings.


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Metal Soldier: Walkthrough Guide, Hints and Tips
Metal Soldier
By: Diaz
Welcome to the Metal Soldier walkthrough! This will be a complete step-by-step walkthrough guide for the iOS and Android action game, Metal Soldier by Diaz. Here you will find guides such as videos, and FAQ to help you complete all the levels and missions with tips, cheats and strategy guides on how to beat each level of the game with ease all the way to 100% completion.
We're an online community for players of Metal Soldier who are trying to help each other throughout the game. In this community, you can share your gaming tips and chat with other Metal Soldier fans.
We would be glad to have your sharing on Metal Soldier walkthrough here. Please comment and post your questions, answers, cheats, codes, tips, tricks, or any kind of help you have for this game in the comment section below.
Game Overview
Metal Soldier is available on iOS. For more details on the app, check out our review.
- Publisher: Jiqing Zhang
- Developer: Diaz
- Genre: Action
- Release Date: March 2, 2017
Gameplay & Videos: See it in Action
Watch our videos and learn more about Metal Soldier.
Walkthrough Sections
Metal Soldier all levels is listed below.
Note: Many of the levels still need walkthroughs. If you know how to beat a level, then please submit your guide and share your skills with other gamers.
- Metal Soldier: level 1 walkthrough
- Metal Soldier: level 2 walkthrough
- Metal Soldier: level 3 walkthrough
Looking for a trick all your friends? Check out the Metal Soldier cheats list to find collectibles guides, easter eggs and secrets.
Still looking for help?
Get help and join the community! Share and discuss strategies for playing the game, and get help and tips from other players.


text:
English League Championship Standings
Championship News
Huddersfield Town in playoff final after shootout win vs. Sheffield Wednesday
Danny Ward was the Huddersfield hero as the Terriers booked their place in the Championship play-off final with a dramatic penalty shootout win.
Chinese investors Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li complete takeover of Reading
Reading confirm that the EFL has granted approval for Chinese brother and sister Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li to take a majority share in the club.
Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic: The better team lost playoff semifinal
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic said the better team lost as his club crashed out of the Championship promotion playoffs on Tuesday night.
Yann Kermorgant sends Reading through to Championship playoff final
Yann Kermorgant is one step closer to ending his career in the Premier League after firing Reading into the Championship playoff final.
Wednesday to assess Sam Hutchinson before play-off semi-final second leg
Aluko & Ilori square off in Championship playoff semifinals
Which of Africa's stars are still left standing in the Championship playoffs, as four teams become two this week?


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Testimony of Suzanne Wofford
Dean of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study
New York University
Before the New York City Planning Commission
For the Public Hearing on The New York University Core Project
The Gallatin School of Individualized Study is a small liberal arts college which is a part of the large research university that is NYU. We have 1400 undergraduate students and 200 masters students, making us about the size of Amherst College. With the help of faculty advisers, our students shape their own interdisciplinary courses of study, drawing on classes and professors from around the university. Our students take on average 50% of their classes in the Gallatin School, and 50% outside the School, selecting classes from all of the other Schools at NYU. Gallatin attracts highly qualified independent-minded students who include some of the very top-ranked undergraduates who attend NYU. To weaken our mission would weaken NYU both because of the loss of the ability to attract these students, who don't fit in traditional academic departments, and because of the loss of the interdisciplinary faculty, committed to research and teaching, whom we are able to attract.
The need for more academic space in NYU's core is very serious for Gallatin, and I would like to address four areas: 1. Student needs; 2. faculty office space and need for faculty growth; 3. Faculty recruitment; 4. Concern for our part-time faculty.
Gallatin Student Need for added academic space in NYU's Core:
As should be apparent from my description above, Gallatin students need to have access to classes from across the university. While some degree of movement over longer distances can be accommodated, classrooms that are in and around the core, for undergraduates especially, remain crucial for us to fulfill our academic mission. Students simply cannot build a curriculum involving classes in many different schools if they have to travel long distances between them. Already classroom space in the core is very limited, and were it to remain at the level it is now, it is clear that classrooms would need to be added at very significant distances from Washington Square. It would without doubt make our program more unmanageable and less attractive to students if they begin to find that they cannot schedule classes in close time proximity to one another. Gallatin is perhaps an extreme example of this problem, which presents an issue for all NYU undergraduates. Gallatin Masters students take about 85% of their classes in other schools, and for them, too, distant classrooms and faculty with offices in other parts of the city, would limit their ability to complete their programs of study in an efficient and timely manner.
Gallatin is committed to a small class model of instruction, and so we offer about 13 5-150 small classes a semester, each of which needs a classroom. If space for classes does not expand, we will be forced to consider abandoning a central part of our identity, and to turn to lecture classes that accommodate more students at one time and use fewer classrooms. Lectures are very valuable educational tools, and our students have this educational experience elsewhere in NYU. But we offer the small college experience to our students, and we stake a lot in our recruitment of top students on being able to offer small classes and seminars to students for those classes they do take in Gallatin.
Thus a significant part of our quality depends on access to classroom space, both in our vicinity for our own classes, and in the core for the courses taken outside our School.
In the Gallatin building, student space for learning, for collaboration, for classes and for workshops is very limited. Not a week goes by without a student lobbying me for additional space, whether for co curricular activities, or central academic ones. We await with eagerness the moment that the university can find additional space for some of the other academic units in our building, so that we can acquire one additional floor and to alleviate this pressing need. Only development like that proposed in NYU's Plan 2031 can in fact make this possible for us.
Faculty office space and need for faculty growth
We have now reached the moment where we have no new faculty office space in Gallatin or in rented space we have acquired to help deal with this space crisis. We have been supported by the university in expanding our full-time faculty in the past 5 years, an expansion important in part because it has allowed us to diminish our need for part-time faculty. Increasing the full-time faculty size is in my judgment crucial to continuing to maintain and increase our quality because our model depends on intensive advising, and full-time faculty are the only ones who can make the time commitments we need for high quality advising. However, we cannot hire new faculty without having office space for them. If things do not change, I predict that we will face a very real struggle to avoid a diminishment of quality. We also may have to return to a situation in which a higher percentage of our faculty is part-time. Across the nation it is clear that moving to as many full-time faculty as possible is seen as a goal and a value for universities, but in our case we have a university willing to move in this direction, and an inability of the School to do so because of the specific space limitations we face.
Faculty recruitment
One example: Two years ago I recruited a very high-powered chaired professor from another institution. This faculty member asked in the course of the recruitment process if I would promise that he/she would be able to have a windowed office in the Gallatin building. I was unable to offer this in the first year, but promised I'd find a way for the second year, and I was able to attract the professor to Gallatin. I would be completely unable to make such a promise today. Indeed, I would find it difficult to promise an office at all without displacing other faculty and asking lower ranked faculty to start sharing offices. While this may not sound terrible, I can assure you that nothing is more important, especially in New York City, for the success of faculty research, not to mention student advising, than sufficient private office space. Lack of space for growth at Gallatin will certainly have a very detrimental effect on my ability to recruit high quality faculty. All the deans face this issue very intensely if in our own ways. Faculty office space, and some of the related spaces needed for the research and work they do, is crucial to our success as a university.
Concern for our part-time faculty
A final concern for us as a school which continues to rely on a significant base of part-time faculty is the loss of available office space for them. Each year we have been forced to diminish the number of offices we can make available, and to diminish the hours that these offices are available for their use. This is a real hardship for our very committed and long-term part-time faculty. I respect them and value very highly their contribution to the School and to the learning of our students, and feel that it is crucial that we work immediately to alleviate this problem. The added academic space to be provided by the 2031 plan will allow all of the Schools of NYU in the Core the chance to have access to additional space which will, in turn, allow us to provide what would be a more appropriate amount of office space for our part-time faculty.
For all of these reasons, from the point of view of my School, I strongly urge you to support NYU's plan 2031.
Yours sincerely,
Suzanne L. Wofford
Dean, the Gallatin School, NYU


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Meet Lakeisha, a Bay Area-based woman who made this incredibly inspiring video of her journey at the gym to lose more than 70 pounds. What's great about the video is that it's not just a vain attempt to lose weight and look slimmer, but a glimpse into one woman's journey toward more self-confidence.
The effort was part of Give It 100, an initiative that challenges participants to try something new for 100 days and make videos of themselves doing it. Another one of my personal faves: the woman who learned how to dance.


text: I know, right? The guy is practicing 3axel-4toe and forgets the 3-2-2... I don't think anyone ever asked but I was so happy when Camerlango acknowledged in one of the articles that Plushy knew that had been a mistake so hopefully it won't happen again. He shouldn't have been thinking in that linear quad/no quad manner but making sure he milked all the points then added the quad. The other ****ed up thing was at Nationals that year he popped his first 3axel so he ended up doing the 3axel in the second half of the program. So his "mistake" program actually could've had a higher base value than his planned program. He easily could've moved one or two of his easier triples right after the halfway point... didn't someone say that his last jump in his program was actually later than Lysacek's last jump, only Lysacek had more jumps in the second half? I hate that CoP is more about who can crunch numbers than who has the ability, but it's on Plushy/Mishin for not having an expert give him some options for layouts that maximized points.


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Sony have released the debut gameplay trailer for their upcoming PlayStation 3 title, Rain.
Speaking about Rain, SCEE senior producer Florence Kum stated:
"The story of rain is the enchanting tale of a boy who chases after a girl with an invisible silhouette, After discovering that the girl is being hunted by ghostly creatures, he embarks on his own journey into the mysterious world of rain to save her and discovers he has also become invisible."
"Players will play as the boy, whose silhouette can only be seen in the rain. Using the unique ability to appear and disappear under cover players must learn to navigate through the unknown to advance. Just like in the real world, what can be seen isn't everything and using imagination is the only way to reveal the truth."
Enjoy the trailer and let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.
Source: CVG


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Schools Blocking Social-Networking Sites? A Good and Bad Thing, but Now a Solution
An interesting point was brought up in a recent article by Nicholas Bramble from Slate.com. In his article he talks about how students are being punished for posting inappropriate videos on sites such as YouTube, MySpace and Facebook. The content…Read More


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Discover what hashtags mean, and add your own definitions in seconds.
Discover what hashtags really mean.
Instead of voting down the only definition of this hashtag, scroll down and add your own!
Perhaps you want to vote up another definition, or scroll down and add your own?
#ROTFNL is an acronym for 'Rolling on the floor not laughing'. This type of floor rolling can be attributed to fits of pain, fear, anger, confusion, or even boredom. #ROTFNL is derived from the acronym #ROTFL which mean 'Rolling on the floor laughing.'


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Cronin to Speak at Fatherhood Luncheon
May 23, 2014
CINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati men's basketball head coach Mick Cronin will serve as the featured speaker at the sixth annual Fatherhood Celebration Luncheon benefitting Talbert House's Fatherhood Project on Friday, June 6. The event is from noon to 1:30 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati.
The event promotes the Fatherhood Project and brings awareness to the importance of a father's involvement in the lives of his children. Last year's event raised over $160,000 for the project.
The Fatherhood Project offers numerous resources to fathers in the community, including nurturing fathers classes, one-on-one coaching, fellowship support meetings and general activities as well as employment, legal and housing search assistance.
Talbert House is a community wide nonprofit network of social services that helps men, women and children across the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.
To purchase tickets to the Fatherhood Luncheon please click here.


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find the best hamstring stretch for you right here!
Men listen up!
It's a fact that most of you have short hamstrings. Sitting on chairs and running don't help. And did you know that testosterone makes men naturally less flexible than women?
Your short hamstring muscles can pull on your pelvis making it tilt. This in turn can give you grumbling lower back pain.
Do this hamstring stretch routine regularly and you can drastically reduce lower back pain. And you'll get less sports injuries.
And of course if you train in taekwondo and want to achieve that high axe kick- you need to get going with your stretching!
here's a standing hamstring stretch
Make sure you warm up before you stretch. Now put your foot on a wall or bar. Find something that is a comfortable height for you. It doesn't matter how low that is.
OK now stretch your arms up high into the air. And then stretch forwards. Try to keep your back straight.
You should feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. Stretch as far as you can and hold it.
Try to think about relaxing the muscle. Hold for 10. (20 if you can.) And come back up. Try one more and then do the other side.
Next have a go at a sitting stretching technique
OK try this.
Sit down with your legs straight out in front of you.
Now bend one leg up as far as you can with you knee out sideways.
Then reach up high and stretch forwards.
Try not to bend from your waist.
Instead try to stretch forwards from your hips.
And hold for 10
Repeat. Then do the other side.
Isometric stretching with a partner might work for you
This is a very effective hamstring stretch. You need a partner you trust and you must communicate with each other.
It's important that your partner doesn't stretch you too far.
Lie on your back with your pelvis level and straight. Lift up your right leg and keep it straight.
Get your partner to hold down your left leg and pelvis and put their shoulder behind your right leg. Now ask your partner to very gently push your right leg straight back towards your head. Keep your leg straight.
When the stretch starts to become intense ask them to stop there.
Now the isometric part. Gently use your hamstring muscle to push your against your partner's shoulder for a count of 5. And then relax.
Now ask your partner to push gently once again to increase the stretch on your hamstring.
Wait 10 seconds. Then repeat 3 times.
You should find that after the third set your hamstring stretch is much better!
return from hamstring stretch to stretching techniques page
Go from hamstring stretch to our home page


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Jan. 18, 2014
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery
Michigan used the starting lineup of Shannon Smith, Nicole Elmblad, Cyesha Goree, Siera Thompson and Val Driscoll. The group is now 5-1 as a starting unit.
With a career-high five three-pointers, Siera Thompson has now hit at least one three-pointer in all 18 of Michigan's games. Her 44 triples on the season is the second-best mark for a freshman in school history.
U-M held a 33-29 halftime lead, moving to 13-0 when leading at the break.
Michigan outrebounded Illinois, 40-22, improving to 13-3 when outrebounding an opponent.
The Wolverines are 4-1 in Big Ten play for the second straight season.
Cyesha Goree went for 15 rebounds, her fifth straight game with at least 10 boards.
Michigan has now defeated Illinois four straight times. Illinois leads the all-time series, 39-27.
Val Driscoll recorded her ninth multi-block game of the season with two blocks today.
U-M had 18 assists on 20 made field goals, its highest assist total since going for 22 against Southern (Dec. 20).
With four players in double figures, U-M moved to 8-2 in those games.
Michigan wore its white uniforms for the third time this season, going to 3-0 in white.
» Learn about Michigan women's basketball season tickets for the 2017-18 season.


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The Healing Waters of Manitou Springs: An Adventure in Taste
By Noel Black On April 19, 2012 · 6 Comments · In A Big Something, Awesome, Manitou Springs
As tourist season fast approaches, we tag along with locals Jim Jackson, Birgitta DePree, Don Goede and Warren Epstein for a tasting and tales tour of the gurgling fonts that give Manitou Springs half its name.
Here in Part 2 you'll learn which spring is most likely to make you angry and which spring is named after a long-forgtotten 8'6″ basketball coach. Enjoy!
The spirit of the spring infuses Don Goede with the courage to spit water upon an innocent bystander, Jim Jackson.
6 Responses to The Healing Waters of Manitou Springs: An Adventure in Taste
Gina Dellinger says:
Fantastic story! All of you have way too much fun! Thanks for highlighting another unique feature of Manitou Springs.
AnnaLucia says:
Love this!!! Now I'm going to go check out the various springs again with my wine glass in hand. (Always did it w/ the "hand cup" before.) Plus…love Jim and Birgitta and their sense of joyful adventure!
Pat says:
What a great cast of characters.Loved the humor!I'd love to see a third video on the rest of the springs.
Linda says:
Great commentary on the Springs of Manitou! Thanks for bringing us these delightful people and programs.
jennifer says:
Local writer Ethan Engel recently wrote about the waters in Manitou Springs: http://marmapoints.org/features/196-can-manitou-water-cure-what-ails-you
Mary says:
Partaken. 🙂
Spring drinking is a great way to play as you shop & eat your way down the boulevard.
And if you forgot your cup, I'm sure there are several places to pick up a souvenir cup, or a pretty one from the Artists Co-op. Better than a towel.
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KRCC presents ARLO GUTHRIE
Pikes Peak Center
Saturday July 13, 2013 8pm
reserved seating through Ticketswest.com
7th Annual Blues Under The Bridge – July 20th, 2013
WATERMELON SLIM & THE WORKERS, JOHN HAMMOND, BLUES CARAVAN W/ JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR, THE SLIDE BROTHERS, D.B. REILLY, and THE JUST US LEAGUE
www.BluesUnderTheBridge.com for festival information
KRCC Member tickets on sale for $25. General Public tickets on sale for $35. VIP tickets $91.50. Day of show tickets $40 at the west gate. Tickets available through www.TicketFly.com or at KRCC.
Pre-festival Party Friday July 19th from 5-8pm at the Wyndham Grand Mining Exchange with Watermelon Slim, and Big Jim Adams!
Pre-festival shows at Jack Quinns with:
BJ Estares and Route 66 on Wednesday July 17th at 7:30pm!
The Delta Sonics with Al Chesis on Thursday July 18th at 7:30pm!
Austin Young on Friday the 19th at 9pm!
KRCC presents TAB BENOIT
Colorado Springs, City Auditorium
Wednesday, July 31st
KRCC Member Tickets on sale now for $16 at the KRCC Studios.
General public tickets on sale through www.AMusicCompanyInc.com .
KRCC and the Fine Arts Center present VIEUX FARKE TOURE
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Monday August 5th, 7pm
KRCC tickets on sale now for $15 at KRCC.
FAC member tickets on sale for $15, and general public tickets on sale for $25 at the Fine Arts Center Box Office, or through www.csfineartscenter.org
KRCC presents DIANA KRALL
Pikes Peak Center
Wednesday, September 25th 7:30pm
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Pikes Peak Center, Saturday October 12th, 2013 8pm
KRCC member pre-show meet and greet opportunity 6:30-7:30pm – pre-show meet and greet tickets available for $40 to members ONLY at the station.
Advance KRCC member tickets on sale now through August 2nd through www.TicketsWest.com. Enter member promo code and click find.
General Public tickets on sale August 2nd, 2013
KRCC presents BONNIE RAITT
Pikes Peak Center
Wednesday, October 16th 8pm
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John Lewis sells the 8gb version for £250 now, http://www.johnlewis.com/23...
Is this a new version you've been seeing in Vegas?
Hi - No, it's the original model, which launched at the very end of 2011, as you pointed out. We were unreliably informed by the Product Managers at CES that it was not yet available here, which is wrong.
Thanks for pointing this out and we'll amend the review.
More information -
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Fluorescent sushi: experimenting with futuristic glow in the dark food
'Stop and Glow,' 'Kryptonite' and 'Not-in-California' are all dishes based on a new glow in the dark sushi. Laura Husband speaks to Zack Denfeld, one of the presenters of the 'Glowing Sushi Cooking Show' to find out whether fluorescent transgenic foods could become part of mainstream food culture in future.
Experimental gastronomy is slowly changing public perceptions about what is and isn't edible. Foods that traditionally get the taste buds going and saliva juices flowing are being turned on their heads and pretty much anything goes.
As founding director of Dublin's Science Gallery, Michael John Gorman said ahead of the EDIBLE exhibition, which took place between February and April 2012: "This is not surprising - we are unique among the eaters of this planet in our understanding of food, and the only species that can turn something dull and inedible into something tasty and nutritious".
The Science Gallery's first foray into food was co-curated by The Center of Genomic Gastronomy's Zack Denfeld and Cat Kramer, who are not afraid to delve into unchartered territory when it comes to creating new and unusual types of food.
In fact, some of the pair's experimental dishes could not be served at the exhibition because the main ingredients are illegal everywhere except for the US and Taiwan.
The ingredient is a fish that, when eaten raw and under a black light, emits a fluorescent colour as bright as a 1960s lava lamp. This special 'glow in the dark' fish can transform a meal into something more fitting for a futuristic sci-fi film than for the family dinner table.
Experimenting with biotechnology: turning pet fish into food
Glow in the dark sushi, or glowing sushi, "uses this strange ingredient called Glofish, which are transgenic zebrafish that have transgenes inserted in a range of colours", explains Zack Denfeld.
Glofish radiate a specific colour thanks to a fluorescent protein inserted from another organism into their DNA. A green Glofish, for example, has a green fluorescent protein from a jellyfish inserted to make it glow the colour of a gooey green slime. A red Glofish has a red fluorescent protein from coral inserted to make it glow a fiery scarlet red.
The Center for Genomic Gastronomy's glowing sushi dishes grew out of an interest in the debates about food and biotechnology. "We wanted to bring out that this technology is really exciting but there's also a lot of fear around it and it's going to be used in novel ways that aren't necessarily expected," argues Denfeld.
Glofish, for example, are typically found in US pet shops and aquariums rather than food stores because "the man that brought transgenic zebrafish to the US decided to market them as a pet rather than food".
Glofish are the size of a child's little finger and fluoresce very strongly under UV light, but lose their bright fluorescence when cooked. For this reason, The Center of Genomic Gastronomy created a handful of raw sushi dishes so that would-be diners could experience eating a glow in the dark meal. Zack Denfeld and his team demonstrate the dishes on their online 'Glowing Sushi Cooking Show' so anyone with access to Glofish can make them at home.
Glowing sushi recipes: how to make fluorescent food
One of the cooking show recipes uses a red and green fish to emulate a traffic light. It is called the 'Stop and Glow' roll and is based on a typical sushi roll.
Rice is shaped into a square and the red and orange fish are placed on top with seaweed. Finally the fish and roll are wrapped in place with a strip of nori. "Then we have the 'Not in California' roll, which is based on the hybrid recipe of a California roll of avocado and steak crabmeat and it's a cut sushi roll," says Denfeld.
The final dish, and arguably most creative, is the aptly named 'Kryptonite' sushi roll. A crushed green Glofish and wasabi powder are used to create a glow in the dark kryptonite paste. The raw fish is mixed with a pinch of the powder, added to water and stirred with a mortar and pestle.
"We put it on a cut cucumber roll so it looks like a mound and with the two types of green it looks like Superman's worst enemy," says Denfeld.
A niche cuisine for eating in or dining out
Glow in the dark sushi is undoubtedly a niche cuisine. But could it take off in mainstream gastronomy in future? Denfeld suggests it might be difficult for glowing sushi to become radically popular because the fish are only legal in the US and Taiwan. However, "some people [in the US] are trying it at home and there are some restaurants using it," says Denfeld.
He is interested to see how the dishes are being presented as he would like to make a ceramic sushi dish with a black light built in to make the meal come to life in a whole new way.
"I would be curious to see if people at home or restaurateurs are using a black light. You have those restaurants where you eat in the dark so maybe it could become an extension of that," he says.
The range of pet Glofish on offer has expanded since the cooking show's first episode in 2010, with new colours, including galactic purple and cosmic blue. There is even a new species of glow in the dark fish available, a tetra fish, which is rounder and larger than the original transgenic zebrafish.
"It seems like a new episode [of the cooking show] is needed so we'll have to wait until we go back to the US and can access the fish and then hopefully we'll be able to do a new one," says Denfeld.
The future of food: an imaginative gesture
One of the main reasons why the glowing sushi story is not yet complete is because The Center of Genomic Gastronomy has been busy getting stuck in to other culinary experiments.
"One really fun one that we did at the EDIBLE exhibition was the Vegan Ortolan project. We took the cruellest dish known to man, the French dish ortolan and challenged a chef to create something similar in terms of flavour, profile and texture out of vegan ingredients," says Denfeld.
The original dish involves force-feeding a small bird and drowning it in alcohol. Visitors to the EDIBLE exhibition were asked to eat the dish in the traditional way: "With a sheet over their heads to keep the flavours in and to hide their shame from God".
The brief for the EDIBLE exhibition, which included a video of the 'Glowing Sushi Cooking Show,' was to offer visitors an unexpected take on the future of food. Glow in the dark food may not appeal to everyone's tastes, but there is no doubt that glowing sushi offers "an imaginative gesture of what one [food] future may look like".
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Feb. 25, 2006
UAB-Virginia box score in PDF Format
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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Virginia hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat the UAB softball team, 4-3, Saturday morning in the Panera Bread Challenge. The Blazers fall to 4-2 on the year, while the Cavaliers improve to 3-2. The tournament will continue throughout the day. UAB is scheduled to face Bowling Green at 4:45 p.m. at Hargraves Field.
Sophomore Amanda Antonovich started in the circle for the Blazers. The Cavaliers jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the second inning. Catcher Michelle Salmiery started the rally with a single to left field. Erin Horn followed with a single up the middle to put runners at first and second with one out. Antonovich hit Lindsey Preuss in the back to load the bases for Whitney Holstun. Holstun hit into a fielder's choice to the shortstop that forced out Horn at third base and scored Salmiery.
The Cavaliers then pinch hit Lara Rodriguez in the nine spot for starter Jackie Greer. Rodriguez hit a single to left field scoring both Preuss and Holstun. In the inning, Virginia plated three runs on three hits.
The Blazers responded with three runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game. Sophomore Holly Krzan hit a double down the left field line to lead off the fourth. Freshman Andrea Rogers then walked for Nicole Whitlock. Whitlock, who entered the game hitting .412, followed with a double to right field to score Krzan. Antonovich helped herself with a two RBI double to plate Rogers and Whitlock.
Harris entered with game in a tough situation with bases loaded and only one out. She accepted the challenge forcing pitch hitter Elea Crockett to pop out to Krzan at the shortstop position and getting Meghan O'Leary to ground out to first to end the inning.
The Cavaliers tried to force across a run in the bottom of the sixth after Horn led off with a triple to right-center field. Harris remained calm and collected getting the two infield pop ups and a strike out to strand the runner at third.
In the seventh inning, UAB was one out from advancing to extra innings before Brooke Sorber hit a walk-off solo home run over the left field fence. The game-winning homer broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Cavaliers a 4-3 victory.
Offensively, Whitlock led the way going 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI. Antonovich was 1-for-3 with two RBI. She also pitched 3.1 innings allowing 5 hits and three runs.
Harris takes the loss for the Blazers and falls to 1-2 on the season. She pitched 3.1 innings allowing two hits and a run.
Complete coverage of UAB softball can be found at www.uabsports.com.


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Dog adoption saves lives. Adopt a dog and you'll have a friend for life! Contact us, or contact another local humane society, animal shelter or SPCA.
Adoptions across the country! Our Circle Of Hope network is physically in TN, VT, CT, ME and NH.
Our dogs can be fostered anywhere in the US but available to adopt to your area if they are not local.
Sorry, but at this time we are unable to adopt to MA and RI residents due to strict quarantine and re-vetting laws.
Most all of our dogs and pups are listed plus there is also an application.
Adoption fee is $450.00 which includes age appropriate vaccines, de-worming and spay/neuter. Dogs over 6 months of age are heartwormed tested and only those that are negative will be available for adoption.
Why should you adopt?
Dog adoption and cat adoption saves lives. Adopt a dog or adopt a cat and you'll have a friend for life! What is the difference between adopting a dog or puppy versus getting dogs for sale or puppies for sale from a dog breeder? When someone is breeding puppies, they are creating new dogs who need homes. Some people are interested in a very specific breed of dog or puppy and they think the only way to find that specific breed is to buy a dog for sale from a puppy breeder. Yet animal shelters are filled with dogs who must find homes. So rather than buying a dog or puppy for sale from a dog breeder, we encourage people to adopt a dog or adopt a puppy at their local animal shelter, SPCA, humane society or pet rescue group.


text: Welcome to Helman Group Ltd Helman Group (UK) Ltd are UK based protective clothing Manufacturers and Importers of a range of quality conventional, disposable and high visibility workwear. Helman were established over 25 years ago in the UK, and are well known in the safety and PPE market as suppliers of quality products. Helman offer a stock range of disposable and limited life chemical protective clothing including Du-Pont's Tyvek and Tychem coveralls and accessories and Helman's own MelloBrand disposable clothing range. Helman also offers bespoke made to order production garments to customers own specifications.


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Superior Cement and Lime Products
Products of choice for West Australian builders
The Builders Choice name may be new, but its range of superior cement, lime and dry mix products for the West Australian market is born out of a long and highly successful history in the industry.
A $5 million investment in the latest state-of-the-art machinery means that we now have the most sophisticated cement and lime bagging plant in the southern hemisphere.
Capable of bagging 2,000 tonnes per day, our Canning Vale factory is in full production. Our new range of bagged products includes a wide choice of cements, blended cements, hydrated lime and dry mix products to suit most building, construction and handyman applications.
This website provides technical, safety and packaging information on the full range of BUILDERS CHOICE products.
Retail enquiries for BUILDERS CHOICE products should be made to your local hardware, builders supplies or rural merchandise store. A list of authorised stockists is available here.
Trade enquiries, along with pricing information, can be made by calling our office on (08) 9334 4555 between 7.30am and 5.00pm WST Mon-Fri.


text: A man from Medway man accused of trying to run over an Orono police officer during a high speed chase has been formally charged with aggravated attempted murder. State police say Lauren MacArthur, 27, lead police through three towns during a pursuit on the highway in January.A trooper tried to pull him over in Old Town. Instead, MacArthur kept going and allegedly drove directly at an officer in Orono.Police say they stopped him after flattening a tire with a spike mat, then ramming into his car in Milford.MacArthur was indicted Wednesday by the Penobscot County grand jury on half-a-dozen other charges, too.


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BURRELL TOWNSHIP -- In the wake of the shooting tragedy in Newtown, Conn., the school board of the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District outlined its emergency preparedness plan in a public meeting Thursday evening at Blairsville High School.
Board members presented what plans are in place as well as changes that have been made to increase security within the district.
"We thought as a school board and the administration it would be a good idea to have a meeting to tell the public what the district has done and where we are at with our students and our employees," said board President B. Edward Smith.
Smith cited the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School as one of the reasons the meeting was organized.
"When I was a school kid, the three safest places you had were your house, your church and school," he said. "And today, all three are being invaded."
"(The school board) is fully committed to make our school the safest possible we can make it."
Business manager Eric Kocsis detailed recent changes to the schools in the district and how they have been made more secure. In 2009, construction began on the Saltsburg school buildings to have a secure vestibule built where individuals enter the school. Vestibules were also built into the Blairsville schools in 2010, and they ensure that visitors must now enter through the school offices and sign in before continuing.
Security cameras have also been installed in the Blairsville and Saltsburg schools. The Blairsville elementary, middle and high schools now boast 64 cameras, while the Saltsburg elementary, middle and high schools hold 48.
An identification card-swiping system for building entry was also installed in 2009, increasing building security.
"Since the 2009 construction," Kocsis said, "completed in 2011, there has been better security than there has been in the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District."
Highlights of the district's emergency preparedness plan were presented by Superintendent Tammy Whitfield.
Whitfield said the plan would be explained in general terms. No specifics were given, because once specific information is given, that leaves the plan and the school open to potential attacks.
No matter how many steps you take to harden a school, Whitfield said, there's always room for improvement. The plan is not all encompassing, but details clearly defined roles for all those involved in it, she said.
Currently, she said, plans are in place for scenarios dealing with assault, bomb/bio-terrorism, catastrophic events, abduction, fire, hazardous materials, pandemic/medical emergencies, intruder/shooter/hostage situations, bus incidents, suicide, weapons and weather events.
"As we started about three years ago to consider 'What if?'" Whitfield said. "We realized we needed more training."
Several training sessions have occurred since. In August, the state police conducted an armed intruder drill within the district.
All individuals involved in the emergency plan have also received National Incident Management System training. NIMS is an emergency management doctrine that helps coordinate emergency preparedness and response.
Basically, Whitfield said, it helps everyone to speak a common language. It unifies direction and allows for cohesive and comprehensive training, she said.
Police response time to an incident could be up to 15 minutes. During that time, control and management is up to the faculty and staff of the school. The need for all individuals to understand each other is important, she said.
Security and safety measures within the schools include security cameras, automatic external defibrillators, secure vestibules, appropriate signage, identification swipe cards, the Alert Now Notification System and comprehensive site plans.
Families in the district are familiar with the Alert Now system, which is often used to notify families of snow delays or closings. The same system can be used to alert parents in the case of an emergency at school within a timely manner.
Comprehensive site plans were made available to the police that allow them to know the school buildings inside and out. Every room is well marked with things such as numbers on the outside windows, giving police an easier way to identify locations.
"Our goal is to harden the site as much as we can," Whitfield said. "I can't honestly stand here and say to you, 'I guarantee 100 percent that nothing will ever happen.' There are no guarantees. But our goal as a school board, as administration, as a police department and as parents, is to help keep our children safe and to harden this site as much as possible."
"This isn't by any stretch a knee-jerk reaction to events that have happened recently," said Sgt. Michael Schmidt of the Pennsylvania State Police. "We've been in this process for at least two years or more."
The biggest hindrance to increasing school safety is funding, Schmidt said.
"You've got to put the life ahead of the money," he said. "(We need to) look out for what's best, not only for our students, but for our employees. Because we sure don't want anybody hurt."
It's a constant battle to keep schools safe, Schmidt said. An intruder will always look for the weakest link. There are hundreds of possibilities and not all of them can be addressed.
There are low-, mid- and high-cost safety options, but ultimately, it comes down to with what level of security is the public comfortable, he said.