text:
Tragedy is always a challenge, whether you are a believer or not. The believer's profession that there is a "good God" (a God of Love, even) appears, on the surface, to be contradicted by SOME of the facts of time. As we reflect on this tragedy we should bear in mind that we do not have all the facts and that, as finite beings, we do not see the 'beginning from the end'. The Father took an enormous gamble in endowing us (us= unwise, selfish, immature, shortsighted, damaged, and broken individuals) with free will but, in his infinite wisdom this obviously seemed like a good idea. He must have figured that he could make right whatever we do wrong, fix whatever we could break - make it "better than new" even, and was willing to suffer the mishaps of time and imperfection because there was something of inestimable value to be gained by allowing us to make mistakes - even terribly tragic mistakes. This is a SHARED universe and not everything that is done is God's fault, we must shoulder some of the responsibility for the tragedies that befall us. We cannot, or at least should not, use examples of tragedy to deny God's love or the efficacy of His divine will. Moreover, why should we allow the small, dark and bloody errors of the children of time to obscure the more abundant glory and goodness of God? He gave us OPPORTUNITY but how we use this is our responsibility. It's certainly not His fault if one of our brethren chooses the ways of darkness. However, in the midst of the darkness of despair brought down upon our heads by error, selfishness, and sin the true light of love, forgiveness, and hope blazes eternal. Only in the darkness do we discover the stars and only in the darkness of tragedy and suffering do we learn the true meaning and power of love and forgiveness. This is a tragic episode but, if we have the eyes, there is much that can be learned from it. In this time of darkness we might discover the spiritual stars (the fundamental spiritual truths) that will lead us to a better place, a better world - one where such tragedies are not merely no longer possible but actually inconceivable. So, let us pray, watch, wait, and prepare to retrieve the gems of wisdom from this unfortunate episode and use them to make a better, safer, and kinder world.
The Strange Preacher
Friday, 6 October 2017
Sunday, 23 April 2017
From Here to Eternity
Monday, 17 April 2017
The Search
Individuals are growing beings and their maturation cannot be artificially accelerated, nor can higher desires be artificially implanted but must spring forth from the maturing heart naturally as it searches deeper and deeper for sustenance [higher values and deeper meanings]. It is in the search, in reaching and stretching one's self, that one is transformed and grows. A person cannot experience [a higher] truth until there evolves a heartfelt, profound, and deep longing or hunger for it [deep calling unto deep]; without such hunger [the substance of things hoped for] it cannot become a personal experience; and the nutrifying and transforming effects of having thus found truth cannot become active. In essence, truth can effect no change unless there exists a genuine desire for it; sans such a desire it appears worthless.
Truth is found in and through the desire for truth. The experience of the hunger for truth is a revelation of truth. It is in the very search for truth that its transforming power is revealed. In answer to its summons individual lives and, through them, whole worlds are pulled out of the dark swamps of ignorance and bestial selfishness and up into the divine heights of spiritual enlightenment and celestial service.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Drawing the Battle Lines
The ideals of true religion are the only power capable of arresting the social cancer that is Corporatism and it achieves this a number of ways.
True religion destroys fear; more specifically, it destroys the fear of death. Furthermore, it seeks to dissolve our attachment to material things – thereby freeing us to live lives inspired by the appealing allure of noble spiritual ideals. If you are free of attachment to material things then the loss of them will leave you relatively unperturbed. Faith and trust in Karma, the assurance of divine justice [the moral equivalent of the material law of causation], instructs you that those who would dare employ violence to achieve their ends, eventually, reap as they sow. Awareness of this truth awakens you to the realisation that such individuals are not to be feared but pitied in their abject spiritual poverty and blindness and, regardless of their conduct and choices, to so live one's life that they in witnessing it are thereby illuminated and liberated.
By awakening us to the realisation that death is relatively inconsequential, and that attachment to material things is a liability to both peace and happiness, religion destroys the two great [arguably the ONLY] weapons the corporate powers possess: if they cannot threaten your life, property, or reputation then they cannot control you, and free agents - those who cannot be pressured [using fear and intimidation] or manipulated [by advertising and propaganda] into making the choice which the corporations want you to make - are a market liability. Without these weapons they are essentially toothless. Thus we become determiners of our own fate instead of being led to our doom like mice to the tune of the Corporate Pied Piper.
This is why religion has been the subject of ceaseless attack. We see celebrity atheists wheeled out daily to debate with, and endeavour to destroy the credibility of, respected theologians. They are brought onto talk shows and given air time to propound how only fools believe in the teachings of religion. Science and neoliberal ideology are their new gods and they are jealous ones at that – their worshippers cast scorn on all who bend the knee to 'other gods'. I will concede that once upon a time so-called atheists had an honest, noble, and noteworthy fight against the idolatry, hypocrisy, and inconsistencies that had come to infect religious institutions; but casting the baby, God, out with the bathwater of ritual, dogma, and creed has created other problems. This corruption of religious institutions had made them the enemy of freedom and therefore they became legitimate targets for critique and correction but we should learn to separate the institutions from the ideals upon which they are founded.
The spirit of truth animates all religions and guides all religionists. It is not surprising then that we find that all religions exalt selflessness and service, even while they decry selfishness and self aggrandisement. They promote familial concern for one's fellows and denounce the abusive exploitation of them in the blind pursuit of profit. They promote respect for all life, from the birds in the Heavens to the fish in the sea, and teach that this resource should be treasured and protected not plundered and destroyed. They teach self restraint and self control; they teach the pursuit of wisdom and the promotion of peace but such things are anathema to the corporate bottom line for whom the lack of self restraint is a source of profit and who would therefore prefer to keep us subject to impulse.
Ignorance and fear are key drivers of profit, hence the motivation to control education and information and promote fear, suspicion, and paranoia.
The very essence of all true religion [and even the findings of science have concluded the truth of this] is that we are all brothers and sisters, but it serves the corporate agenda that we remain divided: white versus black, rich versus poor, atheist versus spiritual, left versus right, Us versus Them. There is money to be made when we are at war with ourselves and one another. The minds deluded by war and strife do not profit therefrom, while those that do dread the thought that the people might wake up and realise that TOGETHER, united as one family, we can have a much better world than the desiccated piece of shit they are trying to ram down our throats!
The fact that religious organisations are sources of power [through their ability to organise people] makes them ripe for infiltration, corruption, and - consequently - abuse, all of which serves to undermine its power to effect positive social change by making people cynical when it comes to the stated ideals of these organisations. There can be no denying the damning failures of the institutions of something like the Roman Tradition: human trafficking, oppression of women, slavery, murder, torture, mass graves: systematic sexual and physical abuse of children, protecting sexual predators and facilitating their movement from one area to others – vile crimes worse compounded by trying to cover them up: collusion with state powers, to say nothing of evils of sectarianism, yet in spite of this virtually unequalled litany of horror and shame the current director of this tradition is quite vocal in his condemnation of inequality, poverty, environmental degradation, the vicious, heartless, and immoral exploitation of the vulnerable by the powerful, and the shame of war. But what does the media focus on - The present evils and future threats of corporatism or the past evils and future goals of religious organisations? Hmmmm…curious.
I read an interesting quote once, the originator of the quote has been vilified by the media – perhaps for good reason – I really don't know, but his observation is deeply instructive:
The originator was not Voltaire but was instead this guy. I don't know much about him but I like the quote.
Because of its association with Voltaire I presumed that the quote referred to the Power Elite of the institutions of the Roman Catholic tradition or to monarchy in general. I reflected on this pithy statement and came to realise that if it did refer to the power of Rome then those days are gone – given the daily excoriation of the Roman tradition and of the undermining of religion in general. Consequently, I pondered: if Rome is no longer in control then who is – who today are we not allowed criticise? Most certainly we could find our answer from the media – who are they not allowed to criticise, their corporate sponsors of course!
Malcolm X knew a thing or two about how the media can portray things:
So, according to the mainstream media – the purveyors of religion [promoters of spiritual ideals] are the bad guys and the corporations are here to make everybody rich and happy. In fact, corporations are so unbelievably all good that you can trust that they have everyone's best interests at heart; you needn't doubt them, you needn't question them. You don't need to regulate their actions or policies because they will only act for the good of society and the environment. Do you really believe this?
Unchecked power is a dangerous thing. It was dangerous for the church in Rome and it presents an even more ominous danger for us now in the hands of the corporate elite.
The level of power currently available to international corporations has never been seen before and the disasters that are likely to follow this foolishness are equally likely to be on a previously unimaginable scale.
The way people are inclined to interpret at this statement is that God will kick your ass if you disobey Him but that wouldn't be what Moses is getting at here. If we think of God in terms of Love and Life then to respect and honour such luminous spiritual realities is only natural to the human soul – it is not a matter of simple obedience.
The quote was taken from Deut. 11:26-28. You can choose to love life and to love Love: you can embrace it, honour it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it, share it, and you will reap the inevitable results of such conduct. Or you could choose the other way: you can forsake love and life; you can squander it, poison it, crush it, reject it, privatise it, and reap the inevitable results of such folly. "If you obey the commands of the Lord your God" for me translates into 'if you will follow the dictates of love then you will have entered the way of blessing': however, if you will refuse to abide by the dictates of love, then you will have entered the way of the cursed and tragedy ever attends such highways.
This admonition to be wary of 'other gods, which you have not known' speaks to me of how a people evolve from darkness to light, from ignorance to wisdom, poverty to power, and along the way there are made new discoveries, new insights, new understandings of life and the universe, all of which can crowd the mind and lead us to forget from whence we came and on what our existence is founded: Respect for Life and Love. And so, science emerges, unimagined riches emerge, new ambitions become realisable, new temptations, and all these things can be a distraction which lead us astray and off the path of blessing and into the way of the cursed. Consequently, people raise up new gods: wealth, power, fame, science, reason, and denounce those that will not bow down and worship with them; they forget the God that drew them out of oblivion and landed them on the path to abundant blessing and endless glory, and so they have gone off in a 'way of their own choosing'.
And so we find ourselves, lost in a post modern age: rich in information and poverty stricken in wisdom; first world materially and third world spiritually: our minds subject to the influence of a compromised and corrupted media that, at the behest of their corporate overlords, tell us what to think, what to buy, when to buy it, from whom and where. It is they that decide who we can and can't vote for: who we can and can't trust; who we can speak to and who we can't: what we should and shouldn't read, and, most of all, who the enemy is.
We are indeed, at a parting of the ways, what are we going to do? Will we follow the dictates of love or the dictates of fear? Do we even know what we really and truly want? Have we ever taken time to sit for a moment in the stillness and see if we can't hear that small, still voice – the humble and gentle voice of truth or have we, through the noise, distraction, and blinding glamour of post modern living, forgotten how to do this 'needful thing' which all the traditions teach is essential to our wellbeing and happiness? Do we really want this pre-packaged, highly processed, husk of a life (currently on offer) or do we feel that there's a better deal out there which, if we work together, we can most assuredly get?
Remember, the secular freedoms of the post modern age were not simply handed over by the church - they were bought by the blood of martyrs. Don't imagine that our corporate overlords of our day will be any more generous [or less violent] than the clergy in their day.
So, what's it going to be: take what they chose to give you or fight for something far better?
Posted by Barry Culligan at 06:45 No comments:
Labels: activism, Chris Hedges, Corporatism, corruption, democracy, mainstream media, neo-liberalism, power elite, spiritual poverty, the way of blessing, the way of the cursed, true religion, wisdom
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
The Jaws of Defeat
Monday, 27 February 2017
Neuro-physical Factors in Religious Thinking - Redraft
Some time ago I was invited to a conference entitled: Religion, Conflict and Peace: Global Perspectives. These subjects have fascinated me for some time and it was while studying for my post grad in Ecumenics that I acquired an insight that forever changed my understanding of these issues. I have been fascinated by the functions of the brain since I was a child. My interest sprung from my mother's struggles with mental illness. My interest in psychology, personal development, and the functions and potential of the human brain has continued unabated since those early days. I was particularly thrilled with the advent of fMRI and other marvels of modern science that have allowed us to peer into the working brain.
We have learned some remarkable things from these investigations and the findings are fomenting tremendous philosophical and spiritual debate. I wanted to do a Masters on the correlation between neuroscience and spirituality, with the central focus being on how spirituality/religion affects cognitive functions - more precisely, I was interested in the correlations between the scientific paradigm of Emotional Intelligence and the spiritual goal of the actualisation of the higher or divine self [the attainment of spiritual maturity], with specific interest in exploring the spiritual and bio-mechanical underpinnings of this endeavour. Sadly, I couldn't secure the support for this enterprise but while attempting to make this happen I discovered something, arguably, more profound and unsettling about the role neurological factors play in the evolution of religion, conflict, and peace.
We are all well aware that the human organism is subject to the operations of several key drives that are hardwired into the brain. The most well known ones would be the: Fight-or-Flight Response, biological triggers/compulsions of hunger and thirst, and of course FEAR. We understand that damage to the brain can impair us in a variety of ways in terms of: speech, movement, reasoning, empathy, learning, memory, mood, temperament, and that in the absence of a functioning brain we are reduced to the status of vegetables.
Considered spiritually, the human being can be understood as a type of triune entity – a being that exists in three inter-related dimensions: material, intellectual, and spiritual, all of which are unified through the function of personality – that volitional, controlling, and uniquely identifying element that makes the three One. Scripture viewed human being as a simple dichotomy: the Body/Temple/Vessel of Clay and the indwelling and distinct Living Being and this is a serviceable paradigm but it has its shortcomings.
These distinctions give rise to questions: If the material body is an instrument for objectivising the will of the supervening personality what factors should we be aware of in its employment? Are there practices, conditions, or factors that enhance the will or mitigate against its function? We know, for example, that physical and emotional trauma can adversely impact cognitive function; sometimes in ways subtle and sometimes in ways not so subtle. It is therefore reasonable to ask in what way these factors might impact the formation or the spiritualisation [idealisation] of our identity.
Given that neural dynamics play a crucial role in healthy and efficient cognitive function the spiritual implications of the brain appears to be inescapable. Can we be sure that the brain isn't tricking us into the belief that we are being guided by our spiritual principles when, in fact, we are being guided by very subtle biological inclinations? Isn't it altogether possible for us to misconstrue biological inclination for spiritual impulses? After all, haven't the prophets taught us that 'the heart is deceitful above all things and even desperately wicked,' ever leading us astray? Is it possible to discern the yearnings of the flesh from the 'urging of the angels'?
I am reminded of an old saying: 'the best trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist'. It could certainly be argued that the greatest trick ever pulled off by the brain is the belief that it doesn't influence our thinking processes and decision making.
The insights afforded us through contemporary neuroscience tells us that such a belief is an illusion, our neural wiring has a far more profound and extensive influence on the operations of our cognitive functions than we realise and these facts present disconcerting implications for theologians and will inevitably generate considerable cognitive dissonance among religious thinkers – at least until we have fully metabolised the implications of these facts.
My insight into how all this fits together began during one particular class while studying for my post grad. I'll be first to admit that I have been shining my boots on the backsides of the institutions of Rome since I could understand the word 'Hypocrisy'. No one was more vociferous in their condemnation of Rome and her servants than I. However, I had an unusual reaction once while in a room surrounded by individuals that were either not brought up in the tradition or had made an open break with it. The speaker offered patronising commentary on Catholicism, which was picked up and amplified by the group. I was suddenly and unexpectedly seized by disgust and contempt and felt immediately defensive. I was shocked at these feelings; shocked, not only that I wasn't joining in and being the most condemnatory voice in the group but, that I felt the urge to defend my tradition [my people] from these naysayers. I was utterly paralysed between what I was observing and what I was experiencing and so remained in bewildered silence.
This stayed with me for some time. I reflected upon it. I endeavoured to digest the experience by discussing it with friends. I recognised this defensive feeling as a familial feeling. As an example of this type of feeling I will use a hypothetical family member. I can criticise family members all I want: X is lazy; X is stupid; X is a grasping, greedy, lying, selfish, money grabbing, little so-and-so. However, the moment someone from outside the family says the exact same thing, even if it is factually true, I get immediately defensive. It is acceptable to me and for me and mine [the In-Group] to make such assertions but not for anyone outside the family [the Out-Group]. The very fact of their Out-Group status makes their assertions appear hostile, ill-advised, rooted in ignorance, and maliciously intended. We feel this engage when someone from outside our neighbourhood criticises our neighbourhood, when a daughter that is critical of her mother hears someone else criticise her mother, as we watch our team suffer defeat and have to endure the taunts of a pundit or some other Out-grouper, we hear it in the speech of our fellows: We did this, We lost, We were in trouble there. The ups and downs of the We is a visceral experience regardless of the fact that the 'I' of this equation had no material hand, act, or part in the achievement of the asserted We.
The We experience is wired into a simple philosophical inclination: All-for-One-and-One-for-All, such that if you attack one – you attack us all, conversely – if you attack US ALL you attack One, meaning that I personalise [internalise] the feeling – I feel this as an attack on ME/US and react out of the inherent neural defence mechanisms.
Examples of the operations of this dynamic abound and it is rooted in what I call the neurological entity of the Host Identity/the US/the Blended Self [in the parlance of Social Theory it is known as the In-Group]. A functional example to highlight this would be the parent-child relationship. A child is nurtured in the womb for X number of months but upon being born it is still dependent upon the nurturing care of the parents. The Parents take over the role of the placenta/womb and, in the case of caring parents, they become - in a very real sense - an extension of the child's immune system; they will vigorously defend their child's well being and go to great lengths to nurture it. Even though the child is a physically separate entity, it becomes a living part of the hosts; a neurologically encircuited active and integrated value within the Host Identity of the In-Group called Family.
The nurturing In-Group expands outward from immediate family to extended family, to the larger Community to which we are attached. It has experiential roots in family, and it is therefore unsurprising that the reality and concept of Family is primal in dignity and power in the wider context of culture. The growing child is supplied with a cultural matrix that nurtures and forms identity; while the adult [ideally] has a cultural matrix that facilitates the actualisation of its highest self. These matrices are absolutely vital to our well being. We acquire the essentials, and a few luxuries, of life through group association; Group belonging is essential to survival, especially so for children. The brain understands that it exists and survives because of [owes its life to] the Group/Host Identity.
The Host Identity establishes the Key-Note, the contextualising value, of a system. Just as the child is a very real subset within a larger In-Group system the Host Identity likewise exercises a determining influence in the operations of a system and of the individual's role within that system. It is worth bearing in mind that the things, events, and forces that affect the H.I. positively or negatively can affect the individual in-group member with just as much force as if those forces were acting upon the members own child.
The fact that the sense Host Identity is as visceral and evocative of emotionally rooted behaviour as is the connection with one's own child is easily proved.
The In-Group can comprise Family, School, Team, Company, Religious Grouping, Profession, Political Affiliation, College, Nationality, Race, ideological persuasion, you name it. The neural circuitry of the In-Group is integrated into the deep brain [most likely the Limbic System], much lower than our higher cognitive faculties, and can therefore solicit aggression from otherwise peace loving individuals. Consider the gentle grandmother who enjoys knitting booties for the grandchildren upon whom she dotes; now consider this same grandmother pitch-side when one of her little darlings is playing an important match and a member of the opposing team [an out-grouper] fouls them. Her language and demeanour change. She becomes flush with rage and screams obscenities at the offender, the referee, the opposing team, and the whole area they are from. Were the offender close enough she'd should him what a foul was! This is the same lady who, under ordinary circumstances, wouldn't say boo to a goose but through the operations of deeply rooted neural circuitry is transformed into a vicious defender.
As another example, any one of us may have been subject to aggressive or intimidating behaviour but we'll most often just talk our way out of it or find some way to defuse the situation with a minimum of discomfort. We are not as motivated about ourselves as we are about our In-Group because the brain sees the In-Group as more important; it places a higher value on the In-Group than on individual. Our In-Group loyalty can veto our instincts for self-preservation and give rise to what we generally regard as selfless behaviour; that is behaviour that seeks to preserve and enhance the In-Group regardless of the consequences to the individual self. This particular type of behaviour is universally regarded as the highest virtue; while the most heinous of sins is to place the self ahead of or above the interests of the In-Group; to enrich oneself at the expense of the In-Group.
What is significant about this is that the same neural Self-Defence mechanism or circuit that operates to effect self-preservation engages when we fall under the impression that the In-Group is under threat – the brain has no alternative mechanism. The brain translates the 'I' into the 'We' - the Blended Self/Host Identity - and acts with the exact same neuro-biological mechanics and power as it would when the higher cognitive functions lose the upper hand to Panic. The potency of this dynamic is bound up with the fact that to the brain the In-Group has as a higher value than just the self; the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few is a value that is hardwired into the brain.
We should bear in mind that, in a normal person, during times of Panic all higher cognitive functions become subservient to the lower brain. It is older and, from an evolutionary perspective, far more effective in getting out of dangerous situations. It is non-reflective, instinctive [automatic or practically so], and therefore much faster than the higher cognitive faculties in dealing with unexpected emergencies; more definite in decision and therefore not prone to 'freezing'; and absolute in its prerogative to survive at all costs. However, when the individual feels that the In-Group has become prey to perceived threat from an Other the Panic experienced is of a different order: it is the survival of the Group that is at stake and therefore the self vanishes in significance, the self becomes utterly absorbed into the goal of defending the In-Group; the line between Self and the H.I. is blurred and the full cognitive and physical resources of the individual are put at the disposal of the H.I. Remember: Under such circumstances it is not just you that is in danger but your entire support network: your children, siblings, parents, country, your 'way-of-life', your values, the memory and sacrifices of your ancestors, everything is in danger of being effaced, and the profound urgency communicated by this sense of danger exerts a tremendous mobilising effect on the cognitive capacities and physical powers of the individual. Consequently, we could say that the presence of the self is inversely proportional to the value of the perceived threat and we can argue this position as the actions during times of such stress are very highly automatic, pre-programmed, such behaviours result from pre-established programs embedded in our neural circuitry and have little, if anything, to do with our conscious [higher] minds.
Community is inevitable and fundamental to our existence and identity. Its primacy is early programmed into our sense being. We early learn to appreciate that our existence is an effect [a function] of the existence of the Group. We reason, however poorly, that one [I] cannot exist without the other [the In-Group] and this has profound implications in terms of identity formation, one's sense of duty, and the horizon of your moral cosmos. After all, without the Group – what am I?
All In-Groups have their defining characteristics. Membership of a group is dependent upon shared values, ideals, and beliefs. Outsiders are regarded with suspicion until their orientation and alignment with group values become known. Membership confers rights and responsibilities, privileges and obligations, opportunities and protections; all of which have a cost, refusal to conform sets in motion a series of progressive punitive measures culminating ultimately in the loss of group membership [ostracism/expulsion/death].
One can be born into a group or adopted by it. Being born into a group inevitably entails involuntary subjection to the consciousness/identity forming elements of group customs and conspires to effect the fluency of the individual in the customs, values, ideals, and the historical narrative of the group identity, all of which serve to contextualise the individual's identity [their origin] within the meta-narrative of the Group – establishing a shared identity and destiny. The group, quite literally, becomes our world in that it establishes the horizon of cultural experience [at least in youth]. Adopted members must swear oaths of allegiance and undertake to abide by the rules, live by the values of the host group, and, if necessary, defend with their very lives the welfare of the group. All groups have their creeds and their codes: Biker gangs, Freedom Fighters, Nations, Religions, even the Boy Scouts.
The global community of Christendom is divided up into many - [largely] mutually exclusive - 'nations', whose borders are defined by their respective creeds and codes, many of whom who have made salvation and passage into communion dependent upon the willingness of the prospective member to subscribe to their particular variation of their respective creeds and proscribe and reject everyone else's; a salvation by right beliefs sort of thing. The fact that these structures are found repeatedly in such endless profusion [across all races and cultures] is not a coincidence– it has a biological root. It is the stamp that indicates the operation of deep neurological circuitry.
So, what can all this teach us about religion, conflict, and peace?
Let us take Catholicism as an example. It is best that I do as I am a member of that family, [albeit that I am one of the black sheep] and can therefore speak with relative impunity – as one family member speaking about the others. For now, at least, they haven't kicked me out. Though, realistically, it's only a matter of time really, and after this article I doubt I'll be welcomed anywhere else.
The Catholic Church, the institutions and ideologies of Rome, all her servants high and low, and the lowly flock she shepherds, is one enormous Host Identity. It has its defining features that make it distinct from others but at heart it differs in words only; structurally it is largely the same. Protestant groups have their creeds and codes to which you must subscribe if you are to be adopted by their community. The nation of Ireland or Russia presents their demands to any prospective citizen. Citizenship is only a right to those born within the community, everyone else must earn the privilege; the means of earning this privilege varies from place to place.
When one In-Group shares the same living space with other and competing Out-Groups, the neurological dynamics of Dominance come into play. A key driving factor in this interplay between groups is the process of internalisation of Group Identity through which 'I' becomes 'US/WE' wherein and whereby an individual learns to contextualise their existence by means of the cultural instruments of the In-Group or, put another way, the individuals identity becomes encircuited into the Host Identity such that their fates are seen as identical. Dominance behaviour is rooted in our biology; it is a key step towards securing unfettered access to the perceived limited resources of an environment. Dominance is little concerned with things like: Fairness, Justice, Karma, Morality, Ethics, Mercy, and Goodness. These ideals and values are discerned by the higher mind. The biologically dominated brain is single minded, crude, and brutal. Morality is a blessing bestowed upon the faithful [loyal] members of the In-Group.
During the struggle for dominance the bestial comes to the fore, albeit that it often appears in the habiliments of self-righteousness – more than figuratively, the wolf of biological inclination in the sheep's clothing of the raiment of cultural sophistication. When, for example, the Catholic Church is perceived to be 'under attack' from an 'ISM' of one form or another, the neurologically rooted self-defence mechanisms engage [the exact same mechanism that engages when two people (or peoples) fight or prepare to fight]. The brain immediately screens all knowledge of the Other/Out-Group for weaknesses and amplifies the supposed 'wrongs' suffered at their hands [the biological roots of prejudice, this same screening occurs when two people argue] and concocts a multi-pronged plan of attack involving rhetoric, invective, threats, intimidation, deception, aggression – exactly the sort of behaviour that animals demonstrate when they find themselves in strange territory and feel inclined to assert dominance for fear of appearing weak. There is much bluster and locking of horns, albeit that this occurs on a much higher intellectual plane.
Religious 'nations'/In-Group Identities/Host Identities like Catholicism or Protestantism do not war as might England and France with weapons of steel and fire, their wars are fought using different means but the desired result is usually the same – the extermination of the diseased vermin that is the Other, and the mechanism and values that drive this behaviour in both parties is identical. A brain engaged in hostility naturally dehumanises the Other. The defensive brain creates highly simplified and distorted characterisations of the Other [exactly as occurs when two people argue]: this helps dissolve empathy and is the biological root of institutional racism and sectarianism. Group Alpha's set the tone, inculcating group hate, group animosity, group acrimony, through consciousness forming propaganda that demonises the other; covertly or implicitly in times of 'peace' or overtly and explicitly in times of 'war'. Like the Wasp Queen, she sets the mood of the nest. If she's stressed, everybody gets stressed. If she's at ease, everyone will feel at ease. If she says 'FIGHT!' everybody gets out and fights.
The images of the Other concocted by the stressed brain are stereotypes: simplified, shorthand symbols referring to threatening entities or competitors for dominance [persons or groups]. Stereotypes emerge from within In-Groups, they require the over-arching context provided by the Host Identities in order to be intelligible. Stereotypes are usually highly simplistic and drift easily into gross misrepresentation. As symbols their roots can be traced to the emotional functions of the Limbic and the symbol making Right-Brain systems – the long and arduous path across the higher functions of the pre-frontal and orbito-frontal cortex and language and logic centres of the Left Brain means that logic and rationality are often not a part of these exchanges.
Stereotypes are an attempt by the subconscious of 'one' [some group Alpha] to effect the conformity of consciousness, to co-opt or entrain the consciousness of an 'other' in the In-Group and thereby seek to establish the behavioural standard of one [favoured] group toward another [ill favoured] group. This is a key step in the effecting of the dominance of one group over another. Dominance is not about respect, it is about control of perceived limited resources, and is ultimately rooted in fear of death/extinction. Such behaviours have their roots in our biology, not our pneumatology. It is significant that we are emotional beings long before we ever learn to be rational beings. The simplistic emotional 'logic' of the brain I term 'Bio-Logic' and unless we are specifically trained otherwise bio-logic is the default operating system of most individuals.
These factors highlight the necessity of transcending biologically rooted self [the Ego] and one's Host Identity as a prerequisite for the apperception of truth and, furthermore, indicates the value of the quest for the ultimate meta-narrative of the whole of Creation and the super Host Identity of the Great Cosmic Brotherhood that it promises.
Dehumanising and objectifying the Other dissolves and dismantles any moral quandaries or apprehensions that may exist about executing violence and injustice against the Other. The In-Group is always seen as noble, pure, honest, brave, loving, worthy, while servants of the Out-Group are depicted in opposite tones: ignoble, corrupt, cowards, hate filled, wretched, poisonous, treacherous. They are said to 'hate us and all we stand for', they are toxic, association with them is dangerous, their disease is infectious, contact with them must be avoided at all costs.
The biological program of the Host Identities is predisposed to suspicion of aliens and is naturally primed for defensive behaviours upon contact with perceived potential 'competitors'. Outsiders create stress in a system because their alignment with the values and ideals of the group is unknown. In the absence of information systems tend toward chaos, and the absence of information on this issue fosters mistrust, suspicion, and paranoia, and motivates the In-Group to establish a 'polarising filter' through which the 'outsider' can only pass by projecting or assuming 'shapes' and/or 'positions' familiar to the interrogator [oaths of loyalty – tests of fealty]. Inability to meet the established criteria triggers an escalation in defensive measures. Inability or unwillingness to conform may have fatal consequences. Political, religious, and economic imperialism can trace its roots back to this biologically rooted urge to dominance and desire to establish conformity.
When the Protestant identity first emerged from its Host the birth was brutal and bloody. The off-spring was immediately perceived as an enemy – a competitor, a threat to dominance. The Host being actually dominant spent considerable resources in its attempts to destroy the child it gave birth to but to no avail. The child was found to be vigorous, inventive, highly adaptable, and utterly indomitable.
Outside of the physical implements of war employed by the servants of Rome there was considerable theological rhetoric: justifications, defences, propositions, attacks, apologetics, not to mention excommunication. The purpose of this was to bolster the identity of the Catholic In-Group with the intention of undermining the Protestant Out-Group. A considerable amount of ink has been spilled in service to this agenda. This fact proves that much of what passes for theology has its roots NOT in our pneumatology [our relationship with the spiritual and things divine] but in our biology [the bonds of the flesh that tie us to matter]. Our brains have very successfully deceived us into thinking that our reasoning served a higher purpose, that we were 'doing God's will' but little did we realise how profoundly true was the declaration 'the heart is deceitful above all things', for in this insight do we discover that though people felt that they were acting in service to God or a higher and noble calling the fact remains that they were still servants of the flesh and not the spirit.
The animosity that exists between the Religious Host Identities exists not in the Host itself but in the hearts of its component members. Host Identities/In-Groups are not hot houses or incubators of divisive and exclusivist theology, moreover these divisive and exclusivist theologies are simply a testament to FEAR; the fear of the Other felt by its members - which exists in direct contravention of the universal brotherhood taught and lived by all spiritual masters. Religion did not invent these things. Religion can't. Religion is not a person. Religion has neither reflective moral imagination nor free will. On macroscopic levels H.I. exhibit animal like behaviour and the reason for this can be found in the beating heart of the animal that gives life to the system.
So here we are. It was once said that 'That there's only enough religion in the world to make us hate one another but not enough to make us love one another.' The line of reasoning that I have herein outlined proves that the hate is not endemic to religion but is sponsored by the fear dominated heart of the instruments of the Host Identity. It is in our very own hearts that we find the roots of invective and aggression, the will that facilitates and fosters institutional racism, sectarianism, and imperialism.
In the fear driven human heart is to be found the seed of many of the world's troubles but it is equally in the fear purged heart, the heart inspired and illuminated by divine spiritual ideals – a will liberated from the bonds of the flesh, is to be found the cure for all that ails her.
Under such conditions, as evolving, self directing imperfect beings, conflict is inevitable but as the race matures, and we come to understand ourselves more fully, peace will be attained, first personally – on an individual, person by person basis, and thereafter socially as these healthy beings come together to form healing wholes.
This insight strikes, with lethal force, at the biological root of theological arrogance. It does not kill identity or tradition. It does not make them null and void. It contextualises its role in our evolution and helps us distinguish between good [spiritually infused] religion and bad [biologically rooted] religion. It allows us to re-contextualise religious, political, and economic imperialism; allows us to understand history anew and to envision a far better future than ever we could and do so with the realisation that such a future is truly attainable.
There is much here that I have not touched upon: the spiritual significance of Loyalty and how In-Group loyalty sets the defining meta-narrative for sin; The phenomenon of the Internalisation of Identity; The political, social, economic, and religious implications and possibilities inherent in internalisation and self transcendence; Self: knowing, understanding, directing; considerations in the synchronising of the material self with the divine/higher self; Transcending Self, Host Identity, and attaining membership of the Host Identity of the Cosmos.
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Heavenly Things
In John 3:12 we read these intriguing lines: "I have told you of earthly things and you have not believed; how much more so would you not believe were I to tell you of heavenly things?" This sentence teaches us much about the Master's mission on earth. His mission can be summed up into three key revelations. First, was his revelation of the Father: he showed us what God is like when he portrayed the God of boundless love, limitless mercy, and endless devotion – declaring that 'you that have seen me have seen God.' Second, he taught us that we are the children of the God he came to reveal. And thirdly, he taught us how the children of God live and conduct their lives: "Love one another as I have loved you."
It is hard to imagine what must have been going through the mind of Jesus when he was deciding on the portrayal of the Father he would make. We do know, however, that he went with the conservative option. We know this because at key points in his life - when faced with unbearably difficult decisions, when he was torn utterly between his longing to help his fellow man and his aspiration to abide in all things by his Father's Will but couldn't decided either way yea or nay, he retreated into the Father's Will and in pretty much every single case the Father decided YEA! Jesus chose to portray the Father as solemn and devoted. I'm sure he knew his audience well and figured that this portrayal would work best, even if it wasn't 100% replete. Over and over again in the life of Jesus the exuberant nature of the Father would spill out over the image Jesus was crafting in his life and teachings and make considerable trouble for him.
He was, no doubt, bursting to reveal so much more but couldn't. He knew the limits of his people and therefore wisely restrained himself in his life and teachings. In restricting his revelations he even admonished his followers and the teachers of his gospel to let their light 'so shine' Matt. 5:16 such that their lives would effectively illuminate and not blind their fellows…but even at that, he told his closest friends: "I have yet many things to teach you, but you could not bear them now." John 16:12. Jesus craved to teach his followers so much more but they simply could not bear it. It would have been utterly pointless to offer teachings that would have been beyond their ability to understand. So, he must have decided to leave those revelations for another day; a day when the gospel would have spread over all the earth.
And so we return to the first line of this article: "I have told you of earthly things and you have not believed; how much more so would you not believe were I to tell you of heavenly things?" John 3:12
The life and teachings of Jesus served one great purpose: To make a revelation of God to man. In doing this another revelation was effected, the revelation of the ideal Man to the Father. He offered very little teaching on Heavenly things. There was much that was implied or suggested but almost no clear cut and distinct revelations with regard to Heavenly things. No doubt there was wisdom in this decision, people would barely believe him on simple and straight forward matters – even going so far as to murder him for his teachings. Over-revelation would have alienated him entirely from even his audience and he would have vanished from the history books as just another quack.
Would it be beyond the realms of possibility that even as the Son of Man came to reveal the nature and character of the Father that another revelation would eventually follow which might do two things: clarify the life and teachings of the Master and provide a revelation of Heavenly things? I'm sure many today would recognise that the gospel has been subject to a chain of Chinese Whispers two thousand years long and could do with some authoritative correction of the signal. I'm also fairly certain that a great many would be intrigued to learn of Heavenly things. I imagine that whereas in the past people refused his message they would be more inclined to receive it today. The trick today would be getting passed their prejudice with regard to Heavenly things.
What if I told you that this revelation has occurred and is freely available to everyone in the world? Would you dare to check it out? Would you dare to believe this revelation? Or would you, like the spiritually blind souls of old, declare such teachings to be 'madness'?
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I have had an unbelievably productive day today, for a Sunday. No lazing around for me. I've been up since 6:20am and have managed a Mega Sewing Sunday! In addition to the dress below I've made some lovely soft PJ's pants for myself, lopped the legs off some old pants of Little J's so he can wear them as shorts to play in and I've hemmed some curtains I made two weeks ago(not done yet with those, but nearly). I won't bore you with photos of those items, but I'm so pleased with my dress that I just had to post some photos.
And here is the dress I made! I'm so happy with the way it turned out, even if it looks like a bit of a sack.
I actually bought the pattern at Wally World (that's Wal-Mart/Asda)for a whopping 99 Cents. It's call Simplicity Sew Simple E2004. It was ridiculously easy and quick to make.
In fact, I'm so happy with the way it turned out, I've even included the incredibily bad self portrait photo of me actually wearing it!! I won't tell you how many photos I had to take before I got one that isn't too terrifying.
The pattern calls for it to be worn with a belt, but I prefer it tunic style. I think it will be super comfortable on those long hot humid summer days.
Hope you had a lovely weekend and got up to something fun.
Toodles...L x ♥
P.S. You can actually get a sneak peek of the curtains in my last photo. Lovely fabric I bought at Ikea a couple of weeks ago.

subset: commoncrawl


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text: Liability Coverage For Counselors | Pearce & Mongogna Pt 1 By Kathleen Mills | March 16, 2017 Access to our free content is only available to members. The good news is that membership is free! and you can sign up and gain access to 100% of our content right now. Posted in General Liability, Insurance, Legal Counsel, Malpractice Issues and tagged Corporate Attorney, Liability


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Kashmir Editors Association Tuesday condemned the banning of daily Kashmir Reader by the government.
In a meeting held here today, Kashmir Editors Association described the ban, without any prior notice to the Printer, Publisher and Owner of Kashmir Reader, as against the basic spirit of democracy as well as the freedom of press.
The Association president Rasheed Rahi said that the government move is a direct attack on the fourth pillar of democracy that needs to be condemned in strongest terms.
The government order, banning the newspaper, is vague and unclear about the charges for which such a harsh step has been taken, the Association said.
KEA impressed upon the government to revoke the ban order forthwith failing which the Valley-based newspapers would be forced to take direct action. (CNS)
KEA condemns ban on 'Kashmir Reader'
BK News Desk/Srinagar
Kashmir Editors Association Tuesday condemned the banning of daily Kashmir Reader by the government.
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text: What's New June 6, 2017 Our Visit With Amma This last weekend we went with our families to see Ammachi. This is the first time we have received darshan, gotten a hug, from Amma since Sara and I have gotten married and ... Read More » June 06, 2017 0 April 11, 2017 Meditation Popluarity Meditation has been around forever…like literally, forever. The perfect, centered mindfulness that we all aspire to is not new. In fact it is extremely old, however it is a hot topic as if ... Read More » April 11, 2017 0 Load More See All Posts » Upcoming Events July 8, 2017 Night of Chanting with Shanti Shanti Yoga Loka Reno 6135 Lakeside Dr #121, Reno, NV 89511 Please join us for for an evening of Sanskrit chanting and music: Vedas, Bhajans & Sanskrit refresher. Presented by Andrea Santos and Sara Gracey Friday July 14 ... Read More » July 08, 2017 0 April 4, 2017 Good Friday 2017 Music Prayer Service Immaculate Conception Catholic Church 2900 North McCarran Blvd, Sparks, NV 89431 Friday, April 14th, 7:00 pm Immaculate Conception Calendar of Events Please join us for a dramatic and powerful evening of candlelight prayer & music Featuring Shanti Shanti ... Read More » April 04, 2017 0 Load More See All Events »


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Upcoming Events
Alphabetical listing: View as List
Full Calendar, Including Chapter Events: View Full Calendar
Exhibits, Sponsorships, Program Information: Contact Events Team
View Past Events
This is the events page for AFCEA international. You can see a list of upcoming events and also an archive of information from past events. AFCEA is well-renowned for its networking conferences, and it has been providing networking and educational opportunities for more than 70 years. AFCEA's networking events include cyber security, information technology, military, intelligence, homeland security, education, and communications.
10/23/2017 - 10/25/2017
Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
Be part of the evolving conversation surrounding military communications. In the MILCOM tradition, experts in C4I and cyber issues will lead an outstanding series of unclassified and restricted technical presentations, tutorials and panel discussions. MILCOM also features industry exhibits all under one roof. Join members of government organizations, the military services and the service research labs. Continuing education credits available.
TechNet Asia-Pacific 2017
10/31/2017 - 11/02/2017
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, HI
TechNet Asia-Pacific is co-sponsored by AFCEA International and AFCEA Hawaii. It is the largest event in the Pacific Rim focusing on regional defense issues. Keynote speakers, panel moderators and panelists will discuss defense policies and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and their relevance to both industry and government. Industry exhibitors will demonstrate products and solutions to meet the military services' requirements and needs.
Continuing Education at this Event
Cyber Resilience Workshop
12/06/2017 - 12/06/2017
Brussels, Belgium
This event will foster a coherent debate, the exchange of best practices and the promotion of future actions based on the most recent policy decisions and relevant activities of both the EU and NATO. The focus will also be on the member states with a special emphasize on the methods to strengthen resilience.
Cyber Education, Research, and Training Symposium (CERTS)
01/17/2018 - 01/18/2018
Marriott at the Convention Center, Two Tenth Street, Augusta, GA
The military's first Cyber, Education, Research and Training Symposium brings cyber warriors together with solution providers in business, academia and labs. Military leaders will present and discuss their plans, priorities and requirements with educators, trainers and researchers ready to find answers to these needs.
WEST Conference and Exhibition
02/06/2018 - 02/08/2018
San Diego Convention Center, CA
WEST is the foremost event in which the makers of platforms and the designers of technologies can discuss and demonstrate solutions in a single locale. The event enables senior military and government officials to gain feedback directly from sea service warfighters. Industry leaders can learn about military requirements and connect with decision makers as well as operators during the event. Continuing education credits are available.
AFCEA Small Business "Bridging the Gap" Series: FINDING OPPORTUNITIES
02/21/2018 - 02/21/2018
General Dynamics Information Technology; 7770 Backlick Road; Suite 100, Springfield, VA
Empower companies with the tactics and tools needed to find federal sector contracting and subcontracting opportunities. The collaborative discussion is led by Guy Timberlake, CEO, The American Small Business Coalition. This corporate member exclusive is $295.
Offset Symposium
04/17/2018 - 04/18/2018
San Francisco, CA
The Offset Symposium is dedicated to rebuilding the ties between Silicon Valley innovators and the national security community by leveraging the venture capital (VC) ecosystem. The forum connects VCs and the technologists to explore dual-use applicability to address pressing national security missions. One goal is to strengthen the connection between government-sponsored innovation and venture capitalists and to develop commercial uses.
Spring Intelligence Symposium
04/18/2018 - 04/19/2018
NGA Campus East, Springfield, VA
This annual classified (Top Secret/SI/TK-NOFORN) event features leaders from the Intelligence Community (IC) who share the rationale for investments in technology, services, research and development. Speakers from industry and academia explore where they are investing in research and the friction or misalignment that may occur with the IC's Technology Road Map. Exhibit and sponsorship opportunities are available.
Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium
05/15/2018 - 05/17/2018
Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
Defensive cyber operations are vital to the U.S. Defense Department's missions. Networks must be adaptive and resilient across a range of uses and against diverse threats. This symposium explores challenges and solutions, focusing primarily on DISA and JFHQ-DODIN in their operational role as network defender. Participants include various commands, DOD agencies, coalition partners, industry, academia and the military services.
AFCEA/GMU Critical Issues in C4I Symposium
05/22/2018 - 05/23/2018
George Mason University Johnson Center, Fairfax, VA
The AFCEA/GMU Critical Issues in C4I Symposium brings academia, industry and government together to address important issues in C4I technology and systems R&D.
NRO Industry Day
05/31/2018 - 05/31/2018
National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, VA
Partnering and information sharing are essential for keeping our nation ahead of today's complex security threats. To facilitate government-industry innovation, AFCEA Intelligence and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) are sponsoring a full-day classified (Top Secret/SI/TK-NOFORN) event dedicated to identifying areas of possible collaboration and business opportunities to help enable and accelerate NRO's strategic vision.
View Full Calendar, Including Chapter Events ...
View Past Events ...


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Contact Info / Websites
Hello Newgrounds!
I am a new member here, as you may be able to tell.
I have done some work in the past that has made it onto Newgrounds via my brother AtomicBottle. He has been doing animations for sometime and I would always like to help where ever I could. But now that I am a recent animation graduate I will be helping out AtomicBottle more as well as posting some animations of my own~!
I can't wait to be apart of the NG community; get feedback on my work as well as view many of the impressive works that can be found here.
<3 Shmarky


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Contact Information
Contact Information
326 Mission Ave.
<spanitemprop="description">A Life Plan Community
326 Mission Ave.
San Rafael, CA
(844) 696-9646
(844) 696-9646
At Aldersly, we understand that selecting a retirement center in Marin County is an extremely important and carefully considered decision, often involving many family members. That's why we provide complete answers, and why we welcome your visits and your full participation.
We invite you to contact us about current availability or to schedule a private tour. Come stroll through our lovely gardens, meet our professional staff, and join us for a nutritious and tempting lunch prepared by our Executive Chef. We can't wait to hear from you!


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Ms. Bromley is a Research and Web Assistant for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, where she assists in coordinating research projects and events, as well as maintaining operations on the Center's website and throughout the JGCC Social Media network. Prior to joining the team at the Cooney Center, Meagan spent 2010 working with Sesame Workshop's Education and Research group, first as a graduate student intern, and later as a freelance researcher. She loved the opportunity to join in field work, visiting schools all over New York, and helping the team collect and analyze data on projects ranging from television pilot segments to digital media and video games. Meagan's interest in children's media began during her undergraduate research in the Film Studies program at UC Berkeley. After working in the entertainment industry for a few years in Los Angeles, she moved to New York City in 2009 to pursue her Master's in Education Communication and Technology at NYU. She will complete her degree this May, and is planning to begin work towards her doctorate in the fall.
Most Recent Posts
No Such Thing: A New Podcast on Youth and Digital Learning
by Administrator | October 13, 2017
Public Libraries: Untapped Resource for Schools?
by Lisa Guernsey | October 9, 2017
Bringing Drama (and Literacy) to Early STEM—and Vice Versa
by Lisa Guernsey | September 26, 2017
Recent Reports
QuickReport: Discovering Kids' Apps: Do Family Strategies Vary by Income?
by Elisabeth McClure, Sarah Vaala, and Tamara Spiewak Toub
How to Bring Family Engagement and Early Learning into the Digital Age
by Lisa Guernsey and Michael H. Levine
AJC Research2Practice: Digital Connections to Link Home and School
by Amber Levinson and Alexia Raynal
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Have Medical Questions? Ask a Doctor Online!
It needs exam.
It might be a shoe problem, a foot problem [most likely] but can also represent neuropathy, rarely.
Have him seen by an orthopedist as soon as possible.
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Around this time, in most places, fall has begun to settle in. The air has gotten cooler and soon to follow will be the water temperature. Riding in cooler temperatures brings a whole new set of conditions to deal with, but who wants to cut the season short? Below are a few tips to help keep your riding at its best throughout the fall and winter months.
photo: redbullusa.com
1. Get a wetsuit: a good one. Being comfortable on the water is the most important. Wetsuits are design to maintain your core temperature and keep a small layer of water between the skin and wetsuit warm, so you stay warm. Quality wetsuits can make or break your winter. Find a suit that is a proper thickness for your climate, and try to find one that is sealed, GBS (glued and blind stitched.) You want mobility so find one where the neoprene is stretchy. Also, shop around and make sure you are comfortable in what you buy.
2. Do a proper warm up. Don't just jump in and go! Warm up on land a but to help to increase your body temperature and heart rate. Then when its your turn, make sure you spend time warming up some basics before jumping into your hardest mobe. This will help to increase the circulation to your hands and feet, the areas that will lack blood supply when in colder temperatures.
3. Know when its too cold. Nothing good will come out of a set that is in 45 degree water with 40 degree air temp. Know the boundaries and stick to them. You risk injury, hypothermia, and feeling pretty uncomfortable when you battle the weather. Make sure the benefits outweigh the risks.
4. Listen to your body. When you are riding, listen to your body and the signals it gives you. If you cannot feel your hands or feet, its probably time to come in. If you feel any aches or pains, or have trouble catching your breath, its also time to go in and get warm.
5. Bring a change of clothes. As soon as your set is done, change out of your wet clothes immediately. Especially if you have a few more people riding before you head in. This will get you warmer faster by eliminating the feeling of water evaporating.
6. Stay in shape and eat well. Keeping your fitness up and feeding your body with proper nutrition will keep you more conditioned to ride, regardless of the outdoor conditions. This will help you to bare the elements throughout the winter!
7. Ride at a cable park. Typically you spend less time in the water at a cable park (I supposed this is dependent on skill level…) and when you are in the water you are moving, kicking, and swimming to the side. Another thing at the cable is that you tend to ride, collectively, for a longer period of time. Your activity is more sustained, leading to a higher output of energy which keeps you warm! But, that being said, still keep in mind all of the above!
8. Plan a warm weather wakeboarding trip!


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February 2017
Save the Date!
Friday, March 3
at 7:30 p.m.
Ari Banias and Lara Mimosa Monte
Poetry Reading
Monday, March 6
at 7 p.m.
Kate Hennessy
Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of My Grandmother
Reading, Q&A, and Signing
Wednesday, March 8
at 7 p.m.
Activism Series:
Personal PAC
Thursday, March 9
at 7:30 p.m.
Kelly Jensen
Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World
Reading, Conversation, and Signing
Thursday, March 16
at 7:30 p.m.
Martha Kelly in conversation with Melanie Benjamin
Lilac Girls
- paperback tour
Swans of Fifth Avenue
Reading, Conversation, and Signing
Friday, March 17
at 7:30 p.m.
Nickole Brown
Fanny Says
Poetry Reading
Wednesday, March 22
at 7:30 p.m.
Jeanette Hurt
Drink Like a Woman
Reading, Q&A, and Signing
Friday, March 24
at 7:30 p.m.
The Conversation: On Immigration
Boris Fishman and others
Tuesday, March 28
at 7 p.m.
Elena Passarello
Animals Strike
Curious Poses
Reading, Q&A, and Signing
Wednesday, March 29
at 7:30 p.m.
Jessica Teich
The Future Tense of Joy
Reading, Q&A, and Signing
Thursday, March 30
at 7:30 p.m.
Meredith Maran in conversation with Gina Frangello
The New Old Me:
My Late-Life Reinvention
Conversation and Signing
Book Groups
Family of Women Book Group
Sunday, February 5
at 2 p.m.
The Birth of the Pill
by Jonathan Eig
Classics of Women's Literature Book Group
Tuesday, February 7
at 7:15 p.m.
Foreign Affairs
by Alison Lurie
& Selection Meeting
Kids First Book Group
Sunday, February 12
at 4 p.m.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1:
The Mysterious Howling
by Maryrose Wood
Teens First
Book Group
Sunday, February 12
at 5 p.m.
Connect the Stars
by Marisa De Los Santos
Book Group
Sunday, February 12
at 6:30 p.m.
Crybaby Butch
by Judith Frank
Queer Readers
Book Group
Sunday, February 19
at 2 p.m.
Under the Udala Trees
by Chinelo Okparanta
Social Justice
Book Group
Sunday, February 19
at 4 p.m.
ain't i a woman
by bell hooks
Book Group
Tuesday, February 21
at 7 p.m.
Hidden Figures
by Margot Lee Shetterly
Women Aging with Wisdom & Grace
Discussion & Potluck
Sunday, March 19
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Suggested Reading:
Can't We Talk About
Something More Pleasant?
by Roz Chast
Dear Friends of Women & Children First,
Some may consider January a month for hibernation, but not this feminist bookstore! We kicked off 2017 with one packed event after another--both in the store (our Activism series!) and out in the world (the Women's March)!
If you were there with us at the Women's March on Chicago, you may have spotted our co-owner Lynn and co-founder Ann on stage announcing the elected officials to 250,000 marchers! We were so proud to be involved in one of the largest demonstrations in our nation's history. Let's keep up the momentum in the store and on the streets!
With love & Solidarity,
Parenthood & Creativity
Thursday, February 2 at 7 p.m.
Panel Discussion
Local author Kim Brooks' article "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Mom: Is Domestic Life the Enemy of Creative Work?" was shared and re-shared all over social media when it was first published in
New York Magazine
in the fall of 2016. Building upon this interest, Kim has invited several writer friends whose work has addressed issues of motherhood in both fiction and
nonfiction to discuss
the tension between caretaking and creativity. This event will feature
Kim Brooks, Kiki Petrosino, Kaethe Schwehn, Cristina Henriquez, Frances DePontes Peebles, Zoe Zolbrod,
Rebecca Makkai
Feminist Craft Circle
Care for Real
Wednesday, February 8 at 7 p.m.
Here's a chance to use your favorite hat, scarf, mitten, and glove patterns!
After a phenomenal response to the launch of our Feminist Craft Circle in January,
we are returning for another month of "craftivism" and camaraderie benefitting
Care for Real, a local organization that distributes 100,000 lbs. of food and 11,000 articles of clothing to its clients every month. A significant percentage of Care for Real's clients are immigrants and refugees, who often arrive in Chicago unprepared for our long, and sometimes brutal, winters.
This event is BYOB and BYO crafting materials for making winter gear for this wonderful organization!
We plan to meet again in March, when we can finish up and collect the scarves, hats, etc., that we begin making tonight. Also, we will be collecting food donations. See Care for Real's food donation guidelines
Angel Nafis and Shira Erlichman
Odes for You
Friday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Poetry Reading Co-Sponsored by
The Poetry Center of Chicago
Odes for You
tour is a two-woman poetry performance featuring celebrated, internationally touring poets Shira Erlichman and Angel Nafis.
Through interwoven poems, monologues, songs, and jokes, these poets engage each other and the audience in the vibrant and unstoppable song of celebration.
Angel Nafis
is an Ann Arbor, Michigan, native and Cave
Canem graduate fellow. Her work has appeared in the
Rattling Wall
, the
BreakBeat Poets Anthology
, the
Poetry Magazine
, and more. She is also the author of
BlackGirl Mansion
. She has represented NYC at both the National Poetry Slam and the Women of the World Poetry Slam. She is an Urban Word NYC Mentor and the founder, curator, and host of the Greenlight Poetry Salon. She earned her BA at Hunter
College and is an MFA candidate in poetry at Warren Wilson College. She currently lives in Brooklyn.
Shira Erlichman
is a poet, musician, and visual artist. A
three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, her work can be found in
, and the
, among others. She was awarded a residency by the Millay Colony and the James Merrill Fellowship by the Vermont Studio Center. As a musician she's performed her experimental pop-soul across the United States, sharing stages with TuNe-YaRdS, CocoRosie, Mirah, and Andrea Gibson. She earned her BA at Hampshire College. Her new full-length album
Subtle Creature
is available on iTunes and Spotify. Israeli-born and raised in Massachusetts, she now lives in Brooklyn.
Story Time with Drag Queens:
Valentine's Day Edition
Saturday, February 11 at 3 p.m.
Coco Sho-Nell, Muffy Fishbasket, Ashley Morgan, and a very special guest return for
the wildly popular Story Time with Drag Queens! For this edition, the Queens will be reading new and classic story
ks about love, including
by Don Freeman. This event is perfect for children ages 3 and up
(and their grown-ups).
Activism Series:
Chicago Women's Health Center
Wednesday, February 15 at 7 p.m.
For the second event in our new
series, join us as we welcome
Chicago Women's Health Center
(CWHC) to discuss what feminist health care and health education look like! A health collective
founded in 1975 and based in Uptown, CWHC works to facilitate the empowerment of women and trans people by providing access to health care and health education in a respectful environment, where people pay what they can afford. With a non-judgmental, body-positive, sex-positive, and queer-inclusive framework, CWHC creates an environment in which individuals of diverse backgrounds and experiences are able to access quality, affordable health care services and education.
CWHC emphasizes collaboration and health literacy across its services, which include gynecology, primary care, trans health services, counseling, alternative insemination, health education, acupuncture, and massage and body work. Providers affirm that clients know their bodies best; each appointment, class, and conversation is seen as an opportunity for individuals to learn more about their bodies and to explore which health care options are best for them.
Women & Children First's
series showcases a different local social justice organization each month. The organization will give a presentation detailing its mission, followed by a Q&A, and an action plan of how attendees can get involved to support the featured organization.
Juan Martinez
Best Worst American: Stories
Thursday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Book Launch Party
Come celebrate the launch of the debut story collection by local author Juan Martinez! These are the best Americans, the worst Americans. In these stories (these cities, these people) there are labyrinths, rivers, wildernesses. Voices sound slightly
different than expected. There's humor, but it's going to hurt. These refreshing and invigorating stories of displacement, exile, and identity, and of men who find themselves confused by the presence or the absence of extraordinary women, remind the reader how big the world is.
Juan Martinez
's stories have been published in
Glimmer Train
, and
and broadcasted on
Selected Shorts
. He lives in Chicago with his family and is an assistant professor of English at Northwestern University.
Mommy & Me Coloring Event
Saturday, February 18 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Kids' Activity for ages 3 and up!
We will provide kid-friendly coloring sheets and other art supplies, along with cookies and hot cocoa. Our
theme this month is French Impressionism and features the artwork of Karlene Bland. Come and
color with us and
learn about the Impressionists! Great for age
s 2 and up. Moms are encouraged to stay and join in the class. Suggested donation: $10 per family (one parent and up to 2 kids) to cover art supplies and treats.
Barbara Fish
Art-Based Supervision: Cultivating Therapeutic Insight Through Imagery
Wednesday, February 22 at 7 p.m.
Art Therapy Workshop: Exploring Relationships Through Image Making
This workshop offers an opportunity to look at relationships in a new way.
Images, like dreams, can bring new insights.
Join Barbara Fish, author of
Art-Based Supervision
, introduces the way therapists use imagery to deepen their understanding of their relationships with their clients.
Participants will then be able to make images that visually explore a relationship of their choice. Those who haven't made art since they were children, as well as more skilled artists, can explore ideas and be surprised by their own creative
expressions. There is no right or wrong way to make art. As in art therapy, artwork will not be interpreted, as each person is the authority of his or her own image. Drawing materials will be provided.
Barbara Fish
is an artist, art therapist, educator, and supervisor. She is on the faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a past president of the Illinois Art Therapy Association.
The cost of this workshop is $10, payable by cash or check.
Emily Robbins in conversation with Rebecca Makai
A Word for Love
Thursday, February 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Author Conversation and Book-signing
A mesmerizing debut novel set in Syria on the cusp of unrest,
A Word for Love
is the story of a young American woman transformed by language, risk, war, and a startling new understanding of love.
It is said there are ninety-nine Arabic words for love. Bea, an American exchange student, travels to
Syria to study them but instead becomes entwined in her host family's lives, and in particular the romance between a housemaid and policeman of different cultural and political backgrounds. As the country speeds toward unrest, Bea wonders how many secrets she can keep, and how long she can fight for a romance that does not belong to her.
Emily Robbins
has lived and worked across the Middle East and North Africa. She was a Fulbright Fellow in Syria, where she studied religion and language with a women's mosque movement and lived with the family of a leading intellectual. Robbins holds a BA from Swarthmore College and an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis and in 2016 she received a second Fulbright, to study in Jordan. She lives in Chicago and Brownsville, Texas.
For this event, Emily will be in conversation with
Rebecca Makkai
. Makkai is the author of two novels,
The Hundred-Year House
The Borrower
, and the story collection
Music for Wartime
. Her work has appeared in
Iowa Review
Best American Nonrequired Reading
, and numerous volumes of
Best American Short Stories
, among others and has aired on
This American Life
. She lives outside Chicago
with her husband and two daughters.
The Conversation
: Civil Disobedience
Tuesday, February 28 at 7 p.m.
Each month, we bring together a group of writers, artists, and politicians together to talk about a
n issue of political, social, or cultural importance. These are not readings, but passionate conversations that will include the audien
ce. This month The Conversation's theme is Civil Disobedience. This edition will feature
representatives from the ACLU, the labor movement, and the action-oriented group Lifted Voices.
Each Conversation ends with a takeaway (kind of like optional homework--an article to
ad, an organization to engage with, a movie to watch, a protest to attend). Even better: after the event, the conversation continues at a nearby bar, gallery, or restaurant, where we eat, drink, argue, and organize. These events a
re free and open to all, but donations for a local nonprofit will be collected at the afterparty. The location of our February afterparty will be announced shortly! Stay connected to our
Facebook page
for details.
Donna Seaman
Identity Unknown: Rediscovering Seven American Women Artists
Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m.
Book Celebration with Live Music and Refreshments
Please Note: This event will be held at the Swedish
American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St.
Join us for a reading, Q&A, and signing for Donna Seaman's new book,
Identity Unknown
. This event will include live music and refreshments. Who hasn't wondered where--aside from Georgia O'Keeffe and Frida Kahlo--all the women artists are? In many art books, they've summarily dismissed in the captions of group photographs with the phrase "identity unknown," while each male is named.
Donna Seaman brings to dazzling life seven of these forgotten artists, all among the best of their day: Gertrude Abercrombie, Joan Brown, Ree Morton, Lois Mailou Jones, Lenore Tawney, Christina Ramberg, and Louise Nevelson. In brilliant, compassionate prose, Seaman reveals what drove them, how they worked, and how they were perceived by others in a world where women were
assumed to be the subjects--not the makers--of art. Featuring stunning examples of the artists' work,
Identity Unknown
speaks to all women about their neglected place in history and the challenges they face to be taken seriously.
Donna Seaman
has degrees in the fine arts and English. An editor at
, she also reviews books for the
Chicago Tribune
and the
Los Angeles Times
, among others. She has published in
Creative Nonfiction
. Seaman created, hosted, and produced
Open Books
, a radio program about outstanding books and writers
and the art of reading. She lives in Chicago.
Vita E. Cleveland and Kayla Weeden
Thursday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Poetry Reading
Vita E. Cleveland and Kayla Weeden will share poems consecutively, creating a single timeline of their two very separate lives. The poems cover childhood and high school years, working toward the present where their paths have, finally, converged.
ita E. Cleveland
(she/they), a Black trans poet and percussionist from Cleveland, Ohio, writes and performs poetry with an emphasis on activism as "disruptive narrative." She is currently based in Chicago and works with the Chicago BTGNC Collective and Black Lives Matter Chicago. She is one half of the administrative team for awQward, the first talent agency to exclusively uplift the work of trans and queer artists of color. She has recently joined the Chicago Latinx punk band, Cabrona, as the drummer and percussionist.
Kayla Weeden
(she/her) is a passionate, goofy, and lovable queer poet in her junior year at DePaul University. Her love of poetry was kickstarted in 8th grade when her English teacher assigned a poetry project to her class. Since then, she has become the president of DePaul's Presenters of Enlightenment Through Spoken-Word Club and the president of Spectrum DePaul, which is dedicated to providing queer students at DePaul a safe and fun place to make friends that grow into family.
Kate Hennessy
Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of My Grandmother
Monday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
Reading, Q&A, and Signing
In this biography, the life and work of Dorothy Day--the iconic, celebrated, and controversial Catholic--is told with illuminating detail by her granddaughter, Kate Hennessy. Day was a prominent writer, social activist, and co-founder of a movement dedicated to serving the poor. Her life has been revealed through her own writings as well as the work of historians, theologians, and academics. What has been missing until now is a more personal account. This book challenges ideas of plaster saints, detailing Day's life before her conversion--having an abortion and a child out of wedlock--and after her conversion, when she was both a servant and a rigorous
challenger of the Church. While tenderly rendered, Hennessy's account will show her as driven to do good but dogmatic, loving but judgmental, in particular toward her only daughter, Tamar. An undisputed radical heroine, called a saint for the Occupy era by the
New Yorker
, Day's story unfolds against a backdrop of New York City from the 1910s to the 1980s.
Kate Hennessy
is a writer whose recent work includes a collaboration with the photographer Vivian Cherry called
Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker: The Miracle of Our Continuance
and pieces included in
Best American Travel Writing
. After calling both Vermont and New York City home, Kate now lives in the west of Ireland with her husband.
Kelly Jensen and Mikki Kendal
Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World
Thursday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Reading, Conversation, and Signing
Come meet the editor of this exciting new anthology. In
Here We Are
, forty-four writers, dancers, actors, and artists contribute essays, lists, poems, comics, and illustrations about everything from body positivity to romance, gender identity, intersectionality, and the greatest girl friendships in fiction. Together, they share diverse perspectives on and insights into what feminism means
and what it looks like now.
Kelly Jensen
is a former librarian-turned-editor for
Book Riot
. She's the author of
It Happens: A Guide to Contemporary Realistic Fiction for the YA Reader
. She loves black licorice and debating genre.
Mikki Kendall
is a writer, diversity consultant, and
"occasional feminist" who talks a lot about
intersectionality, policing, gender, sexual assault, and other current events. Her nonfiction can be found at the
, the
Washington Post
Islamic Monthly
, and a host of other sites. Her media appearances include BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera
, WBEZ, and Showtime.
Roxane Gay
in conversation with Britt Julious
Difficult Women
Wednesday, March 15 at 7 p.m.
Conversation and Signing
Please Note: This event will be held at Senn High School Auditorium (5900 N. Glenwood).
Tickets are available
through Brown Paper Tickets.
Award-winning author Roxane Gay will discuss her new story collection,
Difficult Women
, with local writer Britt Julious. The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A and a book-signing. Powerhouse talent Roxane Gay burst onto the scene with
An Untamed State
and the
New York Times
best-selling essay collection
Bad Feminist
. In
Difficult Women
, Gay offers stories of rare force and beauty, of hardscrabble lives, passionate loves, and quirky and vexed human connection. Gay delivers a wry, beautiful, haunting vision of modern America.
Roxane Gay
is the author of the novel
An Untamed State
, which was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction; the essay collection
Bad Feminist
; and
, a multi-genre collection. She is at
work on a memoir,
, and a comic book in Marvel's
Black Panther
series. She is a recipient of the PEN Center USA Freedom to Write Award, among other honors. She splits her time between Indiana and Los Angeles.
Britt Julious
is a journalist, essayist and storyteller. She is a columnist for the
Chicago Tribune
and weekend editor at
. She frequently contributes to
, and
, a
mong others. She also hosts the
Back Talk
, a storytelling podcast featuring young women of color. She lives in Chicago.
: Both ticket options include a copy of
Difficult Women
. Attendees can pick up their copy of the book until Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at Women & Children First (5233 N. Clark St.). But due to high demand for this book, please call the store at 773-769-9299 to make sure we have copies on hand. If you cannot pick up your book in advance, you can do so on the night of the event at the door of the venue, Senn High School Auditorium.
Women & Children First - firstname.lastname@example.com
Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.


text:
22 February 2003
A sad farewell for Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal
ALAS poor Dolly, we knew her well. Last week, the most famous sheep in history was painlessly put down, aged six and a half, after she had developed an incurable lung disease.
"While we are very sad at losing her, it's an experiment that turned upside down our previous view of developmental biology," says Ian Wilmut, the researcher who created Dolly in 1996 at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh.
A post-mortem revealed that Dolly, who survived only half her expected lifespan, had a lung tumour triggered by a virus. Wilmut thinks her premature death was unrelated to the cloning process by which she was created from the udder cell of a six-year-old ewe (New Scientist, 1 March 1997, p 4). A sheep housed close to Dolly died two years earlier from the same condition and may have infected her. "We have been aware this was a risk for Dolly," Wilmut says, adding that sheep infections spread more easily indoors.
Wilmut says that Dolly might still have had to be put down at a young age because of the arthritis she developed two years ago. But he doubts whether her ailments arose because the cell from which Dolly hailed had undergone six years of wear and tear with its original owner.
"The only obvious abnormalities from the post-mortem were the arthritis and the tumour," says Wilmut. More clues may emerge in a few weeks' time following analyses of her tissues, cells and DNA by Susan Rhind, a veterinary pathologist at the University of Edinburgh.
Earlier this week, Wilmut held a "wake" at Roslin to "note Dolly's passing, to signify the


text:
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text:
Re: Samuel GOODYEAR b.1788-PA > Clark Co, OH
In reply to:
Re: Samuel GOODYEAR b.1788-PA > Clark Co, OH
Sandra, I am loooking for the ancestors of my 3grt grandfatherConrad GOODYEAR b Feb 1813 in Saxony Germany. Came to NY- USA in 1844/45 with his intended Barabara Elizabeth HOSPHELDT. m in NY in 1845. Had ten children-
Lousia b 1846 NJm Jacob W MILLER
Caspar b ca 1847 PA m
John C b aug 1850 PA m Mary M McCULLOUGH
Adoplh B b Sep 1856 PA m Grace SHIMMIN
Barbara E b 19 May 1861 PA m Orin B
Mary MbPAm ____WILLIAMS
SophiabPAm John BRONSON
femalebPAm Jacob HECKMAN
?Nancy Sally? bPA
RebeccabPAm _________WILLIAMS
Conrad & Barbara lived in Shippensburg PA for over 40 years. After Barbara's death in 1877 house was kept by his daughters. Then in 1886 Oct., Conrad sold everything at Public auction and moved to Bloomdale, OH in Wood county, with two daughters, one being Barbara Elizabeth. He lived out his life with his son, Adolphe Bartle GOODYEAR when Conrad diedin 1901. He was a Shoemaker and blacksmith.
That is about all I know about them, any names sound familiar?Thanks, Renee