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Can someone remind me what to do about this please?
A taxi driver has had his car for four years; it was 80% business for two years then 100% business for two years because he bought another car for private use. It's still sitting in its single asset column in my comps. He sold it in 10/11 and there is a residual unclaimed value of about £2500 (potential balancing allowance) to deal with. Should I have t/f it to the general P&M pool back when the usage changed? Or can I claim the balancing allowance (adjusted for historic private ppn?) now on the basis that it should still be in its single asset pool due to historic usage?
Thanks for any help on this.
Please login or register to join the discussion.
I would use
your option 2:
claim the balancing allowance adjusted for historic private ppn
The balancing allowance should be adjusted by the average business use over the period of use which sounds like roughly 90% but should be the fraction allowances actually given over allowances deducted in single pool x balancing allowance.


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Prague (CNSNews.com) - Russia's willingness to use its energy clout to promote its interests in Europe and its efforts to oppose U.S. missile defense plans in the region were a major focus in a recent gathering of prominent individuals in the Czech capital.
The 11th Prague Forum 2000, an annual international conference on global issues founded as a joint initiative of former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, was held amid growing uneasiness here about Russia's new assertiveness in Europe.
This year's event coincided with the first anniversary of the murder of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a fact noted in Havel's opening address and on many other occasions during the forum.
Politkovskaya covered human-rights issues, especially relating to the war in Chechnya, and was a fervent critic of President Vladimir Putin. She was shot dead in her Moscow apartment building, a still unsolved murder that generated considerable speculation about possible Kremlin involvement.
In a special forum-linked edition of the newspaper Hospodarske noviny , Havel, a renown dissident who spent many years in communist jail during the Cold War era, said that Russia recalls the imperial and Soviet eras and has still not come to terms with its current borders. Russia doesn't know where it begins and where it ends, he said, reflecting on Moscow's bid to play a role in its former sphere of influence.
According to Havel, the current debate in the Czech Republic on the deployment of a radar facility that would form part of the U.S. ballistic missile defense plan in Central Europe only strengthens Moscow's view that it has a say in the former area of Soviet dominance.
Havel also provided a moral dimension to the debate over the missile defense facility - which many Czechs oppose - by reminding his compatriots of the obligations they had towards the U.S. for its role in World War II and for securing Prague's safety within NATO.
Recent examples of Russia's attempts to influence developments in the region to its advantage include its decision to limit the import of Polish meat and milk products, and a threat by the state-owned energy giant, Gazprom, to reduce natural gas supplies to Ukraine following the results of parliamentarian elections there.
These and other examples of Russian maneuvering fueled debate during the forum's discussions on Russia-E.U. relations. Some panelists charged that Russia was trying to challenge and divide the European Union. Small and energy-dependent countries such as Slovakia or Bulgaria were seen as particularly vulnerable to Moscow's energy pressure.
(Recently the European Union proposed an energy package to limit foreign ownership of European energy firms as a measure to counter Russia's energy-driven politics. Some Central European energy firms have sought alliances aimed at seeing off unwanted attention from the Russian state sector.)
The Prague conference also heard claims by Hungarian opposition leader Viktor Orban, a former prime minister, that across Central Europe a network of Russian influence was being activated through appointments in police, diplomatic and other sectors of people with connections going back to the Soviet era.
" Russia's current policies both at home and abroad, especially employing energy, are disquieting," Oldrich Cerny, executive director of Forum 2000 foundation, told Cybercast News Service.
"In this part of the world people still have not forgotten what happened between 1945 and 1989," Cerny said. "That is why we are probably more concerned than some other E.U. countries and voice those concerns."
Russia's "comeback" as a major focus in news reports and public debate here is increasingly evident after a relative lull.
Jiri Schneider, program director of the Prague Security Studies Institute said in an interview that after Soviet troops withdrew from former Czechoslovakia in 1991, Russia to some extent became less present in the public discussions here.
Moreover, in the early nineties, Russia didn't have a policy towards Central Europe with the exception of opposing NATO enlargement. These countries were not at the center of Russia's attention anymore, and after four decades of military presence Czechs were quite happy about that, he added.
A renewed assertiveness of Russian policies towards its neighbors and the EU has brought Russia back into the European debate, Schneider said.
The overall theme of this year's Forum 2000 was Freedom and Responsibility, a topic that echoed a famous essay by Havel in 1991, on "responsibility as destiny.""
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subset: commoncrawl


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BROADWAY'S Andrew Walters and Steve Aldren moved into the county pairs final with a hard-fought 24-21 win over Kidderminster's Chester Road.
They go to August's National Championships in Worthing after beating Richard Payne and Dave Maxwell.
Broadway trailed 13-2 but a change in jack length helped them reduce the deficit. They went into the last end four shots ahead and held on.
The ladies were successful in five of the six county finals at Barbourne, Worcester, and go to Leamington as Worcestershire champions.
Sue Davies and Amy Stanton got them off to a good start in the Champion of Champions and under 25s singles, beating S Simcoe from Lilleshall 21-6 and Sophie Inchley from Gilt Edge 21-12 respectively.
Viv Hall and Yvonne Hopkins saw off M King and L Hine from Malvern Victoria 27-9 in the pairs. In the county singles finals, Davies got the better of Stanton 21-12.
Broadway's Betty Mansion, Trish Emms and Hopkins lost 19-11 to the Overbury triple skipped by M Norman.
Lynne Bowen, Joan Parfitt, Hall and Davies enjoyed a convincing 25-10 win over Barbourne in the rinks.
The men won their National Two Rink area final against Suffolk Square from Cheltenham 39-35. Aldren's rink lost 26-8 to John Roach but Walters' won 31-9.
They face Chandos Park or Chesham for a national place at Worthing.


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Tomorrow sees the start of the 49th edition of the Italian UCI WorldTour race, Tirreno-Adriatico. It's one that has a field packed with riders targeting the general classification in this year's Grand Tours – as well as sprinters hoping for what could be a last crack at Milan-San Remo a week on Sunday.
Defending champion Vincenzo Nibali of Astana, riding Paris-Nice, is missing, as is the man who finished runner-up to him 12 months ago, Team Sky's Chris Froome, who is skipping the race due to a back injury.
Richie Porte, who made a last-minute switch from seeking to retain his Paris-Nice title, will instead ride the Italian race, which should make for better preparation for May's Giro d'Italia where he is aiming to win the GC.
"The race route is much more suited to GC guys than Paris-Nice this year, and there are more of the big GC riders here this year," he said. "It's horses for courses, and I'm glad to be here."
He'll be lining up alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins, and it's unclear which of them will be leading Sky's campaign at Tirreno, where they are up against the likes of former Tour de France champions Alberto Contador of Saxo-Tinkoff and BMC Racing's Cadel Evans, a past winner of this race.
"Compared with last year, there aren't as many climbs, but they are a bit longer," said Evans. "I don't know the climbs, but the steep climb at Guardiagrele comes at the end of a long stage, so it'll be hard. And when you see the field we have here, there are plenty of top climbers here."
While some riders will be using the race to build form for the Giro or the Tour, others have a more immediate target in mind – the season's first Monument, Milan-San Remo, on Sunday 23 March.
Among those are two riders who have been there in the finale in the past two years but have missed out on each occasion – Trek Factory Racing's Fabian Cancellara, and Cannondale's Peter Sagan.
"I'm only thinking about Tirreno-Adriatico now: I'll worry about Milano-San Remo later," said Cancellara, who won the latter race in 2008 and was second two years ago and third last year.
"I'll use this race to work for our leaders Kiserlowski and Arrendondo who are young. Next week it's my birthday. I hope to take something home at the end of this week in Italy: not just wine, but perhaps something with bubbles," he added, referring to the magnum of Prosecco stage winners receive on the podium.
Sagan, second to Gerald Ciolek at Milan-San Remo last year, said: "It's the third time I've done Tirreno-Adriatico. I like the race. The important period of my season starts at this race, and then at Milano-San Remo.
"I'll try and get a result, and win a point or two, but Tirreno is also good for my preparation… like every year."
British champion Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma-Quick Step will be looking to hone his form ahead of what could well be his last chance to triumph at Milan-San Remo, with an amended, sprinter-friendly route figuring this year after the planned climb of the Pompeiana was ruled impassable.
The 2009 Milan-San Remo winner said: "I've ridden Tirreno-Adriatico every year since 2008. I like it here. I have a place in Tuscany and in the last years, the race has started here.
"I know the roads, It's a nice race. The style of racing in Italy is different from elsewhere. The classics riders on all the teams always want to come here, so we always have strong teams here."
You can download the official race guide, which has full details of all the stages including maps, profiles and timings, from the race website.
2014 Tirreno-Adriatico
Stage 1
Wednesday March 12
Donoratico to San Vincenzo, 18.5km TTT
Stage 2
Thursday March 13
San Vincenzo to Cascina, 166km
Stage 3
Friday March 14
Cascina to Arezzo, 210km
Stage 4
Saturday March 15,
Indicatore (Arezzo) to Cittareale (Selva Rotonda), 244km
Stage 5
Sunday March 16
Amatrice to Guardiagrele, 192 km
Stage 6
Monday March 17
Bucchianico to Porto Sant'Elpidio, 189 km
Stage 7
Tuesday March 18
San Benedetto del Tronto, 9.1km ITT
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.


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By Vexen Crabtree 2014
#christianity #comparative_religion #homosexuality #islam #judaism #paganism #satanism #sexuality
Religions have tended to represent patriarchal norms, enforcing a straight heterosexuality at the expense of any other sexual expressions. This primal instinct, arising from both sexuality and power relations, becomes institutionalized into the religions produced by primitive societies (and minds). Most traditional religions have happened to ritualize and dogmatize practices that tend to place heterosexual males in charge of women, families, religious communities, societies and governments. This form of dominance ends up stigmatizing those who do fit into the scheme, notably, strong females and non-heterosexuals such as homosexuals. Although, thankfully, the direct influence of religion in secular society has receded from the government level, residues of its effects remain entrenched in some areas of law.
There are trends within portions of all the monotheistic religions mentioned here towards tolerance, but, for example with the Anglican church, such changes are causing serious fissures in the internal cohesion of the Church. These are issues that have been accepted by secular society and there are no large organisations devoted to non-tolerance that are not religious in nature.
Wicca is one example amongst many New Religious Movements that have rejected the loathing of homosexuality found in traditional monotheistic religions. But in its foundation Wicca could not cope with homosexuality. The Gardnerian Book of Shadows was strictly a heterosexual affair, and, one of the earliest and most successful Pagan periodicals throughout the 1970s was called The Wiccan, and showed outright hostility towards homosexuality2. But all of this changed. Alex Sanders' version of Wicca removed this bias2, and, the entire Wiccan community (alongside Pagans in general) now proclaim their distaste of prejudice based on sexuality.
Another religion that has reached this pinnacle is Satanism. What they have in common is modernity and non-monotheism.
Satanism is pro-sexuality. We should all shed the weird and stifling sexual inhibitions preached by the world's traditional religions; Sexuality is a pure form of pleasure, something that satisfies our deepest purpose in life. Modern life allows us to enjoy sex without the risks of unplanned pregnancies and sexual diseases assuming that sense is taken. Satanism supports any fetish, kink or flavor of sexual encounter as long as all parties involved are consenting. We are informed by modern and learned psychological, medical and scientific opinions on sex; there are no dogmatic principles or religious intolerance of sexualities within Satanism. It is very optimistic, positive and healthy: This can only be expected of such a carnal religion of the flesh such as Satanism! Some people like quality, some people like quantity: Just be responsible, take emotions and consequences into account, and above all, enjoy your life!"
"Sex and Sexuality in Satanism, the Religion of the Flesh: 2. Sexuality in Satanism: Liberal and Tolerant"
Vexen Crabtree (2002)
Three world religions (Judaism, Christianity and then Islam) accepted parts of the Jewish Scriptures as canon. The Christians call them the "Old" testament. There is a lot of hype about the Biblical condemnations of homosexuality. The clearest verses come from the Hebrew scriptures and most others are indirect and unclear.
It is in Leviticus that the surest anti-gay text can be found, but the correctness of the translations have been questioned. There are six quotations taken from the Bible that can be used against homosexuality. A word that is being used is "abomination" as a translation for the word that in the Bible means "taboo", or "unritualistic". Some Bibles use the word "detestable"; it depends on which Bible you own as to how accurate the translation is.
In Genesis, the story of Lot, his daughters, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah has Lot send out his daughters to get raped by a mob (Genesis 19:7-8), because the homosexual violation of his guests is a worse sin than rape. For this "brave" and "commendable" action (2 Peter 2:6-8), God rewards "just" Lot and saves his family from destruction (Genesis 19:11-13, 15-17, 19). Infamously, this holy man Lot goes on to have sex with both of his own daughters, and they have children by him (Genesis 19:30-38). So are the twisted divine morals of antiquity! See: Lot and the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: In Genesis 18 and 19.
"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" - Leviticus 18:22.
"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" - Leviticus 20:13.
Wrongdoers and "men who have sex with men" and ungodly and cannot go to heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Although some say the Greek here refers only to male prostitutes, and isn't condemning homosexuality as a whole.
"Why don't fundamentalists organize protests and picket seafood restaurants, oyster bars, church barbecue suppers, all grocery stores, barber shops, tattoo parlours, and stores that sell suits and dresses made of mixed wool, cotton, polyester, and other materials? All of these products and services are abominations in Leviticus. When have you heard a preacher condemn the demonic abomination of garments that are made of mixed fabrics?"
Nearly all the verses mentioning homosexuality are unclear, and it is only via assumption that many have interpreted and translated the verses to be (coincidentally!) in accordance with cultural norms that castigate homosexuality. Approaching the verses neutrally allows one to see they are ambiguous. For Christians it should also be noted that Jesus Christ is never quoted or implied to have spoken about sexuality, so presumably it does not much matter. Christians hold that the Torah's laws are superseded by the New Testament because "we are no longer under the old covenant". The vast majority of the seemingly pointless rules from Leviticus (no clothes made of mixed cloths, no buttons...) are duly ignored. But despite there not being a single sentence from the new testament that condemns a homosexual act as worse than a heterosexual one, because Christianity has had such a strong culture of homophobia, when it comes to homosexuality the Old Testament is embraced as if it were the New although most other condemnations are ignored.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, there are several seemingly gay relationships, none of which are met with punishment, nor even described in negative terms. For example King David, one of the most holy and revered figures of the Bible, and Jonathan: "The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1) and "I [David] am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women" (2 Samuel 1:26). Clearly, homosexual love is fully endorsed in the Bible, and, it is hard to read passages like that without realizing that there is no condemnation of physical homosexual love, too.
In this light, Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 are merely saying that while you are laying with a fellow man, don't try to do it in the same way as you would with a woman. The meaning is unclear; perhaps it is saying that men shouldn't be gentle with each other, or, shouldn't adopt the same position with a man as they would with a woman. But rather than try to synthesize these contradictory verses into a coherent doctrine, it is probably best to assume that some of the various authors of the Bible were anti-gay, and others were ambivalent or even positive about it. As to which verses you accept is purely up to culturally-borne prejudice and personal bias.
#christianity #islam #judaism #UK #USA
Of the major monotheistic religions, Judaism has the healthiest attitude towards sex, aside from a few superstitious laws surrounding blood. However, despite this positive sign, it is clear that some shades of Judaism do not accept homosexual partners:
"There is no suggestion in Judaism that the celibate life is specially holy. [Sex is] the most intimate and enjoyable way of deepening a relationship. [...] A man who has no wife is doomed to an existence without joy, without blessing, without experiencing life's true goodness, without Torah, without protection and without peace."
Yevamat 62b, in "Teach Yourself Judaism" by C. M. Pilkington (1995)3
A man and a wife are acknowledged, but no other combination. It is readily observable that homosexuality is condemned in the Torah although some argue that this is not clear-cut and there are some strong cultural signs and institutional movements that indicate that Judaism is not in the same boat as Christianity and Islam. In the USA 81% of Jews support legalizing gay marriage (2013 data), somewhat more than the appalling national average of 52% and in the 1990s "Reform Judaism officially announced its support for gay marriage"4. The USA does have serious problems when it comes to religious intolerance, however, and in the Europe, where Christian rejection of LGBT equality has been resisted for longer, Judaism still lags behind common culture when it comes to calm tolerance, although there are still some good positive steps being made, for example::
"The Liberal movement has become the first Jewish body in the UK to sanction blessings for gay and lesbian couples in synagogue, according to today´s Jewish Chronicle. Rabbi Frank Dabba Smith, chair of the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues' rabbinic conference, said that there had been "no deep divisions" over the policy."
On the other hand, Jewish forces of bigotry are still active:
In 2012 Jan, the Jewish Free School (a UK faith school) led its students to a website offering "cure gays" via "Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality".6
Since inception, organized Christianity has rallied against homosexuality. Although there are signs that in some places and times there were exceptions:
"Same-sex relationships between women were consistently condemned and suppressed by Church authorities, though rarely subject to legal prosecution. Church attitudes towards male same-sex relationships seem to have been more contradictory. Although the extent to which relationships between men were tolerated is a topic of controversy among historians, the medieval historian John Boswell records examples of same-sex unions between men that seem to have been sanctioned by religious ceremonies, arguing that such partnerships were "commonplace" in early medieval Byzantine society and that it was only from the 14th century onwards that such practices were repressed by the Catholic Church."
"Sexuality: A Very Short Introduction" by Veronique Mottier (2008)8
"In 1967 the Homosexual Law Reform Act was passed, not without resistance from the churches."
"The C of E: The State It's In" by Monica Furlong (2000)9
Gays around the world have faced frequent condemnations, political campaigns and vitriolic statements against them, from Christian organisations. In the UK as in many other counties, the established Christian church had its hand in making homosexuality illegal, and campaigned strongly against its de-illegalisation in the Homosexual Law Reform Act (1967)9. This public and active oppression continued heavily throughout the 70s and 80s (before which homosexuality was simply illegal, and very much taboo) and even in the 90s this attitude continued, with strong, rich and well supported organized Christian groups defeating several attempts by the Government to accomplish equal gay age of consent, gay rights and gay marriage. In 2007 Richard Kirker reported of "several instances in the last 10 years" when mainstream Christianity has forced the government to recede on matters of equality for gay and lesbian folk10. The most surprising element of all this is the failure of the otherwise liberal and tolerant Church of England to support gay communities.
A few other modern cases I've stumbled across:
2012 Apr the Catholic Education Service for England and Wales (CESEW) wrote to all secondary schools, urging them to promote an anti-marriage-equality petition and to tell the children at their schools to sign it. Even though investigations by public prosecutors found that any school that followed these instructions broke the law, Catholic authorities continue to engage in such anti-equality activism.11
2012 Feb: Catholic schools in Lancashire distributed a booklet to pupils entitled "Pure Manhood: How to become the man God wants you to be", which states that contraception and homosexuality are evil (against god, "disordered")6, ,12.
"The Catholic Church in Scotland sent out more than 100,000 postcards to its parishes recently. The cards were protesting at proposals of the Scottish government to legalise gay marriage. Parishioners were asked to sign the cards and send them into the consultation that the Government was conducting. 14,000 of the postcards have now been received at Holyrood and the Catholic Church is hailing this as a great success and demanding that the Government must now drop its plans.
Except that it only represents less than 14% of the cards they provided. Hardly a ringing endorsement of the RCC's bigotry."
Despite the existence of some gay priests, the Christian hierarchy has been particularly intolerant of visible homosexuality. The fear of exposure prevented gay priests and bishops from supporting the gay rights movement, which is itself testimony to the fearsome anti-gay agenda of the Christian community as a whole, both inside and outside official ranks. Even the liberal Church of England operates in the same way, although the ECUSA (Anglican Church in the USA) have made some progressive steps. Churches have opposed and ejected known homosexuals from its ranks, and vocally considered AIDS to be "God's revenge on homosexuals".
Every decade Anglican bishops from around the world meet at the Lambeth Conference. Homosexuality (and certainly) sexuality, has always been a hot topic there. The president of the pontifical council for promoting christian unity, who is an official from the Catholic church called Walter Cardinal Kasper said that "homosexuality is a disordered behaviour that must be condemned" and said that anti-homosexual teachings are traditional because they are the teachings handed down by Jesus. He told the Anglican Communion to issue a "clear declaration" that homosexuality must be condemned, and warned that the Anglican's slightly-more-tolerant approach on homosexuality and women had caused serious compromises between Anglican and Catholic branches of Christiandom.14
In the USA there are a great many evangelical, powerful and well-funded fundamentalist outfits (the 'religious right') that campaign on a number of issues, but none so bitterly as their campaigns against homosexuality. For example the political researcher Andrew Heywood notes the Christian group Moral Majority founded by the famous bigot Jerry Falwell: "since the 1980s its principal energies have been devoted to the campaign against abortion [, ...] homosexuality, pornography, premarital sex and, in the USA at least, the teaching of Darwinian theories of evolution rather than Biblical 'creationism'"15. Other Christian "religious right" organisations and Christian activist individuals follow similar agendas against abortion and gay rights16. The USA does have a strong of a grasp on Human Rights as Europe, but establishments, courts, entire states and other portions of the social structure frequently succumb to Christian pressure, leaving many LGBT folk with only unpredictable recourse to the law when it comes to seeking equality and tolerance.
The UK is seeing the slow emergence of similar groups, with CARE17, Christian Concern, Christian Legal Centre, the Christian Institute and the Evangelical Alliance representing some of the most active groups that oppose legal equality for gays. Some groups are more civil than others - a recent EA publication genuinely sounds like it is trying to be nice to those ungodly gays, especially those who remain abstinent. Although it still says that "homoerotic" activity is against God's will, and they cannot accept legal equality when it comes to gay marriage and recommends Church discipline for those who are positive about homosexuality, especially in public18. Alongside many other Christian organisations, the EA and CARE campaigned against the repeal of the infamous anti-homosexual Clause 28 of the Local Government Act (1986)19. Teachers, for example, have a duty to verbally negate prejudice when it surfaces, but, Clause 28 was preventing them from doing so for fear of appearing to "promote" homosexuality. Thankfully, common-sense prevailed over religious tradition, and it was duly repealed.
All of the anti- groups manage to confuse personal religion with what is right under the law. In law, things like marriage are not exclusive to Christians (we live in a democracy, last time I checked), and as such, Christian superstitions should not limit who can or can't get married. If Christians believe that same-sex marriage is wrong, then simply, in order to live in compliance with their beliefs, they merely have to avoid marrying people of the same gender. Job done. When they start imposing their beliefs on others, though, and having hissy fits with each step of progress towards gay tolerance and gay equality by everyone else, they are merely highlighting the fact that their beliefs are borne from a dangerous personal prejudice that they hold to be more important than either good morality or democratic public law.
There are groups within Christianity that are concerned with the Human Rights of sexuality, however such groups are much quieter and less numerous than those that oppose any element of tolerance towards gay people. Such groups are drowned out by the larger, more numerous and better funded anti-gay Church groups. Despite the decline of established churches in the West, fundamentalist groups that are offensively anti-gay are still growing numerically, although some liberal Churches may accept homosexuality it is likely that the most zealous Christian groups will still be of the anti- kind for the foreseeable future.
In the USA I believe that the situation is different, and the liberal Churches have acted towards homosexual rights even when public opinion was against this. In Europe, the opposite was true, society in general softened to the idea of open and accepted homosexuality long before the Churches did, except in heavily religious countries such as Greece where homosexuality is still illegal.
Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, warns that "religious campaigners are trying relentlessly to reverse hard-won equality rights or [to] give religious employees carte blanche to exempt themselves from the laws and regulations that apply to everyone else". The point of equality laws is that they protect all people. There's no point encoding the morality of tolerance into law if you then exclude Christians because they happen to be a member of a religion that frequently discriminates against gays. The moral case is made and discrimination on grounds of sexuality is now illegal as well as wrong.
In the UK many of these claims are funded and managed by (1) the Christian Institute and (2) by the Christian Legal Centre behind which is lawyer Andrea Minichiello Williams (related to Christian Concern). Many cases are dismissed quickly and receive little attention, for example:
"The case of the family court judge in Sheffield who didn't want to deal with gay couples was thrown out" (2009).
Unfortunately some out-of-court settlements have gone in favour of Christian prejudice. For example:
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service didn't fight against "a case brought against them by a Catholic firefighter who refused to provide fire safety literature to gay people. Instead of seeing the case through, the Council settled out of court". If they had fought it, they would have won.
Tolerance, equality and human rights prevent the immoral abuse of unpopular minorities, but, when it comes to homosexuality, Christian institutions are conducting a world-wide battle to make themselves exempt from the growing tide of democratic fairness towards those of all sexualities. The Catholic Church itself is the most powerful campaigner for anti-gay discrimination. In response to the long stream of failed cases in Europe, a Vatican Radio broadcast the Vatican's foreign minister Archbishop Dominique Mamberti saying that "everyone in Europe should have the right to object to issues they find immoral"20. The problem is, if your idea of "immoral" means removing the free and equal rights of others, then, such dogmas will, and should, remain firmly illegal. The Catholic Church is going to have to get used to a world that no longer adheres to its prejudiced dogmas.
In 2003 March two Sefton Council workers refused to take part in adoptions for gay parents, because they say it is against their Christian beliefs. As it is part of their job to perform this civil function, they have been fairly enough been threatened with dismissal for not doing their job. The Christian Institute fought for the two Christians' cause "based on Christian principles".
"However, during the consultation on the Employment Directive [...] the Christian Institute - and other faith groups - fought for the right to sack non-Christian workers who didn't support the "ethos" of faith-based organisations that employed them. Now, it seems they think it is OK for Christian employees to undermine the ethos of secular employers and get away with it".21
The Christian Institute wants employers to be able to sack people for not having the same beliefs as themselves, Christians, but also wants Christians to be able to remain in companies despite having religious beliefs that undermine the job the employees are supposed to do. The Christian Institute is not fighting for morals, but supporting sectarianism and discrimination based on religion, and therefore undermining the stability of equal and democratic society.
You simply can't discriminate against gays, even if you do believe they're "immoral". It is illegal to discriminate, even if you do so out of religious conviction. If employers such as Sefton Council bend to the wishes of those who wish to discriminate, then, those employers are encouraging illegal (and hurtful) behaviour.
National Secular Society's Terry Sanderson summarizes the Christian Institute's story-making, and the fact that some national newspapers report these attention-grabbing distortions. Newspapers include the Daily Telegraph, Daily Express and the Daily Mail (2009 Feb 20).
Registrars in Town Halls arrange marriages. They are government employees whose wages are paid for by the public, via taxes. They must therefore, treat everyone equally and without prejudice or discrimination, because they perform a service as a part of a democracy. Lillian Ladele felt that such lofty ideals were below her but lost her legal case after refusing to officiate for same-sex civil partnerships since 2005 Dec. Her battle against homosexuality caused additional complaints from her work colleagues, and by 2007 the office atmosphere was described as "deteriorated", at which point disciplinary action was brought against her. She took it to the Employment Tribunal and ironically claimed that she was being directly discriminated against and it was taken to an appeal court: "Lillian Ladele, the Islington registrar who refused to conduct same-sex Civil Partnerships on religious grounds, has been refused leave to appeal against the decision of an Employment Tribunal that she did not suffer religious discrimination at work. She has also been ordered to pay costs". Her case was funded by the UK evangelical political lobbying organisation The Christian Institute.The National Secular Society report that "Islington was also battling against considerable odds. These cases are being fought with huge determination and massive funds from evangelical Christian groups".
In 2009 the UK Court of Appeal upheld the ruling that she had not been subject to religious discrimination and BHA's Andrew Copson said "As the judgment made clear, in a modern liberal democracy, there can be no "opt out" for those who say they are unable to do their jobs because they wish to discriminate, even when that desire to discriminate derives from a religious belief. This judgment is extremely welcome"22. She then appealed yet again, now to the Supreme Court, but was refused on 2010 Mar 04. But it wasn't the end of the story! Lillian Ladele contined to fight, and the case eventually went to the European Court of Human Rights, where, on the 15th of Jan 2013, they also found that anti-gay bigotry was not excused in the public sector, not even by domineering Christians. She reinforced her irrational and prejudiced opinions with constant references to her belief in Christian beliefs, and the press have widely reported it as "Christian persecution".23
The Christian Institute's news article on the loss of the Ladele case said "Five judges rejected her claim, but two believed that she had suffered discrimination because of her Christian beliefs about marriage" which is a skewed perspective; she was not discriminated against because of her beliefs, but because of her behaviour. She was rightly fired because she was refusing to do her job. If her religious beliefs mean she puts herself under additional limits as to who she can treat equally, then, she should not choose to do a public-facing, public-sector job.
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre; and the Wilberforce Academy
Gary McFarlane was employed by Relate to give counselling in sex and relationship issues. His strict Bible-based Christian beliefs were widely known especially that he sternly believed that he could never engage in any action that appeared to support homosexuality. However in 2007 he assured his employer that he would be able to, as Relate's charter states, treat people equally and fairly. He saw two lesbian couples with no problem, but in 2008 it became apparent he had serious issues with male homosexuals, and he was suspended. He stated his views had never changed, and that he still held he could never support homosexuals. He appealed, and then, supported by the Christian Legal Centre24, lodged a complaint with the Employment Tribunal, ironically, claiming that he suffered from direct discrimination because he wasn't allowed to discriminate. He lost the case, and the panel noted in particular how it is not practical to filter away homosexual clients from seeing him in confidence. It is quite easy to imagine that patients may have homosexual concerns that are not raised until they are already sat with Gary McFarlane, and that therefore he cannot be relied upon for counselling.
Catholic Care is a charity ran by the Diocese of Leeds. It stood alongside 12 other Catholic adoption agencies in England and Wales that refused to place children with homosexual parents28, pretending that this was for religious reasons. Same-sex parents have proven to be as good parents, if not better, than typical heterosexual parents. Public services, or services that are counted as charitable (and therefore tax exempt), must abide by national and European human rights law, which is designed to fight discrimination and prejudice. The laws were effected in 2007. The Catholic adoption agencies faced a choice between helping children (who benefit more the quicker they are placed into homes) or sticking to their prejudices. For the sake of the children, several of these adoption agencies cut their ties with the Catholic Church and changed their policies28. But some battled on against modern equality, seeking instead to hold back human rights laws by seeking exemptions from them.
The Catholic Care's case was thrown out on 2011 Apr 26. Some arguments documented by the Judge are revealing. The charity, being defended chiefly by the RC Bishop Arthur Roche, threatens to close (doing even greater social harm) if it cannot continue to discriminate against homosexuals (Charity Commission 2011).29 This revealed that doctrine is more important than egalitarianism as a motive. Once it was known that Catholic Care's stance is not about children's welfare, then the entire charity was thrown into disrepute.
A strange contradiction and confusion exists within Christianity. Its general stance on sexuality is highly restrictive, and celibacy is enforced for priests and bishops in many denominations. Christian churches claim the right to educate others on the moralities of sexual behaviour. Yet, sexual abuse in Christian workplaces and paedophilia is rife within Christendom, and homosexuality abounds in the priesthood at a higher rate than in the general population. Politically and socially, Christian organisations have campaigned heavily against any form of gay rights, and have opposed the very idea of the tolerance of homosexuals. In 2002, the UK Government (again) pushed for greater equality for gays under the law, and (again) the principal opposition groups were Christian30. Since then, civil partnerships have been created that allow gay marriage in everything but name. A small minority of Christian institutions support gay marriage, but in history entire regions once did so.
Doctrine clashes with reality. Many parts of Christian scripture are ignored nowadays; take for example the extensive dietary laws laid down in the Hebrew scriptures. This 'old' testament, it is said by many, is now irrelevant and Christians no longer have to observe many of its laws. The anti-homosexual versus come from the same place. The creeping re-interpretation of Scripture to fit in with the known facts of the world is the only way Christianity can survive, but when it comes to homosexuality a strange obstinence emerges. It is about time that Christian authorities applied their own much-haunted 'moral high ground' to its own reality, and formally ceased the continued irrational dislike of homosexuality.
"When [...] is the Church going to have the courage to celebrate the creativity of its homosexual members, who are more discriminated against than black people or women? For those gay people who wish to be ordained there is only one way to get through the initial interviews, and that is the humiliating one of keeping their sexuality concealed. [...] It is painfully easy to remain in the closet ever afterwards, thinking that at some future date there will be an opportunity to come clean, only the day never comes. The Church, of course, encourages this silence. A description of a nervous breakdown, Jim Cotter's book Brainsquall, reveals what a terrible price gay clergy have been required to pay for such a double standard. [...]
Sometimes it seems as if the Church is almost the only body left which cannot deal with homosexuality. It is possible to get elected for Parliament as an openly gay man or woman, possible to be made a cabinet minister, possible for many eminent people to be quite straightforward about living with another man or woman. [...]
Change, of course, is inevitable. Just as the change of the status of women in society pushed the hand of the Church to ordain women; just as the change of the status of black people in Britain makes it imperative that they are seen as full members of the Church with their own distinctive contribution; just as the change in marital habits makes churches accepting of second marriages, so change in this field too is inevitable. Maybe not this year or next year, but before too long, the Church is going to have to get up its nerve (and it is not in a bold frame of mind) and accord homosexuals full status within the Church, because, like blacks or women, they are increasingly refusing the meek and silent status enforced upon them."
"The C of E: The State It's In" by Monica Furlong (2000)31
We have mostly been talking about mainstream Christian denominations so far, but the same hostile attitudes obtain in sects, too. Both Mormons32 and the fundamentalist scripturalists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, both maintain an anti-anything-involving-gay-tolerance stance.
There are large numbers of gay priests but the majority of them are not like secular gays who find solace in their identity. Christian theories of human sexuality and the practice of celibacy among priests have meant that a lack of sexual development curses many priests with an abnormal and underdeveloped sexuality. Many do not consider themselves gay, hide it, deny it, but still practice it. Some even deny that homosexual acts are homosexual simply because they themselves, they say, are not homosexual and do not have homosexual tendencies. It is doublethink, to use George Orwell's famous term33.
"Generally, 30% of U.S. priests (estimates established from all sources) are either involved in homosexual relationships, have a conflict about periodic sexual activity, feel compelled toward homosexual involvements, identify themselves as homosexual, or at least have serious questions about their sexual orientation or differentiation. Approximately half of these men act out sexually with others.
[For example] A group of priests who gathered to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of their entrance into their religious order were sharing stories about their novitiate experience. One of the men confided that the novice master had a 2-year sexual relationship with him. The news came as a shock to most of his classmates, who considered the master the epitome of all of the virtues for which their religious order stood. But two other members of the group then confided that the superior was also sexually involved with them during the same period. Each one thought he was the only one so involved.
An interesting subgroup of priests is marked by their fear of being homosexual. These men are conscientious and would identify themselves as gay if they could only resolve their internal conflict. But they cannot. They might have had no adult homosexual experience and are relying on their memories of childhood or adolescent sexual play with friends or family. Some have experimented with both sexes briefly in adult life. They are not caught in preadolescent development. They are more like the college student who fearfully asks, "Am I normal?". [...] Many men fear the idea that they may be homosexual. Others are so homophobic that they cannot tolerate the idea of being close to or friendly with a homosexual person."
"Sex, Priests and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis" by Richard Sipe (1995)34
The Yale historian John Boswell notes that historical gay ceremonies carried out by the church in previous centuries were in the same fashion as heterosexual ones.
"For nearly two centuries after Christianity had become the state religion, Christian emperors in Eastern cities not only tolerated but actually taxed gay prostitution. In 7th century Visigoth Spain, a series of six national church councils refused to support the ruler's legislation against homogenital acts. By the 9th century almost every area in Christian Europe had local law codes, including detailed sections on sexual offenses; none outside of Spain forbade homogenital acts. By the High Middle Ages, a gay subculture thrived, as in Greco-Roman times. A body of gay literature was standard discussion material at courses in the medieval universities where clerics were educated.
Opposition to homosexuality, as in Augustine and Chrysostom, rested on reasons unacceptable today: "natural-law" arguments based on beliefs about supposed sexual practices among hares, hyenas, and weasels; a philosophical Stoicism that was suspicious of any sexual enjoyment; a sexism that saw a degrading effeminacy in being the receptive partner in sex. All-out Christian opposition to homosexuality arose at a time when medieval society first began to oppress many minority groups: Jews, heretics, the poor, usurers. A campaign to stir up support for the Crusades by vilifying the Muslims with charges of homosexual rape also played a part in Christian Europe's change of attitude toward gay and lesbian sex."
"Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality" by John Boswell (1980)
The author lists the original texts and English translations of a number of religious ceremonies: Office of Same-sex Union, (and similar names), 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th & 16th century translations, Greece Office of Same-sex Union, 11th century Christian church in Greece. The Order for Uniting Two Men, 11-12 century, Old Church Slavonic Office of Same-Gender Union, 12th century Italio-Greek. An Order for the Uniting of Two Men [or Two Women], 14th century Serbian Slavonic Order of Celebrating the Union of Two Men, prior to 18th century, Serbian Slavonic.
Christianity has always contained a mix of pro- and anti- homosexual elements. Periods of oppression of homosexuals and celebration of love, homosexual or not, have come and went. Finally, same-sex marriage is not only found in early Christianity - it has existed quite freely in other cultures and civilizations. For example a four thousand year old Tomb belonging to gay married couple Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep exists in Saqqara, Egypt.
It doesn't matter whether Christians "agree" with being gay or not, the actions of Christians who believe otherwise causes hate. I believe this is hypocrisy, or ignorance.
It is ignorance if they do not know they are causing hate - I recommend that they get in touch with gay support groups and Stonewall, and find out the embarrassing and worrying scale of religious anti-gay hatred that gay groups face.
It is hypocrisy if they stand for love, but knowingly cause hate.
It is inconsistent if a Christian, who believes we are all sinners (including Christians and priests) but think that being gay is worse than any other particular sexuality.
Tolerance towards sinners was one of Jesus' most controversial teachings, as was his preaching that those who consider themselves better than others (the Jewish religious rulers) should humble themselves and consider themselves worse. Christians should, like the good Samaritan, help minorities attain equal rights even if those people don't have the same beliefs. Equality in law, of marriage and anti-discrimination should be the prime rules of the Christian who loves his neighbour, and although there are gay-friendly Christian groups, they are sadly underwhelmed by the anti-gay Christian community.
#afghanistan #christianity #egypt #iran #islam #libya #malaysia #pakistan #saudi_arabia #UK
Islam is probably the most rigidly and inhumanly anti-homosexual in its practices of all the world religions. The verses from the Qur'an condemning homosexuality are much clearer than those that the Christians use. In all Muslim countries (and all areas where the Islamic Sharia law is enforced), homosexuality is strictly illegal. All of Islam fits within the area of Christianity that we call "fundamentalist" with regards to sexuality. The debates in Islam about homosexuality are not about whether it is acceptable, but merely about how severe the punishment should be. Seven countries in the world can give the death penalty as a punishment for homosexuality - all of them are Muslim, and in other Muslim countries, persecution against homosexuals is rife and violent, stemming from government and religious institutions down to the actions of mobs and individuals36.
Link: Which Countries are Most and Least Tolerant?. All the worse countries are Muslim ones.
Aside from aggressive intolerance within their own countries, Muslim countries attempt to curb gay tolerance, gay rights and gay equality on the international arena:
"An attempt by the United Nations to include gay people in anti-discrimination measures is being derailed by a coalition of Islamic countries. UN sources said that Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia were doing everything in their power to stop the resolution. They hope to delay the vote long enough to kill it off entirely. Secretary of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association in Britain, George Broadhead, commented that all Muslim countries outlawed homosexuality, and the penalties for those convicted ranged from prison, flogging, execution by a variety of perverted methods - such as throwing the victim off a cliff or pushing a stone wall on to them. "The record of these countries on human rights in general is bad enough, but when it comes to gay human rights, they are disgusting.""
National Secular Society National Secular Society, Newsline (2003)
Muslim communities in Europe are the least tolerant towards homosexuals, and hardliners and extremists within those communities apply pressure, violent sometimes, to ensure that no-one speaks out in defence of equality or tolerance. See: Growing Fundamentalism in Islam: How Moderates are Subjugated by Muslim Hardliners. In the UK a recent conviction saw 3 Muslims were convicted of hate crimes as a result of threatening and vitriolic leaflets they handed out in Derby, depicting gays hanging from nooses, stating they will burn in hell, and saying that God abhors them (2012 Jan)37. They defended themselves saying that it was their religious duty as Muslims to warn gays. The UK and other European countries have been subject to a long series of hate preachers, and when found by the mass media, such clerics are widely castigated in national secular news outlets.
Very few individuals speak up for homosexuality, although there is an international Muslim gay rights group, they are widely detested within Muslim countries, and opposed and campaigned against by Muslim groups in Western countries.
"According to a pamphlet produced by Al-Fatiha, there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that all humans are naturally heterosexual. Homosexuality is seen by scholars to be a sinful and perverted deviation from the norm. All Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence consider gay acts to be unlawful. [...] Al-Fatiha estimates that 4,000 homosexuals have been executed in Iran since their revolution in 1979. 10 public executions of homosexuals have been performed in Afghanistan by the Taliban army."
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance38
The "Arab spring", which saw popular protests against oppressive governments throughout much of the Muslim world, was not the outcry of liberals against strict Islamism. "Hossein Alizadeh of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, a New York-based lobby group, says that religious awakening is strengthening hardline interpretations of Islam"37.
The OCRT also repeat statements from Western Islamic groups citing their negative opinions on homosexuality.
"Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi of the ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] said: "Homosexuality is a moral disorder. It is a moral disease, a sin and corruption... No person is born homosexual, just like no one is born a thief, a liar or murderer. People acquire these evil habits due to a lack of proper guidance and education.""
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance38
Islamic theology, however, is inconsistent and illogical. It simultaneously states that all homosexuality is a moral evil, a corruption... yet it also holds that the animals of the world have submitted themselves completely to Allah. Yet, in nearly all animal species we witness homosexual behavior. This must mean that it is permissible by Allah to be gay, and that animals who have submitted completely to Allah can therefore also be gay. Islamic tradition is wrong to condemn homosexuality as an evil, and in denying that homosexuality is natural they are ignoring the facts of the world, it is an ignorant religious prejudice equal to that of the Christians during the Dark Ages. If those who submit to Allah are sincere, they must recognize Allah's will: And Allah purposefully creates homosexual animals and homosexual humans. It is not therefore the Muslims' prerogative to question this or condemn homosexuality.
Example Scripture: The Story of Lot in the Qur'an:
Qur'an 7:80-83:
80And (remember) Lut (Lot), when he said to his people: "Do you commit the worst sin such as none preceding you has committed in the 'Alamin (mankind and jinn)?
81"Verily, you practise your lusts on men instead of women. Nay, but you are a people transgressing beyond bounds (by committing great sins)." [...]
83Then We saved him and his family, except his wife; she was of those who remained behind (in the torment).
In the 7th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an Lot is mentioned briefly and the prime concern is pointing out the immorality of homosexuality. Homosexuality in all the tellings of the story in the Qur'an is "the worst sin", "never committed before" (7:80, 29:28)! Lot's people "practise their lusts on men instead of women". Such homosexuality is sinful transgression, and for this, Lot's people are destroyed in Qur'an 7:84. None of Lot's other behaviour is mentioned, because the Qur'an describes Lot as a prophet (Qur'an 26:161), sent to Sodom and Gomorrah, and therefore cannot be sinful. The Qur'an's solution to the atrocious acts committed by them is simply not to mention them!
#christianity #iceland #netherlands #norway #sweden #UK
I have documented many of the places in the world where tolerance and equality have been victorious over traditional cultures and religions:
Prejudices against homosexuality were not always encoded into law, however. In the time before the dark ages, European communities were variously accepting of gay marriage. But the Christian age of faith saw violent intolerance sweep the continent as certain types of marriage were made illegal and transformed into social taboos. People could only marry if it fit the Christian prejudices of what marriage should be. Islam arose also, and held to similar monotheistic patriarchal norms. Thankfully, since the enlightenment, much of the religious damage to marriage has been undone and in many countries adults are free to marry whom they choose. Starting with Sweden, Norway, Iceland and the Netherlands the 90s saw the beginning of the gay rights movements victories over established prejudice in an increasing number of developed countries. There is not a single case in all these victories where there have not been multiple large and mainstream Christian groups running campaigns to prevent equal rights for gays. The Catholic Church and the vast majority of Christian denominations continue to battle at local and European levels to repeal those rights already attained. The Catholic Church has gained some ground in 1997 in exempting itself from some European gay rights conventions, and the Church of England has also succeeded in partially exempting itself from UK employment anti-discrimination laws with regards to homosexuality. The traditional churches were wrong about slavery and anti-black racism, and they continue to do wrong on the issue of discrimination against homosexuals. Eventually, when enough of their youth have grown up within gay-tolerant society, the Churches will change to embrace homosexual equality as they did to embrace abolitionism and race equality."
"Marriage: Its Diversity and Character: 6. Gay Marriage"
Vexen Crabtree (2004)
#homosexuality #morals #tolerance
"Homosexuality is thoroughly natural. It occurs in a massive range of animal species, including humans, so appears to be part of the genetic makeup of life in general. The colourful and varied ways that wild animal species find to express intentional same-sex sexuality with other is surprising and sometimes ingenious, like the male dolphins who penetrate each other's blowholes. Biological causes of homosexuality have been found in Human beings. All this points to the fact that homosexuality is a part of the design of nature. If nature was designed by God, then watching Bonobo Apes for a while is convincing proof that God certainly does not mind gay sex!"
"Homosexuality in Animals and Humans" by Vexen Crabtree (2013)
The inheritability of homosexuality (i.e., its genetic basis) is a card that most think to be good in the fight against intolerance. As we demonstrate its biological basis, religionists may admit that homosexuality is part of god's plan for humans, the same as it is for animals, and therefore decrease their prejudice. But much of the homophobia within the church is not rational, it is emotional. Rather than follow the general conservative line on genetic engineering (don't do it)39, some make an exception when it comes to homosexuality. When superstition and prejudice are combined in the same emotional turmoil, it is no surprise to hear such paradoxical considerations as the following one:
"Early in 2007, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary raised the possibility of a genetic or other biological cause of homosexuality and urged conservative Christians to consider using biotechnology to eradicate the condition."
"Babies by Design: The Ethics of Genetic Choice"
Ronald M. Green (2007)40
Abrahamic religions have contributed to the most negative and destructive attitudes towards sexual issues, especially homosexuality. Christian and Islamic communities and organisations are the most vocal assailants on any legal or societal moves towards tolerance and equality. The liberal wings of some of these religions have adapted to the wide (European) acceptance of homosexuality. Many traditional religions reject the scientific, medical and psychological knowledge that we have gained about sexuality and regard homosexuality as "unnatural", a "choice" or a "moral evil". These religions are themselves immoral and evil in their attitude, causing hatred, bigotry, violence and oppression in the name of God. Homosexual communities have become accustomed to the ranting of religious fundamentalists and traditionalists, and this causes a strong anti-religious resentment amongst them.
In the wider religious scene things are much healthier. Eastern history has produced less of the out-and-out violence against homosexuality. New religious movements and Earth religions are largely accepting of homosexuality, as these religions are more in touch with the natural world. Although there are Pagans, Satanists, Wiccans, etc, who do not like homosexuality very few make hateful statement such as those made by Muslim and Christian authorities. Although Judaism does not accept homosexuality in theory, Jews have not made many such hateful comments, but partially this may be because Judaism has not yet fully faced the issues although liberal Jewish groups match liberal Christianity in their tolerance.
To help eradicate discrimination against gays and lesbians, consider joining the following groups:
Or browse their websites and pick up addresses and details of MPs and organisations that you can lobby by writing letters, signing petitions or emailing, and get details of current events, in order to help prevent irrational discrimination.
Current edition: 2014 Jan 03
Last Modified: 2015 Aug 13
Originally published 2002 Dec 07
Parent page: Religion and Morals
All #tags used on this page - click for more:
#afghanistan #christianity #comparative_religion #egypt #homosexuality #iceland #iran #islam #judaism #libya #malaysia #morals #netherlands #norway #paganism #pakistan #satanism #saudi_arabia #sexuality #sweden #tolerance #UK #USA #wicca
Social Media
The Guardian. UK newspaper. See Which are the Best and Worst Newspapers in the UK?. Respectable and generally well researched UK broadsheet newspaper..
The Economist. Published by The Economist Group, Ltd. A weekly newspaper in magazine format, famed for its accuracy, wide scope and intelligent content. See vexen.co.uk/references.html#Economist for some commentary on this source..
The Bible (NIV). The NIV is the best translation for accuracy whilst maintaining readability. Multiple authors, a compendium of multiple previously published books. I prefer to take quotes from the NIV but where I quote the Bible en masse I must quote from the KJV because it is not copyrighted, whilst the NIV is. Book Review.
The Koran. Penguin Classics edition. Originally published 1956. Current version published by Penguin Group Ltd, London, UK. Translation by N. J. Dawood. Quotes taken from 1999 edition.
BBC News. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a UK mainstream public-service mass media broadcaster, known to be reasonably accurate and responsible with its journalism.
Boswell, John
(1980) Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality. New Ed edition 1981. Published by University of Chicago Press.
Crabtree, Vexen
(2002) "Sex and Sexuality in Satanism, the Religion of the Flesh" (2002). Accessed 2017 Aug 01.
(2004) "Marriage: Its Diversity and Character" (2004). Accessed 2017 Aug 01.
(2008) "The Peacock vs. the Ostrich - Religious Behaviour and Sexuality" (2008). Accessed 2017 Aug 01.
(2013) "Homosexuality in Animals and Humans" (2013). Accessed 2017 Aug 01.
Furlong, Monica
(2000) The C of E: The State It's In. Paperback book. paperback first edition, 2000. Originally published in UK in 2000 by Stoughton.
Green, Ronald M.
(2007) Babies by Design: The Ethics of Genetic Choice. Paperback book. Published by Yale University Press, USA.
Heywood, Andrew
(2003) Political Ideologies. Paperback book. 3rd edition. Originally published 1992. Current version published by Palgrave MacMillan.
Hutton, Ronald
(1999) The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Paperback book. 2001 edition. Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
Kressel, Neil
(2007) Bad Faith: The Danger of Religious Extremism. E-book. Amazon Kindle digital edition. Published by Prometheus Books, New York, USA.
Mottier, Veronique
(2008) Sexuality: A Very Short Introduction. Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
NSS. The National Secular Society, London, UK.
Newsline. Weekly news letter. See: "Secularism" by Vexen Crabtree (2011).
Orwell, George
(1949) 1984. Paperback book. Reprinted 1990. Originally published 1949 by Martin Seeker & Warburg Ltd. Current version published by Penguin Books, London, UK.
Pilkington, C. M.
(1995) Teach Yourself Judaism. Paperback book. Published by Hodder Headline PLC.
Sipe, Richard
(1995) Sex, Priests and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis. Hardback book. Published by BunnerMazel Inc., New York, USA. A.W. Richard Sipe is a retired Roman Catholic Priest. Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Chair of the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institution, Minnesota, USA. (Biblio detail correct as of 1995). The Amazon link points to a modern book by Sipe on the same topic as the one referenced here.
Wolffe, John
(2002, Ed.) Global Religious Movements in Regional Context. Published by Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Aldershot, UK, in association with The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. This was a religious studies textbook in the AD317 OU course.
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ALS Run for Jeremy 5k
Harris County High School
Sat 10/05/2013
1 mile, 5K
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. The diagnosis alone would have devastated most people but not this coach, husband, and father of two. Coach Jeremy Williams saw this as an opportunity to influence people and ultimately change lives. His unwavering faith and determination have not only shown people a picture of TRUE faithfulness but have also raised awareness about this horrible disease.
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Excellent cruise on the Eurodam: Eurodam Cruise Review by cliff1788
Overall Member Rating
Excellent cruise on the Eurodam
Destination: Eastern Caribbean
Embarkation: Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
Embarkation was a bit crazy. Eurodam was parked next to one of the RCCL mega ships. We parked our car with Park and Go and took the shuttle to the port. The port was very congested. Once we got off the shuttle and tagged our bags we made our way into the terminal. HAL did a very nice job with a large crowd. Overall it took about 30-40 minutes from the time we got off the shuttle to the time we got on the ship. Seems HAL has this process down to a science. Next time I will not try to arrive so early. My mother in law flew in at 1:30 and completely missed all of the crowds. She walked directly on to the ship in 10 minutes.
Due to illness, we skipped our stop in Grand Turk. Sort of expected this but it would have been More VERY nice to get off of the ship rather than spend 2 days at sea. We had a first time cruiser with us and the seas were not so friendly to her on the first day. We were all very happy to see San Juan. San Juan was a super cool place. Lots of history, friendly people, good food, easy transportation, and GREAT beaches. We spent the morning touring the fort. We took the free open air trolley all the way to the fort and then strolled back down the hill through Old San Juan back to the port. Once back at the port we took a taxi ($5-7 per person) to the beach near the Intercontinental Hotel. The resorts in the area have tight security so don't plan to use their facilities. You can make arrangements with the Marriot Stelaris for about $30 per person for the day. We will probably do this next time.
St Thomas was very good. We did the St John, Trunk Bay snorkel tour. While we had a nice time we would probably do this on our own next time. The water was great and the snorkeling was good. The group was large so there was a little more waiting around than I prefer. On the flip side, we did not have to do any planning or look at our watches constantly to be sure we didn't miss a boat.
Half Moon Cay was good too. The weather was a bit iffy and the tendering process was rough! The crew did a great job ensuring every one's safety. We just laid on the beach and enjoyed the bar-b-que. Nice way to end the trip.
The food on the Eurodam was FANTASTIC! I am not sure how they do it but everything came out warm and tasty. We tried lots of different food and the portion sizes were perfect. If there was something we did not like we did not feel like we were wasting food. If we wanted more of something the staff was eager to please by bringing another serving. Among our favorites was the banana soup and a lobster salad. The stuffed quail was out of sight!!! The wine steward was great too. We brought our own wine and she was glad to pour every last drop! All of the desserts were good. Some were more adventurous than others but all very good.
Entertainment: Wow!!! I think HAL has stumbled on to something with the BB King Blues review. Incredible, excellent, awesome!! I can seriously see this type of entertainment being the future of cruise entertainment. The other "production" shows were good but the BB King band was in a class all by itself. They played to a packed house every night. Many fellow cruisers followed them to where they were playing every night. You could not get a seat the night they were on the main stage. The nights they were in the Queen's Lounge it was standing room only. Jeff, the magician, and his dog Indy were good too. By far, BB King was the best, although I would see Jeff anytime he is on stage too. He is funny and his routine is witty.
Overall, this was a great cruise. Last year we cruised on the Noordam to the Southern Caribbean. We had a great time then so I was sort of expecting a let down on this trip. Eurodam and its entire crew are to be commended for a fabulous cruise. I truly cannot think of a better vacation value than a cruise with Holland America!!! Less
Published 04/08/13
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After a chaotic early part of the first round that saw trades flying everywhere, the Bengals stayed true to many mock drafts, taking cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick from the University of Alabama.
At 6'2" he give the Bengals their most physical corner to match up against bigger wide receivers. The Bengals chose Kirkpatrick despite several other high profile defensive players sliding such as South Carolina DE Melvin Ingram.
Kirkpatrick also has an incredible 30-inch wingspan and is touted for his ability to match up in press coverage. There is a question mark about his ball skills, however, as he only netted three interceptions during his Alabama career.
This pick gives the Bengals a stable of corners. With Leon Hall coming off an Achilles' injury and three others due to become unrestricted free agents after 2012, the team felt they couldn't pass on a potential shut down corner with this pick.
The Bengals will pick again at number 21.Tags: Cincinnati, Cincinnati Bengals, Football, NFL


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Whip Hoyer Discusses the Republican Budget, Health Care Reform On CNN
"The case isn't over until it's over, and the justices are going to have to reflect upon the issues here, and they'll meet in joint session with one another and discuss it. It's way too early to say, a, it was a 'train wreck' or this case is over. I think this matter will be resolved, that the mandate is, in fact, constitutional and this bill will go forward."
"The alternative budget offered by the Republicans today and tomorrow is not balanced. It will not bring down our deficit in the foreseeable future and the cuts that it proposes simply shift from the middle class and poor burdens to them, and wealth to the wealthiest in America. That's not a fair program. That's not a balanced program. It's not a program that we think will get us from where we need to be, where we are, to where we need to be. In fact, in the Republican budget there are no specifics and they are unrealistic in terms of cuts that can be affected and unrealistic in terms of the $10 trillion in revenue cuts that they suggest can be offset with the elimination of preference items they refer to generally but not specifically. They don't take on the hard questions."


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The Shimane Susanoo Magic on Friday announced recently signed center Rashaad Singleton will not play for the bj-league team this season, citing family issues as the reason.
The team news release contradicts what this newspaper uncovered during interviews with several league sources this past week.
This Japan Times reported on Friday, citing multiple league sources, that unbeknownst to Singleton before arriving in Shimane Prefecture in August, he is ineligible to play until at least February after missing a deadline last February to retake a blood test. At that time, he was on the verge of joining the Gunma Crane Thunders. Now, he's not on the verge of suiting up for the Susanoo Magic, either.
Singleton was on flu medication at the time of the blood test, sources said, and didn't have time to take the mandatory test again, setting in motion a sequence of events that led to the Shimane announcement on Friday.
What remains unclear is why the Shimane front office was unaware of Singleton's ineligibility before he signed a contract. What also remains unclear is if the league office is making an earnest attempt to inform all teams about players' status before they are signed.
League PR spokesman Kentaro Umehara declined to comment when contacted by The Japan Times. Shimane president Daisuke Akaike did not respond to inquiries from this newspaper.
The 213-cm Singleton, one of the top interior defenders in bj-league history, was forced to leave Japan and begin his search for a new team. He played in Singapore last spring.
The fact that Singleton didn't know about the one-year probation left him frustrated and disappointed, he told The Japan Times.
In related news, Shimane agreed to terms with forward Adrian Thomas on Friday. The 201-cm veteran played 10 games for the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix last season before departing in December. He averaged 16.7 points per game. In a November game against the now-defunct Miyazaki Shining Suns, the University of Miami (Florida) product drained 13 of 25 3-pointers in a 41-point outburst.
Thomas played 30 games for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League in the 2012-13 season, averaging 4.3 ppg.


text: +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | TPWD News Release 20111230a | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | This page contains only plain text, no HTML formatting codes. | | It is not designed for display in a browser but for copying | | and editing in whatever software you use to lay out pages. | | To copy the text into an editing program: | | --Display this page in your browser. | | --Select all. | | --Copy. | | --Paste in a document in your editing program. | | If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send | | an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com and mention Plain Text Pages. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [ Note: This item is more than five years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030 ] [ Additional Contacts: Larry Hodge, (903) 670-2255, firstname.lastname@example.com; Randy Brudnicki, (512) 389-8464, firstname.lastname@example.com ] Dec. 30, 2011 Season's Second Toyota ShareLunker Comes from Falcon ATHENS--When Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine publisher Randy Brudnicki planned a fishing trip to Falcon International Reservoir with his sons Jason and Dustin for the week after Christmas, he knew the time was right to catch a Toyota ShareLunker. But the trio struggled for two days, catching only small bass mid-lake and near the dam. On Wednesday, December 28, the north wind shifted to the south, and that made all the difference. "I knew to look for places where the south wind would blow in to points," Brudnicki said. It was their last day to fish, and they wanted to get on the road early, so they put in at the county ramp in Zapata and began fishing around the city's water intake structure. "After spending some time on the main point but only catching small fish, we moved upwind to a ledge," Brudnicki said. "My son Jason, who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, started throwing a Strike King 6XD crankbait, a Christmas present from his older brother, Dustin. The big girl hit right under the boat as he ended his retrieve. He set the hook and she pulled a little line. Dustin grabbed the net and in seconds the fish was in the boat." A few casts later Jason caught another big fish, and they decided to weigh them. The smaller fish went eight pounds, but the big fish bottomed out their scale. After borrowing a scale from another boat, they realized they had a ShareLunker and took it to Falcon Lake Tackle to be weighed on a certified scale. The official weight is 13.36 pounds. Length and girth were not available at the time of writing. Keeping the big fish alive for the five hours it would take for a truck to arrive from the A.E. Wood Fish Hatchery in San Marcos now became their top priority. "We ran both recirculating and aeration pumps non-stop," Brudnicki said. "The mid-50 degree water temperature helped a lot." They finally turned the fish over to TPWD about 7 p.m. The Toyota ShareLunker program will be profiled in the Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine's Spring Fishing Guide due out in February. That guide will also feature a fishing forecast for 2012 and other relevant topics for Texas anglers. The guide will be available free at http://www.tpwmagazine.com. Anyone legally catching a 13-pound or bigger largemouth bass from Texas waters, public or private, between October 1 and April 30 may submit the fish to the Toyota ShareLunker program by calling program manager David Campbell at (903) 681-0550 or paging him at (888) 784-0600 and leaving a phone number including area code. Fish will be picked up by TPWD personnel within 12 hours. Anglers entering fish into the Toyota ShareLunker program receive a free replica of their fish, a certificate and ShareLunker clothing and are recognized at a banquet at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. For complete information and rules of the ShareLunker program, tips on caring for big bass, a list of official Toyota ShareLunker weigh and holding stations and a recap of last year's season, see http://tpwd.texas.gov/sharelunker. The site also includes a searchable database of all fish entered into the program along with pictures where available. Information on current catches, including short videos of interviews with anglers when available, is posted on http://www.facebook.com/sharelunkerprogram. The Toyota ShareLunker Program is made possible by a grant to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation from Gulf States Toyota. Toyota is a long-time supporter of the Foundation and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, providing major funding for a wide variety of education, fish, parks and wildlife projects. -30-


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Report: Beyonce to Headline 2013 Super Bowl
NEW YORK (AP) — All the single ladies will be watching the upcoming Super Bowl along with football lovers. That's because Beyonce is the halftime show performer. A source familiar with Super Bowl XLVII told The Associated Press the Grammy-winning diva will take the stage at the halftime show on Feb. 3, 2013, at the…Details


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Protect your computer against viruses and spyware
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Viruskeeper 2011 pro description
VirusKeeper 2011 Pro combines the best protection technologies available in a single product to protect your computer against viruses, spyware and malware: real-time shield, permanent threat detection, real-time protection of Windows system folders, real-time protection of Internet Explorer, behavioral analysis detection of viruses and spyware, automatic scanner that inspects new or suspicious files, traditional ultra-fast anti-virus scanner, anti-spyware scanner. VirusKeeper Pro also includes the real-time threat detection engine of VirusKeeper Standard. It monitors all aspects of your system: running processes, system files, and the registry.
VirusKeeper 2011 Pro is licensed as shareware. Follow the link bellow and free download VirusKeeper 2011 Pro.
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It is not legal to make use of cracks, patches, pirate registration codes or serial numbers, key generators, and other similar tools that interfere with future developments of the software, while it is not safe nor allowed to obtain VirusKeeper 2011 Pro 11.3.1 from file sharing websites such as MegaUpload, Rapidshare or YouSendIt. Using these methods to eliminate the need to obtain a genuine license for VirusKeeper 2011 Pro 11.3.1 could put your computer and activity at risk by infecting the system with viruses, spyware, worms, Trojans, dialers and adware, distroying its stability and stealing your personal information, as well as propagating through the network to take control of other computers. In such cases, you won't be able to use your computer, not even VirusKeeper 2011 Pro, anymore.
You can find and use free legal download links for VirusKeeper 2011 Pro 11.3.1 on Download3000 and on the official website of the publisher.


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Denny Kearney has seen Yale go from middle-of-the-pack in its conference his freshman season to a team that's ranked No. 1 in the nation.
"Now, it's almost impossible to get tickets, unless you get them in advance," the senior forward said of Yale's home games. He added with a laugh, "It's kind of a headache for those people who were regulars before."
Suffice to say, it's an annoyance the Yale fans can live with, because it means the Bulldogs are playing extremely well. This past weekend at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Conn., Yale beat Clarkson 5-2 on Friday and St. Lawrence 4-1 on Saturday. The Bulldogs bounced back strongly from their second loss of the season, Jan. 16 at Brown, a 3-2 defeat that ended a 10-game winning streak but didn't knock them out of the top spot in the rankings.
Yale (17-2) is seeking its first NCAA championship in the sport. The Bulldogs have a good combination of seasoned veterans such as Kearney and dynamic younger players like sophomore assists leader Andrew Miller and freshman Kenny Agostino, who has scored seven goals in Yale's past seven games.
Guiding the squad is former Yale goalie Keith Allain, who is in his fifth season at his alma mater after many years coaching pros. He was an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues from 1998-2006 until returning to Yale, where he'd played from 1976-80 and been an assistant from '82-85.
When Yale let go longtime coach Tim Taylor in 2006 after a 10-20-3 season and eight-year absence from the NCAA tournament, he and his supporters were upset. But the hiring of a successful alum -- Allain won 31 games in goal for Yale -- helped mend things. Allain had both played for and coached with Taylor at Yale.
The Bulldogs were 11-17-3 in Allain's first season, then 16-14-4 in the freshman year of the current seniors. The next season, though, the Bulldogs were 24-8-2 and finished atop the ECAC, advancing to the NCAA tournament.
Last season, they were 21-10-3 -- once again best in the ECAC standings -- and then pulled a big upset in the NCAA tournament, beating North Dakota 3-2. Allain surprised everyone when he started Ryan Rondeau in goal in that game; Rondeau had not played most of the season.
In the regional final, Yale lost 9-7 to eventual national champ Boston College. Rondeau was among those who've returned to make this season's Bulldogs one of the nation's most formidable teams.
Kearney, who has 10 goals and 14 assists, is a candidate along with teammate Broc Little for the Hobey Baker award, given annually to college hockey's top player.
"The culture has changed since I came in a freshman," said Kearney, who is from Hanover, N.H. "We have a large senior class and that experience has really paid off."
Last season was special to Kearney both because of Yale's NCAA tournament success and a big victory in his family. His older sister, Hannah, won the moguls skiing gold medal the day after the opening ceremonies at the Vancouver Olympics, becoming the United States' first winner in the 2010 Winter Games.
That same night, Feb. 13, Yale won in overtime against Cornell. On the ride back to campus, the Yale players were able to pick up the Olympics broadcast of Hannah's event via Wi-Fi on someone's laptop.
"It was a funny scene on the back of the bus -- the whole team trying to huddle around this little computer watching it," Kearney said. "We were just waiting for her score to come up, and when it did, everyone was going crazy. They were kind of jumping on me and hitting me. I was really excited for her and just so proud."
Hannah would like nothing more than to celebrate her younger brother's winning an NCAA title this year. For Yale to do that, the Bulldogs will have to continue doing all the things well that they have thus far. They're a strong penalty-killing team, multidimensional on offense and -- as the bus celebration for the sibling of a teammate suggests -- a very cohesive unit.
"Our senior class is filled with talent and personality," said Miller, who is from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and has 21 assists along with five goals. "They work hard every day and they are always having fun around the rink. They create an atmosphere where kids are excited to come to the rink everyday and love to compete on the ice and in the weight room all the time."
Around the nation
Weekend upsets: College hockey saw some favorites fall, including No. 7 New Hampshire to No. 15 Boston University on Saturday, and Nebraska Omaha over No. 2 North Dakota and Ohio State over No. 8 Notre Dame on Friday.
North Dakota and Notre Dame did come back Saturday, though, to beat their Friday foes.
Aggies win dual: In a matchup of two of the nation's top track and field programs Saturday, Texas A&M defeated LSU in a dual meet at College Station, Texas. Sprinter Gerald Phiri, a senior from Sheffield, England, won the 60- and 200-meter races in leading the Aggies men past the Tigers 84-75. Phiri's times were 6.63 seconds and a career-best 20.80
On the women's side, Texas A&M won 91-67, led by victories in the 200 (22.95) and 400 (52.97) by Jessica Beard, a senior from Euclid, Ohio. Beard already has had some international success, as she helped the U.S. 4x400 squad win gold at the world championships in 2009. She ran during the prelims at that meet, where she was the youngest member on Team USA at age 20.
Mechelle Voepel is a columnist for ESPN.com. She can be reached at email@example.com.
Follow ESPN.com's college sports coverage on Twitter: @ESPN_College and on Facebook.


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Blood Worm
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Available in frozen form from most LFS's. Can be good to get butterflyfish feeding.


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A Conyers high school teacher who lives in Covington was arrested Friday on charges of a teacher having sexual contact with a student.
Leslie Howard Mosley Jr., 36, of Covington, a fine arts teacher at Heritage High School, was booked into the Rockdale County jail Friday and released on a $10,000 bond Monday morning.
According to a Rockdale County Sheriff's Office report, the school resource officer was called into the Heritage principal's office Thursday in reference to allegations that Mosley was having "inappropriate contact" with a student in the school.
The sexual contact between Mosley and the 16-year-old student was consensual, according to initial reports, said RCSO Investigator Michael Camp. The age of consent in Georgia is 16. However, Mosley still can be charged since he was in an administrative role as a teacher and the student was currently enrolled at the school.
The affair between Mosley and the 16-year-old student had been going on for at least this school year and appears to have been conducted off campus, according to Camp. Investigators still have more interviews to conduct but felt there was enough information from initial interviews on Friday to press charges.
Mosely submitted his resignation on Thursday. However, the school board could still choose to terminate him, according to Rockdale County Public Schools spokesperson Cindy Ball. Mosley began working with the school system in August 1999 and has been at Heritage since July 2006.
The case is still under investigation.
This arrest comes just a month after that of Rockdale Sheriff's Deputy and Heritage School Resource Officer Thomas Matthew Donahue, 32, also of Covington, was arrested after allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with an 18-year-old student.
Donahue and the 18-year-old girl both denied the allegations of an inappropriate relationship in written statements. However, Donahue's responses to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's polygraph test "indicated deception" when he answered questions about whether or not he had sexual contact with the student, according to an RCSO internal investigation report.
He was charged with false statements/writings, concealment of facts, and violation of oath by a public officer.
The internal investigation began after Principal Greg Fowler contacted the RCSO on Jan. 30. Fowler had reportedly received complaints from teachers around Jan. 25. An inventory of Donahue's desk at the school revealed an envelope with scantily clad pictures of the student as well as love notes from the student.
Donahue was employed with the RCSO for about five years and this was his second year assigned to the school.


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A funny quote from Martin Freeman, who's been in the public eye as of late thanks to major roles in Sherlock and the upcoming film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey surfaced today.
Freeman is a British actor who, unlike many others in his field, wasn't invited for a role in Harry Potter. "I was one of the only people who wasn't in 'Harry Potter', and I'm still annoyed by that," he said to The Sunday Times Magazine.
His role as Bilbo Baggins may be his largest fantasy film to date and will surely give Harry Potter a run for its money.
So this begs the question…
What character could Martin Freeman have played in Harry Potter?
We could've seen him in a role as Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) or perhaps Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). How about you?
Freeman will show off his skills as a fantasy film star in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, opening in theaters December 14. It is the first in The Hobbit trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. Meanwhile, Steven Moffat's Sherlock series three is expected to begin filming sometime in 2013. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the lead detective while Freeman is Watson.
Speaking of Sherlock, check out our infographic that uses 18 factors to help you determine when you know for sure you're a fan of the British television series.


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Swing Vote set for CaulfieldChris Roots
Published: January 21 2013 - 3:00AM
GAI Waterhouse will send Swing Vote to the Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield on Saturday, but is uncertain how many runners she could have in next month's $1 million two-year-old feature.
Swing Vote made a winning debut at Warwick Farm on January 5 and the lure of black type will send the filly south for Saturday's listed 1000-metre dash.
''You need to have the right sort of horse to send to these races, but with fillies, the opportune time to get black type and increase their value is as two and three-year-olds,'' Waterhouse said.
''Swing Vote only had the one barrier trial before winning the other day and she has just continued to improve, and it is the right time for her to take that step.
''I will send some others down for the Preludes and then decide which of them are the best chances once the Blue Diamond comes around.
''Two-year-olds, as we know, can be here today and gone tomorrow.''
Exceed And Excel filly Overreach is likely to push on towards the Blue Diamond Preludes in a fortnight's time, as is Saturday's Inglis Classic winner Marseille Roulette.
''They don't do what Marseille Roulette did on the weekend off just one [barrier] trial too often - winning at 1200 metres,'' Waterhouse said.
''We will see how he goes in the next week but Melbourne might be the right option for him.
''Overreach had the one run in the spring [in the Debutants Stakes] and ran second to the benchmark two-year-old of the season [Villa Verde].
''She is coming along very well and the prelude looks the right race for her.''
Reuben Percival, Travolta and Tullamore will make up the Waterhouse team for the Australia Day Cup at Warwick Farm on Saturday.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/horseracing/swing-vote-set-for-caulfield-20130120-2d16p.html


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Probably any forum that Matthew posts at. I think RSP has info posted by Ian Jane too (from seeing the info at Latarnia).
Probably any forum that Matthew posts at. I think RSP has info posted by Ian Jane too (from seeing the info at Latarnia).
Kundun Rat Terrier: 8/16/02-3/26/11. RIP, Ku.
Awesome news! Great to see Code Red is back on the ball. I just sent my Paypal payment to Bill. Do we expect these to ship this week?
Nice I just placed an order, thanks!
Give me Fulci, Bava, and Argento over Antonioni, Fellini, Rossellini.
wait a sec. ... this is not going to be available from the usual online retailers like importcds, dvdpacific or amazon? I have to order it directly from code red, right?
You can send $21 directly to Bill through Paypal or you can order it on Amazon through The Exterminator for $24.99 plus $2.98 for shipping. Bill's Paypal account is firstname.lastname@example.com
well, I live in germany .. so it's $25 for me. I'm just trying to figure out, if this is some kind of "exclusive release" only available from code red... would be a bad deal if this shows up for the usual $10-12 at importcds, weeks later.
FYI, the UPC code is still 851740003666
25 dollars is a alot more than I'm used to paying for CR titles, but if it will shut Bill up I'll do it to get my fix.
Give me Fulci, Bava, and Argento over Antonioni, Fellini, Rossellini.
Eventually there will likely be a webshop set up at http://codereddvd.com but for now - Paypal to the "Contact" address in the upper right corner will do the trick.
Anyone is free to order, just giving the board first dibs
BTW, this new duplication house is willing to press in even smaller runs, as little as 300! (500 Ghostkeepers have been pressed.) So, some of these will truly be LIMITED Editions.
Next up:
Well I ordered but spending $24.00 to ship a DVD to Canada is out of my comfort zone.
If this is the ongoing price for CR releases I'll have to be much more selective.
If this release can be had cheaper later from sellers like CDImports or DVDPacific...I'll be pissed.
Last edited by Brian W; 04-19-2012 at 10:21 PM.


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Admissions & Info:
A red carpet greeted all guests, including the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Sergey Kislyak who attended.
The IRC's year-end screening took place at the newly refurbished Tunlaw Theater.
The dinner took place on both floors of the foyer.
AU's usual suspects have attended every single IRC event.
His Excellency Sergey Kislyak and Mrs. Kislyak chat with IRC Founder & Advisory Committee Chair Susan Carmel Lehrman before the film.
Ambassador Kislyak and IRC Founder & Advisory Committee Chair Susan Carmel Lehrman address the packed theater before the film.
Karen Shakhnazarov's *Vanished Empire* plays to a packed theater.
The IRC set another record for attendance with its last event -- almost 400 people.
The post-film dessert on the top floor of the foyer.
Ambassador Kislyak chats to AU student Vanessa Robertson and IRC Executive Director Anton Fedyashin.