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KUALA LUMPUR: The Sungai Besi Highway will be extended to link the existing expressway with the Middle Ring Road II and other housing areas in Pandan.
Currently, the expressway, which is operated by Besraya Sdn Bhd, stretches from the Jalan Istana interchange in Sungai Besi to Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang.
The 12.3km extension will have interchanges at Salak Selatan, Jalan Istana, Ikan Emas, Loke Yew, Jalan Cheras, Shamelin Perkasa, MRR2 North (where Jalan Pandan Jaya intersects the MRR2), MRR2 South (where Jalan Pandan Indah intersects the MRR2), Pandan Jaya and Pandan Utama.
The new link, which will be mostly elevated, will have one toll plaza. The extension, dubbed the Besraya Elevated Expressway (BEE), was announced by Works Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamad yesterday.
Mohd Zin said Besraya would operate the new link.
"It will act as an alternative route for traffic heading from east Kuala Lumpur to the southern part of Kuala Lumpur and vice-versa," he said.
Earlier, Mohd Zin closed the highway's Salak Jaya toll plaza at 12.30pm. Cars used to have to pay RM1.30 at the toll plaza, which was opened in May 1999.
Read the full article:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?fi ... sec=nation


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Justin Richards's The Renaissance Man
What can be said? Well, for one thing at least, this is another month, another mysterious manor. Justin Richards's The Renaissance Man has the TARDIS pitch up in a woodland area in a quiet village were reality isn't all its cracked up to be and indeed cracking into splinters. Like Lost Story, The Foe from the Future, the manor is owned by an inexplicable aristocrat and before long characters who are becoming fast friends suddenly seem to lose all memory of the Fourth Doctor and Leela, who then have to make their acquaintance again.
As Richards's script explains internally, it's all about context and in both cases the clue is in the title. Where Foe brought mayhem from the future, this is a much less pacey, more character driven study on the nature of knowledge, if it's possible like those polymaths of the medieval period onwards to know everything. Is that too much? Not sure. Let's move on. No can't talk about that. No can't talk about that either. No wonder Doctor Who Magazine waits a month or so before printing their reviews. But in this case a bit of knowledge does go a bit too long a way.
I will say that it's a very clever spin on a well loved 60s tv story, but I can't in all conscience tell you which one I have in mind. It's also clearly inspired by a real life discussion of a portion of online culture but again, well, I'm tying myself in knots aren't I? It's a surprise that the two concepts haven't been brought together. Not that you'll know which two until you listen. If you don't mind being spoiled, you could always email me. I'm available at the usual address. I wonder if this conundrum is what Justin Richards wanted.
I think I'm on safe ground with the music, in which Jamie Robertson gives us a brilliant full on Dudley Simpson pastiche, and the performances. Tom and Louise are well into their stride now, the former offering some manic brilliance in a bit with a dog, the latter taking great pleasure in having to repeat that she's a "warrior of the Sevateem" as though it's her surname, including one occasion when it might as well be. Having been writing Doctor Who stories since the mid-90s, Richards gives both some tonally perfect material to work from.
The Renaissance Man also has a solid guest cast top-lined by Ian "Churchill" McNeice. Anyone who's seen his early work on the film Voice Over will recognise some of 'Fats' Bannerman's melodrama in his turn as Harcourt the apparent owner of the manor. He's joined by Foyle's War's Anthony Howell in the significant role of Edward who with the rest of the cast … no I can't talk about that either, except to say it makes a specific virtue of one of the limitations of Big Finish's smaller casting requirements. Whatever that could mean.
All up to the usual standards then, with director Ken Bentley and Robertson making some interesting choices with the sound design, the nature of which, well you get the idea, even if you can't because you don't know anything. If I've a quibble it might be that there's not quite enough story to go round which is odd for an hour's worth of drama, but it's perhaps in period for a 70s pastiche that there should be some running around, some slapstick and especially some room for Tom to make a few good speeches.
Well, that was a waste of time wasn't it?
Doctor Who: The Renaissance from Big Finish is released 29th February 2012. Review copy supplied.
Posted on Thursday, February 09, 2012 Labels: doctor who, the fourth doctor
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subset: commoncrawl


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i-Meng (Dragon Lee) the young man who is looking for the job offers his services for protection outfit. When the money from the village has stolen from the bandits Meng was compensate and everyone blamed him for losing all the money. However it turns out that all the money was stolen from the Pang (Casanova Wong) who is also Ti-Meng`s old school friend. Ti-Meng finds out the whole situation and decided to get all the money back from Pang.Overview from themoviedb.org
<> Free subtitles & video converter from freemake company


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Hey everyone,
I will be going on the Liberty of the Seas in December, 2007. One of the stops will be Grand Cayman. Well, my family is thinking of that being the day to relax on the beach as on all the other ports we will be doing shore excursions. However, I'm nervous to visit Seven Mile Beach because I'm thinking it's going to be so crowded. I believe the date the ship stops there is December 19th, and with it being close to the holidays, I don't know how busy it will be.
Does anyone suggest going here or is there a better beach? We though about Rum Point, but that's a long ways from the ship. Or, does anyone know if we could get access to stay at a resort for the day for a fee? I know there are some excursions that take you to a resort, but we wanted maybe something more upscale where we know we won't be disappointed, since I have read reviews from previous passengers not liking the hotel.
If someone could let me know, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
I would suggest visiting Seagrape Beach at the far end of 7-Mile Beach. There is a restaurant, bar, lounge chairs and plenty of beach in both directions if you want to get off by yourself. Most of the hotels will be full then, so they are bound to be crowded. You can get a van to take you to SeaGrape for about $5.00 per person from the transfer stop to the left of the tender terminal. Everyone that I know that has spent the day at Seagrape Beach loves it.
Hope that helps.
|All times are GMT -7. The time now is 10:29 AM.


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Log onto the new Jewish Community site on America Online and a synthesized male voice welcomes you with a breathy "Shalom."
It seems a fitting way to enter the Jewish Community site, which is trying hard to be warm and welcoming in a medium that is inherently impersonal.
In existence since mid-December, the Jewish Community cybersite is attracting a remarkable number of Jews to its varied offerings on Jewish culture, tradition, religion, cooking and lifestyles.
It seems to be drawing Jews of varied interests and ideologies, who – in the site's third week of existence – are logging on for a total of more than 500 hours a day.
As a point of comparison, a Christian community cybersite on America Online that is more than a year old and serves a larger population than the Jewish community, gets about twice as many visitor-hours each day.
"We're doing damn well after two weeks," Marc Klein, publisher of the new venture, said in an interview from his office at the Northern California Jewish Bulletin, the San Francisco area weekly at which he is editor and publisher.
Only subscribers to America Online can access Jewish Community, but Klein estimated that about 10 percent of AOL's 4.5 million subscribers are Jewish.
He wants Jewish Community to be "the central address" for the on-line Jewish community, he said, adding that the project does a good job of casting a wide net.
It offers specialized bulletin board discussion groups for Jewish singles, youths and parents; Reform Jews; Orthodox Jews; gay, lesbian and bisexual Jews; Jews in "local communities"; and people who work in Jewish education, Jewish federations or Jewish journalism. Discussion groups also exist for rabbis and cantors.
And there are separate discussions dedicated to news of particular Jewish interest.
With photos and text, the site also offers tours of Jewish museum in Prague.
Jewish Community is also offering Jewish virtual courses, similar to the kind someone could find in synagogue adult education.
After two weeks, nearly 400 people had downloaded the first course, an introduction to Judaism that is taught by Rabbi Danny Horowitz, the spiritual leader of a Conservative synagogue in Prairie Village, Kan.
Within the Jewish youth area, a discussion of interdating elicited posts from teens who made clear their struggle with the issue.
A girl with the on-line moniker "Moon Petal" wrote, "I recently started dating a guy. He is not a jew and from a german background. His father was born and raised in germany and has german symbols up all over his house. Do I have a right to feel uncomfortable?"
Dan Horowitz wrote that "Alot of the girls in my school are such japs it's hard to find someone Jewish. Any Jewish girls from the Philadelphia suburbs interested in a relationship with a 17-year old Jewish guy? E-mail me!"
News stories from Reuters and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency are available, as are articles from several Jewish weekly newspapers from across the United States and a handful of magazines, including The Jerusalem Report, Hadassah, Lilith and Moment.
A feature called "This Day" mentions the Jewish holiday on that date," if there is one, a historical tidbit and a Jewish trivia question.
A survey queries visitors each week. The first survey of whether religious symbols should be permitted on public property got 605 responses.
Slightly more than half – 53 percent – said they should not. The rest thought they should.
The second survey question, on whether Israel should turn the Golan over to Syria as part of peace Negotiations, prompted a heated debate from respondents.
Some wrote of the need to make painful concessions for peace. Many wrote of their love of the Golan, after having hiked or camped there during trips to Israel.
The singles real-time chat groups are less heated – politically, anyway. On one a woman posted only this line: "Hi! I'm in Chicago and I wear a 38D."
Most of the singles chat is more sedate.
One, ostensibly for 20-somethings from the Midwest, included 18 participants from Southern California to Atlanta to New York City.
Each night of the week, the singles chat is tailored to people from different areas of the country and different age groups.
As in any singles bar, there are spurts of small talk that sometimes do not get much past the weather and a few forays into Jewish geography.
The site wants to be all things to all people. To be a place where Jews of every ideological and religious stripe can feel comfortable expressing themselves is a good goal.
But doing all things well for all people is difficult to achieve and, in so doing, Jewish Community is not provocative.
It is trying to serve the Jewish organizational establishment the same way that it serves Joe Jew out in cyberspace.
So far, most of the discussion groups designated for a range of disparate Jewish groups, from the Jewish Fund for Justice to the Jewish War Veterans, have no messages.
Still, Jewish Community is casting the wide net for which many Jews, particularly those who are not otherwise connected to Jewish life, seem to be grateful.
One visitor to Jewish Community, whose e-mail handle is "Kahncave," sent Klein and his staff a message.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Just as I am struggling with my Jewish identity, you came along and offered this wonderful opportunity for information and contact with others."
Klein said, "This is something Jews have needed and we never realized just how much, but the e-mail is telling us. We feel we've done a real mitzvah."


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Events Archive
May 19: Book Launch and Wine Social with Massimo Pigliucci
Reasonable New York, a consortium of local rationalist organizations including CFI | NYC, is hosting a launch party for Massimo Pigliucci's new book, Nonsense on Stilts, How to Tell Science from Bunk . As part of the evening's activities, Dr. Pigliucci will give a short lecture, conduct a Q&A, and sign copies.
Click here for more information.
May 22: Scientific Paranormal Investigations Workshop: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries
Ever wondered how a person goes about investigating a haunted house, a Bigfoot sighting, or a crop circle? In movies and on television it looks easy, but how do real-life paranormal investigators discover what really happened, separating truth from myth? (Hint: Ghost Hunters ain't it!) Come find out in a unique, three-hour intensive workshop taught by Benjamin Radford. Radford is a Research Fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, columnist for LiveScience.com, and author of five books and hundreds of articles on skepticism, investigation, and the paranormal. Drawing from dozens of case studies involving monsters, psychics, and ghosts, Ben will explain the step-by-step process in investigations, including critical thinking, evaluating unusual claims, interviewing eyewitnesses, and conducting field experiments.
Click here for more information.
May 4: Women's Rights as Human Rights: A Panel Discussion
Women's rights have often been treated as a small sub-category of human rights—a mere appendage to larger questions of war, peace, poverty and economic development. In this forum, moderated by Susan Jacoby and featuring Michelle Goldberg , author of The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of The World , and Marianne Mollman , advocacy director fot the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, women's rights take their proper place at the center of the struggle for human rights and economic justice around the world. This forum co-sponsored by the Center for Inquiry-New York City and All Souls Unitarian Church.
Click here for more information.
April 22: Blasphemy: Hate Speech or Human Right? A Lecture by Austin Dacey
In his former capacity as a U.N. representative for the
Center for Inquiry,
Austin Dacey
has been at the frontlines of this
struggle at the Human Rights Council. In this talk, he will share insights
from his behind-the-scenes experience and explain what is at stake for
the future of human rights and international law. After his talk, Dacey
will sit down for a conversation and audience question-and-answer
segment with Michael De Dora, executive director at the Center for
Inquiry | New York City.
Click here for more information.
Saturday, April 10: Yuri's Night NYC 2010
The Center for Inquiry in New York City is sponsoring Yuri's Night NY 2010, the local of an annual worldwide celebration of the date Yuri Gagarin became the first man to be in outer space and the first to orbit Earth. Admission is $20 in advance, $25 door. Tickets are on sale at www.yurisnightny.net -- use the discount code "CenterforInquiry". Guests must be 21+. General Admission opens at 8 p.m.
Click here for more information.
Saturday, March 27: Social Networks and Personality: What Relationships Tell Us About Ourselves
For any branch science, there are numerous methods by which one may gather and look at data; psychology is no different. Dr. Allan Clifton , clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at Vassar College, proposes a fresh perspective on clinical psychology and how we think about personalities. Join us as as Dr. Clifton provides an overview and critique of current psychological methodologies, and shares with us what he believes social relationships can tell us about ourselves. Following his lecture, Dr. Clifton will be interviewed by the Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry | New York, Michael De Dora Jr.
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, March 3: Impossible Music Session 1: The Plastic Wave feauring Cruel Black Dove
The Impossible Music Sessions feature the artists who cannot appear and the music they are not free to make. In this inaugural Session, Brooklyn-based electronic rockers Cruel Black Dove interpret the music of the illegal Iranian band The Plastic Wave, who will appear via remote from Tehran. The concert will be followed by a release party for Listen to the Banned (Grappa Records), compiled by Deeyah for Freemuse.
Click here for more information.
Saturday, Feb. 13: Darwin Day 2010: Ian Tattersall on Darwin and Human Evolution
On the anniversary of Charles Darwin's birthday, come hear prominent paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall give a public lecture about Darwin and his impact on what we know about human evolution. Tattersall, curator in the anthropology department at the American Museum of Natural History, will then sit down for a conversation with Massimo Pigliucci , Chair of the Philosophy Department at City University of New York (CUNY) at Lehman College. A question-and-answer session with the audience will follow.
RSVPs are now closed, as this event is full. Click here for more information.
Monday, Feb. 8: A Conversation with Matthew Alper
Is man a spiritual being, immortal, created by a God -- or is he strictly physical in nature, destined to eternal dust? So begins the personal odyssey of Matthew Alper, who in "The 'God' Part of the Brain," asserts that it's no coincidence every culture has believed in some form of the spiritual realm. CFI's Michael De Dora Jr. will interview Alper about his book and his arguments, with an audience Q&A to follow.
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Jan. 20: Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture: Eric Alterman
Giving CFI-NYC's annual Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture this year will be
Eric Alterman,
a Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism at Brooklyn College-City University of New York, and a Professor of
Journalism at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Alterman is the author of seven books, including most recently,
We're Liberals: A Handbook for Restoring America's Most Important
, and the national best-seller
What Liberal Media?
The Truth About Bias and the News.
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Dec. 9: A Performance by Haroon Bacha, the Singer the Taliban Tried to Silence
Haroon Bacha is one of Pakistan's most celebrated Pashto singers. Because of his music's messages of tolerance and pluralism, he became a prime target of the Taliban's deadly campaign against music. In 2008, he was forced to flee the country, leaving behind his family, and seek asylum in New York City. This will be Haroon's first concert for the general public in New York, and he will be accompanied by master musicians Mohammad Essa on the tabla and Pervez Sakhi playing the rabab. Come hear these marvelous artists and support freedom of musical expression, and stay for the afterparty with DJ Agent Trevor. The event will be hosted by Austin Dacey , a writer and human rights advocate based in New York City.
Admission is $10 and open to all ages. Click here for more information.
Dec. 3: How I Survived My Religious Education
In this pre-Chanukah, pre-Christmas, and pre-Winter Solstice program, three people -- William Lobdell, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, and Marilyn Mehr -- brought up in restrictive religious traditions will discuss their journey toward atheism or liberal, inclusive forms of faith. In addition to dealing with weighty philosophical issues of losing -- and changing -- beliefs, this program will also deal with the more ordinary questions of how to handle relationships with beloved family members who are still devout, conservative religious believers (a challenge many of us face in the holiday season).
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Nov. 24: Celebrating 150 Years of 'Origin of Species'
The Center for Inquiry | New York city is co-sponsoring a very special event at The New York Academy of Sciences. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's landmark book, "Origin of Species," three leading scientists -- Gerald Edelman, Paul Ekman, and Terrence Deacon -- will discuss the importance of Darwin's theory of evolution and how his observations informed their three very diverse fields of work -- neurobiology, psychology, and linguistics.
This event is sold out. Click here for more information.
Nov. 17: The Psychology of Religion: Religious Belief and the Mind
Why do people believe in religious claims? How does religious belief influence a person's interaction with the world? And where does what many call "spirituality" and "spiritual experience" fit into all of this? A panel including scientist-come-philosopher Massimo Pigliucci , CFI's Michael De Dora Jr. , and NYU's Zoran Josipovic , Ph.D., will tackle these questions and more in an event co-sponsored by CFI | NYC and the NYU Atheists, Agnostics, and Freethinkers.
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Oct. 27: Voices of Reason: Church and State in the Obama Era
Our fall Voices of Reason series turns its attention to a subject that's very much on the minds of secularists—what has, and has not, changed in the relationship between government and religion since the election of President Barack Obama. Rob Boston , assistant communications director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Rev. Edwin Sanders , senior servant of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church of Nashville, Tennessee and a U.S. government consultant on HIV/AIDS programs around the world, will join Susan Jacoby , author of "The Age of American Unreason," for a freewheeling panel discussion followed by a question-and-answer session.
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Oct. 25: CFI's Michael De Dora Jr. on "The Future of Freethought"
A society that values freethought might look something like this: secular, and based on reason, science, free inquiry, and humanism. Yet as wonderful as this might sound for many of us, Americans currently live in a very different society: certain religious and other unreasonable beliefs control the country's public policy and social discourse–and these beliefs are largely off the conversation table. There is a burgeoning freethought movement working to address this problem. Accordingly, there are questions to ask about the movement itself. Michael De Dora Jr. , executive director of the Center for Inquiry in New York City, will tackle some of those questions crucial to the future of the freethought movement in a Sunday platform talk at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Oct. 18: Freethought Day Celebration: Brunch With Jennifer Michael Hecht
Join CFI-NYC and the Secular Humanist Society of New York (SHSNY) for
what promises to be an enlightening and entertaining talk by
award-winning author
Jennifer Michael Hecht
followed by a free-wheeling question-and-answer portion and discussion
-- all in celebration of Freethought Day (Oct. 12). October is
Freethought Month and Freethought Day is Oct. 12 because on that day in
1692, Governor
William Phips of the Massachusetts Colony declared that "spectral
evidence" would no longer be admissible in court, thereby ending -- for
lack of real-world evidence -- the Salem Witch Trials.
Brunch at the historic Pete's Tavern is just $20, for your choice of 11 excellent entrees, one drink, plus coffee or tea, and including all taxes and tips -- cash or check only, at the door, please. Reservations are a must! The room only holds 45 people. E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com, or phone 212-308-2165. Click here for more information.
Sept. 17: 2009-2010 Voices of Reason Kickoff: Eric Maisel on Living Well Without Gods
Eric Maisel , PhD, is the author of more than thirty works of fiction and nonfiction. His latest book is The Atheist's Way: Living Well Without Gods , in which he detils how to make rich personal meaning in life despite the absence of gods and the indifference of the universe to human concerns.
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Sept. 13: CFI-Harlem Hosts Toni Van Pelt on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Did you know that our organization is eligible for funds under the
Faith-Based and Community Initiative Program? Should we take this money? If
so, would we be compromising our principles?
Toni Van Pelt
is the director of the Center for Inquiry's
Office of Public Policy in Washington, D.C. and will talk about the
program, CFI's stance on the matter, and surrounding issues.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Click here for more information.
Sept. 10: Toni Van Pelt on Lobbying for Science and Reason
Toni Van Pelt is the director of the Center for Inquiry's Office of Public Policy in Washington, D.C. She will talk about her work as a lobbyist, promoting and advancing science and secularism. She asks Congressional Members to base law and policy on empirical evidence where possible, and the scientific method as opposed to faith. She also champions separation of church and state and social justice issues including women's equality and lesbian and gay rights.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Click here for more information.
August 4: "Adventures in the Defense of Evolution: From Kansas to Turkey to New York"
"That's not a problem here, right?," New Yorkers ask when they hear what Josh Rosenau does for a living. Rosenau is a policy analyst at the National Center for Science Education, where he defends the teaching of evolution against creationism. He and his colleagues have tracked attacks on evolution in every state and in dozens of countries. In the last few years, creationists in New York have filed bills in the state legislature and pushed creationism into classes from grade school to college. What drives this movement, and what can New Yorkers do to help?
Rosenau will draw on his work at NCSE, and also on his experience as a graduate student in biology at the University of Kansas during that state's struggle over statewide science standards. Since leaving Kansas for the California-based NCSE, he has defended honest science standards in Texas and Florida as well, worked to block anti-evolution bills in a dozen states, and squared off against Ben Stein. When not battling creationists, he writes about developments in progressive politics and the sciences on his blog "Thoughts from Kansas."
Admission is free and open to the public.
Click here for more information.
July 9: Dr. Jeff Schweitzer on Moral Life in a Random World
Come hear from former White House science advisor Dr. Jeff Schweitzer , co-author of the recent book Beyond Cosmic Dice: Moral Life in a Random World .
A scientist who has written extensively on morality, religion, politics and science -- and who served as science advisor to former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore -- Schweitzer will talk about how we each have within us the awesome power to create our own meaning in life, our own sense of purpose, our own destiny. He will address how happiness and fulfillment are derived from the freedom to discover within ourselves our inherent good, and then to act on that better instinct, not because of any mandate from above or in obedience to holy texts, but because we can.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Click here for more information.
JUNE 4: Nina Burleigh on Biblical Forgery
Join CFI and the Secular Humanist Society of New York on Thursday, June 4, to meet journalist and author Nina Burleigh , who wrote the recent book Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed, & Forgery in the Holy Land . The book tells the story of the unraveling of a Bible relic forgery scheme in Israel, and gives a glimpse into the intriguing world of biblical archaeology and relic collectors. Burleigh will talk about her book and the con-men, archaeologists, secular scholars, religious believers, hype-masters, billionaire collectors, and eccentrics she encountered while researching it.
The event will be held at 7 p.m. at the SLC Conference Center, 352 7th avenue (between 29th and 30th streets), 16th floor, room D4.
Click here for more information.
MONDAY, MAY 18: Peter Woit on String Theory
Peter Woit is a mathematician and physicist at Columbia University who will discuss string theory and why it is controversial, as well as prospects for new experiments and a better understanding of the mathematical theories used to describe the physical world.
Woit, who specializes in theoretical particle physics and the use of mathematics to address fundamental issues in physics, is the author of the 2007 book Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory & the Continuing Challenge to Unify the Laws of Physics . Since 2004 he has run the blog "Not Even Wrong," which deals with news about current topics in mathematics and particle physics research, and has become a focal point for the controversy surrounding string theory.
The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture. Admission is free and open to the public.
Click here for more information.
THURSDAY, MAY 7: National Day of Reason Fundraiser for Innocence Project
The New York Society for Ethical Culture, Center for Inquiry-New York City, Secular Humanist Society of New York, and the New York City Skeptics are coming together on May 7 to sponsor a fundraiser for the Innocence Project, a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing, and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. The Project, a fusion of science, reason, law and social justice, has freed 235 innocent men and women from jail -- 16 of them from death row -- since its inception in 1992. The date of the event, May 7, marks the National Day of Reason.
The event will feature talks from former prisoner Barry Gibbs, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 19 years, and Innocence Project attorney Olga Akselrod.
Admission is free and open to the public. Suggested donation is $20.
Donations will be taken throughout the event. All donations will go
directly to the Project.
Click here for more information.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22: Panel Discussion on the Evolutionary Origins of Religious Belief
The Center for Inquiry-New York City and the All Souls Unitarian Church are co-sponsoring a panel discussion on the evolutionary origins of religion. Why does religious belief persist? Is there a so-called "God gene?" What is the relationship between biological and cultural evolution in the development of human religion? How does unselfish behavior fit into the evolutionary mix? Is there really such a thing as "free will," a basic tenet of many religions? These are a few of the questions to be explored by a panel that includes Randy Thornhill , Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of New Mexico, and David Sloan Wilson , Distinguished Professor of Biology at SUNY Binghamton. The panel will be moderated by Austin Dacey , a philosopher and author of The Secular Conscience , who writes frequently on issues at the intersection of ethics, religion, and science. Dacey is CFI's representative to the United Nations.
Click here for more information.
The First Jolly Thirteen Club Meeting
CFI announces the first meeting of the Jolly Thirteen Club, a modern translation of the famous 1880s regular gathering of minds to discuss how to free society from superstition, irrationality and fear of the supernatural. In the spirit of Robert Ingersoll, the Jolly Thirteen Club will meet without fear on the 13th of each month at a bar in Manhattan, this month on Monday, April 13. Join the welcoming group of atheists, skeptics, secular humanists, and other likeminded people for an evening of food, drinks and skepticism!
Look for this event to be posted on a monthly basis going forward.
Yuri's Night NYC
On Saturday, April 4, the New York chapter of the Space Tourism Society (STSNY) will host Yuri's Night, an annual space-themed international celebration that honors the first human foray into space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's 1961 flight, and the NASA Space Shuttle's maiden voyage exactly 20 years later.
CFI is co-sponsoring the event by bringing in for the night Megan Seals , the Teachers in Space leader and 5th grade teacher who flew ZeroG on March 14, 2009.
Debate: Does Religion Make People Better?
On Wednesday, April 1, at 8 p.m., Rabbi Simcha Weinstein and philosopher Austin Dacey will debate whether religion makes people better. The two will argue the topic at hand, then, at the end of the debate, the question will be put to the audience for a vote. Lolita Bar, located in Manhattan's Lower East side, will host the debate in its basement level. Admission is free, and the bar takes cash only.
Evolution and Creationism in the Classroom: A Panel Discussion, Thursday, March 19
Join CFI to scrutinize the
state of the teaching of
evolution in American classrooms-the forbidden "E" word not as it is
portrayed in courtrooms, churches and the media but as it taught-or not
taught-by teachers intimidated by the Religious Right to students who
may arrive in class believing in the literal story of Genesis. The
panel will include
David Campbell,
a Florida biology teacher
profiled in The New York Times (August 24, 2008)
Jose Maldonado,
principal of Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, and
Engineering and an adjunct professor of science education at Teachers
College, Columbia University; and our own
Matthew LaClair,
President of CFI-On Campus and a strong advocate for church-state
separation in the classroom. The discussion will be moderated by
CFI-NYC program director
Susan Jacoby,
and a booksigning for the post-election paperback edition of her bestseller
The Age of American Unreason
will follow.
Click here for more information on the event.
Meet the Author: William Lobdell
Join CFI and the Secular Humanist Society of New York for a special, free Book Club "Meet the Author" event with William Lobdell, an award-winning journalist, author, blogger, speaker, college lecturer and media consultant whose new memoir — "Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America — and Found Unexpected Peace" — details his experience starting on the religion beat for the Los Angeles Times as a devout evangelical Christian and, eight years later, ending as an atheist.
Lobdell worked for 18 years with the Los Angeles Times and its sister newspapers, covering the religion beat for The Times for eight years, first as a columnist and then as a beat reporter. He earned several national awards for his work before becoming a metro editor for the paper in 2006. He left the paper in 2008. Lobdell has also been a visiting faculty member for 12 years at the University of California, Irvine, where he teaches "Religion and the Media" and "The Internet, Blogs and Politics."
Click here for full information.
Joe Conason
Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture
Now Available Online
A video recording of Joe Conason's 2009 Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture: Restoring Democracy in the Post-Bush Era is now available online .
Darwin Day Family Festival, Sat., Feb. 7
Join us on Saturday, February 7 for the Darwin Day Family Festival, a celebration of Darwin Day 2009. This year's very special Darwin Day marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth (on Feb. 12) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species (on Nov. 24). The Festival will feature games and entertainment for kids, speakers and fun for adults. For more information click here .
2009 Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture: Joe Conason on Restoring Democracy in the Post-Bush Era , Wed., Jan. 21
CFI-NYC's 2009 annual Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture—always one of the highlights of our year—will be delivered by author and columnist Joe Conason. Conason, the author of numerous books and a regular contributor to The New York Observer and Salon.com, is an investigative reporter and outspoken political commentator in the tradition of Paine. His most recent book, It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush , is now available in paperback. His talk, which is scheduled for the day after the presidential inauguration, will provide a broad view of Paine's political and economic ideas and their relevance to American society, politics and government today. Wednesday, January 21, 6:30-8:00 at the General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen, 20 W 44th St. Click here for registration information .
Truth Uncorked with Maggie Jackson, Author of Distracted , Thurs., Jan. 15
CFI's next Truth Uncorked wine and conversation event will take place on Thursday, January 15 with Maggie Jackson , the award-winning journalist and author of Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age (Prometheus Books, 2008. Click here for more information .
Truth Uncorked with Natalie Angier, Thurs., Dec. 11
Join the Center for Inquiry on Thursday, December 11 for a special Truth Uncorked wine and dinner event honoring the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times science journalist Natalie Angier. At this intimate dinner, Ms. Angier will be presented with the Committe for Skeptical Inquiry's third annual Robert P. Balles Annual Prize in Critical Thinking for her book The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science , published in 2007 by Houghton Mifflin. Click here for more information .
Change of Venue for J.A. Paulos Event, Thurs., Nov. 6
The venue for CFI's next Truth Uncorked wine and conversation salon has changed. Join us at the Tribeca Grand Hotel on Nov. 6 for an evening of intimate conversation with mathematician and popular author John Allen Paulos (author of, among other works, Innumeracy and A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper ). Click here for more information.
C. Welton Gaddy Lecture Video Now Available
A video recording of Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy's Voices of Reason lecture on Religion, Secularism and Election 2008 is now available online .
Frederick Lane on the Religious Right's Assault on the Supreme Court, Thurs., Nov. 13
CFI-NYC's Voices of Reason lecture series continues on Nov. 13 with Frederick S. Lane, author of The Court and the Cross: The Religious Right's Campaign to Reshape the Supreme Court (Beacon Press, 2008). Lane is a vocal critic of the disturbing ways in which the nation's highest court, as a result of appointments made by presidents beholden to the Religious Right, has moved away from a strict interpretation of the First Amendment and has allowed unprecedented religious interference with government. Lane will offer predictions for the future as well as an analysis of the past. The substance of Lane's talk will, of course, be greatly affected by the results of Election 2008. Click here for more information.
Truth Uncorked
with John Allen Paulos, Thurs., Nov. 6
Don't miss CFI's next Truth Uncorked wine and conversation salon on Nov. 6 with mathematician and popular author John Allen Paulos (author of, among other works, Innumeracy and A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper ). Click here for more information.
C. Welton Gaddy on Religion & Secularism in Election '08
Join the Center for Inquiry on Oct. 7 for a special event in its Voices of Reason lecture series. Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance and host of Air America's State of Belief , will speak about religion and politics in the 2008 election. This event will end well in time to catch the evening's second Presidential Debate. Click here for more information.
Freethinkers Tour
Postponed to April 25
Due to our professional tour guide's unexpected illness, CFI-NYC will postpone its Freethinkers Tour of New York City (originally scheduled for Sept. 6). We wish our tour guide, Justin Ferata, well as he recovers from a sprained ankle. Not even Acts of God will prevent the Freethinkers Tour from taking place; join us on Saturday, April 25 for a rescheduled tour.
Truth Uncorked
with Jennifer Michael Hecht
Be sure to catch CFI-NYC's upcoming wine & dinner event with poet and intellectual historian Jennifer Michael Hecht (author, Doubt: A History; The Happiness Myth ) on Sept. 8. Reserve your place today!
Wine & Dine with Scientific American 's John Rennie
The next event in CFI-NYC's Truth Uncorked dinner series, on Thursday, July 10, features John Rennie, the famed skeptic, science writer, and editor-in-chief of Scientific American . For reservations call (212) 504-2935 or e-mail twilliams [at] centerforinquiry [dot] net.
Wine, Dinner & Conversation with Matthew Chapman
Don't miss the next event in CFI-NYC's new Truth Uncorked dinner series, featuring wine and intimate conversation with local authors, artists, and intellectuals. The next dinner, on Thursday, June 12, features Matthew Chapman, the acclaimed author, film producer and director, champion of evolution, and great-great-granson of Charles Darwin. For reservations call (212) 504-2935 or e-mail twilliams [at] centerforinquiry [dot] net.
Susan Jacoby, Chris Hedges on Reason, Religion & Politics
Don't miss CFI-NYC Program Director Susan Jacoby's GRITtv interview , alongside Chris Hedges, on reason, religion, and public policy. Susan is the author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, and the recent NY Times bestseller The Age of American Unreason . Chris Hedges, former Middle East bureau chief for the NY Times and a senior fellow at The Nation Institute, is the author, most recently, of I Don't Believe in Atheists .
CFI-NYC Co-hosts Daniel Dennett
Tufts philosopher and author Daniel C. Dennett ( Darwin's Dangerous Idea; Consciousness Explained; Breaking the Spell ) is coming to New York City on Saturday, May 31. CFI-NYC will co-host Dennett's appearance at the New York Society for Ethical Culture from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. (See http://www.nysec.org for more information.) A short presentation and discussion will follow a screening of Dennett's extended interview by Jonathan Miller during the making of the BBC series A Rough History of Disbelief . The extended interview is part of The Atheism Tapes series now available on DVD. Last year the Center for Inquiry helped bring the original BBC series to public television under the name A Brief History of Disbelief.
Susan Jacoby on
The Colbert Report!
CFI-NYC Program Director Susan Jacoby appeared on Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report on Tuesday, April 22 to discuss her bestselling book, The Age of American Unreason. Visit the Colbert Report web site to watch.
Paul Kurtz at the NY Academy of Sciences
by Derek Araujo • 4/11/2008 3:07:00 PM ET
CFI founder and chairman Paul Kurtz will speak about Science & Ethics on Thursday, April 17 at the New York Academy of Sciences, 250 Greenwich St. Registration required .
CFI-NYC Theatre Club:
The Quantum Eye
by Derek Araujo • 4/11/2008 3:03:00 PM ET
Join us on on Saturday, May 17 for the inaugural event our new Theatre Club: a performance of famed magician Sam Eaton's The Quantum Eye: Magic Deceptions . Discount tickets are available .
Wine, Dinner & Conversation with Susan Jacoby
by Derek Araujo • 4/03/2008 12:33:00 PM ET
Don't miss Truth Uncorked , CFI-NYC's new monthly wine-and-intimate conversation dinners with local authors, artists, and intellectuals. The inaugural dinner, featuring NY Times bestselling author Susan Jacoby (author of The Age of American Unreason and Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism ) will occur on Thursday, April 10 at 8:00 p.m. Sign up online or call (212) 504-2935.
First Freedom First Live Simulcast
by Derek Araujo • 3/23/2008 12:24:00 PM ET
Join CFI-NYC Program Director Susan Jacoby, CFI-On Campus President Matthew LaClair, and the New York City chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State this Wednesday, March 26 at Regal-Union Square Stadium 14 for a live, national simulcast to promote church-state separation as an issue in the 2008 election. Click here for more information.
Richard Dawkins Comes to CFI-NYC
by Derek Araujo • 3/05/2008 1:19:00 PM ET
Join CFI-NYC and the NY Society for Ethical Culture for an appearance by acclaimed author and Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins. Prof. Dawkins is traveling the U.S. on a promotional tour for the paperback edition of his bestseller, The God Delusion . His NYC lecture will occur on Saturday, March 15 at the Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th Street. Free and open to the publc. Click here for more information.
Susan Jacoby on NPR
by Derek Araujo • 3/05/2008 1:17:00 PM ET
Visit NPR's website for an interview with Susan Jacoby on her NY Times bestseller, The Age of American Unreason .
Voices of Reason: Alan Wolfe & Michael Kazin on "1968 and 2008"
by Derek Araujo • 2/28/2008 4:17:00 PM ET
Join celebrated author and scholar Alan Wolfe (director, Boisi Center for Religion and Public Life, and author, Does American Democracy Still Work ), acclaimed historian Michael Kazin ( America Divided: The Civil War of the Sixties ), and NY Times bestselling author Susan Jacoby ( The Age of American Unreason ) for a panel discussion on Wednesday, March 19, on the impact of the dramatic events of 1968 on American politics on the current presidential campaign. Co-sponsored by the Gotham Center for New York City History. Click here for registration information.
More on Susan Jacoby
by Derek Araujo • 2/18/2008 10:31:00 AM ET
Visit Salon.com for yet another story on Susan Jacoby's new book, The Age of American Unreason . Susan will also appear on the Today Show tomorrow morning between 7:30 and 8:00. Join us this Wednesday for Susan's public lecture and book launch party .
Susan Jacoby Appears on Bill Moyers Journal
by Derek Araujo • 2/15/2008 1:40:00 PM ET
Don't miss CFI-NYC Program Director Susan Jacoby's appearance on Bill Moyers Journal tonight at 900 p.m. Ms. Jacoby will discuss themes from her new book, The Age of American Unreason . Those who miss the broadcast may access it on the Journal's web site . See immediately below for information on Ms. Jacoby's Wed., Feb. 20 lecture and book party.
NYT on Susan Jacoby
by Derek Araujo • 2/14/2008 10:42:00 AM ET
Read today's NY Times article about Susan Jacoby's new book, The Age of American Unreason . . . and join us on Wednesday, Feb. 20 for Susan's lecture and book signing. Click here for registration and further information.
Mick Gordon & AC Grayling's Grace at MCC Theatre
by Derek Araujo • 2/01/2008 1:38:00 PM ET
Don't miss the special limited engagement of Mick Gordon and AC Grayling's acclaimed intellectual drama Grace at the Lucille Lortel Theatre through March 8. CFI-NYC friends receive a special discount. Call (212) 504-2945 ext. 1 for more information. Click here for a sneak preview video.
Susan Jacoby to Deliver Darwin Day Lecture
by Derek Araujo • 1/21/2008 2:21:00 PM ET
CFI-NYC's Susan Jacoby will deliver this year's annual Darwin Day lecture as part of the Voices of Reason lecture series. Don't miss her presentation on her new book, The Age of American Unreason . Join us on Wednesday, February 20 at 20 E. 44th Street. Click here for more information or to reserve tickets.
Don't Miss Harvey J. Kaye on Thomas Paine
by Derek Araujo • 1/14/2008 1:46:00 PM ET
Don't miss this year's Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, January 16. Harvey J. Kaye will speak about Paine and America's Unfinished Revolution: The Struggle for Democracy Continues. What would Thomas Paine think about the restrictions on American civil liberties in the wake of 9/11? We'll talk about this and many other topics as relevant today as they were at the time of the American Revolution. Click here for more information or to reserve tickets.
CFI-NYC to Organize Travel to CFI-DC "Civic Days"
by Derek Araujo • 12/08/2007 2:23:00 PM ET
CFI-NYC will organize groups of carpoolers to travel to Washington, DC for CFI-DC's Civic Days event, February 22-25, 2008. Join CFI-DC's staff for a walking tour of the city; guided tours of the Thomas Jefferson Library of Congress and Washington's various memorials, the Air and Space, American Indian, and National History Museums; briefings on climate change, congressional issues, and the status of CFI's legal cases; and attendance of congressional briefings or hearings. Advanced payment and registration for Civic Days is recommended. For those interested in organizing a car pool to Washington, DC for the event, please contact Tasha Williams at (212) 504-2945 ext. 1, or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com
Secular Society
Conference Draws Over 400
by Derek Araujo • 11/12/2007 3:38:00 PM ET
CFI-NYC's 2007 conference,
The Secular Society and Its Enemies
drew more than 400 people to the New York Academy of Science's space at
7 World Trade Center this past weekend for a SOLD OUT conference.
Richard Dawkins, Alan Dershowitz, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Peter Singer, Wendy Kaminer,
Ann Druyan,
and a host of others spoke and mingled with attendees, while
Christopher Hitchens
appeared in a special video interview. DVD and internet videos are
planned. More information will appear on CFI-NYC's web site soon.
Intelligently Designed Debate
by Derek Araujo • 10/25/2007 1:16:00 PM ET
Matthew Chapman, a direct descendant of Charles Darwin and author of 40 Days and 40 Nights - Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities On Trial in Pennsylvania , has proposed that the presidential candidates hold a debate exclusively on the subject of science. Read his guest column at the Washington Post's On Faith blog.
The Cat in the Fez
by Austin Dacey • 10/01/2007 1:19:00 PM ET
Young Bangladeshi cartoonist Arifur Rahman, a staffer with the daily paper Prothom Alo, has been imprisoned by the current caretaker government and, according to local sources, denied access to a lawyer. The accusation? He "hurt the religious sentiment of the people." Rahman authored a mildly satirical cartoon in which a young man appends the traditional title of respect, "Muhammad," to a cat (Paws Be Upon Him?). CFI 's UN representative, Austin Dacey, questioned a leading government official during his September 28 appearance at Columbia University's World Leaders Forum (which recently hosted a certain gaydar-impaired Iranian president). Asked why his government arrested Arifur Rahman and how restricting free expression is good for Bangladesh, Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, chief adviser to the government, replied that "the media will remain free as long as our government is in power." Until December 2008, when elections are promised, can Bangladeshis endure that much freedom?
Pretend Science Teacher Shills for Pretend Science
by Derek C. Araujo • 9/27/2007 2:24:00 PM ET
According to today's New York Times , several eminent scientists - including Richard Dawkins and P.Z. Myers - allegedly were deceived into participating in an upcoming film touting "intelligent design" creationism, hosted by the actor, anti-abortion crusader, and creationist huckster Ben Stein. Stein, who believes that the theory of evolution leads to racism and genocide, would name the film "From Darwin to Hitler." SkepDish recommends that Stein limit his science lessons to The Wonder Years .
Whom Would Jesus Sue?
by Derek C. Araujo • 9/19/2007 1:14:00 PM ET
According to law blog
Above The Law
a Los Angeles attorney encountered the following language in the
Governing Law section of a software license agreement: "This agreement
is governed solely and exclusively by the principles written in the
Holy Bible. All disputes must be mediated by a mediator nominated by
Institute of Christian Conciliation
under the Rules of Procedure for Christian Conciliation." Losers will be stoned to death?
NYC Skeptics Form New Association
by Derek C. Araujo • 9/17/2007 11:37:00 AM ET
The newly-formed New York City Skeptics Association has launched a new web site . Check out their Sept. 23 end-of-summer picnic (12:30 PM, Central Park East Meadow; meet at 98th St. & 5th Ave.).
Secular Students of the World, Unite!
by Derek C. Araujo • 9/07/2007 4:37:00 PM ET
CFI-NYC will host a region-wide student organizing meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18 for college and university students who are interested in defending science and secularism on the campuses. Join us!
CFI-NYC to Relocate to Financial District
by Derek C. Araujo • 8/28/2007 2:54:00 PM ET
On September 12, CFI-NYC will relocate to temporary office space at 80 Broad Street in the Financial District, south of Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange. This relocation comes at the end of CFI-NYC's lease at Rockefeller Center, and in anticipation of its purchase of a building. As with CFI-NYC's former space, offices will be open to the public.
Taslima Nasrin Attacked by Muslim Mob
by Derek C. Araujo • 8/10/2007 12:44:00 PM ET
Taslima Nasrin, the controversial exiled Bangladeshi writer, champion of women's rights, and critic of Islam, was attacked by angry Muslim protesters at CFI-India sponsored conference in Hyderabad. The protesters, allegedly led by three lawmakers, ransacked the local Press Club where Nasrin appeared, throwing chairs and overturning tables. Nasrin is reported to be safe. Nasrin fled Bangladesh in 1994 under death threats from Islamic hard-liners. Now living in India, she has applied for Indian citizenship or permanent resident status.
Landmark NYC Conference on Nov. 9-11: Secularists Storm Manhattan!
CFI-NYC will sponsor The Secular Society & Its Enemies , a major religion, secularism & politics conference, on Nov. 9 - 11 at the New York Academy of Sciences, 7 World Trade Center. Speakers include, among others, Christopher Hitchens, Alan Dershowitz, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Peter Singer, Wendy Kaminer, Ann Druyan, and an unannounced, Very Special Guest. See www.centerforinquiry/secularsociety for more information. Space is limited. Register now!
Desperately Seeking Secularism
by Derek C. Araujo • 7/26/2007 3:27:00 PM ET
CFI-NYC's own Susan Jacoby has inaugurated her own Washington Post-sponsored blog on secularism. Visit The Secularist's Corner for "Not Always Polite Conversation on Religion, Politics and Liberty with Susan Jacoby."
"Muslim (apologists) Speak Out!" at Washington Post
by Austin Dacey • 7/26/2007 3:21:00 PM ET
When Washington Post's blog "On Faith" invited Muslims to speak out about terrorism and Islam, they forgot the secularists. Watch as CFI-NYC's Susan Jacoby, also a regular "On Faith" blogger, bites the hand that publishes her .
Albert Ellis: 1913 - 2007
by Derek C. Araujo • 7/25/2007 7:07:00 AM ET
Dr. Albert Ellis, one of the most influential psychologists of our time and a member of CFI-NYC's Advisory Board, died yesterday at his Manhattan home. Dr. Ellis had revolutionized psychotherapy since 1955, when he created Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), the first of the now-popular cognitive behavior therapies. We will miss him very much.
Creationism's Turkish Horse
by Derek C. Araujo • 7/16/2007 3:19:00 PM ET
The latest assault on Darwin's theory of evolution comes from Turkey, modern home of the ancient city of Troy. According to an article in today's New York Times , Darwin's most recent challenger is Adnan Oktar, a primate living in Turkey. Under the pseudonym Harun Yahya, Oktar sent unsolicited copies of a book called Atlas of Creation to members of Congress, scientists, and science museums across the United States. According to the Times, Oktar considers evolution to be "a feeble and perverted ideology contradicted by the Koran." The Times article quotes physicist Taner Edis, a Skeptical Inquirer affiliate whose new book, An Illusion of Harmony: Science and Religion in Islam , was published by Prometheus Books this spring.
What Would Quasimodo Do?
by Derek C. Araujo • 7/13/2007 4:21:00 PM ET
In the latest church-state battle to hit the New York City area, the city's Department of Buildings has filed a criminal court summons against the Church of Celestial Christ on Waverly Avenue, Brooklyn for allegedly violating city zoning restrictions. According to Dana Rubinstein of The Brooklyn Papers , the church's all-day, unpermitted, amplified Sunday services -- in a building zoned for residential use and with little soundproofing -- have riled neighbors and city authorities alike. A spokesman for the church blamed the church's "obsessive" neighbors for the conflict. According to him, "[t]hey should accommodate us." Perhaps by turning the other ear?
Dhormer Upojogita? That's what we'd like to know
by Austin Dacey • 7/10/2007 6:02:00 PM ET
In case you didn't know, that's Bengali for "What Use is Religion?" An online network of humanists and freethinkers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and other South Asian countries is translating recent humanist writings from English into Bengali. The network, Mukto-Mona, was co-founded by Jahed Ahmed, a New York-based secularist activist and longtime friend of the Center for Inquiry. In addition to Richard Dawkin's article from Free Inquiry magazine What Use is Religion? the group has translated the first chapter of Dawkins' The God Delusion . Mr. Amhed is now working on Paul Kurtz's Affirmations: Joyful and Creative Exuberance .
Along with an educational organization based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Mukto-Mona is publishing a biannual journal called Muktanwesha ("Free Inquest"), emphasizes free inquiry, humanism, and the scientific outlook. The inaugural issue of the journal, released this month, contains a translation of Kurtz's essay, Why I am a Skeptic About Religious Claims . Visit Mukto-Mona online at www.mukto-mona.com.
Atheists in Blogospace
by Austin Dacey • 7/02/2007 11:15:00 AM ET
Over the weekend, an eruption in the blogosphere over an article by CFI staffers Austin Dacey and DJ Grothe on whether atheism is a civil rights issue. It started when Matt "Framing Science" Nisbett criticized the PR strategy of the New Atheists, citing Dacey and Grothe for support. Popular scienceblogger PZ Myers revolt


text:
German e-bookseller txtr will shake up the e-book market later this year when it releases an e-reader that it says is smaller, lighter and cheaper than any currently on the market.
Dubbed the "txtr beagle," the e-reader is 5 millimeters thick (on its thin side, 14 millimeters thick where the battery goes in) with a 5-inch e-ink display, weighs 128 grams and will cost as little as €9.90 ($12.82), the company announced today at the Frankfurt Book Fair in a statement.
The e-reader doesn't have any cables or WiFi capabilities and works on AAA batteries that last a year and a bluetooth connection to an Android device. Readers who have the Android txtr app on their smartphone or tablet with bluetooth can download books to the app and then send them to the reader. (An iOS app is reportedly on the way.)
By comparison, the Kobo Mini is about 10 millimeters thick with a 5-inch e-ink display and 134 grams. At $79.99, it offers far greater functionality but at roughly six times the price. (There is also an e-reader with a 4.3-inch e-ink screen from German device manufacturer Trekstor called the Pyrus Mini which retails at €50.)
At about $13, the txtr e-reader represents a new low for e-reader pricing. Currently, the cheapest e-reader on the market in the U.S. is the $69 6-inch Kindle with WiFi. There has been speculation that a free e-reader will come on the market in the next several years.
The txtr device is aimed at the market of potential readers who own smartphones but who do not yet have an e-reader or tablet reading device. Part of the business strategy is to help cell phone service operators break into the e-book market.
"So far network operators have not actively marketed eReading. In our view, this is because of the lack of a suitable device, which matches the crucial conditions relevant to the operator business model. Our new product connects with popular smartphones," said txtr chief commercial officer Thomas Leliveld in the company's statement.
The company is currently in conversations with potential partners in Asia, Europe and the U.S., it said.
Here are the product specifications for the new device:
Dimensions: 140 mm by 105 mm by 4.8 mm (14 mm on the battery side)
Weight: 128 g
Display: 5-inch e-ink display; 8-level grey scale; 800 x 600 pixels
Screen: Non-glass touch-screen
Connectivity: Bluetooth to txtr Android app
Storage: 4 gigabytes for up to five books
Available Colors: Jade Green, Grapefruit, Turquoise, Purple
Comes with two AAA batteries
Price: €9.90, to start
Watch a product video here:
txtr beagle from Yvan Go on Vimeo.


text:
wrestling / TV Reports
411's WWF Smackdown Report 1.24.02
411's WWF Smackdown! Report
January 24, 2002
From Somewhere cool
Your announcers are Cole and King
Report for 411 by Sean "Beantown" McCluskey
Yeah… I had about 500 errors (okay, two noticeable ones) in my report. So I'm reposting it. Hey… Hyatte did it just about every week… I think I'm allowed to do it once eh?
So… I guess I'm just not good enough for all you high class readers huh? Voting SK and PK before me huh? You know… I have a K in my last name too… And my actualy initials are pretty cool (SM)… but I don't use "cool" little nicknames of any sort as fuel to gain more attention…
*wipes tear off cheek*
Anyway… I'm Beany, and here's my report… 🙂
We have 2 matches going tonight… Austin Vs Booker T, and Angle Vs The Rock. Winners face off on Raw to determine the #1 Contender.
Non-Title Match
RV F'n D Vs Regal
RVD flies over the top rope onto Regal to gain early control. Now we're in the ring and RVD lands Rolling Thunder! FROG SPLASH!!! RVD GETS THE THREE!!!!
Winner via Squash: RVD
After the match, Edge takes Regal down then evades security…
Vince says he's going to go through with what he promised tonight…
Rikishi Is Underrated! Vs You Better Read The Signs, Respect The Law'n Order w/Jackie as special guest ref
Boss Man tosses Rikishi to the outside and follows. Boss Man rams Rikishi hard into the steel steps. Boss Man tries to throw a section of the steps onto him, but Rikishi avoids it. We're back inside now. Both men exchange shots in the corner and Jackie breaks them up. Boss Man takes control with a chop to the throat. Rikishi goes for a belly to belly, but Boss Man breaks out of it, and lands a big time clothesline. Boss covers, but only gets two. Rikishi fires back with a hard cresent kick. Rikishi does an Earthquake butt drop! Followed by the Banzai Drop, and that's all she wrote.
Winner: Rikishi
Lillian and Steph talk about stuff. Lillian pulled two cups and didn't even notice… *smacks forehead* Lillian offers her help, and Steph tosses coffee at her. Lillian runs away screaming "It's burning!!!"… geh…
Commercials… It's soooo f'n cool to see Mr. Perfect back in the WWF. One of my favorite wrestlers of all time.
WWF Tag Team Title Match
Tazz & Spike(c) Vs Albert & Scotty II Hotty
Good pop for the Champs! Apparently Albert's Jewish… or that's just a horrible looking hat.
Arm lock between Tazz and Scotty, and Tazz grabs Scotty and suplexes him over. Spike and Albert tags in. Albert nails Spike and Spike seems to have "reinjured" his neck. THE BIG SPIN by Albert!! Now Albert slingshots Spike under the ropes and further damages the neck. Tag to Scotty. Scotty lands a big neckbreaker on Spike, and covers, but Tazz breaks it up. Scotty fires back with a NASTY shoulder block off the ropes. Scotty covers but Spike kicks out at two. Scotty dropkicks Spike in the face, then covers again, but again Spike kicks out. Spike elbows Scotty in the corner, and makes the hot tag to Tazz. Tazz takes Scotty out. Albert comes into the ring and cleans house. Scotty is back in and he lands The Worm on Tazz. He covers, but Spike breaks it up. Now Spike lands the Dudley Dog on Albert. Tazz locks in the Tazzmission on Scotty, and he taps.
Winners, and still Champs: Tazz, Spike
Steph and HHH argue in their locker room. They have their differences and HHH walks out.
Rock Interview… Rock has Coach do the Charleston. COACH RULES!!! He's getting down! Hard to believe he doesn't break a sweat during these interviews. Well… he looks a little moist on the forehead…
Did I just say Moist on the forehead?
HHH beats the piss outta Christian.
We go back to Vince talking to himself in the mirror. Only Vince can get away with doing this on TV… He says that with Flair being more powerful in the WWF, the WWF will surely die… Wait… is he looking into a mirror??? I'm confused… it sure as hell looks like he is… *head explodes*
Commercials… Saw Orange County… wasn't impressed…
So… I guess this is a #2 contender match???
Austin WHAT?I Said Austin Vs Booker Teeee
Both men go back and forth early with lockups. Now Booker gains early control with a shoulder. Now Austin takes over with a big spinebuster. WOOOOOOO chops by Austin! Austin gets whipped into the corner, but he fires back with a clothesline. Austin covers for two. Now Austin keeps control of the match with snake eyes. Another cover by Austin for two. Booker comes back finally with an axe kick. Now he sends Austin to the outside, and Austin's knee is hurt. Booker runs Austin into the steps a couple times, then they head back inside. Booker works on Austin's knee some more. Austin tries to come back, but Booker shuts him down with another kick. Booker covers for two. Now Booker works on Austin some more, then both men clothesline each other down. Austin comes after Booker T with a Lou Thesz press. Now some boots into Booker by Austin in the corner. Booker takes Austin back down, then does a Spinaroonie! Booker lands a nice axe kick, then covers but only for two. Now Booker with a scissor kick! Booker covers… Austin kicks out at two! Now Booker goes for a Stunner, but Austin pushes him off and lands a Stunner of his own. Austin covers and gets the tre!
Winner: Austin
WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Flair dances with Charmel!(Or… whatever her name is…) GOOD RAUGHS! Huss!!!
Tag Team Table Match
Kane & The Big Show Vs The Dudley Boyz w/Legs
Big pop for the Big Show!
The Dudleyz set some wood up on the outside of the ring. They all brawl outside of the ring, and Kane brings a table into the ring. Now all of them are in the ring and Show cleans house. Show sets up a table in the middle of the ring. Show goes for a double choke slam, but the Dudleyz avoid it. They try a facebuster on Show to the table, but Kane moves the table. Now Show comes off the ropes while Kane is on the top rope, and Kane falls to the apron. Now Show whips Bubba into the ropes, and he runs into Kane, and Kane falls into the table set up outside of the ring.
Winners: Dudleyz
After the match, Show and Kane jaw at each other. SGT. SLAUGHTER makes the save!!!
More Vince drama… Okay… he's either talking to someone or looking into a mirror. I'm thinking mirror, cuz of his references to himself… fuck it all straight to hell…
Yeah… so…
It's Goldust!!! You gotta love the old school interviews! Not even gonna attempt to recap what he says…
Billy slaps Chucky's ass…
Angle interview… Angle gets pissed at the fans again. He walks out of the interview because of the fans…
Non Title Match
Jazz Vs Trish
Haven't used on in a while… But it's time to redeem a…
Winner by DQ – Trish
Vince cracks me the hell up…
Jericho is out for commentary
#2 Contenders Match…
ANGLE RULES!!! Vs The Rock
Rock has early control over Angle. Now Angle with a firemans carry takedown followed by an arm bar. Now Angle applies a head lock. Now Rock comes back quick with a belly to belly overhead. Rock covers for two. Now Angle lands a REAL belly to belly overhead suplex. Angle takes the boots to Rock in the corner. Rock tries to fight back, but Angle catches Rock from behind and lands some german suplexes. Angle covers Rock for a two count. Now Angle tosses Rock to the CONCRETEEEEE floor. Jericho grabs Rock, and smashes Rock into the announce table, then into the ring post. Jericho gets back on commentary, and says he was trying to help Rock back into the ring. We're back inside the ring now, and Angle has the Ankle Lock applied! Rock reaches the ropes. Both men come off the ropes and they clothesline each other down. Rock comes off the ropes with a big forearm. Rock with a DDT on Angle, cover… and Angle kicks out at two. Angle stops the Rock's momentum with a clothesline and a slam. Rock quickly hops back up then tosses Angle to the outside. Rock takes care of Jericho and Angle, then they're back in the ring. Rock with a spinebuster… then Rock slaps on the Sharpshooter! Jericho pulls the ref to the outside as Angle taps out. Now Undertaker is in and he choke slams The Rock! Angle is on for the cover, and the ref is back to count the three!
Winner: Kurt Angle
So it's Austin Vs Angle at Raw. Winner faces Jericho at No Way Out…
Commercials… I think… haha
Austin and Angle brawl…
Vince says he's gonna kill the WWF. And he's gonna do it with… THE N……W…….O!!!!!!!!
The Bean Pole
nWo is coming back, and Vince will make it work. Good matches otherwise. Good stuff my friends…
8 out of 10


text:
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text:
why live where you do?
Why do you live where you live? Do you live where you want to? If not, why not? Show us the light, where should all of us constitutional, gun toting nuts take up residence.
Personally, I live in Virginia beach, Virginia because the us navy said so. It's the only place to find the unit I'm with. I'd rather live in Mississippi again. I think their only down fall is poor economy and poor job opportunities. But coming to the end of my contract and facing the possibility of leaving the military, where should I take a good long look at?
I live where I live because of school. I like Texas for their concept of freedom, but the ol lady says no. Will end up in Colorado most likely, but would prefer Wyoming or Montana for the same reasons as Texas, but more scenic. I'll never live in a left leaning state.
But with the way this country is headed I could find more freedoms in another country. So that's always an option.
Which country? Not a challenge, I'm just curious.
I don't often turn people on to our state...primarily because I don't want a bunch of "misplaced" libs coming here and trying to change it. But, I live in Ok. The weather is tolerable, as long as it's not blowing in a "tight circular fashion", if you catch my drift. We have CC/CWP. The people are friendly and conservative. I think our senators rank #1 and #4 in that regard. To give you an example, in 2008 all 77 counties went for the republican ticket. We have GREAT football here at all levels. (except pro) :(
Unless you are a lib...in that case, "ain't nuttin' don h'year 'cept wagons, tepees, an' dry, red dirt". ;)
Kidding about living there.
I wouldn't mind Switzerland but I know there's a few hoops to jump through to live there. There's a few south American and central American countries that appeal to me as well.
Born and raised in Mississippi, no place I'd rather be. But like country boy says, the economy sucks here. Yeah there are new jobs cropping up all the time, but not anywhere near enough to put us back to work, not even enough to put a dent in our unemployment.
When I finish school I'm going to follow the money, try to find a nice secure job anywhere I can, but I'll stay out of the left leaning states too if at all possible.
Mexico, instead of worrying about the ATF they'll deliver guns to you if you live there!
It's where I grew up and where my job is.....at least for now. Getting too damn old to move around too much.
Native of Virginia- bounced around many places, wound up back here. If you stay away from the Beltway and large urban areas, it's pretty good.
But when I retire for good, I am looking at Belize. Buy a 48 ft motor/sailer, and become a gun runner.
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text:
2014 Grammy nominations: Robin Thicke, Queens of the Stone Age, Tony Bennett, Little Big Town among Grammy nominees coming to Tampa Bay
The 2014 Grammy nominations were unveiled Friday night, and as always, many of the nominees -- including a couple in the top categories -- currently have concerts scheduled in Tampa Bay. Some are even coming here in the next two weeks. Let's run down the list:
-- Among the top four categories (Album, Record and Song of the Year and Best New Artist), only a couple of nominees are coming anywhere near Tampa Bay: Sara Barielles, whose The Blessed Unrest was nominated for Album of the Year, is playing the House of Blues in Orlando on Dec. 15 (click here). And Robin Thicke, above, who scored one of the biggest hits of the year in Blurred Lines, was nominated for (among other things) Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. He'll be at the 93.3-FLZ Jingle Ball on Dec. 18 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Click here.
-- Justin Timberlake, a nominee in various categories including Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, is coming to Orlando's Amway Center on Dec. 19. Click here.
-- A pair of Tampa Bay artists were nominated for Grammys this year. St. Petersburg jazz-saxophone star Mindi Abair was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album for Summer Horns, her album with Dave Koz, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot. Abair is at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Dec. 16; click here. And Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge were nominated for Best Instrumental Compsition and Best Instrumental Arrangement for tracks from the album River Runs: A Concerto For Jazz Guitar, Saxophone and Orchestra, which was recorded at Morrisound Recording. Click here for that story.
-- Another nominee for Best Pop Instrumental Album, Boney James, is coming to the Capitol Theatre on March 13; click here.
-- Colbie Caillat, nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media (for We Both Know from the Safe Haven soundtrack), will be part of the Mix 100.7 Acoustic Christmas at the Mahaffey Theatre on Dec. 13. Click here.
-- Alabama Shakes, nominated for Best Rock Performance, celebrated their Grammy nod on Friday in St. Petersburg, following a performance at Jannus Live. Also nominated in that category: Queens of the Stone Age, who were also nominated for Best Rock Album, and are at the Mahaffey Theater on Feb. 4. Click here.
-- British electro-pop act Disclosure, nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album, are coming to the Ritz Ybor on Jan. 26. Click here.
-- Tony Bennett, nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, will be at the Mahaffey Theatre on Feb. 12. Click here.
-- Several Grammy nominees are coming to the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City: Lee Brice, nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for I Drive Your Truck; and Little Big Town for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for Your Side of the Bed. Click here.
-- Perennial nominee Vince Gill, a nominee for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, will be at Ruth Eckerd Hall on March 22. Click here.
-- Los Amigos Invisibles, nominated for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album, will be part of the Gasparilla Music Festival on March 8-9 at Curtis Hixon Park. Click here.
-- Primus' Les Claypool was nominated in the Best Surround Sound Album category; he'll bring his Duo De Twang project to the State Theatre on Jan. 8. Click here.
Don't despair, though -- you can bet a host of top nominees will announce shows in Tampa Bay once the 2014 concert season heats up. Click here for a full list of the 2014 Grammy nominations.
-- Jay Cridlin, tbt*


text: This ROTF fic can be considered a follow-up from my previous http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-fan-fiction/270378-i-rise-you-fall.html since I make a couple of references to it. Again it focuses on Optimus Prime and his ancestry, but with this fic I intend to do a more detailed exploration of Optimus's unexplained distant past. I'll be expanding on details briefly mentioned in my "I Rise, You Fall" fic. The story is set about a month after the events of the ROTF movie. Optimus returns to Egypt to visit The Tomb of The Primes, but he finds that there are unsettled memories in there waiting for him. I've taken liberties with the names of the Primes. I used some names from theorized members of the Original 13, some established Prime names and others I just kinda made up using other Transformers' names. Note that when I'm occasionally using Cybertronian time units, I'm going by the IDW comics' definition of them: A nano-klik – a second A klik – about a minute A cycle – approx. an hour A mega-cycle – 93 hours (just under 4 days) A deca-cycle – approx. 3 weeks (approx. a month) A stellar-cycle – about 7.5 months (over half a year) A meta-cycle – about 13 months (approx. a year). Transformers is the property of Hasbro. The movies belong to Paramount and Dreamworks. Now make yourselves comfortable… Rising Sun - Part 1 A lone otherworldly traveller was trekking across the Egyptian desert. His heavy metal feet sunk into the golden sand with every step. The rays of the late afternoon Sun were glistening off his back. He'd been flown over oceans, driven through Egyptian towns disguised from the local people and navigated empty roads leading through valleys to reach this desert wilderness. Strange rock formations decorated the desert valley he was making his way across. He stopped as he reached a high rock wall and looked up. The glowing royal blue optics of Optimus Prime scanned the steep and uneven rock wall that was five times his giant height. He checked his internal map for his location. Bumblebee, having previously been to his desired destination, had given him the coordinates for it. He was not far now. He began climbing the rock wall. His ascent to the top was finally rewarded with the sight of the destination he had been searching for. He was greeted by the sight of an ancient Egyptian temple carved into the face of a rock hill. A giant rectangular doorway into the temple awaited his entry. Being careful not to damage the doorway frame with his massive robotic frame, the Autobot leader made his way inside the temple. He walked into a huge dusty hall. At the end of the hall, there was a wall with a large hole blown through it. This was it, what Optimus had wanted, needed to see: The Tomb of The Primes. Now, approximately an Earth month after his fateful battle with the ancient and evil Prime known only as The Fallen, he had returned back to Egypt in search of the final resting place of his forefathers. The Matrix of Leadership had transferred knowledge of the first ancient Cybertronian race into him. During his time offline at the hands of Megatron, he had seen brief, but vivid images of his ancestral Prime forefathers. But he knew little about them other than the course of events that had occurred with them, had never met them to his recordable memory, he did not even know their names. Still he felt he should pay his respects to his ancestral predecessors though. He wanted to see what remained of them also. He had seen them through Matrix visions and now he needed to see them physically. Perhaps subconsciously, he hoped visiting the Tomb of the Primes would give him some solid sense of what his forefathers had been like. As he approached the far wall with the large hole previously made by Bumblebee, Optimus saw the ancient Cybertronian symbols of The Primes. He kneeled down to inspect the symbols more closely. They were etched into the bodies of the Primes. He recognised the symbols as the ones on his own head and body, physical proof that he was linked to the ancient Dynasty of Primes. The hole turned out to be rather small for Optimus's large body to comfortable bend down to and look through. So he began peeling away more of the rock wall covering the tomb with his bare hands, doing his best not to damage the tomb within. Through the enlarged hole, more of the bodies of The Primes were revealed. Optimus tentatively touched the surfaces of some of the bodies. A mysterious cool breeze seemingly came out of the tomb and blew past him. He thought nothing of it. Then he turned his attention inwards into the tomb. In the gradually fading light of the setting Sun, he observed Cybertronian faces of old within the tomb. Optimus studied each of the faces in turn. They all bore a similarity to The Fallen's face, yet each possessed unique designs. In his Matrix encounter with the original six Primes just before his reactivation back in the Egypt battle a month ago, Optimus had felt a particularly strong connection with one of the Primes who had referred to him as "our, 'my', precious son". Had that Prime been his…father? But Optimus had never got a clear view of his face. There was no way for him to tell with certainty which of the Primes' faces inside the tomb was his. Optimus stared for a while at the faces and bodies of the Primes. He felt something was drawing him in towards them, beckoning him, but he resisted the subtle urge to go inside the tomb. It did not seem appropriate or respectful to unnecessarily disturb the peace of his dead forefathers. So he simply sat at the foot of the tomb and gazed into its shadowed depths. He wondered about the existences of The Primes and what their final moments had been like. Most of his life on Cybertron, The Dynasty of The Primes had been merely an unproven legend to Optimus. Cybertron had no concrete record of them, only some suggestive pieces of archaeological evidence and verbal stories. He recalled a time just before the Autobot-Decepticon War when he had headed the Science Division on Cybertron. One particular archaeological discovery displaying a purported symbol of The Primes that matched a symbol on his head had been the start of theories amongst his followers that he was a 'Prime' descendent. They began proudly calling him by the full title of 'Optimus Prime'. He had thought little of it at first, but when the War began, he found the name of 'Prime' inspired his soldiers tremendously. They took courage and pride from the belief that they were being led by a great Prime descendent. Optimus only half believed in it himself, but the War was a more pressing a concern for him than what his Autobots wanted to call him, and if the name of 'Prime' gave them courage and strength in battle, then he would not deny them that source of inspiration. Then there was his old guardian and mentor, Alpha Trion, who verbally seemed to confirm his Prime lineage before his death... The faint orange light of dusk filtered into the temple hall from outside. In the centre of the tomb, the single open hand of a Prime seemed to be emphasized in the faint light. Optimus recognized this open palm as the one that had held the Matrix of Leadership from Sam Witwicky's description. It possessed long elegant fingers. Optimus's optics followed the arm leading from the ancient hand up to the face of the Prime that it belonged to. This Prime wore a crown of metal spikes around his head, but a crest, similar in shape to Optimus's own, stood out on his forehead. Optimus's optics fell back down to the Prime's open palm. It seemed to invite his contact. Without thinking, he reached forward and touched its fingers. Optimus… An echoing voice stunned Optimus. He suddenly realized that he had reached into the tomb and touched one of the Prime's hands. He pulled his hand back, surprised and mystified by the voice he heard. There was nobody else there but him though, he was sure. He looked at the Prime's open hand that he had touched. Our, my, precious son… The voice echoed again. He saw a silver Cybertronian hatchling lying there in the open fingers. He blinked in disbelief. Then it was gone. Optimus's optics were then drawn instinctively up to the 'crowned' Prime's face. My rising sun… The voice seemed to emanate from the still mouth of the Prime. Impossibly, a tear of energon was running down his darkened face. Optimus's hand went to readjust his optics and steady his head. When he removed it and looked again, there was only the Prime's dry and dusty face. Audio and visual hallucinations. Had to be. Then strange feelings of joy and comfort mixed in with sadness inexplicably filled the Autobot leader. His spark chamber in his chest was vividly pulsating. This tomb was filled with abandoned memories. Optimus turned his vision away from the tomb and found himself seeing not the temple hall anymore, but another unfamiliar scene… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Optimus found himself on a barren, amber-coloured world. It was devoid of life save only for the presence of seven foreign technological beings in the distance ahead of him. They were the first seven Primes Optimus realised! But they were long dead! He could not possibly be seeing them walking around alive! Yet he was sure it was them he was seeing ahead of him, even though he could only make out their outlines from his distant viewing position. Optimus observed them walking over fine gravel and rocks. No water, no flora, no other living presence was to be found around. On this bleak and empty landscape, they were gathering toward an incongruous mechanical structure that towered from the ground, a Sun Harvester. Its spiked top pointed sharply skyward toward a great white sun. The seven Primes surrounded the towering Sun Harvester construct. One of the seven Primes vanished from his group using powers of teleportation and he reappeared at the top level of the Harvester. From his opening chest emerged a glowing artefact, the Matrix of Leadership. Optimus believed this Prime to be the leader of the other six. He tried to magnify his face in his sight, but found this endeavour to be useless. The 'leader' Prime guided the glowing Matrix with invisible telekinetic powers into a hole in the Sun Harvester's frame. The whole of the giant machine came alive with energy. "The Matrix of Leadership is inserted. Our solar harvest begins," the leader Prime announced aloud to his fellows below. The six other Primes at the base of the Sun Harvester, along with a bewildered Optimus observing them from a distance away, watched as a beam of bright light shot up into the sky and aimed right for the white sun. Slowly, the light beam grew wider and brighter and the white sun it stretched to seemed to expand to an impossible size, filling the sky. Solar energy from the sun was being channelled into the Sun Harvester. The attached Matrix began shining with the new energy it was absorbing. Eventually, the expanded sun began shrinking and darkening. The barren planet that it had provided light to also grew dark and cold. Optimus scanned his darkening surroundings with apprehension. He could feel coldness beginning to seep into his circuits. The leader Prime at the top of the Sun Harvester recalled the vibrantly shining Matrix from its port and into his waiting hands. Suspended by telekinetic forces between his hands, the leader Prime raised the Matrix above his head. It shone like the only star in the now darkened barren world. The leader Prime's voice rang through the darkness. "My brothers, the Matrix is fully energized! The Allspark's life-giving energies will be replenished!"


text:
TEL AVIV (Jul. 19)
The Israeli Army's general staff tonight issued orders to commanders on all fronts to fight Jack wherever the Arabs violate the United Nations truce and to observe the cease-fire strictly wherever the Arabs do.
The order came after a day of continuous Arab violations of the truce, particularly in the north and on the central front. Syrian and guerrilla units were active on the northern fronts, while Iraqi and other guerrilla units of Fawzi Kaukuji's Liberation Army" were pressing attacks in the central area. Minor Arab activity was also reported on the southern front.
Meanwhile, an Israeli Government spokesman declared that except for Jerusalem no U.N. truce observers are yet on duty in Palestine. He revealed that of all j the cease-fire breaches the heaviest and most serious are those committed by the Syrians in the north. Asserting that the Israelis consider themselves "at liberty to attack Syrian troops wherever they are," the spokesman added: "The Jewish army command is determined not to cease fighting until the Syrians have been taught their lesson."
Disclosing that Syrian attacks have cost the Jews a number of casualties and the loss of at least one strategic position, the spokesman said that the Israeli Army has opened an attack on the Mishear Hayarden bridgehead–held by the Syrians–in order to relieve the pressure against Jewish positions elsewhere.
Syrian attacks were particularly heavy on Tel Azizia, on the northwestern border of Syria and Israel where fighting has been raging since before the truce came into effect. Syrian artillery also shelled the Jewish settlements of Shaar Hagolan and Massada, on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee, last night, as well as the village of Ein Gev, on the eastern shore of the Sea. An attempt to recapture the Suseita hill, overlooking Ein Geb, was repulsed by the Jews. A Syrian plane bombed the Jewish-held village of Quaqun, northeast of Tulkarm.
The Iraqi attacks today took place at a number of points on the central coastal plain from Zichron Yaachov, about 20 miles south of Haifa to the Tulkarm area. Other battles were fought with guerrilla units and Iraqi troops north of Jenin. On the northern coast of Nahariah, about 20 miles above Haifa, the inhabitants were alerted when an Arab plane flew overhead, but no bombs were dropped.
It was officially reported that the Iraqi attacked Ramath Harkovesh, Kfar Hess, Midgal Zedek and Ras el Ain–all northeast of Tel Aviv in the Haifa-Tulkarm sector. On the battlefield at Maanit, halfway between Zichron Yaacov and Tulkarm, the Arabs left a score of bodies when they were finally beaten off this evening after an attack which lasted from last night through this afternoon. The Iraqi shelled Zraim, in the Gilboa Mountains.
On the southern front the Egyptians made a determined but unsuccessful, attempt to regain Biras Luj which the Jews seized before the truce. Otherwise, the southern front was fairly quiet, However, the Egyptians have been regrouping and maneuvering in front of Hatta and Earatia, two towns which the Jews captured before the truce and which opened the supply route to the Jewish settlements in the Negev.
Before the truce came into effect Jewish forces penetrated to about 20 miles northeast of Nazareth and captured Lubia, a strategic village lying athwart the Haifa-Tiberias road. With this move and the seizure of several other villages in the area the Jews established full control of the highway between the port city and all-Jewish Tiberias, the chief city of Eastern Galilee, At Ein Razel, south of Haifa, the Jews and the Iraqi were locked in combat, with the Israelis attempting to clear all Arabs from any section of the Haifa-Tel Aviv road network.


text: WVU study reveals gas clouds By Staff reports May 9, 2013 Story Share CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A new study led by a West Virginia University graduate student has revealed a never-before-seen cluster of gas clouds between two galaxies that could potentially fuel the formation of new stars. The Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies, which are neighbors to the Milky Way, are made up of a large number of stars. The new study, led by student Spencer Wolfe in WVU's Department of Physics, was released in this week's issue of Nature, a weekly journal that highlights original scientific research, according to a WVU news release.Wolfe worked with physics professor Daniel "D.J." Pisano and researchers from Case Western Reserve University, the University of Maryland and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank.The researchers detected the clouds using the National Science Foundation's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope at the NRAO. Earlier observations of the Local Group, a galaxy group that includes the Milky Way, have indicated that diffuse hydrogen gas might exist between its members, according to the release. But such a detailed view has never been observed before."The question we're trying to answer is in what way is the Local Group and its members evolving," Wolfe said. "A lot of people tend to forget that when they see pictures of the Milky Way that we're embedded in it. If it's evolving, we're going to evolve with it so understanding the details of how galaxies like the Milky Way can acquire new gas and keep forming stars is important."�To read the full study in Nature, visit http://tinyurl.com/cvb29o6. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 City of Milton tries to revive Morris Memorial property 2 Mitch Vingle: WVU's Lyons watching bombshell merger news 3 Former Boone school board members indicted 4 Morgantown coal operator Laurita indicted in alleged campaign finance scheme 5 Consultant says Yeager Airport needs to extend runway Kanawha officials support fellowship home Previous Story Kanawha schools prepare for new transfer policy Next Story