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First, a painful, but necessary, clarification:
Basement crazies. Neocons. Zionists. Israel Lobbyists. Judaics. Jews. Somewhere along this list we bump into the proverbial "elephant in the room". For some this bumping will happen earlier in the list, for others a little later down the list, but the list will be more or less the same for everybody. Proper etiquette, as least in the West, would want to make us run away from that topic. I won't. Why? Well, for one thing I am constantly accused of not discussing this elephant. Furthermore, I am afraid that the role this elephant is playing is particularly toxic right now. So let me try to deal with this beast; but first I have to begin with some caveats.
First, terminology: For those who have not seen it, please read my article "Why I use the term AngloZionist and why it is important." Second, please read my friend Gilad Atzmon's article "Jews, Judaism & Jewishness" (or, even better, please read his seminal book The Wandering Who). Please note that Gilad specifically excludes Judaics (religious Jews,) from his discussion. He writes: "I do not deal with Jews as a race or an ethnicity. I also generally avoid dealing with Judaism (the religion)". I very much include them in my discussion. However, I also fully agree with Gilad when he writes that "Jews Are Not a Race, But Jewish Identity is Racist" (those having any doubts about Jews not being a race or ethnicity should read Shlomo Sand's excellent book "The Invention of the Jewish People"). Lastly, please carefully review my definition of racism as spelled out in my "moderation policies":
Racism is, in my opinion, not so much the belief that various human groups are different from each other, say like dog breeds can be different, but the belief that the differences between human groups are larger than within the group. Second, racism is also a belief that the biological characteristics of your group somehow pre-determine your actions/choices/values in life. Third, racism often, but not always, assumes a hierarchy amongst human groups (Germanic Aryans over Slavs or Jews, Jews over Gentiles, etc.). I believe that God created all humans with the same purpose and that we are all "brothers in Adam", that we all equally share the image (eternal and inherent potential for perfection) of God (as opposed to our likeness to Him, which is our temporary and changing individual condition).
To sum it all up, I need to warn both racists and rabid anti-anti-Zionists that I will disappoint them both: the object of my discussion and criticism below will be limited to categories which a person chooses to belong to or endorse (religion, political ideas, etc.) and not categories with which one is born with (race, ethnicity).
Second, so what are Jews if not a race? In my opinion, they are a tribe (which Oxford Dictionaries defines as: a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader). A tribe is a group one can chose to join (Elizabeth Taylor) or leave (Gilad Atzmon).
Third, it is precisely and because Jews are a tribe to which we who are non-Jews owe exactly nothing: no special status, neither bad nor good, no special privilege of any kind, no special respect or "sensitivity" – nothing at all. We ought to treat Jews exactly as we treat any other of our fellow human beings: as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise (Luke 6:31). So if being Jewish is a choice and if any choice is a legitimate object of discussion and criticism, then (choosing to) being Jewish is a legitimate object of discussion and criticism. Conversely, those who would deny us the right to criticize Jews are, of course, the real racists since they do believe that Jews somehow deserve a special status. In fact, that notion is at the core of the entire Jewish identity and ideology.
Now let's come back to our opening list: Basement crazies. Neocons. Zionists. Israel Lobbyists. Judaics. Jews. I submit that these are all legitimate categories as long as it is clear that "Jews by birth only", what Alain Soral in France calls "the everyday Jews", are not included in this list. Thus, for our purposes and in this context, these terms are all interchangeable. My own preference still goes for "Zionist" because it combines the ideological racism of secular Jews with the religious racism of Judaics (if you don't like my choice, just replace "Zionist" with any of the categories I listed above). Zionism used to be secular, but it turned religious during the late 20th century, so now for our purposes this term can encompass both secular and religious Jewish supremacists. Add to this some more or less conservative opinions and mindsets and you have "Ziocons" as an alternative expression.
[Sidebar: This tells you something about the power of the Zionist propaganda machine; I call it the "Ziomedia." Perhaps I should preface this article with a 700+ explanatory words to try to overcome counter conditioned mental reflexes in the reader to infer I might be an evil anti-Semite. By the way, I am under no illusions either; some Jews or doubleplusgoodthinking shabbos-goyim will still accuse me of racism. This just comes with the territory. But the good news is when I will challenge them to prove their accusation they will walk away empty-handed].
The reason I decided to tackle this issue today is that the forces who broke Trump in less than a month are also the very same forces responsible for his political 180: the Neocons and the US deep state. However, I think that these two concepts can be fused into what I and others have called the "Ziocons": basically Zionists plus some rabid Anglo imperialists à la Cheney and McCain. Ziocons are the folks who control the US corporate media, Hollywood, Congress, most of academia, etc. These are the folks who organized a ferocious assault on the "nationalist" or "patriotic" wing of Trump supporters and ousted Flynn and Bannon, and these are the folks who basically staged a color revolution against Trump. There is some pretty good evidence that the person in charge of this quiet coup is Jared Kushner, a rabid Zionist. Maybe. Maybe not. This does not really matter; what matters now is to understand what this all means for the rest of us in the "basket of deplorables", the "99%ers" – basically the rest of the planet.
Making sense of the crazies
Making sense of the motives and goals (one cannot speak of "logic" in this case) of self-deluded racists can be a difficult exercise. But when the "basement crazies" (reminder: this term was first used here) are basically in control of the policies of the US Empire, this becomes a crucial, vital exercise for the survival of the mentally sane. I will now try to outline the reasons behind the "new" Trump policies using two examples: Syria and Russia.
Syria. I think that we can all agree that having the black flag of Daesh fly over Damascus would be a disaster for Israel. Right? Wrong! You are thinking like a mentally sane person. This is not how the Israelis think at all. For them, Daesh is much preferable to Assad not only because Assad is the cornerstone of a unitary Syria, but because Daesh in power gives the Israelis the perfect pretext to establish a "security zone" to "protect" northern Israel. And that, in plain English, means fully occupying and annexing the Golan (a longstanding Israeli dream). Even better, the Israelis know Daesh really well (they helped create it with the USA and Saudi Arabia) and they know that Daesh is a mortal threat to Hezbollah. By putting Daesh into power in Syria, the Israelis hope for a long, bloody and never-ending war in Lebanon and Syria. While their northern neighbors would be plugged into a maelstrom of atrocities and horrors, the Israelis would get to watch it all from across their border while sending a few aircraft from time to time to bomb Hezbollah positions or even innocent civilians under whatever pretext. Remember how the Israelis watched in total delight while their forces bombed the population of Gaza in 2014? With Daesh in power in Damascus, they would get an even better show to take their kids to watch. Finally, and last but definitely not least, the Syrian Christians would be basically completely wiped out. For those who know the hatred Judaics and Jews have always felt for Christianity (even today) it will be clear why the Israelis would want Daesh in power in Syria: Daesh is basically a tool to carve up an even bigger Zionist entity.
Russia. Ziocons, especially ex-Trotskyists turned Neocons, absolutely loathe Russia and everything Russian. I have explained the origins of this hatred elsewhere, so I won't repeat it all here. You just need to study the genocidal policies against anything Russian of the fist Bolshevik government (which was 80%-85% Jews; don't believe me? Then listen to Putin himself). I have already discussed "The ancient spiritual roots of russophobia" in a past article and I have also explained what rabbinical Phariseism (what is mistakenly called "Judaism" nowadays) is little more than an "anti-Christianity"(please read those articles if this complex and fascinating history is of interest to you). The bottom line is this: modern Neocons are little else than former Trotskyists who have found a new host to use. Their hatred for everything Russian is still so visceral that they would rather support bona fide Nazis (isn't this ironic?) in the Ukraine than Russia, which is even more paradoxical if you recall that before the 1917 Bolshevik coup, anti-Jewish feelings were much stronger in what is today the Ukraine than in what is the Russian Federation today. In fact, relations between Russians and Jews have, I would argue, been significantly improving since the Nazi coup in Kiev, much to the chagrin of the relatively few Russians left who truly hate Jews. Even though you will hear a lot of criticism of organized political Jewry in Russia, especially compared to the West, there is very little true anti-Jewish racism in Russia today, and even less publicly expressed in the media (in fact, 'hate speech' is illegal in Russia). One thing to keep in mind is that there are many substantial differences between Russian Jews and US Jews, especially among those Russian Jews who deliberately chose not to emigrate to Israel, or some other western country (those interested in this topic can find a more detailed discussion here). Jews in Russia today deliberately chose to stay and that, right there, show a very different attitude than the earlier attitude of those (Jews and non-Jews) who took the first opportunity to get out of Russia as soon as possible. Bottom line – Ziocons feel an overwhelming and always present hatred for Russia and Russians and that factor is one of the key components of their motivations. Unless you take that hatred into account you will never be able to make sense of the Ziocons and their demented policies.
Making sense of Trump
I think that Trump can be criticized for a lot of things, but there is exactly zero evidence of him ever harboring anti-Russian feelings. There is plenty of evidence that he has always been pro-Israeli, but no more than any politician or businessman in the USA. I doubt that Trump even knows where the Golan Heights even are. He probably also does not know that Hezbollah and Daesh are mortal enemies. Yes, Trump is a poorly educated ignoramus who is much better suited to the shows in Las Vegas than to be President of a nuclear superpower, but I don't see any signs of him being hateful of anybody. More generally, the guy is really not ideological. The best evidence is his goofy idea of building a wall to solve the problem of illegal immigration: he (correctly) identified a problem, but then he came up with a Kindergarten level (pseudo) solution. The same goes for his views on Russia. He probably figured out something along these lines: "Putin is a strong guy, Russia is a strong country, they hate Daesh and want to destroy it – let's join forces". The poor man apparently had absolutely no idea of the power and maniacal drive of the Neocons who met him once he entered the White House. Even worse is the fact that he apparently does not realize that they are now using him to try out some pretty demented policies for which they will later try to impeach him as the sole culprit, should things go wrong (and they most definitely will). Frankly, I get the feeling that Trump was basically sincere in his desire to "drain the swamp" but that he is simply not too clever (just the way he betrayed Flynn and Bannon to try to appease the Ziocons is so self-defeating and, frankly, stupid). But even if I am wrong and Trump was "their" plant all along (I still don't believe that at all), the end result is the same: we now have the Ziocons in total control of BOTH parties in Congress (or, more accurately, both wings of the Ziocon party in Congress), in total control of the White House, the mass media and Hollywood. I am not so sure that they truly are in control of the Pentagon, but when I see the kind of pliable and spineless military figures Trump has recently appointed, I get the feeling that there are only two types of officers left in the top ranks of the US military: retired ones and "ass-kissing little chickenshits" à la Petraeus. Not good. Not good at all. As for the ridiculously bloated (and therefore mostly incompetent) "three letter agencies soup", it appears that it has been turned from an intelligence community to a highly politicized propaganda community whose main purpose is to justify whatever counter-factual insanity their political bosses can dream up. Again. Not good. Not good at all.
Living with ZOG :-)
ZOG. Or "Zionist Occupation Government". That used to be the favorite expression of various Jew-haters out there and it's use was considered the surefire sign of a rabid anti-Semite. And yet, that is precisely what we are now all living with: a Zionist occupation government which has clearly forced Trump to make a 180 on all his campaign promises and which now risks turning the USA into a radioactive desert resulting from a completely artificial and needless confrontation with Russia. To those horrified that I would dare use an expression like ZOG, I will reply in this way: believe me, I am even more upset than you are about having to admit that ZOG is real; I really don't care for racists of any kind, and most of these ZOG folks looks like real racists to me. But, alas, they are also right! Facts are facts, you cannot deny them or refuse to correctly qualify them that because of the possible "overtones" of the term chosen or because of some invented need to be especially "sensitive" when dealing with some special group. Remember – Jews are not owed any special favor and there is no need to constantly engage in various forms of complex linguistic or mental yoga contortions when discussing them and their role in the modern world. Still, I am using ZOG here just to show that it can be done, but this is not my favorite expression. I just feel that committing the crimethink here will encourage others to come out of their shell and speak freely. At the very least, simply asking the question of whether we do or do not have a Zionist Occupation Government is an extremely important exercise. Hence, for today I ZOG-away :-)
Some might argue with the "occupation" part of the label. Okay – what would you call a regime which is clearly acting in direct opposition to the will of an overwhelming majority of its citizens, and which acts in the interests of a foreign power (with which the USA does not even have a formal treaty)? Because, please make no mistake here, this is not a Trump-specific phenomenon. I think that it all began with Reagan, and that the Ziocons fully seized power with Bill Clinton. Others think that it all began with Kennedy. Whatever may be the case during election after election Americans consistently vote for less war and each time around they get more wars. It is true that most Americans are mentally unable to conceptually analyze the bizarre phenomena of a country with no enemies and formidable natural barriers needs to spend more on wars of aggression then the rest of the planet spends of defense. Nor are they equipped to wonder why the US needs 16/17 intelligence agencies when the vast majority of countries out there do fine with less than 5. Lastly, most Americans do believe that they have some kind of duty to police the planet. True. But at the same time, they are also sick and tired of wars, if only because so many of their relatives, friends and neighbors return from these wars either dead or crippled. That, and the fact that Americans absolutely hate losing. Losing is all the USA has been doing since God knows how long: losing wars against all but the weakest and most defenseless countries out there. Most Americans also would prefer that the money spent abroad on "defending democracy" (i.e. imperialism) be spent at home to help the millions of Americans in dire need in the USA. As the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd (which hails from Jacksonville, Florida) once put it in their songs "Things goin' on":
Too many lives they've spent across the ocean
Too much money been spent upon the moon
Well, until they make it right
I hope they never sleep at night
They better make some changes
And do it soon
Soon? That song was written in 1978! And since then, nothing has changed. If anything, things have become far worse.
Houston, we got a problem
ZOG is not an American problem. It is a planetary problem, if only because right now ZOG controls the US nuclear arsenal. And Trump, who clearly and unequivocally campaigned on a peace platform, is now sending a "very powerful armada" to the coast of the DPRK. Powerful as this armada might be, it can do absolutely nothing to prevent the DPRK artillery from smashing Seoul into smithereens. You think that I am exaggerating? Business Insider estimated in 2010 that it would take the DPRK 2 hours to completely obliterate Seoul. Why? Because the DPRK has enough artillery pieces to fire 500,000 rounds of artillery on Seoul in the first hour of a conflict, that's why. Here we are talking about old fashioned, conventional, artillery pieces. Wikipedia says that the DPRK has 8,600 artillery pieces and 4,800 multiple rocket launcher systems. Two days ago a Russian expert said that the real figure was just under 20,000 artillery pieces. Whatever the exact figure, suffice to say that it is "a lot".
The DPRK also has some more modern but equally dangerous capabilities. Of special importance here are the roughly 200'000 North Korean special forces. Oh sure, these 200,000 are not US Green Beret or Russian Spetsnaz, but they are adequate for their task: to operate deep behind enemy lies and create chaos and destroy key objectives. You tell me – what can the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group deploy against these well hidden and dispersed 10'000+ artillery pieces and 200,000 special forces? Exactly, nothing at all.
And did I mention that the DPRK has nukes?
No, I did not. First, I am not at all sure that the kind of nukes the DPRK has can be fitted for delivery on a missile. Having a few nukes and having missiles is one thing, having missiles capable of adequately delivering these nukes is quite another. I suppose that DPRK special forces could simply drive a nuke down near Seoul on a run-of-the-mill army truck and blow it up. Or bring it in a container ship somewhere in the general vicinity of a US or Korean base and blow it up. One neat trick would be to load a nuke on a civilian ship, say a fishing vessel, and bring it somewhere near the USS Carl Vinson and then blow it up. Even if the USN ships survive this unscathed, the panic aboard these ships would be total. To be honest, this is mostly Tom Clancy stuff; in real warfare I don't think that the North Korean nukes would be very useful against a US attack. But you never know — necessity is the mother of invention, as the British like to say.
I don't believe that Trump is dumb enough to actually strike at North Korea. I think that his dumbass plan is probably to shoot down a DPRK missile to show that he has made "America great again" or something equally asinine. The problem here is that I am not sure at all how Kim Jong-un and his Party minions might react to that kind of loss of face. What if they decided that they needed to fire some more missiles, some in the general direction of US forces in the region (there are fixed US targets all over the place). Then what? How will Trump prove that he is the biggest dog on the block? Could he decide to "punish" the offending missile launch site like he did with the al-Sharyat airbase in Syria? And if Trump does that – what will Kim Jong-un's reaction be?
To be candid, I don't think that the "very powerful armada" will do anything other than waste the US taxpayer's money. I am getting a strong sense that Trump is all about appearance over substance, what the Russians call "показуха" – a kind of fake show of force, full of special effects and "cool" photo ops, but lacking any real substance. Still, being on the receiving end of Trump's показуха (po-kah-zoo-kha) must be unnerving, especially if you already have natural paranoid tendencies. I am not at all sure that Kim Jong-un will find the presence of the US carrier strike group as pathetic and useless as I do.
Both Russia and Syria have shown an amazing amount of restraint when provoked by Turkey or the US. This is mostly due to the fact that Russian and Syrian leaders are well-educated people who are less concerned with loss of face than with achieving their end result. In direct contrast, both Kim Jong-un and Trump are weak, insecure, leaders with an urgent need to prove to their people (and to themselves!) that they are tough guys. Exactly the most dangerous kind of mindset you want in any nuclear-capable power, be it huge like the USA or tiny like the DPRK.
So what does that have to do with the ZOG and the Ziocons?
They are the ONLY ONES who really want to maintain the AngloZionst Empire at any cost. Trump made it clear over and over again that his priority was the USA and the American people, not the Empire. And yet now he is playing a crazy game of "nuclear chicken" with the DPRK. Does that sound like the "real Trump" to you? Maybe – but not to me. All this crazy stuff around the DPRK and the (few) nukes it apparently has, is all just a pretext to "play empire", to show that, as Obama liked to say, the USA is the "indispensable nation". God forbid the local countries would deal with that problem alone, without USN carrier strike groups involved in the "solving" of this problem!
[Sidebar: by the way, this is also the exact same situation in Syria: the Russians have single-handedly organized a viable peace-process on the ground and then followed it up with a multi-party conference in Astana, Kazakhstan. Looks great except for one problem: the indispensable nation was not even invited. Even worse, the prospects of peace breaking out became terribly real. The said indispensable nation therefore "invited itself" by illegally (and ineffectually) bombing a Syrian air base and, having now proven its capacity to wreck any peace process, the USA is now right back in center-stage of the negotiations about the future of Syria. In a perverse way, this almost makes sense.]
So yes, we have a problem and that problem is that ZOG is in total control of the Empire and will never accept to let it go, even if that means destroying the USA in the process.
I can imagine the gasp of horror and disgust some of you will have at seeing me use the ZOG expression. I assure you, it is quite deliberate on my part. I want to: 1) wake you up and 2) show you that you cannot allow the discomfort created by conditioning to guide your analyses. As with all the other forms of crimethink, I recommend that you engage in a lot of it, preferably in public, and you will get used to it. First it will be hard, but with time it will get easier (it is also great fun). Furthermore, somebody needs to be the first one to scream: "the emperor has no clothes". Then, once one person does it, the others realize that it is safe and more follow. The key thing here is not to allow ideological "sacred cows" to roam around your intellectual mindspace and limit you in your thinking. Dogmas should be limited to Divine revelations, not human ideological constructs.
Where do we go from here?
Things are coming to a head. Trump presented himself as a real alternative to the ultimate warmongering shabbos-shiksa Hillary. It is now pretty darn obvious that what we now have is just another puppet, but that the puppet-masters have not changed. The good news is that those who were sincere in their opposition to war are now openly speaking about Trump's great betrayal. From Ann Coulter to Pat Buchanan, many paleo-Conservatives clearly "got it." As did the real progressives. What we are left with is what I call the "extreme center", basically zombies who get their news from the Ziomedia and who have so many mental blocks that it takes weeks of focused efforts to basically bring them back to reality.
The key issue here is how do we rescue those who are still capable of clear thinking? I think that a minimalist agenda we can all agree upon could be composed of the following points:
- Peace/pacifism
- International law
- Human and civil rights
- Democracy
- Pluralism
- Anti-racism
- Ethics and morality
Sounds harmless? It ain't, I assure you. ZOG can only survive by violence, terror and war. Furthermore, the AngloZionist Empire cannot abide by any principles of international law. As for human and civil rights, one quick look at the Patriot Act (which was already ready by the time the 9/11 false flag operation was executed) will tell you how ZOG feels about these issues. More proof? How about the entire "fake news" canard? How about the new levels of censorship on YouTube, Facebook or Google? Don't you see that this is simply a frontal attack on free speech and the First Amendment?! What about Black Lives Matter – is that not a perfect pretext to justify more police powers and a further militarization of police forces? To think that the Zionists care about human or civil rights is a joke! Just read what the Uber-Zionist and [putative] human right lawyer, the great Alan Dershowitz writes about torture, Israel or restriction of free speech (especially for Norman Finkelstein). Heck, just read what ultra-liberal super-mega human righter (well, after he returned to civilian life) and ex-President Jimmy Carter writes about Israel! Or look at the policies of the Bolshevik regime in Russia. It is pretty clear that these guys not only don't give a damn about human or civil rights, but that they are deeply offended and outraged when they are told that they cannot violate these rights.
What about democracy? How can that be an intellectual weapon? Simple – you show that every time the people (in the USA or Europe) voted for X they got Y. Or they were told to re-vote and re-vote and re-vote again and again until, finally, the Y won. That is a clear lack of democracy. So if you say that you want to restore democracy, you are basically advocating regime-change, but nicely wrapped into a "good" ideological wrapper. Western democracies are profoundly anti-democratic. Show it!
Pluralism? Same deal. All this takes is to prove that the western society has become a "mono-ideological" society where real dissent is simply not tolerated and where real pluralism is completely absent from public discourse. Demand that the enemies of the system be given equal time on air and always make sure that you give the supporters of the system equal time on media outlets you (we) control. Then ask them to compare. This is exactly what Russia is doing nowadays (see here if you are interested). Western democracies are profoundly anti-pluralistic. Again, show it!
Anti-racism. Should be obvious to the reader by now. Denounce, reject and attack any idea that gives any group any special status. Force your opponents to fess up to the fact that what they really want when they claim to struggle for "equality" is a special status for their single-issue minority. Reject any and all special interest groups and, especially, reject the notion that democracy is about defending the minority against the majority. In reality, minorities are always much more driven and motivated by a single issue; that is why a coalition of minorities inevitably comes to power. What the world needs is the exact opposite: a democracy that would protect the majority against the minorities. Oh, sure, they will fight you on this one, but since you are right this is an intellectual argument you ought to be capable of winning pretty easily (just remember, don't let accusations of crimethink freeze you in terror).
Lastly, my favorite one: ethics and morality. Modern western society has been built on a categorical rejection of ethics and morality. Slogans like "God is dead" or "Beyond good and evil" resulted in the most abject and viciously evil century in human history: the 20th century. Furthermore, most people by now can tell that Hollywood, and its closely related spinoff, the US porn industry, have played a central role in basically removing categories such as "good," "truth," and "honor" from the mind of those infected by the US mass media, especially the Idiot-box (aka "telescreen" in Orwell's 1984). Instead, unbridled greed and consumption became the highest and most sacred expression of "our way of life" as Americans like to say. Hollywood movies effectively proclaim that "greed is good." In fact, at the very core of capitalist ideology is the belief that the sum total of everybody's greed yields the happiest and most successful society possible. Crazy and sick stuff, but I don't have room to discuss this here. All I will say that that rehabilitating the notions of right and wrong, good and evil, truth and falsehood, healthy and natural versus unnatural and pathological is a great legal way (at least so far) to fight the Empire. Ditto for sexual morality and family. There is a reason why Hollywood movies frequently present only divorced or sexually promiscuous heroes: they are trying to destroy the natural family unit because they *correctly* identify the traditional family unit as a threat to the AngloZionist order. Likewise, there is also a reason why all the western elites are constantly plagued by accusations of pedophilia and other sexual scandals. One Russian commentator, Vitalii Tretiakov, recently paraphrased the old communist slogan and declared "naturals of all countries – come to Russia" [in modern Russian "naturals" is the antonym of "homosexual"). He was joking, of course, but he was also making a serious point: Russia has become the only country that dares to openly uphold the core values of Christianity and Islam (that, of course, only adds to the Ziocon's hatred of Russia).
[Sidebar: by the way, and contrary to popular belief, Russia is not an especially religious country at all. Although only a minority of Russians is truly religious, a majority of Russians seem to support religious values as civilizational ones. I don't think that this is sustainable for too long; Russia likely will become more religious, or more secularized, but for the time being we have this apparently paradoxical situation of a generally secular society standing for traditional and religious values]
You might wonder how pacifism, international law, human and civil rights, democracy, pluralism, anti-racism, ethics and morality can help avert a nuclear war in Korea. In truth – they cannot directly do this. But in the long term, I firmly believe that these values can corrode the AngloZionist Empire from within. And look at the alternatives: Organizing political parties does not work in a system where money determines the outcome. "Direct action" does not work in a system that treats libertarians and ecologists as potential terrorists. Public protests do not work in a regime where the Ziomedia get to decide which demonstration gets coverage and which one does not. Civil disobedience does not work in a regime that has no problem having the highest per capita incarceration rate on the planet. Running for office does not work in a regime that selects for spinelessness, immorality and, above all, subservience. Even running away abroad does not work when dealing with an Empire which has 700-1000 (depending on how you count) military bases worldwide that will bomb the crap out of any government that strives for even a modicum of true sovereignty. The only other option is "internal exile," whereby you build yourself you own inner world of spiritual and intellectual freedom where you basically "live there" with no external signs of you having "fled" the Empire's ugly reality. But if nuclear-tipped ICBMs start flying, no amount of "internal exile" will protect you, not even if you combine that internal exile with a life far away in the boonies.
Orthodox Christian eschatology teaches that the "End Times" are inevitable. However, the Fathers also teach that we can push the End Times back by our collective actions, be it in the form of prayers or in the form of an open resistance to Evil in our world. I have three children, 1 girl and 2 boys, and I feel I owe it to them to fight to make the world they will have to live even marginally better. And even if all my efforts are vain, at least I know that I resisted with everything I have. At the very least, I hope that it will inspire them to fight for their own children. I also believe that I have to resist this Empire because of all the good, decent and kind people I met in my life, including the Americans I have been living next to for so many years now. I don't want any of them to die in a useless and stupid war triggered by the demented minds of a tiny demonic minority of mankind-hating psychopaths who, driven by their apparently infinite capacity for evil and self-delusion, apparently having convinced themselves that either they will own the planet or they will destroy it.
Saint Paul very accurately explained that "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). As for Ernesto Che Guevara he wrote that "the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love" (love of living humanity). Today is Holy Paskha, the most joyful and sacred day in the Orthodox year, the day that marks the victory of Christ even against death itself! In the beautiful words of Saint John Chrysostomos:
O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.
These words and this promise should give us the courage to resist no matter how ugly, evil and insane the world around us can become. Because we do not struggle against flesh and blood, but against wickedness in high places, and because we are not moved by hatred, but by the love for our fellow human being. Finally, the following words written by a true Jew several millennia ago will, I hope, give us all the courage to struggle until our victory: "I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, who beset me round about. Arise, Lord; deliver me, my God: for thou hast smitten all who were without cause mine enemies; thou hast broken the teeth of sinners. Deliverance is the Lord's, and thy blessing is upon thy people" (Ps. 3).
I greet you all with the ancient Christian greeting of Christ is Risen!
The Saker
PS: I pretty much know what to expect next. First, some will make me say things I never said by beginning their dishonest paraphrase with the words "in other words…" and then fill the blank with stuff I never said. Others will try to summarize this 6300+ words long text in a one line slogan that will grossly misrepresent my analysis. I won't ask the moderators to ban such post, but I warn you that the use of either one of these techniques will guarantee that I will ignore your post. Likewise, I have included a lot of pointers to outside texts and sources, and if you failed to read them and that shows in your comment, I will likewise ignore your comments. You have been forewarned ;-)


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Dogs and cats live in harmony beneath the benevolent pyramid. Rest comes to the weary, insight to the seeker of knowledge. The power of the pyramid brings health and wealth, keeps food fresh and teeth white. It even brightens one's aura.
Skeptical? Then consider this. What else but pyramid power could have convinced two tight-fisted housing developers to build tract houses shaped like pyramids? And not in the New Age bastion of Marin County either, but on the flat farmland of the Sacramento Valley.
Jim and Bill Streng, whose Streng Bros. Homes, Inc. development firm put up good money to build three pyramid houses in 1977, didn't believe in pyramid power. But they did believe in the man who suggested the pyramid houses—their architect, Carter Sparks.
The story of the Strengs' pyramid houses—they never took off, and the Strengs eventually dropped them—suggests something of the power, not of pyramids, but of Sparks himself. Their continuing popularity—one is still inhabited by its original buyer, and another by a couple who bought it a year after it was built—suggests that Sparks may have been onto something. "It's an icon, of a sort," says original owner Jerry Wiens.
Both houses are in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael. The third pyramid, in Davis, is presently home to college students.
It was Sparks who convinced the brothers, who were starting out as developers, to try building modern tract homes in the valley in 1959. It was also Sparks who suggested they build an 'atrium' model—a variant of Joe Eichler's atrium, adapted for the Central Valley's grueling climate. The atrium proved a strong seller and helped define Streng style.
So when Sparks proposed the pyramid, the Strengs listened. "Carter had a lot of good ideas," Jim Streng says. "We thought it might be another atrium. Carter had some of the philosophical views about pyramids, how if you're in a pyramid, it's supposed to give you superior thinking."
"Somehow he got the idea that if you lived in a pyramid, there were all sorts of psychic benefits, powers of concentration or something—longer life," Bill Streng says. Besides, Jim remembers, Sacramento's annual tour of new homes was approaching, and the Strengs always liked to have something new to open to the public. Also, Jim adds, there was a recent precedent. "The Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco really was a success."
Sparks, who won a reputation as one of the Central Valley's best modern architects, and a man who loved to drive nice cars and enjoy life, wasn't known as a mystic. He didn't even insist that pyramid power was a proven fact. "He reported it to us as 'some people with credibility say,' not necessarily that it was something he believed," Bill says, adding: "He got excited about a lot of things."
One of those things, Bill says, was interior space—another aspect of pyramid power. "He always believed that appraisers did things wrong by valuing a houses based on its square feet. He said they should use cubic feet instead, and that the vaulted ceilings, that spaciousness, gave it value. He often expressed that."
In many ways, however, the pyramid houses "are the least Streng-like" of the Streng homes, says Wiens, the first customer to buy a Streng pyramid. There are no open-beamed ceilings, as in a standard Streng, no walls of glass that open the house to its backyard.
These are multi-story homes, not the standard low-to-the-ground single stories. Sparks only designed two other two-story models for the Strengs, Jim says, "neither of them wildly successful." One had the living room and master bedroom upstairs and the family room, kitchen, and two bedrooms downstairs. "Carter's thoughts on that were, in Sacramento most subdivisions are flat. You go up in the living room, you'd get a view," Jim says. "We did sell a fair number of those."
Wiens, an engineer who was new to town, felt the appeal of the pyramid. "I tend to like things that are different," he says and, thinking back to the '70s, adds: "Kind of New Age, maybe, was where my head was." He's come to love the house because of its efficient use of land, high ceilings, and unique ambiance. "Everything is sharper," Wiens says, "in the pyramid."

subset: commoncrawl


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Member since Apr 19, 2012
- Profile: /members/9854-gert-jan.htm
- Comments: 1
Recent Blog Comments By Gert-Jan
Using NULLIF() To Prevent Divide-By-Zero Errors In SQL
Posted on Apr 19, 2012 at 12:31 PM
You, sir, RULE! This has been bugging me for soo long! A full hour of crunching stopped becuase of a 0 on a single row.. Excellent solution!... read more »


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Robotics, Service & STEM Education
The Science Technology & Society program (STS) of College Park Scholars, sponsored by the A. James Clark School of Engineering, has brought robotics to many schools in the area. Robotics enables college students to teach younger students and to engage their handiness with tools and spatial thinking. This article describes recent achievements of the 150 students in the program. In June 2012, the College Park Scholars central office awarded $5,000 to fund the STS program's proposal to buy LEGO Mindstorms robotics kits, software licenses, and professional education workshop. On a Sunday early in September, 14 freshmen and sophomores completed the workshop, learning how to use materials effectively in the classroom and to teach younger students without "doing the work for them." The freshmen followed up this experience by volunteering for Maryland Robotics Day (Sept. 21) and the sophomores followed up by volunteering on a weekly basis at Greenbelt Elementary School and at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Teachers at both Prince George's County schools support robotics as an aid to attracting and retaining students to STEM. It is likely that in the Spring 2013 semester, the service can be expanded to a third school. The college volunteers complete classroom activities and discuss articles about the value of service learning to increasing STEM in PG County. In October the STS Program supported the establishment of a newly recognized student organization, MASE (Mentors Advancing STEM Education), which was begun by Nitay Ravin of the Science Discovery and the Universe program of College Park Scholars. The 25 members of MASE support FIRST FRC robotics Team Illusion (FIRST FRC Team #4464), which was initiated by Dr. Vijay Kowthaa of Naval Research Lab. At least once a week, college and high school students have met on campus, typically in the CCC Building of the Scholars quadrangle, to learn skills. On January 12, 2013, the STS Program will welcome FIRST FRC teams from the greater Washington DC area - including Team Illusion - to a "kitbot" build event. This event occurred on campus for the first time in January 2012, when it enabled 14 teams to assemble their "kitbot" robots at the beginning of the build season (photos from 2012). The MASE students will be supporting Team #4464 over winter term and right through late February, when work must stop on the robots prior to the competition season. Team #4464 will compete in the Washington DC Regional in March 2013 at the Washington Convention Center and at the Chesapeake Regional in April 2013 in Baltimore. Scholars STS students will volunteer for other FIRST FRC events, such as the pre-competition season face-offs in February 2013 (photos from 2012) and at the Baltimore and Washington regional competitions. In association with volunteering for the Science Olympiad, Physics Olympics and National Science Bowl, Scholars STS students do their bit to attract and retain younger students to STEM. December 12, 2012 Prev Next |


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"Strengthening Families through Temporal Self-Reliance," Ensign, June 2011, 7
Visiting Teaching Message
Strengthening Families through Temporal Self-Reliance
Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.
Developing self-reliance—the ability to care for ourselves and our families—is the responsibility of every sister. We become self-reliant as we learn to love work, as we seek inspiration to find the best ways to provide for ourselves, and as we work with family members to meet basic needs.
When we are self-reliant, we use our blessings and resources to prepare for and avoid problems. Self-reliance, however, is enhanced as we pray for the courage to meet with faith the challenges that will surely come. Self-reliance also enables us to keep our covenant to care for others.
In Relief Society, we are taught self-reliance principles and skills. Sisters can learn about budgeting, debt relief, employment qualifications, the scriptures and the gospel, teaching others to read and learn, technology, physical health, fitness, addiction prevention and recovery, social and emotional health, preventing illness, gardening, food production and storage, emergency preparedness, and many other things that will help us become self-reliant.1
Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president, explains that "providing for ourselves and others is evidence that we are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. … When [my mother-in-law] passed away suddenly last year, she left evidence of her self-reliant life. She had a current temple recommend and well-used scriptures and gospel study manuals. We lovingly divided up the pots, pans, and dishes with which she had prepared thousands of meals. She left us quilts she had made from old clothing. She believed in the old adage 'Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.' We saw the supply of food she had grown, preserved, and stored. Particularly touching were her little account books in which she faithfully recorded her expenditures over many years. Because she lived providently, she left some money she had saved for emergencies, and she left no debts! Most importantly, she had taught and inspired many others with the skills she had acquired during her faithful life."2
From the Scriptures
John 13:34–35; James 1:27; Mosiah 4:26; Doctrine and Covenants 29:34–35; 38:30; 44:6
From Our History
Relief Society sisters have always participated in the work of saving souls temporally and spiritually. Each week as the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo met, sisters reported on people in need. Donations of money, goods, talents, and time were dispersed to relieve the needy. This foundational work of relieving suffering has continued to be the work of Relief Society through the generations.
When the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young (1801–77) counseled sisters to assist those in need and to learn skills that would allow them to take care of themselves. He said, "Learn to sustain yourselves; lay up grain and flour, and save it against a day of scarcity."3 Under the direction of the priesthood, Relief Society continues to teach self-reliance, to safeguard the family, and to encourage personal righteousness and acts of charity, the pure love of Christ.
Photo illustration by Welden C. Andersen


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Rhubarb Simple Syrup
It's rhubarb season and no doubt everyone is making pie! But there are many other things you can do with rhubarb: relishes and chutneys and compotes, sauces both sweet and savory, ice cream and sorbets. The list is endless, but one of my favorite things to make when rhubarb is plentiful is this lovely, pink-hued rhubarb syrup.
Ways to Use Rhubarb Syrup:
- Mix with club soda to make a refreshing drink: about one part syrup to 3 parts club soda. Serve over ice, garnished with a lime wedge.
- Rhubarb bellinis! A simple recipe of about one part syrup to 4 parts sparkling wine, Champagne, or prosecco.
- Use in any of these delicious cocktails. Or this Rhubarb Mojito from Brooklyn Farmhouse!
- Drizzle over plain or vanilla yogurt or vanilla ice cream.
- Poke holes in a plain vanilla or lemon cake with a skewer and pour the syrup over until it soaks in.
Rhubarb Syrup
Makes about 8 ounces
Nutritional Info
- 4 cups
chopped rhubarb
- 1 cup
- 1 cup
Combine the rhubarb, sugar, and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes.
Set a fine-mesh strainer (or a coarse strainer lined with cheesecloth) over a large bowl. Pour the rhubarb through the strainer until most of the liquid is in the bowl. Press the solids a little with the back of a spoon to extract more syrup.
Carefully pour the syrup into a clean bottle. Cover or cork the bottle and refrigerate. It should keep for quite some time in the fridge.
The leftover rhubarb solids also make a nice rough jam, so if you want you can put them in a clean jar and keep them in your refrigerator for a week or so. It's great on toast!
Recipe Notes
Rhubarb Syrup Variations
- Add a few coins of ginger or a few large pieces of orange peel to the rhubarb at the start of the cooking time.
- Toward the end of the simmering time, add a small handful of rough chopped basil, or several sprigs of thyme.
- Stir a few teaspoons of rose water or orange flower water into the finished syrup.
This recipe was originally published May 2009.


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CHICAGO -- Sheryl Swoopes, one of the top players is women's basketball history, is the new coach at Loyola of Chicago.
The school announced the hiring Friday.
A standout at Texas Tech in the early 1990s and the first three-time MVP in the WNBA, Swoopes will try to boost a program that has struggled in recent years but finished with a winning record this past season.
The Ramblers only finished higher than fifth in the Horizon League once under former coach Eric Simpson, who resigned after leading them to a 57-66 record in four seasons. They went 17-15 this past season and reached the Horizon championship game.
"I am extremely honored and humbled to be chosen to lead the Loyola University Chicago women's basketball program," Swoopes said in a statement. "Loyola is a special place and I immediately felt welcome here. Having played for some of the game's best coaches as well as with and against some of the most talented players in women's basketball history, I have broadened my knowledge and hope to use those experiences to bring championships to Rogers Park. There is a lot of talent already in place and I cannot wait to get into the gym and get started."
A three-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time WNBA champion, Swoopes stopped playing in 2011, and spent the past season as a TV analyst for Texas Tech women's games. In 2005, she announced she is gay.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sheryl Swoopes to the Loyola family. She is a proven winner at every level of competition, and a respected mentor of young women," athletic director Dr. M. Grace Calhoun said. "Beyond her unparalleled competitive success, her vision for Loyola women's basketball, knowledge of the game and industry, and infectious energy left us confident Sheryl will build Rambler women's basketball into a perennial national contender."


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This article is more than 1 year old
Vince Cable: Feel my mighty SME love
Pledges red-tape slashfest, bank-loan bonanza
New Coalition government biznovation minister Vince Cable has set out his stall in a speech given yesterday at a business school in London. He pledged to cut the red tape stifling small businesses, and said he would compel banks to lend to SMEs.
On the matter of red tape, here's what Mr Cable had to say:
I will take a tougher line on regulation, because I believe that often the most useful thing governments can do is simply to get out of the way. Every small business can tell a story of how they could do more and hire more people if they spent less time on form filling. Regulation is too often the creature of big businesses with the resources to handle it forcing out the small. The cost to business of regulation currently in the pipeline is around £20bn: far in excess of any direct help the Government does or can give.
Then, the new overlord of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills went on to say that he wants banks to be much more timid when it comes to crazy international markets in highly structured paper - but much bolder when it comes to lending to small businesses here in the UK.
I will redouble our efforts to ensure that bank lending agreements from banks that have benefited from taxpayer subsidy are being honoured – especially for SMEs. We do not expect to see viable businesses deprived of credit or working capital by banks that are largely owned by the taxpayer, or the general beneficiaries of wider public support.The banks claim that there is no demand. That is not right. If the bar is set too high, of course no one is willing to jump. The current risk aversion by banks in the SME sector will stifle recovery and, if it does, will actually rebound on the banks through bad debt.
"You may have noticed that I am not Peter Mandelson," added the minister. "For one thing, I am a better dancer." ®


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The world is running out of water -- now what?

The new documentary 'Last Call at the Oasis' shines a light on growing global concerns about water scarcity -- and what companies and governments large and small are doing to keep the glass half-full.

Last weekend, Jessica Yu's new water documentary "Last Call at the Oasis" took us on tour of the impacts water scarcity is creating around the globe, from the parched pastures of Australia's farmlands to the sewage-polluted banks of the Jordan River. This film shines a much-needed light on the various water challenges we all now face at a critical time. The numbers alone are eye-opening.
If current water usage trends continue, by 2025, two-thirds of the world's population -- or 5.3 billion people -- will be vulnerable to water shortages. What many here in the U.S. may not know is that we are far from immune to water stress. One need look no further than Texas, where a record-breaking drought last year created massive water shortages that significantly impacted the state's water supplies, agriculture and industry.
Although the world's water supply works in a continuous cycle of consumption and replenishment -- we are currently using more at a faster pace -- and nature is not able to keep up. It's no longer enough to conserve water during droughts, or to turn off the tap while we brush our teeth. Water reuse must be part of the long-term solution.
The time has come to look past the "yuck factor" that some associate with treating and reusing "used" water, rather than drawing from our shrinking fresh supplies. The water used in today's morning shower shouldn't disappear down the drain, but rather find new life to feed crops or produce electricity.
By recycling and reusing water, governments and businesses will be able to better insulate themselves against the impacts of climate change, as reclaimed water can be used to irrigate fields, sustain industrial activity and even create drinking water. Looking ahead, our community and business leaders must take steps to advance water recycling and reuse in order to secure a sustainable water future.
Many forward thinking governments across the country are already taking steps to adapt to this new reality. A panel discussion I recently moderated at the American Bar Association's Water Law Conference uncovered ways that local, state and federal agencies are adapting to the changing water landscape.
For example, New York City, which currently gets about 50 percent of its daily water supply from the 330 mile long Delaware River, is constructing a filtration plant to produce water to meet up to 30 percent of demand from its eight million residents. The city predicts that the water supply will shrink from reduced snowpack and decrease in quality from more frequent storms.
Industry is also waking up to the critical role it can play to turn this crisis around. More than 20 percent of the world's freshwater is currently used in industrial applications. Water-intensive industries, such as the high-tech or pharmaceutical sectors, can recycle water to shield themselves against higher costs or a diminished supply that could disrupt operations and impact profitability.
Companies like AB InBev, who recently made a commitment to drastically reduce the amount of water used per liter of beer, and Levi's, currently marketing "water-less jeans," are two examples among a growing number of corporations tackling this issue.
However, water scarcity is too important and the resource too precious to allow the burden to hang on the shoulders of a few cities or industries. The solution lies in a combination of factors that include government policy, technological innovation and collaboration.
Governments can take steps to promote reuse, such as raising awareness of the realities of water scarcity, making reuse requirements easier to meet, offering incentives through subsidies or pricing, and expanding regulations requiring reuse.
A number of countries around the world have enacted incentives to encourage more reuse. Singapore, for example, has created a Water Efficiency Fund that provides up to 50 percent of the capital cost of water recycling facilities. To the extent that incentives exist in the US, they tend to be at the local level. So we are working with several members of Congress on creating a legislative measure that would provide a federal incentive.
One of the largest hurdles to the implementation of water reuse on any scale is cost. It is imperative that companies in the water treatment and processing industry -- like GE and others -- are committed to developing economically viable and energy efficient technologies to help cities, companies and communities address water challenges related to availability, quality and productivity.
Finally, this issue is far too large for any government, company or non-governmental entity to tackle alone. We all need to work together to assess the water-related risks the world faces as we grow and help identify solutions.
A great example of this type of collaboration is the Aqueduct Alliance, a consortium of private and public sectors, non-profits and academia, which has developed an online tool to help measure and map geographically explicit water risks, which will likely be exacerbated by climate change. Identifying hotspots of risk that can constrain access to water, increase costs and disrupt operations can help pinpoint where reuse is feasible and necessary.
Water is one of the fundamental building blocks of civilization -- so fundamental that we are tempted to overlook it until we reach a crisis situation. The fact is, that without a sufficient supply of water, a society cannot grow and prosper. Although the demand for clean water continues to grow while supply becomes increasingly threatened, we don't have to choose between economic progress and the protection of our natural resources. By making choices to reuse water today, we can redefine how we secure, deliver and utilize water to preserve this resource for a growing world.


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Latest Article|September 3, 2020|Free
::Making Grown Men Cry Since 1992
6 min read
"A plague on both your butt cheeks!" -William ShakespeareI have a recurring nightmare. In this nightmare, I am running around my former high school stark naked. I dash into the bathroom and frantically MacGyver an outfit out of toilet paper. But my makeshift frock falls apart. It's then that I notice the urinal, and realize I'm not in the girls' bathroom. I've accidentally ducked into the wrong bathroom, and numerous pubescent males are gawking at me.Now, I'm not some closet Freudian who believes the mind buries its urges in obtuse dream riddles. But there is one minor detail of my recurring nightmare that always leaves me shaking my head when I finally wake up. In the dream, I never attempt to cover my breasts or groin with my toilet paper garment. Instead, I fashion a little backflap to conceal what my dreaming self is so urgently desperate to hide: cellulite .My cellulite and I have a … complicated relationship. I've been trying to break up with my cellulite for years now, but the stubborn bastard just won't take a hint. It doesn't matter how many hours I spend at the gym. Cutting back on calories doesn't do the trick. For seven years now, I've been telling myself that if I just work a little harder, I'll finally achieve the smooth lifted backside I want so badly. One night in the not-so-distant past, I found myself in tears over the dismal rear view in the mirror, despite my years of hard work and persistence. After wallowing in my self-pity for awhile, I became angry. I wiped away my tears defiantly, and marched to the medical library. " Screw you , cellulite! " I hissed. "I'm going to blast you away once and for all, with science!!!" I pored over textbooks and journal articles, attempting to understand the evil dimples colonizing my backside. I searched, high and low, for the best weapons to demolish my enemy. Liposuction! Cryosurgery! Laser beams! Take that!!! I expected to find a smorgasbord of fat-blasting options. But much to my horror, the scientific literature on the topic was strangely sparse.Despite the fact that humans possess the technological sophistication to land a robot on Mars, we still don't really know exactly what cellulite really or how it differs from "normal" fat. What we do know is that cellulite occurs almost exclusively in women and usually on the lower body. Though the exact mechanism behind cellulite has yet to be discovered, it probably results from the complex interplay of numerous factors like hormones and circulation. This condition, defined by doctors as "a localized metabolic disorder of subcutaneous tissue that provokes an alteration in female body shape," affects up to 98% of women. The media often portrays cellulite as a shameful side effect of weight gain, but in reality, there is little correlation between body mass index (or ratio of weight to height) and cellulite. Although extra weight can exaggerate cellulite, not all heavy women have cellulite. In some cases, weight loss improves the appearance of cellulite. But weight loss can also worsen the appearance of cellulite, when previously plump skin hangs loose. The vast majority of lean women have cellulite, and this condition is not associated with any health problems at all. If cellulite affects up to 98% and women is a completely benign condition, should we really be defining it is a metabolic disorder? Metabolic disorders, like diabetes and hypothyroidism, are pathological conditions that cause significant illness. Cellulite is a complete wimp compared to these health wreckers. Even defining cellulite as a cosmetic disorder is a bit of a stretch. Some cosmetic problems, like balding and varicose veins, can come with risks such as increased chance of skin cancer or blood clots. Not so with cellulite. Physically speaking, cellulite is a total pacifist. Since the jury is still out on what cellulite is and why it happens, I feel at liberty to offer up my own interpretation. Starvation was a very real problem for our ancestors. Now imagine trying to breastfeed throughout those lean winter months, when you're already low on fuel. The thighs, hips, and buttocks are known fat storage sites in the female body (FYI, women who store fat in these areas rather than on the abdomen have a lower risk of heart disease). In fact, research shows that the fat stored on the lower female body is much more resistant to lipolysis (or the process of breaking fat down for fuel) than other areas on the body. This means that the body only burns those stylish saddlebags in times of significant calorie deprivation. I think that cellulite is probably some sort of vestigial skin/fat configuration that makes it easy to pack fat on to that area of the body and tough to break it down. Is this good for breastfeeding hunter-gatherers living off of berries and squirrel? Yes. Is it good for spring break on Padre Island? No!Just because cellulite is normal and harmless doesn't mean we all need to commune beneath the moonlight to embrace the organic beauty of our cellulite. Personally, I believe that whoever invents a completely safe, cheap, effective cure for cellulite deserves every damn penny of the billions of dollars she'll make. Yet, by the same token, whining and crying over one's less-than-perfect backside as I've done in the past is a lame waste of energy that our ancestors probably didn't have the time for. This self-hatred is a form of self-obsession, which is the real modern plague with consequences far more dire than a little smattering of cellulite.When it comes to modern women, the world is too full of perils and wonders to get caught up in the cellulite shame spiral. This is not something that will ruin your eyesight or land you in a wheelchair (unless you experience some adverse reaction to an anti-cellulite treatment). It won't even ruin a romantic date, unless low self-esteem robs you of your enjoyment. A leg with cellulite can still dip a toe into a summer lake, or enjoy the warm sunshine, or run a marathon every bit as well as a leg without cellulite. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you're a woman with cellulite, it's your birthright to bypass the stages of grieving that I've subjected myself to… denial, anger, bargaining, and depression… and skip right to the acceptance part. Yup. There it is. Cellulite. Now tear yourself away from the mirror and go enjoy your life.


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The surge of baby boomers now entering their 60s means more drivers on the road who may be impaired by dementia or other cognitive impairments linked to aging. Researchers at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere have developed a three-hour workshop that trains health care providers to identify potentially unsafe drivers with dementia and to encourage appropriate retirement from driving.
"We don't want to give the message that older drivers are always unsafe, because that's just not the case," says Thomas Meuser, Ph.D., research associate professor of neurology at Washington University. "But there are health-related changes associated with aging, including Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, that impair medical fitness to drive."
In a recent issue of the Gerontologist, Meuser and colleagues reported on the effects of their workshop after presentations to health professionals in seven Missouri locations, including a number of rural cities with large elderly populations. The presentations were organized with assistance from local chapters of the Alzheimer's Association and other groups.
"We found a significant change in the willingness of participants to ask their patients questions about driving and to document findings and concerns in the medical record," Meuser says. "There was a real sense among participants that yes, there is something that I can do."
Debate is ongoing about when in the progression of dementia a patient becomes ineligible to drive. Most states, including Missouri, do not have specific prohibitions in this regard, but all states allow health professionals and others to report persons perceived as medically unfit to drive due to dementia or other conditions. In 2001, the American Academy of Neurology recommended that persons diagnosed with mild dementia stop driving for reasons of personal and public safety.
Physicians at Washington University use the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) interview to determine the level of dementia-related impairment. According to Meuser, a CDR rating of 1, representing mild to moderate deficits in memory and other cognitive and functional areas, is a reasonable stage at which retirement from driving may be initiated.
"Primary care physicians and other health professionals often have limited experience in diagnosing dementia and assessing driving safety, but a small amount of additional training can make a big difference," Meuser notes.
At the workshop, Meuser introduces Alzheimer's disease and its various stages. In another section, workshop developer David B. Carr, M.D., associate professor of medicine and of neurology, explains an American Medical Association (AMA) recommendation that physicians risk-stratify their patients, grouping them on the basis of their clinical observations into safe, unsafe and unsure. This offers physicians unfamiliar with the specialized process of CDR testing a framework to help identify patients who may need to be prohibited from driving.
A 1999 Missouri law allows physicians, family members and others to notify the state's Department of Revenue when concerned about an older motorist's ability to drive safely. At the workshop, participants are shown sample reporting forms and procedures for filling them out.
"The reporting process is anonymous," Meuser says. "And the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which places strict regulations on patient privacy, should not apply to this, because HIPAA allows for state reporting to protect public safety and health."
When a report has been filed, drivers are notified by the Department of Revenue that they have several options for proving they can still drive safely, starting with a statement from their physicians. Drivers may also have to retake the standard on-road driving safety test administered by the State Highway Patrol.
"Officials with the Department of Revenue, with the State Highway Patrol, and with the Missouri Department of Transportation have been an absolute joy to work with," Meuser notes. "They are very concerned about older driver safety and have welcomed us as researchers with open arms."
Pat Niewoehner, workshop coauthor and a driver rehabilitation specialist with the St. Louis Veteran's Administration Medical Center, demonstrates the role of the occupational therapist - driver rehabilitation specialist in evaluating medical fitness to drive. Another coauthor, Marla Berg-Weger, Ph.D., professor of social work at Saint Louis University, shows physicians how they can cooperate with family members to eliminate patient access to driving and seek alternate forms of transportation that allow patients to continue to lead fulfilling lives. Included is a videotaped dramatization of a physician working with a demented patient and a family member.
"It's important for healthcare providers to realize there are others who can help," Meuser says.
The workshop was created with funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Institute of Aging through the ADRC and John C. Morris, M.D., the Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology and ADRC director.
Additional educational efforts and research studies are or will soon be underway with support from NHTSA, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the AMA and the American Society of Aging.
"This is an exciting time for research and education in support of older driver safety, and there's a role for just about everyone in these efforts," says Meuser. "Above all, we must work together to ensure that older adults can remain mobile and productive even when they have to give up driving."
Meuser TM, Carr DB, Berg-Weger M, Niewhoehner P, Morris JC. Driving and dementia in older adults: implementation and evaluation of a continuing education project. Gerontologist 2006 Oct;46(5):680-687.
Funding from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration and the National Institute of Aging supported this research.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Washington University School Of Medicine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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Word&Way Correspondent
Kansas City — Windermere Baptist Conference Center acted within its legal rights when it changed its articles of incorporation, a Missouri appellate court ruled Feb. 3.
A Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, three-judge panel unanimously upheld a lower court's March 4, 2008, ruling in a nearly seven-year legal battle the Missouri Baptist Convention filed against five formerly affiliated agencies.
The Nov. 25 appeal hearing was the latest round in legal action the MBC took against Windermere, The Baptist Home, Missouri Baptist University, Word&Way and the Missouri Baptist Foundation in an effort to force the entities to rescind changes they had made in their corporate charters. The Home changed its articles of incorporation in 2000 to elect its own trustees. The other four took the same action in 2001. The convention filed suit on Aug. 13, 2002.
Cole County Circuit Court Judge Richard Callahan's ruling centered on two main aspects of the convention's contention — corporate membership and a contractual relationship with Windermere. The judge ruled the MBC is not a member of Windermere's corporation and that no contract exists between the two entities.
In their opinion, Western District Chief Justice Thomas Newton, Judge Joseph Dandurand and Judge James E. Welsh upheld the lower court ruling that the MBC is not a member of the conference center's corporation. The justices noted that Windermere's articles of incorporation clearly state that the center would have no members. Missouri law requires not-for-profits to state whether or not the corporation will have members.
"Windermere's articles of incorporation clearly and unambiguously state that the corporation shall have no members," the justices ruled.
The MBC had argued that it was a member because Windermere had allowed the convention to elect the conference center's trustees. The privilege to elect trustees did not create member status.
Also, justices noted, the convention should have been aware of the no-member clause. "[W]e find it disingenuous for the Convention to claim that it is a member of Windermere given that the Convention, at its 2000 Annual Meeting, ratified Windermere's articles of incorporation and authorized the transfer of assets and liabilities to Windermere," the panel wrote.
Messengers were given a copy of the articles and were given an opportunity to comment on them before voting.
Justices also turned down the MBC's contention that its rights were protected even if the convention was not a member. The court ruled that any rights granted under the original charter were not irrevocable rights. The convention had no standing — legal right — to challenge Windermere's power to act since the MBC is not a member of the center's corporation, the court added.
Justices noted the convention could have protected its rights when its own agents drafted the original articles and when messengers ratified them, but it did not do so.
The appellate justices also rejected the MBC's claim that Windermere's governing documents became a contract that grants the convention third-party rights. The center's original articles did not indicate the MBC as the primary beneficiary of Windermere's business. They ruled that no contract existed.
Justices upheld the lower court ruling that Windermere would retain its assets. The convention had failed to ask the circuit court to rescind agreements the MBC made granting assets to the center in 2000. Instead, the appeals court noted, the convention had asked that Windermere's 1,300 acres be returned if Windermere's charter changes were rescinded.
As part of a 2006 debt restructuring plan, Windermere transferred 943 acres to National City Bank of Cincinnati in late 2005. The bank sold the property to Windermere Development Company Inc.
The MBC filed legal action in Camden County in 2006 in an effort to stop all land transactions at Windermere pending the outcome of the Cole County case. Before the appellate court ruled, defendants in the Camden County case had requested another hearing. That hearing is set for Feb. 10.
Although not part of its original appeal motion, the MBC asked the justices to consider the lower court's dismissal of the convention's claim that Windermere, the other four entities and several individuals — including former MBC Executive Director Jim Hill — had conspired to remove Windermere from convention control.
"The Convention's allegations of so-called actions, agreements, and conspiracy, however, are vague and insufficient," the justices wrote.
Windermere's attorneys issued an e-mail statement following the appellate ruling. "We are pleased with the unanimous opinion…which affirmed Judge Callahan's decision on every issue and which upheld the positions taken by Windermere throughout this litigation," lead attorney Jim Shoemake wrote.
"The opinion clearly shows that Windermere was correct and justified in its actions, and, hopefully, this will greatly benefit Windermere in furthering its Christian endeavors."
"We hope Missouri Baptists will now be able to put this sad conflict behind us," Windermere chief executive officer Dan Bench noted in a prepared statement. "We pray no additional money, energy, or time will be wasted by further litigation efforts."
The MBC has 15 days in which to file a motion for the Court of Appeals to rehear the case. The convention also may ask the Missouri Supreme Court to review the appellate decision.
The convention's case against the other four entities has been on hold pending the outcome of the MBC's appeal in the Windermere case. No dates have yet been set for those hearings.


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Chalet Pomme de Pin Reviews
This chalet is located right at the bottom of the Fornet lift so if you want to be away from the hustle and bustle of Val but still have easy access to the slopes and the bus, this chalet is perfect for you. Although Le Fornet is quiet there are still bars and restaurants which we enjoyed several post piste drinks at! The chalet itself was more than comfortable for our party of 8 with a fantastic long table for our meals and a good sized living space for us to relax in. Bedrooms were comfortable and cosy. James was an incredible chalet host who catered for all our needs and overfed and overwatered us all week.....even giving us the accolade of best cake eaters! Whoops! The meals he prepared and presented were of restaurant standard and we were all very impressed by how helpful, friendly and professional he was. We would definitely return.
Apres Ski: 3/5
Accommodation & Value: 5/5
Fran Mosco


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(visited by Stephan Theriault)
26-Jan-2007 -- My family and myself were going for a one month trip down in New South Wales and some confluences were on the menu. On this Australia day while visiting an Aunty and Uncle in Warwick I had to do this one, which wasn't too far off. I headed down the Cunningham highway at first but realised it was the wrong way so I backtracked and got my barings right.
Heading down this other road I found a secondary road to the right and that led me to within a kilometre of the confluence. After going through some long and wet grass and hopping over a fence I got to where I needed to be. I had to stretch my arm over another fence as far out as I could in order to get all the zeroes lined up. So at least a part of my body made it there and that should be sufficient for a successful attempt. Since that fence was an electric one I didn't wan't to get a jolt to have the rest of my body where the exact spot is.
I saw a few rabbits there, the rest of the wildlife was still asleep. The terrain was quite flat and this confluence is a pretty easy one to do Now let's see what 29S 152E will be like


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The City of Fishers announced today the newly appointed members of the inaugural Fishers Arts & Culture Commission. The Commission will become effective in January.
In August, Fishers City Council adopted an ordinance to create the Commission to facilitate a more comprehensive and strategic approach to arts and culture in the city. Over the past several years, there has been increasing momentum around advancing art and culture in Fishers. Earlier this month, the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) officially designated Fishers' Nickel Plate District as a Statewide Cultural District.
The Commission will be facilitated by the Department of Planning & Zoning and will seek to engage and promote all forms of performing and visual art in Fishers in support of community and economic development efforts. One of Commission's first tasks will be updating Fishers' Community Art Master Plan, which was developed in 2013.
The Commission is comprised of seven board members appointed by the Mayor to serve two-year terms. Members include:
Cecilia CobleCity of Fishers Councilwoman
Coble has served on the Fishers City Council since 2015, where she currently serves on the Non-Profit and Finance Committees. She also chairs the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability and is passionate about highlighting the artistic talents of those with unique abilities in the Fishers community. In 2017, the City of Fishers was the recipient of the Champions of Inclusion Award as the result of the Committee's efforts to bring more awareness, education, and celebration of those with intellectual and physical disabilities in Fishers.
Coble received her B.A. from the University of Arizona and she holds a J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis. After law school, she worked as a Government Relations Representative for Bank One Consumer Lending Group, and as a Project/Account Manager for Pangea Lingua Translations & Communications in Indianapolis. She currently serves on the boards of the Bev Hartig Huntington's Disease Foundation and the Giving Hope Foundation. Coble is an Associate Member of the Christamore House Guild and a former member of the Junior League of Indianapolis. She is also a former co-chair of the Indiana Chapter of Talk About Curing Autism and a former board member of the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities.
Coble has been married to her husband, Mike, for almost 25 years. They have two teenage daughters, Alexa and Crysta, whom has developmental disabilities. She enjoys the performing arts and traveling with her family.
David DeckerOwner of ACo and Co-Founder of Hub & Spoke
A persistent and successful entrepreneur, Decker is the founder and owner of ACo, a flooring, cabinet and kitchen and bath remodeling company. He is also the founder of Haven, a design and construction industry marketing firm & lifestyle publication. His latest endeavor, Hub & Spoke, was created to foster discovery of purpose and cultivate passion in children of all ages through experiential and entrepreneurial based exploration and learning. Anticipated to open in Fishers next fall, the Hub and Spoke Design Center will be a center of activity for the home building and design industry alongside a one-of-a-kind Makerspace for hobbyists, entrepreneurs, and students to design and create.
Growing up in a family-run business, Decker spent his summers working alongside his father, where he learned the values of work ethic and entrepreneurial ethos. His subsequent college experience sparked an awareness of the need to fuse industry and education, due to the glaring absence of hands-on learning from his college courses. After discovering a love of architecture, but not getting the experience he wanted, he left school to pursue working full-time. Decker finally found his passion when he launched his design and remodeling company. Decker hopes that Hub & Spoke will help those at any stage of life to uncover their own purpose and passion.
Jeremiah FollisTeacher at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Founder of Olio Productions, and Sculptor
Follis is a social studies teacher at Hamilton Southeastern High School and a professional sculptor. In 2013, he founded Sillof LLC to showcase his sculptures and work he has done for Disney/Lucasfilm and the television show Supernatural, as well as individual work he has done, notably for Guillermo Del Toro, Seth Myers, and Patton Oswalt. As a filmmaker, he has worked as a producer and in the production design and art department field on over 15 films. Most recently, he served as the art director for The Storyteller, which won the Audience Award at the 2018 Heartland Film Festival.
For 20 years, he has been educating and creating a passion in students for film by teaching an after-school film studies course. In 2014, he formed the student production company, Olio Road Productions, which gives students the unique opportunity to create a completely original, feature length film each year.
Follis has a degree from Ball State University and has served as a trainer and guest speaker on the topics of culture, religion, and First Amendment issues. He has been selected as an ambassador to Fishers' sister city, recognized by the U.S. State Department for teaching religion and tolerance, and has served as a member and chair of HSE District level committees for Equity and High Ability Planning. Earlier this year, Follis received the first-ever Arts Educator of the Year Award from Nickel Plate Arts. Follis lives in Fishers with his wife, Tammy, and daughter, Katie.
Kathryn HaighChief Operating Officer at Newfields
Haigh oversees and directs day-to-day operations of the 152-acre Newfields' campus, including management of the fine art collection and exhibition program at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and historic Lilly House. She oversees the Historic Preservation program and manages the Lilly House, Westerley House & Gardens—the Director's residence in Golden Hill—and the Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana. Haigh is also responsible for managing the Facilities Maintenance, Culinary Arts, Events, and Security departments, as well as all related capital assets. Recently, she worked with the CEO and the Buildings and Grounds Committee to develop a 30-year master plan for Newfields.
Haigh studied Art History at the University of Cincinnati and has been working in major fine art museums for 24 years. Before coming to Newfields, she was the Chief Registrar at the Cincinnati Art Museum. In 2007, she relocated to Fishers with her family. Her daughter, Madeleine, is a graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School and attends Ball State University where she studies Interior Design. Her son, Ryan, is an 8th grader at HSE Intermediate/Junior High and is a member of Fishers Boy Scout Troop 199.
Chris LingnerFounding Company Member of the Indianapolis Ballet
Lingner began his career with the 2009 National Tour of Twyla Tharp's Moving Out, where he was one of the youngest performers to ever dance the principal roles of Eddie and James. He has been a featured guest artist with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, Indianapolis School of Ballet, New Albany Ballet, Peoria Ballet, in the Young Stars of Ballet Gala presented by Indianapolis City Ballet, and Chamber Dance Project in Washington D.C. In 2012, Sonya Tayeh created a new work on him for a NFL Super Bowl-Super Cure event.
Lingner studied ballet in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He joined Cincinnati Ballet in the 13-14 50th Anniversary Season in the Corps de Ballet. While with the Cincinnati Ballet, Lingner performed in works by Adam Hougland, Victoria Morgan, Trey McIntyre, Septime Webre, Viktor Plotnikov, Jessica Lang, Jennifer Archibald, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Yuri Possokhov, and Kirk Peterson. He toured with Cincinnati Ballet to The Joyce Theatre in New York City and the Kennedy Center. His musical theatre credits include Hairspray (Oasis of the Seas), Guys and Dolls (Flatrock Play House), and Jerome Robbins Broadway (The MUNY). As a producer, Lingner was nominated for a Tony Award as a Co-Producer for Broadway's On the Town and Best Show of 2016 for his production of the first Ballet Royalty Gala in Havana, Cuba.
Marisol SanchezVice President, General Counsel at Endress+Hauser, Inc. USA
Sanchez serves as legal counselor and strategic advisor to Endress+Hauser, Inc. USA and oversees all legal and compliance functions of the North American organizations. She leads the company's Women's Integrated Network, serves on the Philanthropy Committee, and is a member of the Steering Committee for the Community Career Education Forum.
Prior to joining Endress+Hauser, Sanchez was a partner in the Litigation, Appellate and White Collar Crime Practice Groups with the law firm of Bose McKinney & Evans, LLP in Indianapolis, Indiana. Before joining Bose McKinney, she served as a judicial law clerk for Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard of the Indiana Supreme Court.
Sanchez received her Bachelor's degree in business administration at the University of Puerto Rico, and a Jurisdoctorate Degree at Indiana University Maurer School of Law. She is active in the community and serves on numerous boards, including the Indianapolis Zoo, Central Indiana Community Foundation, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, Indy Chamber's Regional Strategy Council, Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, and IFSA-Butler. Sanchez was named as one of the Indianapolis Business Journal's Forty under 40 and was a Nominee for the YWCA Salute to Women of Achievement Award in 2010. She is a graduate of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series, the IBA Bar Leader Series IV, and the FBI Citizens Academy.
Jocelyn VareOwner of Propeller Marketing, Former President of Fishers Arts Council, Nickel Plate Arts Board Member, and President of Fishers Music Works
Vare has served as an arts volunteer in Fishers for over 10 years, most recently as a steering committee member for the City of Fishers' successful Statewide Cultural District application. She currently serves as a co-chair of Spark!Fishers vendor committee, board secretary of Nickel Plate Arts, and president of the community's performing arts non-profit organization, Fishers Music Works. She previously served as president of Fishers Arts Council, board member for the historic Ambassador House, task force member for Fishers' 2040 Plan, and a coordinator of the annual Arts Crawl event.
Vare is a graduate of Ball State's Community Development Course, Fishers City Government Academy, and the Hamilton County Leadership Academy. She is a member of the Fishers Community Chorus and has performed with Nickel Plate Players at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater.
In 2001, Vare started Propeller Marketing, an advertising agency that promotes Indiana communities for tourism and economic development and is a certified Indiana Women-Business Enterprise. Her office is in the historic Eller House in Fishers.


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SACRAMENTO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arraignment of two individuals who allegedly bought large numbers of stolen smartphones in California for resale in Hong Kong, raking in nearly $4 million in less than a year. The arraignment follows a six-month, multi-state investigation into the trafficking of stolen smart phones by the California Attorney General's eCrime Unit.
"This international theft ring used fraud and deceit to steal smartphones and exploit the homeless," said Attorney General Harris. "I applaud the hard work of our Special Agents whose tenacious investigation put an end to this criminal enterprise."
Defendants Shou Lin Wen, 39, of Sacramento, and Yuting Tan, 27, of Sacramento, were arrested on March 6 and arraigned today on eight felony counts of money laundering, grand theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy. They are being held in Sacramento County Jail on $1 million bail each.
According to the arrest warrant, co-conspirators in the scheme enlisted individuals from homeless shelters to purchase multiple smart phones such as the Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Blackberry from cell phone carriers. Carriers allow individuals to purchase up to five phones in their name under one plan at a discounted rate. The straw purchasers then delivered the phones to the co-conspirators for a nominal payment. It is alleged that the straw purchasers never intended to follow through with paying for the phones' contracts which, under California law, constitutes committing theft by false pretenses and designates the phones as stolen property.
Hundreds of stolen phones were then bundled from across the country by middlemen and sent to Wen and Tan, the scheme's ringleaders, in California. Wen and Tan profited by shipping the stolen phones to Hong Kong, where iPhones can go for as much as $2,000.
Special Agents with the eCrime Unit conducted surveillance operations and tracked parcels across the country to identify the ringleaders. According to the arrest warrant, agents intercepted four of the 110 parcels shipped by Wen and Tan to Hong Kong during the past 12 months. The 412 phones seized from these packages were traced back to phony customers as far away as North Carolina.
During an eight-month period, the defendants' business self-reported gross sales of $3,948,485.
On March 6, Special Agents with the eCrime Unit conducted an undercover operation in the Sacramento West Marine parking lot, during which they offered to sell 408 "stolen" iPhone 4s and iPhone 5s to Wen and Tan. The defendants agreed to pay $60,600 in cash for 163 phones and were arrested after producing the cash.
In 2011, Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit to investigate and prosecute identity theft crimes, cyber crimes and other crimes involving the use of technology.
Photos, and the complaint are attached to the electronic version of this release at: http://oag.ca.gov/news


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Camp the hero for luckless Norwich
Substitute keeper Lee Camp ensured 10-man Norwich left Sunderland with a point from a 1-1 draw on a day when the Canaries' luck deserted them.
Chris Hughton's men were leading 1-0 at the Stadium of Light through Wes Hoolahan's close-range header when keeper Mark Bunn was dismissed for handling outside his area, and their fortunes took a further turn for the worse five minutes before the break when defender Sebastien Bassong conceded a penalty.
Craig Gardner levelled from the spot and then forced a vital 59th-minute save from Camp as the Black Cats strove in vain for the goal they needed to secure a first win in seven Barclays Premier League games.
However, Norwich left Wearside believing they should have been awarded a 70th-minute penalty for handball against Danny Rose in an eventful encounter.
It was a game Sunderland simply had to win after slipping to 16th place in the table as a result of their barren run, although they kicked off holding a six-point cushion over the sides in the bottom three.
Norwich arrived on Wearside three points better off, but with only one win in their last 12 league games and needing a positive result to kick-start their season once again.
The home side started positively and might have gone ahead had Bunn not raced from his line to block Danny Graham's effort at point-blank range after the striker had climbed well to meet Gardner's free-kick and then latched on to the loose ball.
Skipper John O'Shea was unable to climb high enough at the far post to keep his header down from Adam Johnson's 15th-minute corner with the Black Cats pressing.
However, as the Canaries settled into the game, they started to string passes together and with midfielder Elliott Bennett giving full-back Rose a stern examination on his return from injury, they began to make an impression.
Stephane Sessegnon sliced wastefully wide after the ball sat up nicely for him inside the Norwich penalty area with 22 minutes gone, but it was the visitors who struck four minutes later.
Striker Kei Kamara was allowed to meet Robert Snodgrass' right-wing corner - the last of three in quick succession - with a firm header which was turned past keeper Simon Mignolet on the line by Hoolahan.
The reaction inside the Stadium of Light was one of intense frustration, but the home side were handed a lifeline within three minutes.
Graham, enjoying one of his better games in a red and white shirt, chased down a ball over the top and got to it marginally before the advancing Bunn, who blocked with his arm as he raced from his area.
Referee Chris Foy had little option but to produce a red card, much to the keeper's fury, and he made little secret of his feelings as he reluctantly left the pitch.
Norwich's fortunes were to take a further turn for the worse five minutes before the break when Bassong handled as he attempted to control O'Shea's pass on his chest and Gardner stepped up to smash the resulting penalty past replacement keeper Camp.
The newcomer made a fine diving save to keep out Johnson's 42nd-minute piledriver with Graham scuffing the rebound across the face of goal, and was relieved to see Rose's injury-time effort clip the outside of the post and run to safety.
Sunderland returned in determined fashion as they attempted to make the most of their numerical advantage, but Norwich were stubborn in defence with Bassong and Black Cats old boy Michael Turner proving equal to the task as a series of crosses was delivered into the box.
Bassong made a vital interception to prevent Steven Fletcher from connecting with Gardner's low 53rd-minute cross, and the full-back curled a left-foot effort from distance into Camp's arms seconds later with O'Neill's men dominating.
Gardner was revelling in the extra space afforded to him by Norwich's relative lack of personnel and he repeatedly turned up in advanced positions down the right, prompting Camp to make a good fingertip save with a 59th-minute thunderbolt.
Camp distinguished himself once again to claim Johnson's strike from distance two minutes later, and his side were appealing in vain for a penalty with 20 minutes remaining when Russell Martin's cross hit Rose's arm, in referee Foy's opinion, inches outside the box.
The Canaries should have been in front two minutes later when substitute Titus Bramble allowed Grant Holt to escape from his grasp and run in on goal, but his touch was heavy and Mignolet managed to intervene.
Sessegnon had a glorious opportunity to snatch the win with three minutes remaining when Gardner's cross was deflected into his path, but he dragged his effort wide of the far post.
Source: PA
Source: PA