text:
by Berry Friesen (November 26, 2016)
"Imagine there are no countries / It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for / And no religion too."
John Lennon, "Imagine," (1971)
Starting in late 1992 and continuing for nearly five years, I filled a senior management role at an international NGO (Mennonite Central Committee), which had programs and partners in around 50 countries. Because of that role, I became an occasional participant in two significant conversations.
The first had to do with an emerging consensus within Western governments, academia, the think tanks and the media that Islam was "the new Communism" and a serious threat to world peace. Generally, the people with whom I worked regarded such a view to reflect political propaganda. In other words, those raising alarm about "the Islamic threat" were manufacturing a new bogeyman to keep people afraid and focused on their need for protection by the state's military capacity.
Thus, our international programming shifted toward countries where Muslims were the leading population group and toward points of engagement with Islam.
The second important conversation focused on neo-liberalism, the global effort to reduce regulatory, market and cultural barriers to international investment and trade. Our field staff living around the world generally opposed this effort to "liberalize" the economic order because they perceived it to place local, emerging businesses and enterprises in direct competition with sophisticated, highly capitalized Western corporations. This competition disrupted local economies, stripped local communities of social capital, and often left "little people" bereft.
But in the headquarters setting where I worked, many supported neo-liberalism because it seemed to go hand-in-hand with ideas we supported: minimizing the importance of political borders, opening Western markets to goods from the East and South, a stance of engagement with the world and an openness to other cultures and perspectives. Generally, we were skeptical of nation-centered patriotism, but we supported a view that emphasized human similarities and interconnectedness. As far as we could see back then, neo-liberalism, globalization and multi-culturalism all fit together.
Because of this lack of consensus, our international programming did not respond to neo-liberalism with focus and vigor.
During the nearly 25 intervening years, those two important conversations have played out in thousands of events and developments. The details are important, impacting the lives of billions of people. But in the main, the patterns emerging back during the early '90s have been cemented firmly into place.
Through the criminal conspiracy known as 9/11, we all feel viscerally the threat of Islam. In response, the US-led empire has caused the deaths of two million brown-skinned persons and destroyed a half-dozen societies. No one calls this response "racist;" few recognize the state-based terrorism it entails. It's just perceived to be part of the tragic way the world works now.
Through NAFTA and subsequent international trade agreements, neo-liberalism has opened the world to the reign of Wall Street. Capital flows seamlessly into every nook and cranny of the globe where there is a marginally better profit to be made, washing away bonds and commitments based in ethnic, religious and national loyalties. Few perceive this response to be imperialistic, few perceive the moral hollowing-out it entails. Neo-liberalism is thought to be as much part of the created order as gravity itself; morality has nothing to do with it.
An economic elite has prospered like never before under this new orthodoxy. Those associated with Wall Street and the financial markets have led the way, but people with an advanced degree and a white-collar link to the economy have generally done pretty well. Traditional job sectors have suffered, including those in the West. If you are blue collar and without a college degree in the West, life entails working one or two dead-end jobs, expecting your spouse to do the same, enjoying the cheap stuff on sale at Wal-Mart, and providing sons and daughters for wars against Muslims that inexplicably always end in failure.
Brexit and support for Trumpism are acts of blue collar resistance to this script.
They call for a return to a worldview in which patriotism is important, national boundaries mean something, you care for neighbors near before you care for neighbors far away, business entities and other institutions serve the communities that gave them birth, and public sector leaders serve the people who elected them, not the abstract interests of money.
To all who call these acts of resistance "racism" and "xenophobia," Brexit and Trumpism raise the middle finger. "Don't you dare slander putting one's neighbors first, putting one's country first. I remember a time when money wasn't our god. That you don't remember only demonstrates how morally hollow you've become."
None of this is meant to say that a Trump Administration will break the stranglehold 9/11 and neo-liberalism have achieved over our lives and imaginations.
All it says is that the human spirit is rebelling against the morally impoverished worldview ruling us. And in that rebellion, there is a glimmer of light.
(Nov. 26 update: Michael Hudson explains the moral underpinning of classical economics via two interviews at the Real News Network, here and here.)
Begin With Honesty
Because the world is transformed from the bottom up—not the top down—it's necessary to reflect on public events in a manner that protects our capacity to act in solidarity with one another.
Thus, recent posts at this blog have attempted to frame the US presidential election in ways that (a) undermine the empire's claim to be "indispensable" and (b) resist harsh judgments about people who may have voted differently than we would have wished.
There is still much more to say about the election. Serious questions are being raised about disparities in key states between the exit polls and vote totals (see here and here), disparities that suggest vote totals may have been altered. It would be worthwhile to explore how the mainstream media first made Donald Trump into a credible candidate, then actively worked for his defeat (see here).
But instead, let's return to the more relational work my colleague, John K. Stoner, has emphasized: building communities of resistance and hope.
Jonathan Sacks, the British rabbi and author of Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence, says that honesty is the crucial starting point for a "politics of hope." Writing November 11 in the wake of Brexit and the US election, Sacks said this:
"It begins with a candid acknowledgment on all sides of how bad things actually are. Vast swathes of the population in Britain and America have not benefited from economic growth. They have seen their living standards fall, relatively and absolutely. They have watched while traditional jobs have been outsourced to low wage economies, leaving once-thriving industrial centres as demoralised wastelands.
"We need a new economics of capitalism with a human face. We have seen bankers and corporate executives behaving outrageously, awarding themselves vast payments while the human cost has been borne by those who can afford it least. We have heard free-market economics invoked as a mantra in total oblivion to the pain and loss that come with the global economy. We have acted as if markets can function without morals, international corporations without social responsibility, and economic systems without regard to their effect on the people left stranded by the shifting tide. We who are grandparents know only too well that life is harder for our children than it was for us, and for our grandchildren it will be harder still.
"We need to rebuild our social ecology. When a civilisation is in good order it has institutions that provide support and hope in hard times. In the West these have traditionally been families and communities. Neither is in a good state throughout the West today. Their breakdown led two of the most important thinkers in America, Charles Murray on the right and Robert Putnam on the left, to argue that, for large sections of the population the American dream lies broken beyond repair. The sooner we abandon the politically correct but socially disastrous view that marriage is outmoded, the better.
"We need to recover a strong, inclusive sense of national identity if people are to feel that those in power care about the common good, not simply the interests of elites. The West is still suffering from the damage done by multiculturalism, living proof that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Unless we can restore what George Orwell called patriotism as opposed to nationalism, we will see the rise of the far right, as is happening already in Europe.
"The religious voice is important also, and I say this not because I am religious but because historically the great faiths have given people a sense of dignity and worth that was not tied to what they earned or owned. When religion dies and consumerism takes its place, people are left with a culture that encourages them to buy things they don't need with money they don't have for a happiness that won't last. It is a bad exchange and it will end in tears."
In contrast, dishonesty and deception are the hallmarks of the empire, from its claim to being "indispensable" to its propaganda justifying war.
Recall for a moment the rush of images and reports of ISIS that dominated the mainstream news all through the summer of 2014: the massacres and enslavement of the Yazidis, the crucifixions of Christians, the murder of Western hostages, the stunning capture of major cities across eastern Syria and western and northern Iraq.
Recall the public panic over what the world should do about ISIS.
Yet at the end of that summer, in September 2014, a John Podesta email to Hillary Clinton casually mentioned that ". . . we need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region."
That's right, Qatar and the Saudi Arabia—members of the empire, close US allies, recipients of a huge volume of US arms—secretly provide support for ISIS. Did we hear a word about this in September, 2014 as President Obama began his bombing campaign against ISIS? During their election campaigns, did either candidate Clinton or candidate Trump say a word about ending US alliances with Qatar and Saudi Arabia because they support ISIS? No, not a word.
For more discussion of this astonishing reality, see here and here.
We must speak truthfully about how the empire uses the terrorism of ISIS to rule the Earth, how it obscures this ugliness behind layers of misdirection, diversion and deceit.
We must speak truthfully about how greed, marketism, social liberalism, globalism and secularism have dissolved the bonds of traditional communities and consumed those sources of social capital, leaving us isolated and defenseless against the empire and its corporate predators.
(Note: As first posted, this essay erroneously identified the summer of 2015 as the date of public panic over ISIS. The essay has now been corrected; the panic occurred in the summer of 2014.)
Stars to Steer By
"May you live in interesting times" is the ironic blessing conveying an expectation of conflict and disorder. It fits the period we have entered with the election of Donald Trump.
The billionaire candidate who captured the Republican Party's nomination by the demagogic use of xenophobic, misogynist and racist rhetoric has won a decisive slice of the blue-collar middle class by taking seriously their declining economic prospects, their bewilderment over how the greatest military power in history keeps losing its elective wars and failing to achieve its explicit foreign policy goals, and their weariness of the hectoring social judgments of their more cultured and educated superiors.
He defeated a candidate far more experienced and better prepared to be President, a woman who combined a strong commitment to multi-culturalism, globalism and open borders with a track record of catering to Wall Street bankers, using military force to serve corporate interests and feather her own nest by selling access to government decision-makers.
Do you feel the dissonance of conflicting values, not only between the two candidates but within what each represents?
Meanwhile, as Trump strides onto the world stage, he encounters a United Kingdom negotiating its withdrawal from the European Union, a group of European nations under growing pressure from right-wing parties empowered by popular discontent over a the influx of Middle Eastern and North African refugees, Middle Eastern states notorious for their brutality in suppressing human rights and political dissent, and a Russia newly confident of its ability to chart its own course and thrive.
As you and I respond to all of this and more, what will guide us?
At the election-day communion service I attended, Psalm 146 was our text.
"Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
"Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever, executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.
"The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
"The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of wicked he brings to ruin."
The christianities of our time deploy gods for various contrasting purposes. We can tell which purposes are true to YHWH—the god Jesus of Nazareth worshipped—by remembering and honoring the biblical emphasis on justice for the oppressed and bread for the hungry.
Address Race with Care
Racism is a huge factor in American society, shaping all of us by its power and eliciting strong emotions on all sides. Yet race is not a biologic reality; it is a pernicious social construct created for purposes of exploitation and oppression.
To defeat racism—to dislodge it from our structures, to make it wither away—we must talk about the reality of racism. Yet if we speak about racism too much, or if we speak of it inaccurately, we add to its vitality and power and do more harm than good.
To hold together through this era we are entering, we must strive for a Goldilocks balance of enough honest talk about race, but not too much.
One resource I find helpful in this regard is www.BlackAgendaReport.com; check it out.
Reject Rejection
This past Sunday the preacher in my congregation told stories from the book of Genesis and referenced a book by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence.
Repeatedly, the stories of Genesis subvert the cultural power of first born siblings (Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Leah, the older sons of Jacob) by blessing the later-born (Abel, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, Joseph).
And repeatedly, those stories then go on to subvert the assumption that by blessing the later-born, YHWH has rejected the first-born. YHWH did not reject the first born; "YHWH rejects rejection," said our preacher.
In this pivotal time, we are called to get involved and be partisans for our values. But if we wish to follow the way of YHWH, we dare not reject those we disfavor. Can we find it in our hearts to want a blessing for them too?
Pay Attention to the Signs
Staying alert will help us retain our balance and our ability to respond in flexible and measured ways. Here are a few important signs that popped up this past week.
1. Within hours of the election, President Obama directed US forces to stop supporting al-Qaeda in Syria and instead target its leaders. This policy reversal is fully attributable to the Trump victory.
As reported November 10 by the Washington Post, Obama "has ordered the Pentagon to find and kill the leaders of an al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria that the administration had largely ignored until now and that has been at the vanguard of the fight against the Syrian government."
On the same day, the US Department of the Treasury reported its office of Foreign Assets Control has begun to disrupt the military, recruitment, and financing operations of al-Qaeda in Syria.
Together, these actions are expected to directly impact the ability of al-Qaeda to maintain its control of east Aleppo, thus clearing the way for the Syrian army to re-establish control without the intense aerial bombardment and street fighting that would have resulted in mass causalities.
2. Politico reports that lobbyists who work with Pentagon officials "are getting a flood of calls from longtime clients and new prospects eager to take advantage of a potential military buildup under President-elect Donald Trump."
The article quotes an unnamed K Street insider: ""It is safe to say that defense lobbyists, as well as the defense industry, are pretty optimistic about a Trump presidency, at least coming out of the gates. That is both from an overall spending perspective but then also clearly he has a reputation and a record of deal making, which I think industry thinks is a good thing."
Sounds like business as usual to me.
3. As we consider our neighbors and colleagues and wonder how they voted, reported data helps keep it all in perspective.
For example, around 54.6 percent of the electorate voted for either Trump or Clinton. This means that if we consider a typically diverse group of people (e.g., adults enjoying a city park on a Sunday afternoon), just over 27 percent voted for Trump and just over 27 percent voted for Clinton.
Or take another example, white evangelical Christians, who voted four-to-one for Trump. Because of low turn-out, Trump reportedly received fewer votes from white evangelicals than any presidential candidate since the data began to be collected in the 2004 election.
4. President-elect Trump has named Breitbart News CEO Steve Bannon as chief strategist of the White House.
During his three-year tenure as Executive Chairman at Breitbart, Bannon is reported to have made it the premier media outlet for the racist, xenophobic and misogynist perspectives of the Alt-right movement. Though one is hard-pressed to find Bannon himself voicing bigotry, his deliberate actions to amplify bigoted viewpoints gives rise to the reasonable inference that he supports what bigots proclaim in the pages of Breitbart.
Media Matters describes the mission of the Alt-right as "rebranding of classic white nationalism for the 21st century." It believes racial identity is a fundamental aspect of human nature and that America's future success depends on emphasizing its European roots and defending its "white heritage" against influences from other parts of the world.
That Bannon—a promoter of such an ideology—will sit at the right hand of President Trump is cause for alarm.
5. The day after the election, organized protests occurred in numerous US cities. Generally, young adults distressed by the election of Trump populated these protests. This is to be expected and might be praise-worthy, depending on who is behind these protests and how they play out in coming days.
How did these citizen actions emerge so quickly in so many places and with such unified messaging? Sophisticated logistics are involved. Nikolay Nikolaev reports the vital role of one organization, including the money to offer protesters $190 a day:
"MoveOn.org is a progressive American non-governmental organization, established in 1998 in response to the impeachment against President Bill Clinton in the House of Representatives. Attracting significant funding, the NGO expanded its activities and maintains a number of smaller organizations in the network structure: the initiative, 'Call for Change', and the portal, 'MoveOn', petitions, in partnership with the similar Change.org, Avaaz and PetitionOnline. The main sponsors of the organization are the billionaire, George Soros, who officially donated $1.46 million, and the CEO of Progressive Corp., Peter Lewis, with half a million dollars" (emphasis in original).
George Soros is notorious in certain anti-imperial circles as "a Globalist investor in murder and mayhem" who lays the groundwork for regime change through so-called "color revolutions" in the streets. Ukraine is the leading example of this approach. Citizens-protesters form the core of a morally-infused presence in the streets challenging the legitimacy of those in power. While these highly sympathetic protesters grab the headlines, hidden elements planted by intelligence agencies inject violence and threats into the mix, thus eliciting a forceful counter-reaction from the government. This process plays out in an escalating pattern over weeks and months until it results in widening chaos and government paralysis.
Has this tactic now been deployed against the incoming Trump Administration? It's not yet clear; we'll need to pay close attention.
6. Whatever political identity we may claim, blogger Jim Kavanagh's quote will keep us humble:
"Conservative Kansans fall for a plutocratic, imperialist agenda cloaked in patriotism, religion, and nostalgia for the good old Ed Sullivan days; liberal New Yorkers fall for the same plutocratic, imperialist agenda dressed up in multiculturalism, identity politics, and celebration of the good new Caitlin Jenner days. Who's the bigger fool? How's that working out for everybody? For the millions of victims of that top-down, plutocratic class war —in the ghettos of the cities and the hollows of Appalachia? For the Syrians, Iraqis, and Libyans, whose countries have been destroyed?"
George Lakey, a co-founder of Quaker Earth Action Group, makes the same point:
"We can build the scale of our movements by frankly admitting that alienated white working-class people are right: Both major parties are together destroying the country on behalf of the 1 percent. It may be hard for college educated activists to admit that the cynical working-class view is more accurate than the belief of graduates of political science courses. However, the sooner the humility arrives, the better. With humility comes the chance to scale up our campaigning and take the next step in the living revolution."
Election Shocker
What's shocking about Trump's win?
US House speaker Paul Ryan described Trump's win as "the most incredible political feat I have seen in my lifetime. . . . Donald Trump heard a voice out in this country that no one else heard."
Also shocking is that the candidate anointed by the establishment lost. Here is author Diana Johnstone's analysis:
"Hillary Clinton was the candidate of the military industrial complex and international finance capital. She designed herself to be the figurehead of those forces, as queen of regime change. She aspired to be the one to remake the world in the image Wall Street dictates. It was a project enthusiastically and expensively supported by the one percent who profit from arms contracts and the trade deals they write themselves for their own interests."
Justin Raimondo, editor of www.antiwar.com, put it this way:
"Donald Trump has done the unthinkable – unthinkable, that is, to the sneering elites: the 'journalists' who have been spending their days snarking at Trump on Twitter, the DC mandarins who disdained him from the beginning, and the foreign policy 'experts' who gasped in horror as he challenged the basic premises of the post-World War II international order. And he did it by overcoming a host of the most powerful enemies one could conjure: The Republican Establishment, the Democratic party machine, the Money Power, and a media united in their hatred of him."
What do the numbers tell us?
As compared to voter turnout averaged over the four previous presidential elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012), turnout in 2016 was down 3 points and the lowest since 2000.
Relative to Republican performance in the previous four elections, Donald Trump won the same percentage of the African-American vote, declined 5 points in the Hispanic vote, gained 1 point among male voters and declined 3 points among female voters.
Relative to Democrat performance in the previous four elections, Hillary Rodham Clinton declined 3 points in the African-American vote, improved 2 points in the Hispanic vote, declined 4 points among male voters and won the same percentage of female voters as her male predecessors.
Of the 678 counties that twice supported Barack Obama, nearly one-third (209) supported Trump. Of the 207 counties that voted for Obama in one of the two previous elections, 194 supported Trump this time.
This suggests a consistency across the three most recent presidential elections: voters want a new and fresh approach from the top of the ticket.
Why did people reject Clinton and support Trump?
Robert Parry, editor of www.ConsortiumNews.com, starts with "a gross misjudgment by the Democratic Party about the depth of populist anger against self-serving elites who have treated much of the country with disdain."
Regarding Trump, Parry says:
"American voters chose him in part because they felt they needed a blunt instrument to smash the Establishment that has ruled and mis-ruled America for at least the past several decades. It is an Establishment that not only has grabbed for itself almost all the new wealth that the country has produced but has casually sent the U.S. military into wars of choice, as if the lives of working-class soldiers are of little value.
"On foreign policy, the Establishment had turned decision-making over to the neoconservatives and their liberal-interventionist sidekicks, a collection of haughty elitists who often subordinated American interests to those of Israel and Saudi Arabia, for political or financial advantage."
Parry concludes:
"Trump's victory marks a repudiation of the neocon/liberal-hawk orthodoxy because the New Cold War was largely incubated in neocon/liberal-hawk think tanks, brought to life by like-minded officials in the U.S. State Department, and nourished by propaganda across the mainstream Western media."
Johnstone sees Trump's victory as a repudiation of globalization.
"The real meaning of this election is not, as bitterly disappointed Hillary supporters still maintain with tears in their eyes and fear in their throats, a victory for racism and sexism.
"The real meaning of this upset is that Wall Street's globalization project has been rejected by the citizens of its homeland."
Raimondo agrees:
"Trump understands that . . .the main issue in the world today is globalism versus national sovereignty, and it is playing out in the politics of countries on every continent. A trans-national ruling elite, the types who flock to Davos every year, has arisen that believes it has the right to manipulate the peoples of the world like pawns on a chessboard. These lords of creation engage in 'regime change' when a government they don't like challenges their imperial prerogatives: they move entire populations around as if they were human dust – they manipulate currencies, 'manage' the world economy — and woe to those who challenge their rule!"
Bernhard Horstman, the German blogger at www.moonofalabama.org, puts it this way:
"The people voted against corruption, against international warmongering, against attacks on the culture of their life and against Zionist and Arab potentate manipulation. In short - they voted against Hillary."
But is Trump an anti-imperialist?
His "America first" sensibilities might cause him to act like one. That is, he might decide to spend more money on rebuilding America's infrastructure and less on foreign bases and foreign intervention.
Similarly, his questions about NATO and other regional military alliances, his critique of US policy toward Iraq, Libya and Syria, his recognition that the US has contributed in significant ways to the creation of ISIS, his linkage of US interventionism with the huge flows of refugees over international borders, and his desire for improved relations with Russia all point toward a less imperial posture.
But Trump has never directly criticized that posture. His promise to "Make America Great Again" easily accommodates the hubris and exceptionalism undergirding the US-led empire. His criticism that the US did not "grab the oil" before pulling troops out of Iraq reflects imperial assumptions. And his aggressive temperament suggests an aggressive stance vis-à-vis the world.
Then why did the entire establishment oppose him?
One of its requirements is that the President dress up bloody U.S. interventionism in the pretty clothes of humanitarianism and democracy. He or she is expected to use intellectual liberalism to legitimize morally the pillage of foreign economies, the destruction of foreign governments, the replacement of civil society with chaos, and the generation of millions of refugees and displaced people.
Clinton had demonstrated the required skill and commitment for this task; she is able to clothe brutality as moral courage. That's why the establishment wanted her to be our next President.
As I indicated via the opening quote in my previous post, Trump is "a moral lecher and thief." To speak in a more respectful tone, I would say he is brash, lacks sensitivity, is plain spoken and without pretense. He openly supports torture, which is a war crime! He is not good at masking his obvious traits of selfishness, greed and belligerence. None of these qualities makes him an effective spokesperson for the empire.
But let's keep in mind that in the end, a part of the establishment—led by the Wall Street Journal—may have turned against Clinton. See here for that analysis.
Will Trump curtail US imperialism?
His opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement is likely to block that initiative. This is an example of the curtailment of imperialism.
On the other hand, Trump has declared his intention to undo the recent agreement with Iran regarding nuclear energy. Libertarian Daniel Larison highlights that threat:
"Trump has made denouncing the nuclear deal a major part of his indictment of Obama's foreign policy, and Iran hawks in Congress will be eager to torpedo it. I have a hard time seeing Trump fighting to preserve a signature achievement of a president he loathes, and so it is more likely than not the nuclear deal is going to unravel. That will not only be a bad outcome in terms of nonproliferation, but it will also open the door to war with Iran that the deal at least temporarily closed."
In a broader sense, I doubt that any man or woman can lead America away from its role as leader of the empire. As explained by Bangkok-based www.thenewatlas.org:
"The networks that primarily seek to establish, protect and expand US primacy in Asia are driven by corporate and financial special interests including banks, the energy industry, defence contractors, agricultural and pharmaceutical giants, the US entertainment industry and media as well as tech giants.
"They achieve primacy through a variety of activities ranging from market domination through incremental advances in 'free trade,' the funding of academic and activist groups through organisations like the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Open Society, Freedom House and USAID as well as direct pressure on the governments of respective Asian states through both overt and covert political, economic and military means.
"This is a process that takes place independent of both the White House and the US Congress."
What should we be doing in coming months?
We should be talking to Trump voters, asking them "what would make America great again?" and listening carefully to their answers. We may be surprised and enlightened.
Second, let's recognize that Trump's candidacy and electoral victory has opened a space for truth to be spoken and heard in a way that hasn't previously been possible. Let's use this opportunity well.
The Judgment of God?
by Berry Friesen (November 8, 2016)
Michael Brendan Dougherty, a Roman Catholic blogger, offers a concise and accurate appraisal of America's current political reality: "In 2016, self-described conservatives, the supposed defenders of the eternal verities, our national traditions, and family values, are rallying to the side of a cretinous, amoral lecher and thief. And liberals, the friends of the little guy and advocates of friendship among all races of men, are siding with a desiccated grifter and war hawk."
"Everyone seems to recognize the world tipping into craziness," writes Dougherty, "and they respond by holding on tighter to their own version of craziness." Dougherty suggests another path, one that starts by recognizing the miserable choice between Trump and Clinton as the judgment of God.
What is accomplished by characterizing an historical event as God's judgment? Does that mean it is supernatural and inexplicable? That there is no point in resisting its direction? Is it simply a rhetorical device that adds gravitas to one's own assessment?
Dougherty provides a clue when he says, "For those who can accept it, God's judgment is a good thing. The same fire that consumes the chaff is used to purify gold and silver."
I'm not sure the reference to "purity" helps us much; we're talking about secular politics here. But yes, there is a pathway from disaster that involves coming to our senses, repenting and moving in a new direction. That would be "a good thing" for America and for the world, regardless of how we may feel about "God's judgment."
What might repentance entail? Here are a few suggestions.
1. Turning away from the hubris of claiming this nation is "indispensable" to what is good in the world.
2. Acknowledging that US policy since at least 1990 has been full-spectrum dominance, which means no other nation is permitted to develop even the capacity to chart a path independent of the US-led empire.
3. Recognizing the huge role deception has played in our national life, especially related to 9/11, the invasion of Iraq and the so-called war on terrorism.
4. Turning away from our exaltation of material wealth, making money and "the market" above all other values.
5. Turning toward the modesty and humility of caring patiently for our own, local communities first.
This repentance will need to occur within a context defined by a newly-elected President who has to one degree or another embraced the imperial ideology of indispensability, dominance and deception. So we'll be working against the grain, so to speak.
But we'll be living in hope and YHWH will be our strength. May it be so.
Election Day Communion
Rituals serve to reduce social tensions, deepen group loyalty and legitimize a group's goals and leaders. This is as true within secular contexts as it is within religious ones. When we go through the ritual of voting next week, this is what is supposed to happen.
But when one has serious misgivings about a group's goals, participating in a group's ritual gets tricky. Does the ritual offer a way to register meaningful dissent? If not, it may be better not to participate.
For example, the US nation-state is committed to world control via economic and military domination. How does an anti-imperialist participate in the national voting ritual without contributing to the legitimization of the imperial agenda?
My point isn't that it's impossible, just that it's difficult.
The problem goes yet deeper. The entire presidential campaign spectacle is a powerful influence in our lives, occupying our attention, conversation and thought. We end up making a big emotional investment in deciding who to vote for and a further investment in cheering those persons on. These investments inevitably shape our feelings and attitudes long after an election is over, including the opinions we hold of friends, co-workers and neighbors who vote for other candidates.
All of this raises serious concerns among a growing number of Christian congregations. Though these congregations may not often speak about the Bible's bias against empire, most regularly repeat the slogan of the first century church, "Jesus is Lord." Because Caesar claimed the title of "Lord," that early Christian declaration was as much a political statement as a religious one. Most congregations today know this—or at least their pastors do.
So how do American Christians live through a campaign season and the voting ritual without loosening their loyalty to Jesus as the foremost authority in their lives?
Election Day Communion is a practice meant to help us. As stated by Mark Schloneger, one of the pastors who initiated and promotes its observance on election day, "The practice of communion (Eucharist) is an inherently political act. It is both a pledge of allegiance to Jesus and a declaration of independence from all other powers making claims on our bodies, minds and souls."
Mennonite World Review reports that "churches across the country from almost every Christian denomination will be participating" in Election Day Communion. The ritual enables people to get out of their "political silos" and "celebrates the unity that is still possible."
How effective is it in accomplishing these goals?
I participated in the observance of Election Day Communion in 2012. My experience was mixed.
First, on the positive side, I was glad to spend the evening with people of various political persuasions rather than only people who voted like me. It felt good and I appreciated the public call to claim our unity in Messiah Jesus and to confess how divided we are along partisan lines.
Furthermore, on an evening where the capturing of coercive power was celebrated across the land, I needed to hear again of the subversive power of self-giving love as embodied by Jesus of Nazareth on an imperial cross.
On the negative side, I experienced the observance as a stand-alone event, without any broader teaching that deconstructed and neutered the allure of partisan politics. Are we serious about our unity in Messiah Jesus, I wondered? Or are we using a religious ritual to paper-over our differences?
Furthermore, in the observance in which I participated, there was no call to repentance that went beyond our confession of harsh partisanship. I wanted the ritual to acknowledge how this group we are part of—the US nation-state—has become a scourge to so many. When we quarrel over which party should rule the US, it is alarmingly like quarreling over who should rule a drug cartel.
This year, I intend to again participate in an observance of Election Day Communion. It will be a way to open my heart to the radical and life-changing way of Jesus.
Here is a website to help you identify whether this opportunity is available near your place of residence.
By way of further preparation, I encourage you to read Chris Floyd's recent essay, "Barrel Bomb: The Cataclysmic Close of Campaign 2016." It too will help you get ready for the unsettling yet renewing experience of "proclaiming the Lord's death" (1 Corinthians 11:26) on election day.


text:
Canada announces changes to fast immigration stream for top students
by Ray Clancy on September 24, 2012
CEC offers a pathway to permanent residency for international student graduates
Canada's immigration stream aimed at attracting the world's best and brightest skilled workers is being hailed a success and changes mean it will be more flexible and streamlined.
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney said that the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) immigration stream reflects the success of the government's efforts to attract and retain the best possible people.
The CEC is Canada's fastest growing economic immigration programme. It offers a pathway to permanent residency for international student graduates as well as others with skilled work experience in Canada.
Those who are eligible may apply from within Canada and expect a quick decision. In the past, a brilliant student graduating from top universities who wanted to stay in Canada and help create jobs would have had to return to their home country to wait at the back of a seven or eight year queue.
They may have spent several years waiting in the immigration queue and may have been required to leave the country before applying for permanent residence. The goal of the CEC is to ensure that Canada retains talented and motivated people who have already shown that they can put their skills as well as their experience to work, grow the Canadian economy, create jobs and integrate easily into Canadian life.
Now changes are set to make it even faster. Some applicants currently require 24 months of full time work experience but now all applicants will require 12 months of Canadian work experience gained in the 36 months preceding their application.
Kenney said that this change will make the programme more flexible for international student graduates and provide them with more time to launch their careers as well as gain the necessary experience to apply for permanent residency through the programme.
'International student graduates have educational credentials that are recognised by Canadian employers as well as official language skills that are important factors for success. The proposed changes to the CEC will make it easier for them to stay here, contribute to Canadian innovation as well as to the economic development that will help ensure Canada's future prosperity,' he added.
Gaurav Gore, originally from India, has been recognised as the 20,000th permanent resident admitted under the CEC. He earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Toronto and is now a business consultant with a major bank in Toronto.
'We are working hard to attract and retain the best and brightest students from around the world. Gaurav is an excellent example of the benefits of welcoming highly educated and skilled people to stay as well as work in Canada,' said Kenney.
'He completed a challenging, competitive university programme. He is now building a successful career, contributing to our economy and helping create jobs for Canadians here in Canada. Guarav is exactly the sort of skilled worker that Canada hopes to attract and retain through the CEC program,' he added.
Canada's universities are pleased to see the success of the CEC in helping international student graduates become permanent residents, said Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
'The graduates contribute their knowledge, talent and global perspectives to our communities and to our economy. These graduates contribute to economic growth and innovation in Canada and help Canadian businesses connect with new international markets,' he added.
The programme responds to the needs of employers and contributes to economic growth, according to James Knight, president and chief executive officer of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.
'Equipped with diplomas as well as degrees, international students become Canadian citizens, excellent employees and community members,' he added.
Oz tops list for Chinese travellers but Canada catching up fast, research shows
UK announces clampdown on bogus students in system described as 'wildly out of control'.
Pilot programme for international students work experience in Canada launched
Faster, more responsive immigration system needed in Canada, says minister
Canada sees its highest sustained level of immigration
Previous post: British people more optimistic than Germans despite poor economic outlook
Next post: New powers for immigration officers in New Zealand
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home/Entertainment/Mzansi Celebs/I have always been scared of men – Actress Natasha Thahane opens up on why she never dated
I have always been scared of men – Actress Natasha Thahane opens up on why she never dated
Mzansi actress Natasha Thahane opened up about the reason she never dated in high school in an interview with musician Moonchild Sanelly on The Madness Method which aired on Saturday 21 August on BET Africa.
The Blood & Water actress explained that her mom had her quite young, so her grandmother and family tried to protect her from the world.
"My mom had me when she was 19 so she had to like finish school and my grandmother was always there to guide me, cause I am a girl child, I mean if you already have a girl child who has a kid at 19, now you're already trying to protect this girl child as well because you don't want them to repeat," said Thahane.
"So, they literally tried to shield me and protect me and support me," she continued.
The actress explained that this made her scared of men and that is why she avoided dating.
"I hardly shoot my shot hey…I flirt, but I don't entertain the flirts, like I've always been scared of men, I never dated in high school, I was scared of boys and cause of my mom having me at a young age as well I was always scared because they always made it seem like 'oh my gosh' they're going to mess up your life," said Thahane.
Does this mean Orlando Pirates midfielder Thembinkosi Lorch had to shoot his shot at Natasha? Well, the couple are yet to reveal their full love story. All we've had so far were "baecations" and break-up rumours.
A card that the actress picked on the show, read "reveal how you did it" and Natasha told viewers how she was able to purchase her first home by working back-to-back trying to get that deposit.
"I just recently bought a home and it was like a lot of work and I worked back-to-back, I was shooting in Cape Town and Joburg, shooting on Sundays even, just to make sure that, okay cool, I'm getting the deposit for the house," said Thahane.
"There's no man that can come into my home right now and put their feet up and say that I bought you this house," she continued.
Natasha Thahane plays the role of Wendy Dlamini on Netflix's Blood & Water Season 2 which is set to be released on 24 September.
Watch the full interview here:
In other news – Uzalo actor bullied for using public transport
One of Uzalo's interesting characters, Screwdriver is bitter at people calling him names whenever they see him walking the streets. Simosibucayi Buthelezi who plays a low-life character on the show has revealed that he wasn't happy with fans assuming his real life was as messed up as his character on the show.
Simosibucayi was born and raised in the same hometown KwaMashu, North of Durban where the show storyline is set. Learn More
BET Africa Blood & Water Moonchild Sanelly Natasha Thahane
VERY SAD: Woman loses all her 5 children in house fire on her Birthday - PICTURES
Video of Siya Kolisi's son praying for his brother melts Mzansi hearts


text:
https://winelistaustralia.com.au/beers.php?brewer=Feral
Magus Of Murrumbateman»
Ken Helm A.M. received the Order of Australia for his work with Riesling, for his contribution to the Australian wine industry, for his support of cool climate wine producers and service to the Canberra community. Helm placed the Canberra region firmly on the map for world class wines after his inaugural 1977 release won significant international accolades. Ken's flagship wines are Riesling and Cabernet, he retains strong ties with eminent wine makers around the globe. Trips to the vineyards and wineries of Mosel, the Rhine valley and Bordeaux provide new inspiration and contribute to the development of his Canberra wines. In 2000 Ken instigated the Canberra International Riesling Challenge, his continuing role as chairman allows him to constantly keep abreast of new developments in Rieslings around the.. Meet one of our nation's most peer respected winemakers»
Made Of Moororoo»
Established just eleven years after the founding of South Australia, the ancient vines in the Hundred Of Moorooroo were planted circa 1836 by the Jacob brothers, after accompanying Colonel William Light on the Seven Special Surveys expedition to populate Adelaide's north. Moorooroo endures as the nation's cardinal parcel of vine, the mother rootstock for many of the Barossa's most distinguished sites. For over a century, these sacred vines contributed fruit to the Orlando company, where they formed the backbone of countless spectacular historical vintages. Decimated by the government sponsored vine pull schemes of the 1980s, only four rows of these priceless vines were saved by master Ed Schild from complete annihilation. One of the smallest yielding blocks in the land, Moorooroo endures as one of the world's most illustrious vineyards... The fruit of vines established 1836»


text:
//===--- HeaderIncludes.cpp - Insert/Delete #includes --*- C++ -*----------===//
//
// Part of the LLVM Project, under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
// See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
//
//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//

#include "clang/Tooling/Inclusions/HeaderIncludes.h"
#include "clang/Basic/SourceManager.h"
#include "clang/Lex/Lexer.h"
#include "llvm/ADT/Optional.h"
#include "llvm/Support/FormatVariadic.h"

namespace clang {
namespace tooling {
namespace {

LangOptions createLangOpts() {
  LangOptions LangOpts;
  LangOpts.CPlusPlus = 1;
  LangOpts.CPlusPlus11 = 1;
  LangOpts.CPlusPlus14 = 1;
  LangOpts.LineComment = 1;
  LangOpts.CXXOperatorNames = 1;
  LangOpts.Bool = 1;
  LangOpts.ObjC = 1;
  LangOpts.MicrosoftExt = 1;    // To get kw___try, kw___finally.
  LangOpts.DeclSpecKeyword = 1; // To get __declspec.
  LangOpts.WChar = 1;           // To get wchar_t
  return LangOpts;
}

// Returns the offset after skipping a sequence of tokens, matched by \p
// GetOffsetAfterSequence, from the start of the code.
// \p GetOffsetAfterSequence should be a function that matches a sequence of
// tokens and returns an offset after the sequence.
unsigned getOffsetAfterTokenSequence(
    StringRef FileName, StringRef Code, const IncludeStyle &Style,
    llvm::function_ref<unsigned(const SourceManager &, Lexer &, Token &)>
        GetOffsetAfterSequence) {
  SourceManagerForFile VirtualSM(FileName, Code);
  SourceManager &SM = VirtualSM.get();
  Lexer Lex(SM.getMainFileID(), SM.getBuffer(SM.getMainFileID()), SM,
            createLangOpts());
  Token Tok;
  // Get the first token.
  Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok);
  return GetOffsetAfterSequence(SM, Lex, Tok);
}

// Check if a sequence of tokens is like "#<Name> <raw_identifier>". If it is,
// \p Tok will be the token after this directive; otherwise, it can be any token
// after the given \p Tok (including \p Tok). If \p RawIDName is provided, the
// (second) raw_identifier name is checked.
bool checkAndConsumeDirectiveWithName(
    Lexer &Lex, StringRef Name, Token &Tok,
    llvm::Optional<StringRef> RawIDName = llvm::None) {
  bool Matched = Tok.is(tok::hash) && !Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok) &&
                 Tok.is(tok::raw_identifier) &&
                 Tok.getRawIdentifier() == Name && !Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok) &&
                 Tok.is(tok::raw_identifier) &&
                 (!RawIDName || Tok.getRawIdentifier() == *RawIDName);
  if (Matched)
    Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok);
  return Matched;
}

void skipComments(Lexer &Lex, Token &Tok) {
  while (Tok.is(tok::comment))
    if (Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok))
      return;
}

// Returns the offset after header guard directives and any comments
// before/after header guards (e.g. #ifndef/#define pair, #pragma once). If no
// header guard is present in the code, this will return the offset after
// skipping all comments from the start of the code.
unsigned getOffsetAfterHeaderGuardsAndComments(StringRef FileName,
                                               StringRef Code,
                                               const IncludeStyle &Style) {
  // \p Consume returns location after header guard or 0 if no header guard is
  // found.
  auto ConsumeHeaderGuardAndComment =
      [&](std::function<unsigned(const SourceManager &SM, Lexer &Lex,
                                 Token Tok)>
              Consume) {
        return getOffsetAfterTokenSequence(
            FileName, Code, Style,
            [&Consume](const SourceManager &SM, Lexer &Lex, Token Tok) {
              skipComments(Lex, Tok);
              unsigned InitialOffset = SM.getFileOffset(Tok.getLocation());
              return std::max(InitialOffset, Consume(SM, Lex, Tok));
            });
      };
  return std::max(
      // #ifndef/#define
      ConsumeHeaderGuardAndComment(
          [](const SourceManager &SM, Lexer &Lex, Token Tok) -> unsigned {
            if (checkAndConsumeDirectiveWithName(Lex, "ifndef", Tok)) {
              skipComments(Lex, Tok);
              if (checkAndConsumeDirectiveWithName(Lex, "define", Tok))
                return SM.getFileOffset(Tok.getLocation());
            }
            return 0;
          }),
      // #pragma once
      ConsumeHeaderGuardAndComment(
          [](const SourceManager &SM, Lexer &Lex, Token Tok) -> unsigned {
            if (checkAndConsumeDirectiveWithName(Lex, "pragma", Tok,
                                                 StringRef("once")))
              return SM.getFileOffset(Tok.getLocation());
            return 0;
          }));
}

// Check if a sequence of tokens is like
//    "#include ("header.h" | <header.h>)".
// If it is, \p Tok will be the token after this directive; otherwise, it can be
// any token after the given \p Tok (including \p Tok).
bool checkAndConsumeInclusiveDirective(Lexer &Lex, Token &Tok) {
  auto Matched = [&]() {
    Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok);
    return true;
  };
  if (Tok.is(tok::hash) && !Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok) &&
      Tok.is(tok::raw_identifier) && Tok.getRawIdentifier() == "include") {
    if (Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok))
      return false;
    if (Tok.is(tok::string_literal))
      return Matched();
    if (Tok.is(tok::less)) {
      while (!Lex.LexFromRawLexer(Tok) && Tok.isNot(tok::greater)) {
      }
      if (Tok.is(tok::greater))
        return Matched();
    }
  }
  return false;
}

// Returns the offset of the last #include directive after which a new
// #include can be inserted. This ignores #include's after the #include block(s)
// in the beginning of a file to avoid inserting headers into code sections
// where new #include's should not be added by default.
// These code sections include:
//      - raw string literals (containing #include).
//      - #if blocks.
//      - Special #include's among declarations (e.g. functions).
//
// If no #include after which a new #include can be inserted, this returns the
// offset after skipping all comments from the start of the code.
// Inserting after an #include is not allowed if it comes after code that is not
// #include (e.g. pre-processing directive that is not #include, declarations).
unsigned getMaxHeaderInsertionOffset(StringRef FileName, StringRef Code,
                                     const IncludeStyle &Style) {
  return getOffsetAfterTokenSequence(
      FileName, Code, Style,
      [](const SourceManager &SM, Lexer &Lex, Token Tok) {
        skipComments(Lex, Tok);
        unsigned MaxOffset = SM.getFileOffset(Tok.getLocation());
        while (checkAndConsumeInclusiveDirective(Lex, Tok))
          MaxOffset = SM.getFileOffset(Tok.getLocation());
        return MaxOffset;
      });
}

inline StringRef trimInclude(StringRef IncludeName) {
  return IncludeName.trim("\"<>");
}

const char IncludeRegexPattern[] =
    R"(^[\t\ ]*#[\t\ ]*(import|include)[^"<]*(["<][^">]*[">]))";

} // anonymous namespace

IncludeCategoryManager::IncludeCategoryManager(const IncludeStyle &Style,
                                               StringRef FileName)
    : Style(Style), FileName(FileName) {
  FileStem = llvm::sys::path::stem(FileName);
  for (const auto &Category : Style.IncludeCategories)
    CategoryRegexs.emplace_back(Category.Regex, llvm::Regex::IgnoreCase);
  IsMainFile = FileName.endswith(".c") || FileName.endswith(".cc") ||
               FileName.endswith(".cpp") || FileName.endswith(".c++") ||
               FileName.endswith(".cxx") || FileName.endswith(".m") ||
               FileName.endswith(".mm");
}

int IncludeCategoryManager::getIncludePriority(StringRef IncludeName,
                                               bool CheckMainHeader) const {
  int Ret = INT_MAX;
  for (unsigned i = 0, e = CategoryRegexs.size(); i != e; ++i)
    if (CategoryRegexs[i].match(IncludeName)) {
      Ret = Style.IncludeCategories[i].Priority;
      break;
    }
  if (CheckMainHeader && IsMainFile && Ret > 0 && isMainHeader(IncludeName))
    Ret = 0;
  return Ret;
}

bool IncludeCategoryManager::isMainHeader(StringRef IncludeName) const {
  if (!IncludeName.startswith("\""))
    return false;
  StringRef HeaderStem =
      llvm::sys::path::stem(IncludeName.drop_front(1).drop_back(1));
  if (FileStem.startswith(HeaderStem) ||
      FileStem.startswith_lower(HeaderStem)) {
    llvm::Regex MainIncludeRegex(HeaderStem.str() + Style.IncludeIsMainRegex,
                                 llvm::Regex::IgnoreCase);
    if (MainIncludeRegex.match(FileStem))
      return true;
  }
  return false;
}

HeaderIncludes::HeaderIncludes(StringRef FileName, StringRef Code,
                               const IncludeStyle &Style)
    : FileName(FileName), Code(Code), FirstIncludeOffset(-1),
      MinInsertOffset(
          getOffsetAfterHeaderGuardsAndComments(FileName, Code, Style)),
      MaxInsertOffset(MinInsertOffset +
                      getMaxHeaderInsertionOffset(
                          FileName, Code.drop_front(MinInsertOffset), Style)),
      Categories(Style, FileName),
      IncludeRegex(llvm::Regex(IncludeRegexPattern)) {
  // Add 0 for main header and INT_MAX for headers that are not in any
  // category.
  Priorities = {0, INT_MAX};
  for (const auto &Category : Style.IncludeCategories)
    Priorities.insert(Category.Priority);
  SmallVector<StringRef, 32> Lines;
  Code.drop_front(MinInsertOffset).split(Lines, "\n");

  unsigned Offset = MinInsertOffset;
  unsigned NextLineOffset;
  SmallVector<StringRef, 4> Matches;
  for (auto Line : Lines) {
    NextLineOffset = std::min(Code.size(), Offset + Line.size() + 1);
    if (IncludeRegex.match(Line, &Matches)) {
      // If this is the last line without trailing newline, we need to make
      // sure we don't delete across the file boundary.
      addExistingInclude(
          Include(Matches[2],
                  tooling::Range(
                      Offset, std::min(Line.size() + 1, Code.size() - Offset))),
          NextLineOffset);
    }
    Offset = NextLineOffset;
  }

  // Populate CategoryEndOfssets:
  // - Ensure that CategoryEndOffset[Highest] is always populated.
  // - If CategoryEndOffset[Priority] isn't set, use the next higher value
  // that is set, up to CategoryEndOffset[Highest].
  auto Highest = Priorities.begin();
  if (CategoryEndOffsets.find(*Highest) == CategoryEndOffsets.end()) {
    if (FirstIncludeOffset >= 0)
      CategoryEndOffsets[*Highest] = FirstIncludeOffset;
    else
      CategoryEndOffsets[*Highest] = MinInsertOffset;
  }
  // By this point, CategoryEndOffset[Highest] is always set appropriately:
  //  - to an appropriate location before/after existing #includes, or
  //  - to right after the header guard, or
  //  - to the beginning of the file.
  for (auto I = ++Priorities.begin(), E = Priorities.end(); I != E; ++I)
    if (CategoryEndOffsets.find(*I) == CategoryEndOffsets.end())
      CategoryEndOffsets[*I] = CategoryEndOffsets[*std::prev(I)];
}

// \p Offset: the start of the line following this include directive.
void HeaderIncludes::addExistingInclude(Include IncludeToAdd,
                                        unsigned NextLineOffset) {
  auto Iter =
      ExistingIncludes.try_emplace(trimInclude(IncludeToAdd.Name)).first;
  Iter->second.push_back(std::move(IncludeToAdd));
  auto &CurInclude = Iter->second.back();
  // The header name with quotes or angle brackets.
  // Only record the offset of current #include if we can insert after it.
  if (CurInclude.R.getOffset() <= MaxInsertOffset) {
    int Priority = Categories.getIncludePriority(
        CurInclude.Name, /*CheckMainHeader=*/FirstIncludeOffset < 0);
    CategoryEndOffsets[Priority] = NextLineOffset;
    IncludesByPriority[Priority].push_back(&CurInclude);
    if (FirstIncludeOffset < 0)
      FirstIncludeOffset = CurInclude.R.getOffset();
  }
}

llvm::Optional<tooling::Replacement>
HeaderIncludes::insert(llvm::StringRef IncludeName, bool IsAngled) const {
  assert(IncludeName == trimInclude(IncludeName));
  // If a <header> ("header") already exists in code, "header" (<header>) with
  // different quotation will still be inserted.
  // FIXME: figure out if this is the best behavior.
  auto It = ExistingIncludes.find(IncludeName);
  if (It != ExistingIncludes.end())
    for (const auto &Inc : It->second)
      if ((IsAngled && StringRef(Inc.Name).startswith("<")) ||
          (!IsAngled && StringRef(Inc.Name).startswith("\"")))
        return llvm::None;
  std::string Quoted =
      llvm::formatv(IsAngled ? "<{0}>" : "\"{0}\"", IncludeName);
  StringRef QuotedName = Quoted;
  int Priority = Categories.getIncludePriority(
      QuotedName, /*CheckMainHeader=*/FirstIncludeOffset < 0);
  auto CatOffset = CategoryEndOffsets.find(Priority);
  assert(CatOffset != CategoryEndOffsets.end());
  unsigned InsertOffset = CatOffset->second; // Fall back offset
  auto Iter = IncludesByPriority.find(Priority);
  if (Iter != IncludesByPriority.end()) {
    for (const auto *Inc : Iter->second) {
      if (QuotedName < Inc->Name) {
        InsertOffset = Inc->R.getOffset();
        break;
      }
    }
  }
  assert(InsertOffset <= Code.size());
  std::string NewInclude = llvm::formatv("#include {0}\n", QuotedName);
  // When inserting headers at end of the code, also append '\n' to the code
  // if it does not end with '\n'.
  // FIXME: when inserting multiple #includes at the end of code, only one
  // newline should be added.
  if (InsertOffset == Code.size() && (!Code.empty() && Code.back() != '\n'))
    NewInclude = "\n" + NewInclude;
  return tooling::Replacement(FileName, InsertOffset, 0, NewInclude);
}

tooling::Replacements HeaderIncludes::remove(llvm::StringRef IncludeName,
                                             bool IsAngled) const {
  assert(IncludeName == trimInclude(IncludeName));
  tooling::Replacements Result;
  auto Iter = ExistingIncludes.find(IncludeName);
  if (Iter == ExistingIncludes.end())
    return Result;
  for (const auto &Inc : Iter->second) {
    if ((IsAngled && StringRef(Inc.Name).startswith("\"")) ||
        (!IsAngled && StringRef(Inc.Name).startswith("<")))
      continue;
    llvm::Error Err = Result.add(tooling::Replacement(
        FileName, Inc.R.getOffset(), Inc.R.getLength(), ""));
    if (Err) {
      auto ErrMsg = "Unexpected conflicts in #include deletions: " +
                    llvm::toString(std::move(Err));
      llvm_unreachable(ErrMsg.c_str());
    }
  }
  return Result;
}

} // namespace tooling
} // namespace clang

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
all vlogs, youtube
Old Breasts Implants For Sale On eBay
by MrHairyBrit • April 28, 2017
Breast implants for sale on eBay? A women is trying to sell her Boob Implants on eBay for £500 each! Cosmetic surgery breast augmentation and breast enlargement implants for sale! A woman is trying to sell her old breast implants on eBay for £500.
Gemma, from Surrey, decided to flog them after getting some new ones put in for her 25th birthday.
She had the previous ones since she was a teenager and hoped there would be someone out there who wanted to take them on.
Gemma (aka misslovegemma), who is 5"2, posted images of the implants when they were both in and out of her breasts.
Her eBay post said: 'Here I have used 7 year old breast implants that were put in by Harley Street surgeon.
'I had surgery before my 18th birthday and changed recently before my 25th birthday. Any questions please ask.
'Selling due to replacement.'
But not everyone thought selling breast implants on eBay is a good idea.
Harley Street cosmetic doctor Dr Dan Dhunna said: 'While there is nothing stopping someone selling their used implants and someone buying them, to re-use them as such would be extremely ill thought off and I cannot fathom any responsible surgeon or provider doing so.
'Patient safety is paramount and the PIP Breast implant scandal should act as an omen to anyone even contemplating cutting corners.
'Implants themselves are sterile medical devices and no manufacturer recommends their reuse, even for the same patient.'
eBay agreed and said sales of breast implants, whether new or used, was prohibited under eBay's Medical Devices Policy.
It added the listing was being removed.
An eBay spokesman said: 'We ask our members to make sure their listing follows our guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed.'
Implants cost around £600 each but they would normally be sold as part of the surgery package, which is upwards of £4,000.
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FUNNY NSFW NEWS – goo.gl/K7HJnT
MUTANT 5 Legged Cow Found In China
Mutant Cow, China's Mutant 5 Legged Cow. A cow that was found in china with 5 legs, 4 normal legs and one mutant extra leg on its back, cow with five legs.A DAIRY cow born with a fifth leg on its back is said to be living a happy and healthy life in China after being rescued by a kind farmer.
The 'mutant' cow from Qinglong County, in south-western China's Guizhou Province, narrowly missed being put down.
His current owner, Chen Mingguo, said the deformity was immediately noticeable after the calf was born, promoting his breeder to call the entire neighbourhood to see it.
While the animal was considered something of a freak show at the time, none of the other farmers were willing to buy the animal, fearing it would die quickly and result in a financial loss for its owner.
However, Mr Chen decided to bring the cow home out of "curiosity", and says he has been happy to see the animal mature into adulthood without any issues.
The limb has not developed over the months, with local agricultural experts saying it is unlikely to affect the cow's wellbeing.
Huang Weiquan, a local breeder, said the cow is not really deformed or a mutant as many believe, but simply the only survivor in what was once a pair of twins.
He explained: "The twin egg did not separate properly during fertilisation, so it resulted in the extra leg growing on the back.
"It's not a 'freak'."
It is not known why China has such an extraordinarily high number of mutant animals – although some have laid blame on the country's environmental pollution.
In the past few years, the country has seen a number of mutant pigs born on rural farms – including one born with two heads.
3D Nipple Tattoos For Cancer Survivors ~ Cosmetic Medical Tattoos
3D Nipple Tattoos for FREE! Claire Louise Willis is a permanent makeup artist offering Free 3D nipple tattoos for cancer survivors. Breast cancer, breast tattoos with medical tattooing from The Permanent Cosmetic Academy. Boob tattoos, tit tattoo, 3d boob tattoos, mastectomy nipple tattoos, cosmetic medical tattoos to help cancer survivors feel "normal" again. Breast cancer tattoos, breast cancer nipple tattoos can take many shapes and these are free.
It's natural to lose a bit of self-confidence after going through breast cancer. Your body changes. You may have lost your hair. You may have gone through a mastectomy. The smallest things can help you feel like yourself again.
That's why Claire Louise Willis' work is so important – Claire's website is ift.tt/2p2XScs
Claire Louise is a permanent makeup artist who, along with doing regular eyebrow and lip enhancements, offers survivors of cancer free 3D nipple tattoos – for free.
'As a Permanent Makeup artist, I would see clients for eyebrow enhancements who were about to go through chemotherapy for Breast cancer,' Claire Louise told metro.co.uk. 'I knew then Medical tattooing was something that I needed to train in.'
'When I speak to my ladies about the journey they have been on, the trauma and sometimes tragedies they go through, it simply would not sit comfortably with me to get out my card machine and ask for a payment.
'This needs to be a pleasant end to what is a very difficult journey.'
The process is fairly simple. The Permanent Cosmetic Academy now has machinery that delivers pigment into the skin in a speedy way that can create the shading of the areola, the 3D effect of the nipple, and all the details of the surrounding glands, creating a super realistic finished nip.
Read more: ift.tt/2pdk0Ds a huge deal for women who are working on feeling beautiful again after cancer.
'The reactions can sometimes be overwhelming,' says Claire Louise. 'Joy, tears of happiness.
'My ladies often say once they have had the treatment they feel whole again.
'It is interesting that with a lot of cases, ladies feel that the reconstructed breasts do not feel part of them, so to have a life-like areola makes the breasts feel par of them and real again.'
Since the tattoo artist introduced the new tattooing technique, she's been inundated with requests. The clinic is now fully booked until March 2018. Claire Louise now wants to help to train other artists in the style to meet the demand.
'We all strive for happiness, and at times we all need a leg up,' says Claire Louise. 'I am fortunate enough to have the skill set that can make a difference to somebody's life.
'It gives me the greatest pleasure to use that skill.'
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14 Weird UK Laws – True or False [DEBUNKED]
Weird Laws DEBUNKED – Are These Funny UK Laws REAL or FAKE?
Weird Laws, they can be crazy, strange and whether they are TRUE or FLASE has become folklore that we all love. Weird UK Laws, Weird Laws from around the world, weird funny old laws, crazy British Laws we just forgot about so here are 14 Weird British Laws That Everyone Thinks Are True.
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Weird Laws #1. It is illegal to carry a plank along a pavement
True. This has been illegal since 1839. The Act also bans you from sliding on snow, playing "annoying games", and flying kites in the street. No fun please, we're British.
Weird Laws #2. It is illegal to die in parliament.
False. There's a longstanding myth that you're not "allowed" to die in parliament, because the government would have to give you a state funeral.
Weird Laws #3. It is illegal not to carry out at least two hours of longbow practice a week.
Not any more. Englishmen aged between 17 and 60 were required to own a longbow and practise using it regularly by a law enacted in 1541. This law was eventually repealed, but much later than you might think: It was on the statute books until 1960. Weird UK Law #4. It is illegal to beat or shake any carpet or rug in any street. True. This has been illegal since 1839, but you are allowed to beat a doormat, provided you do it before 8am.
Weird UK Law #5. It is illegal to be drunk on licensed premises (i.e. in a pub).
True. This one is enforced under at least three separate laws. Under the 1872 Licensing Act, there's a penalty for "every person found drunk" in a licensed premises, while 1839's Policing Act forbids landlords from permitting drunkenness. The 2003 Licensing Act also makes it an offence to sell alcohol to a drunk person, or to buy a drunk person a drink.
Weird UK Laws #6. It is illegal to be drunk in charge of a horse.
True. This dates back to 1872, and you're also not allowed to be drunk in charge of a cow, or while you're carrying a loaded firearm, which seems… pretty sensible, actually.
Weird UK Laws #7. It is legal to shoot a Welshman with a longbow on Sunday in the Cathedral Close in Hereford; or inside the city walls of Chester after midnight; or a Scotsman within the city walls of York, other than on a Sunday.
All of these are FALSE. Please do not do any of these. The Law Commission couldn't find any evidence any of these laws ever existed.
Weird UK Laws #8. It is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day.
This happened one time. Christmas Day in 1644 fell on a legally mandated fast day, so it would have been illegal to eat a mince pie, even though they weren't specifically mentioned.
Weird UK Law #9. It is illegal to jump the queue in the tube ticket hall.
True. So long as there's a sign telling you to queue (or a member of staff), queue-jumping is illegal under TfL byelaws: You have to join from the back. This is possibly the most British law in existence.
Weird UK Law #10. It is illegal to destroy or deface money.
Mostly true. If you want to destroy a banknote for some reason, that's actually legal. But under the Currency and Banknotes Act of 1928, it's illegal to deface a banknote by drawing, stamping, or printing on it. It's also illegal to destroy coins.
Weird UK Law #11. It is illegal to place a stamp of the Queen upside down on a letter.
False. It's illegal to do anything with the intention of deposing the Queen (sorry, republicans), but this is fine. The Royal Mail will deliver the letter as normal.
Weird UK Law #12. It is illegal to stand within 100 yards of the reigning monarch without wearing socks.
False. Fear not, you can go sockless near royals.
Weird UK Law #13. It is illegal to handle salmon in suspicious circumstances.
True. This is illegal under the Salmon Act of 1986, apparently. Alas, the Law Commission did not elaborate on what counts as a suspicious way to handle salmon. You can check the original law here, but it won't help all that much.
Weird UK Law #14. All swans are the property of the Queen, and killing one is an act of treason.
Not ALL swans. The Queen has first dibs on all "wild, unmarked mute swans in open water", and has since the 12th century, but only actually claims ones on the Thames and some tributaries.
Vagina Museum Coming To London – Florence Schechter
Vagina Museum! The Museum of Vagina is the brain child of Florence Schechter a YouTuber who makes videos about animal vaginas and animal penises. However she soon realised it was hard to research vaginas and penis as there was no Vagina Museums! So he has vowed to open the first Vagina Museum in London. It would cover vagina history, vagina science and vagina culture.
There's no real, blunt vag chat going on in sex education. There are few conversations around vulva without nearest and dearest. And there's no museum dedicated to educating the world about all things vagina.
She considered that perhaps there was a museum dedicated to vaginas – just like the penis museum in Iceland. There's not. Well, there's a virtual one. But no concrete place to go and learn about all things vag.
So Florence decided to make that place. She's launched a full-on campaign to open the world's first vagina museum, to celebrate vag and educate everyone about our downstairs wonders.
'Vaginas are amazing,' Florence told metro.co.uk. 'There is such a wonderful variety out there and diversity is what makes this world beautiful.
'Vaginas are not talked about enough. Why is that?'
Florence's found further motivation for the campaign from stats from the Eve Appeal, which reported that only half of women aged between 26 and 35 are able to correctly label the vagina on a diagram. Which is ridiculous.
'This isn't just a problem in itself,' says Florence. 'They are just another body part and there's no reason to feel any shame.'But this has major implications such as people not going to their doctors about their health as they aren't comfortable talking about it, not seeking help.
'Issues like consent and contraception, though vitally important for every single person on the planet, are barely talked about so many don't know what to do when these issues become relevant in their life.'
So no, her mission is not just down to a desire to wonder around a museum pointing out vulva. She wants to break down the silence around vaginas – and change the world in the process.
Florence's dream for the museum includes three main galleries: science, culture, and history.In the science section, the museum would explore the key parts of the vagina (vulva, clitoris, uterus, etc), processes the vagina goes through (conception, orgasm, menstruation, menopause), disorders and diseases, 'your vagina and you' (which will cover sexuality, consent, gender identity, and contraception), and, finally, animals.
The culture section would be more, well, cultural.
It would explore the way we depict and view vaginas in art, literature, music, and society, as well as issues such as FGM and sexual violence.In the history bit you'd get to enjoy a timeline of vaginas, looking at research into vaginas, the history of feminism, and the state of feminism today.
It'll hopefully be located in London, and alongside the free collections and exhibits, there'll also be paid-for evening events such as comedy nights, plays, workshops, and classes, plus community outreach.
Oh, and there will also be a cafe serving vagina cupcakes and a gift shop with vagina-themed merchandise.
Which all sounds brilliant.
The hope is that the very existence of the museum will break down our embarrassment and silence around vaginas – and make us just as comfortable as we are when it comes to penises.
'Some of our worst insults are vagina-based,' says Florence. 'Compare the impact of c*** vs. dick. To "be a pussy" is an insult.
'How could anyone be comfortable talking about their vagina when we use them to slur people?'
And, realistically, how can anyone be comfortable with their vaginas when we act like they're too inappropriate to talk about in the first place?
VAGINA MUSEUM WEBSITE – ift.tt/2oOI1if
24-Karat Gold Vibrator on Sale in London – £10,000 Lelo Gold-Plated Sex Toy
24-karat Lelo Gold Plated Vibrator Sex Toy is worth £10,000. Lelo Sex Toys & Anne Summers have teamed up to make the Worlds Most Expensive Sex Toy Collection. Gold plated dildo, gold plated butt plug, gold plated love beads and the 24-karot Gold Plated Vobrator with £10,000!
Fancy sex toy brand Lelo has recently teamed up with Ann Summers to launch what they claim to be the world's most expensive sex toy collection.
While Lelo's selection of toys will usually set you back a hundred or few quid, items in the Luxe range seem to follow a similar rule to how much someone should supposedly spend on an engagement ring; at least a month's wage.
Considering many of the pieces are plated in 24-karat gold, it's hardly surprising that the cheapest of those – the Earl gold-plated men's plug – is £1690.
The star of the show, however, is the Inez vibrator – which will set you back £10,000 for the gold-plated edition or a more, erm, modest price of £4,990 for one in stainless steel.
Other pieces in the collection include gold-plated Luna beads for £2090, a £2490 gold-plated massager Yva and Olga, a £2190 gold-plated dildo.
If you fancy forgoing that pesky thing called paying rent and having the most luxurious wank of your life instead, the collection is now launching into Ann Summers' Marble Arch store in London.
So if you suspect your significant other is about to splash out on an engagement ring soon, perhaps you should have a word about this instead.
Cake And Cunnilingus Day – April 14th
Cake And Cunnilingus Day, if March 14th to be "Steak and Blowjob Day" then April 14th is Cake and Cunnilingus Day. Both are days dedicated to food porn and oral sex day. Cake and Cunnilingus Day is about celebrating the female orgasm. If you're so inclined you're welcome to celebrate Muffins and Muff Diving Day, Or Pudding and Pussy Licking Day, Candy and Clit Licking Day or Chicken and Licking Day.
14 April is Cake and Cunnilingus Day, where women are invited to 'lie back and gorge on chocolate mud cake' while your lover….well, you can guess the rest.
This is to counteract the Steak and Blowjob Day for male oral sex day.
30-Day Amazon Prime Free Trial – goo.gl/7Xjzr1 ===
★ MHB SOCIAL MEDIA ★
Website – ift.tt/1loiUg8
Sexxpot The Orgasm Cannabis Strain For Women – Marijuana Aphrodisiac Weed
Sexxpot Weed the Aphrodisiac Weed. Sexpot Canabis that will make you horny. Horny weed Sexxpot that helps your women orgasm better. Sex Pot Orgasm weed train sexxpot is a strain of horny cannabis or sex weed that heightens your pleasure while lowering your THC intake levels. Marijuana Aphrodisiac Weed for better weed porn fueled sex!
One night last year, Karyn Wagner, founder of Paradigm Medical Marijuana, smoked a joint before having sex with her partner — a fairly unremarkable move in terms of foreplay, but this time the results were something special. "After I smoked this one," she remembers, "I said, You know, honey, that was perfect. Save it for next time." Her partner dutifully labeled the bag "Sexpot." And inspiration struck.
Sexxpot, derived from a low-THC strain called Mr. Nice, has been grown, packaged, and branded (with an extra x) by Wagner's company as an "aphrodisiac weed" — the first to specifically target women.
Aphrodisiac weed is hardly a new concept: See the Cut's previous exploration of weed as "natural Viagra." Marijuana "enhances the enjoyment of sex," as Carl Sagan explained in one essay. "On the one hand it gives an exquisite sensitivity, but on the other hand it postpones orgasm: in part by distracting me with the profusion of images passing before my eyes. The actual duration of orgasm seems to lengthen greatly, but this may be the usual experience of time expansion which comes with cannabis smoking." Long before Sexxpot, people were seeking out specific strains for the purposes of arousal (here are 11, provided by weed-review site Leafly).
Berkeley-based cannabis consultant and nurse practioner Eloise Theisen regularly treats both men and women — but especially women in their 50s and 60s — who want to use weed to help with sexual issues or enhancement. "It's still taboo for women, though; men ask more," explains Theisen, who is also on the board of the American Cannabis Nurses Association. Aside from the THC-laced lubricant Foria, Theisen struggles to find products geared specifically toward women and their libidos, and she says she sees promise in Sexxpot. She's heard from several patients and women within cannabis organizations like Women Grow (and from the participants of Bay Area "pot Tupperware" parties) that the strain is a "game changer."
Sexxpot, Wagner explains, has lower than usual levels of THC: about 14 percent, while smokers tend to prefer 18 to 20 percent for a high. She says that's a benefit, because the product will put you in a "sensual" headspace and affect the body's sensations without getting the smoker too high to actually do the deed.
Giant Boobs Invade London #FreeTheFeed
Giant Boobs Invade London, giant inflatable breasts invade London to raise awareness to UK breastfeeding rates. These massive inflateable boobs, or "big boob" made her appearance in the streets of London's Shoreditch on UK Mother's Day. Her aim? To challenge stuffy, judge-y and downright creepy attitudes, and spark conversations about a woman's right to breastfeed.
Dwindling breastfeeding rates. It seems Big Boob has her work cut out for her. The Lancet revealed last year that the UK has the lowest rate of breastfeeding in the world and a recent Public Health England (PHE) survey found that women are avoiding breastfeeding because they are embarrassed.
It's hard to know if the enduring Page 3 attitude to sexualised boobs is a contributing factor, but one can't help but notice that England has a particularly Benny Hill view of breasts. This writer thinks this constant ogling and creeping on boobs must be taking a toll.
Viv Bennett, the PHE's Chief Nurse told The Guardian the UK needed to work harder at making breastfeeding mothers feel more welcome and accepted.
"We can all help women feel comfortable breastfeeding their baby wherever they are. Creating a wider culture of encouragement and support will help make a mother's experience all the more positive," Viv said.
Free the feed – While the boob attracted a lot of attention, it's hard to know if those who saw it understood why it was there. It bobbed over the Shoreditch streets, hoping to remind the passersby that breastfeeding is every mother's right, if she so chooses.
This comes in the wake of the PHE's findings that:
"Many women were not only embarrassed about breastfeeding in front of strangers, but also their partner's family (59%) and around siblings and wider family members (49%)."
The crew behind the campaign are London agency, Mother London. They explained big boob was flying the flag for shame-free, guilt-free feeding choices, for all women.
"It's hard to believe that in 2017, UK mothers still feel watched and judged when feeding in public, by bottle or breast. This is a celebration of every woman's right to decide how and where they feed their children without feeling guilty or embarrassed about their parenting choices," a rep from Mother London explained, tagging their update #FreeTheFeed.
LIVE STREAM from Greenhead Park – Just random chatty stuff
Just me chatting about nothing while testing mobile live streaming from Greenhead Park in Huddersfield
Free Sex Toys from Feminists To Fight The Gender Orgasm Gap
Feminist sex toy company Sexy Liberation are giving out free sex toys to close the orgasm gender gap. Sexy Liberation is a snazzy new sex toy brand that's giving away free vibrators, cock rings, butt plugs, and all other sexy delights for free. Feminist sex toys, feminist gender pay gap, feminist gender orgasm gap.
Sexy Liberation who lists Laci Green as their friend on the website says – Basically, straight men are having more orgasms than you could shake a stick at, while women aren't having nearly enough. That's the orgasm gender gap – and now, one group is trying to close it.
'If you are in need of a sex toy, we are happy to provide you with one,' they explain on their website.
'Choose the toy that you desire and we will send it to you free of charge.'
Anyone who fancies trying a sex toy but hasn't got one for any reason (whether it's an issue of affordability, embarrassment, or being unconvinced of the pleasure a toy can bring) can click through the website, add a toy to their basket, and get it sent to their door within two weeks.
Why? Because sexual pleasure is important, it's not fair that women aren't having the brilliant sex we deserve, and it's time for someone to help us out and make our sex lives better.
'Sexual exploration is an important component of progress in the ongoing Sexual Revolution,' says Sexy Liberation.
'Many people don't have access to or haven't been exposed to the exciting world of sexual exploration, we want to help people, especially women, by being a stepping stone.
'Personal experimentation with sex aids can help women discover and embrace their own sources of pleasure.
'And a woman who knows herself sexually will feel more confident talking honestly with her partner about her needs and desires.
'If you are woman in a relationship that is having trouble getting off, we are here for you.'
Dildo Drone – Flying Dildo Drone Sex Toy
Dildo Drone, it's a drone with a dildo sex toy attached to it! From the brain child behind the dildo selfie stick and the dildo hoverboard comes the new flying sex toy drone dildo, the adult drone dildo from dildoeverything. flying dildo, flying sex toy, sex toy drone, dildo drone!
Every wanted to get yourself off, but just can't be bothered with the wrist strain? Or fancied a quick masturbating sesh, but don't want to interrupt your current pizza-eating sesh?
Finally there's an answer.
Dildo Everything – the same people behind the glorious dildo selfie stick – are back with a new invention for all your dildo-ing needs: the dildo drone.
Yep, it's a remote-controlled dildo that can fly around the room and then directly inside your vagina.
Is this a serious vaginal injury waiting to happen? Of course! Is this most likely a prank product that you'll never be able to actually buy? Sure!
But the important thing here is that some brave people have decided to put dildos where dildos have never been before. In the sky. Follow your dreams, dildos. Fly towards the prize.
In the very convincing advert, a fan of the dildo drone explains that all you have to do is press a button on a special remote and the drone will fly directly to you.
Sadly even if you're tempted to buy your own, you can't. At the moment the Dildo Drone's website simply lists the product as 'cuming soon'.
DILDOs, Dildo Hoverboards and ther sex toys –
Original video –
created by twitter.com/whoisthebaldguy
7 Years In Huddersfield | "I go to seek a Great Perhaps" – John Green | Change Isn't Easy
Change Isn't Easy! I moved to Huddersfield 7 Years ago. "I go to seek a great perhaps" as John Green said in Looking For Alaska. I needed CHANGE and I felt that at the age of 25 it was time to shake things up and bit and do something for me. Over the last 7 years I have settled and made many friends in West Yorkshire and I am glad to call it home. This is my video to share that journey and share my thoughts. Change your life!
7 Years! Today marks 7 years to the day that I moved to Huddersfield. Change is a big thing in life and I would like to thank everyone who is STILL in my life after all this time. NEW friends, OLD friends and friends to come.
There has been many ups and downs over the last few years but Im im glad I took the plunge and took a chance.
THANK YOU for all your support, all the tears, the smiles, the jokes and the Yorkshire puddings.
WWE Wrestlemania 33 LIVE – Predictions
Wrestlemania 33 Live Stream Predictions – I have been a WWE wrestling fan for decades. My first Wrestlemania was Wrestlemania 12. I have watched every WWF/WWE PPV since and I felt it was time I took the plunge and shared my Wrestlemania 33 LIVE Predications.
The Ultimate Thrill Ride, WrestleMania 33, will stream live on the award-winning WWE Network tonight at a special start time of 7 ET/4 PT.
The action begins even before that, with a special two-hour WrestleMania Kickoff at 5 ET/2 PT, featuring pre-show analysis from a panel of experts and much more. The Kickoff can also be seen on WWE Network, WWE.com, the WWE App, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. The second hour of the Kickoff also airs on USA Network.
WWE's greatest annual tradition, WrestleMania is the one day of the year the entire WWE Universe, Superstars and fans alike, have circled on their calendars. This year's huge event emanates from Florida's Orlando Citrus Bowl, and showcases eight huge title bouts.
The following matches have been announced so far:
WWE Championship Match
Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton (PREVIEW)
Universal Championship Match
Goldberg (c) vs. Brock Lesnar (PREVIEW)
The Phenom vs. The Big Dog
The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns (PREVIEW)
Power Couples Collide
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse (PREVIEW)
Non-Sanctioned Match
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H (PREVIEW)
SmackDown LIVE Commissioner vs. The Phenomenal One
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles (PREVIEW)
Raw Women's Championship Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match
Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax (PREVIEW)
United States Championship Match
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens (PREVIEW)
Intercontinental Championship Match
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Baron Corbin (PREVIEW)
SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Champion Alexa Bliss to defend against all female SmackDown LIVE Superstars who are available to compete (PREVIEW)
Raw Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Ladder Match
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Cesaro & Sheamus (PREVIEW)
The Fourth Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (Kickoff Match)
Featuring Big Show, Sami Zayn, Braun Strowman, Apollo Crews, Mojo Rawley and more Superstars (PREVIEW)
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match (Kickoff Match)
Neville (c) vs. Austin Aries (PREVIEW)
Stick with WWE.com for the latest news as WrestleMania 33 draws near, and for complete coverage during and after The Ultimate Thrill Ride.


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Nati and the Pumpkin Bumpkin
Posted on Thu September 21, 2017.
A story for everyone (I hope little kids'll enjoy it especially).
Now if there's one thing Nati really enjoys, it's getting presents from Gramps. It doesn't have to be big, and it doesn't have to be wide; it doesn't have to bite, and it doesn't have to sing - as long as it's a present from Gramps, Nati loves getting it.
And Gramps, of course, loves giving them, because Nati gets so excited about getting them. Last week when he took the dogs for a walk, he picked a stalk of flowers from a camel-foot tree (those purple flowers, the ones with the beautiful smell), and brought it back to his Favourite Little Ou, and Nati said: "Thanks! These are kief!" and ran inside to show them to Mom and Dad.
Some of Gramps' presents (the toys) are fun; some (the books) are serious; and some (the socks) are just plain strange - but yesterday's present was funny.
"What's that?" said Nati, when Gramps held out a squishy, orange, bally-kind-of-a-thing with green spiky hair and smiley, rattly eyes.
"It's a .... thing," said Gramps, who hadn't been sure what it was even when he'd seen it at the shop, although he'd been quite sure that Nati would Find A Use for it.
Dad recognised it immediately, though: "It's a Pumpkin Bumpkin," he said, nodding his head. "Look," and he took it from Nate and started to squeeze and push it into Various Shapes. "You can make a face with it," he said, and gave it back.
"He's cool!" said Nati. "Let's go show him to the Chameleons!"
Dad told Gramps about the Chameleons that lived in the old fig tree. "You don't always see them," he said. "Just on lucky nights."
So they took a torch and Nati took his bicycle, and they walked down the road together.
But it was a lucky night - because all the chameleons in the fig tree were out and hunting, each one standing as still as he could till the very last minute, then shooting his tongue out - quick as a laser - to zap his supper.
Nati took the Pumpkin Bumpkin from Dad - who'd been carrying it so that Nati could ride his bike - and held it out to show it to the Biggest Chameleon In The Tree.
"They change colour," he said. "So this one's going to go orange."
"OK," said Dad, who didn't think orange would suit chameleons.
"Look!" said Gramps. "He is changing colour!"
Dad just smiled, but Nati saw it. It was changing colour. "They're talking to each other!" he said. "Hello, Chameleon."
"Hello," said Gramps, in his best Chameleon Voice.
"Will you change colour for me?" said Nati.
"OK," said the Chameleon. "But you'll have to take a photo of me so that everyone can see that I did it!"
And that's exactly what Nati did: he held his fingers in a square before his left eye, and went "xtx!" with his tongue, and took the photo that I've put up there at the top of the page.
And if you look really hard, you'll see (although most of the adults won't) that the Biggest Chameleon Of All had indeed - as chameleons do - turned orange.
... And he did it just for Nati.
Image: Joe Taylor
Nati and the Pumpkin Bumpkin by Martin Hatchuel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://www.tourismcontent.co.za/blog/post/nati-and-the-pumpkin-bumpkin/.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://www.tourismcontent.co.za/.
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ASCOM provides a standard interface to a range of astronomy equipment including mounts, focusers and imaging devices and runs on the Microsoft Windows platform. Further information can be found at the ASCOM Standards website.
FITS file format is an open standard adopted by the astronomical community for data storage. Detailed information can be found at https://fits.gsfc.nasa.gov/fits_documentation.html .
PLATE-SOLVING A software tool to calculate where in the sky an image is from the pattern of stars in the image. All Sky Plate Solver is an example of this type of software and can automatically detect the celestial coordinates of captured FITS and JPEG files.
UTC Universal Coordinated Time – the global standard for measuring time in a time-zone independent way. In practice UTC times are the same as GMT times. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UTC_time_offsets for a description of UTC Time Offsets.
WinJUPOS A software tool to help improve images of Jupiter and other planets by digitally correcting for the effects of planetary rotation. See http://jupos.privat.t-online.de/index.htm for information to assist with the processing of image captures of Jupiter.