Klaudia heard a noise in the next room.
Lord can't decide whether to buy a new computer now or wait for a couple of more months.
Ernst took a cold shower this morning.
I thought Jeanette did OK.
Tony is one of our employees.
Laura and I split a pitcher of beer.
Vadim chased the mugger and caught him.
Everything Miriamne does is illegal.
I know how close you are to Torsten.
Duane went to bed right after supper.
Tony knew Florian was right.
Eliot is ashamed of his body.
Marc probably won't become famous.
Terrence scolded Jem for not treating John with respect.
Rod made a lot of money last year.
I told Sonny I agreed with him.
Do you know which suitcase is Steven's?
I thought Douglas did very well.
Ron doesn't want to wait for you.
Have you ever seen Nikolai cry?
Will Sehyo be the next president of the United States?
Marcia is sure that he'll be able to pass the test.
Gale is going to be exhausted.
Please tell Arthur to stop smoking.
Tomas and Carlo used to be married to each other.
Tyler was covered with sweat.
Vincent wants to get married.
Bernard and Paul are gone now.
Marie had some weird food cravings when she was pregnant.
Theodore released his grip on the door knob.


text:
Sabah Minister Mulls Imposing a Green Tax on Hotels in a bid to Clean up State
A beach in Tawau town in Sabah is littered with flotsam and uncollected trash. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Masidi Manjun thinks he may have found a way to help make Kota Kinabalu greener: a new tax on high-end hotels. Sabah state's minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment said the proposed new tax would be levied only on hotels with at least three stars and revenues from it would go towards cleaning up the state capital.
"We might call it an environmental tax, and the money will be put into a transparent trust fund to manage garbage disposal or environment protection [to make it] work better," the minister said. "We are gathering feedback, but we are seriously considering imposing this tax because of the poor cleanliness of our city and state."
By imposing a small fee on guests staying in high-end hotels in Sabah, the state would be following in the footsteps of Penang, which already imposes a government tax on all guests staying in hotels on the island, including unlicensed and unrated establishments. The fees in Penang vary according to the type of hotel, with RM3 charged for a room per night in four-star and five-star hotels and RM2 for a room per night in hotels of three stars and less, including budget hotels, hostels and guest houses. The proceeds from the tax are used for the upkeep and promotion of tourism sites on the island.
Masidi believes a similar initiative would help generate much-needed income to clean up Sabah and its capital, which has become notorious among tourists and travelers for uncollected trash and unsightly mounds of litter. "Tourists are coming to Sabah because they love the environment here, but I fear if we do not overcome the current issues, we will lose them and in the end hurt our tourism industry, which is one of the main contributors to the state's economy," the tourism minister said.
That said, a green tax on hotels might help, but it will hardly be enough in itself. Tourists are hardly alone responsible for the state's persistent problems with uncollected rubbish, whether they be streets strewn with trash or beaches littered with refuse, plastic bottles and discarded items. Locals, too, have had the fair share of contributing to the parlous state of affairs in their state and what is needed is a change in attitudes. Local communities can make a difference by adhering to a zero-tolerance policy on littering, while municipal authorities can make garbage collection and recycling far more of a priority.
Tags: Sabah. garbage collection, trash recycling

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
/**
 * login user service
 *
 * @description :: Service for logging in app users
 *
 */

var bcrypt = require('bcrypt');
//var log = require('captains-log')();

module.exports = {

    loginUser: function(email, password, callback) {

        User.findOne({where: {email: email}}).exec(function(err,user) {

            if (err) return err;

            //if e-mail exists
            if (user)
            {
                //compare passwords
                bcrypt.compare(password, user.password, function(err, match) {

                    if (err)
                    {
                        var reply = {verified: false, message: "Server Error", status: 500};
                        callback(null, reply);
                    }

                    //passwords match
                    if (match)
                    {
                        var reply = {verified: true, message: "logged in", user: user.id, status: 200};
                        callback(null, reply);
                    }
                    else //no match
                    {
                        var reply = {verified: false, message: "Invalid Email or Password", status: 400};
                        callback(null, reply);
                    }

                });

            }
            else
            {
                var reply = {verified: false, message: "Invalid Email or Password", status: 400};
                callback(null, reply);
            }

        });

    },

    findEmail: function(email, callback) {

        User.findOne({where: {email: email}}).exec(function(err,emailFound) {

            if (err) return err;

            var emailStatus;

            //if e-mail doesn't exist, send true
            if(!emailFound)
            {
                emailStatus = true;
            }
            else
            {
                emailStatus = false;
            }

            callback(null, emailStatus);

        });
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Brachial plexus lesions: Validating the expert system PLEXUS
C. Van Daalen*, M. J.A. Malessy
PLEXUS is an expert system which has been designed to advise physicians on the complex subject of brachial plexus injuries. Patient history information and results of neurological, neurophysiological and neuroradiological examinations are entered into the computer by the physician. Computer output consists of the localization of the injury, indication of the severity of the injury, and a treatment plan. PLEXUS was validated in cooperation with four international experts and was tested clinically in four hospitals. The independent validation showed that PLEXUS has a good performance. Features which must be improved include the extension of the functionality of the system to facilitate a more direct communication, and enhancement of the system's ability to assist in data gathering and entry. This study highlights the importance of thorough validation for the development of these kinds of systems.
Neuro-Orthopedics
Dive into the research topics of 'Brachial plexus lesions: Validating the expert system PLEXUS'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Expert Systems Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
Brachial Plexus Medicine & Life Sciences 87%
Arm Injuries Medicine & Life Sciences 50%
Physicians Medicine & Life Sciences 45%
Neurologic Examination Medicine & Life Sciences 38%
Communication Medicine & Life Sciences 27%
Van Daalen, C., & Malessy, M. J. A. (1995). Brachial plexus lesions: Validating the expert system PLEXUS. Neuro-Orthopedics, 19(2), 69-78.
Van Daalen, C. ; Malessy, M. J.A. / Brachial plexus lesions : Validating the expert system PLEXUS. In: Neuro-Orthopedics. 1995 ; Vol. 19, No. 2. pp. 69-78.
@article{f300932f7ffc43389210abf27c3dd889,
title = "Brachial plexus lesions: Validating the expert system PLEXUS",
abstract = "PLEXUS is an expert system which has been designed to advise physicians on the complex subject of brachial plexus injuries. Patient history information and results of neurological, neurophysiological and neuroradiological examinations are entered into the computer by the physician. Computer output consists of the localization of the injury, indication of the severity of the injury, and a treatment plan. PLEXUS was validated in cooperation with four international experts and was tested clinically in four hospitals. The independent validation showed that PLEXUS has a good performance. Features which must be improved include the extension of the functionality of the system to facilitate a more direct communication, and enhancement of the system's ability to assist in data gathering and entry. This study highlights the importance of thorough validation for the development of these kinds of systems.",
keywords = "Brachial plexus, Computer program, Expert system, Validation",
author = "{Van Daalen}, C. and Malessy, {M. J.A.}",
journal = "Neuro-Orthopedics",
Van Daalen, C & Malessy, MJA 1995, 'Brachial plexus lesions: Validating the expert system PLEXUS', Neuro-Orthopedics, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 69-78.
Brachial plexus lesions : Validating the expert system PLEXUS. / Van Daalen, C.; Malessy, M. J.A.
In: Neuro-Orthopedics, Vol. 19, No. 2, 01.01.1995, p. 69-78.
T1 - Brachial plexus lesions
T2 - Validating the expert system PLEXUS
AU - Van Daalen, C.
AU - Malessy, M. J.A.
N2 - PLEXUS is an expert system which has been designed to advise physicians on the complex subject of brachial plexus injuries. Patient history information and results of neurological, neurophysiological and neuroradiological examinations are entered into the computer by the physician. Computer output consists of the localization of the injury, indication of the severity of the injury, and a treatment plan. PLEXUS was validated in cooperation with four international experts and was tested clinically in four hospitals. The independent validation showed that PLEXUS has a good performance. Features which must be improved include the extension of the functionality of the system to facilitate a more direct communication, and enhancement of the system's ability to assist in data gathering and entry. This study highlights the importance of thorough validation for the development of these kinds of systems.
AB - PLEXUS is an expert system which has been designed to advise physicians on the complex subject of brachial plexus injuries. Patient history information and results of neurological, neurophysiological and neuroradiological examinations are entered into the computer by the physician. Computer output consists of the localization of the injury, indication of the severity of the injury, and a treatment plan. PLEXUS was validated in cooperation with four international experts and was tested clinically in four hospitals. The independent validation showed that PLEXUS has a good performance. Features which must be improved include the extension of the functionality of the system to facilitate a more direct communication, and enhancement of the system's ability to assist in data gathering and entry. This study highlights the importance of thorough validation for the development of these kinds of systems.
KW - Brachial plexus
KW - Computer program
KW - Expert system
KW - Validation
JO - Neuro-Orthopedics
JF - Neuro-Orthopedics
Van Daalen C, Malessy MJA. Brachial plexus lesions: Validating the expert system PLEXUS. Neuro-Orthopedics. 1995 Jan 1;19(2):69-78.


The Forum on Gender and Vulnerable Group Development Boot camp is specifically designed to foster a good understanding of the intricacies within our communal society, devoid of any prejudices and the perceived marginalisation, including genital difference, heteronormativity, gender oppression, racism, coloniality and globalisation.
This exciting boot camp incorporates visits and real life interaction with a whole range of gender and vulnerable group communities and individuals.
Cultural and societal consequence of individual gender.


text:
import React from 'react';

export const Home = () =>

Hello

;


Lifting days and times will be determined through the Head Coaches and coordinated with Coach Leaver/Coach Howard.
Strength training, which involves lifting weights and a variety of resistance methods to improve athletic performance and reduce the risk of injury, is an essential component of athletic development and overall physical wellness. Year-round conditioning programs at Northwood Academy include in-season and out-of-season training modules for student-athletes in grades 6th through 12th.
Athletic development and safety is our top priority. Our strength training program places heavy concentration on plyometrics (speed training) and ground-based free weight lifting. Combined, three areas of lifting are emphasized: explosive movements, combo lifting (using multiple muscle groups), and core strength development.
Note: 6th and 7th grade training program focus heavily on speed and agility training. Additionally, great emphasis is placed on safety and proper technique development with dumbbells and universal weight systems.


Cottage, 3 BR, 2 B. K * 2Q * 2Q. Island Club linen service with beds made. Nestled in dunes with ocean view, panoramic beach vistas from dune deck.
Clicking 'Send Request' will immediately forward this information to the manager of Blue Heaven, which is Emerald Isle Realty. An email copy of your request will be sent from support@rentabeach.com to the address you provided above.


Shipping: The listed flat rate shipping charges are for US Mainland deliveries only. Please inquire for international and overseas rates. Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to buying.
Returns: DSP Wave accepts return for a period on 30 days from the sale date, a 20% restocking fee will asses upon verification that the product was returned in good order. Returns are only accepted with a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) code that can be obtained by contacting DSP Wave. Customers are responsible for return shipping costs. We do not accept returns for exchange. Please ensure that you choose the correct product for your needs when purchasing.
Wait to receive response which will include either a technical inquiry or a Materials Authorization (RMA) code. If an item is shipped back without a RMA number, DSP Wave deserves the right to not process your return.
Once the RMA number has been issued, send the item back to us with a tracking number. You will need to pay the shipping cost to send the item to DSP Wave will return the repaired or replaced product back to you at our expense. Customers are responsible for return shipping costs.


Youve got to put more belief in your own honest and candid opinion of yourself and your abilities than in the opinion of others, Senior figures from the world of business are complaining to the Government as they feel that politicians have moved the goalposts in regard to bank regulation', I suggested that this teacher start using the sentences, phrases and illustrations? And the level below that?" Men who insist on keeping their word and seeing their action to the end, Some People Arent Going To Like And Will Criticize You - The first sign of true opposition to whatever youre wanting or trying to do, is the best sign that you are doing something good? Sir I need to see your passport and boarding pass, Some People Arent Going To Like And Will Criticize You - The first sign of true opposition to whatever youre wanting or trying to do, is the best sign that you are doing something good.
Product description: Buy Womens Canada Goose HYBRIDGE LITE COAT Pacific Blue, Youve got to put more belief in your own honest and candid opinion of yourself and your abilities than in the opinion of others, Senior figures from the world of business are complaining to the Government as they feel that politicians have moved the goalposts in regard to bank regulation', I suggested that this teacher start using the sentences, phrases and illustrations? And the level below that?" Men who insist on keeping their word and seeing their action to the end, Some People Arent Going To Like And Will Criticize You - The first sign of true opposition to whatever youre wanting or trying to do, is the best sign that you are doing something good? Sir I need to see your passport and boarding pass, Some People Arent Going To Like And Will Criticize You - The first sign of true opposition to whatever youre wanting or trying to do, is the best sign that you are doing something good.
Then his leg would kick. I secretly took 300 yuan out of my pockBuy Womens Canada Goose HYBRIDGE LITE COAT Pacific Blueet and put it under a cloth that was laying on a table, Here we see a sophisticated belted coat in leopard print styled with wide-brim black fedora, Here we see totally tweed look that consists of long coat embellished with fur and long skirt: She said thatshed met at few at the place called Tao, How about wearing one of these pointed toe loafers the one is in dark blue leather and the other one is in velvet:Beige perforated model is perfect for warm summer days, So, the students started bombarding me calling me many times and sending me dozens of messages and asking me to teach them. Here we see some touches of military style.
To make Harvard his goal and if he is really, really smart, he CAN go there, you might consider several of the top schools, this summer on a trip organized by the school; Your reading, like any skill, improves withBuy Womens Canada Goose HYBRIDGE LITE COAT Pacific Blue practice and you will quite literally feel as though you are getting smarter with every word, He's such a snob," she complained. So, the answer is in the students brain, I tell them that there are several things that costs far less than in the USA, I suppose they are correct, originate from these two countries. I suppose this strategy works well with most perhaps not all Chinese men.
I went to the director of the international teachers and confronted her about getting my money: This means that you can decide whether or not you want to read an very quickly, purple mohair cardigan worn atop white shirt with a tie and cool skinnies paired with suede booties, She said that she didnt think that they were as smart as children in the West, ' In these examples I am using a very direct style? I work with people who I can respect and appreciate, I suppose they are correct, Your clarity of thinking required for fast and effective learning has now been clouded by emotional upset for having given the wrong answer.
She asked the teacher the name of this crazy foreigner! I recently read an article from an American parent who wanted more creativity in the classroom in the U! Here we see a seal fur vest worn atop knitted top and teamed with dark blue skinnies, We also got to explore the beautiful sights of Cambridge. Your clarity of thinking required for fast and effective learning has now been clouded by emotional upset for having given the wrong answer, Shes my mother and more by her actions than her words, she has taught me to live in peace, harmony and happiness with others.
y colleges websites searching for SAT and Toefl requirements, which U, She promised to pay me and only paid me about half of what shed promised, I smiled and said, Nǐ hǎo.
So without any further ado, here are titles six to ten: I tell them that there are several things that costs far less than in the USA; I realize that saying thank you isnt considered so necessary here in UK, bBuy Womens Canada Goose HYBRIDGE LITE COAT Pacific Blueut, as a Westerner, it is one positive habit that I will maintain while Im here, Id lost a lot of money, watched a 6 figure annual income almost go away, my wife was divorcing me and life in general almost didnt seem like it was worth living. So if anyone promises you Harvard for your college age child for a certain sum of money, you will likely get ripped off cheated! I spent nearly two years in bed suffering with depression.


I offer a single comfy bed, shared bathroom, tasty nourishing food in a cosy home, and a sympathetic presence to other women carers. Kirsty delights in cooking on a wood stove which also heats the home. The house is tucked away in a beautiful garden.
Prices by negotiation - a koha or generous donation.
Lawrence is on the Clutha Gold cycle trail and is a quaint old gold town with an interesting and intriguing history, and some lovely shops. nearby is Gabriels Gully where gold was first discovered in NZ.


The City of Duluth has an interesting long-term vision for Central Entrance. They, along with area residents and businesses, see it as having the potential to be an inviting and attractive destination within the City. They would like it to function as the "main street" of the Duluth Heights neighborhood and become more walkable with better access to area businesses.
Which is almost hard to imagine, if you agree with the many other residents who currently regard Central Entrance as basically unpleasant—as a road to be tolerated while running errands or going to work, if not outright avoided.
Our Central Entrance Corridor Study, currently underway, aims to identify ways to improve the transportation experience for everyone, drivers and non-drivers alike, who travels along that roadway.
Specifically, we are examining the transportation network in this area and identifying changes that will make the corridor more compatible with the vision for the future land use. The ultimate objective is to maintain traffic mobility and flow, while improving safety and that sense of livability that a "town center" or "main street" implies.
As part of our planning process, some of the data we've collected so far includes information about the roadway such as sidewalk locations, bike routes, transit routes and stops, driveway access points, traffic counts, traffic control locations and types, and crash information.
We also conducted a survey to assess people's attitudes toward traveling on Central Entrance. Postcards were mailed to 3000 residents and businesses in the area, inviting them to go the MIC website and take an online survey and more than 100 people responded.
We asked them to rate the following characteristics— traffic congestion, passing other vehicles, pedestrian safety, speeding traffic, making turns and accessing local businesses— on a scale of very bad, bad, acceptable, good and very good.
How do you travel along Central Entrance?
An overwhelming number (95%) travel the corridor by car and over 90% make at least two trips through the corridor per week. Over 55% make at least six trips per week and 28 % make 10 or more trips per week.
What are your destinations on Central Entrance?
Many people traveling through the corridor have multiple purposes for their trip. Access to shopping and services was the top weekday trip purpose chosen by 85% of respondents. Work and social activities were destinations identified by just over half of the respondents.
Travel times during the week were heavily weighted toward morning (6-9am) and afternoon (4-6pm) peak travel times for work destinations and toward evening times (4-10pm) for those heading to social activities. Weekday shopping travel was evenly spread throughout the day.
Weekend users of the corridor indicate that shopping, social activities and recreation were the primary destinations. Travel times on the weekend were mostly during the daytime hours of 9am – 6pm.
Do you ever avoid traveling on Central Entrance ?
80% of respondents replied that they did. When asked why, almost 90% listed congestion as the primary reason and 72% had concerns with excessive travel time.
Pedestrian safety was rated the lowest—between "Very Bad" and "Bad". Traffic congestion, speeding traffic and making turns were three other areas that ranked low.
Overall rating of Central Entrance?
Almost 65% chose "bad" or "very bad." Only 6% chose good or very good and almost 30% chose acceptable.
It's fair to say that those surveyed do not view Central Entrance in a favorable light.
So our job—finding ways and making recommendations to make pedestrians (like the fellow in the picture, above!), bicyclists and transit users, as well as drivers, feel more comfortable along that corridor.
Are these survey results consistent with your view of that roadway? Do you share the City's future vision for the corridor as a neighborhood center—not place to be avoided but an attractive destination?
As the MPO for Duluth-Superior metro area, it's our role to work with local jurisdictions to identify, plan for and program how federal transportation funds get used in the region.
Since transportation projects can be big, expensive, and time-sensitive (i.e. they need to be coordinated with adjacent infrastructure projects), they need to be planned for in advance – we're already working to line up funding for construction projects that won't begin until four years from now.
We are part of a process that is now underway to divvy up about $40 million in federal highway transportation funds for projects throughout the Arrowhead and Northeast Minnesota for 2016.
A mile of roadway can cost almost a million bucks to repair. Now consider that the Duluth-Superior area alone has more than 350 miles of roads eligible for federal funds and, well, you get the picture. There are a lot more maintenance and construction needs than money to go around.
So, not every project can receive federal funding. That's where the MIC's prioritization process comes in.
Every year, jurisdictions in the Duluth metro tell us which projects they'd like to use federal funds for and we work with our Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Policy Board to decide which ones are the most important for meeting the current and future needs of our transportation system.
Road projects are a public good paid for with taxpayer money, and therefore the local citizens have a right to weigh in on such decisions, along with planners, engineers and elected officials.
This year, the following transportation projects will be prioritized for our area. All of them are intended to use your gas tax dollars to improve the region's transportation system.
Do you have any opinions about which are more important to our area? How would you rank these proposed projects if only 2 or 3 could be chosen?
3) Call me with questions or comments–Robert Herling at (218) 529-7573.
Although it's only January 2012, NOW is the time to give us your input on these proposed projects before funding decisions are made for 2016. You have three ways to let us know.


Urban legends, myths, and distorted truths are commonplace when talking about engine oil. It's one of those auto maintenance subjects that drivers think they know a lot about, but the myths and distortions drivers actually believe in can be disastrous. Clearing up the air about engine oil can help you make the right decisions for your vehicle, which in turn can help you avoid costly automotive problems later on. That's why we sat down to write this post, so we could give you straight talk about the engine oil in your car.
Fact: There was a time when the 3,000-mile rule was the standard for cars, but advancements in oil chemistry and engine technology have resulted in longer intervals in between oil changes. Although there's no harm in changing your car's oil every 3,000 miles if that's the schedule you're used to, experts recommend sticking to the designated intervals in the owner's manual.
Fact: Drivers should be in the habit of checking the engine oil regularly, but just because it looks dark or dirty doesn't necessarily mean you're overdue for an oil change. If you're using an oil that contains detergent additives, the oil is actually working just the way it's supposed to if it looks dirty. Again, this is where the manufacturer-recommended oil change interval can help you decide when to change the oil, regardless of the color on the dipstick.
Fact: You may have heard about the benefits of synthetic engine oil, but perhaps you're hesitant to make the switch or even try out synthetic oil because you've always heard that you can't go back to traditional oil once you put synthetic in your car. We're glad to tell you this is a straight-up myth. You can use any type of engine oil you prefer, traditional or synthetic, as long as it meets requirements set out in the owner's manual.
Need an oil change? Have questions about engine oil? Either way, the experts at Murray's Auto Clinics can help. Our auto maintenance and repair shops in Silver Spring, MD are your go-to source for complete auto care, including oil changes and transmission flushes. Call us at (240) 450-2478 to learn more.
Brake rotors are an important component in your vehicle's braking system and serve a critical purpose in helping your car slow or come to a sudden stop when you engage the brake pedal. Also called brake discs, rotors are what the brake pads clamp down on to stop the wheels from spinning. If you've ever seen a bicycle brake in action, where two rubber pads rub against the wheel rim creating friction which slows the tire, then you can imagine how the rotors and pads work together to stop your vehicle.
If you experience any changes in your car's braking abilities or performance, visit the auto repair experts at Murray's Auto Clinics. We provide drivers in White Oak, MD and the surrounding areas with expert brake repair and maintenance services . Call us at (240) 450-2478 to schedule an auto repair inspection or stop by one of our two shops for service today.
Regardless of your skill level and confidence working under the hood of your car, there's a time when everyone needs help from a professional auto mechanic. But with so many mechanics to choose from, how do you know which mechanic you can trust with your vehicle? Choosing the wrong mechanic can be very costly, so it's important that you know how to choose the right one. Regardless of how big or small your auto repair needs are, keep these tips in mind to choose the best auto mechanic in Silver Spring, MD .
ASE-certified mechanics and auto repair shops are the best of the best. Since 1972, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has worked to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service by testing and certifying automotive professionals. If you see the ASE logo in the window of an automotive, you can trust your vehicle will be in highly capable hands.
For major automotive repairs, such as a transmission replacement or total engine overhaul, you might first like to ask for referrals so you can hear what other customers thought of the service they experienced. Even if you don't contact anyone, an auto repair shop that is willing to offer referrals is a good sign since they are happy to let you speak with actual customers.
Once you've identified an ASE-certified auto mechanic or repair center near you that has generally good reviews, ask for a written estimate for the work repairs needed. Although the final price can be different from the quoted price, a written estimate is a good sign that the mechanic is reputable and trustworthy.
Since 1982, Murray's Auto Clinics have helped countless drivers solve all sorts of automotive problems, big and small. If you want to leave your vehicle in the hands of a mechanic you can trust, visit any of our auto repair centers around Silver Spring, MD and let our ASE-certified mechanics get to the bottom of whatever automotive issue you're experiencing. Call us at (240) 450-2478 or contact us online to schedule an appointment or request a free estimate.


text:
Fülöpszállás vasútállomás egy Bács-Kiskun vármegyei vasútállomás, Fülöpszállás településen, a MÁV üzemeltetésében. A belterület keleti szélén helyezkedik el, közvetlenül az 5217-es és az 5304-es utak közös szakaszának vasúti keresztezése mellett, attól északra; közúti elérését ez az út biztosítja.

Vasútvonalak
Az állomást az alábbi vasútvonalak érintik:

Kapcsolódó állomások
A vasútállomáshoz az alábbi állomások vannak a legközelebb:

Forgalom

Kapcsolódó szócikkek
 Magyarország vasútállomásainak listája

További információk

 Fülöpszállás vasútállomás – vasutallomasok.hu

Források

Bács-Kiskun megye vasútállomásai

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Spread the happiness of a home cooked meal with Maggi products!
PDF presentation – Max 5 pages.
Happiness is a home-cooked meal, prepared with love and meticulous care. This is true all over the World and especially in Vietnam where mums tend to work from home so that they can also take care of the household. Maggi is a brand of sauces, stocks and seasoning. Maggi products help mothers create great family moments by helping them to express care and love, knowing that the ingredients are safe, natural and make food taste great.
Inspire Vietnamese mums to use Maggi products when preparing family meals to spread the happiness of a home-cooked meal, prepared with love and meticulous care, through a poster and some digital campaign or activation idea.
Format: PDF presentation – Max 5 pages.
Can you convince Vietnamese mums to use Maggi products when preparing family meals, and spread that home-cooked, meticulously prepared happiness?


In his early twenties Hai was inspired by the French fashion and hair styles popular during the colonial era in Vietnam. He began his career journey in the beautiful city of Saigon, Vietnam. Through his easy and likeable personality paired with skilled training in hairdressing, Hai developed an intuitive ability to discern the right hairstyle for the individual and how to cut and colour hair to create full potential. Hair became an expression for Hai's artistic self expression present in his daily life. Extensive training including Vidal Sassoon and Mahogany in London, Toni & Guy in USA and Goldwell Master Colourist he has continuously sought out the latest education, fashion and styles for his long standing and loyal clientele.
In 1990 Hai emigrated to Vancouver, Canada and started working in some of Vancouver's top salons. After a few years Hai looked to make his own mark by acquiring the popular and long standing Haircats Studio Salon. After a great 10 years in business Hai connected with good friend, award winning stylist and salon owner Jeff Ward. Together in December of 2016 they launched a new salon brand called Hair Inspired Professionals, (HIP Salon).
Through his busy schedule Hai creates lifestyle balance through passionate world travel. His artistic self emerges again reflected in his life long passion for landscape and wildlife photography. Camera always ready, Hai immerses himself in capturing the beauty of nature from the Kalahari deserts of Africa, the palm beaches of Asia, to the Patagonia, Atacama desert of Chile and the untamed waters of the Amazon. Where there is natural beauty, heart and soul are ignited to fully illuminate and explore.


CONFORMS TO EN 20345:2011 200 JOULES S4 CI SRC. Recognised food industry safety boot. Specifically designed to offer the highest slip resistance in (semi-) solid contaminated areas. Upper insulated down to -20°C. Stays flexible even at low temperatures. Durable and shock absorbant. Anti-slip sole resistant to: mineral, animal and vegetable oils and fats, manure, blood, disinfectants, solvents and various chemicals.


It is very important to us that you enter your scores and stats online - a failure to do so will keep your results out of the next day's newspaper. We will be setting up some detailed instructions for each sport on how use our database in the coming months which will be found right here. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or problems concerning this new tool - we'll be glad to walk you through it.


This action RPG features an amusing cast of characters and has an arcade-like feel!
Chain combos to rack up coins and level up through the skill tree!
Defeat hordes of monsters and unravel the mystery of Drancia!
・Retro-style, cute pixel art graphics!
・Smooth controls and loads of extras to enjoy!
・Unique bosses in every stage!
・Over fifty different types of characters to play as!
・A killer soundtrack of over 20 vintage, Famicom-style chiptunes!
*Drancia was originally released in 2008 by Skipmore as a web-based game entitled Drancia Survival. Now it's been powered-up for smartphones!
Like the game, but a tad bit too difficult.
I love this game because it's a good arcade game with RPG elements. However, it grows to near impossible in the later levels with falling objects and a swarm of enemies. I would like to see a difficulty setting, which would also affect what kind of crown you get (easy- bronze, normal- silver, hard- gold, and for the daring ones, impossible- platinum). I would also like to see a continue system using the gems (each difficulty would decide how many you need). This game is near perfection. Please read this review and take these suggestions in consideration. Thank you for giving us a great game.
Now I know everyone doesn't like this, but my favorite part is how hard it is. I also enjoy the chaotic levels and the orderly boss fights. One thing I would like though would be a boss rush, where you would kill as many bosses as possible (possibly including some bosses only in the boss rush) and you level up after defeating a boss, but food is not available so that there is no way to heal.


text:
White Nationalism In Christian High School
By Rod Dreher • February 21, 2017, 5:39 PM
Milo Yiannopoulos (Official LeWeb Photos/Shutterstock)
A reader who goes to a conservative Christian high school, and who says he is a white, male conservative Christian, writes:
As someone who's seeing the rise of Milo's ideals specifically in teenagers raised in a conservative context in my Christian high school, I feel like I have a perspective that you don't.
Milo isn't getting conservative ideas out there in a subversive label that's appealing to Millenials. He's a prophet of the deeply un-conservative alt-right. He's not creating a climate that's accepting of conservative ideals. He's creating one that specifically rejects those values as hallmarks of a system that they view as a failure through not being radical enough.
That's why all the good little Christians at my high school are falling in behind him — not because they actually give a crap about conservatism but because he's giving angry, aimless young men whose church hasn't given them anything solid to fall back on an alternate source of values that happens to be steeped in fascist and white supremacist ideals. It's just as absorbed in identity politics as any social-justice movement on the left is, except focused on white men and not LGBT people.
It has swallowed up most of the guys in the senior class at my school, and I'm tired of it. You can't just not talk about politics with them, because everything is politics to them. Every discussion devolves into things like which girls are "feminazis," celebrities dating outside their ethnicity being "white genocide," and so on. It's suffocating to feel like if you say "actually, that's really racist" you're going to be brushed off as some liberal or a cuckservative. I'm genuinely scared that it's going to spread to the point where I won't have anyone I can talk to like a normal human being. This isn't hyperbole.
I've sat and heard multiple conversations in the school hallway about things like how the very concept of legal immigration is "cultural Marxism" and about how if all the blacks in America moved back to Africa there'd be less crime, and Africa would be better off because they would have people who had learned things in America. It's absolutely nuts, but what am I going to do? I don't know that any adults would take me seriously if I told them this was a problem. The alt-right has defensive talking points are baked right into the ideology so as to make it more palatable for conservatives, just like how communism masqueraded as concern for the workers in the early days to make it appealing to moderate socialists.
Maybe that's just the norm for kids my age now, and I'm going to just have to be paranoid that everyone that I meet is secretly a white nationalist.
Wow. I'm going to have to think about this one. I verified this reader's identity. High school readers of this blog, and college student readers, what are you seeing and hearing in your schools?
UPDATE: Another reader writes:
I cannot comment so much about what is going in high schools these days, but I can tell you that it is downright eerie how stale my college's chapter of College Republicans is. There is no acknowledgement of the changing and changed situation in America or the world, just reflexive support for tax cuts and poking Russia in the eye. Some of them can quote Hayek at you for hours, but it is a shallow allegiance to conservatism, devoid of real life and creative growth. In a word: stagnant. Like a tree without deep roots, all it will take is a mighty wind to knock them from the comfortable perches held by their fathers before them.
I can believe that. When I was in college in the 1980s, the College Republicans at my school were huge. I can't see, though, why any intellectually serious conservative college student today would want to give himself or herself over to working in the Republican Party (or anything related to movement conservatism, frankly).
Posted in Christianity, Conservatism. Tagged Christian, Milo Yiannopoulos, white nationalism.
Woke Capitalism's Cultural Imperialism
Poop Talk With Pope Francis
Hide 231 comments
231 Responses to White Nationalism In Christian High School
← Older Comments	Newer Comments →
Lord Karth says:
Gromaticus writes: I don't put much stock in worrying about the future based on what 17 year old's are thinking or doing…if you extrapolated a future based on the values and beliefs of my fellow high school seniors in 1981 then Neal Doughty of REO Speedwagon would be President.
Right after President Dennis DeYoung, of course.
(Mr. DeYoung happens to also be a devout Catholic who has been married to his wife Suzanne for over 30 years; an added bonus.)
Lord Karth
Ted,
"Sure black people may commit more crimes as a whole, but that doesn't justify treating black people as a criminal population, because many black people don't commit crimes. This is the central flaw of aggregate statistics."
But what do you do with statistics, then? Teenage boys are much more likely to wreck a car than teenage girls. So teenage boys get charged more for health insurance. Is that fair?
People who live in crime ridden neighborhoods often pay more for car insurance. As such, poor black people often pay more because they live in areas with more crime. Nobody said, "I dislike black people," but the data causes problems that lead to structurally "racist" outcomes.
Are you suggesting that we should just ditch statistics? Should admission to Harvard be determined by lottery? If the police know, via statistics, that one neighborhood has a rampant meth problem and people living there are demanding ACTION, should the police police it the exact same way they police a neighborhood with little crime?
Annek says:
Off-topic, but according to the deplorable Breitbart website:
"Donald Trump's education secretary opposed any change to President Barack Obama's pro-transgender policy, according to a report in the New York Times, even though Obama's rules would have exposed the nation's single-sex institutions and civic groups to crippling lawsuits by gay advocacy groups.
"But Attorney General Jeff Sessions prevailed in the closed-door dispute, and with aid from Trump, persuaded Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to support a reform of the Obama's pro-transgender policy"
"The reform, which may be unveiled tomorrow, will junk Obama's May 2016 directive which effectively declares that children can change their sex by simply declaring they have the "gender identity" of the other sex. That rule, if imposed nationwide by judges, would give federal police power to the nation's small population of "transgender" men and women, and would prevent Americans from assembling in single-sex groups and institutions — such as athletic leagues and shower rooms — or from expressing their preference for single-sex institutions."
And then there's this angle, wherein among other things Milo's entourage is a group of immature guys trying to break into the media industry:
https://psmag.com/on-the-milo-bus-with-the-lost-boys-of-americas-new-right-629a77e87986#.1cdenmjxa
sunshine:
"I'm not white. My family doesn't stretch back for generations within these borders. But I'm an American as much as any of y'all–that's what *your* country promised me. If that's not what y'all want for your country anymore, then we're gonna fight; and as far as I'm concerned, y'all launched the first shot."
Our politicians promised us – the American people – that the 1965 Immigration Act wouldn't change our demographics, but it did. Sunshine, you probably shouldn't even be here.
Jones says:
@anonymousdr
No, of course restricting immigration is not necessarily a "white supremacist" or "white nationalist" position. But, as you can read here, it very often is defended on those grounds.
If you really, genuinely want to see the necessary changes to the immigration system — changes that would be good for this country — then the white nationalists are your adversaries. They are confusing the issue and causing more people — legitimately — to associate the position with extremism. I'm not saying they are the only reason; there would be people on the left who would demonize it that way regardless. But they are one important reason. There are a lot of people who are not on either extreme.
If this issue was actually in the hands of people who seem sane, and who don't think the Civil Rights Act (and the 14th Amendment) was reversible error, I would not really be concerned at all.
We should all be able to hew to the position of Teddy Roosevelt.
There is only one reasonable position, and it's one a large majority should be able to agree to. Civic nationalism. Limited, high-skilled immigration, to the extent consonant with national interests. Some consideration of our humanitarian responsibilities. A strong commitment to genuine assimilation.
There are two extreme positions. White nationalism, and open borders. There really are people at these extremes, but both of these positions are a non-starter. They would do far more harm to this country than good.
The debate is confused because we let lunatics control the terms of discourse.
"Americanism is not a matter of creed, birthplace or national descent, but of the soul and of the spirit. If the American has the right stuff in him, I care not a snap of my fingers whether he is Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant. I care not a snap of my fingers whether his ancestors came over in the Mayflower, or whether he was born, or his parents were born, in Germany, Ireland, France, England, Scandinavia, Russia or Italy or any other country. All I ask of the immigrant is that he shall be physically and intellectually fit, of sound character, and eager in good faith to become an American citizen. If the immigrant is of the right kind I am for him, and if the native American is of the wrong kind I am against him."
http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/images/research/txtspeeches/672.pdf
To sum this thread up:
Rod: OMG, conservative Christian schools might be training white supremacists!
Half his commenters: It took you this long to figure that out?
The other half: And what, pray tell, is wrong with that?
erudite says:
"This is a disingenuous argument and needs to be stamped out. Have Anglos and Germans looked down on their Southern and Eastern European brethren over the course of American history? Occasionally, yes. However, Europe is a coherent cultural and ethnic zone. Its borders are the borders of Christendom. North Africa used to be Europe–until the Arabs came and killed all the Christians. Anatolia used to be Europe–until the Turks came and killed all the Christians.
Trans-Uralic Russia may not be "Europe" depending on your geographic definition, but Russia is part of Christendom, and Christendom is Europe. Italy, Ireland, and all the favorite "discriminated-against" European groups noted by those who would obscure this point are also part of Christendom. They were always European, and so by the only definition that actually matters here in the Current Year, they were always "White."
Leaving aside the dubious history of Turkey and Northern Africa (Most Mulsim resident of North Africa and Turkey are biological descendants of pre=-conquest populations), I notice that your survey of the borders of Europe pointedly omits Spain and its daughters. Which is kinda hillarious in the context of discussing of whether America is undergoing a white genocide via Latin American immigration.
"I have many other examples. I've done just fine in life and am hardly the stereotype of an aimless angry young man. But, it is galling to be told by people who are making orders of magnitude more money and have much more power than they would have had had their parents stayed put, how awful America is."
You are commenting on the blog of someone who predicts that, in the next couple of decades, America might start actively persecuting Christians, and yet demand that others acknowledge its awesomeness, as condition of you not turning to white nationalism. Do you even recognize the cognitive dissonance here?
Thanks Hector, I thought it was something like that. Sounds really wholesome :/
The modern left chewed up and spat out your happy sappy Reagan consensus twenty years ago. This is a fight for survival, grandpa.
The only purpose one has in using war as a metaphor is to excuse crookedness and wrongdoing. Inter arma enim silent leges.
I expect within a few weeks or months we will begin to see a backlash; a live-and-let-live attitude toward pederasty will become the litmus test of movement conservatism. These are the same people who see nothing wrong with a 70-year-old man stalking the dressing room of the Miss Universe pageant to "check out the merchandise." Nay, they made the man their king.
It would be nice if we could lay this all at the feet of some kind of radically evil conservative agenda but this isn't the case. It's really all just cowardice, accomodation and lies. War can excuse these too!
For this reason, I don't understand retired postal workers arguments over ideology. Ideology is a tool, and often uttered in bad faith, so there is little to fight about. The only exception is a shift in ideology in a political movement signals a shift in the relative power and influence of factions within the movement.
I would grant conservatives every power they ask, every imperium, elections or not, laws or not, with only one proviso: that they could no longer dream.
On the good side, there are conservatives like KD! He'll gladly sell his dreams wholesale if it increases the, uh, "relative power and influence" of his faction. On the bad side, this only empowers the remaining conservatives who still retain a trace of dignity and commitment, men who haven't become toadying lickspittles, people like Steve Bannon.
Sam-
But what do you do with statistics, then?
Statistics can tell you if there's a problem but they are much trickier about establishing causes, and they don't really recommend remedies at all.
Statistics say boys get in more auto accidents then girls. So why don't we just ban young male drivers? Or maybe just make them subject to random traffic stops, inspections and breathalyzers? Because all of these things would be counterproductive? Yep. Because the regime would be so high-handed and inequitable that people would casually violate it, stage protests, maybe even organize into a Boy Drivers Matter movement? Double yep.
There is also the question of why you'd control for a factor like "race" and not for something like height, or number of wisdom teeth, or eye color. Height is absolutely more statistically predictive of overall success than race, but nobody wants to cull all the short people into a ghetto or "aggressively" police them. Nobody's trying to protect Harvard from the tyranny of Affirmative Tallness. Because we just have this cultural value that, even if we might have some prejudice against short people, we agree that at least facially we'll judge them as individuals and using aggregates to write them off would be iniquitous. Same cultural value doesn't hold for the black/white thing though, for some reason.
For all the commenters attempting to define "Cultural Marxism," I'm surprised you all forgot to mention the cooties.
The Autist Formerly Known as "KD" says:
Jones:
For what its worth, I agree with your suggestions on immigration fully.
"I recently had a long time friend crack in a conversation we were having. The stream of racial expletives was downright scary as he talked about the obvious inferiority of the people taking over this country. I had never heard such a thing come out of his lips and we have had innumerable conversations over the years."
Me too. In this case, it was our regular babysitter, who is a 22 year old Bosnian woman that grew up in Holland as a war refugee. What's so curious is that she's half-muslim (by birth), but the anti-islam invective she was spewing and the hate in her eyes really blew me away. Interestingly, she started talking about how the crusades were "defensive," which is something I'd never heard before. Curiously, several comments on this thread discuss this. The argument started When she said she was thinking of moving back to Holland, and I mentioned Geert Wilders and what his rise means. She said he was saving Holland, and I said he seemed like a bigot. That was it. But now it does seem like she's an alt-righter.
We can ask what is a conservative, and I would say the conservative is the realist who does not mistake his or her dreams for some future reality.
What is wrong with the Alt-Right, the Nazi's, the Communists, the Liberals, etc. is that they are chasing after pipe dreams. Even the reactionaries want to return us to some glorious past lost in the sands of time.
We must accept embrace what IS, and what is more, aspire to love what IS in its ISNESS, and rejoice in what IS. Political dreams all start in the substitution of fancy and rejection of actuality. Conservatism is rooted in the discovery that Being is fundamentally good.
Hector was the first conservative.
Arthur Sido says:
This would be more pertinent if anyone in the actual alt-right considered Milo part of their movement or if he himself considered himself alt-right, which he does not. At most he is a useful tool for the alt-right and shares some common enemies but that is where it ends. Maybe he is a gateway drug to the alt-right proper, I don't know, but it seems a stretch to concoct a shadowy high school conspiracy led by Milo to infiltrate the alt-right into America's suburban Christian yutes.
My take is that this is suburban kids trying to seem edgy. In the late 80's when I was in high school at an essentially all White school, we listened to Ice-T and NWA and thought ourselves quite rakish. None of us actually went to Compton and joined the Crips, most of us went to college and got married.
Noah172 says:
Jones wrote:
We should all be able to hew to the position of Teddy Roosevelt
No epileptics or Japanese.
No naturalization for anyone not white or black.
Re: Are you suggesting that we should just ditch statistics?
If we are talking insurance stats you can take a large enough sample so that local effects wash out. Slicing and dicing neighborhoods in ways like that is tantamount to red-lining, which is illegal– and immoral since it punishes people who are innocent of any personal wrong-doing. A concrete example: I had had Allstate for car insurance ever since I graduated from college. When I moved to Baltimore I contacted a local Allstate office to see about transferring my policy and I was told, very apologetically, that my rates would double because of my zip code– and if I lived in the next zip code (which starts just a block away from my house) the increase would be far less– as if car thieves and bad drivers are somehow unable to cross Washington Blvd! IMO, the entire Baltimore metro area should be rated as one unit which would eliminate nonsense like that.
sunshine says:
Annek,
I'm glad that someone went ahead and bit the bullet and decided to tell me I shouldn't be here! It's so refreshing. After 160 comments of people talking about white nationalism and cultural preservation in the abstract, someone is finally willing to say to someone's face, "you don't belong, really."
EarlyBird says:
@jamie and others who find "cultural Marxism" too strong must admit that "political correctness" is far too tepid to describe the weaponized hysteria which enforces left wing orthodoxy. If not, spend a week on the average college campus speaking "off script," or ask professors – in private of course – how much they fear for their careers should they fall afoul of this tyranny-by-tantrum. Ask any non-politician public figure if he's eager to take a public stand for a piece of culturally conservative legislation.
The appeal of such cretins as Milo Yiannopoulus is that he kicks these leftist tyrants in the teeth.
The danger of Milo, the "angry, aimless young men" the writer describes and the ugly fringes of the Trump phenomenon is not that they are old-fashioned bigots; it's that they have accepted the decades-long assertions of left-wing radicals at face value: that race and gender are Everything, that the American experiment is and never has been anything really more than a tribal spoils system. Like the radical left, they want to put this "fact" above board. They are staking out a defensive position in a world where Social Justice Warriors gleefully celebrate the "end of the white American male," the DNC openly touts a "demography as destiny" strategy, and all of this is politely applauded as "diversity."
The danger of Milo and the alt-right is not that they scorn the foolishness of their left wing counterparts, but that they are in fundamental agreement with them.
Re: Many of us in the Alt-Right who think it was in allowing too much non-British European immigration
But who's the "we" on that? African slaves were brought to Virginia a dozen years after John Smith and company arrived themselves. Charles II added New York and its Dutch population to British North America barely two generations after the founding Jamestown. German religious refugees were welcomed into several of the colonies a few years aletr, followed by a small number of French Huguenots. A larger Gallic population was added when Mr. Jefferson bought Louisiana.
Donxon says:
These are younger cousins of the conservatives who thought it was conservative to invade Iraq after we were attacked by Saudis.
The basic problem with us having Canada's immigration policy is that we still have a 3rd World country on our border.
As long as Mexico and Central America are messes, people will risk life and limb to get to America and the choice will either accept that some people will get here illegally or put machine guns on the border or make it much harder to live here if you look like you could be illegal.
Also, it's important to remember that lots of illegal immigration is people overstaying their visas. Unless we're going to heavily increase the surveillance of people with viass or be much tougher on giving people visas, that's going to continue to happen as long as we're the world's leading economy.
I'm not saying changes can't be made, but it's easy to have a strict skills based immigration law in say, New Zealand, because relatively few people have the means and ability to get there.
@Engineer Scotty
Actually a significant amount of these comments are, "teenagers say stupid things, don't take it as a trend"
You use that same defense all the time to protect liberals.
William Dalton says:
"[…And how can you say that "no true Christians believe" this stuff when well within living memory, you had white Christians all over the South defending worse than this in their own towns? The student indicated in his e-mail that these kids are substituting anger and outrage for any kind of substantive Christian belief. — RD]"
Christian Southerners who promoted and defended segregation did so in the belief that the practice was beneficial and necessary for the well being of both races, and would be for an indefinite period of time. Black leaders such as Booker T. Washington shared that opinion. Do we see any such concerns for racial minorities in the "alt-Right" referenced in this young man's letter? More reminiscent to the "German Christian" movement imposed upon the Evangelical Church in Germany under Hitler.
[Non-Movement] Conservative Questions:
1.) Where does your true home lie? Where will you run when/if it all falls down?
Everything else is inessential, it can be cast aside or abandoned.
2.) Can you learn to love your home? Can you have pride in your homeland and its people?
This is the struggle of the heart, but there is no ideology here.
The political all flows naturally from having a true home, loving it, and fighting to protect it. It is much simpler and truer than any ideology.
Obviously, it is possible to hate your home, to hate your homeland and its people. This would be the true politics of hate, if we want to throw around that word.
But it is an embrace of a contradiction, a life set against its own source. The Will to Suicide.
Elros says:
@JonF,
I did say African-Americans are an original American ethnicity. The Dutch and French's numbers were so small so as not to matter. The Gallic's of Louisiana were not a part of the original colonies nor involved in their formation of a common government. Benjamin Franklin was right about at least the assimilation issues of the Germans as his warning quoted below shows. And as you can see from the map from the American Nations book which I quote below, the non-British nations of the "Midlands" and "New Netherland" were quite small in comparison to the rest of the nations of the 13 colonies. They were a small minority and are sufficiently intermingled with the descendants of original Americans (except for the aforementioned Germans). The later immigrants have not intermingled in a similar manner and thus aren't ethnically American.
"Why should the Palatine Boors be suffered to swarm into our settlements, and by herding together establish their languages and manners to the exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our language or customs, any more than they can acquire our complexion?"
-Ben Franklin
"Despite the scale of immigration, newcomers were always a small minority. The proportion of foreign-born remained at about 10 percent of the U.S. population throughout the period, peaking at 14 percent in 1914. Its cumulative effect was important but not overwhelming…
By contrast, New Netherland and the Midlands had been explicitly multicultural since their foundation and so were placed where it was viewed as normal for people of many languages, religions, and cultures to live side by side…
Cultural diversity was entirely in keeping with the Midlander worldview. For both these nations, being "American" had nothing to do with one's ethnicity, religion, or language but rather was a spirit or state of mind. When pundits speak today of America always having been multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual, they're really referring to New Netherland and the Midlands.
In these nations it's almost impossible to describe immigrant groups as having unculturated, as it's not clear what they would be acculturating, beyond an ethic of toleration, individual achievement (in New Netherland) and, possibly, the use of English. The American tradition of cultural pluralism originates in the traditions of these two nations."
-American Nations, pg.254, 262
https://jaymans.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/north-american-nations-4-3.png
"But it does tell us that South Asians in Britain are eleven times more likely to commit statutory rape than people of native English ethnicity."
I wonder, how do you factor into that the huge pedophile scandal related to Jimmy Savile and others in the UK govt? I thought I heard the UK had to classify the whole thing due to "national security" or something:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/07/a-big-political-cover-up-of-1980s-pedophile-ring-in-u-k-parliament/?utm_term=.3bcc42413e1c
Hound of Ulster says:
Interesting tidbit…the Falange in Spain became a mass movement when the youth wing of the main rightists party defected en masse in 1935.
These kids have also been exposed since birth to the sewer of talk radio and the alt/facts of Fox 'News'. Actions have consequences.
I've already commented on this piece and will reiterate that, as a conservative traditionalist christian, I largely support and sympathize with many strains of the alt-right.
I still don't quite understand why so many conservatives, including you and many readers on your site, don't recognize that a significant portion of the alt-right is explicitly Christian.
Here is a recent post on an alt-right site called rightstuff that discusses how the writings of Hillaire Belloc are relevant to the rise of the alt-right and Trump (note I do not agree with the writers on this site and find their racial attitudes too extreme):
http://therightstuff.biz/2017/02/19/untitled-25/
Having said that, Belloc, if he was alive today probably would support the alt-right in some form(I used Chesterton as an example in a previous comment but Belloc is a far better one; not least because he could be quite anti-semitic by modern standards).
Viriato says:
"I can't find it now with Google but I once came across a Letter to the Editor from Ohio in the 1870s. In which someone complained about all these Germans with their beer and popery. And what will happen to our Anglo-Saxon Protestant society if more of them keep arriving on our shores?
Well, 140 years later her question has been answered: excellent beer in all the restaurants and Catholics are just another flavor of Christian."
Well, 140 years later her question has been answered: her Anglo-Saxon Protestant society no longer exists. Today, Boston Brahmins are virtually nonexistent. So, I'm neither Anglo-Saxon nor Protestant, I'm not complaining. But to pretend that the fears of 19th-century nativists were somehow unfounded is asinine. Their fears were very well-founded indeed. All of their fears have long since come to pass.
@amhixson: "White people despise each other and routinely treat each other like dirt. As they always have. As they always will."
You can say the exact same thing about red, yellow, brown, and black people. So what's your point?
@JonF: "Confident prediction: barring a calamity that puts even the Black Death in the shade, there will still be more Euro-white people running around the world in a century than there were when Michaelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel."
You make this prediction after citing several historical case studies that do not justify it… I hope your prediction is right. I fear it is wrong. Think of it of this way: what happens if those of us who are worried about Europe's survival are wrong? Nothing. What happens if we're right, but dismissed? Nothing good.
Anonymousdr says:
@jones
I strongly agree with you.
@JonF
I was a little sloppy in my timeline. But I stick to my point, Salazarism didn't outlive Salazar, and it came to an end by the Carnation Revolution because people were sick of it.
OK. I'm late to this party but I am really tired of all
this "left identity politics drove us to this" and
"we on the right wouldn't be here if it wasn't
for all the SJWs of the left." My god if your
conservative philosophy and beliefs are so weak
that what is going on on the left drives you into
the arms of Milo, then you need some real help.
Sorry. I needed to rant a bit.
Recall that this is a nation founded by people fleeing their "homes," a land where a second-generation East Indian with a Louisiana accent can become a governor, and call out a descendant of John Winthrop for a perceived lack of patriotism.
"Blood and Soil" is an old and terrible fraud, I should hope in America it would be unwelcome. This is not some traditional or customary idea here, it's an attempt to counterfeit a European-style ethnicity out of the 300 years of religious separatism, slave importation, Manifest Destiny, Indian Wars, exclusion acts, refugees and all the other bits and bobs that decided where everyone ended up. This is a deeply ideological enterprise, it is the furthest thing from reality.
You should fight for your home, but I hope you actually fight for it, and not merely your prerogative to call it yours.
Conservatism is rooted in the discovery that Being is fundamentally good.
I suppose even with his neck in a noose, Dr. Pangloss found solace in the idea that only the Best of all Possible Worlds could produce a rope.
The point is that conceptually dividing the homo sapiens to white, brown, black, and yellow and white people yields very little useful information.
"Think of it of this way: what happens if those of us who are worried about Europe's survival are wrong? Nothing. "
That presumes that people who believe that Europe is in danger don't come to power and attempt a solution of the Muslim problem..
Well, ES, tell us? What is wrong with 'white supremacy' that isn't wrong with yellow supremacy or black supremacy or brown supremacy?
@JD
I suspect that Milo's or Richard Spencers or Jared Taylor's solutions to health care or taxes or government spending or personal autonomy or religious freedom are far closer to 'establishment conservatives' positions than they are to the likes of Obama or Eric Holder or Cecelia Munoz. But go on cutting your nose off despite your face, thinking there is a great pool of 'Hispanic' libertarians or conservatives out there, if only 'we' could get rid of these deplorables.
"Well, 140 years later her question has been answered: excellent beer in all the restaurants and Catholics are just another flavor of Christianity"
0) Virato is quite correct. In many places Anglos have been dispossessed.
1) Actually German beer makers like Busch and Coors destroyed a lot of local breweries (granted Prohibition didn't help)
2) The brewing Renaissance began with the 'rediscovery' of Anglo-Saxon brews, particularly IPA.
3) As always, the commentator ignores the most pertinent fact…German immigration basically came to a trickle after 1922…Nazi Rocket Scientists excepted.
"I wonder, how do you factor into that the huge pedophile scandal related to Jimmy Savile and others in the UK govt? "
One guy don't compare with a whole community
mrscracker says:
Elros,
Just to mention, some of the Palatines came to the American colonies by way of Ireland and already spoke English.
Families who think they have exclusively British colonial ancestors are often surprised to find out that there was more mixing of DNA than they supposed.
Names changed, people assimilated,and family histories are sometimes more narrative than fact.
Michael Price says:
Not one word of evidence for the idea that Milo is white supremacist or alt-right, hell that he's even racist. If anecdotes about some people who follow him are all the evidence you have against him, he's right. It's that simple.
Good for your babysitter for not letting her 'birth' define her politics. If she's Bosnian it's quite likely she's not particularly devout Muslim anyway. And in general, I quite like people who are willing to make up their own minds on issues and not just fit into the identity politics boxes in which liberals seem to want to squeeze them.
Europe really is undergoing horrible problems related to Muslim immigration right now, which are way beyond anything that Americans can really relate to. (Before Muslims, there were the Roma, who also suffer from social and cultural pathologies at a level way beyond anything in America. Roma college graduation rates today are lower than those of African Americans in the South during Jim Crow era.)
It shouldn't surprise anyone that a half Bosnian Muslim might not want Europe to embrace further Muslim immigration. For a start, people aren't defined by their religion or ethnicity: for a second thing, Bosnians aren't Pakistanis or Moroccans. Their appearance, fertility rates, treatment of women, religiosity, are all very different. Finally, it's not at all inconsistent to be happy with a particular group being 2% of your society, but not happy if they were to become 20%, much less 50%. Even if you're part of the group in question.
The analogy I've brought up in the past, although I doubt it will be of much interest to any but history / theology nerds: in the era of the Church Fathers and the early Middle Ages, a lot of members of dissident Christian sects (Nestorians, Assyrians, and various Gnostics) sought refuge in Persia and Central Asia, since Orthodox / Catholic societies tended to persecute them. If you were one of these Christian heretics living in Persia or Turkestan, the last thing you would want is for the rulers of your polity to allow more migration from the Christian world, because most Christians at the time belonged to churches that officially wanted your annihilation.
And no, none of that means she is an "alt righter". By your own description she identifies more with Holland than with America, so it's kind of presumptuous to think you could fit her neatly into the American political spectrum. Maybe, like a lot of people in Europe, she agrees with the American alt-right on some issues but not on all. Quite a lot of people in Europe who are strongly opposed to Muslim immigration aren't really on the right at all.
Jimmy Savile is horrible, but believe it or not, as bad as his huge record of molested girls is, the Rotherham perpetrators racked up a total almost three times as high.
Anyway all of this has been taken into account by the British government (who's not known for political incorrectness): their own statistics state that in 68% of statutory rape cases the race of the offender is known, and in 38% of those, the perpetrator is South Asian. That's a high total when you consider South Asians are only 5% of the population. Native British people commit 55% of statutory rapes and are 82% of the population, while Black citizens of the UK commit 3% of statutory rapes and are somewhat over 3% of the population.
This is nonsense even by your standards, Jesse. Most immigrants in the US arrive by plane, not by wading across the Rio Grande. This isn't, like, 1968. Mexico is no longer a significant source of net immigration to the US- as your own side was fond of, quite correctly, pointing out last year- and most immigrants these days aren't Latino anyway, they're Asian. This is not unrelated to the fact that Latino fertility has collapsed in the last couple of decades. When the 1965 immigration law was passed, Mexican women had an average of 7.2 children apiece, today they have an average of 2.25. The declines in El Salvador and Nicaragua have been even sharper.
I am not, here, taking a position on whether American immigration laws should be stricter, about the same, or laxer. I am saying that the fact we share a border with Mexico is neither here nor there, because most immigrants, legal or illegal, don't come across it. (For what it's worth, Israel shares a land border with Middle Eastern countries, and that border is generally closed. So was the border between Greece and Turkey, historically.)
Raskolnik says:
This is a terminally dumb argument. I mean, yes, sure. On the other hand, are you really going to deny that there is such a thing as Indian culture, because the Cholas fought the Palas, or Hindi is different from Marathi (to say nothing of Tamil or Malayalam)? Are you really going to say there is no such thing as African culture, because the Nuer and the Dinka can't get along?
No, that would be terminally dumb, and you'd be rightly decried as a racist for asserting that "there is no Indian culture" or "there is no African culture" or "there is no Chinese culture," with the same derisive attitude that you just claimed "there is no white/European culture." And yet you have no qualms about, and far from approbation even receive accolades from the globalist elite and their representatives here for, maintaining the patently racist fiction that "there is no such thing as white/European culture." Hypocritical and, frankly, disgusting.
@ dominic1955:
"I think part of it, at least from where I am in the Catholic world, is the sissification of the Church."
This is exactly it. Feminize Jesus and all the men will start to look for their masculinity elsewhere, underground, in ways that are immoral (sort of like metaphysics Fight Club). Bring masculinity back into the Church. Make masculity Great Again and we won't have all these problems.
@ M_Young:
"White people have decided to limit family size, in part for environmental concerns. Mass immigration wipes out the benefits we would see from that decision of whites."
Don't tell me your against high white birth rates because of the dang environment.
I would think people would understand that higher birthrates for white people would be the other way to go about the issue.


1 – Heroes (1977) by David Bowie. The best superhero song on the charts. We can be heroes, just for one day.
2 – Iron Man (1970) by Black Sabbath, a power metal anthem for the metal man: the Invincible Iron Man.
3 – Magneto & Titanium Man by Paul McCartney & Wings from the Venus and Mars LP.
8 – Spider-Man by the Ramones, recording the Saturday morning cartoon theme.
11 – Ride Captain Ride (1970) by Blues Image, for Captain America, along with "Shield" by Deep Purple.
17 – Super Freak (1981) by Rick James. Is that a super power? The super freak comes to the rescue?
19 – Rubberband Man (1976) by the Spinners. Good song, but I doubt he could take Doc Octopus.
20 – Plastic Man (1973) by the Temptations, least cool super power.
What about: Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen from Mars (2000) from Bon Jovi ... Hero or Villain?
I'm disappointed Adam and the Ants didn't give us an "Ant Man" song.
So there you have enough superhero songs to make a mix tape for the Comic Con. Have fun, and don't forget to bag 'em and board 'em.


text:
About Omega Membership
Explore Everything
Dropping In Podcast
Omega in Action
Leadership & Work
Center for Sustainable Living
Women's Leadership Center
Nonprofit Retreats
Veterans, Trauma, & Resilience
Yoga Service
OUR MAIN CAMPUS IN RHINEBECK, NY
R&R Retreats
Rhinebeck, NY
Mission, History & Values
Our Rhinebeck Campus
Jobs & Service
People & Culture Team
Join Omega
Follow @omega_institute
Like us Instagram
Get the Latest from Omega
Receive Catalog
I'd like to receive a catalog
Roshi Joan Halifax
upaya.org
Joan Halifax Roshi, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, activist, and author of several books on engaged Buddhism, shamanism, and spirituality.
She is founder of the Ojai Foundation and founder, abbot, and head teacher of Upaya Zen Center, a Buddhist monastery and Zen Peacemaker community in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She also directs the Upaya Prison Project, which develops programs on meditation for prisoners.
A practitioner of socially engaged Buddhism, Halifax has done extensive work in the area of death and dying for more than 30 years. She has worked with the dying and has taught and lectured on the subject of death and dying at Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Medical School, Georgetown Medical School, Columbia University, and many other academic institutions, monasteries, and medical centers around the world.
In 1994, Halifax founded the Project on Being With Dying, which has trained hundreds of health-care professionals in the contemplative care of dying people. A distinguished scholar at the Library of Congress, Halifax is the only woman and the only Buddhist to be on the Advisory Council for the Tony Blair Foundation. She also serves on the board of directors of the Mind and Life Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring the relationship of science and Buddhism.
Halifax studied for a decade with Zen teacher Seung Sahn, received the Lamp Transmission from Thich Nhat Hanh, and was given Inka by Bernie Glassman Roshi. A founding teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order, her work and practice for more than three decades has focused on engaged Buddhism. For the past 25 years, she also has been active in environmental work.
What People are Saying About Joan Halifax Roshi
"Joan Halifax has a knack for straight talk and sublime insight—a no-holds-barred approach to life's greatest challenge—dying well."
—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence
Roshi Joan Halifax at Omega
Is Moral Outrage Useful or Destructive?
Cultural Diversity is Our Health
01:08 minute watch
Self Transparency & Social Responsibility
150 Lake Drive
Request a Catalog View Our 2020 Spring Brochure
Charitable Solicitations
©2020 Omega Institute


Hope you folks liked the last guest post as much as I did cause you're about to see a whole lot more of Northern Ontario in the days to come.
Tim Horton's Pumpkin Spice tea, enjoyed on the road along the Trans Canada Highway, en route to visit my fam in the teeny town of Lively, Ontario.
I've already seen fall colours, made some peculiar friends on the greyhound bus and caught my first glimpse of a canoe (if you look closely you can see it behind my timmys cup).
Its kind of the best, right? Even though their coffee is terrible, its terrible in a charming way…right?
RIGHT?? I miss it so!


text:
Cage the Elephant at Shaky Knees
Courtesy of Shaky Knees
Saturday May 4, 2019 09:30 pm EDT 05/04/2019 9:30 pm
Cost: $135-$750
Peachtree Stage
string(30) "Shaky Knees - Saturday May 4th"
string(23) "Courtesy of Shaky Knees"
string(697) "Start off your summer with three days of nonstop music and atmosphere under the sun. The Shaky Knees Music Festival offers one of the largest and most well-curated collections of contemporary and legendary indie and alternative rock and post-punk lineups in the country. The festival returns to Central Park May 3-5, with a stacked weekend bill featuring performances by Beck, Tame Impala, Bad Books, Soccer Mommy, Japanese Breakfast, Pedro the Lion, and more spread across the Peachtree, Piedmont, Ponce de Leon, and Criminal Records stages. A boatload of late-night shows are happening as well, including the Dandy Warhols in Hell at the Masquerade on May 3, and Deerhunter at the Earl on May 4."
string(10) "$99-$1,600"
string(35) "https://www.shakykneesfestival.com/"
string(12) "Central Park"
string(19) "
string(32) "Cage the Elephant at Shaky Knees"
string(15) "584 586 736 610"
string(1) "S"
string(5) "Shaky"
string(1151) " Kneesradiofeatured 4ea2ef2a  2019-05-01T20:17:29+00:00 kneesradiofeatured-4ea2ef2a.jpg     Start off your summer with three days of nonstop music and atmosphere under the sun. The Shaky Knees Music Festival offers one of the largest and most well-curated collections of contemporary and legendary indie and alternative rock and post-punk lineups in the country. The festival returns to Central Park May 3-5, with a stacked weekend bill featuring performances by Beck, Tame Impala, Bad Books, Soccer Mommy, Japanese Breakfast, Pedro the Lion, and more spread across the Peachtree, Piedmont, Ponce de Leon, and Criminal Records stages. A boatload of late-night shows are happening as well, including the Dandy Warhols in Hell at the Masquerade on May 3, and Deerhunter at the Earl on May 4. 17042   Shaky Knees - Saturday May 4th 2019-05-04T16:00:00+00:00 2019-05-04T16:00:00+00:00 2019-05-05T03:59:00+00:00  Courtesy of Shaky Knees $99-$1,600 2019-04-29T21:42:40+00:00 In Stock https://www.shakykneesfestival.com/  Central Park   will.cardwell@gmail.com Will Cardwell   Cage the Elephant at Shaky Knees    y             Shaky Knees - Saturday May 4th "
string(212) "Shaky Knees - Saturday May 4th"
string(312) "Start off your summer with three days of nonstop music and atmosphere under the sun. The Shaky Knees Music Festival offers one of the largest and most well-curated collections of contemporary and legendary indie and alternative rock and post-punk lineups in the country. The festival returns to Centr..."
Part of Shaky Knees - Saturday May 4th
At Central Park


text:
India clamps down on disputed Kashmir after deadly clashes
A security clampdown and a strike sponsored by separatists fighting against Indian rule Monday shut most of Indian-administered Kashmir a day after deadly protests and fierce fighting killed 16 combatants and four civilians. Armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear fanned out across the region Monday and are patrolling streets in anticipation of anti-India protests and clashes.
Authorities have also clamped a curfew in the old parts of the disputed region's main city of Srinagar, the urban center of protests and clashes against Indian rule.
Shops and businesses closed in other areas where no security restrictions were in place. Separatist leaders who challenge India's sovereignty over Kashmir have called for a shutdown on Monday against the killings.
Authorities shut schools and colleges and canceled university exams in an attempt to stop protests by students. They also stopped train services and cut cellphone internet services in the most restive towns, and reduced connection speeds in other parts of the Kashmir Valley, a common government practice aimed to calm tensions and prevent anti-India demonstrations from being organized.
Troops laid steel barricades and coiled razor wire on roads and intersections to cut off neighborhoods as authorities anticipated widespread protests.
At least 13 rebels and three Indian army soldiers were killed in Sunday's fighting in three gunbattles in the southern Kashmir where new-age rebels have revived militancy and challenged New Delhi's rule with guns and effective use of social media.
As the fighting raged, massive anti-India protests erupted in several parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir and at least four civilians were killed and dozens injured in the latest round of anti-India protests.
In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants. The protests have persisted despite the Indian army chief warning recently that tough action would be taken against stone-throwers during counterinsurgency operations.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which in recent years has seen renewed rebel attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule.
Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.
Most Kashmiris support the rebels' cause against Indian rule while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.
Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.
Courtesy: CBS News


text:
What does sex tell you about a character?
Posted in books, Writing, tagged books, novels, sex, ugly and the beast, Writing on February 26, 2009| 11 Comments »
I'm rarely surprised when I encounter writers who say, "I would never write a sex scene. Just fade to black." I'm sometimes a little surprised by readers who say, "I won't read anything with graphic sex." (Because frankly, reading a sex scene is easier than writing one, let me tell you.) I'm not even that surprised when I come across an article that decries the tawdry new trend toward graphic sex in books.
Surprised, no. Disappointed? Oh yeah.
Who among us does not love sex? Oh, sure, there are those rare fern-like creatures who shy from the very suggestion of their genitals coming into contact with another person's genitals, but aside from that, the vast majority of humans like sex. Love sex. Obsessivly think about sex. How to get it, where to do it, and what to do once they've got it.
We did not reach a global population of more than 6 BILLION people by saying, "Ew. No, thanks" to sex. Nor did we get there because everybody wanted a baby. We got there because sex feels good and people don't just like it. They use it as the answer to all kinds of physical and emotional needs they have.
For that reason alone, writing about sex seems important to me. I think a lot of squeamish readers come to the idea with the presumption that every sex scene is erotica. Most writers who write sex outside the erotica genre, however, approach it as they do any other activity, as another opportunity to reveal character. If you look back on your sex life, you know it's true. The way people have sex says volumes about what kind of people they are and what kind of relationship they have with their partner(s).
Sure, the goal of sex for most people is primarily pleasure, so a lot of sex scenes are arousing, but they can also be awkward, uncomfortable, sad, angry, humiliating, funny, just like sex is in real life.
I ended up having to tackle this issue a lot in my most recent project, because my main character has been in prison for seven years and five of that in solitary. Freed, he has sex on the brain. (Not that it's exactly a departure from his personality before he went to prison.)
More difficult, he's a beast. (Hence the title, Ugly and the Beast.) One reader said, "Axyl is Conan, only without the PG-13 rating. Dude is straight-up NC-17." (One intrepid reader, whose personal life I wonder about, said, "Am I the only one who wanted to date Axyl?")
Writing the beastly part was easy. Put him in a cheap motel room with a girl he previously deemed "too ugly to screw on a dare," and he changes his tune: "Honestly, from behind she was better than lots of girls I've fucked. Nice little ass and no ex-boyfriend's name tattooed on her."
Easy enough to write a guy whose outlook on the world is this: "In my book, a girl gets in bed naked, she's open for business. I wasn't so tired I was gonna turn down the invitation, but she slapped my hands away."
Except nobody is that guy all the way through and through. Axyl is an asshole, but he's not some cardboard cut-out baddie. He's fighting this feeling of worthlessness and an emptiness he's been trying to fill up with sex. As much energy as he puts into getting laid, he's rarely completely happy during sex. Even with the ugly girl, he wonders if she really wants to be there.
"I wanted to kiss her, but when I got the hair outta her face and got her mouth under mine, her lips were tensed up, closed. When I tried to get my tongue into her mouth, she turned her head away." Axyl's first thought isn't the obvious one: no one's ever tried to kiss her before. His mind automatically jumps to the conclusion that she doesn't want to kiss him.
These are all rather tame examples, since I didn't want my blog to turn into a NSFW pr0n-fest, but they get at the heart of why I think sex, and explicit sex, is valuable in novels. If characters are going to have sex, why hide it behind a curtain? It leaves a gap as surely as narrative summary in the place of dialog can. Don't tell me, show me what the characters are like in bed. I swear, it's only about 19% prurient interest. ;o)
Branding…not just for cattle anymore
Posted in Writing, tagged agents, novels, publishing, ugly and the beast, Writing on February 17, 2009| 9 Comments »
As soon as I found out about it, I become a fan of the blog Shrinking Violets. It bills itself as "Marketing for Introverts." Just what I need. I'm sure all the teenagers and felons who watched me do condom demonstrations over the years wouldn't believe that I'm an introvert, but I am. The condom lady–that was just a role to play. Me, the real me, is a quiet, reserved person.
Shrinking Violets recently had a guest blogger, C.J. Lyons, who writes medical suspense novels. She also has some interesting observations about identifying and solidifying your "brand" as an author.
We've all watched commercial properties go through branding changes with varying degress of success and failure. Remember when Phillip Morris changed their name or when Coke changed their recipe?
It's strange to think of my writing in this light, but it is a product. I am trying to sell it. It has left me wondering what my brand is.
Obviously, I'm not flashy, as you can tell from the plain design I picked for my website. Nor is my writing flashy. On occasion I engage in verbal pyrotechnics, but those darlings usually end up drowned in the bathtub of revision. I like my prose to be solid, practical, and easy to understand. Primarily, I think that's because I want people to think about the ideas behind the writing instead of the writing.
My website design reveals another aspect to my "brand" that I haven't given much thought to. Apparently I'm a "regional writer." I've written plenty of stories that take place outside of Kansas and Oklahoma, but I do find that my best short stories develop out of the rather narrow locales of my childhood.
Even when I step outside of Kansas, as I do when I write fantasy, I find that the dry pragmatism and deep passions of the place sneak into the cultures I make up. The abolitionists who fought in the border wars and the people who stayed through the Dust Bowl crop up in places I never expected.
Also, I love intimacy. (And by intimacy I don't just mean sex. Although I don't shy away from including it where it fits and where it develops the characters.) It's more that I like stories told in close-up, to use a camera analogy. I quickly lose interest in stories, reading and writing them, that are told in the long view. Although I prefer third person to first, I like a very close third. In stories of grand scale, I want the main action to play out in a narrow room with two or three people intensely interested in that moment.
There's a dark element in my writing, too, that surprises a lot of people. Betrayal, isolation, disappointment, and cruelty all make their way into my stories. It's what I always think of as the Peyton Place Factor. In isolated places, people become dark, strange, secretive, and intent on their desires. Yes, even the wholesome young men who stop to help when you have car trouble, and the little old ladies who cook at church suppers, and the nice neat Christian families who eat across from you at those same church suppers. They're all hoarding secrets: meth addictions, shameful lust, decades-old jealousies, crushing disappointment, daily revenges on petty slights.
In some ways, it all comes together in the novel I currently have out with a few agents. I call it Ugly and the Beast on the days I love it. Blackneck on the days I hate it. Depending on who reads it, the book is perhaps urban fantasy that takes place in rural Oklahoma. Or it's literary with elements of magical realism. Cormac McCarthy smokes a bong with Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Despite my original intentions, it has a deep vein of politics on the issue of the death penalty and a parallel track of folkloric whimsy. The Executioner's Song meets Snow White.
Its main character, Axyl, could be my half-brother: a boy who grew up isolated among well-meaning people, with a basic notion of decency that hasn't stopped him from killing people. Carrying secrets and longing to find someone to tell them to. Trapped in a cycle of betrayal and always looking for the joke that will make it okay.
Austere, dark, funny, in close-up.
Who writes for the Insiders?
Posted in books, Writing, tagged books, insider, otherness, outsider, Star Trek, teenagers, weird, Writing, young adult on February 5, 2009| 29 Comments »
Arriving home from the library, I came to this realization: of the twelve books I'd picked out, ten of them were written around themes of Otherness. Not surprisingly, nine of those ten were young adult books. I don't typically read that much YA, but I've come to the conclusion that my new writing project is likely to develop into a YA story. To prevent its being written in a vacuum of glorious ignorance, I went browsing for some recent YA books.
The heros and heroines…they're all Outsiders. Either they're losers, or oddballs, or they're aliens, or supernatural creatures. However they've arrived there, all these YA protagonists are standing on the outside looking in.
The question that has been nagging me since I made that realization is: who writes for the Insiders? You know, the normal kids, the regular kids, the popular kids. The kids who don't sit alone at lunch. The kids who always have a date to homecoming. The kids who do well at sports and listen to Top 40 music. Who writes books for them? And what are those books? Seriously, I want suggestions. I have a burning curiosity to read these books and learn something about their authors.
I don't want to make sweeping generalities about writers, but I have to admit that almost every writer I know is…a little odd. Or off. Or downright strange. Many of us are introverts, which has turned us into observers. Others of us see the world from such a skewed angle that we're always writing in an attempt to document the discrepancies between our world and the world.
The problem is that because I was always an Outsider, perhaps I simply never noticed the books on the library shelves that were intended for the Insiders. They were invisible to me.
Trying to think of possible examples of Insider novels, all I can think of is television. Star Trek in particular, which despite its massive geek following is all about Insidership. Think of it–the Federation is this massive, wonderful, just, lawful, all-inclusive entity. The pinnacle of happiness on The Enterprise is to belong. So many story lines are devoted to that idea that I can't cite them all. Consider that in the original series, most of the episodes were about triumphing over some evil alien, or triumphing over a crew member who had "gone wrong," and at the heart of the episodes was this familial bond that everyone had to embrace. Or look at The Next Generation: Data trying to become human to belong. Repeated on Voyager, with Seven of Nine. The goal of the stories always seems to be to bring everyone together, to make everyone part of this big, inclusive club. Yet they hated the Borg…
So tell me, in the YA field, who writes for the Insiders?
PS: And I have to add…what the hell gives with the Holodeck? If my microwave malfunctioned, took over my house, and endangered my life, I would unplug it an throw it away. And I was never as big a fan of Star Trek as I was of the brief-lived Firefly, something of a mirror image of Star Trek, where the Federation is an evil fascist entity and the scrappy but criminal crew of Serenity are the heroes. An Outsider tale at its finest.