In the Fall Term of 2016, a small group of students had the privilege to be enrolled in the first ever Slavery & the Law course to be offered in a law faculty in Canada. We came to the class with a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and levels of familiarity with the institution of slavery and its legacies. However, none of us were prepared for what we were to learn about the foundational role that the law played in the creation and legitimization of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, and perhaps more importantly, the deep-seated ways in which the slave industry has shaped and influenced the law. This insight was formative for many of us, as it allowed us to deconstruct and re-shape our understanding of the law in a way that rejected the dominant narrative of multiculturalism and legal neutrality, and better reflected our perspectives and lived experiences within the law. What follows are the reflections of a small group of us drawn from our final reflections on the value of teaching this class in a law faculty.
In Winter 2018, when I graduate from McGill Law, I will have three degrees from an institution named after a man who could have owned me. James McGill was a slave owner. Owning slaves and participating in the slave trade directly benefitted McGill's wealth and success, just like the unpaid labour of slaves directly contributed to the wealth of the city of Montreal. These facts are widely ignored, not only within my legal education at McGill University's Faculty of Law but also more generally in the Canadian context, signifying a widespread erasure of slavery and Black history. This course, Slavery and the Law, has legitimized my disdain for Canada's false-perception of itself as the "True North strong and free". This erasure that has plagued not only my life-long educational experiences, but also my existence as a Black woman, is a microcosm of the Canadian and Quebec attitude towards slavery.
"Je me souviens," a phrase tattooed on Quebec licence plates, seems to indicate that Quebec deems its history, especially as a francophone island in an Anglophone sea, as important. Yet the retelling of its history in educational settings and in popular culture does not mention nor reflect the slave trade that occurred on its soil. As an educational mammoth, it is dangerous for McGill not to acknowledge its dark history, and, more importantly, not to offer a program on anything relating to Black Canadian studies. What is even worse is the devastatingly low number of professors of colour employed by the vast institution, signifying McGill's lack of progression with respect to diversity, and its continued subconscious upholding of systemic oppression.
Throughout my legal education at this Faculty, I have constantly been burdened by a weight of oppression, whether it be induced by classmates in the corridors, racially insensitive discussions within classrooms or, more frequently, in the legal texts and materials that I am forced to read. While I have been able to carve out safe spaces to combat the lonely feeling of being one out of four Black students in my class of 180 through clubs such as the Black Law Students Association of McGill. The opportunity to critically engage with the law and subject matter through a historical lens of oppression has not only been truly enlightening, but has served as a healing process.
I am by no means an expert in critical race or feminism, but I am often alarmed at the lack of familiarity with these subjects among my cohort here at McGill. Somehow an area of study that is the foundation of my interest in law, that informs all my decisions and all of my engagements, is viewed as peripheral and unnecessary by many of my classmates. While we happily engage in long conversations about adjacent issues such as democracy, civil liberties, and human rights, turning the conversation towards racial profiling or the absence of women of colour in the legal framework is met at best with silence and at worst with active resistance and shaming. This is not an equitable or productive environment. I believe in the capacity of my fellow students and I to work together to make change in the legal profession. The students with whom I have shared this class are among my closest friends, my present and my future colleagues with whom I hope to practice law with in new and innovative ways. While twenty-five potential partners is a blessing, it would be even better to have one hundred and eighty. The study of slavery and its legacies in the law should be mandatory learning for all law students. Only then will our faculty begin to create an equitable and "neutral" learning environment, as opposed to one that stifles the voices and ambitions of students who have lived with this legacy.
Legal curriculum has often reproduced and rationalized a skewed version of history, which maintains mythologies about the triumphs of legal liberalism and human rights law in eradicating North America's ugly past of slavery and racial discrimination. Critical legal education has the potential to disrupt dominant ideologies and power relations in and outside of the legal academy. Education functions both as a tool of "colonization and [of] emancipation." In its colonizing affinity, mainstream education tends "to assimilate and domesticate in the name of progress and prosperity and even in the name of equality and liberty." This is made possible by including and omitting certain knowledge and perspectives from the substantive content of legal curriculum.
McGill University is not immune to this colonizing tendency. For instance, in my first year torts class, we were assigned to read Parker v Richards. I remember feeling disappointed by the lack of space given to critically interrogating the case in terms of the race, gender and class dynamics. I wondered: why was this tragic case the first time I was being introduced to an Indigenous litigant? Why did we not deconstruct the racist assumptions underlying insurance law and tort victim "valuation"? After taking Slavery and the Law, the case took on new meaning for me as I became acutely aware of how entrenched the logic of slavery is in seemingly neutral legal instruments like contracts and insurance.
The critical scholarship on slavery, which was featured in our seminar, paints an intricate picture of the law's historical and ongoing entanglement in racial subordination. Throughout the seminar we were asked to read the narratives of Black women and families whose stories are often neglected. It was not just that we learned about histories of oppression but that we were expected to identify the narratives of resistance about the law's potential to constrain and inform individual choice, litigation for freedom, and broader social movements. With these teachings, I am reminded of the creative function of the law as a tool for social change. I am also conscious of the fact that my own learning, legal training and future practice has inevitably been shaped by compassion, collective work, and responsibility as a result of working through these narratives with my colleagues.
In reading and discussing M. NourbeSe Philip's Zong!, we encountered the notion of "speaking the unspeakable". Within this book of legal poetry, we learn the story behind Gregson v Gilbert, an English case concerning the throwing of transported slaves overboard. This case was much more than just an insurance case. Captain Collingwood threw 121 slaves overboard over three days due to what is thought to have been for insurance collection.
The unspeakable in this case is the disposal of black bodies without consideration for their personhood. While we grappled with the horror of this act, we also considered that this case was not that much out of the ordinary for those times. This unspeakable case can be related to the way we treat legal cases in our pedagogy and the fact that we often disregard the people involved. The story of what happened on the Zong as well as many other stories that stemmed from such legal cases must be told. No matter the atrocities contained within them, we, as law students, must recognize and emphatically consider the individuals we know only by their last names in the titles of cases.
Much of the material we encountered in this seminar was difficult to read, as the subject of slavery is a difficult history to contend with. Despite this, we read, discussed and considered the real-life implications of this global institution and how it has shaped current legislation. We should strive to include more discussion and education regarding the lasting social repercussions of different case decisions, laws and the like. It is through this practice that I believe we can become well-rounded jurists with holistic views of the law and its effects.
Law schools need to facilitate and encourage dialogue around diversity and inclusion, not shy away from potentially heated topics such as race. Law professors should strive to incorporate critical analysis of cases like Gregson v Gilbert into their pedagogy and to include conversations about legal violence and systemic racism towards people of colour (both in the past and in present) within the context of their classes. Understanding the way slavery shaped the relationships between law, public policy and social realities is an important first step in fostering racial equality in society and eliminating institutionalized racism. Educating future jurists about issues of systemic discrimination and implicit bias should be a top priority for law schools as it is likely to drive positive changes within the legal profession, including cultural sensitivity and awareness.
Like a great number of North American universities, McGill University is born from the conquest of land, the robbery of goods, and the enslavement of people. Given the history of James McGill's wealth accumulation, teaching slavery as a genesis of the liberal legal tradition at the McGill Faculty of Law can be a small act of ideological reparation. With slavery as one of "Canada's best-kept secrets," teaching and learning slavery could be used to mobilize the proceeds of slavery to uncover its ideological and material legacies, and a first step in disabling their long-lasting harms.
Teaching and learning slavery is also essential to engaging in thorough legal scholarship, particularly with McGill partaking in the tradition of legal liberalism and positioning itself at the forefront of "transsystemia". Despite its claim to European traditions of legal scholarship as a Faculty, no course in legal history is offered as part of the BCL/LLB at McGill, with the history of both civil and common law relegated to quick introductions. Ignorance of histories of legal thought makes it particularly difficult to understand legal genealogies and to approach law critically. The links between Roman law, the Code Noir, and the Code de l'indigénat should not be specialist knowledge. Learning and teaching slavery and the law means delving into legal history, demystifying narratives of 'original sin' and eschewing presentism in order to understand the legal genealogies in which the institution of slavery plays a central role: property law, labour law, contract, international law, and public law among others. There is no stronger historical basis for transsystemic legal education than the legal history of slavery, the murderous institution that has built the world that today requires the "multilingual, multijurisdictional and multidisciplinary" jurists described by Professor Roderick McDonald.
 McGill University, "Meet James McGill" McGill Website, online: < https://www.mcgill.ca/ about/history/meet-james-mcgill> [James McGill].
 McGill Law, "History of Legal Education at McGill", online: < https://www.mcgill.ca/centre-crepeau/ transsystemic/history> [McGill Law].
 Patricia J William, The Alchemy of Race and Rights (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991), at p148.


It's 2013 and I'm sitting in my boss' office overwhelmed with worry about having to ask for three days off to attend my grandmother's funeral in England. At the time, I was in a position where it was hard to find last-minute coverage and each individual was relied upon for a daily program to run. As I sit down at her desk, I struggle to fight back the tears and I'm barely able to voice my request. Her answer: "Go. Just go. We'll handle it." It's now five years down the road, but that moment of relief and shared understanding will stay with me forever.
I've worked under a variety of leaders and the one quality that I have valued most is kindness. It sounds so simple, but from an employee's perspective, to know that you're cared for can go such a long way. Whether it's going out of your way to make an employee feel valued, offering a water bottle to the mailman, or paying to fix a member of the janitorial staff's car tire, small gestures add up and do not go unnoticed by a team.
As an entrepreneur or person in a leadership role, it's inevitable that some days you'll have to play the "bad cop." If a teammate is underperforming or made a critical error, it's your job to correct these issues to protect your company culture. One way to balance these more challenging moments is by practicing kindness at every opportunity and demonstrating empathy when outside circumstances might be a factor.
While it was a long time ago that my boss let me travel to support my family through a tough loss, as I look back on my time working with her, I don't immediately recall the moments she corrected me or the times we didn't see eye to eye. Instead I remember the unwavering kindness that she showed me during a vulnerable moment in my life and that, I believe, is something that all leaders can learn from.


A community group that was a safe space for gay people in 1980s Ireland is the third winner of our Irish Rail free trips partnership.
The 22-year-old wants to force his way into the team's starting line-up immediately.
As well as the parade, there'll be champagne breakfasts and pop parties for the crowds to enjoy.
Here's what you need to know as you start your weekend.
The little green man is now the little green men.
The South Africa-born back-row has been learning the anthem in recent weeks.
'I'm not thinking about the Lions,'" says Warren Gatland after reeling off a chunk of the tour itinerary.
Pride and LGBTQ movements are being ruined by a descent into conformity and a fear of all things political, argues Leighanna Rose Walsh.
Dublin is awash with colour today – and emotion.
'It was the most wonderful and euphoric experience': How was your first Pride parade?
We asked some well-known members of the LGBT community to tell us about their first experience.
Councillor Terry Shannon says it is not right to be flying a Yes flag but not a No one.
The Ireland and Munster legend was chatting to Ryan Tubridy on the RTÉ show.
The film is about a group of gay and lesbian activists who supported striking miners in 1980s Britain.
Some aloe vera for that burn, stat.
Participants said awareness of gay rights was growing in Hong Kong.


The LMS's new musical 'All Shook up' brought audiences to their feet last night with joyous performances from a vibrant young cast.
Lead male Thorin Coffey left the crowd shaken and stirred as the snake hipped 'roustabout' Chad, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Elvis Presley.
The King's back catalogue provides the musical numbers like 'Jailhouse Rock, 'A Little Less Conversation' and 'Love Me Tender'.
The action takes place in a sleepy 1950s town where the prudish Mayor (played with expert comic timing by Una Culkin) has banned music and public displays of affection.
Things get turned on their head by the arrival of Chad, who purrs into town on his motorbike fresh from the County Jail and sets pulses racing.
Thorin is a natural mover and it is hard to believe 18-year-old has been dancing for just two years.
He easily commands the stage and will no doubt fulfil his ambition of being a West End star in the years to come.
Chad catches the eye of the town's female mechanic (Riana Lynch) who hatches a plan to pose as a man to get closer to the object of her affections.
Audiences won't be surprised to learn Riana is a voice teacher and music graduation of Ulster University.
The forbidden romance of the Mayor's son Deane and daughter of local landlady Lorraine was beautifully played out by Corey O'Connor and Hannah Deane whose voices were made for each other.
Comic turns by veteran LMS member David Keown as Natalie's Dad and relative newcomer Gregg Parkhill as her secret admirer Dennis kept the audience laughing.
Emer McCaffrey, who audiences will remember form her star turn as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act, was fabulous as the slinky museum curator Miss Sandra who catches Chad's eye.
But the stand out for me was Lorraine Roddy as Sylvia, whose velvety vocals drew a round of spontaneous applause from the audience mid song.
Busy raising a family of four, Lorraine hasn't stepped on the stage in 20 years but I doubt she'll be allowed to step off it after this.
A special mention must also go to Sheriff Earl (Geoff Coke) who melts the icy heart of Mayor Matilda with his rendition of 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You'.
Backed up by an energetic chorus and fabulous dancers, who more than do justice to Vanessa Chapman's choreography, the show is a joy from start to finish.
Director Deigh Reid and Musical Director Peter Doherty's years of experience have helped to guide the young cast to create something truly special.
'All Shook Up' is on at the Millennium Forum until Saturday March 10 at 8pm. For bookings ring the box office on 02871264455.


text:
Software Tools and Environments
As science becomes increasingly data-driven, software plays an increasingly important role. However, a gap in the pipeline has emerged: faculty, students, and postdocs in many scientific domains are not equipped to develop and deliver the advanced software they require. Furthermore, even in computer science, conventional academic roles have little incentive to harden, sustain, share, and integrate their techniques into a robust, reusable software infrastructure.
The charge of this working group is to fill this gap. Our goal is to sidestep inefficiencies to software development arising from competitive funding, including overemphasis on novelty, "not-invented-here" syndrome, underemphasis on usability, and a tendency towards overgeneralization or overspecialization.
Together with our counterparts at the University of Washington and New York University, we will conduct a distributed experiment varying people, policies, procedures, and projects to find foundational methods for the development, delivery, and sustainability of science software. Through shared events, mutual testing and outreach, shared software licensing and IP policies, and more, we plan to continually develop high-impact, usable software in domain science; establish ourselves as national leaders in open source software excellence, and attract and retain top data science "builders."
Working Group Members
Stéfan van der Walt
Senior Research Data Scientist
David Ackerly
Natural Resources; Integrative Biology; Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
Faculty Affiliate
Carl Boettiger
Environmental Science, Policy, & Management; UC Berkeley
Sandrine Dudoit
Statistics, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley
BIDS Faculty Council
Fernando Pérez
Statistics, UC Berkeley; Data Science and Technology, LBNL
Saul Perlmutter
Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics, 2011 Nobel Laureate
Karthik Ram
Daniela Ushizima
Computational Research Division, CAMERA, LBNL
Visit Working Group Site
Home Labs
UW eScience Institute
NYU Center for Data Science
Earth Sciences / Ecology & Environment, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Computer Science, Statistics and Applied Mathematics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The Road to Camlann: The Death of King Arthur is the third book in Rosemary Sutcliff's Arthurian trilogy, after The Sword and the Circle and The Light Beyond the Forest. This book portrays the events that lead to the Battle of Camlann and the downfall of Camelot, including Guinevere and Lancelot's secret affair, and the betrayal of Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred.

When, at the end of the battle, Ector laments Lancelot, Sutcliff uses Thomas Malory's text from Le Morte d'Arthur.

External links
 Official website with more on book and author

References

1981 British novels
Novels by Rosemary Sutcliff
British children's novels
Modern Arthurian fiction
The Bodley Head books
Novels set in the 6th century
1981 children's books

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Stellar Care Vacations offers pre-planned trips with various travel times and locations for you to join in on; or if you wish, we will work with you to plan your own personalized day trip or dream vacation. We would love to show you how easily you can take part in our Day Trips & Vacations. Take some time to look through the different services we offer between Day Trips, Private Vacations, and Mill Levy Trips.


This SMART Notebook file introduces students to WHAT is a syllable, WHY is it important to know syllables, and HOW to find them in a word. Students are led to place their hand under their chin as they say a word and count how many times their chin goes down (no clapping out syllables…this is more accurate). Students will practice finding how many syllables are in the names of the math shapes they see and place them in a chart. Next, students are linked to a fun robot game online to practice syllables. Finally, once they can identify the syllables in a word, students practice decoding two-syllable words with long vowels. Students identify the word's first syllables and they are led to writing down, circling, or sorting those words in various slide activities. Students are invited to add words they find to the file for future practice too. This 13 slide file can be reused over and over for review and practice all year long!


Please be advised that we only charge you for our Visa Service Fees which are for the arrangement of the VISA APPROVAL LETTER before picking up your Visa upon Arrival at Vietnam airports.
Our Service Fees DO NOT COVER the VISA STAMP FEE which you will be paid in cash directly at the Vietnam International Airports when you get Vietnam Visa.
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Fill out the secure online form with your passport details for your Vietnam visa-upon-arrival then click submit. After that it will show to the payment option page. If you choose consistent payment option by credit card via Onepay.vn, our site will redirect you to www.Onepay.vn page. You will be required to provide your personal and credit card details.
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After payment had been successful, please click the link in the footer of PayPal page: "return to Vietnam visa online", you will be received an email with notice "successful payment for your visa to Vietnam online". And it will show on your PayPal account the statement as "Vietnam visa online", or in bank statement as "PayPal Vietnam visa online".
Western Union payment gateway is the payment transfer money directly to receiver name. This is too easy than others because you just need bring cash to any Western Union agents and ask them to send to receiver name. After finishing sending money procedure, the Western Union agent will give you the money transfer control number (MTCN with 10 numbers) for getting money after 15 minutes. You please forward that code or payment receipt to us via email paid@Itvietnamvisa.com.
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So please make sure your payment is successfully done, or you must send us an email to check status so that we have actions in time for your Vietnam Visa.


text:
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Culture • Myths & Legends
Superheroes Of The Ancient World
By Gurcan Sarisoy
Why are we so drawn to superhero stories?
Many cultures all over the world have been fascinated and inspired by heroes and superheroes for centuries because they always illuminate the human condition – and they do so precisely because they operate at a slightly inhuman level. Superheroes are like us, but more so: stronger, cleverer, faster. They suffer from the same human frailties as all we do, but because of their superior powers, these struggles are played out in a more dramatic arena than our own.
Who was the original superhero?
Superman? Spiderman? Or perhaps it was Wonder Woman? Well, all we need just to look into history. Thousands of years ago the Ancient Turks, Greeks, Romans, Norse and other ancient civilizations were already creating their own heroes with superhuman powers. In fact, many of our modern-day superheroes draw on the characteristics and skills of these extraordinary classical characters.
Here are some ancient mythological superheroes who show Batman and Iron Man how it's done.
King Arthur – 'Celtic Superhero'
Howard Pyle illustration from the 1903 edition of The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (Image Source)
King Arthur, the legendary monarch who rose to the throne by pulling his sword Excalibur out of a stone and ruled Britain with the help of the knights of the round table and the wizard Merlin, may or not have been real. Though debate has gone on for centuries, historians have been unable to confirm that Arthur really existed. Still, the legend however persists throughout Western culture and folklore.
Statue of Hercules
The hulking Hercules is a star of Marvel comics and the eponymous character in an animated Disney movie. But the legend of Hercules is actually thousands of years old.
Renamed by the Romans he was first a demi-god called Heracles, created by the Ancient Greeks.
The son of Zeus was born with superhuman strength and stamina that, amongst other remarkable feats, enabled him to complete 12 "impossible" tasks, slay numerous monsters, hold up the heavens (to give Atlas a break), win every single event at the inaugural Olympic games, and even wrestle and defeat Death himself.
It's possible that, as at least some 5th century Greeks believed, Herakles was based on some remote historical figure—possibly a man whose life was so filled with misfortune and bad luck that his contemporaries just assumed a goddess had to be after him—and that, like King Arthur years later, stories about him later grew in the telling, continually reshaped to suit the needs of each teller.
Thor's Fight with the Giants (1872) by Mårten Eskil Winge. (Image Source)
In Germanic mythology, Thor (whose name comes from Old Norse) is the hammer-wielding God of Thunder – associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, and strength.
He has in his possession the magic hammer Mjolnir, which handily enables him to fly and also manipulate the weather in order to fulfil his main purpose: the protection of mankind.
His namesake, Thor Odinson, who appears in the Marvel Comics, is based on the very same Norse mythological deity.
Wiglaf speaking to Beowulf after his battle with the dragon. Beowulf is mortally wounded. Marshall, Henrietta Elizabeth (1908) Stories of Beowulf
Beowulf is the famous hero in English literature (you can still see echoes of him in modern heroes like Superman). The main character of a poem written in Old English centuries ago, Beowulf is a great warrior who uses his incredible strength to defeat three monsters. Some superheroes and other heroes of popular culture act basically like Beowulf even though they were created over a thousand years later.
Heroic poem "Beowulf' believed to have been composed between 700 and 750 A.D. Considered by many to be a literary masterpiece, the work spans thousands of lines and details the heroics of a brave Scandinavian fighter named Beowulf, who frees Danish King Hrothgar's hall from the murderous demon Grendel.
Although superhero men have dominated the ancient myths, some legendary mythological female figures with power, intelligence and influence took on the world with not less success.
The Amazons
A hippeis rider seizes a mounted Amazonian warrior armed with a labrys by her Phrygian cap. Roman mosaic emblema (marble and limestone) from Daphne, a suburb of Antioch-on-the-Orontes (now Antakya in Turkey), second half of the 4th century AD, the Louvre, Paris (Image Source)
In Greek mythology the Amazons are a tribe of brutal and aggressive warrior women. (Not from the Amazon jungle at all, confusingly.) In the Iliad, The Amazons are described as experienced, man-like fighters – a match for any male opponent in terms of their physical strength, prowess and bravery.
These strong, warrior-like women are the inspiration behind the DC Comics' hero of page and screen, Wonder Woman. Originally, her origin story was that she was sculpted from clay by her mother Queen Hippolyta and blessed with gifts of power and skill from the Greek gods.
An 18th-century depiction of Hua Mulan. (Image Source)
Long before she was the heroine of a popular Disney movie, Hua Mulan was inspiring generations of young people in her own country of China. The legend of this woman warrior has existed since at least the 6th century and has hardly waned in popularity today.
Chinese folk song "The Ballad of Mulan" tells Mulan's original story of disguising herself as a man to protect her father from being drafted into the war. As a soldier, Hua Mulan goes into battle for 12 years, becoming a skilled and esteemed warrior of the Chinese army. But when the emperor tries to bestow honors upon her for her service, the dutiful daughter retires and returns home to her family.
Eight ancient mythological superheroes that show Marvel how it's done BBC
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton
The Iliad by Homer
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text:
Stephon Gilmore opens up about process that brought him back home, Carolina Panthers memories
From the time his plane his landed around noon on Thursday, Stephon Gilmore was engulfed in the process of becoming a Carolina Panther. A trade with his former team the New England Patriot sent Gilmore to the queen city in exchange for a future sixth-round pick. The deal showed the team's willingness to make deals that could help them win right away but it also showcased the savvy skills of general manager Scott Fitterer who happens to live just a few doors down from Gilmore.
During the early evening press conference Gilmore spoke about the whirlwind process that brought him here as well as his excitement about joining the team. "It's been a crazy twenty-four hours but it's over now and I'm looking forward to the future," Gilmore said.
"Looking forward to learning in the meeting room and learning the scheme, learning the calls because it starts in the meeting room."
At the time of the press conference Gilmore admits he had not met with head coach Matt Rhule yet and that there were a laundry list of things he needed to do to start the acclimation process which included what he could do to start to gel with new teammates while he waits to become eligible for his first game as a Panther. "I'm just trying to come in and talk to everyone and learn as much as I can and lead by example and once I get on the field earn my teammates respect and go from there."
The 2019 NFL defensive player of the year brings a wealth of experience to the locker room that will be a bonus for the young core of players that the Panthers hope to build on for the future. Jaycee Horn is sidelined for now but Gilmore maintains communication with Horn - a good sign of how his presence will help shape up and coming players.
In addition to the football memories that Gilmore has been creating in the region since he was six years old, the other great part of him being a native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, is that he won't have to go through the process of learning a new city and culture which will give more time to get to know the playbook. He's got a built in fan base with a bulk of his family residing nearby including his father who is a current Panthers season ticket holder. "It's a lot of memories here," Gilmore said.
"I grew up watching the Panthers play and I was always a Panthers fan."
Gilmore is expected to see his first action as a Panther when the team travels to New York to face the Giants later this month.
#carolinapanthers
#stephongilmore


text:
Bushbucking Katrina
With these Bushbuckers the pattern of dereliction of duty is so clear, it is painful to contemplate. The latest example is news that the White House was warned days in advance in detail of Katrina's potential for destroying New Orleans--and did nothing. Joby Warrick of the Washington Post tells it all in today's edition--a FEMA presentation two days before the storm hit, anticipating a breach of the levees, and a Department of Homeland Security National Infrastructure Simulation and Assessment Center pre-storm assessment of damage that was delivered to the White House shortly after 1 a.m., August 29, the day the storm hit New Orleans and the Gulf coast. Both were spot on in terms of the catastrophe. FEMA laid the ground work for more evacuation and quicker response. The NISAC white paper should have set in train emergency response teams. But nothing was done, and after the fact, the Bushy, who had been vacationing, lied repeatedly in saying that no one could have anticipated the devastation.
That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Bushy is on vacation when a dire warning is issued to him and his minions of an impending catastrophe. The warning is ignored. The event occurs much as predicted. The Bushy is temporarily paralyzed with fear and incompetence. Then he presents himself as a great leader while proclaiming that no one knew or could have anticipated the tragedy. Choose the year: 2001 or 2004.
Posted by Mark Derr at 11:30
Listening to the State of Disunion
That Messy Business--Democracy
Clear as Mud
The "Truth"
Dog Clone, or the Mystery of Hwang Woo Suk
Deja Vu All Over Again (updated)


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Arrived back in New York on Thursday afternoon after 10 days abroad, eager to reconnect to my BPAC project. It has been deeply satisfying to have this relationship with CEB's work and the BPAC staff. Went to DC Moore Gallery to see the Woods, Lovely, Dark, and Deep show curated by John Zinsser, and in particular the two Burchfield pieces, Wood Lilies, 1944, and Black Tree (Gloomy Tree), 1917. Looks like Melancholy - Sadness (Conventions for Abstract Thoughts), also from 1917, is included in the latter. Met Heidi Lange, a director of the gallery. We discussed our mutual regard for the BPAC staff. She said that the Burchfield family held them and Nancy, in particular, for her career-long devotion to CEB, in the highest esteem. As do I.


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Q: Pass an Expression into another Expression as parameter My problem derived from complex reusable logical specifications.
I have the following Expression:
Expression<Func<User, bool>> userExp =
            user => user.UserInRoles.Any(userInRole => userInRole.RoleId == SystemRoles.SysAdmin.Id);

And I need to get the ability of:
new CommonContext().Set<Estate>().Where(estate => userExp.WithParameter(estate.CreatorUser)).ToList();

So how can I pass the Creator of Estate entity into the expression which accepts a User entity and finally use the final expression in linq to sql ?
The problem is : WithParameter
EDIT:
This one works but its not efficient:
new CommonContext().Set<Estate>().ToList().Where(estate => userExp.Compile()(estate.CreatorUser)).ToList()

And the following is not the answer because the Invoke method can not be translated to store expression:
Expression<Func<User, bool>> userExp =
            user => user.UserInRoles.Any(userInRole => userInRole.RoleId == SystemRoles.SysAdmin.Id);

Expression<Func<Estate, User>> propAccessor = estate => estate.ApprovedByUser;

var estateParam = Expression.Parameter(typeof(Estate));
var userParam = Expression.Invoke(propAccessor, estateParam);
var translatedExp = Expression.Invoke(userExp, userParam);
var result = (Expression<Func<Estate, bool>>)Expression.Lambda(translatedExp, estateParam);

var exceptionProvider = new CommonContext().Set<Estate>().Where(result).ToList();

But I need something which can be translated into Store Expression
maybe the final solution is decomposing and then recomposing the expression , and if so ,, how can I encapsulate it for reusing it in similar situations? (as this is what i'm trying to do)

A: One alternative solution can be to query first the users and select all the estates:
Expression<Func<User, bool>> userExp =
            user => user.UserInRoles.Any(userInRole => userInRole.RoleId == SystemRoles.SysAdmin.Id);

new CommonContext().Set<User>().Where(userExp).SelectMany(u => u.Estates).ToList();

A: You will need to rewrite the expression.  I made an extension method for WithParameter.
First we are going to need to borrow the ParameterVisitor class from this answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/5431309/1798889 and tweak it a bit.  We don't want to just replace the parameter in one expression with a different parameter we want to remove the parameter and replace it with a new expression.
public class ParameterVisitor : ExpressionVisitor
{
    private readonly ReadOnlyCollection<ParameterExpression> from;
    // Changed from ReadOnlyCollection of ParameterExpression to Expression
    private readonly Expression[] to;

    public ParameterVisitor(ReadOnlyCollection<ParameterExpression> from, params Expression[] to)
    {
        if (from == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("from");
        if (to == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("to");
        if (from.Count != to.Length)
            throw new InvalidOperationException(
                "Parameter lengths must match");
        this.from = from;
        this.to = to;
    }

    protected override Expression VisitParameter(ParameterExpression node)
    {
        for (int i = 0; i < from.Count; i++)
        {
            if (node == from[i]) return to[i];
        }
        return node;
    }
}

Notice I changed the To parameter to just be an expression and not a ParameterExpression.
Now we are going to create the WithParameter
public static class QueryableExtensions
{
    public static Expression<Func<TResult, bool>> WithParameter<TResult, TSource>(this Expression<Func<TSource, bool>> source, Expression<Func<TResult, TSource>> selector)
    {
        // Replace parameter with body of selector
        var replaceParameter = new ParameterVisitor(source.Parameters, selector.Body);
        // This will be the new body of the expression
        var newExpressionBody = replaceParameter.Visit(source.Body);
        return Expression.Lambda<Func<TResult, bool>>(newExpressionBody, selector.Parameters);
    }
}

In this we take the selector of how we know what property we want and replace the parameter of the Expression> with that property.
You use it like
new CommonContext().Set<Estate>().Where(userExp.WithParameter<Estate, User>(estate => estate.CreatorUser)).ToList();

Word of warning I don't know Linq to SQL and didn't test it against that and I didn't test it against IQueryable but it does work for IEnumberable.  I don't see why it wouldn't work as the debug view of the two expression at the end look the same.
Expression<Func<Estate, bool>> estateExp = estate => estate.CreatorUser.UserInRoles.Any(userInRole => userInRole.RoleId ==  SystemRoles.SysAdmin.Id);

is the same expression tree as
userExp.WithParameter(estate => estate.CreatorUser)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Pastor Steven Anderson — A vitriolic American Baptist and his Hungarian connection
January 23, 2018 2:25 pm·
Pastor Steven Anderson of Arizona's Faithful Word Baptist Church often claims to have a monopoly on "true," undiluted "Bible-believing" Christianity. In his mind, Christ's message is not of redemption and forgiveness, but of visceral rage and damnation for a wide range of people on his hate list. Mr. Anderson has declared that homosexuals are better dead than alive and has called on any person who discovers that he or she is gay to commit suicide. In June 2016, he celebrated the ISIL-led terrorist attack against a gay night club in Orlando, which killed 49 people. "The good news is that there are fifty less pedophiles in this world," Mr. Anderson said of the shooting, and then added: "That's who were victims here, a bunch of disgusting homosexuals…The Bible says that homosexuals should be put to death, in Leviticus 20:13. These people all should have been killed any way, but they should have been killed through the proper channels. They should have been executed by a righteous government….The good news is that at least 50 of these pedophiles are not going to be harming children anymore." There seems to be no issue more important to Mr. Anderson than homosexuality and fighting gay rights–so much so, that he often wears a "Straight Pride" t-shirt, presumably to underscore his own heterosexuality. He has referred to the abbreviation LGBTQ as standing for "let God burn them quickly" in his sermons, as captured in a BBC documentary entitled America's Hate Preachers.
Steven Anderson wears a straight pride shirt.
In Mr. Anderson's mind, homosexuality and pedophilia are inextricably linked. In his skewed private interpretation of Scripture, he also fails to consider that Leviticus does not refer to committed, monogamous same sex relationships (this concept is not present in Scripture), but rather to sexual encounters associated with idolatry. (For a detailed discussion of this from a progressive Catholic perspective, see the piece in the Liberal Catholic Digest.) While his worst vitriol is reserved for homosexuals, Mr. Anderson publishes anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic material as well, and his view of women (they are to eschew college and remain in the house) also raises eyebrows. In 2016, during a sermon, Mr. Anderson did an impression of the deceased Mother Teresa lying as a corpse in a casket, after which he started shrieking and flailing his arms, explaining to his congregation that "she's burning in hell right now."
Mr. Anderson is also a Holocaust denier. "I don't believe that the official version of the Holocaust is true whatsoever," he said in a video ominously entitled The Holocaust Exposed. He uses debunked writings of Holocaust deniers in his videos to argue that while some Jews, along with many other people, may have died in World War II, there was no Holocaust, no Final Solution and no concerted effort to annihilate Jews as such. He has also gone on to declare that Jews are the most "wicked" people in the world, holding them responsible for the spread of pornography.
Mr. Anderson's hate speech got him denied entry to Canada in 2017, but previously he had also been banned from South Africa, Botswana and the United Kingdom. His genocidal language against homosexuals, especially after Orlando, is what got him barred.
The 36 year old Steven Anderson's wife, Zsuzsanna Tóth, is Hungarian and the two met in 1999, in Munich, Germany. Zsuzsa had lived in both Germany and Britain and the young Steven seemed to be mesmerized by her "British" English. (She did not have much of a Hungarian or German accent, apparently.) The young Mr. Anderson was handing out Christian tracts in a public square and this is where the two first met. When Mr. Anderson returned to the U.S., the two remained in touch through email, regular letters and built a friendship. Yet Mr. Anderson believed he could never fall in love with her for a one very important reason. Mr. Anderson writes:
"She was still not saved, and I had absolutely no intention of ever falling in love with, dating, or marrying an unsaved girl, no matter how much I liked her…Every girl I ever dated was saved, and my first step was always to bring them to my church to see if they enjoyed the hard, biblical preaching."
That very American and individualist understanding of Christian salvation as being a personal, one-time act of "accepting Christ into your heart" and the notion of "hard, biblical preaching," was foreign to Christian culture in Hungary, be it Catholic or Protestant. Born-again Christianity was brought to the country, and to other parts of Eastern Europe, by American Evangelical and Baptist missionaries. Full disclosure: I am familiar with this first-hand. When I was living in Budapest with my parents in the nineties, they enrolled me in the International Christian School of Budapest (ICSB), located in the southwest Buda town of Diósd. The school was established by American born-again missionary groups, such as the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, Campus Crusade for Christ and a handful of others. The concept of being a "born-again Christian" was as foreign to me, growing up in a Catholic family, as it was to nearly every other student of Hungarian origins. The notion that somehow I, my family and Hungarian society writ large–built on the narrative of St. Stephen's Christian state and historic Hungary as being a bulwark of western Christianity in the East–were not Christian, was incomprehensible.
To be sure, my time at ICSB was not characterized by the type of vitriol that forms the basis of Mr. Anderson's preaching, even if there seemed to be a broad consensus that Catholics were not saved and anti-Catholicism most certainly existed in some circles. The American missionaries on the outskirts of Budapest worked hard to raise enough money in their churches back home to allow them to live quite modestly in Hungary. They often learned Hungarian, tried to integrate into Hungarian society and were clearly driven by a deeply held belief that they could bring eternal life in Christ for the people of this post-communist society by convincing them to perform a simple, personal gesture of faith.
When Zsuzsa visited the Steven and his parents in Roseville, California, "saving" this young Hungarian woman was clearly a consideration. The same day her plane landed, she was introduced to a most extensive collection of Bibles. Mr. Anderson explains:
"I showed her the big bookshelf in my room that I was pretty proud of which had 3 long shelves (I have always love books and done a lot of reading). The top shelf contained about 40 different King James Bibles…She thought having forty-some Bibles was a little bit excessive. I told her that at least if I were ever burned at the stake, there would be plenty of fuel, and that didn't seem to make her feel any better about it…"
Mr. Anderson continues with his first impression of this young European:
"Being an unsaved girl from Europe, she had been brainwashed into believing a lot of left-wing ideology such as socialism, feminism, humanism, gay rights, etc., and she was definitely against spanking… I remember explaining to her why there was no way that evolution could actually be true. She had never in her life even heard of anyone questioning it."
Indeed, even conservative Hungarian Catholics and Protestants would not generally question evolution–it was simply not a topic of debate in Hungarian society in the nineties…nor elsewhere in the region. But Zsuzsa was softening, as she was introduced to the Anderson family's faith life. "On Sunday morning, we went to Regency Baptist Church with the whole family. This was her very first time in a Baptist church. She still wasn't a believer, but she really enjoyed the service and said that she liked it a lot better than Catholic church," recalls Mr. Anderson.
The young man had clearly developed feelings for Zsuzsa Tóth, but was troubled by the fact that she was not "saved."
"I went to my room with a heavy heart. I had really become fond of Zsuzsa, and I was sad that she still wasn't saved. I got on my knees and wept, praying to God that she would get saved. Little did I know that at the exact moment my tears were flowing as I prayed for her, she was upstairs in her room, asking Jesus Christ to save her."
And there it is: Zsuzsa Tóth become a Christian. In Roman Catholicism, salvation is a life-long process and one's relationship with the divine and indeed the mystery of the incarnation is more layered, multifaceted and much more communal in nature than to fit neatly into a one-time formula, invoked in private.
Despite her conversion, Zsuzsa, coming from a European background, was horrified by the death penalty in the U.S. and about Steven's visceral hatred towards homosexuals. Mr. Anderson recounts:
"I told her that I believed that our government should give homos the death penalty. This made her very upset and became our first fight. It was not that she had a particular soft spot for homos, it was just that she had always been taught that the death penalty was wrong in general, and especially for something other than murder! Basically, she was just emotional because she considered me to be a nice guy and could not believe that I would condone of such a "violent" measure. It seemed like a contradiction to her at the time. Keep in mind that she had just gotten saved only 6 days before…"
The two spoke a fair bit about marriage as they got to know each other better. Somewhat oddly for a born-again Christian so serious about his faith, they tried to get married in 2000 at what they believed was a 24/7 wedding chapel in Reno, Nevada, which turned out to be closed by the time they got there. In the end, they had a 2-minute wedding ceremony at a place called the Chapel of the Bells, without even Steven's parents present or knowing about it, upon which they "headed back to Roseville to consummate the marriage."
Zsuzsa returned briefly to Germany, so the young couple were in a long-distance marriage for the next three weeks, until her return to the U.S. Zsuzsa was then baptized at Regency Baptist Church, one month after being "saved." Mr. Anderson initially worked for a residential alarm company, installing home alarm systems. Zsuzsa gave birth to nine children and Steven established his church, Faithful Word Baptist Church, in 2005. He emphasizes that he never completed college or university, but is disciplined about memorizing large parts of the Bible–and has memorized nearly half the New Testament.
Zsuzsanna and Steven Anderson
Mr. Anderson's church is housed in suburban strip mall, but his reach extends far further than Tempe, Arizona, thanks to his thousands of YouTube videos–many inflammatory. The pastor lives in a very modest home with his large family and brags that he can hardly wait to be sued, because he has no money that can be taken away from him. He has also commented that he is so poor, that all of his clothes are second-hand and most are now thread-bare.
Mrs. Anderson seems to mostly avoid her husband's inflammatory language. Zsuzsanna runs a blog entitled Are They All Yours–a reference to her nine children. She mainly uses this page to share snippets and photos of Anderson family life, offers cooking, baking and health tips and explains how to live frugally. We also learn that Mrs. Anderson teaches her children basic German, but not Hungarian, as she is too rusty in her mother tongue, even though she cherishes her old Hungarian children's books and has introduced some of them to her readers. One issue that she has written about at some length is women's suffrage. Mrs. Anderson believes that women should not vote and she explains her position like this:
"Most anyone would agree that in a democratic republic such as the US, the voting citizens are the final authority, not some monarch or ruling class (at least in theory). Hence, I do not wish to be part of the voting pool, because I do not believe it is right for women to be in charge…Having women rulers/politicians is mentioned as a curse in the Bible. I DO NOT support any women politicians. They are way outside the natural role that God intended for them, and as such, are not qualified. It is not because women are inferior or less intelligent. They simply fulfill a different role. Man was created by God for a certain purpose, and so was woman. If each fulfilled his God-given role, they would be happier in life, and our society would greatly benefit. I wonder if Sarah Palin would have chosen to stay at home and rear her own children rather than run for political office if it would have saved her daughter from being a single teen mom."
This brand of fundamentalist Christianity is still rare in Hungarian society. Nearly all practicing Catholics, Calvinists or Lutherans in Hungary would balk at many of the beliefs espoused by the Andersons. Though, of course, even in American Christianity, Mr. Anderson's preaching is seen as extreme. It also seems to bolster the argument against the private interpretation of scripture, especially when the one doing the interpreting neglects context, history, historical soci0-cultural realities and the complexities of translation and language.
Tags: Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, Campus Crusade for Christ, Christianity, Faithful Word Baptist Church, Homophobia, International Christian School of Budapest, Pastor Steven Anderson, Regency Baptist Church, United States
Don Hermiston says:
Steven Anderson is what you can call well over the top in many of his beliefs. But his opinion of the 'Holocaust,' with a capital H is one of the only things Mr. Anderson is correct about. Anyone who still believes… [MODERATED.]
[Some 600,000 Hungarians were killed in the Holocaust. We cannot tolerate Holocaust denial on this site. — The moderator]
Karoly Kasa Kovacs says:
Anderson (Reverend ??) appers to be a sanctimonious ingrate with a mindset stuck in the middle ages, – similar asperations of ISIS minded Muslims in the quest for long aspired Califate. Optimistically, people like Anderson will wear out their welcome mat among 21st century headsets. It is a free country to be a jackass of choice. It is sad that Steven missed the core of Christ's message he deeply wants to bring forth of "love thy neighbor".
Not much of a Hungarian connection. The language and some beliefs of this dangerous jerk are pretty close to those of some Hun mad dogs (one promptly popped up here), but the extreme right and the clerico fascists everywhere share these. Is his fathering of nine children an attempt to suppress a homosexual drive, another Ted Haggard?
Hungarian Free Press says:
I think he is trying to reach Hungarian audiences. He subtitled one of his films into Hungarian:
Good luck with that "reaching". We have enough deplorables masquerading as priests of various denominations. But who knows, after Maria Schmidt & co invited Milo Y ….who btw is a very nice guy compared to this jerk.
Stem Cell says:
I have noticed that the more viciously anti-gay people like this are, the higher the probability that they are what they hate. There are numerous examples over the past few years. This guy is a homosexuality, although he may be repressing his desires … but for how long.
StrandedinSopron says:
"I think he is trying to reach Hungarian audiences."
Interesting. His views would certainly tie in with many of the pro-Fidesz journalists (Echo TV, Magyar Idok, Magyar Hirlap, Bayer and his ilk).
Indeed it is not mentioned in the piece but I guess his attitude towards "mixed race" relationships would be similar to that of PM Orban?
I wonder if he has actually visited (ie been permitted to visit) Hungary?
Bendeguz79 says:
Whatever he may be, or whatever he, or any one else in this world may think or feel, has the very same right.
And whatever any one, or even every reader may think, his, and any one else's right is guaranteed in any free society.
Yes, even to be weird, or gay, or whatever else. No one is in need of your or any one's approval.
As long as that does not limit, obstruct or harm any one else's basic rights.
Accept of course in a totalitarian (am I allowed to say; international socialist) society.
Lanark says:
There is much speculation on the internet that "Pastor" Anderson is indeed a closeted gay man. And prior examples have shown that men who are so viscerally angry at homosexuals, those who drown in their own rage at the gay community, are perhaps most angry at themselves and struggle to live a lie. Only Steven Anderson knows the truth about his own sexual orientation, of course, but maybe it would be helpful for him to engage in some honest self-reflection on the root causes of his rage.
Andras B. Gollner says:
No doubt Anderson would be one of those who the Donald would list among the good ones in the Neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville. He and his wife, along with Bendy-goose are made for each other. Love is not only free – it's also blind.
Fake News Protester says:
Steven Anderson expresses publicly that he is not a Donald supporter. But he is a KJV Bible supporter.
GodGunsGutsGlory says:
Ha ha. Wow. Another grossly inaccurate article but that's no surprise because the target audience recycle lies to try to defend their perverse dysfunctional lifestyle.
From the very first paragraph this author is full of it. He claims that pastor Anderson never preaches of Jesus and forgiveness.
Say what? I guess this author fast forwards through the 99% of the sermons which are about soul winning, which is the focus of the church, and dwells on the 1% which is about the wicked Sodomite agenda.
That's ok. While you and your miserable audience stay behind your keyboards and exaggerate your numbers within the population, we at Faithful Word Baptist and the like-minded churches will continue to knock the doors and give the gospel.
BTW… You have to knock a lot of doors to find a same sex couple. Your true population is sub 1%.
But sadly you've got a lot of ignorant people brainwashed to support your agenda (which you've wrongly associated to the piles of black equal rights) so at least we can and do wake some of those people up to realize the filthy satanists that you are.
Yeah. I've sure you'll censor this post as you do to anyone who dropped some truth here.
Truth is hate to those that hate the truth.
Dear God, Guts and Glory:
Sweetie, did you ever learn the following verses in Sunday school at your strip mall church?
"Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? (Matthew 7:1-3, NRSVCE)
"In my Father's house there are many dwelling places." (John 14:2, NRSVCE)
Thought Crimes says:
Verse 5 says for you to take the speck out of your own eye FIRST and THEN you can see clearly to take the log out of someone's eye. Jesus says judge, but ensure that you are not judging hypocritcally first.
Dear Lanark,
First off read the real bible which is the KJV and not your HIV bible. second here is a list of scriptures telling us to judge. John 7:24 1 Corinthians 2:15-16, 1 Corinthians 5:3, 12, 1 Corinthians 6:5, 1 Corinthians 14:29, 2 Corinthians 11:1-4, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Peter 2:1, John 4:1, Revelation 2:2, 1 John 2:18-20. and third shut your mouth, you obviously don't read the bible for your self but regurgitate what people tell you. your an idiot.
As I thought, some psychos there.
Hunor Kacsó says:
The movie mentioned above, has just recently been DUBBED into Hungarian already:
Gee Gee:
God, Guns, Guts and Glory ? Perhaps you meant to say Gory instead of Glory ? I sure as hell would not send my kids to Sunday school with fanatics like you, who use God's name as a lubricant for spreading your perverted, inhuman fantasies. Why don't you come clean, and send Mr. Trump an inflatable doll rather than provide cover for his sinful behavior ?
How the hell did this article about Anderson who does not like Trump BTW, become about trump?
Bonaventure says:
It would be appropriate for decent residents of Tempe, Arizona to picket this horrendous church. Anderson is engaging in the most vile hate speech and his followers, apparently rotten to the core, are soaking up every minute of this. But at minimum, SOMEONE NEEDS TO CALL CHILDREN'S AID, because there is no excuse to have children exposed to this type of violent and abusive language, yet we know from Andersons videos and from photos, that children are present during his preaching every Sunday.
SHAMEFUL! Arizona children's aid authorities–it's time to act!
Paul Chri says:
Pastor Anderson is accurate concerning what the bible says about homosexuals. I would expect the homosexuals to have a big problem with him, but it is really sad when people call themselves Christians, then deny the bible and those who preach it. We're supposed to be hated by the world for preaching the word of God, but not our supposed brethren. Any preacher who is not hated by the world and the compromised "Christian" should probably step down and let the big boys do the job that needs to be done. He who hates nothing loves nothing. If you love one thing, you will hate another. God hates all workers of iniquity, do you? If not, then you do not a person after God's own heart.
Julia G. Stone says:
Mr. Chri,
Regarding: "God hates all workers of iniquity, do you?"
On the Internet you can find thought-provoking scholarship around Biblical translations that result in the word "hate".
A word must be interpreted consistently with the entirety of scripture. In this case, I cannot think of examples where Jesus encourages us to 'hate' in the way that word is used today. It would be an anomaly.
I will take one example: When Jesus says "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even their own life-such a person cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26 NIV), He surely is not encouraging his followers to enjoy, nourish or wallow in intense anger and negativity towards one's relatives. If He were, He would actually be wishing that we ourselves suffer, because "hate" is not a pleasant feeling for most people.
Rather, in this example Jesus is using a figure of speech to make the point that IF a choice must be made between God and one's blood relatives, the former should far outshine the latter. I believe He meant we should distance ourself from anything that really holds us back from Him. And we should.
Likewise, the passage you cited cannot possibly mean that Jesus approbates our wallowing in negative, derisive feelings about those we consider "workers of iniquity". For one thing, Jesus Himself did not demonstrate hatred towards those who were 'off track' (sinning). Rather, He approached them, tried to establish a rapport that reminded the individual of their intrinsic value, AND invited him/her to repentance. This pattern is repeated over and over and over in the New Testament. Surely Jesus would not encourage us to an approach entirely different from the one He himself took.
Finally, the idea of "workers of iniquity" is one that I leave to the judgment of God himself. I cannot know all the factors that lead an individual to demonstrate a given behavior, nor can I ascertain the degree to which the person is responsible for those influences, nor can I factor in the motivations of that person's heart because I do not see it. This equation is far beyond my capacity, so I entrust it to God.
Here is another example: I knew someone who, although charismatic and kind in many ways, had also engaged in deceit in business, legal and personal affairs. I observed this for many years until the individual was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Then, he sought rebaptism and spent the rest of his life trying to address the prior, problematic lifestyle, meanwhile preparing for death.
By the end of his life, it seemed he had squarely faced his regrets and had sought forgiveness. He had reversed most of the shady dealings, but not all. He died surrounded by Christians and said he was not afraid.
After he passed, his acquaintances learned that this man had been raised in a family that not only praised him for finding ways to get one over on the system, but also they became very angry with him if he "was stupid enough to let go of his money" via legitimate taxes, debt repayment, or fair distribution to a business partner or spouse. In other words, he was raised with reverse conditioning to the message of Christ, and very strongly so. They even seemed angry that, by dying, he could no longer provide extra income to them.
So here is my question to you: When he was alive, should we have hated him as a "worker of iniquity", maligned him, avoided him, and denigrated him? Or might it be true that our having stayed near him, respectfully called him to the carpet for his misdealings, and shown him love to the very end helped lead him to Christ? If all Christians had abandoned him while he was "working for iniquity", how would he have known what to do when he was ready to stop that work? Or would he have ever become ready?
I especially ask that you think of this in terms of what we learned about his family after he died. Upbringing is not an excuse for wrong behavior. However, only after he died did we, his acquaintances, comprehend how far God had brought this man. He had started with Pavolvian training into corruption administered by HIS PRIMARY CARETAKERS. As a child he would have felt that his very survival depended on compliance. And by the end of his life he realized he had been serving the wrong master (money and his family's demands for same), and he rejected that in favor of Christ, even standing up to his family about these matters.
Sandro says:
I see dumb people and wise people!
Read the bible from Genesis to Revelation,and,after speak about Christian believes! Crazy article,stupidity really causes blindness!
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Julia G. Stone: Hate is a normal emotion, and Jesus did indeed hate.
Revelation 2:5-6, where Jesus is speaking:
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
Here he is in an emotional agreement with the Ephesians, that of hate.
on February 17, 2018 at 10:10 pm
As I said above, the Greek and Hebrew words that translate to "hate" in English are heavily debated among scholars. I maintain that nowhere in Scripture does Jesus encourage us to hate in the sense of having negative, festering, disparaging emotions towards others.
When they translate Jesus' words into the English "hate", the meaning is to reject or eschew. There is no linguistic or contextual implication that we should allow our hearts to wallow in the darkness described by the English word "hate".
I can't believe Christians even argue about this. The thing that was so amazing about Christ – the thing that caused people to flock to Him and listen to Him, and change their lives for Him, and that caused Nicodemus to give Him his own tomb – is that He approached the depravity of the human heart in a way no one had before. He addressed sinfulness head on, and called on everyone to face their transgressions and repent, regardless of their nationality or social status or denomination or anything else. But his manner of doing this was divinely unique: He did it with honesty, and love, and connection, and courage and intellect and wisdom. He interacted with individuals and with groups large and small. He sometimes withdrew on his own. He used scripture so astutely that even at age 12 he had a captive audience of trained Jewish scholars. Beyond all this lie a grander plan, which was to demonstrate his love by allowing himself to be sacrificed, i.e. to submit to something incredibly dark and frightening in order to save us. I don't profess to understand how that equation works, I just believe that it does and I stand on the fact that it was an act of love.
This man, Jesus Christ, whom I have come to know through scripture, prayer, fellowship, study and worship, was not a hatemonger. It shouldn't even be up for discussion.
"For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten son…" John 3:16
That's right LOVED .. which is in the past tense form. God at one point in time loved everyone, but if they are yet redeemed and "… knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."(Romans 1:21), there is a point where he will give them up and they are reprobate or rejected. Who did the darkening? God did.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (Romans 1:28).
This is my final admonition.
@ Thought Crimes:
I resolutely reject your admonition. Not only do you have a faulty understanding of verb tenses (I doubt you even know what I'm referring to here), but more importantly you and I don't know the same God. I will always advocate for the massive outpouring of love attributed to the Christ of the New Testament, Who has also manifest in my life and in others' over the centuries.
@Andras Gollner
1.) If you are suggesting that I have not adequately studied the origins, history, apologetics and tenets of my faith, or that I'm not capable of evaluating those, then you are wrong on both points.
2.) I am well aware of the use of the word Logos in the Greek original of the introduction to the Gospel of John. I disagree that this homologue weakens the text. Rather, "Logos" was a brilliant choice that cleverly served the author's purposes and adds richness to the text.
3.) I love the Bee Gees and always appreciate a reminder to tune in. Will do so right away 🙂 Although my personal favorite is one of their love songs. Take care.
Julia, did your Mom ever tell you never to trust everything that you read ? I also love what John has to say, but I would not bet my mortgage on it. What I love most about the Baptist is this: "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was God" Isn't that super ? I bet my mortgage, that it was this line that gave birth to the "linguistic turn" in philosophy á la Wittgenstein, Russel, and later, that of Derrida, Lacan Lyotard, Baudrillard, and the other post-modern wunder-kinds. Listen to the song "Words" by the Bee Gees, and then see how you feel.
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Ludum Dare October Challenge returns: Sell a game! Turn pro!
Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 30, 2014
The Ludum Dare October Challenge, started 4 years ago, has kicked off again. Your mission, instead of making a game, is (deceptively) simple:
Sell a game.
Make at least $1 (Or equivalent in other currencies)
And thereby become a pro.
The cool thing about this one is that there are very few rules. You don't have to start the game in October. You don't have to even make money on it in October. You just need to finish the game and set things in motion.
More info can be found at the Ludum Dare October Challenge 2014 page.
There are some additional resources (including ways to "monetize") that can be found at the Ludum Dare October 2014 Resources & Opportunities Page. There are lots of ways to earn at least $1, including advertising, contests, direct sales through many different marketplaces, sponsorships, etc.
Anyway – it's a fun idea. Worth checking out. At least worth $1, amiright? The goal is not to get rich (though if it happens – awesome!). It's to get the ball rolling. It's not to turn it into a vocation, but to start to turn it into something more than a hobby for those who love 'em. So, if you've got something you think you can finish, polish, and make ready for the marketplace in 31 days… well, why not do it now?
Filed Under: Biz, Indie Evangelism - Comments: 4 Comments to Read
Anon said,
Sounds somewhat "fishy" to me.
Getting a one-time payment of $1 (or more) doesn't make you a "pro". It just happens that your game made you some money.
And, yes, it doesn't matter if you are indie or not.
If you get *regular* income from game development (whatever function – coding, designing, art etc.) then you are a "pro" – even if it's only part-time and you still have a main job to support you.
This includes shareware authors of yore, too: They got regular payments and could at least partially make a living from it.
Getting a one-time payment is not making your game(s) bad – it just means that while you are a (self)published game author you are still in amateur league.
So, yes, if every game makes you a single dollar then you are a pro – even if you are an idiot in economy! :o)
The amount of games actually no difference:
For instance, a pro could be an artist who gets hired by a game company for a single game. He/she gets several monthly payments and can be considered a pro.
But: If this is the only game he/she worked on then he/she is a "former pro game developer". In other words he/she *was* a pro.
So better keep developing (and earning money) if you want to *be* a pro game dev! 😉
Rampant Coyote said,
LOL – of course!
I don't think anybody's gonna take the "pro" thing too seriously with this competition. It's a starting point, an ice-breaker, not a final destination. Sorta like the regular game jams – it's about making complete games – going through the whole process – in the course of a weekend or whatever. It's very valuable as a tool for learning the process, building skills, building confidence, etc. But nobody's really going to be serious about listing their Game Jam games in their professional credits. 🙂
But hey – just like an artist selling their first painting or accepting their first commission – it's the beginning of a professional career. Or a side-job. Or something. But sure – gotta keep going from there!
I agree with all you said, but:
> But nobody's really going to be serious about listing their Game Jam games in their professional credits.
You sure about that? 😉
The human race never ceases to amaze me to its levels of perversity (and sometimes downright stupidity) of the fringe, but I'm trying to get over my tendency to add lengthy exceptions to my generalizations. I'm sure there are stupid (and possibly awesome) exceptions… although the only cases I know of were where the game jam results did enjoy at least a little post-jam improvement to turn into a viable product. (I'm partial to the game "Receiver," in fact, which began life as a game jam project).
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Where is Ethan Couch, The Infamous "Affluenza" Teen Who Is Now Missing?
The Texas teen who made headlines after successfully escaping jail because he was just too rich and spoiled is back (or, well, sorta). Where is Ethan Couch, the infamous "affluenza" teen? The FBI has now joined a manhunt for Couch, who failed to check in with a probation officer and is presumed to be on the lam with his mother.
Couch killed four people while driving drunk in 2013, and was famously defended in court as having "affluenza," or not understanding real-world consequences after being coddled by his rich parents. Instead of taking that opportunity to teach Couch that, no, killing four pedestrians is not something that should be treated lightly, the Fort Worth judge continued to give special treatment to the teen by sentencing him to probation.
Now, surprise(!), Couch has disappeared. Just weeks after a video of him playing beer pong surfaced online, Couch missed a meeting with his probation officer. Since then, no one has been able to locate Couch or his mother, Tanya, whom he lives with. When officials went to check on the pair, their house was completely empty except for a pinball machine.
This is, perhaps, not actually that surprising if you think about it logically. How would someone who has never understood actual consequence finally learn them by being treated with kid gloves? According to the Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson, Couch is thought to have fled the country with his wealthy mother. Because, in Couch's world, money is no object.
The search for Couch quickly spread from a local to national. On Thursday, the FBI and U.S. Marshals joined Dallas-area authorities in the hunt for Couch, which already included the Texas Rangers. Couch could be skipping town to avoid what a spokesman for the Tarrant County sheriff's office called "big-boy jail," or the fate that would surely await Couch if they could find him.
But, as Sheriff Anderson pointed out, that could be difficult. "I fear he's gone a long way, and I won't be shocked if he's out of the country," he told NBC News, adding that Couch and his mother "ability to make things like that happen."
Ah, you mean like get away with killing four people with a made up affliction and successfully tricking a jury into feeling like your wealth and privilege was an ailment? Yeah, I'm guessing they could skip the country pretty easily. And who coulda seen that coming?


There is a place in the western part of America where a person can straddle four states . It is often referred to as the "four corners" region because four US states come together at one spot: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. You can see it on any map. Theoretically, it would be possible for a person to stand with his right foot planted firmly in New Mexico, his left foot in Arizona, and reaching to the north his right hand would be in Colorado and his left would be in Utah.
When we think about it, all of us straddle different worlds. Some in my business straddle academic and church life in America. Then, to make things more complicated, they go home to family that speaks Spanish and has little formal education. We all have to make our way through a complicated maze of worlds.
This was Paul's story too. Paul straddled four different worlds. The first happened to be the world and culture of his birth. His right foot was firmly planted in the world of second temple Judaism. It was a world shaped in large measure by what Christians call the Old Testament or what someone like Paul would have called the law, the prophets and the writings (the Tanakh). The Hebrew Scriptures boldly declared the existence of One, True God who created all things and had made covenants with Abraham and Israel at Sinai. Israel's God stood in sharp contrast to the many gods and lords worshiped by the nations. Second temple Jews lived with a sturdy expectation that God's Kingdom would come one day to right all the wrongs and make Jerusalem the center of the world instead of an occupied city on the outskirts of the Roman empire.
This brings me to the second world Paul occupied: the world ruled by Rome. According to Acts, Paul was a Roman citizen and used it to his advantage when it suited him. Though Paul makes no direct mention of this in his letters, it is not unlikely that someone like Paul enjoyed its favored status. Paul's Jewish heritage would have placed him at odds with many aspects of Roman empire, particularly their ultimate religious claims about their gods and a growing cult devoted to Caesar. The empire's political claim to provide peace and security were laughable for Jews who lived everywhere—but especially in Judea–under the heel of Rome. In some ways Rome provides the perfect foil for Paul to rail against. Pagan sacrifices were not neutral; they were offerings to demons (1 Cor 10:20). As many NT scholars have noted: if Jesus is the true Lord and king and king of the world, then Caesar is not.
A third world Paul straddled was Greek. Though Paul was certainly multilingual, the letters we have from him are all written in Greek. Greek had become the lingua franca of most places Paul traveled, even though he would have encountered dozens of different local languages and dialects. Language is only one thing but it is a big thing because with language goes literature, poetry, education and ideas which slowly but inevitably permeate society. When Paul quoted the OT in his letters, more often than not he quoted from some Greek translation of the OT. It's possible he made up his own translations on the fly, of course. But since his quotations appear so similar to translations we know today, its more likely he drew from some standard version available to him. Furthermore, Paul's letters and accounts about him in Acts reflect a knowledge not only of Greek language but Greek oratory, literature, and rhetoric. In Martin Hengel's massive volumes translated into English as Judaism and Hellenism (1974), he argued that Jesus' homeland, the land of Palestine, had been Hellenized by the middle of the 3rd century BC. Judaism had not escaped the hellenizing edge of Alexander's sword.
Paul says he "hands on" what he "had received." The apostle to the Gentiles employs the language of tradition to let us in on some of the content of the church's message before Paul. Already the death of Jesus the Messiah was being understood as an atoning sacrifice. Already the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus were seen as complementary to the Scriptures. Not only do these crucial events not contradict what God had said previously through the prophets; they fulfill them. Already, Cephas (namely, Peter) and the twelve had gained prominence as some of the first witnesses to Jesus' resurrection.
5 Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
By David B. Capes in Uncategorized on August 26, 2014 .
This is really good! It's not an accident that one of the best communicators of Jesus in the first century was a multi-cultural person. Additionally, Paul was from Tarsus, so I assume his parents, being immersed in a Greek city, spoke Greek and passed it on to him, depending on how long Paul lived in Tarsus.
As an aside, I do think Hengel's argument on the hellenisation of Palestine is largely flawed. Palestine is a rural area and I doubt there would be much interaction with cosmopolitan Greek culture. Jerusalem is the only Jewish city that has some history with hellenisation, and even then a strong attitude against it did exist. Louis Feldman has some good work on this. That said, Paul obviously had a foot in the Greek culture and knew it well.