text:
With ISIS Caliphate Defeated, Syrian Democratic Forces Begin a New Chapter
FILE -- A fighter of Christian Syriac militia that battles the Islamic State group burns an ISIS flag on the western side of Raqqa, northeast Syria, July 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Military.com | By Joseph V. Micallef
-- Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter @JosephVMicallef.
On March 22, the Trump administration officially announced the end of the Islamic State (ISIS) caliphate, declaring that the jihadist organization had been "100% defeated." At a press briefing, the White House distributed maps of the region showing that, for the first time since 2014, ISIS no longer controlled any territory in Syria.
"The territorial caliphate has been eliminated in Syria," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. The Islamic State's territorial holdings in Iraq had been rolled up a few months earlier.
At its height, the Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate stretched across Iraq and Syria and covered a region of approximately 80,000 square miles, roughly equivalent to the area of Great Britain. There were an additional 10,000 square miles of territory controlled by ISIS or its affiliates across North Africa and elsewhere in the Middle East.
To its credit, the Trump administration revitalized and expanded the lackluster campaign that the Obama administration had been waging against the Islamic State. It paved the way for the eventual defeat of ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria, and the liberation of the territory previously under its control.
The destruction of ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria is a defeat for the caliphate. It is not, however, the end of the caliphate that was proclaimed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on June 29, 2014.
ISIS' territory in Syria and Iraq contained only some of the provinces (wilayats), among the roughly four dozen provinces, that existed within the Islamic State and whose leaders have pledged loyalty to al-Baghdadi. Admittedly, some of those provinces exist in name only. None of them have the territorial expanse, population or resources of the Islamic State's former holdings in Syria and Iraq but, technically, they still constitute a caliphate.
Western intelligence agencies estimate that, as of spring 2019, Islamic State and its affiliates control between 1,000 and 2,000 square miles of territory around the world. Most of that territory is in northern Nigeria. Elsewhere, ISIS' territories consist of little more than a series of enclaves, some of which it exercises very fluid control over.
In Sunni tradition, a caliph was both a religious leader and a head of state. The presumption is that a head of state presupposes a territorial state for them to govern. The Koran is vague on this point, however. There are several Islamic sects, most notably the Sufis, who have declared caliphates without controlling a distinct territory.
The defeat of ISIS in Syria does not bring an end to the violence there, it simply forces it to morph into an insurgency. Significantly, the senior leadership was not captured when Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) overran ISIS' last stronghold at Baghuz. The Islamic State is not going to acknowledge its defeat, announce that the caliphate has been abolished or sign an instrument of surrender, much less a peace treaty. One chapter in the history of the Islamic State has ended, and another one is about to begin. We are at the beginning of Islamic State 4.0.
Moreover, while ISIS no longer controls any real estate in Syria, that does not mean that the fighting is over. As was the case earlier, especially in Mosul, a large system of underground tunnels beneath Baghuz still needs to be cleared. Even within the town itself, SDF officials estimate there are still several hundred ISIS militants hiding within the civilian population and periodically surfacing to attack the American-backed SDF troops.
The tunnels and cave complexes beneath Baghuz run several kilometers in length and may even extend into Iraq. Baghuz sits on the east bank of the Euphrates, adjacent to the border with Iraq. U.S. officials estimate that, at one point, up to 10,000 ISIS militants might have been sheltered in the tunnel complexes beneath Baghuz. It's believed that several thousand could remain there.
Additionally, some 5,000 ISIS militants have been captured or surrendered since the assault on Baghuz began. An additional 60,000 people have been displaced. Most of these are civilians escaping from the fighting, but it is believed that there are ISIS fighters and supporters within that group of refugees. What will happen to captured ISIS militants is unclear.
According to a Pentagon spokesperson on the scene, "these folks are unrepentant ... the seeds of a future caliphate or certainly a persistent clandestine insurgency exists in these large number of people."
Moreover, according to U.S. intelligence sources, ISIS still commands the support of tens of thousands of jihadist fighters and sympathizers across Iraq and Syria.
Based on the past, it is likely that it will take several more weeks of sporadic fighting before Baghuz is entirely secured and the remaining ISIS militants are either apprehended or killed.
The Next Chapter: The Syrian Democratic Forces
Over the course of the American campaign against Islamic State, but especially since 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces have functioned as critical proxies for the U.S., supplying the boots on the ground that were responsible for the defeat of ISIS. Supported by the U.S.-led coalition's airpower, along with logistical support, arms and training from embedded U.S. troops, the SDF proved to be a competent military force. Their efforts were further supported by the presence of several hundred U.S. Special Forces troops that conducted operations both independently and in conjunction with SDF members.
On March 22, Mazloum Kobani, the overall commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, urged the Assad government "to prefer the process of dialogue." In a speech during a memorial ceremony for fallen SDF fighters, Kobani urged the Syrian government in Damascus to "start practical steps to reach a political solution based on the recognition of autonomous institutions and of the SDF's special status." In other words, to allow the Kurdish enclave of Rojava some degree of autonomy and to retain the SDF as an ongoing military force.
At the present time, the Assad government controls about two-thirds of Syria. Another one-quarter to one-fifth is controlled by the SDF, and the balance is directly controlled by Turkish military units or the Turkish-sponsored Free Syrian Army and the militias aligned with them. The predominantly Kurdish-inhabited areas of Syria amount to between 10% to 15% of Syria's geography. The campaign against the Islamic State resulted in the SDF gaining control of large areas where ethnic Kurds do not make up a significant part of the population. At the same time, the SDF was expelled from Afrin, a predominantly Kurdish province in northwest Syria, by Turkish troops and their proxies.
While the threat of continued ISIS-inspired violence has not abated, the immediate risks posed by an expansionist Islamic State are, at least for the moment, contained. That means the alliances of convenience that characterized the campaign against ISIS are now in danger of unraveling or, at the very least, of being replaced by new alliances of convenience as the focus of the Syrian conflict now shifts to the future of the Syrian Kurds.
Syria's Kurds have made it clear that they are willing to accept the continuation of the Assad regime, provided that Damascus recognizes the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, commonly referred to as Rojava, as a de facto autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing sub-regions in the areas of Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Tabqa, Manbij and Deir Ez-Zor. They also want to retain the Syrian Democratic Forces, a military force consisting primarily of ethnic Syrian Kurds, as an autonomous militia.
This is similar to the arrangement that the Iraqi Kurds negotiated with the government in Baghdad. That agreement saw Iraqi Kurdistan given a large degree of autonomy, as well as continued control of the Kurdish Peshmerga militia.
The Assad government has indicated in the past that it is open to such an arrangement but has been vague about what form such autonomy would take and its implementation. Damascus has also made it clear that it wished U.S. troops out of Syria. It has hinted that any long-term deal with Syria's Kurds might first require the withdrawal of U.S. troops from areas controlled by the SDF and an end to the role of the SDF as a de facto American proxy. The Kurds have been desperate to hang on to a continued American presence in Syria, seeing their continued cooperation with U.S. forces as insurance against an attack by either Turkish or Syrian military forces.
U.S. policy at this point is unclear. Several weeks ago, the Trump administration announced, following a one-on-one telephone call between President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that all U.S. troops would be immediately withdrawn from Syria. The announcement was seen by Syria's Kurds as opening the way for an attack by Turkish military forces on SDF-controlled areas of Syria. The Trump administration's announcement, which caught the Pentagon by surprise, was later modified to state that U.S. forces would be withdrawn gradually over an unspecified timeline.
Recently, the Pentagon has announced that approximately 400 U.S. troops would remain in Syria, and that the balance of the 2,000 odd troops in Syria would be withdrawn, although the timeline for that withdrawal remains unclear. Significantly, Turkish forces, which at the time of the initial announcement that all U.S. troops were being withdrawn, seemed poised to intervene into Kurdish-controlled areas, have not done so and now appear to have stood down from any significant intervention.
Turkey and Iran, which initially found themselves on opposite sides, share a vested interest in preventing the emergence of a semi-autonomous Kurdish state. Ankara and Tehran have had long-standing issues with their own Kurdish population, and both have had long-running campaigns against Kurdish separatist organizations in their respective countries.
Turkey was once determined to oust Assad, and openly supported the Free Syrian Army with cash and arms. It also, conveniently, turned a blind eye to the activities in Turkey, especially smuggling of arms, people and contraband across the Turkish-Syrian border, by jihadist groups, including the Islamic State and groups affiliated with al-Qaida. Following the intervention of Russia into the Syrian civil war, the prospect of ousting Assad was no longer viable. Ankara then turned its attention to what it considers the more pressing issue of preventing the emergence of a semi-autonomous Kurdish state in Syria.
Moscow has long-standing ties to Kurdish groups in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, and in the past had been closely associated with various insurgent Kurdish groups in Turkey and, in particular, the Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK). It also is indispensable to the Assad government. It is in the best position to broker a deal between Assad and the Syrian Kurds, especially if the U.S. was to completely withdraw all its troops from Syria. In that case, Russia is the only other player in the Syrian civil war that is able to guarantee the safety of the Syrian Kurds.
That lesson has not been lost on Turkey, which, following the disastrous shootdown of a Russian fighter that had strayed into Turkish airspace on November 25, 2015, has been steadily cozying up to Russia. Ankara, for example, recently agreed to the purchase of a Russian S-400 air defense system. That's very strange behavior for a key member of the NATO alliance, since the Russian missiles cannot be integrated into NATO's air defense systems.
One thing is clear: The Kremlin is in no rush to resolve the issue of the Syrian Kurds. The longer the issue festers, the longer it can stoke tensions between Turkey and its NATO allies.
There is one other factor that may shape what happens to the Syrian Kurds -- the question of who will pay for rebuilding Syria. Large parts of Syria have been devastated by the 7-year-old civil war. The cost of rebuilding Syria will run to tens of billions of dollars, perhaps even a hundred billion. Neither Moscow nor Tehran, Assad's most stalwart allies, have the financial ability to underwrite Syria's rehabilitation. The U.S. and the EU have the ability, but have made it clear that no financial aid will be forthcoming as long as Assad is in power.
The one wild card in the next phase of the Syrian conflict is Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is opposed to the Assad regime. It financed both the Free Syrian Army and various jihadist groups fighting the Syrian government. Saudi Arabia also wants to limit the expansion of Iranian and Turkish influence in Syria.
Historically, the Saudis have not had much interest in what happens to the Kurds. Moreover, Riyadh has its own financial issues at the moment and may not be feeling particularly flush. Still, Riyadh has deep pockets and may agree to support the rebuilding of Syria, even if it is under a continued Assad government, as a way of limiting Turkish and Iranian influence there. It may also see supporting the Syrian Kurds as a way of further constraining Turkish ambitions in the region.
The situation in Syria remains fluid, the future of the Islamic State unknown. The issue of a semi-autonomous Kurdish state is still to be resolved. One thing is certain, however. The Islamic State is not going away. Its continuing actions and the legacy of its rule will haunt the region for the foreseeable future.
-- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.
Opinion Terrorism ISIS Conflict Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - ISIS Syria
Save the Outrage: Do This Before Hitting Share on Military News
Our fervor to make sure our friends witness the sacrifices of our military can result in one big problem: bad information.
ISIS Vows to Attack Israel and Blasts US Mideast Plan
Despite carrying out deadly attacks throughout the world over the past years, ISIS has rarely targeted Israel.


text:
I am asking for help creating content for the Hermetic Library site.
New Pages in English
I am looking for help creating new pages at the library from public domain books and documents that are about esoteric theory and practice, or by practitioners or theorists of esoteric practices: find them, proofread them, and prepare them with Unicode characters, where appropriate, inline images, when from the source material, and basic Dokuwiki-style layout markup.
The primary language of the site has been English, but original documents can be in any language. Where the original language is not English, the original should be provided as well.
Material that is not currently available online, or that is presented poorly where available, is of greater interest than widely available source documents; however, important works otherwise available already that interrelate to and enhance the subject matter of the library is a welcome addition.
I am especially interested in the work by authors not currently represented well enough, including women and people of colour.
New Pages in Other Languages
I am also looking for help creating new pages at the library from public domain books and documents by authors in languages other than English that are about esoteric theory and practice, or by practitioners or theorists of esoteric practices. The primary language is English, but original documents can be in any language. Where the original language is not English, a translation into English would be welcome as well.
Pages transcribed from grimoires and other primary materials that are not in English are welcome.
Translation of Existing Pages
I am also asking for help translating existing English language pages into other languages. The primary language of the library site is English, but I am hoping to expand with translations into Deutsch, Esperanto, Español, Français, עברית, Hrvatski, Italiano, 日本語, Latine, Polski, Português, Русский, Svenska, 中文, or some other language not currently offered.
Hermeneuticon Articles
You can help create wiki articles for the Hermeneuticon project, about important people, things, places, events and ideas in the documents at the library, or within the overall subject matter of the library. Articles include biographical or explanatory paragraphs, quotes from relevant material at the library, reference links to material that is (or should be) at the library, cross indexing with other articles, a search link with keywords for site search, important books about the subject of the article, and external links to resources elsewhere. These are essentially encyclopedic articles about the subject matter of the library.
Other opportunities within the overall Hermeneuticon project are to create Metadata and Concordance pages. If you're interested in that work, let's talk more specifically.
I happily offer thanks for your help. I'm also delighted to send you a gratis download code for any one of the released anthology albums.
For those that need it, I currently offer an honorarium of $10 per site page, each of which should be a complete document or a full chapter from a book, or some reasonable and substantial measure of site content. This honorarium is supported by the generous Patrons of the library.
Some other idea not mentioned?
Finally, if there's something else you've got in mind, or an idea I've not mentioned, let me know!
Oracle Tarot Deck
High Magic's Aid

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(getall.cmd
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(Location.java
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get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(Pricegroup.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(Promotion.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(Reduction.java
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get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(TourneeShow.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseArticle.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseEvent.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseEventReihe.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseEventShow.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseFloorplan.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseFloorplan.kr
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseGetCustomer.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseGetDebtor.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseGetOrder.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(XMLParseReqFloorplan.java
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get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(Zone.java
get -q m:\elektra.arc\internet\de\orestes(Zones.java

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Looking for Branding or Web Development?
SSAFA are a UK military charity that offer vital support systems to the armed forces community and we were drafted in to support their major campaign, Left Behind, which marked the one-year anniversary of UK troops withdrawing from Afghanistan.
As part of the Left Behind campaign, a series of videos were produced featuring a number of families who had lost loved ones in combat in Afghanistan. Tailored for social media, the key objectives of the videos were to raise awareness of the various families' stories, and to generate views and social media engagement.
The social media strategy took the form of a bespoke sponsored advert campaign across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube over a one-month period. Adverts were optimised for reach and engagement and served to an in-market audience of UK armed forces enthusiasts, those that had lost loved ones in combat and followers of key armed forces channels and fellow charity pages.
During the campaign, we amassed 740,000 video views across the social media channels. From a wider engagement perspective, our posts throughout the campaign secured a total of 12,000 shares on Facebook and Twitter, and over 46,000 individual likes on Facebook. In total, we reached a total social media audience of 990,000 people. From a wider campaign perspective, SSAFA recorded a significant increase in telephone calls to their helplines, as well as moving up 29 places in the Third Sector Brand index.
Are you ready to start a project with us?
Contact us and we would be happy to chat about how we can work together.


text:
Rep. Brian Mast will not lead Veterans Affairs; Trump taps Robert Wilkie
Ali Schmitz
Treasure Coast Newspapers
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast of the Treasure Coast will not lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
President Donald Trump announced Friday he's nominating acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie to permanently lead the department.
More: President Trump announces he will nominate Robert Wilkie as next VA secretary
Mast, R-Palm City, was one of several rumored candidates for the position. Former Florida Rep. Jeff Miller, who once led the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, also was a rumored candidate.
More: Rep. Brian Mast being considered for Veterans Affairs secretary
While Mast, an Army veteran who lost both legs and a finger while serving in Afghanistan, was passed over for the VA position, he was named to House Veterans Affairs Committee earlier this week.
Mast met with Wilkie Thursday with members of the Warrior Caucus, a group of Congressional members who served in combat.
"I had a great meeting," Mast said. "I am very hopeful for the future of our veterans serviced by the VA, and I look forward to working with him in my new role as a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee."
The decision is good news for Republicans concerned that if Mast had received and accepted a nomination, it would lead to his district flipping blue.
The district, which encompasses Martin, St. Lucie and a northern portion of Palm Beach County, leans Republican, according to ratings from nonpartisan political analysts such as InsideElections, Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball.


Will Robocars Vastly Improve Battery Life?
It's no secret that if BMW desires the i3 to continue to stay relevant they will at some point have to increase its all electric variety. If you don't want all the range the auto can offer you on a each day basis, then do not fully charge it just about every evening. In reality, I have 45,000 miles on the car or truck after only 15 months and have charged it over 1,000 occasions. But even with the new warranty, Nissan says the fix may only restore a diminished battery's capacity to nine bars. Nissan says the 2013 Leaf goes on sale shortly, with prices starting around $29,000 for a new base model variant. How BMW educates the client will play a vital function in their extended item satisfaction. Don't leave the car parked in a hot parking lot in direct sunlight if possible.
That is how I treated the LiFePO4 battieries: I would attach the pack to a 1-amp, regulated 14.2 volt power supply for 12-18 hours and then disconnect it and then location it on the shelf, possibly topping it off briefly just ahead of making use of it. The Lead-Acid batteries, on the other hand, are left connected to a 13.6 volt power supply and permitted to sit there all of the time when not becoming utilised.
All rechargeable lithium-ion packs have built-in circuitry to safeguard against excess over-discharge, the purpose getting that if you run a lithium battery down also far an irreversible chemical change happens and they can not be safely recharged ever again. Nissan has lately figured out these two issues with the LEAF and I hope BMW figures it out as nicely. Plus being a premium manufacturer, I believe their shoppers anticipate a premium solution to have a warranty that instills self-assurance, specifically because this will most likely be the initially electric car that virtually all of them buy.
When I applauded them for taking the lead and acting at a time when others were nonetheless talking about EV's, I was also important of their selection to exclude a sophisticated thermal battery management technique which would aid preserve a consistent variety all through varying ambient temperatures as nicely as aid extend the battery's life.
I have tested all the vehicles myself and ranked them from 1 to 10 depending on cost and how a lot Rc Auto you get for your income! The receiver really should be placed on your RC helicopter, RC plane, RC auto, or RC boat and all the servomotors ought to be connected to the receiver along with the receiver's battery supply. Tesla does not supply any sort of written warranty for this significant item that would be Extremely expensive to replace.


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Home > Elections > What is gerrymandering and why is it such a big deal?
What is gerrymandering and why is it such a big deal?
Gerrymandering is the practice of changing voting boundaries to benefit a particular political party. Experts have described it as a way for politicians to choose their voters instead of the voters choosing their politicians.
Critics of this political tactic argue that it is a form of voter suppression, as it targets communities based on ethnicity, race and income to alter their voting power in local elections.
The practice of gerrymandering dates back to the late 1700s. According to historians, one of the founding fathers (Patrick Henry) attempted gerrymandering to prevent the election of James Madison to the House of Representatives.
More than 200 years later, gerrymandering is still a major political issue.
The Difference Between Redistricting and Gerrymandering
Before you review gerrymandering examples, it's important to understand the difference between redistricting and gerrymandering. While the terms are related, one refers to the action while the other refers to the intent.
Define Redistricting
Redistricting means redrawing electoral districts based on changes in population to make sure each district gets a fair chance at choosing representatives.
Every 10 years, the U.S. census releases a detailed report on population sizes, city and state demographics, among other information. The higher the population of a district, the more representatives it gets.
As a result, the state legislature will typically complete the redistricting process every 10 years to ensure a fair representation of all voters.
Define Gerrymandering
Political gerrymandering occurs when political parties redraw boundaries in an unfair way to give their candidates an advantage over the opposition. This is done using two methods known as "cracking" and "packing."
When packing a district, those responsible for redrawing the boundaries will "pack" the area with opposition voters to limit their impact and increase the party's chance of winning surrounding areas.
Cracking refers to the separation of opposition voters in two or several districts to ensure that they will be outnumbered.
The governing party in the state legislature typically decides on the new electoral boundaries. As a result, the party in charge may attempt to maintain its power with gerrymandered districts. Gerrymandered districts are sometimes easy to spot because they take strange, unexpected shapes.
Gerrymandered Districts in the U.S.
According to experts, gerrymandering is most prevalent in states where the Republican party has governing control.
Back in 2010, Republicans gained control of several large state legislatures and handled the redistricting process thereafter. This includes states like Texas, North Carolina and Ohio. Critics say that Republicans tilted the maps in their favor and have maintained power since.
On that same token, experts say the electoral districts in states like California and Illinois show Democratic gerrymandering at play.
The Link between Gerrymandering and Voter Suppression
Voter suppression is a political strategy that usually targets minorities, such as African Americans, voters with disabilities, students and more.
As the name implies, voter suppression works to lower the pool of voters who might vote for a certain candidate or proposition. Lawmakers typically accomplish this by making voting difficult, inconvenient or intimidating for members of certain communities. This can take on many forms, including limited early voting options and strict voter ID requirements.
For many, gerrymandering is also a form of voter suppression. It attempts to dilute voter voices and representation to unfairly inflate one party's power.
The Fight Against Gerrymandering
Voters and nonpartisan organizations are fighting back against socio-economic and racial gerrymandering. To a certain extent, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 protects voters against racial gerrymandering.
However, the law is not foolproof.
States like Virginia have had to redraw their district maps after having gerrymandered districts based to suppress voters of color. Several states are discussing instituting stricter anti-gerrymandering laws to prevent politicians from taking advantage of the congressional redistricting process.
Nonpartisan organizations, such as Common Cause, have suggested hiring independent redistricting commissions who can perform the task without bias. California and Arizona already began using this method in the last redistricting process. Most recently, Michigan's electorate agreed to this proposal in 2018.
However, Republicans in Michigan filed a lawsuit in response to the commission vote, stating that it is unconstitutional to prevent them from participating in the redistricting process.
Over the years, Supreme Court gerrymandering cases have gained national attention. For SCOTUS gerrymandering has always been difficult to solve in the court system, as there is no clear standard to refer to and not always an easy way to tell if a district has been gerrymandered.
In June of 2019, SCOTUS ruled in a 5-4 decision that states must govern themselves when it comes to partisan gerrymandering. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the federal court cannot settle on one answer for what's acceptable versus unacceptable.
This was considered a victory for Republicans. However, it creates a roadblock for activists who are currently attempting to outlaw partisan gerrymandering altogether.
At the state level, some courts have fought back against racial gerrymandering. Most recently, three NC judges threw out the state legislature's proposed district map, deeming it "unconstitutional." According to reports, the panel of judges unanimously agreed that the map was an extreme display of partisan gerrymandering and could not stand.
As a result, the state has a deadline to redraw the maps while following certain guidelines outlined by the panel.
Gerrymandering reform activities see this as a positive turn of events, and a strong precedent to set, following the Supreme Court's ruling back in 2019.
What can voters do about gerrymandering?
There are several actions that voters can take if they are against gerrymandering. The first is staying updated on state laws and recent cases within their districts. By reviewing their own state's history with the controversial practice, they can begin to see how gerrymandering may affect them.
The next step is researching alternative redistricting methods supported by reform activities. This can provide a sense of direction when evaluating ways to solve the issue. For instance, the use of an independent third party has garnered a lot of support from reformists.
Finally, it is important to support local legislation and anti-gerrymandering efforts.
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In the most recent months, there have been more attacks, tragedies, political, and ideological shifts in our nation's educational systems and schools than in the past several decades. With these realities being faced by all of us in the education profession in general and specifically preparing educators, what and how we move forward is as critical as it ever has been.
The social emotional challenges and trauma our students are carrying as they arrive to their urban, suburban, or rural community school doors are more pronounced and complex than in the past. Safety and student mental health are now more than ever on the minds of teachers as well as school and district administrators. Equity, access, benefits, and opportunities for all our students, regardless of their ethnic and linguistic backgrounds or sexual orientation, to grow and thrive in our schools must be of paramount importance as laws and policies are written and handed down to what teachers do and teach in their classrooms on a daily basis. Policy makers at the federal level seem to be consistently taking mis-steps with programs being promoted or resources allocated. Based on our best thinking and best practice, civility, civil discourse, and proactive educational and social-emotional efforts should be assertively pursued and infused into our teacher education programs. The shortage of diverse quality teachers presents a substantial challenge as we try to prepare them to address the academic and emotional needs of the diverse students entering our classrooms.
The above referenced realities challenge educator preparation programs throughout our nation to recruit and equip new teachers to meet the increasingly complex needs of all students they will be serving. Educator preparation institutions who are members of the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE) are well positioned to be nimble and move expeditiously in regard to the personalization of teacher recruitment efforts and modifying or refining program offerings and curriculum that will prepare teacher candidates to advocate for, and meet the contemporary challenges, opportunities, and realities they will encounter in schools and classrooms. These challenges cannot be addressed solely by those of us serving in educator preparation institutions. Partnerships with local, county, and regional school districts that explore, implement, and sustain creative ways of collaborating among all of us preparing and supporting teachers, could yield more inclusive advocacy and quality service to students they serve.
For the 2019 Annual Meeting, the AILACTE Executive Committee invites members to submit proposals that show how they are addressing the following questions associated to five strands in regard the Urgency, Challenges and Opportunities in Educator Preparation.
To download the 2019 Request for Proposals, which includes available session formats, proposal content guidelines and criteria, please follow this link.
The 2019 AILACTE Annual Meeting and Conference will be held on February 22, 2019, in Louisville Kentucky. AILACTE sessions will take place in the Lousivlle Marriott Downtown.
Any AILACTE registrant who wishes to also attend AACTE's Annual Meeting will need to notify Alyssa Haarer at admin@ailacte.org. Please include your name, title, institution and email address. The deadline is January 27, 2019. Any individual who wishes to attend after this date will need to registser onsite (as done in the past). An invoice for the amount of $175 will be sent to the provided email address after January 27th. The invoice may be paid at any time, or can be paid onsite at the Annual Meeting as well.


Conflating Real Experiences with Current Events – and the Work!
Having been easily moved by random events that occurred on our road trips – added to the constant overlay of broader events affecting our world - each work in this collection reflects an actual random experience from our travels. But I can't seem to help myself from conflating these personal events with the current issues of our time.
And so, combined with the collection of physical findings, random happenings from our time on the road, and my gravitation toward the political, the result is this work that is at once intimately personal, while offering broader social commentary.
On the roads of Cape Brenton in Nova Scotia, night was falling. More than once, an owl would swoop out of the forest and fly across the road, illuminated by our headlights. Suddenly there was a loud impact on our windshield. We knew one of those owls had hit us. It left an uneasy feeling as we drove on through the night. Later, in August, in Oregon, we were driving to experience the total eclipse and saw a large mound of feathers on the side of the road. We stopped and discovered an owl, the victim of the same kind of impact we had experienced two months earlier in Nova Scotia. We took a few feathers from this magnificent creature. This piece spans those two locations, and commemorates these events. It is a way to communicate my awareness of our own footprint as we venture into the natural world, and also a way to convey that visceral reaction at the moment of impact.
There were 8 forest fires raging in New Mexico during our time there. At times, we had feared our camp spots might be overwhelmed with smoke. We had decided to drive up an ancient caldera and around the rim only to find out that the southern route was blocked by fires. So we headed up through Los Alamos, the birthplace of the Atomic Bomb, to take a northern route, Forest Road 144. A spectacular drive, we could see the live fire across the caldera, but we also drove through areas devastated by past fires. "Fire" relates this drive, and uses a piece of charred wood found here. It also combines a carved hand grenade (purchased at a roadside curio shop), New Mexican churro wool, and red chili peppers from Chimayo. Paired with "Ice", the two works speak to the dangerous precipice on which we find ourselves - the brink of nuclear conflict, or the potential devastation caused by climate change.
We were visiting the White Sands National Monument and somehow, I didn't think twice about putting some of the sand in a bag for a future work. I also found some white plastic netting and I was struck by the aesthetic of the white on white effect of the netting embedded in the sand. Later, while collecting some dry grasses, I was confronted by two rangers who drove up to ask what I was doing. Needless to say, my collection was not allowed, and upon further search, they found my bag of sand too. I'm ashamed of my reaction to the rangers, because I told a few "white lies" in this exchange. I lost the sand and I got a $200.00 fine. I made "White Lies" to relate this very real incident, but it also speaks to the idea of white privilege and how it holds no substance. What might this have to say about our broader social condition in today's world?


text:
Pete McCloskey, who until just this month was a life-long Republican, came out of retirement in 2006 to help defeat what he considered an anti-environmental Congressman, Richard Pombo. It was McCloskey, who strongly opposed the Vietnam War, who was the first Congressman to stand up in the House and call for the impeachment of Richard Nixon.
Earth Day 2007: The Power of One
Former Congressman Pete McCloskey addresses AFVi conference on the power of the individual to change the course of a nation.
By EV World
Former Congressman Paul 'Pete' McCloskey still sports his U.S. Marine Corps haircut, albeit much grayer and a bit bushier. The winner of the Navy Cross and Silver Star during the Korean War is the same man who in the 1970's was the co-chair of Earth Day and co-sponsored The Endangered Species Act.
McCloskey was one of four keynote speakers [see T. Boone Picken's dialog] at the Alternative Fuel Vehicle's conference and expo held in Anaheim, California earlier this month. He came down from his home in northern California to talk about how the conference attendees can be instrumental in getting the Democratic-controlled Congress to begin implementing legislation and policies that will help the nation reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and "put the nation on a path to less CO2."
"I believe in global warming," he said. "and CO2 (carbon dioxide) is the most dangerous [threat] we have right now."
He praised the companies and individuals who, for the last twenty years, have been working to spread the use of alternatives fuels and vehicles through the federal "Clean Cities" program. But he also said that by better understanding how Congress really works, it will make their jobs easier. Having spent 15 years in Congress, and even having run against Richard Nixon in 1972 on an anti-war platform as a Republican, McCloskey understands how things are done, really done.
As the co-chairman of Earth Day, he recounted how the first Earth Day came about and how the Nixon Administration sent spies in to see if it was, in fact, another anti-war movement. They reported back that it was just a bunch of scantily-glad hippies and nothing to worry about, until the kids turned out just enough votes to unseat a number of anti-environmental Congressmen. Suddenly, Congressmen were asking McCloskey for his speeches on the environment.
He illustrated the power of one near the end of his address, by citing the example of a constituent who insisted on seeing him in his Washington office prior to the committee vote on the Endangered Species Act. She was, he said, most persistent and he decided to give her five minutes of his time. She introduced herself and asked him just one question, How would he vote the following week, up or down, on the inclusion of the Peregrine falcon in the list of endangered species?
Despite his evasions, she wanted a yes or no answer and told him that she was scheduled to board a plane at 4:00 to fly back to San Francisco and that during the flight she would be writing the newsletter for the 800 members of the San Mateo Audubon Society and the 400 members of the Woodside Garden Club.
"Man, I am the first guy into the committee room and we pass that bill. I am gloating [still] because the Peregrine falcon is now killing pigeons over most of the major cities of the United States," he noted with humor. "It's a wicked little bird. Now, we laugh about that, but I just told you what the elements of political power [are]."
To find out how a little gray-haired lady -- and a motley crew of college kids -- helped change a nation's politics and its environment, you will want to listen to McCloskey's 16-minute address. Because we were not permitted to record directly from the auditorium public address system and instead had to utilize the microphone built into our MP3 digital recorder, the audio isn't the best quality. But we think that what the Congressman has to say, especially on this Earth Day, 2007 in the wake of the shift in power in Congress, is important enough to make it available just as we recorded it.
To listen to the speech, use the MP3 players at the top of the page or download the 3.8MB file to your computer hard drive for transfer to your favorite MP3 device.
We thank the AFVi for permitting us to attend the conference and expo, and we'll present other keynotes and interviews from the event in coming installments on EV World.
EVWORLD Future In Motion Podcast
Times Article Viewed: 6675


text:
Yuki Kodama peut désigner :
, un mangaka japonais auteur de Blood Lad ;
, une mangaka japonaise auteure de Kids on the Slope ;
, un speaker à la radio NHK.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Here they are, that young couple who married at Kullie Chaha in Indian Territory on March 9, 1899. Now they have five children. My Grandpa Verb Sharp is standing directly behind his mother, Vernie. Standing behind his dad is Vassar Newt Sharp. Vas was the second born. In front sitting at her dad's feet is Mirl Sharp and next to her is her sister Ev. Her name was EVA but we always called her Aunt Ev. The boy between his parents is Oscar Vansler. We all knew him as Uncle Bawley. At this time they would be living in LaFleur County around Poteau somewhere. Oscar (Bawley) was born in 1911. Aunt Ev was born in 1910.
Carroll SHARP aged 21 and Vernie POOLE, aged 18 both of Kully Chaha in the Indian Territory were married on 9 March 1899. This marked the beginning of the Poole/Sharp connection in my family.
The following year marked the turn of the century and this young couple appear in the 1900 Federal Census in the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Township 8, North Range 27 East on 20 June 1900. He states that he is 21 and she states that she is 20. Funny, she was 18 just last Spring when they married. They have no children yet. Verb will be born in March of 1901 and he was their first child. She could actually be pregnant with him at this time and not even be aware of it yet.
Verb and Nancy Sharp are still in Oklahoma at Census time in 1940. They are living at WALL, in Stephens County and they own their farm and state that it is worth about $500. Verb says that he went to school until 8th grade. He was 38 in 1940 and Grandma Nancy is 46. Genola is still home and is 18 years old. Oss is 16, Mirt is 14, Verbie is 10, and Bobby is 8 years old. They will be selling the farm and heading West soon.
Birthplace: Oklahoma * He was actually born around Poteau, Oklahoma when it was still Indian Territory.
In the 1920 Census, Verb is still living at home and is 19 years old. The family is in Poteau, Oklahoma. His father is listed as Carl but we of course know his name was Carroll. Grandpa is listed as Virba. Vas is 16 and listed as Vassar N, Myrle L is 12, Ev is listed as Ervie A and is 9 and Bawley is listed as Oscar V and is 8 years old.
In the year 1930 I find my Grandparents, Verb and Nancy Sharp living in the Southwest corner of Oklahoma. Stephens County, Wall Township. Genola is 8, Ossalee is 6, Mirlacoys is 4 and Verbie Jr. is 1 yr. This census was taken on April 13th of 1930. Their last child, Bobby, will be born April 3, 1931. Grandma Nancy states that she is 35 and Grandpa Verb is 29. They are Farmers and they own their land.
In 1940, they are still in Stephens County, in April 1940 and the census taker caught them there. Verb says he is 38 and owns his farm and states it is worth $500. He says he went to school until 8th grade. Nancy is 46. Genola is 18, Ossalee is 16, Mirlacoys is 14, Verbie Jr. is 10 and Bobby Ray is 8.
In the 1830's most of the civilized tribes of the southeast (Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole) were forced to move from the southeast to West of the Mississippi River. Most of them wanted to stay in their homeland in the South. In 1830 President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act. In 1838 the Cherokee, the last to leave, were forced from their cabins in North Alabama at bayonet point and moved to Oklahoma. Many thousands were moved along the Tennessee River and over three thousand were marched through Alabama on land. This dark chapter in our history is called the TRAIL OF TEARS. There were some 17,000 Cherokee Indians that started on the Trail of Tears and over 4,000 died; a fourth of the Cherokee population. In the Waterloo, Alabama area where my Sharp ancestors lived, they arrived in pitiful condition and were moved by steamboat to West of the Mississippi. Over 300 of them escaped and many of their descendents still live in Alabama. I learned recently that some of my Sharp ancestors bought their land in this area for a little over 12 cents per acre. The land of course was TAKEN from the Indians and then sold to the new settlers this cheaply.
This would be my great great grandfather (Carroll's father). I wish I could learn how much money a Confederate widow collected. Would be interesting to know. Looks like she drew on it from 1901 to her death in 1916. The best guess I can make is that by the time of her death, she probably could have drawn $75 to $100 per month.
Our first ancestor in America that can be documented is William Sharpe, he first came to Virginia in 1611, probably as a military man to help protect the colonies. His wife Elizabeth and two sons came to America in 1620 on the HMS Bonaventure, along with a servant, Richard Vause. Our ancestor, John Sharp is the first that we can find many documents proving connection to our family, although there seems to be some dispute as to his birth year. He stated his family said he was born in the year of Braddock's defeat which would be 1755. It was also stated that his marriage was January 1, 1766 in Buckingham County Virginia which would have made him 10 or 11 years old so one of the dates is wrong.
Charley Sharp was born about 1830, just about the time the last of the Indians were removed from Alabama. He was born in Lauderdale County, AL. He was the son of Adron Sharp and Martha Lamb (who were married January 26, 1828 in Lauderdale County, AL). Charly's father, Adron came to Lauderdale County, Al in 1820 with HIS parents Charles and Matilda "Anglin". They married August 20, 1807 in Patrick County, Virginia. Adron was born in Patrick County on August 21, 1810 and was the second oldest of eleven children born to Charles and Matilda Sharp. Charles was born on Christmas Day 1777 and Matilda "Anglin" Sharp who was the daughter of Adron and Elizabeth Anglin was born May7, 1788 in Virginia. There is very strong evidence that Charles father was John Sharp who fought at York Town and Guilford County Courthouse, Virginia during the Revolution. John was born in 1735 in Chesterfield County, Virginia (date is not certain) and moved to Buckingham County where he married Frances on Jan 1, 1755. He was living in Bedford County, Virginia when he joined in the was effort on April 3, 1781 and was in Patrick County when he applied for a pension on November 13, 1832. John Sharp passed away in the last mentioned county May 29, 1834.
Now back to Charley Sharp.....He came to Green County Arkansas sometime in the early 1860's and enlisted in Company D, 5th Arkansas Infantry at Little Rock on March 15, 1863 to serve for a period of one year or more. His wife, Matilda Boles Sharp being left alone in Greene County, AR, while her husband was away at war....took her infant daughter, Mary Ann Sharp, and WALKED all the way back to Lauderdale County, Alabama to be with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gustavous Aldophus Boles. Mary Ann, the oldest daughter of Charley and Matilda Sharp was married at Mixon, Logan County, Arkansas to James McConnell on Feb. 21, 1878 and they had Matilda, who died at a young age, Charlie McConnell, and Adron, Ester, Ezra, Jesse and mattie who died in her teens. The other children of Charlie and Matilda were Clarisa who married J.M. house in Booneville, Oct 23, 1884, Adron Sharp who married Matilda Voyles, Nov. 30, 1888 and lived between Booneville and Mixon raising a goodly number of Sharps, Pugh Cannon Sharp who married Ivy Jarvis, July 31, 1901 in Greenwood, Arkansas, Martha "Mattie" who married Spncer "Charlies" Weddle, June 14, 1888 and moved to the Oklahoma Territory, Ellar Louise who married Bill Ward, Sept. 7, 1890 in Booneville, William Sharp who married Node Pool and moved to Poteau, Oklahoma and Carroll Sharp who married Verna Pool, March 9, 1889 and moved his family to Woodlake, California. All these children of Charley and Matilda had their own children and many of which have gone on to other parts of our country to start new family lines.
There were OTHER Charlie Sharp's. The Sharp ancestors just about wore that name out. Dan Wood, a cousin, from the Sharp/Wood lines, sent me a big manilla envelope full of wonderful treasures. Amoung the pages I found the Confederate soldier, Charles Sharp. He was a private in Company D of the 9th Alabama Regiment. The first time I find him, he is sick in the Chimborazo Hospital, No. 4 in Richmond, Virginia. His illness is simply listed as FEVER. He was admitted on November 23, 1861 and he returned to duty on December 26, 1861. My heart just aches when I think of him leaving the day after Christmas. Then I find him again in the C.S.A. General Hospital in Danville, Virginia on May 6, 1862. I can't make out what his illness is. It looks like Nue Selopexiceum. He returns to duty on September 19, 1862. THEN...I find him once more on a Receipt Roll for clothing on April 30, 1863 and finally I find him KILLED at the Battle of Salem Church on May 3, 1863. I guess he did not get to use those clothes. Just a simple "casualty" list of the 9th Reg of Alabama Volunteers in the Battle of Salem Church, VA.....Remarks: KILLED. And Charly is gone. His grandparents would have been Charles and Matilda Sharp. He would have been our Adron Sharp's nephew.
Actual picture of Confederate casualities at the Battle of Salem Church, VA. Our Charly could be one of them.


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This procedure covers the general guidelines for soldering through hole components using a point to point soldering method.
Apply solder at the junction of soldering iron tip and lead to make a solder bridge.
Feed solder into the joint from the side opposite from the iron tip until the proper fillet is achieved.
This procedure covers the general guidelines for soldering through hole components using a point to point soldering method. There is basically only one style of through hole component. Whether there are a few leads or many or whether the component is large or small the soldering principles are the same.
Figure 1: Apply solder at the junction of soldering iron tip and lead to make a solder bridge.
Figure 2: Feed solder into the joint from the side opposite from the iron tip until the proper fillet is achieved.
If needed, form the component and clean the area.
Insert the component into the plated hole. If needed, secure in place by bending leads or other mechanical means.
If needed, apply liquid flux to the plated holes and pads.
The size of the solder is important when soldering small components. If the solder is too large, it is easy to melt too much solder into the joint. If the solder is too small, it can take too long to melt the optimum amount into the joint.
Avoid exerting any pressure on the pad.
Apply the solder to the side opposite from the soldering iron tip so that the work surfaces and not the iron will melt the solder.
On multiple lead components solder the opposite corners first to stabilize the component. Follow by soldering the remaining leads in a random pattern to reduce excessive heat buildup in one area.
Clean the flux residue, if required and inspect.


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According to official sources, XPENG has undergone three rounds of financing, namely A0, A1 and A2. The A0 investment came from Alibaba Group and He Xiaopeng. The A1 round was financed by Granite Global Ventures, Morningside, IDG, Matrix Partners China, Shunwei Capital and Guangkong Zhongying Capital. The A2 round was financed by Xin Ding Capital, Kinzon Capital and Lightspeed.
Guangzhou Chengxing Zhidong Automobile Technology is an entity operated by XPENG. Chengxing Zhidong added Hangzhou Alibaba Venture Capital Investment Company as its new shareholder, owning 10 percent of the shares.
Shareholders of Hangzhou Alibaba VC are Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma and Alibaba co-founder Xie Shihuang. Alibaba made a strategic investment in XPENG and Joseph Tsai, Alibaba's vice chairman, became a member of its board.
The previous three rounds of financing brought XPENG US $700 million. He Xiaopeng said he aims to raise US $5 billion over the next two years.
He Xiaopeng said he would complete five rounds of financing in a year. For XPENG, the goal is not a problem. Five rounds of financing per year would surpasses Mobike in terms of financing speed.
Alibaba said its capital injection into the new energy vehicle start-up was part of its overall investment in the automotive sector.
He Xiaopeng himself made additional investment in the A0 round and a number people from the Internet tech field participated in A+ round financing as individual investors. These included the founder and CEO of 58.com Yao Jinbo, founder of Dianping Zhang Tao and the founder and CEO of Liepin.com Dai Kebin.
Over the past six months, domestic Internet giants increasingly directed their attention and capital to Internet cars.
On November 8, Nextev announced a new round of more than $1 billion in financing, led by Tencent. Its first mass-produced all-electric ES8 will be available on December 16.
On December 5, Weltmeiser completed a new $1 billion financing round led by Baidu Capital and followed by Baidu Group. Weltmeiser unveiled its future product plan and its first mass-production car, the EX5, earlier this week. At present, the total financing of Weltmeiser automobile has exceeded 12 billion yuan, and it is preparing another round of financing.
Seven Seas VC, founded by Tencent's former CTO Xiong Minghua, had invested previously in Weltmeiser. Xiong joined Weltmeiser as vice chairman.
XPENG's cars attracted Alibaba and Xiaomi after it received a strategic investment of 2.2 billion yuan from UCAR in June.
He Xiaopeng said the 1.0 version of the car, which was released in October, would not be sold to the public on a large scale, with only about 1,000 units produced. Through test driving, XPENG could discover problems, continue to improve and complete a hardware iteration. The XPENG 2.0 version is already developed and will appear at the CES exhibition in the United States. It will be released on the market in 2018.


Description: Each proficiency test will contain questioned paint samples for comparison to known paint samples. These paint samples will represent typical types of paints (architectural, automotive, bicycle, spray paints, etc.) that are found in casework and may vary between single and multiple layers. The paint samples may be paint chips, smears, painted substrates or other forms that are routinely encountered in a forensic laboratory. Participants are requested to compare the different paint samples utilizing their laboratories procedures and instrumentation.


1. Young; youthful; as, a juvenile appearance.
2. Of or pertaining to youth; as, juvenile sports.
3. Characteristic of children; immature; childish; puerile; infantile; as, a juvenile temper tantrum.
n. 1. A young person or youth; - used sportively or familiarly.


Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:ATI) represented a move of -4.07 percent or $1.12 per share and closed its previous day trading session at $27.08. 2.53 Million Shares were traded in the last trading session with an Average Volume of 1.55 Million Shares. The stock currently has a Market Capitalization of 3.39 Billion.
Allegheny Technologies Inc. is a global manufacturer of technically advanced specialty materials and complex components. Allegheny Technologies largest market is aerospace & defense, particularly jet engines. Allegheny Technologies also have a strong presence in the oil & gas, electrical energy, medical, automotive, and other industrial markets. ATI is a market leader in manufacturing differentiated specialty alloys and forgings that require our unique manufacturing and precision machining capabilities and innovative new product development competence. ATI produces nickel-based alloys and superalloys, titanium alloys, specialty alloys, stainless steels, and zirconium and other related alloys in many mill product forms. ATI also are a leader in producing nickel-based alloy and titanium-based alloy powders for use in next-generation jet engine forgings and 3D-printed products.
The stock traded between $21.01 and $30.25 over 1-Year time period showing its price to sales ratio of 0.87. Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:ATI) is currently showing an DECREASING volatility over a period of 10-Days while the 20-Days Volatility showing a DECREASING trend.
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VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER.
BISHOP POTTER AND THE SALOON.
BISHOP POTTER, of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, has created quite a commotion in all circles by giving his sanction to a newly-opened "tavern" in New York City. The saloon and cafe are described as having fine appointments: in one end is a soda fountain at which beer is sold for the accommodation especially of ladies, who are not admitted to the saloon proper, at the bar of which liquors of all kinds are dispensed with free lunch at noon. Of the enterprise, the New York Sun, after recounting Bishop Potter's address and his leading in the singing of the doxology to the tune of "Old Hundred," says: "The idea of the tavern originated in the mind of Joseph Johnson, Jr., the Great Oak of the Order of Acorns. Mr. Johnson has always believed that rum is a curse, but he holds that the evils of intemperance must be combated by practical men and not theorists. If there must be saloons he wants them to be as ethical as possible. So he organized the Subway Tavern Company with a capital of $10,000—subscribed by prominent men whose names are given. The managers of the company have decided that not more than five per cent. shall be paid as dividends on the stock, whatever the profits may be; the surplus is to be used in starting other similar taverns."
We have no doubt that the gentlemen connected with this innovation have benevolent intentions: Their thought evidently is to fight fire with fire; to fight the doggerel saloon with a better one, to furnish purer liquors and better surroundings. We believe that they are making a great mistake. Nevertheless, the affair shows the extremity to which well-intentioned people are driven by present conditions, that the Apostle calls "the present distress." How evident to the instructed Christian that the one thing needful is the establishment of the Kingdom of God, for which we pray, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven." Nothing short of this heavenly power can cope with the present downward tendencies that afflict the whole human family, the "groaning creation."
These gentlemen in New York City are copying a plan adopted a few years ago in Great Britain by some of the Episcopal clergy there. These established taverns where liquors of all kinds were obtainable, as well as "soft drinks," the latter being given the preference in that the bartender is paid a commission on the soft drinks, making nothing on the intoxicating liquors. The effect has been good in Great Britain, it is claimed. Nevertheless we have no such expectations in respect to the introduction of this system into this country. Conditions here are totally different. Here the majority are opposed to liquor drinking, and the business and all things associated with it are more or less tabooed, and thus many are protected from the degrading influences. We fear that the tendency will be to break down this barrier and to make drinking more general and more fashionable, and thus to increase the evil effects of this most terribly degrading practice.
Bishop Potter's course has brought upon him very severe criticism from many quarters: yet it will make him popular with a certain very respectable class. The chief difficulty seems to lie in the fact that the true Church is not understood and its rules do not fit when applied to the world and its wisdom. Recognizing the Church as the "little flock" of "saints" fully consecrated to the Lord, we do not suppose for one moment that Bishop Potter would claim to be a member of it nor to be bound by its precepts and ideals. But many others, who take the same unsanctified stand, and who patronize saloons of the [R3418 : page 260] worst class, are chiding the Bishop, rebuking him, because they think of him as one of the "saints," and perceive that his course is not up to the ideals of the New Testament for such.
The sooner the world realizes the truth on this subject the better it will be for all concerned: that fully ninety-nine per cent. of the nominal Church (preachers included) are merely well-intentioned worldlings, who have never consecrated their wills, never been begotten of the Spirit and have not, therefore, "the mind [Spirit] of Christ."
DANGER FROM "HIGHER CRITICISM."
Dr. David J. Burrell, pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church, Fifth avenue, New York, says:—
"It is indeed true that there is sore danger from this critical movement, but it is not the Bible that stands so much in danger—it can take care of itself—as it is the dictionary that is assailed.
"Words that have a specific and clear meaning to us, used by the exponents of the critical propaganda, have a different meaning entirely. It is one of the calamitous consequences of this criticism. It means a complete overturning of definitions as we understand them. And to coin a spurious word is worse than to issue a spurious coin.
"Men preach from the pulpit and talk with you and me about the inspiration. Their terms to them have not the dictionary definition which they know you put on them. I won't mince words, for I know friends of mine who do this. It's not honest. We are fighting for Webster's and Worcester's dictionaries, just as we are fighting for God Almighty in this contest.
"There are men preaching the gospel of Christ who do not know what the little word "is" means, using it instead in the most outre and outlandish way. I know a man who will say 'The Bible is the Word of God,' yet he doesn't mean what people think him to mean. 'Is' to him means 'is not.'
"In days of old, when the gods of the Pantheon had lost their powers, the priests laughed to themselves before the altar as they went through the ceremonies. That is an effect, too, on the Christian ministry of the higher criticism.
"I make no charge against any man, and I say it with a deal of charity and lamentation, but some men in some pulpits are smiling at the words they have to preach.
"I walked with a man from a church one day—he being a friend of mine, though he is one of the critical ones—at the close of a sermon he had preached on the incarnation. He had hardly gone a hundred steps from his pulpit when he turned to me and said [R3419 : page 260] with a smile: "It isn't of any great difference to me whether Christ was the son of Joseph or was conceived by the holy Spirit.' The fine edge of honesty was worn off there, as it is elsewhere. But the mass of people in the pews, notwithstanding the teachings they hear, are honest to the Word of God.
"People won't go to church to hear hypotheses. There is more good in a Sunday newspaper than there is in a man who preaches the vagaries of the 'higher criticism from the pulpit.'"
True, but not strongly enough stated. The harm done by the "higher critics" exceeds all other sources of harm, including infidel publications and dime novels, because it breaks down all true faith and confidence toward God and sets at nought "the only name given under heaven and amongst men whereby we must be saved." It makes the "blood of the covenant a common thing."—Heb. 10:29.
LEAGUING AGAINST "HIGHER CRITICISM."
"The American Bible League" held its first convention lately in New York City. It has our best wishes, but we fear it will find far less sympathy and support amongst ministers and laymen than it should naturally expect. The fact is that the entire body of Christendom has been thoroughly inoculated with this poisonous infidelity of the refined Sadduceeic sort. For years the colleges have been turning the stream at its head waters. Today the studies and school-literature of the public high schools are completely under this same influence. We have no thought, therefore, that the American Bible League will meet with any degree of success. We do, however, hope that its course may have the effect of arousing some true believers and separating them from nominalism and thus preparing them to search for and to find "the old paths"—the old theology—"the faith once delivered to the saints."
Unless we greatly err the "League" will find even among its own members some who are half poisoned on this subject by evolutionary ideas. We quote extracts from several of the speakers and from commentaries on the first session. Mr. William Phillips Hall, the president of the "League," said:—
"That the Bible is now being subjected to a scholastic assault of unparalleled danger; that the practical consequences of this assault are in evidence in the demoralization of conduct and education, and in evil influences on the ministry and missions; that the assault is based upon groundless claims of a false scholarship, and that the methods proposed by the league will fully meet the imperative needs of the situation and lead to a recovery of faith in the Bible as the Word of God and to the enthronement of our Lord Jesus Christ in the hearts of men.
"Fascinated by a strange scholarship, multitudes among the leaders in the Christian ministry and educational work have turned aside in large part from the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints, to worship at the shrine of a destructive criticism that destroys individual faith in the divine origin, integrity, inspiration and authority of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and that sooner or later, logically, and inevitably, leads to the denial of [R3419 : page 261] the incarnation, omniscience, atonement and supreme authority of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Dr. Francis L. Patton, president of Princeton Theological Seminary, said, respecting the views of "higher critics:"—
"To them there was no primeval innocence, no fall, no redemption, no incarnation. They hold these things not to be doctrines, but pretty teachings, making up what is really nothing more than a metaphysic philosophy. Ask them straightforward questions and they begin to dodge the issue. Ask them, 'Did Jesus Christ have a preexistence? Did he rise from the dead? Was he ever really dead? Was he God of very God?' They begin to shift. They begin right away to talk sentimentalism and say, 'We want the moralities.'
"'All right, we'll talk morals;' but they don't. They dodge them, too.
"It all comes around to the question of judgment of fact and value. If you can discard the former and retain the latter, what is the good of Christianity? You can then preach just as good a sermon from Aesop's fables as from Holy Scripture."
Dr. Daniel Gregory, General Secretary of the League, is reported to have said:—
"The league believes this to be one of the most serious crises in the history of Christian faith, and has taken up its task with a twofold object: it takes its stand for the Bible and the old view, and yet with open vision for any new light, and it challenges these claims of radical criticism, the baselessness of which it purposes to show. We have no fault to find with real criticism. We do not challenge the new views because they are scientific, but because they are unscientific.
"The second object of this league is to help the people to see the Bible as it is and to find out what is in it."
The New York Sun editorially notes that the League describes the present as a "crisis" in the history of Christianity. The Sun agrees that the term "crisis" is none too strong and adds:—
"If this subversive and destructive criticism was confined to avowed opponents of religion and the Church, as it was formerly, it might not be an enemy dangerous enough to require the formation of a Christian league against it; but now it has affected profoundly the thought and radically changed the view of a large part of Christendom itself. It has entered into theological seminaries to a very great extent, and is influencing the sentiment and modifying the points of view in many pulpits of even the most nominally orthodox churches."
Most of the prominent journals that comment at all treat the League respectfully, but clearly imply their "higher critic" predilections, and imply that the most the League will do will be to sow discord and rancor and controversy. Thus the "wise" always deprecate any battle with Satan.
POLITICS IN RELIGION.
"People with old-fashioned ideas concerning the relations between the churches and the Deity, whose cause they are presumed to set forth here on earth, are often somewhat dismayed at the very practical way in which the machinery of the churches work. The present quadrennial conference of the Methodist Church at Los Angeles has been styled by some members of the faith the biggest political event of the year of presidential nominations.
"Questions of creed, of the form of Church government and the selection of Church officials are settled in all Church assemblages in a highly practical and thoroughly human manner. Church politics differs from the ordinary kind most in subject matter.
"The methods are the same, very largely because in not a few instances they are employed by the same kind of men, but most of all doubtless because they represent the working out of divine purpose in other fields. In the Presbyterian and Episcopalian and other general religious gatherings, the men whose influence counts for most are not infrequently those who stand high in political and business circles.
"It shocks people who believe that the churches are exclusively divinely guided to see so little difference in ecclesiastical strategy from those which prevail in more worldly gatherings. Yet there should be no dismay or surprise even. For while we all know that the churches are under divine guidance we are wholly wrong in supposing that other of the vast concerns of men are not equally under the same influence and direction.
"Creeds and churches are all man-made out of material furnished him by his Maker, but expressions of man's recognition of his obligations and opportunities lies in the spiritual plane. Though inspired by the Creator since they are not universal, they are all manifestly imperfect, and so doubtless because transmitted through erring man. Creed and Church discipline and law have no more foundation of authority or guarantee of stability than do political platform declarations. They are all always subject to revision as men progress in religious understanding and to meet new contingencies of moral perversion as they arise.—Toledo Sunday Times-Bee.
This editor sees only a part of what he points out. God has given his Church explicit directions, but the plans, schemes and traditions of men ignore the Word, the counsel of God, and hence the similarity of political manipulations.