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Hanukah, Purim, And Why Israel Needs More Hanukah
Dec 14, 2022, 5:22 AM
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Photo Credit: Yaron Kaminsky
It's no surprise that the Hasmoneans have a complicated reputation in Jewish tradition. Despite their heroism, the Maccabean revolt produced a short-lived, dysfunctional and Hellenized priestly dynasty that paved the way for Roman rule.
"Judah Macabee", Arthur Szyk
Within a generation of the revolt, its second major leader and the nephew of Judah Maccabee, John Hyrcanus, was forced to (re)surrender Jerusalem to the Seleucids after a devastating siege on the city and back them in their war against the Iranian Parthians.
So much for Judean sovereignty.
His son, Aristobulus I, who starved his own mother to death and possibly murdered his brothers upon seizing power, took the title "basileus" — or king in Greek. The first man in Israel's history to be both king and cohen gadol.
He loved the Greek title — in fact, a passionate Hellenist, he loved most things Greek.
While his impressive territorial conquests, destruction of Samaria and alleged forced-conversions of Itureans were his claim to fame, he was by definition an illegitimate usurper — for a cohen can never be a true, Davidic King of Israel.
His younger brother, Alexandros Jannaeus (again with the Greek names), sided with the Sadducees and violently persecuted their ideological opponents, the rabbis or the Perushim/Pharisees, who were the forerunners of what we now call Rabbinic Judaism.
And his sons, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, were ultimately responsible for inviting (and succumbing to) Roman intervention— resulting in full Roman control of Judea, Samaria and the Galilee.
The last Hasmonean king, Antigonus II, asked Julius Caesar for political and military aid before making a last-ditch attempt at bucking Roman rule with Parthian help. In the end he failed miserably and was executed by the Romans, thus ending the messy dynasty once and for all.
In short, as far as Jewish sovereignty, self-determination and religious integrity go, the Hasmonean track record was checkered to the say the least.
This is one reason the Talmud doesn't address Hanukah the same way it does other important holidays or observances.
"What is Hanukah?", the Gemara suddenly asks on Shabbat 21b in the middle of an equally abrupt discussion on the hows, wheres and whats of Hanukah wicks and oils — as if we should be asking this question ourselves; as if the miracle (and meaning) of Hanukah isn't so obvious.
The answer? Not the story of heroic Maccabean guerrilla fighters in the Judean hills, but that of a one-day oil supply miraculously lasting eight days, enabling the successful purification and rededication of the Temple — the spiritual and religious center of Israel.
Understandably, the rabbis fixed the mitzvah of lighting the Hanukah candles precisely to mark this miracle — and not to celebrate the Hasmonean dynasty.
However, unlike Purim, there's no positive commandment to have a festive, joyous meal (the Rambam disagrees, but he's a lone voice). Both Hanukah and Purim celebrate Jewish survival in the face of seemingly impossible odds, but there's a key difference.
In the Book of Esther, Haman seeks to destroy Jews for being Jews. Genocide for the sake of genocide. The miracle of Purim isn't just his downfall, but also our opportunity to physically defend ourselves against annihilation (lest we forget the part of the story where the Jews rise up and kill over 75,000 of their enemies).
Hanukah is an entirely different story. Antiochus IV didn't want genocide. He wanted political stability and a Hellenist world order that had no tolerance for rebellious zealots trying to oust local, Hellenized elites. Rather than a story of Jews being saved from a genocidal maniac, Hanukah is the story of a group of Jews choosing to revolt against a specific imperial ideology and set of hegemonic spiritual and cultural values in the name of Torah and Judaism — or, perhaps more accurately, Judean-ism.
As the adage goes: Purim was a fight for the Jewish body, Hanukah for the Jewish soul.
And so, on Purim we're commanded to celebrate with our bodies — to make a seudah, drink and rejoice (the costumes only started in the Middle Ages under European Christian influence). But on Hanukah there's no seudah, no wild drinking, no costumes… there are lights. Lights illuminating the long, dark winter nights and representing the miraculous rededication of the core of Jewish spirituality: the Temple in Jerusalem.
Modern Israel is very good at the Purim narrative. The entire thrust of modern political Zionism(s) was creating a safe haven for all Jews — i.e. for Jewish bodies, even those who have limited Jewish ancestry — and every stream of Zionism from liberal Zionism to Religious Zionism focuses on Jews physically surviving and thriving in the Land of Israel at any cost.
Purim in Tel Aviv, Photo credit: Oded Balilty/AP
Israeli culture is one big Purim — a vibrant, boisterous, often blockish, in-your-face celebration of Jewish physical existence, strength and dominance. Even those religious Zionist voices who advocate for more Jewish education and stronger Jewish identity have very little to offer when it comes to Jewish philosophy, spirituality, ethics or musar.
A close look at Israel today, from Kiryat Arba to Tel Aviv, shows Jewish identity in Israel is largely about being Jewish for the sake of being Jewish, a Jewish state for the sake of a Jewish state, national strength and pride for the sake of strength and pride — as if simply being isn't just a start but the whole point…
As if Tel Aviv's night life, the latest app, product or startup, Black Friday shopping, and frequent trips abroad are all enough. Or, as if simply being "baalei habayit", showing the Arabs who's boss, building a new settlement outpost solely for the sake of more Jews simply existing in Judea and Samaria— again, at any cost — are enough.
Almost as if no challenging moral, ethical or spiritual responsibilities and dimensions come with being here — or with being at all.
But what about our spirit? What about Jewish values, responsibilities, ideas, ethics, morality and soul-searching (secular or religious)? What about the light? What about Hanukah?
The Gemara's answer to "What is Hanukah?" can be read as a challenge to look beyond our physical survival and might in the Land of Israel and ask ourselves: What are our values? Where is our light?
To look beyond our bodies, and search for our soul.
Benjamin made aliyah in 2011 and lives in Jerusalem. Over the past decade he served as a lone soldier, completed a B.A. and M.A. in History at Tel Aviv University, and worked in Israel's tech industry. He enjoys traversing the diverse cultural, religious and political worlds of Israel/Palestine.
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JLR and BMW To Form Partnership
Two of Europe's biggest car makers are to form an alliance to help them better develop electric vehicles.
Jaguar Land Rover and BMW have announced a collaboration which will see them share their knowledge and expertise on electrification, a partnership which will help provide massive economies of scale. The development of electric vehicles comes with huge overheads and the union will see the companies share some of the costs of developing the next generation of electric drive units (EDUs).
Both companies have already made huge strides in the area of electrification, Jaguar's I-Pace being the world's first premium battery SUV, and this year won three World Car of the Year awards.
Jaguar Land Rover's engineering director Nick Rogers said: "The pace of change and consumer interest in electrified vehicles is gathering real momentum and it's essential we work across industry to advance the technologies required to deliver this exciting future.
"We've proven we can build world beating electric cars but now we need to scale the technology to support the next generation of Jaguar and Land Rover products.
"It was clear from discussions with BMW Group that both companies' requirements for next generation EDUs to support this transition have significant overlap making for a mutually beneficial collaboration."
The Land Rover and BMW partnership is a reunion of sorts for the two European powerhouses, the German company having owned the English company before selling it to Ford in 2008.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Image Title: Light Walnut Travertine Switch Plate Cover Double Rocker 4 5 X5 For Plates Plans 2. Filename: light-walnut-travertine-switch-plate-cover-double-rocker-4-5-x5-for-plates-plans-2.jpg. Image Dimension: 640 x 640 pixels. Images Format: jpg/jpeg. Publisher/Author: Michael Brekke. Uploaded Date: Sunday - June 03rd. 2018 16:57:09 PM. Category: Architecture. Image Source: hgtv.com.
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Last week, I was able to witness the birth of my friend's new baby boy and be the official photographer for the event. It was such an emotional day for everyone and was one of the best photography experiences of my life. Welcome to the world, baby Emmett!
Absolutely beautiful. What a wonderful experience.


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Grantee Partner Spotlight: Sherry Williams of the Bronzeville / Black Chicagoan Historical Society
Mark Hallett, Program Manager for Grants | mark.hallett@ilhumanities.org | (312) 422-5586
Digitization of Jackson Funeral Home Records, 1922-1949 (awarded April 2019)
Phillis Humphries and Sherry
Williams in 1860s garments at
the Pullman State Site.
Founded in 1999, the Bronzeville / Black Chicagoan Historical Society (BHS) was started by a small group of enthusiastic family history researchers. BHS began due to an overwhelming concern for the diminishing historical sites in African American communities and continues to raise public awareness about endangered and unmarked historic sites in Bronzeville. The BHS archives include family documents, oral histories, memorabilia, quilts, objects, film, and photographs. BHS has recorded more than 20 oral histories about the Great Migration from community elders.
Since 2014, the BHS has managed the care of more than 200,000 individual burial records from the Jackson Funeral Home, which opened in 1867 and closed in 2012. Jackson was the oldest and longest surviving Black mortuary business in the United States. The documents are a resource for genealogists, scholars of burial traditions, community storytellers, and historians. BHS would like to provide worldwide access to the funeral home records via an online surname burial database. Processing is needed to organize individual records for digitization. The grant was to support the scanning and organizing of burial registers from 1922 through 1949.
Learn more about the project and upcoming events, including a Q&A session with the BHS's president, Sherry Williams!
Grantee Spotlight:
Learn more about other featured grantee partners and projects.
Grants, Community Grants, Vision, Action, and Multiplier Grants


What's with the birthday brouhaha?
I've never really understood the seemingly psychotic obsession with birthdays and aging. After all, it is something that will occur regardless of what you do. You will get older. A date on the calendar that marks your entrance into the world will pass every 365 days. So what's the big deal?
Now, I'm no nihilist. I don't take the negative view that each birthday brings you one day closer to death (which while somewhat morbid is certainly true). On the other hand I've long since passed the age of someone that feels the need to celebrate the marking of time on my personal wheel of life. When you look at the basic aspects of a birthday celebration there doesn't really seem to be all that much special about it. Modern society has literally obliterated the need for such festivities in countries with any decent standard of living. It occurred to me in the celebration of my own birthday yesterday that there isn't a single thing that I need a birthday party to do any more.
Cake – Once upon a time sugar and sugary treats were something only the very wealthy could regularly afford. To common people cakes and desserts were a true treat. Something you had to save for a very special occasion. Well, most people's lives were devoid of any such thing. Thus when someone turned a year older it was a great time to go the extra little mile and splurge on a tiny slice of decadence.
Fast forward to the modern middle class world of ridiculously over stocked supermarkets. Now, there is no lack of cheap sugary treats that even the lower income amongst us can afford. In fact, sugar has become so ubiquitous that you find it in everything from ketchup & mustard to milk & juice. Even with the demise of the Hostess there is no lack of aisles and aisles of grocery shelves filled with sugary snacks. So is a cake really all that neat and do we really need an excuse to eat more sugar? I'd argue the answer is no.
Libations – For the more adult among us birthdays are usually accompanied by all manner of alcoholic beverages. This too though has become something the average person can obtain with ease. So there really is little need to hold a special festival to consume varying amounts of fluids that were once the province of the powerful.
Gifts – In the days before consumer culture the idea of owning much of anything was pretty much a pipe dream. Children played with the world around them. Sticks became swords, guns, fishing poles, and bats. A little mud could be sculpted into just about any manner of shapes. In fact, I happen to agree with Wired Magazine's Geek Dad that some of the coolest toys ever could be found just sitting around the home. Yet, parents and friends use the birthday as an excuse to give gifts.
As an adult, my toys are a bit more expensive. I usually ask my friends to forego the purchasing of gifts on my birthday. They are my friends though and that means they are often similar to me in demeanor….which is to say, they are hard headed and buy me stuff anyway. Not that I'm ungrateful but I really don't see the need to exchange gifts as adults.
Gathering – Now, this is one part of the birthday I can understand. Having friends and relatives over to share some time is one of my favorite activities. The only question I have is why we need a special occasion to do it? If you need a unique day of the year to gather the people in your life to a central location and enjoy each other's company you may want to reassess your priorities. If the only time of the year you stop and take a moment from your busy life to spend a couple of hours at your friend's house is when they get another year older you really should take a step back and reexamine a few things. Think about it this way, only the severally screwed up lay in their death bed and ask to be surrounded by their possessions. While inviting people over for a birthday party is certainly fine it shouldn't be the only time in a year that you set aside to celebrate your relationships.
When you look at the history of birthday traditions they were primarily for kings and gods. Like many of our modern traditions they came from the bourgeois attempting to imitate the upper class. This isn't an attempt to pass judgement, it is just a examination of the reasoning behind why we do what we do to this day.
Now, I don't want to sound ungrateful. My wife arranged a party get-together for my 36th just yesterday. It was a wonderful time. My hard headed friends gave me gifts. Libations were poured. Cake was eaten. It was a wonderful time and I do appreciate the sentiment but when I thought about this morning what about my being on this earth another year was truly worth celebrating? I hadn't done anything particularly unique this past year. I had simply gone about my day-to-day existence.
Steve Jobs once said, "We're here to put a dent in the universe." Well, I've decided that to be honestly worthy of a birthday celebration, to really and truly deserve the gifts and cakes and libations, I should probably try and do more dent making.
The celebration of the birth of a benevolent ruler or god was because of their contribution to society at large. While I'm sure I've made the lives of my friends and family a little better simply by being on this earth I don't know that makes the last 12 months of my life blowout worthy. So, as I'm ought to do, I've decided that this year I'm going to do something that makes an impact outside of the little world I live in. It might be to volunteer more. Make more time to mentor, advise, and counsel. Lend my time advocating a worthy cause or simply donating something to charity. I don't yet know what form it will take but I do know that if people insist on celebrating my mear existence I should probably make my life deserving of all the brouhaha that surrounds the 15th of June every year.


It has been so exciting and fun to explore science with Rockets with students all over CMSD for the past month!
We started by taking the Mobile Fab Lab trailer to Cleveland's Great Lakes Science Center to make rockets with MC2's 9th graders! Students were able to work collaboratively to shoot rockets outside right next to Lake Erie!
Last week the MFL team was at Orchard Elementary school where we made rockets with Ms. Btebit's middle school classroom for students with individual education plans. The students were enthusiastic and had a blast making rockets and launching them in their classroom!
Our next stop at orchard was with the 2nd graders! These little ones were thrilled to make rockets after watching a rocket video in class with their teacher! The kids worked collaboratively to make a rocket and launch it! Then they made adjustments to their rocket to try to improve the distance!
The last rocket stop was at Warner Girl's Leadership Academy where fourth grade young ladies worked together to create and launch rockets on a beautiful fall day. Students recorded the distance their rockets went and will later be analyzing the data by finding averages and making graphs of their data!
All of these Rocket Launch days were filled with science and fun! Students got to build their own rocket using straws, tape, clay and laser cut wings! This one hour long mini maker activity is a great way for students to have a hands on learning experience and get them making their own data for analysis in math and science.
This is a great mini maker activity, or can be expanded to a full on Fab activity during a week long investigation into rockets where students can design their own wings using computers and laser cut their own wings!
Next Next post: New Project Idea! Holiday Activity!


These are pictures of our characters that are in the Star Wars game we play. They are also the same characters that are in my stories. Some are original some are pictures of real people and computer generated ones that I have modified. If anybody involved with the original pictures I modified wants me to take them down I will do so gladly, just remember this is all for fun.


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Colombia at the Crossroads: The Future of the Peace Accords
Richani, Nazih
Parts of the Colombian establishment want peace, but the peace process is opposed by the military, landowners, the middle class-and a newly powerful paramilitary. Colombia has been wracked...
...8 In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Colombia's Ministry of Defense pushed for an anti-terrorist bill which would grant the military powers beyond those already granted under a new "Law of Security and National Defense" which went into effect in August 2001...
...Since 1998, the government of President Andr6s Pastrana has been negotiating on and off with two insurgent groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN...
...Chief "Cacaos," an among them is an informal grouping, nicknamed "the that includes Cacaos," that includes key mbia's largest members of the Colombian bourgeoisie, among them the cial and media owners of the country's largest industrial, financial and media nies...
...These sectors of the Colombian economy are increasingly integrated with transnational capital and global markets, and the views of the Cacaos represent a social and political rupture with the more conservative landowning classes that form the paramilitaries' base of support...
...Either it will take an authoritarian path that will suffocate its already restricted democracy, or there will be a new social pact that paves the way for democratic development...
...At the same time, both sides made sure that they acquired enough resources to not lose the war outright...
...But the paramilitaries are expanding their power within a global context shaped by the U.S...
...NACIA REPORT ON THE AMERICAS 18REPORT ON POST COLD WAR LATIN AMERICA The cost of maintaining such an army is estimated to be between 50 and 80 million dollars a year...
...agents consider the AUC more of an asset than a liability...
...The specter of an authoritarian path becomes more real, however, when we factor in the increasing appeal of the AUC to the elusive "middle class" whose swinging political mood is gravitating toward the right as reflected by opinion polls conducted in the last two years...
...6. At the same time, organized labor and the left have yet to demonstrate their strength in this arena...
...One sign of the intensification is the increasing national military budget: Colombia's military spending was 1.8% of GDP in 1994...
...Colombia has been wracked by civil war for 37 years and today the nation is at a crossroads: Either it will close off the possibility of ending the current conflict through negotiations, or it will succeed in bringing peace negotiations to a successful conclusion...
...What's more, the FARC and ELN kidnapped 92 U.S...
...Some economists have estimated that violence and war in Colombia reduce the country's economic growth by 3% to 4% annually and slow Colombia's integration into the international capitalist system...
...war on terrorism...
...In the department of Cauca, soldiers moonlighting as paramilitaries can earn $500 per month...
...This is particularly true in the departments of Bolivar, Cauca, Middle Magdalena, UrabB, CUsar, North Santander, and the OriIn favor of a settlement: The informal group owners of Colo industrial, finan compa ental Plains, areas affected by the guerrilla's policy of forced "taxations...
...More importantly, the bill reinstates an article of the 1886 Constitution which allows the government to declare a State of Emergency during which constitutional rights are suspended...
...The paramilitaries have their own helicopters and heavy weaponry...
...It relies on its own income-producing capabilities independent of the state and other sources of financing...
...At this point, it remains to be seen which path Colombia will follow...
...Within this perspective, the AUC's inclusion on the terrorist list will most likely turn out to be only a symbolic act, one politically necessary to mute critics in Congress and human rights groups, even as the paramilitary is quietly used as a tactical ally...
...support for the so-called Plan Colombia, unwittingly or wittingly, is strengthening the political and military posture of the extreme right and providing more arms for continuing the conflict...
...Pastrana has received support for continuing the negotiations from sectors of the political and economic establishment that see the war as a brake on the nation's economic well-being, but the peace process is opposed by other sectors, including the Colombian military, many large landowners, many members of the middle class and by a force which has only recently become one to be reckoned with: Carlos Castafio's paramilitary SelfDefense Units of Colombia (AUC...
...The group's rapid and dramatic growth started in the early 1990s and picked up momentum in the 1995-2001 period after the creation of a unified command structure under Carlos Castafio's leadership...
...4 This means that although the AUC has close ties with the Colombian military, it is not dependent on the military for its continued existence and, indeed, as documented in a recent Human Rights Watch report, the AUC often pays members of the military to do its bidding rather than vice versa...
...The AUC also receives support from several important sectors of Colombian society that oppose a negotiated peace...
...Thirteen more U.S...
...citizens were kidnapped in Colombia in 1999...
...7 Uribe V61lez's discourse is similar to Castafio's: They coincide in their preference for a military path that does not contemplate either concessions to the guerrillas or reforms...
...The guerrillas also recognize the new correlation of world forces produced by the U.S...
...in 2000 three U.S...
...2000 and $3000...
...The crisis has created unprecedented levels of unemployment, reaching as high as 20% in urban centers...
...More than 53 retired Colombian military officers, along with foreign mercenaries from Israel and the United States, have worked with the AUC as advisers and participated in AUC actions...
...in the 1980s new paramilitary groups were set up to serve the needs of drug traffickers and the then-emerging narcobourgeoisie...
...In other words, the organization has nearly become a classically defined army...
...their leadership has come to realize that reaching a historic compromise under the current balance of force-while insurgent military strength is challenged but is not yet in decline-could lay the foundations of a social democracy in Colombia...
...companies...
...U.S...
...The guerrillas are the other important force weighing in in favor of the peaceful path...
...These salaries far exceed the average Colombian's monthly income...
...But it's clear that some U.S...
...This may be diminishing the chances of a historic democratic compromise, though, as the events of September 11 demonstrated, the course of history is unpredictable and the dynamic of Colombia's conflict may yet be shaped by unexpected factors...
...Moreover, U.S...
...The new law resurrected the infamous "Security Statute" introduced by President Turbay Ayala in the late 1970s, which led to serious human rights violations and hundreds of disappearances...
...In fact, today's most prominent paramilitary group, the AUC, had only 93 men in 1986...
...officials fear that the relationship could aid the spread of revolutionary movements throughout the Andean region...
...military aid package provided by Plan Colombia, combined with the rise of the extreme right, creates the conditions for the reactionary elements of the Colombian military to boldly oppose Pastrana's peace efforts...
...Since the 1940s, paramilitaries of some sort have existed in different regions of Colombia, chiefly to protect the interests of the large landowners...
...Today's AUC is different from the paramilitaries of the 1940s and 1980s in three fundamental ways: The AUC now has a unified structure operating at the national level...
...These are the U.S.-sponsored "War on Drugs," the rise to power of Venezuela's leftist President Hugo ChAvez and, most recently, the U.S.-declared "War on Terrorism...
...For example, polls taken in 2001 showed that Alvaro Uribe V61lez, a presidential aspirant and a representative of the extreme right, had between 15% and 20% support, mainly in urban middle class sectors...
...1 The recent intensification has made the conflict more costly for everyone involved: the guerrillas, the state, the dominant classes, the peasants, and the urban middle class...
...Conservative political circles within the dominant elite, sectors of the military establishment that have had close links with the AUC, and some sectors of foreign capital, particularly oil and coal companies such as Occidental and British Petroleum, also oppose a negotiated settlement that could undermine their interests...
...from a stalemated low-intensity war, it has become a higher intensity war with a clear tendency to escalate...
...Castafio speaks of the AUC as engaging in "legitimate defense" of "honest citizens" against the guerrilla forces...
...Another sign is the use of new and heavier armaments by all parties in the conflict-all of whom have larger forces in combat: The government now has modern helicopters and surveillance planes, many provided by the United States...
...Now it has some 8,000 combatants...
...2. In my article,"The Political Economy of Violence: The War System in Colombia," Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (Summer 1997), I offered an explanation of why the civil war has been protracted...
...It is important to note that the AUC is a group that is friendly to U.S...
...These sectors include large landowners and key members of the agribusiness elite, among them cattle ranchers and owners of banana and flower plantations and sugar and palm oil processing plants...
...This has led to the recent overall intensification and escalation of the war...
...3. The October 2001 Human Rights Watch report "The Sixth Division" says that, "According to the Colombian Commission of Jurists, paramilitaries acting with the tolerance or support of the security forces were responsible for 79 percent of the political killings and forced disappearances registered in Colombia between April and September 2000...
...antiterrorist" campaign...
...At the same time, however, there are several important negotiated social groups that do favor a negotiated settlement...
...It has a clear political agenda with a defined discourse that articulates the type of political system and economic order that the group wants...
...Captains received between U.S...
...The military balance was comfortable enough that both actors developed vested interests in maintaining a low-intensity war without taking the risks of escalation with no assurance of victory...
...One of the main factors that changed the war's dynamic is the rise of paramilitarism as a political and military force around which Colombia's most reactionary elements are rallying...
...T he growing political and military power of the AUC put President Pastrana on the defensive because of his support for peace negotiations...
...As Dietrich Rueschemyer et al...
...7. See the AUC website http://www.aucolombia.com and the related site http://www.colombialibre.net 8. This is more true for the FARC than for the ELN, which has been considerably weakened...
...See http://www hrw.org/campaigns/colombia In the Valle del Cauca at least 30 police and army officers are on the payroll of the AUC...
...That analysis was based on the war system approach which also underlies the present article, Systems theory instructs us to analyze the universe of our inquiry in terms of interconnections of variables, unforeseen consequences of actor's behavior, and contingencies, all of which affect the modes and dynamics of the interrelationship between the variables...
...See "La nomina secreta de los paramilitares II, El Tiempo October 21, 2001...
...www...
...The law also exempts the military from any budgetary cuts...
...Moreover, the new security law re-asserts the role of the army in managing police functions, which will mean more restrictions on political freedoms and civil liberties, and more human rights abuses...
...5 The AUC is perhaps the first extreme right organization in Latin America to succeed in building such an independent military-financial structure...
...Now the coincidence of a global economic recession, Argentina's economic crisis and Washington's new war on terrorism are putting new brakes on the Colombian economy and, in the Cacaos view, provide added incentives for a peaceful end to Colombia's long conflict...
...policy and economic interests in Colombia, and is likely to receive more lenient treatment from the United States than the FARC and ELN, both of which have antagonized Washington...
...The Cacaos are staunch supporters of President Pastrana and his peace strategy and most likely will support presidential candidate Horacio Serpa, who has pledged to continue talks with the guerrillas...
...6 The right-wing swing by the middle class stems from a general malaise induced by the protracted conflict that has been exacerbated by Colombia's gravest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
...A former CIA official wrote that the kidnappings show that "Americans risk becoming collateral victims in Colombia...
...At least 1,000 of Castaflo's force previously served in the Colombian military...
...The number of mass killings also increased significantly in the post-1995 period...
...This has contributed to a growing belief among the military commanders that they can defeat the insurgency within a few years...
...Special Forces personnel in high conflict areas such as Caquetfi has further escalated the war...
...Majors received $2500 and lieutenants $1500...
...by 2000 it had risen to 3.7...
...5. For example, according to the HRW report: "In the department of Putumayo the AUC paid monthly salaries to local army and police officials based on rank...
...agencies are reported to have had contacts with the AUC's leadership...
...in 1994, 505 people were victims of massacres whereas in 2000, 1226 people were victims of mass killings, mostly committed by paramilitaries...
...3 The paramilitaries are not a new phenomenon in Colombia, but they have recently taken on new forms...
...9 Also worrisome to U.S interests is the increasing affinity between the Colombian guerrillas and the leftist regime of President Hugo Chivez in Venezuela...
...Cacaos spokesmen take the view that Colombia's civil war has become costlier than a negotiated peace...
...So while AUC brutality poses an "embarrassment" to Washington, the Colombian guerrillas are seen as a real enemy...
...In contrast to the AUC, the FARC and ELN have attacked U.S...
...In terms of armaments, the AUC has 14 state-of-the-art helicopters equipped for military operations, 11 small planes, and rapid boats with mounted machine guns...
...Due to the covert nature of these contacts, it is hard to judge their character and depth...
...9. Paul Pillar, Terrorism and US Foreign Policy (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001), p. 134...
...Between the 1960s and the mid-1990s, the balance of forces between the guerrillas and the state did not allow either of the two to prevail...
...aid package and the deployment of U.S...
...activists working with the indigenous U'wa were killed by the FARC...
...Now, as part of the proposed anti-terrorist package, the military wants still more powers, including the right to detain suspects without trials...
...And if the lessons of history are of any use, the peace negotiations under former presidents Betancur, Barco and Gaviria failed partially because the military dragged its feet...
...State Department list of the world's terrorist groups-alongside the FARC and ELN-raises the question of how the AUC's listing will affect the future dynamic of the war...
...But the debate over the peace process is now being affected by three outside factors...
...The guerrillas have obtained anti-aircraft missiles and routinely employ very destructive bombs made from gas cylinders...
...This has professionalized the AUC's mode of action...
...The death squads, paramilitary groups and peasant patrols of El Salvador, Guatemala and Peru pale in comparison...
...Colombia's rapidly rising homicide rate is another symptom of the conflict's intensification, since most of the killings are committed either by organized crime or the paramilitaries...
...Not suprisingly, Uribe Vl61ez's political fortune also seems to be on the upswing...
...Under the new security law, the military has been granted additional powers to exercise counterinsurgency strategies with little if any civilian oversight...
...Last year, 14 members of the Cacaos met on their own with FARC leaders to discuss possibilities for a settlement and other issues...
...Nonetheless, in 1986 they had only a few hundred members with no national command structures...
...One factor to consider is that the DEA, CIA and other U.S...
...The military has repeatedly tried to derail the peace process: It objected to a prisoner exchange with the guerrillas that had been proposed as a means of building confidence in the peace process, and has continued to harrass the FARC in the zona de despeje, or demilitarized zone, that guerrillas were granted as part of the negotiations...
...Guerrillas were believed directly responsible for 16 percent of the recorded killings and abductions considered international humanitarian law violations...
...citizens between 1980 and 1998, 12 of whom died in captivity...
...personnel involved in combat in Colombia have to contend with the fact that the AUC is the archenemy of their enemy-the AUC is not targeting their forces while the guerrillas are...
...hrw.org/reports200 1/Colombia 4. These estimates are based on police data...
...Dietrich Rueschemeyer, Evelyne Stephens and John Stephens, Capitalist Development and Democracy (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992), p. 167...
...In this way the so-called anti-terrorist war is providing an excellent smoke screen for the most reactionary social forces to conquer more political space at the expense of the democratic process...
...The interplay between these factors will determine which fork in the road--the one pointing toward peace and democracy, or toward authoritarianism and more conflict-Colombia will take...
...observed, if the middle class swings to the right and the working class is weak, then most likely this weakens the chances of a democratic option...
...Its annual income ranges between $200 to $300 million, much of this derived from the drug trade and money laundering activities...
...The anti-terrorist law would also significantly increase sentences and reduce the minimum age required for incarceration from 18 years to 16 years...
...They seek to change the dynamic of the conflict to the point that the guerrillas are forced to surrender or become considerably weakened, thus averting the possibility of any social, economic and political reform that would remove the privileges guaranteed by Colombia's archaic institutions...
...Since 1995, the dynamics of the war have been changing...
...Collectively their firms account for about 25% of Colombia's gross domestic product...
...In the 1970s, the annual homicide rate was 28 per hundred thousand residents...
...At the same time, the massive U.S...
...Other opponents of the negotiations include members of the Colombian narcobourgeoisie who have bought up about four million hectares of fertile land, land speculators in areas that are undergoing economic development propelled by highway construction, industrialization or tourism, and owners of lands that are rich with natural resources such as oil, gold, coal, nickel, and emeralds...
...2 Th e rise of paramilitarism as a unified political-military force in the latter part of the 1990s changed Colombia's internal war from one in which the state and its armed opposition faced off against each other, to a more complex, three-way interaction...
...Significantly, the nation reaches this crossroads during a new phase in the decades-long conflict...
...But, ironically, he was saved by the FARC, the state's archenemy, when the guerrillas agreed to peace talks...
...Colombia at the Crossroads 1. Nazih Richani, Systems of Violence The Political Economy of War and Peace In Colombia (Albany: SUNY Press, 2002...
...economic interests in Colombia and threaten to undermine the neoliberal economic model championed by Washington...
...The security forces were believed directly responsible for 5 percent of the political killings and forced disappearances recorded in the same time period...
...The $1.3 billion U.S...
...Due to the relative political weakness of the left and the guerrillas in the urban areas, the ideological sphere is uncontested and is instead dominated by a counter-revolutionary discourse which seeks to justify paramilitary actions...
...As a result of their inclusion on the terrorist list, AUC personnel are more likely to suffer inconveniences such as the denial of visas to visit the United States than to be subject to a serious effort to eradicate the group or curtail its finances...
...But last year's inclusion of the AUC on the U.S...
...in the 1980s this increased to 60 per hundred thousand, remaining at that level until 1997, then rising again to 64 per hundred thousand per year by 2000...
Vol. 35 • January 2002 • No. 4
Kanda Software


text:
Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Dé Céadaoin, 26 Meith 2019
Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages
Sections 1 and 2 agreed to.
Amendment No. 1 not moved.
Question proposed: "That section 3 stand part of the Bill."
Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
I accept that our amendment has been ruled out of order, but I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Breen, will note the sentiment behind it. He referred last week to the review that is being conducted. He may be aware that we had some lively discussion in this House earlier today on issues relating to the Defence Forces. We have asked that the Taoiseach come to the Seanad to address our wider concerns in this regard. The aspects of this legislation relating to the Garda Síochána are welcome, but we must look now to extending the same courtesy to members of the Defence Forces. To reiterate, these provisions do not give gardaí the right to strike but, rather, to have recourse to the industrial relations apparatus of the State to resolve issues. I hope the Minister of State will agree to address our concerns in legislation before too long.
Title agreed to.
Bill reported without amendment and received for final consideration.
Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."
Minister of State at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy Pat Breen)
I take this opportunity to convey to the Leas-Chathaoirleach my deepest sympathy on the loss of his mother last week. Losing a mother, no matter what age one is, is never easy. I wish to put that on the record of the House in which the Leas-Chathaoirleach has such an important role.
I reassure Senator Mac Lochlainn that it is not the case that no progress is being made in respect of the Defence Forces on the issue of industrial relations mechanisms. Members of the forces have recourse in law to a parallel complaint and adjudication mechanism to compensate for the limitations on their access to the industrial relations machinery that is available to wider society. Members of the Defence Forces are unlike workers in other sectors in that they have an important and particular role to play. They do, however, have recourse to the Defence Forces Ombudsman, Defence Forces representative associations and the conciliation and arbitration scheme for members of the forces.
As the Senator acknowledged, I referred on Second Stage to the independent review that was completed last year. It recommended that the official side should, with the consent of the Minister, engage in discussions with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, to explore the practicalities of a Permanent Defence Force Representative Association forming associations and affiliations with ICTU while also giving due consideration to any likely conflict that might arise between such an arrangement and the obligations of military service. Dialogue has commenced between the Department of Defence and ICTU in this regard. There are a lot of issues to be debated internally before further progress is possible, but it is an important step in that direction. We should allow the engagement to continue and see what comes out of it.
I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senators for their engagement with the Bill, which completes a series of amendments to the Industrial Relations Act 1990. It will enable members of An Garda Síochána to access the independent industrial relations machinery of the State, namely, the Workplace Relations Commissions and the Labour Court, to bargain collectively with the Garda Commissioner on matters relating to work conditions. As such, it plays a small part in delivering aspects of the Government's ambitious Garda reform programme. I acknowledge the invaluable work of the interdepartmental working group, chaired by Mr. John Murphy, which examined the industrial relations structures within the Garda Síochána and made recommendations on the policy underlying this Bill. It is a complex area and there was a lot of work to be done, which the working group undertook in a collaborative fashion.
I also acknowledge the invaluable co-operation of the Garda associations. I appreciate that the Bill does not deliver all their ambitions but I believe they share my view, which I have stated previously in the House, that gardaí are not simply "workers" in the everyday sense of that word. We recognise that the police service is exceptional. We also recognise the unique powers gardaí have as guardians of the peace and our security and the importance of that.
The Bill strikes the right balance between ensuring the public need for the essential services provided by the Garda Síochána is met and the right for employees to negotiate for appropriate employment standards. I hope it can be sent to the President as soon as possible to be signed. Senators have done good work on the legislation and I appreciate the time the various spokespersons have put into it. I thank them for their full co-operation.
Senator Aidan Davitt
I commend the Minister of State on the Bill, which is a great job of work. I would also like to be associated with his words on the Leas-Chathaoirleach's late mother. The Leas-Chathaoirleach has always been extremely fair. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I extend sincerest condolences and sympathy to him.
I thank Senator Davitt.
I conveyed my condolences to the Leas-Chathaoirleach on the loss of his mother in person but I would like to do so again in the House. I agree with Senator Davitt that the Leas-Chathaoirleach is highly regarded in this House. We are very sorry for his loss.
Senator James Reilly
I, too, commiserated with the Leas-Chathaoirleach privately but I would like to do so publicly as well, both on my behalf and on behalf of the Fine Gael Party.
I commend the Minister of State on introducing the Bill. It is an important step forward in providing a mechanism for those who lay their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe. It is important that they do not have to resort to other methods and that there is a mechanism in place to allow them to air grievances and raise issues. This is a quantum leap forward on which I congratulate the Minister of State.
I thank the Senators and the Minister of State.
Sitting suspended at 3.42 p.m. and resumed at 4.06 p.m.
Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages
Criminal Justice (Public Order) (Amendment) Bill 2019: Second Stage


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Sanctification can mean many things in contemporary Christianity. This should not surprise us as most any Christian term can mean a lot of things in these days of invent-it-yourself Christianity. And actually differences in the definition of sanctification go a long way back. One commonality of the understandings of sanctification is that it has to do with the relationship of an individual to God. Thus it would appear to be one of the central concerns for a believer in Christ—one of the essentials of the Christian faith.
There are three widely held views on what sanctification means and how it works. One is definitive sanctification, another is progressive sanctification, and a third is entire sanctification. Definitive sanctification is defined as a one-time event that accomplishes the effectual calling; the regeneration; the transfer from sin to holiness; the joining to Christ and the new covenant; and the freeing from the power of sin in the believer. Defined this way, definitive sanctification encompasses much of what is regarded as justification by those who accept progressive sanctification.
Progressive sanctification can be defined as God working progressively in our lives (after justification) to free us more and more from sin and to make us more like Christ in our daily lives. It is an outworking of the new life the believer received in the regeneration of justification. Progressive sanctification is seen to be gradual and incremental and not perfected in our life on earth.
The idea of entire sanctification, or Christian perfection, came from John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and is based on his understanding of sanctifying grace. Perfection is seen as an instantaneous or progressive process that results in the heart of the believer being freed from his or her sinful nature by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This fullness from God produces purity in intentions, dedication of the individual's life to God, knowledge of the mind of Christ, and thus the ability to live as Christ did. Perfection does not mean being unable to sin but rather being able to choose not to sin. In Wesley's view, Christian perfection was not a permanent condition of the believer.
I think that progressive sanctification best fits my experience of the Christian life. When I was run down by the "hound of heaven" about forty-five years ago and returned to Christianity, my life was certainly changed for the better, but I was not the spiritual person I am now. I do think that through all kinds of experiences, good and bad, and the continual work of the Holy Spirit within me that I am a much more mature Christian now than I was when I returned to Christianity after a lapse of twenty years.
The church I was raised in taught definitive sanctification. This effectively means that maturing spiritually is a do-it-yourself project. This, I think, can lead in two directions. For me, who was unable to live up to the standards of the church, it meant rejection of Christianity and a feeling on my part that I would never measure up. The other direction where definitive sanctification takes people is to set a standard that most of the church can meet. The danger here is that it can lead people who can do what they are told they should do to become self-righteous.
The problem I see with entire sanctification is that it can lead people to think they are able to meet God's standard of holiness, if only for a short time. And, of course, your perfection can always be lost. So there is no security in your spiritual life or even in your salvation.
I hope what I have written may encourage you to think seriously about the matter of your sanctification. After all, I think the most important part of our Christianity is becoming what Christ would have us be.


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Potato Hole
by: Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones
Anti Records
By James Calemine
Memphis luminary Booker T. Jones released his first solo CD in two decades on April 21, 2009. This instrumental CD, recorded in Athens, Georgia, and San Francisco, California, proves a rock-soul soundtrack where Jones employs The Drive By Truckers and Neil Young to serve as his band. Only Booker T. Jones could bring together The Drive By Truckers and Neil Young at a musical reservoir that hovers somewhere above the cosmic Mississippi River.
Potato Hole is not Booker T trying to replicate the MGs glory days when he wrote songs with Steve Cropper and they served as STAX Records' house band. A gritty "Pound It Out" opens this inimitable collection. "She Breaks" bears the sound of Neil Young on this song as he and Jones navigate the musicians into a funky territory that explores an old southern music vernacular.
The Truckers serve as a perfect back-up band to Jones as they were with Bettye LaVette. It would also be interesting to see the Truckers back up Neil. David Barbe—who recorded most of the Truckers' albums—lent his insight to the recording, which allowed the talented musicians to coalesce. Jones covers Outkasts' "Hey Ya" with a lively, organ-driven rocker that blends the soul of the MGs and the sonic fuzz of Crazy Horse.
"Native New Yorker" emerges as a Truckers-fueled rocker, and verifies Jones' organ work on this tune proves he's still a master musician after 50 years. This collection of musicians possess four generations of experience between them and it shows. "Warped Sister" shows no signs of musical noodling…just straight up and rock and roll. It's too bad Patterson Hood didn't sing the lyrics on this glorious rendition of Tom Waits' "Get Behind The Mule", but the musical landscape does not fail the original version.
"Reunion Time" contains a dark R & B tone provided by the Truckers' tapestry of mean guitars augmented by Jones' soulful organ that is the closest sounding composition to any MGs material. The title track, a playful riff, jolts the listener into present day 2009 with ingredients of old music tones that sounds brand new--a great song in any year. "Space City", a Truckers tune, closes the CD in a laid back way. Potato Hole stands as one of the Top 10 releases of this year….
Muscle Shoals,
Memphis,
Tennessee,
Alabama,
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BlogThe Writing ProcessHow to Write a Query Letter that Editors Can't Refuse
How to Write a Query Letter that Editors Can't Refuse
Jennifer Xue
Staff Blogger at ProWritingAid and Corporate Content Specialist
In the United States, a query letter refers to a note sent to literary agents to gauge their interest in representing the author. In the UK and Ireland, they call such a query letter a "covering letter."
These are not to be confused with a "query" or a "pitch" submitted to editors of magazines, journals or other kinds of publications. While both serve a similar purpose, which is getting a piece of writing published, they are different in structure and details. The former pertains to a book-length manuscript and the latter to a much shorter one, such as a journalistic or feature article.
In this article, we'll discuss the query letter sent to literary agents and book publishers.
How does a query letter differ from a book proposal?
The elements of query letters
Specific elements of a fiction query letter
Specific elements of a non-fiction query letter
The importance of the "one-sentence summary"
What a "strong introduction" looks like
Other vital tips
Things NOT to do
First things first, a query letter is a letter, not a full-fledged proposal. It contains only approximately 350 to 600 words designed to entice editors to read the accompanying manuscript.
We'll discuss preparing a book proposal in a separate article.
Now let's discuss the best practice in query letters that are key in increasing the chances of getting your manuscript published.
Identify where your book would fit into the publishing industry. Mention the genre or category, sub-category, word count, title, and subtitle. Providing this information allows the agent/editor to quickly grasp what the manuscript is about, especially where the title fits in the big picture.
You can include examples of best-selling or award-winning published books in that genre or category, but make sure not to sound overly pushy. Your query letters should sound as objective as possible. Remember, it's a sales tool, yet it shouldn't sound sales-y.
Next, include a hook, which is the meat of the query. Approximately 100 to 250 words will be sufficient. Then add a brief author's bio.
Ideally, a fiction manuscript should be completed before you offer it to agents and publishers. In a nutshell, the word count is around 100,000. For a debut novel, anywhere from 80,000 to 100,000 words is the norm.
A fiction query letter must hook the literary agent or acquisition editor with an engaging protagonist whose conflicts or choices are as impressive as the plot. When describing this, you can include some information on the "world" as well, if your story is set anywhere other than present-day reality.
To pitch non-fiction manuscripts, have at least three chapters and a book proposal ready to go. You don't need to prepare the full manuscript in advance.
While being able to send the letter before completing the whole manuscript sounds less intimidating, querying a non-fiction manuscript has its challenges. In general, there are two types of non-fiction works: narrative-driven and information-driven. Each category has its specifics to adhere to.
Narrative-driven works include memoir, biography, autobiography, and narratives about an incident or event. Information-driven works include investigative journalism, how-to, self-help, business, reference, and illustrated books.
No matter the category, you should include the genre/category, word count, title and subtitle. Describe its unique selling proposition and the target readership, including their marketing persona(s) and other demographic information, like age, hobby, interest, and profession. Your author bio and credentials should also be included.
Ideally, before you have any book published, you will have a readership platform, which can be a blog, a YouTube channel, or social media accounts. Let's say you have a blog with 230,000 newsletter subscribers or a YouTube channel with 125,000 followers. These are excellent platforms to market your books.
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The one-sentence summary is both the unique selling proposition and the "soul" of the book in one sentence. Include the specific thing that makes it unique among hundreds, or even thousands, of competing manuscripts.
In fiction works, the protagonist and his or her conflicts must be worthy of attention. The choices he or she must make in handling the central conflict, and the secondary conflicts, should make up exciting plots. The less predictable the plots, the better.
Include the "irresistible" conflicts and plots in the one-sentence summary whenever possible. If you can mesmerize the agent/editor, it will increase your chances of getting acquired.
For non-fiction works, the author's social media accounts and blog are considered "platforms" to amplify the marketing effort. Thus, it's a good idea to build a strong following before pitching the manuscript to a publisher.
Set your query apart with 500,000 social media followers, for instance. If you're a YouTuber, you can collaborate with fellow YouTubers. If you have a podcast, start interviewing social media influencers. This can help you build your own following.
A strong introduction includes both the one-sentence summary and the research you've done on the topic. If it's a fiction work, you can tie it to classic or best-selling books with similar storylines and plots. If it's a non-fiction work, include the market expectation or "hidden" and "overlooked" demands.
The key is stating an unpredictable narrative, or surprising facts or statistics. Anything unusual, or even shocking, will catch the agent/editor's attention.
The appropriate length of a query letter is approximately 1 to 2 pages, single-spaced. Tighten your writing and keep things simple. Conciseness matters as it's an early indication of your manuscript's quality.
Personalize the letter and make sure that it sounds genuine and professional. Avoid anything that would "cheapen" the overall tone, like being cutesy or overly humorous.
Be professional and use standard business communication to show respect. Use a polite greeting with the full name of the agent or the editor. If you've done your research but cannot locate their name, be polite and address the organization's name. Close it by thanking them and include your email address and phone number.
Mention any books written by you that were previously published or represented by literary agents. However, do so with humility and a lot of grace. Refrain from bragging, even if you've won some awards, by using a neutral tone.
No need to mention that you're querying simultaneously. You're only obliged to disclose that you're submitting to multiple agents or publishers when they request to see the whole manuscript (for non-fiction) or want to proceed to the next level (for fiction).
The above tips are what to do. Now let's discuss things never to do. They're often overlooked, so be aware of them.
The word count for fiction works is preferred to be 100,000 words or less. Any work of more than 100,000 can raise a red flag. For non-fiction work, you can mention the estimated word count. A business textbook, for instance, can be of hundreds of thousands of words.
Never mention your work history unless it's directly related to writing fiction or the topic of your non-fiction work. For instance, if you're an MFA professor teaching romance writing and you've written a steamy novel, mentioning your work boosts your profile. However, if you're a project manager who's moonlighting as a novelist, keep it to yourself.
Never comment on the quality of your manuscript. The query letter should show how good a writer you are. Praising your work is a big turnoff to many agents/editors, as it will be perceived as arrogant.
Never request a face-to-face meeting to an agent or editor. It will make you sound desperate and unprofessional. However, if the agent or the acquisition editor is coming to a conference or a book exhibition, you may mention that you're attending. In this case, ask politely whether they have slots for scheduled meetings.
Never state "visit blog for more information" or something of that sort. Most agents/editors will google your name anyway and search for your social media accounts to locate what you've been discussing about and how popular you are.
Finally, being yourself in writing the query letter is always recommended. Agents and editors love authors who know their strengths and what they can offer to readers. Show them that your uniqueness is marketable and you are telling stories worth reading about. After all, all authors – both fiction and non-fiction – are storytellers.
Tell your stories right. Start with the query letter.
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Jennifer Xue is an award-winning e-book author with 2,500+ articles and 100+ e-books/reports published under her belt. She also taught 50+ college-level essay and paper writing classes. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, Fortune, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Business.com, Business2Community, Addicted2Success, Good Men Project, and others. Her blog is JenniferXue.com. Follow her on Twitter @jenxuewrites.
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text:
Smorgasbord Open House – Author, Poet and Blogger Yecheilyah Ysrayl
My guest today is Yecheilyah Ysrayl ("EC") and is an author, Spoken Word Artist and blogger. She was born on the south side of Chicago and began writing short stories and poetry at the age of twelve. She studied at various eductional institutions after leaving Harper High School, including studying Professional and Technical Writing at Chicago State University and Medical Assistance/Phlebotomy at Everest College.
Yecheilyah began performing poetry in High School where she joined UMOJA Spoken Word. Since then, she has went on to perform in various cities throughout the U.S.
As an artist, Yecheilyah Ysrayl is an incorporation of spiritual critique, honesty and an authentic analysis of African American identity. She seeks to create work that promotes healthy research and investigation into the cultural identity, laws, customs and traditions of the African American for self-revolution and advancement. Furthermore, "EC" seeks to advance the promotion of truth and identity by way of Spoken Word.
"EC" currently lives in Shreveport, LA with her husband where she writes full time.
Her first book written in 2012 – The Aftermath – is a prophetic look at the world following a 2016 collapse of the world financial markets…. In 2016, the financial system of the United States collapsed; shortly after that, so did the world. Finally, in 2019, a man of great esteem, Lord Feinberg and his prophet Antiochus introduced to mankind a new way of life. One that included a technology that could put an end to their misery and change the way we see the world. It held many promises, the end of poverty, sickness, and most of all it promised financial stability. However, not everyone was in favor of such a change and refused the technology. They're known as The Rebels; and when they didn't accept what the rest of the world had because it went against their beliefs, the people turned against them, and the war began.
This was followed in 2014 by Pearls Before Swine a crime thriller set on the West side of Chicago.
Wonderful Book Page Turner Indeed!!!! By Constance Humphrey
This is an amazing book. You can find your self playing out each scene as if a movie is playing out in your mind. Each charachter has a story that you can somehow relate to yourself. Wonderfully written this page turner will have you asking for more and more. This is a book that was truly hard to put down. Really looking forward to Volume 2. If you do not have it, it is a must have for any reader. BUY THIS BOOK!! What are you waiting for? 🙂
The Stella series
The series begins with a short story – Stella
Cynthia May insist she's not a racist, she just doesn't believe Blacks should have the same rights as whites. She believes America has come a long way, but that integration has kept it from going further. One day, Cynthia and her boyfriend Alex decides to visit Cynthia's Grandmother, and happen upon information that will change their lives forever.
Raised under the protection of her mother and the field hands, Stella is unaware that she is a slave. Not being accustomed to hard labor, things change when Mama dies and she falls into the cruel hands of "Marse Saddler". Years later, when The Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1864 abolishes slavery in the state, Stella learns of Saddler's plan to keep her on the plantation. She then agrees to accompany Saddler's daughter Miss Carla and her husband John to The Windy City and learns the hard way the difference between slavery and freedom.
The next book in the series was Stella: Beyond the Colored Line.
Nothing is simply black or white. By CJ Wojo on October 15, 2015
Stella: Beyond the Colored Line is a fascinating walk through the ages–from slavery, to segregation, to the black power movement, to modern times.
Through the eyes of one mixed race woman, the author touches on major events in African American history, allowing the reader to experience them in real time.
The story deepens when Stella decides to live as a white woman and raise her children as whites. As her family grows and develops within a changing society, Stella and her children reveal complex perspectives and attitudes that make it clear that it doesn't matter who your ancestors were. Nothing is just simply black or white.
The third book: The Road to Freedom: Joseph's Story (The Stella Trilogy Book 3) was published in February this year.
Wealthy and clueless are just some of the words Joseph uses to describe his family. Deeply concerned about the state of Black America, a fight with his brother compels a young Joseph to leave his mother's house and join his friends for a trip to Atlanta for SNCC's (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) second conference. Excited to live life on their own, Jo and his friends have left school and the lives they were living for a chance to become part of the movement. With no money and essentially no plan the seven friends, three black and four white, set out for the road when they are stopped by a racist cop who makes them exit the car. The teens are unaware that a mob of Klansmen also awaits them at the New Orleans bus terminal.
One of the excellent reviews so far.
5.0 out of 5 starsWitness history first hand. By CJ Wojo on March 26, 2016
I was very impressed with Yecheilyah Ysrayl's Stella: Beyond the Colored Line, and her second book is just as compelling. The Road to Freedom – Joseph's Story is something of a prequel to Beyond the Colored Line, and Stella's son tells us about his own journey through turbulent times when South fights hard and dirty to stay segregated. Joseph and a group of his young, impassioned friends want to do something about it but don't know exactly what.
Together they make a mix of blacks and whites, boys and girls, who inadvertently get what they wished for when they try to catch a bus to Atlanta. The youths are swept right into the action and end up being relentlessly chased by one side and becoming heroes to the other.
Like the first book, Ysrayl works her magic of putting the reader into her characters' minds to witness history through their emotions and perspectives. At one point in the story, the friends are trapped in their vehicle as it's mobbed by a pack of violent racists. My heart was literally pounding at this point. I was horrified that anyone had to experience such ugly cruelty.
The unsettling part is that it wasn't that long ago when the country was segregated, and for those born after those days, this book is an unflinching look into what people had to sacrifice to make a world that we take for granted today.
I think Joseph's Story would especially make an impact on young people who will be able to immerse themselves in the events instead of reading about them out of a history book.
There's still a way to go when it comes to racial equality, but thanks to the ones brave enough to take a stand – those represented by Ysrayl's characters – the ignorance, hatred, and bigotry are being slowly but surely choked out of our society.
Buy all the books: Amazon
Time now to welcome Yecheilyah Ysrayl who has chosen to answer the following questions and tell us more about her books and her blog.
Given a choice of centuries to live in which would it be and why?
First, I want to thank Sally for this amazing opportunity to network and everyone who has helped to spread the word, particularly Colleen Chesebro for alerting me directly.
This is a very interesting question. It is what I have thought about many times. I would have to say that if I was to choose a century to live in, it would be the 21st century; the one I am living in now. I would say this century because the black community, specifically, is at a time of groundbreaking awakening. By groundbreaking, I mean we are coming back to the truth concerning our natural heritage that is different from any other time in history. It is what has been untaught in Christianity. Untaught in Islam. Untaught for too long. It is not political and it is not religious; It is a combining of cultural heritage and the incorporation of black history and the bible itself. Black people are seeing themselves as Moses, as Abraham, and as Messiah for the first time in years.
More African Americans are wearing natural hair styles both in the grass roots community and on television. Speaking of TV, African Americans are being seen in very powerful roles in TV and in film. Not just black people, but all people are involved in this reawakening. Even Europeans and Asians protested Exodus Gods and Kings! So all people in general are attacking the all-white American concept of history itself.
On the other hand, if I was to speak about my most interested time in history, I would say the 1960's. I am interested in this time in history for a number of reasons. Of course, the most complicated thing about living in this time is obviously enduring the mistreatment and open racism that existed. While I can read about segregation, I am sure it is a far cry from having to actually use a separate restroom or order my food from the back of the restaurant. At the same time, I am intrigued with the black movements that were birthed during this time. The Black Panther movement, the Civil Rights Movement, so on and so forth.
While there were aspects of these movements I do not agree with, what I like is the consciousness that they stirred among black people. If you know that you are not a free people, then it causes you to behave differently, to think differently, and to act differently. It was that stepping stone to the awakening of a people that is absent among many black people today. Not all, but many. Back then, as a community, we were unified in the attempt to fight for a common goal. From the 1960s on back, even as far back as slavery, we were unified in the understanding that freedom was something we did not have and because we did not have it, we fought for it.
From the cohesiveness of the black community as a whole all the way down to the household of the black man and woman on a personal level. Black men accepted their roles as leaders and black women followed that lead. The African American community was striving to walk in truth and to be there at this time with the same mind that I have now would be an education indeed. Plus, I love Afros! To rock an Afro at that time would have been so hot!
Tell us about your blog and your main features. With a link to what you consider best sums you up as a blogger.
The PBS Blog was born in August of 2014 after I published my first screenplay series entitled "Pearls Before Swine". Since then however the Blog has transformed and extended far beyond what I thought it would. I had no plans for how to blog or what my blog would be about specifically but I am grateful for what it has become today.
Why Pearls Before Swine
To start, I chose the name because it truly embodies who I am and my style of writing. Pearls Before Swine is a term that comes from the bible and as a blog title is a reminder that truth supersedes all and that I'd rather have Pearls Before Swine. That is truth over lies. I also chose Pearls Before Swine as the title to the blog because it has a deeper meaning than what is seen on the surface which embodies my style of writing. I love to write symbolically, objectively, and metaphorically; being able to compare objects or use them as symbols to stand-in for a much more complex, and generally more abstract idea. I also notice that one of the most interesting ways that people learn is by way of symbols because it appeals to the subconscious mind and then causes positive change on a physical level. I enjoy incorporating this into my writing.
My blog Pearls Before Swine and the subtitle Truth is Stranger than Fiction, encompasses my style of writing, my inspiration, my mission, and my foundation. It is also a very unique title. Some may even say strange but I will not change it because it displays the individuality I am always willing to strive for.
I have come to organize my blog so that it is reflective of the diverse people who read it so there's a little bit of everything there: Poetry, Quotes, Articles, Biblical insight, Pictures, etc. I believe this variety is necessary for me personally and so I have decided not to stick to one particular niche but to offer something for everyone. One of my main features is Writer's Quote Wednesday as is hosted by Colleen of Silver Threading. I have come to really enjoy participation in this weekly inspirational challenge and lots of my readers enjoy it as well. Writer's Quote Wednesday is responsible for a lot of the views that I receive in fact.
Of course, that's not why I participate, but it is one of the benefits. Other features I have is Poetry which is one of my most greatest passions, Black History Fun Fact Friday where I expound on little known Black History Facts, Movie Night Friday, which was created specifically so that my readers can get to know me better by reading the Movies / TV shows I like, and Self-Publishing / Blogging Tips based on my own experiences.
Post That Sums Me Up As A Writer
At the close of last year, 2015, I participated in Blogging University's Writing 101 Course and I absolutely loved it. Our first challenge was to post on why we write. I believe this best sum me up as a Writer: https://thepbsblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/writing-101-assignment-1-why-i-write/
If you are an author and one of your books was selected to be made into a film; who would you like to play your main character and why?
This question is so exciting! I would be most ecstatic if my Stella Trilogy was made into a film! Depending on which installment would be chosen, I have two actors in mind who I think will knock it out the park for books one and two. The first is Lupita Nyong'o, who I would cast as my Stella for Book #1 and Jurnee Smollett as my Stella for Book #2.
Stella Book #1: Between Slavery and Freedom, is about a young woman who is a slave on Paul Saddlers Plantation. After The Louisiana Constitutional Convention abolishes slavery in the Caddo parish, Stella is forced to remain on the plantation as a slave.
Stella Book #2: Beyond The Colored Line, is about Stella's great granddaughter, whose name is also Stella. This Stella grows up in the Jim Crow South and challenges the colored line by passing as white.
Since 12 Years a Slave, Nyong'o has showcased amazing talent and has become renown for her unconventional physical appearance. Nyong'o redefined beauty standards with her dark chocolate skin tone, and natural hair. I have always been a dark beauty myself and have been on the natural hair bandwagon for seven years now. I would cast Nyong'o as Stella because when I look at her, I see the physical and hidden elements of everything that makes up this character. Stella is just as dark skinned, like the richness of black soil. She's delicate, kind and just a little naive; tending to be simple toward those who are evil toward her. She wants to believe that Carla, for instance, is her friend but the complex relationships of slavery, Carla being the masters daughter and what that means to her as a slave, does not seem to occur to Stella.
When I look at Nyong'o's face, there's strength there but also naiveté. I believe Nyong'o could really pull it off as my Stella because her face has a presence about it that is fierce, but also innocent and full of passion. I also pay attention to the kinds of roles actors play and I do this because to me that says something about that actor's state of mind. In Star Wars: Episode VII, Nyong'o's character Maz possesses the ability to see into people, so there's a spiritual element there which is present in both Nyong'o and Stella that I believe makes them a great match. Nyong'o is also mixed (Kenyan and Mexican) which plays very well into Stella's history.
I have been in love with Smollett's acting since Eve's Bayou! Every time I see her performances they are always full of passion. Jurnee Smollett becomes the people she is betraying in film. They leap from the script and is made manifest in her acting. In Stella Book #2, Stella decides to abandon her mixed ancestry. Not being light enough to be black and teased by her black classmates she decides to live her life and to raise her children as white. I think the emotional complexity of this story requires someone with Jurnee's talent and also her passion for the history of African American's. I also pay attention to the movies she is involved in. From The Great Debaters to the upcoming Civil-War Slave Drama Underground, Jurnee is definitely in my range of writing.
What is the one big adventure that you would like to experience?
The one big adventure I would love to experience is Africa. I am not sure which country in Africa as of yet, but I would love to visit. Speaking of Africa, it would be nice to visit Egypt. My husband and I love to travel and to visit these places specifically would be a great education into my passion for the history of black people. I believe it will help me to write better about these places having seen them. It makes a big difference when you visit a place and write about it than if you just researched it. I would love to walk by the pyramids or watch the waves in the Nile.
I think it will help me gain insight into the whole feel of it; the smell, the taste, the touch, the air. But not just Africa, I want to travel the world and visit lots of places! I would love to visit Germany for instance. Lots of history there. I studied German briefly a few years back and from what I hear it is a beautiful place. I almost went one time! Imagine my disappointment that we turned out not to go. Boo.
Work in progress: "The Renaissance"
My next project is still under wraps right now so I'm not going to reveal too much. What I can tell you is that I'm working on a novel about a black woman writer growing up during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance happened during The Great Migration or mass movement of blacks from the south to Northern cities like New York, Chicago, and Baltimore. It was a literary movement that used Art such as literature, poetry, music, paintings, and sculptures, to define black cultural identity. Also known as The New Negro Movement this is where we are introduced to the Zora Neale Hurston's, Langston Hughes, Billie Holidays, and Chick Webb's. It was an exciting time for the blacks who lived through it as a "spiritual coming of age".
My book will surround the life of Nora White, a young black woman who comes from a prominent black family. Gideon is a descendent of the Free Blacks of Israel Hill. In the early 1800s, ninety families were freed from chattel slavery by their mistress Judy Randolph and given 350 acres of land in Prince Edward Country Virginia. These blacks in turn built a community they termed "Israel Hill". Gideon is the son of a black woman who was born into slavery after her free born mother–who grew up on the Hill–was kidnapped and sold to a Mississippi slave owner. Fast forward to the early 1920s, Jackson Mississippi, where we are introduced to Gideon's daughter Nora. We notice that her family owns land and are known, respected, and feared throughout the community due their rich history. But Nora decides that she's not interested in continuing the legacy of the Whites. She's not interested in owning land or going to college. Instead, Nora dreams of Harlem and becoming a writer.
The book is about her experience in the renaissance movement and how she came to know all of these great men and women of the era, and the trials and tribulations of Jim Crow that follows her to the North.
My thanks ot "EC" for providing such detailed and interesting answers to her questions and wish her every success with her current books and her new project.
Connect with Yecheilyah Ysrayl
web:literarykornerpublishing.com/
blog: thepbsblog.wordpress.com
email: ahouseofpoetry@gmail.com
twitter: @ahouseofpoetry
facebook:facebook.com/literarykornerpublishing
Thank you very much for joining us today and as always your feedback is welcome and if you would be kind enough to click on a few of the share buttons that would also be wonderful. Sally
This entry was posted in Book Promotion and tagged African American History, crime thriller, history, Slavery history, Stella Beyond The Coloured Line, Stella series, Stella The Road to Freedom Yecheilyah Ysrayl, Yecheilyah Ysrayl, Young Adult by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.. Bookmark the permalink.
16 thoughts on "Smorgasbord Open House – Author, Poet and Blogger Yecheilyah Ysrayl"
Yecheilyah on May 29, 2016 at 9:22 am said:
My Author blog feature with Sally C. Check it out. Her questions were the bomb!
Delighted to have you over for the day Yecheilyah.. enjoy the rest of Sunday..
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Teagan Geneviene on May 29, 2016 at 11:29 am said:
Lovely to visit your open house this warm Sunday morning, Sally. Congrats to EC on all her books.
Thanks Teagan.. we are dry which is Irish for Summer!! Enjoy the rest of the day.. love and hugs.
Let's CUT the Crap! on May 29, 2016 at 2:29 pm said:
An absolutely riveting interview. Thanks for this introduction to Yecheilyah Ysrayl (EC),a fascinating personality. 🙂
Judith Barrow on May 29, 2016 at 7:49 pm said:
Absolutely fascinating in depth interview and introduction to Yecheilya's books, Sally. I checked out her writing 101 post … Quote: "I love writing because I love reading and every book I read is inspiration to write." Says it all.Jx
Thanks for the motivating words Judith and I am sure Yecheilya will be delighted by them. XXS
Thank you Judith 🙂
Mary Smith on May 29, 2016 at 9:00 pm said:
Fascinating interview – thank you.
Thank you Mary.. hugs
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Meursault Charmes Premier Cru £46.86 - French Wines - Burgundy White Buy wine online, wine online, purchase wine online.
A creamy and buttery palate with notes of honey and cashew and juicy fruit flavors.
Food matches - Meats & vegetarian dishes.


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Every year, we are fortunate that people from all over Australia volunteer their time and expertise to judge for the Aurealis Awards. They are amazing, they work extremely hard, and each year bring you the best of the best Australian spec fic has to offer. There were a record number of applications for judging positions this year, giving us the opportunity to share the load more widely and draw in a range of new experiences to our panels. Please welcome this year's wonderful teams!
We will be posting their bios on the Judges page of the website very soon, so you can get to know them a little better.
This entry was posted in News and tagged judges. Bookmark the permalink.


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Q: Is a release needed on a ViewController When loading the  ZZZViewController as shown below
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A: Yes, you alloc/init'd it. You are responsible for cleaning it up.

A: Yes because :
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Articles Blurbs & Mentions Interviews King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Charlie Hunnam Talks Learning Jiu-Jitsu, His Workout Regimen for 'King Arthur' & More
Charlie Hunnam has been introduced to the world of bjj earlier in 2016 when reports surfaced he actor was practicing along with Machado and inspired by black belt and director of the latest "King Arthur" movie. Being fairly discrete and not active on social media Hunnam was outed by his 22 push up challenge which he did in the Jean Jacques Machado rashguard.
But for the latest bout of his promotional duties related to King Arthur he had the Men's Health reporter follow him straight to class.
According to the report to be published in the April edition of the magazine the two some started with some light talk. According to Hunnam part of the attraction to martial arts and fitness is related to vanity but there's more than that as well:
"I'm interested in having a high fitness level across the board," he says. "Running, swimming, jumping rope, hiking, jiu-jitsu—I try to do it all. I also try to make love as often as I can. That's an important part of fitness. There's no reason you can't be active at 70. I want to run up mountains at that age."
The writer then followed Hunnam into a jiu jitsu class. According to the report the learning curve in the class was steep. First segment was related to armbars but then moved onto chokes. The writer describes in detail being choked by Hunnam:
The pressure on my neck is firm, but I feel strangely safe with him. He's strong but displays precise control and even a lightness of touch. Although brutal, there is an art to cutting off someone's air supply. I double-tap his arm to signal submission. The sensei, Rigan Machado, an eighth-degree black belt member of Brazilian jiu-jitsu's founding Gracie family, says Hunnam is a perfectionist—something I experience firsthand as we practice again and again and Hunnam fine-tunes his chokes. Nothing grounds you in the present more than being unable to breathe. Jiu-jitsu training demands focus and discipline.
It's no surprise Hunnam had opted to practice in the company and under the guidance of Rigan Machado as Rigan is known for having invented a bjj system without sparring for his celebrity clientele:
"I created a new jiu jitsu system for people who can't get hurt. It's technical training. They learn jiu-jitsu and technically train, but it's all safe. I created a type of jiu-jitsu for the Beverly Hills clientele. Competition, sparring… these guys can't do that. I can't even take a 1% chance of them getting hurt. I have 18 celebrities doing this program. Some guys have to sign disclosure agreements; others like Ashton Kutcher and Mickey Rourke come in regularly, while Usher comes in once and a while and Vin Diesel when he's in town."
Hunnam, packed on some pounds for the King Arthur: Legend of the Sword movie. According to his own statement he usually walks around at a 165 but he put on 20 pounds of muscle.
Rigan calls this style for celebrities "flow jiu jitsu". It took him 9 years to put it together, and it has more than 700 techniques, which can be drilled and trained without risking injury.
As far as combative preparation for King Arthur goes Hunnam himself says:
"It's not even as much the physical benefit of training; it's the mental," he says. "When you're training every day in a combat discipline, it just gives you that eye of the tiger. Then if someone acts aggressively toward you, I can run all the scenarios through my head—you know, like I'm going to step to the side and put an elbow through your face."
Hunnam sought to reimagine the noble action hero with Ritchie, himself a black belt in BJJ. "We wanted to do something a little rougher around the edges while still dealing with the rich Arthurian mythology,"
When Hunnam's girlfriend of 11 years was cyberbullied last year, he released a video telling the perpetrators to knock it off. "The way I grew up, if you want to talk s*it, talk s*it to someone's face and be prepared to fight."
There's no room for cowardliness in his approach adding in the end:
"We are supposed to be very active animals. It's our DNA." Hunnam derives emotional stability and clarity from his fitness. "Sweating is how I change my oil every day. I just feel happier, more positive, energized, and disciplined if I work out." Ultimately, he says, "I train a lot every day because I'm f*cking crazy."
Source: bjjee.com
New 'King Arthur: Legend of the Sword' Trailer – Watch now!
Charlie to Cover Men's Health Magazine for April Issue!


The COOLEST toy dog trick tutorial!
Another awesome photo you can take if you have two dogs that really love eachother is of them kissing! Super cute! Following this 30 second tutorial to find out how to train the shot.


"When faced with a challenge, look for a way, not a way out."
I wanted to make my own iron board cover for a while as I could not find anything in the shops or online that fit. Then one evening I discovered a online shop in London that make them to fit your ironingboard. They are lovely and cheap. Check out their website here http://www.ironingboardcovers.co.uk/index.htm. I've ordered myself a lovely new ironingboard and now I love doing my ironing again.