text:
Pakistan, Religion
Will Qadri's hanging lead to blasphemy law reforms in Pakistan?
Mumtaz Qadri, the murderer of former Governor Salman Taseer, has been hanged in a prison in Rawalpindi. Is Qadri's death a victory for anti-blasphemy law campaigners or will it fuel more religious violence in the nation?
Arshad Mahmood, an activist based in Islamabad, lauded Prime Minister Sharif and his government for not pardoning Qadri. "I am glad that Sharif didn't succumb to the pressure from religious groups, who are extremely powerful in Pakistan. The hanging will yield positive results for the future of the country," Mahmood told DW.
Read more » DW
See more » http://www.dw.com/en/will-qadris-hanging-lead-to-blasphemy-law-reforms-in-pakistan/a-19082554
Blasphemy lawMumtaz QadriSalman Taseer
Personalities, Politics
'I Am Truly and Deeply Concerned' – Gorbachev
Gorbachev Interview: 'I Am Truly and Deeply Concerned'
Interview Conducted by Matthias Schepp and Britta Sandberg
SPIEGEL: Do you think it is possible there could be another major war in Europe?
Gorbachev: Such a scenario shouldn't even be considered. Such a war today would inevitably lead to a nuclear war. But the statements from both sides and the propaganda lead me to fear the worst. If one side loses its nerves in this inflamed atmosphere, then we won't survive the coming years.
SPIEGEL: Aren't you overstating things a bit?
Gorbachev: I don't say such things lightly. I am a man with a conscience. But that's the way things are. I am truly and deeply concerned.
SPIEGEL: The new Russian military doctrine labels NATO's eastern expansion and the "reinforcement of NATO's offensive capabilities" as one of the primary threats facing Russia. Do you agree?
Gorbachev: NATO's eastward expansion has destroyed the European security architecture as it was defined in the Helsinki Final Act in 1975. The eastern expansion was a 180-degree reversal, a departure from the decision of the Paris Charter in 1990 taken together by all the European states to put the Cold War behind us for good. Russian proposals, like the one by former President Dmitri Medvedev that we should sit down together to work on a new security architecture, were arrogantly ignored by the West. We are now seeing the results.
SPIEGEL: The Ukraine conflict is a personal one for you — and not just for political reasons.
Gorbachev: That is correct, and anything else would be strange. I am, after all, half Ukrainian. My mother was Ukrainian and my wife Raisa was too. I spoke my very first words in Ukrainian, and the first songs I heard were Ukrainian. The southern Russian region of Stavropol, where I come from and where I once served as party chief, had a partnership during Soviet times with Ukraine's Donetsk region, where this terrible war is raging today. Back then we offered each other mutual help. We were friends and we lived in one state. Still, even today I have friends and relatives in Ukraine — as do most Russians.
SPIEGEL: As general secretary of the Communist Party, you fought for glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in your country. Has everything that you pushed for during your political life fallen into ruin under Putin?
Gorbachev: I take an entirely different view. Glasnost isn't dead and neither is democracy. A new generation has grown up in Russia under entirely different conditions — and it is much freer than in the Soviet Union. The clock can no longer be turned back. Nothing has fallen into ruin.
Read more » SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL
See more » http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/gorbachev-warns-of-decline-in-russian-western-ties-over-ukraine-a-1012992.html
Gorbachev
film, News, Pakistan
Sharmeen Obaid wins second Oscar award
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Sunday became the first Pakistani to win two Oscar awards.
Sharmeen won in the Best Documentary Short Subject for A Girl In The River in the 88th Academy awards. The documentary which sheds light on honour killings in Pakistan follows the story of a teenage girl shot in the face by her own family.
See more » http://tribune.com.pk/story/1056327/sharmeen-obaid-bags-second-oscar-award/
Oscar awardSharmeen Obaid
News, Pakistan
Taseer's killer Mumtaz Qadri hanged
RAWALPINDI: Mumtaz Qadri, an Elite Force commando convicted of killing former Punjab governor Salman Taseer, was executed at the Adiala Jail at around 4.30am on Monday, police said.
Qadri shot Taseer 28 times in broad daylight in Islamabad's Kohsar Market on January 4, 2011. He was sentenced to death for assassinating Taseer on Oct 1 the same year.
Qadri said he killed Taseer over what he called the politician's vocal opposition to blasphemy laws of the country.
His mercy appeal was rejected by President Mamnoon Hussain.
"I can confirm that Qadri was hanged in Adialia jail early Monday morning," senior local police official Sajjid Gondal told AFP.
A prison official confirmed the execution of Qadri.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1242637
Mumtaz QadriSalman Taseer
Life, technology
ROBOTS ARE BEING MADE TO REPLACE MEN BY 2025
Futurologist Ian Pearson has some very surprising predictions of what is going to be commonplace, when it comes to s*x, in less than 10 years.
According to him, having s*x with humanoid robots will be the new thing by 2025! It will even become more popular than having s*x with one another! One of the leading s*x toy shops in the UK, Bondara, has partnered with this published report by Pearson.
So let's fast forward a few more years. Remember browsing p*rn on the web? No longer a thing. In 2030 it will be replaced with actually having virtual s*x, instead of just looking at it. Five years later toys will interact with this virtual reality. The rich may actually begin partaking in robot s*x by 2025. Then in 2050, it's game over. ALL s*x will be with robots!
Read more » Idealist4Ever
See more » http://idealist4ever.com/robots-in-relationships/
pornRobotsSex
Economy, Politics, technology
Why Stephen Hawking is more afraid of capitalism than robots
by Brian Resnick
In October, a Reddit user asked Stephen Hawking if he thinks robots are coming to take all of our jobs.
"In particular, do you foresee a world where people work less because so much work is automated?" the user asked the renowned physicist on an Ask Me Anything thread.
The question isn't crazy. Computers are getting smarter and more efficient all the time. It's conceivable that we one day will reach a point where machines' output is simply much more valuable than humans'.
Hawking didn't discount the notion that machines may replace us. But he said whether this is good or bad depends on how the wealth produced by machines is distributed. That is, Hawking is more concerned about capitalism than he is about robots. He wrote:
..Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution. So far, the trend seems to be toward the second option, with technology driving ever-increasing inequality.
We could be headed toward a work-free utopia where machine-produced goods and services are cheap and plentiful for all. Or, as Hawking suggests, the coming robot age will just exaggerate the income inequality that's rampant across the globe. (Hawking is generally ambivalent on the advent of artificial intelligence. "We are facing potentially the best or worst thing to happen to humanity in history," he has said.)
Read more » Vox
See more » http://www.vox.com/2016/2/27/11119804/stephen-hawking-robots
corporate greedincome inequalityRobotsStephen HawkingUnemployment
European Parliament calls for arms embargo against Saudi Arabia
EU officials have called on Brussels to stop shipping weapons to Saudi Arabia. The move is in response to alleged human rights violations committed by Riyadh in neighboring Yemen.
See more » http://www.dw.com/en/european-parliament-calls-for-arms-embargo-against-saudi-arabia/a-19075504?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
arms embargoEuropean ParliamentSaudi
India, Pakistan, Sindh
The Indus Inland Waterways System – the next big thing for Asia?
A new Indus waterways transport system could revolutionise the economies of South Asia.
BY HASSAN ABBAS
There are few river systems in the world as long and as reliable as the Indus. The river and its tributaries connect most major cities of Pakistan with each other and the Arabian Sea, but also Kabul in Afghanistan and the towns such as Gurdaspur and Ludhiana in India.
If a carefully engineered Indus Inland Waterways System (IIWS) is developed, connecting several cities in the three countries with the Arabian Sea, it could bring a huge economic boon in the entire region inhabited by 500 million people, including western China and Central Asia.
The economics and advantages of inland waterways are well documented, including in trade, commerce and engineering.
Indus Inland Waterways
Pakistan – Punjab Assembly approves Women Protection Bill
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab Assembly on Wednesday has approved Women Protection Bill calling for end to violence against the female gender. Those convicted of serious crimes such as throwing acid on women will now have to wear a GPS tracker and face various other consequences.
According the bill passed in the Assembly, those accused of throwing acid on women, rape and other grave offences will be restrained from visiting the concerned female's work place or areas frequented by her. The offender may also be restrained by the court from contacting the woman based on the evidence submitted by her. The accused person will have to maintain the stated distance from the concerned female as ordered by the court in view of the events.
The Bill also states that female victims of domestic violence cannot be evicted from homes without their consent and in case of such an event; the court will reinstate the concerned female's position.
Read more » Dunya News Tv
See more » http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/324600-Punjab-Assembly-approves-Women-Protection-Bill
Women Protection Bill
Australia to boost defence spending
Australia has announced a surge in defence spending, a move that reflects concern over military expansion in the region.
Military spending will grow by A$29.9b ($21.4b, £15.4b) over next 10 years, the 2016 Defence White Paper outlined.
The largest investment will be made in submarines, with investment also being made in additional naval vessels, fighter jets and personnel.
Read more » BBC
See more » http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35657021
AustraliaDefence spending
Pakistan at tenth place in list of world's largest arms importers for 2015
BEIJING: Pakistan was the tenth largest arms importer in the world in 2015, down one spot from number nine the previous year, a military think tank database reveals, while Saudi Arabia was the leading arms importer in the world, followed closely by India.
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1241157/pakistan-at-tenth-place-in-list-of-worlds-largest-arms-importers-for-2015
Arms importers
India, Pakistan
Shuja Pasha admitted ISI's role in Mumbai attack: ex-CIA chief
In his latest book 'Playing to the Edge', Michael Hayden, the former CIA Director, expressed his deep frustration of the "duplicity" of the Pakistani leadership when it came to taking action against terrorist groups.
Read more » The Hindu
See more » http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/shuja-pasha-admitted-isis-role-in-mumbai-attack-excia-chief/article8271880.ece
Michael HaydenMumbai
History, International, News
It's official: Native Americans and Siberians are cousins
After more than a century of speculation, an international group of geneticists has conclusively proven that the Aztecs, Incas, and Iroquois are closely related to the peoples of Altai, the Siberian region that borders China and Mongolia.
Scientists have suspected for a long time that Native Americans are closely related to the peoples of Altai. The theory of the Altai peoples migrating from Siberia across Chukotka and Alaska, down to the Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America, appeared almost a century ago.
Since then researchers have tried to prove this, and in late 2015 the famous Russian geneticist, Oleg Balanovsky, finally confirmed the theory. In addition, Dr. Balanovsky'ss tudies also proved that some Native Americans have kinship with the indigenous populations of Australia.
"The current study confirms the theory that the Altai peoples are closely related to Native Americans," said geneticist Valery Ilyinsky at the RAS Institute of General Genetics. "We now have clear proof, and it is useless to contest it."
Read more » RBTH
See more » http://rbth.com/science_and_tech/2016/02/23/its-official-native-americans-and-siberians-are-cousins_569517
AlaskaAztecsChinacousinsIncasIroquoisMongoliaNative AmericansSiberians
History, Pakistan
The lost Jewish history of Rawalpindi
"There were Jews living in the city till late 90's. Although the family moved to some other city, they still come and visit these streets."
By Saif Tahir
While roaming the streets of Babu Mohallah, one singles out this old yellow building with its distinct features. The abundance of old and new buildings of Nishtar Street fails to overshadow the tall, three story building with peculiar texture and strong colonial features. What makes this old yellowish facade even more intriguing is the Star of David's situated on its top that have survived almost a century despite the predisposed hatred and revulsion. The building, former coal centre and the present Rehman Manzil, is the only intact Jewish architecture in Rawalpindi.
Rawalpindi, a 1000 BC historical city, General Headquarters of Pakistan Army and the twin city of Islamabad has a lot more to tell than its bureaucratic ties and military tales.
Babu Mohallah is one of the oldest neighbourhoods and business hubs of the city. Known today as Asia's leading car parts market, its rich and diverse cultural heritage makes it deceptively fascinating. On one side stands the grand Bohra Mosque with a thriving Bohra community. Right next to it you'll find an old Victorian church and a Hindu temple right in the back street. The Jewish building on Nishtar Street lies in the middle.
Continue reading The lost Jewish history of Rawalpindi →
Jewish historyRawalpindi
Power of the establishment
BY TARIQ KHOSA
No one had the courage to ask the military elite some tough questions.
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1241012/power-of-the-establishment
Politics, Religion
Opposition leader warns Turkey in process of 'Pakistanization'
By TODAYSZAMAN.COM
ISTANBUL – The leader of Turkey's main opposition party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, slammed the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leaders for "turning Turkey into a bloodbath" and said they should be tried for "aiding and abetting terrorist organizations."
In a speech to members of the CHP İstanbul branch, Kılıçdaroğlu said neighboring Syria has become a new Afghanistan, an operational center for all jihadist groups. "They went there under the protection offered by the government. Turkey has become embroiled in a process of Pakistanization," he said.
The CHP leader noted 234 people were killed in six bombings across Turkey over the past six months. "No country that is not in a war has been through such a deep trauma. How can it be that 234 people have been killed over the past six months but no is held accountable politically?" he said.
Read more » TodayZaman
See more » http://mobile.todayszaman.com/national_opposition-leader-warns-turkey-in-process-of-pakistanization_412857.html
Turekey
Embracing Punjabi
By Obed Pasha
Rabindranath Tagore was once asked why he got the Nobel Prize for literature and Allama Iqbal did not. Tagore replied "Probably because I write in my mother tongue and Iqbal doesn't."
With this answer Tagore touched on two important points. First, that people can best express themselves through the language they grow up speaking. And second, that the Muslim Punjabi intelligentsia has stopped using its native language as a medium of expression.
See more » http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/44143-embracing-punjabi
Economy, News, Pakistan
Pakistan lifts sanctions on Iran
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan formally lifted sanctions on Iran on Friday, a move which is expected to open a new era of cooperation between the two countries in the areas of banking, trade and energy.
"Pursuant to UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution of 2231, Pakistan has decided to lift sanctions against Iran," read a finance ministry announcement. The modalities for the restrictions sanctions were finalised in an inter-ministerial meeting, it said.
See more » http://tribune.com.pk/story/1050792/pakistan-lifts-sanctions-on-iran-2/
History, Politics
History Is Going Russia's and China's Way, Not Obama's
After another failed "summit" attempt to turn the ASEAN countries against China, Barack Obama spent his Feb. 16 press conference denouncing and attempting to denigrate Russia, and particularly Russian President Putin's success in changing the situation in the Mideast.
Read more » Larouche|Pac
See more » https://larouchepac.com/20160217/history-going-russias-and-chinas-way-not-obamas
ChinaRussiaU.S
News, Pakistan, Sindh
Humanity is a bond that is shared without boundaries and barriers. Iranian initiative of The Wall of Kindness reached Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan.
By: Social media
Humanity is a bond that is shared without boundaries and barriers. Iranian initiative of The Wall of Kindness reached Pakistan and now our lovely city Hyderabad has its wall all set to help needy people with help of #PUAN Jamshoro chapter. Tomorrow all youngesters, elders and social activists are invited to join hands together, own Dewaar e Meharbaani and donate as many clothes, shoes and school bags as you can.
Venue: Near Giddu traffic chowky, Thandi Sarak. Timing: 2 to 3 pm. Date: 19 Feb 2016
Courtesy: via Facebook
HyderabadWall of Kindness
Economy, Pakistan
Train service between Pakistan and Turkey on the cards
ISLAMABAD: A new train service between Asia and Europe is on the cards. The service will enable Pakistani exports to reach Turkey via Iran in 15 days.
Pakistani exports to Turkey include: rice, sesame seeds, leather, textiles, fabrics, sports' goods and medical equipment. Turkey's exports to Pakistan are wheat, chickpeas, lentils, diesel, chemicals, transport vehicles, machinery and energy products.
Read more » Customs Today
See more » http://www.customstoday.com.pk/train-service-between-pakistan-and-turkey-on-the-cards/
More detials: BBC urdu
http://www.bbc.com/urdu/pakistan/2016/02/160219_turkey_pak_rail_link_fz?ocid=socialflow_facebook
train serviceTurkey
Make in India boost: Lockheed Martin ready to manufacture F-16 jets in India
SINGAPORE: US fighter jet maker Lockheed Martin today said it is ready to manufacture F-16 aircraft in India and supports the ongoing talks between the two countries to set up the first manufacturing facility, one of the largest projects under the 'Make in India' initiative.
"We are ready to manufacture F-16 in India and support the Make in India initiative," Phil Shaw, chief executive of Lockheed Martin India Private Ltd told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2016.
Read more » THE ECONOMICS TIMES
See more » http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/make-in-india-boost-lockheed-martin-ready-to-manufacture-f-16-jets-in-india/articleshow/51037000.cms
Learn more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/51037000.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
F-16Make in India
India, Politics
The final frontier: What the government and media aren't telling you about the JNU controversy
By Saib Bilaval
In the light of recent controversies, JNU currently occupies centre stage in media coverage and the public gaze. Most of the media, especially Zee News, NewsX, IndiaTV and Times Now, is portraying the government as justifiably taking action on students who insult the country. Needless to say, public opinion mirrors that.
What the government is really doing is attacking social science, and democratic socialism, in the name of coming after 15 ultra-Left students. That they arrested Kanhaiya Kumar, the JNUSU president who was not shouting slogans, makes it clear that the government just needed an excuse to 'crack down' on JNU.
It is attacking the centres of the most systematic and sharp critiques of state policy in the country. This objective is tied to their notions of repainting history in saffron. The Indian Council for Historical Research has been taken over, as has the University Grants Commission, the Indian History Congress is being starved and discredited.
Hyderabad Central University has been hijacked, Delhi University courses professionalized, and Mamata Banerjee has already done to the institutions in West Bengal in her reign what the Modi government is just starting to do in the rest of the country. JNU is indeed the final frontier of political and policy dissent.
Read more » First Post
See more » http://www.firstpost.com/india/the-final-frontier-what-the-government-and-media-arent-telling-you-about-the-jnu-controversy-2633586.html
JNUKanhaiya Kumar
Economy, News
Finning swings to loss; to cut 400 to 500 more jobs
Canada's Finning International Inc, the world's biggest dealer of Caterpillar Inc equipment, posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit and said it would cut more jobs.
The company, which cut 13 per cent of its global work force last year, said it would cut another 400-500 jobs by mid-2016.
Finning had about 14,500 employees as of Dec. 31, 2014.
Shares of the Vancouver-based company were down 7.4 per cent at $17.29 in early trade.
Caterpillar, the world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment, has been hit by weak mining, drilling and construction activity around the world.
Finning in November shut 11 facilities in Western Canada, in addition to previously announced 16 closures, to cut costs.
Read more » The Globe And Mail
See more » http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/finning-swings-to-loss-to-cut-400-500-more-jobs/article28794252/
Finning Internationaljob cutsUnemployment
Kurds Warn Turkey of 'Big War' With Russia If Troops Enter Syria
By Henry Meyer meyerhenry4, Stepan Kravchenko
Russia has promised to protect Kurdish fighters in Syria in case of a ground offensive by Turkey, a move that would lead to a "big war," the Syrian group's envoy to Moscow said in an interview on Wednesday.
"We take this threat very seriously because the ruling party in Turkey is a party of war," Rodi Osman, head of the Syrian Kurds' newly-opened representative office said in Kurdish via a Russian interpreter. "Russia will respond if there is an invasion. This isn't only about the Kurds, they will defend the territorial sovereignty of Syria."
Read more » Bloomberg
See more » http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-18/kurds-warn-turkey-of-big-war-with-russia-if-troops-enter-syria
KurdsSyriaTurkey
India, News, Pakistan, Sindh, Sindhi
Sindhi (Pakistan and India) was the native language of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the "Father of the Nation" of Pakistan", says BBC in its article about adding Sindhi to Google translation list
Google Translate introduces 13 new languages including Scots Gaelic and Sindhi
See more » http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35602377/google-translate-introduces-13-new-languages-including-scots-gaelic-and-sindhi
Islamabad, News, Pakistan
'IT park to improve trade between Pakistan, S. Korea'
ISLAMABAD: South Korea wants to improve trade ties with Pakistan and the establishment of an IT park in Islamabad is a step towards doing so, South Korean Ambassador Dr Song Jong-Hwan said at a gathering at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI).
South Korea will establish one of the biggest and most advanced IT parks in Islamabad in an area of about one million square feet.
The Exim Bank of Korea has agreed to provide $50 million for the establishment of the park and South Korean teams are expected to conduct a feasibility study with assistance from the Ministry of IT and Pakistan Software Exports Board (PSEB).
It is expected that the IT park will attract international companies to develop software and hardware solutions and will also help boost the country's IT exports.
"Establishing the park will promote small and medium enterprises as well," Dr Song said.
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1240330/
IT ParksoftwareSouth Korea
Google Translate adds 13 more languages for a total of 103
Now you can chat with people from Ethiopia and Kyrgyzstan.
By Mariella Moon , @mariella_moon
Google Translate could help connect even more people now that it's added13 more languages to its roster. Those 13 are Amharic (Ethiopia), Corsican (Corsica island in France), Frisian (Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands), Kyrgyz (Kyrgyzstan), Hawaiian, Kurdish/Kurmanji (Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria), Luxembourgish, Samoan, Scots Gaelic, Shona (Zimbabwe), Sindhi (Pakistan), Pashto (Afghanistan) and Xhosa (South Africa). Google says all of Translate's 103 available languages cover 99 percent of the online population.
Read more » Engadget
See more » http://www.engadget.com/2016/02/18/google-translate-adds-13-languages/
Google translateSindhi Language
Bombardier to cut 7,000 jobs as it enters 'year of transition'
By BERTRAND MAROTTE
MONTREAL — The Globe and Mail – Bombardier Inc. chief executive officer Alain Bellemare is vowing that 2016 will be a "year of transition" for the Montreal-based plane and train maker after significant rounds of cost cutting last year.
But many investors, analysts and observers were disappointed by worse-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and surprised by the magnitude of a new wave of cost cutting – 7,000 jobs to be slashed over the next two years –
See more » http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/bombardier-to-slash-7000-jobs/article28779506/
BombardierCanadajob cutsLay offsUnemployment
India, News, technology
Freedom 251 'Cheapest Smartphone' to Launch on Wednesday
Considered a luxury not too long ago, smartphones have reached a point that they can now be considered a commodity. But on Wednesday, things will reach a whole new level.
By Manish Singh
As part of its attempt to connect every Indian, local smartphone manufacturer Ringing Bells 'with immense support' from the India government will launch an affordable smartphone called the Freedom 251 on Wednesday. The Freedom 251, touted as India's cheapest smartphone -and likely the most affordable smartphone in the world as well – will sport a price tag below Rs. 500 (approximately $7).
Read more » NDTV
See more » http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/indian-company-to-launch-7-smartphone-on-wednesday-802668
Freedom 251smartphone


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Bengaluru Airport City – Information, Master Plan & Status
Bengaluru Airport City on 463 acres of land is being built at Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli, Karnataka by Bengaluru Airport City Ltd. (BACL), a subsidiary of Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL).
This futuristic smart city's Phase 1 is expected to be completed and opened in 2025. This includes a concert area, Retail, Dining and Entertainment (RDE) Village, business park, and 775 rooms in a combo hotel (managed by Ginger Vivanta).
The RDE Village at Airport City will be connected with BMTC's bus service and the Bangalore Metro's 56 km Blue Line, being built in Phase 2A and Phase 2B. In 2021, BIAL appointed DP Architects from Singapore and Portland Design from UK as its Architectural Consultants.
The concert arena at Airport City, called The Hangar, will have a built up area of 3,00,000 sq. ft. designed by PR Design Group.
Design & Master Plan
New assets are planned to be launched every two years. Over the next decade, there are plans to develop several business parks, IT parks, a medical district with a world-class multi-specialty hospital, academic institutions, concert arena, over 2,500 hotel rooms and a world-class retail, dining and entertainment district.
Render via BIAL / DP Architects
Page last updated: January 21, 2023. Have a question or spot an error? Let me know here.

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text:
'The Book of Mormon': No Offense
Hearing that the same men who brought us *South Park* were mounting a musical to be called *The Book of Mormon*, we were tempted to turn away, as from an inevitable massacre. How could the Mormon faith, with its wobbly stories of golden tablets dug up and then lost to view, its pseudo-archaeological racism, its prevarications over the practice of polygamy, its almost exact resemblance to a cult, stand up to all that gleeful juvenile ragging?
Joan Marcus
Rema Webb, Andrew Rannells, and Josh Gad in The Book of Mormon
Hearing that the same men who brought us South Park were mounting a musical to be called The Book of Mormon, we were tempted to turn away, as from an inevitable massacre. How could the Mormon faith, with its wobbly stories of golden tablets dug up and then lost to view, its pseudo-archaeological racism, its prevarications over the practice of polygamy, its almost exact resemblance to a cult, stand up to all that gleeful juvenile ragging? But then something mysterious happened, and the show that opened in March at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre drew praise of a glutinous and sickly kind from the greyer eminences of the press—from David Brooks of The New York Times, for instance, who spoke of the "jolt of energy" that surges through the audience during the first number, a "jolt of joy, gratitude and laughter" at the realization that the production was going to live up to its reviews.
Gratitude, eh? A family night out on Broadway can set you back a thousand dollars, and the emotion you are supposed to feel, on not being positively ripped off, is gratitude? And this gratitude, it turns out, is prompted by a show with a message that, as Brooks put it, while "many religious stories are silly," "religion itself can do enormous good, as long as people take religious teaching metaphorically and not literally." This sounds like a meager recompense for such a handsome outlay. What happened to the no-holds-barred humor of South Park? What happened to the fearless tramplers on taboos? What about all that smut and all that juvenile glee? And how did the Mormon religion manage to defeat satire?
The satire is there, the smut and all the glee, but by the end of the evening—strangely enough—no offense has been given and no damage has been done. No offense has been given, to be sure, because the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints made a conscious and sensible decision not to take any such offense. It is as if they decided in advance, whatever the show came up with, to enter a plea of nolo contendere, or to couch any riposte in the very mildest of terms.
The Washington Post gives a regular platform to the Mormon Church's Head of Public Affairs, Michael Otterson, a master craftsman of the Utahan bland style. From Otterson we learn three things we should know about Mormons "which are neither trivial nor stereotypical." The first turns out to be that they follow Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The second is that "Mormons are friends of the family," by which they mean, ideally, husband, wife and children; what they emphatically do not mean (not that Otterson spelled this out) is two parents of the same sex. The third non-stereotypical characteristic of Mormons: they like helping people—cooking meals for the sick, giving out aid in Haiti or Japan, "incorporating their religious beliefs into their day-to-day actions."
It is on this business of helping people out in that the plot of The Book of Mormon (the musical) turns. A couple of young men, innocent of experience of the world, are sent as missionaries to Uganda, a country about which they know nothing, but which is depicted as lying in the grip of the most intractable problems. Most of the inhabitants are suffering from AIDS, which is treated, casually and abruptly, as a big joke. Poverty is endemic. Female genital mutilation awaits in the wings. And one man provokes many a hearty laugh by telling us he has maggots in his scrotum. This condition, from which he is still suffering at the end of the evening, is portrayed as something incurably gross in a typically African way. Just as the already active Mormon missionaries whom we encounter have managed to make no converts in Uganda, so it has proved impossible for elementary hygiene to sort out this skin condition.
The mismatch could not be more complete. The two young innocent missionaries (Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad), whose notion of Africa derives from The Lion King, are nonplussed, until one of them, Elder Cunningham, whom we have learnt to be a congenital liar, discovers a gift of improvising on the contents of The Book of Mormon, adding whatever nonsense springs into his brain. The more ridiculous his message, the better it goes down with the natives. Mass conversion follows, until the senior members of the Mormon Church are called in to witness the proselytizing miracle. The Ugandans enthusiastically relate what they have learnt, to the horror of the older Mormons. The mission has been a fiasco, but the Ugandans save the day by pointing out—this is what impressed David Brooks, until he thought about it afterwards—that religious discourse is metaphorical anyway. This gets everybody somehow off the hook, and the show concludes on a triumphant note. Book, music, and lyrics are credited to Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. Of these, it is the lyrics that stand out for their acuteness and ingenuity, while the music is more serviceable than memorable. Lovers of the traditional theatrical crafts will enjoy a wealth of painted scenery, designed by Scott Pask in tribute to Mormon iconography.
To the perhaps prosaic mind of Michael Otterson, a satire that turns on the supposed irrelevance and ineffectiveness of the Mormon mission to Africa is very much wide of the mark. After all, as he pointed out to the Post's readers, in the seven years that it had taken the creative team to put together and mount The Book of Mormon, the Mormon Church in Africa had been responsible for bringing clean water to more than four million Africans, getting wheelchairs to 34,000 legless children, and so on. Why should Otterson pay $200 for a ticket to be "sold the idea that religion moves along oblivious to real-world problems in a kind of blissful naiveté"?
He has a point. The comic situation of The Book of Mormon is perfectly serviceable as comedy, but it has no interest at all as satire on the Mormons' African mission. We are in Uganda, but we might as well be in Kazakhstan, or any kind of nightmare Abroad. From the point of view of the Mormon missionaries, the attitude of the natives toward Almighty God is crudely dismissive, and expressed in language which causes gasps of tickled outrage from the audience. But it is impossible to reconcile this happy-go-lucky indifference to the Supreme Being with what we have encountered in recent history when the African churches have had their say on the future of, for instance, the Anglican church. What often comes back at us out of Africa, by way of Christian culture, is a sharp Victorian rebuke for our back-sliding. It has nothing happy-go-lucky about it.
The Mormon mission to Africa, as to other dark-skinned parts of the world, was for a long time hobbled by the racism of the movement's scripture. The Book of Mormon itself (as opposed to the musical) makes it perfectly clear that, whereas light skin is "delightsome" and fair, a "skin of blackness" is "loathsome"—a consequence of falling into unbelief. The American Indian, though a member of one of the lost tribes of Israel, had been stricken with this loathsomeness for this very reason. Nor was it possible for a black African to enter even the first level of priesthood, to which a white male would normally be admitted at the age of twelve. Barred from priesthood, black men could not receive "temple endowments and eternal sealings of marriage that admit its holders to the highest tier in heaven and potential godhood."
Miscegenation, too, was explicitly forbidden. Brigham Young: "Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." But it would not, could not always be so. The last remaining state laws against the mixing of white blood with the seed of Cain—not to mention the mixing of metaphors—were struck down by a Supreme Court decision of 1967.
Pressure grew on the Mormon Church in the next decade to relax its ban on the recruitment of blacks to the priesthood, and to abandon those parts of scripture and theology that explained the inferiority and loathsomeness of blacks, their despised condition, in terms of their (assumed) behavior in a previous existence. In particular, a plan to erect a temple in São Paulo brought the Mormons up against the problem that none of their Brazilian recruits were liable to be of anything other than "mixed blood."
In the face of such inconveniences, in 1978, the leaders of the church experienced, in an "upper room" in Salt Lake City, a highly convenient Pentecost, and with it a revelation ending the ban against black priests. Mormons were still counseled by their church President, Spencer W. Kimball, not to "cross racial lines in dating and marriage"—but this was presented as a practical matter, not a spiritual commandment. Meanwhile certain excisions were made, to render The Book of Mormon less embarrassing, and the text of II Nephi 30:6 was rewritten in 1981, to prophesy that righteous Indians would receive a blessing from the hand of God and that "their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and delightsome people." In the original version it had been foretold that the Indians would become a "white and a delightsome people." (The Jews will also become delightsome, thank goodness, when they agree to believe in Jesus Christ.)
This willingness, admirable in its modest way, to jettison or modify revelation in order to conform to public opinion, has been characteristic of Mormonism since the long dispute over polygamy: in the end, it would seem, they get the point. They listen to criticism over the decades. They make some furtive adjustments. They clean up their act. And, at this rate, one might predict—one might be inclined to prophesy—that within a decade or two they will have reformed their teaching on homosexuality, which comes in for much good-humored ragging in the Broadway show, including one of the wittiest of the songs. It is as if the search for acceptability matters more, in the long term, than doctrine. In this sense, the candidatures of Mitt Romney, sacrificing his most significant legislative achievement on the altar of Republican censoriousness, and Jon Huntsman, sacrificing no less than his old master Obama, look like expert strategies of Mormon assimilationism.
In the context of the musical, the openness to ragging, the patience under blasphemous attack, become less mysterious. It is as if they understand the ridicule that they are currently undergoing at the Eugene O'Neill Theater to constitute a sort of hazing. To get through the ordeal they must keep their good humor, and it is worth doing so because, at the end of the hazing, their reward will be a greater acceptance in society. Some hand is going to clap them on the shoulder and say: Well done, you managed to survive. And the audience is going to feel better about Mormons than they did before, and better about themselves for all that better feeling.
And it seems they are right. When the audience rises to its feet at the finale, a blow has been struck on behalf of the Mormons and their crazy African mission. What the Ugandans must feel about being depicted as such fools is quite another matter.
More by James Fenton
What He Saw in a Dream
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James Fenton is a British poet and literary critic. From 1994 until 1999, he was Oxford Professor of Poetry; in 2015 he was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize. He is the author of School of Genius: A History of the Royal Academy of Arts and, most recently, Yellow Tulips: Poems, 1968–2011. (May 2020)
Prudence Crowther and James Taibi
Olympic Notes
August 8, 1996 issue
Philip Gossett
Opera from the Other Side
An illustrated history of opera production offers an extraordinary view of the work that makes operatic spectacle function.
David Fratkin
Easter 2020: The Eighth Sacrament
Happy Easter, in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, from the Review.
Sam Sacks
Sean O'Casey's Women
After the 1924 premiere of Juno and the Paycock at Dublin's Abbey Theatre, Sean O'Casey thanked Lady Gregory, who with William Butler Yeats served as the legendary theater's artistic director. "You gave me encouragement," he told her. "And it was you who said to me…'Mr. O'Casey, your gift is characterization.'…
Ingrid D. Rowland
A Magician in Pigment
Titian was a painter of astonishing versatility, a master of landscape, of portraiture, of sacred painting, historical painting, mythology, a magician who could turn a dab of pigment into a flame, a pleat, a thunderbolt, a twinkle in the eye, a Cupid's wing.
Laura Marsh
Dancing Kafka
In this adaptation of Kafka's The Metamorphosis, Edward Watson evokes the nightmarish experience Kafka describes—of a man who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect—through the vocabulary of ballet.
Luc Tuymans: A Retrospective
In "Gray Magic," from the February 11 issue of The New York Review, Sanford Schwartz writes about the Luc Tuymans retrospective, which will be on view at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from February 6 to May 2. (It originated at the Wexner Center for the Arts in…
Glorious Ghosts
Wexford is a small town on the sea in the south-east of Ireland and an unlikely place to host an opera festival. Yet since 1951 in late October the town has organized what has become for many opera-lovers an essential date in the calendar. The reason why it has remained…


The National Players Boycott of California Racing, sponsored by HANA, has been analyzed in terms of awareness at Thorotrends.com. The grid is below.
An increasing number of players are aware, and have been participating, according to this survey.


Home » News & Updates » General Synod Volunteer Registration is Open!
General Synod Volunteer Registration is Open!
Join the General Synod 32 Team – Volunteer!
The online volunteer registration and scheduling is ready to go and we hope you will help Wisconsin SHINE! Here are some things you should know before you begin.
Registration will be easier on a screen larger than your phone. When you register you will create a password to use later, so be ready to record it.
We are only accepting volunteers from Wisconsin Conference UCC congregations.
After you register you will receive a series of emails.
The first is a confirmation of your registration.
Next (up to 24 hours later) you will receive an email link for scheduling. Review the list of opportunities, sign up for what you want to do and the specific time slots. Note that additional opportunities will be added in the next few weeks.
When we have confirmed your registration of 6+ volunteer hours, you will receive a Synod discount code allowing you to register for General Synod at a reduced cost of $60. This email will come up to 72 hours after scheduling. This code is only for Wisconsin UCC volunteers, so please do not share it with others.
Hosting General Synod is an honor and will require many people and talents to make it a success. Please consider volunteering more than 6 hours.
If you want to volunteer but do not plan to register for and attend Synod, you can provide hospitality at hotels, the Airport or the Intermodal Station; you can assist with the Outdoor Festival or for select Mission Projects. This will be described on the scheduling website.
To get started go to bit.ly/2CtiHVV-synodvolunteer.


Dana works as a Library Associate in the Adult Services department at Princeton Public Library. A firm believer that libraries are more of a community center than just a home for books, she assists patrons with day to day tasks, helps to pair them with their next great read, and answers research inquiries. Outside of the library, she enjoys traveling, exploring, learning and a great story of any kind.
To be read . . .


Just like you, your wedding day will be personal, one-of-a-kind, and completely unique. We're not here to tell you what you should do to make your day perfect, only that you can do it.
With advice and guidance on the individual aspects to consider when planning your wedding day - from where to begin and recommended questions to ask your supplier, to plenty of alternative decor ideas - we hope that you'll find inspiration, reassurance and a little bit of escapism in these pages as you embark on planning one of the most special and joyful days of your lives.
Charlotte O'Shea founded rockmywedding.co.uk in 2009. Since then the brand has evolved into one of the most influential in the wedding industry with over 1.2 million followers across social media platforms, and hundreds of thousands of readers visiting the blog every month. Charlotte believes every bride and groom should have their wedding their way; that it's about the joy as much as the pretty; and that love truly does conquer all. Charlotte lives in Warwickshire with her husband James, their daughter Mabel Rose, and a vast collection of floral tea dresses and ankle boots.


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New Accord Report on the Peace Process in Nepal
Author : PSRP Category : consortium-members, conciliation-resources, publications, impact
Tags : Conciliation Resources Nepal Peace process
On Monday 3 April, PSRP and Conciliation Resources launched a new ACCORD issue on the peace process in Nepal, at an event at the SOAS South Asia Institute, University of London.
The two editors, Deepak Thapa (Social Science Baha, Kathmandu) and Alexander Ramsbotham (PSRP, Conciliation Resources) presented the outlines of the ACCORD issue, its key themes and its iterative process of production. Elizabeth Drew (DFID) shared thoughts on the report and current peacebuilding challenges in Nepal from a practitioner's perspective. Mara Malagodi (University of London, City Law School) commented on the evolution of Nepal's constitutional framework.
Inclusion emerged as the key theme of the discussion: Deepak Thapa identified the issue as the deepest challenge in Nepal's political process, and as the main societal demand since the 1930s. Especially for the Nepalese context, he highlighted the importance of inclusion as a particular mind-set and respective process that cannot be achieved by just introduced by quotas. As some of the interventions highlighted, the peace process as a whole has to be considered as being remarkably successful if assessed against the situation of the early 2000s. Yet, the Nepalese politics remain sharply divided, which, in turn, points to the further need to foster inclusive politics domestically.
Consequently, the ACCORD has been designed as an inclusive process, giving space to Nepalese voices that are normally not heard in international, English-language lay-outs. As Deepak Thapa pointed out, an inclusive political process requires inclusive processes of analysis as well.
The ACCORD issue may be downloaded here, and a print copy can be obtained via Conciliation Resources. Print copies of the issue will also be available in Nepal.
Find out more about the publication.
Picture courtesy of Dr Jan Pospisil


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Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John & Yoko The Plastic Ono Band
667 5f00310d7d3530e8c0a917bdc410def1a5b8d4dc
Parts: Melody line, Backing Vocals, Accompaniment Click to change
Price: 9.50 PLN 9.50
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" - a song that John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded as a protest against the war in Vietnam. Quickly became a popular Christmas song, even treated as a Christmas carol. The set we present in the form of musical notation score and sheet music for each instrument separately. In addition, we suggest you also develop a melody with text and guitar accompaniment and melody with the text and signed chords.
Download sheet music for "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" (from album "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)") by John & Yoko The Plastic Ono Band. Arrangement: Notes and chords for solo voice with accompaniment.
Christmas Carol, Christmas song
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (1971)
John & Yoko The Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon, Yoko Ono
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)	Notes for guitar
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)	Score
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)	Notes, tablature and lyrics for vocal and guitar
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)	Tablature (rhythm values) for guitar - guitar 2 part
Chris Botti & Lucia Micarelli
Emmanuel	Notes and chords for solo voice with accompaniment
Ten Sharp
You	Notes and chords for solo voice with accompaniment
Forma	Notes and chords for solo voice with accompaniment
Saint Agnes And The Burning Train	Notes and chords for solo voice with accompaniment
Part: Melody line, Backing Vocals, Accompaniment
Price: 9.50 9.50


Random It Android App Review: Quick Decision Maker App Everyone Needs!
Do you waste time while making quick decisions with friends like I do? I bet everyone does that with simple questions like – 'Where to Meet?'. 'Today or Tommorow?' or 'Where to Eat?' Point is, you can let this amazing app decide for you and you can stop wasting time.- The app is called –Random It!
The app is basically an ecosystem that helps you use 160 themed set of questions and answers and will give you random answers for it. Your question that is termed as 'Subject' inside Random It, can be selected from wide variety of categories, and most importantly you can create your own Subjects anytime you want.
Developers have done enough research to create these random subjects, as all the regular ones are already covered in it. Besides creating your own subjects you can in-fact modify the pre-configured questions and save a heck of a time.
So next time – You decide the subject, spin the wheel and you are good to go!
Random it is build with great looking interface that works fluidly on any of the Android devices we have tested including smartphones and tablets. The navigation is super-simple to understand, and as I said, pre-configured subjects will save you a lot of time.
Overall, this app is a perfect Android app, to make your quick decision making superquick. Also being a free app, makes it totally worth trying at least one!
CallSnap Android App Review - All New Way To Reject Calls With Snap!
iBall Slide Wings Tablet Launched – Promises Terrific Performance with Big 8 inch Display!


The Ixelles Council government called a special committee on Wednesday evening to discuss its proposal to affix a commemorative plaque in Bastion Square, in honour of Patrice Lumumba.
He was an independence figure in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Citizen movements requesting a Place Lumumba (Lumumba Square) behind Saint-Boniface church met beforehand and agreed to this. This was indicated by Moïse Essoh, who is a member of the collective Colonial Remembrance and the Fight against Discrimination.


Set an 8-inch (20 cm) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; coat well with cooking spray. Pour a quarter of egg mixture into hot skillet. As eggs set around edge of skillet, with spatula, gently push cooked portions towards center. Tilt and rotate skillet to allow uncooked egg to flow into empty spaces.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until set on the bottom but still slightly moist on top; cover half of omelet with one slice of ham. Fold unfilled half of omelet over filled half. Cook for 1 minute and then slide omelet onto plate. Repeat with remaining egg mixture and ham to make four omelets.


It was picture perfect weather today in Redcliffe; the sun was shining, the skies were clear, and the beaches were full of people celebrating Australia Day. For this afternoon's outreach we moved down to Sutton's Beach as the local council had put on a special event that attracted thousands of people to come out in order to celebrate the founding of our nation.
On 26 January 1788, the First Fleet arrived from Britain; with them came the gospel. While many people may debate over our history, I think the arrival of the gospel on our shores is something to be celebrated, and what better way to celebrate than by telling Australian's about the Good News!
we distributed about 1500 "Good Aussie" tracts. Before too long numerous conversations were underway. One of our team members, Col, later remarked that he had personally spoken to about 20 people in three hours.
The first couple I spoke to were "Religiously Christian," with the male being of Greek Orthodox background and the female of Roman Catholic beliefs. I asked them, "If you were to die tonight, and God asked you, 'Why should I let you into my Heaven?' What would you say?" The man replied, "I am a reformed sinner, I try my hardest." The lady said, "He'd let me in because I am a nice person." We then chatted about God's holiness and how He cannot allow sin into Heaven. As we spoke about these things both of them realised that they were not holy and that they deserved Hell. It was a joy to be able to tell the good news of Jesus. They listened intently as I explained the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. At the end of our conversation they both shook my hand and thanked me for the conversation.
It was at this point that Vesa called me over to the flip-chart. A father and his two young daughters had stopped as they wanted to take the "Good Person Test." It is always hard to have a conversation with children present, but the Lord gave me the right words.
The most startling and heartbreaking thing for me, was to hear the youngest girl, who would have been about 6 years old say several times, "I don't believe in God." She was adamant that God did not exist, but still I persisted in sharing the gospel with her. As we spoke the father made sure that his daughters understood, and encouraged them to listen. The man wasn't a Believer, but he was really supportive of his girls learning about Jesus. At the end of the conversation the father told me he had a hard time understanding repentance and faith, especially since that means child molesters can say 'sorry' then go to Heaven. I shared with him about true repentance, and also the Lord Jesus' words from Matthew 18:6 about God's view on those who harm children. The man was content to know that God would judge wicked men and do what is right.
As that family left, it really grieved me to see such a young girl being committed to atheism at 6 years old. This young lady would never go to church, nor would she have ever heard the truth if we hadn't gone out on the streets to witness. The lost aren't coming to Church, so we need to go to them!
Please pray that the gospel seed would fall upon good soil and that many would be saved.


Most CMJ bands play indie and rock, but sprinkled throughout the week there is also some world flavor. At Santos Party House last night for the DubShot Records showcase, I saw three interesting and different bands— all playing variations on reggae music. First was the racially mixed Fear Nuttin Band, a group that blends hip-hop vocals, reggae beats and heavy metal guitar riffs. The energy was high for this set and the two vocalists had great charisma between them.
Next up was 77 Klash, pronounced "two seven clash." Klash hails from Jamaica but lives in Brooklyn and has tons of love for the borough. His best song of the night was "Brooklyn Anthem," in which he shouted out the hood numerous times. Backing Klash up were three teens from East New York who performed their best dance hall steps.
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 8:28 pm	and is filed under Reggae Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.


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S.L. Sheppard is a writer of poems, short stories, plays, and novels. Her poems and short stories have been published in magazines, and anthologies in The Bahamas and the United Kingdom. She has received international awards from Australia, the U.S., England, and Ireland for short fiction and poetry. Her novel, The Green Shutters, was chosen for the Bahamas Minister of Education Book Club. Her radio play Sisters was broadcast from Cool 96 Grand Bahama for twenty-eight episodes. Her Bahamian plays include Staff Room Gossip, The Woman from Nassau, You Never Go Back, With A Little Bit of Luck, Excess Baggage, Trapped in Marriage, Daddy's Funeral, and In the Bedroom. The Left-Over Daughters is Sheppard's second novel.


The Alaska Senate race just became one of the top races to watch. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is set to announce his candidacy against incumbent GOP Senator Ted Stevens, a major recruitment coup for the DSCC.
On paper, the race hardly looks like it would be competitive. Stevens is one of the most entrenched Senators, first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1970. In fact, since his 1972 re-election he has never received less than 67% of the vote and he is known for bringing back plenty of pork to his home state. To make matters worse for Democrats, the last time they won a federal race in Alaska was in 1974 with... Mike Gravel! Since then, they have held the governor's mansion but come out with some disappointing finishes in congressional elections (especially Tony Knowles's 2004 defeat).
But the Alaska Republican Party is struggling in a giant corruption probe that has engulfed Rep. Young and Sen. Stevens, whose house was raided in 2007. In September, when it was revealed that the FBI had recorded phone conversations between Stevens and a businessman who has confessed to bribing Stevens's son and sending company employees renovate Stevens's house, even the state's Republican Governor distanced herself from Stevens. These developments have fueled speculation that Stevens might not run for re-election -- Stevens has denied that possibility and is preparing to run -- and have gotten Stevens a primary challenge that does not look that threatening but that will require the incumbent to spend even more time fighting to retain his seat. And he has to do while fearing the tricke of negative stories and the progress of the investigation.
The most recent poll of a Stevens-Begich match-up was taken in December by Research 2000, an independent firm that had been commissioned by Daily Kos (this does not really count as an internal poll, since Kos is releasing numbers that look bad for Democrats as well, for example a survey showing Allen down by a huge margin against Collins in Maine). It shows Begich leading Stevens 47% to 41%, confirming that this race will be one of the most interesting ones to watch in the next few months.
This is really, really bad news for the Republicans. It's one more race they will have to spend money on, money they don't have.
I definitely give Begich an edge in this race. Stevens is way too corrupt to win another term.


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Forget clicks, views, and unique visits. The Financial Timesset the industry on the path of measuring attention.
Publishers eager to attract paying advertisers have been doing everything in their power to increase audience engagement, which is traditionally measured by the number of times a link is clicked and content gets viewed. The Financial Times (FT) spent two years developing a new metric based on the quality of the audience, measured by the actual time a reader spends looking at an ad on the FT site. Its innovative approach has won the Financial Times first place for Best New Product/Service Launch in PR Daily's 2016 Media Relations Awards.
Once the concept was fully refined, FT introduced Cost Per Hour (CPH) as a new metric, grabbing attention and shaking up the online advertising world. CPH was introduced at a global advertising conference where the publisher live-tweeted the presentation. In addition, The Financial Times published a story on CPH, distributed a press release worldwide, released a white paper, published a post to LinkedIn, and conducted interviews with trade journalists.


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Hands-ons
Edge of Nowhere Brings Lovecraftian Horror to VR
By Marshall Honorof 2016-03-17T17:50:02Z
Edge of Nowhere weaves a Lovecraftian story of eldritch beings and overmatched heroes, and makes smart use of the Oculus Rift headset.
SAN FRANCISCO – It's relatively easy to create a scary first-person game in VR. Start with a few dark corridors, add a jump scare or two, and you've at least got a starting point. Doing something in third-person, complete with stealth and combat-extensive character interactions, presents more challenges. Edge of Nowhere weaves a Lovecraftian story of eldritch beings and overmatched heroes, and makes smart use of the Oculus Rift headset.
Edge of Nowhere comes courtesy of Insomniac Games, the beloved developers behind the Ratchet & Clank series. I got a chance to try out the Oculus Rift game firsthand at the Game Developers Conference 2016, and was left wanting more – once my sense of balance recovered, anyway. Inspired by "At the Mountains of Madness" by early 20th century horror writer, H.P. Lovecraft, the game feels very respectful of its source material.
MORE: 7 Must-Play Oculus Rift Games
For the 20-minute demo, I took control of Victor Howard: a 1920s adventurer who travels to Antarctica along with his partner, Eva, in order to investigate an intriguing hypothesis. A disgraced professor back in the United States believes that the deep, forgotten places of the Earth play host to a forgotten race of sentient monstrosities, and Victor and Eva believe there's just enough truth to his claim to investigate.
I controlled Victor from an over-the-shoulder perspective and learned quickly that Edge of Nowhere rests upon three pillars: challenging platforming, tense stealth and dangerous combat. As an accomplished ice climber, Victor can make his way across frozen ice floes, be they out in the Antarctic wilderness or deep within subterranean caves. Jumping from floe to floe, using your ice picks to stay anchored, is challenging and fun.
Since Edge of Nowhere is, at its core, a survival-horror game, stealth is usually preferable to combat. As I ventured deeper into the icy continent, I found that the professor's theories were not mere conjecture. Gruesome beasts lurked on the cave roof and between the rocks. This is where the game's VR capabilities came in handy. Just by looking at a location, I could aim a rock there and toss it to act as a distraction. Hiding behind cover and simply looking around to take stock of my surroundings was arguably simpler than using a traditional camera, too.
Combat was fast, furious, and often deadly, which encouraged me to stick to stealth whenever possible. Victor can use both his pickax and whatever firearms he comes across to defeat the Lovecraftian monsters, and aiming using only my eyes was very simple. On the other hand, ammo was scarce, and monsters could easily kill me in only a hit or two.
My only concern with Edge of Nowhere was that the platforming made me feel extremely queasy, even though it was in third-person and not especially vertigo-inducing. When I finally took the headset off, I was dizzy and sweating, and not because the game had been unusually scary (like Lovecraft's stories, it goes more for creepy eeriness than heart-pounding terror). Hopefully, Insomniac will iron this issue out between now and the game's release this spring. The company has not yet announced a price.
What's Next for VR: More Useful Content, Less Nausea
VR Headset Mega Guide: Features and Release Dates
Most Anticipated Games
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When Tokina launched a new line of lenses with their Vista Primes, I was one of four directors around the country who got to give them a spin and create a short film to be showcased for industry elites at NAB 2017 in Las Vegas.
I wrote the piece around Walt Whitman's Song of the Open Road and worked with cinematographer Rob Ruscher to craft scenarios that would see how much we could do with very little (available light street photography, etc.).


If imitation is the highest form of flattery, the cast, crew, and guests of Saturday Night Live truly define this statement. More than 3,000 celebrities, political figures, television personalities, and more have been impersonated on the show.
Each individual impression has its own page in The Archives. It lists who played it, a summary of its appearances, and a list of other performers who have impersonated the same individual, as well as all of their appearances.
Start exploring impressions by clicking one of the tabs below.


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Royal Perth Hospital Special Issue
This issue of the Journal breaks new ground, by focusing on the research output of a single major Australasian teaching hospital, the Royal Perth Hospital. To our knowledge, this has not previously been attempted by any medical journal and we thank the RPH research establishment and contributing authors for their enthusiastic support of the idea. We hope to obtain similar support from other teaching hospitals across Australia and New Zealand for future special issues.
The topics submitted range from the health effects of climate change to important changes in antibiotic sensitivity on the part of Helicobacter pylori, avoiding misinterpretation of clinical trials in stroke, the application of information technology to medicine, assessment of cardiac risk prior to surgery, and other titles to come. The first topic was chosen before the full emergence in Australia of massive and destructive bushfires, floods and dust storms with associated injuries and deaths, and loss of property, businesses, natural habitat, and wildlife. The total economic cost has yet to be determined but it is likely to be substantial. There is a clear need for rational discussion on the mechanisms of climate change and how to minimize its impact on Australia and on the health of its population.
The issue contents will be published on the website progressively, up to the formal publication date of April 1. The relevant papers will be identified by the addition of the RPH crest to the title pages. We hope readers will appreciate our experiment.
JA Millar, Editor.


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Ship Seized In Record $1.3 Billion Cocaine Bust Belongs To JPMorgan
July 12, 2019 Featured, Life Stories
A few weeks ago we reported that around $1 billion worth of cocaine (15,500 kilos) was seized from a container ship at a Philadelphia port after having stopped in Colombia, Chile, Peru, Panama and the Bahamas (subsequently it turned out that it was a record $1.3 billion, or 18,000 kilos worth).
Today we learn that the vessel, the MSC Gayane, is owned by JP Morgan, and has been seized by US authorities according to the Wall Street Journal. The Gayane is the world's second-largest container ship – operated by Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Co, MSC.
$91 million: The amount of cocaine that was supposed to be on that boat in fictional movie "The Usual Suspects."
$1.3 billion: The amount of cocaine in this boat. https://t.co/Z539qoDKlo
— Sam Ro 📈 (@SamRo) July 9, 2019
"A seizure of a vessel this massive is complicated and unprecedented—but it is appropriate because the circumstances here are also unprecedented," said US Attorney William McSwain in a statement. "When a vessel brings such an outrageous amount of deadly drugs into Philadelphia waters, my office will pursue the most severe consequences possible against all involved parties in order to protect our district—and our country."
The Gayane was raided on June 17 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents who found about 20 tons of cocaine with a street value of $1.3 billion stashed in several containers. The ship had sailed from Freeport in the Bahamas and before that it called in Panama and Peru after starting its voyage in Chile. It was due to sail on to Europe after the U.S. stop.
"MSC remains grateful to the government officials in the U.S. for their proactive work and has offered its continued support, building on a longstanding track record of good cooperation with the authorities," an MSC spokesman said in a statement. "MSC is assisting and cooperating with the authorities as required and the company is not the target of any investigation." –Wall Street Journal
The $90 million ship that can carry around 10,000 containers remains anchored at the Delaware River near the Philadelphia port, and will stay there for quite some time according to the Journal.
Eight crew members from Samoa and Serbia were arrested, while many others have been charged in the scheme according to those interviewed. The ship's second officer and another crew member were also charged, and have been accused of helping to bring the contraband aboard.
In February, Customs agents also seized 1.6 tons of cocaine on another MSC vessel, the Carlotta, upon entry into the Port of Newark, NJ.
As a result of the two busts, MSC's Customs-Trade Partnership certification has been temporarily suspended, meaning that the company's cargo will be subject to enhanced scrutiny and can no longer be classified as "low risk." MSC says it expects minimal disruption from the suspension.
"Historically, ships involved in criminal activity are older and beaten up," said Basil Karatzas, CEO of New-York-based Karatzas Marine Advisors & Co. "It is strange that such a modern and expensive vessel is involved in such a blatantly criminal case, like moving 20 tons of cocaine."
via zerohedge
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Vancouver 2010 Terry Fox Award
Named after the legendary young amputee runner who continues to touch the hearts of Canadians three decades after his ambitious cross-country run to find a cure for cancer, the award is in honour of athlete(s) who embody the same values that Fox did – who are the epitome of determination in motion, who pushed on no matter what the pain or obstacles in their path and inspired the world by displaying humility and selflessness in their treatment of others both on and off the field of play.
CNC machined from Pacific Yew, this species was chosen because of a special chemical found in it's bark used in various anti-cancer drugs.
Two awards were made. One presented to the Fox family, which has the graphic representation of the route that Terry had completed. The second award presented to the honorary athlete has the graphic representation of the route that Terry had set out to one day complete.
More Projects From James Lee
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games
ebay House
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Example Business Proposal As Effort to Obtain Growth Captial – Business Paper
Thank you for your interest and granting me an exploratory meeting. In the meeting I was asked several questions. Below are the questions asked and a clarifying answer. It is our interest to continue forward in speaking with you in what may become a beneficial business agreement for all parties concerned. 1.Why is investing in Antique Properties a solid idea?
We are a proven entity. We are the largest advertiser of historic properties on the inter net; with a national account currently worth $36,000 a year and numerous smaller accounts. We come with solid credentials, references and resumes. Probably most important, is what we are not, an idea on a piece of paper.
2. How is money made on the Internet?
Money is made by impressions; click throughs, paid referrals, and the selling of merchandise, service, and information. Money is also made indirectly by name recognition i.e. Doritos's creates a great game to play for free at their website. People of all ages play the games and Doritos get great name recognition.
3. How does Antique Properties LLC Make Money?
Our expenses and revenues are proportionally tied together. We generate revenues by selling ad space to agents, agencies, corporations, and homeowners on our website. Pricing is $39.95 per listing per month, $149.95 per office, per month, unlimited listings. We have association discounts and a corporate rate, where we allow corporations to advertise their property listings for free on our website and charge them a $1.00 per referral that we forward to them. Currently we have a corporate account that will pay us up to $3000 per month for referrals.
Summary of where revenues come from.
1.	Ads paid per listing, per month
2.	Or $1.00 per referral sent to our corporate account
3.	Renewals
Our immediate goals
1.	Generate 3000 referrals per month
2.	Additional monthly listing to create a renewal base
3.	New business.
4.	Publish Restoring a Treasure Magazine in April of this year. (Please see details below)
We are currently exploring an additional revenue source. By the end of this month we will be testing a referral fee method of payment with a large agency in Massachusetts. We get paid if the referral we send to them buys a property through their agency or an agency they referred the business to. It does not have to be the same property they saw at our website. Example, they sell $1,000,000 in Realestate to buyers we referred to them. A 5% commission is paid=$50,000 commission. If it is all co-brokered the agency receives $25,000; antiquerealestate.com's commission would be %25 of that figure.
4. How do we obtain our Immediate Goals? Operations?
How do we get to three thousands referrals? We have already hit a milestone of over 250,000 hits per month. Hits are important because it tells us that unique visitors that show up at our website are staying and flipping through our pages, a unique visitor is someone who has not come to our website within 30 days.
A. Increase unique visitors to our website and increase the number of property listings posted at our website. We average around 2000 unique visitors per month and have approximately 500 listings.
We know that we can spend a fixed amount on advertising on the web and get a fixed number of individual click through/unique visitors to our website. A click through is when an individual searches the web finds our URL clicks on it and comes to our website.
B. Spend 500 per month, with an average click through cost of .06 we can increase our unique visitor count to 10,000
Currently we have approximately 500 listings that produce approximately 100 referrals per month with approximately 2000 unique visitors viewing our website every 30 days.	C. Increase the unique visitor count to 10,000, which in turn would increase our referral count to 500.
D. Our national account has approximately 3000 listings they are uploading on our website over the next 3 months. That in turn will increase the referral count another six times to 3000.
The scenario stated above creates $3000 in revenues from our national account. It would also generate additional leads to our homeowners, agent and agency accounts thus making renewals a revenue source we can count on. New business and renewals have been averaging approximately 500 per month.
New business. This is just the beginning. Lets go back to the paragraph on how one makes money on the Internet. All of those options are available to us, impressions, click through, selling information…
We are planning to implement a resource page of contractors related to restoration fields such as architects, lenders, lawyers all of which would pay to advertise on our website resource page. Already, Lendingtree.com has contacted us as well as several attorneys who work in the tax credit business.
Restoring a Treasure Magazine is designed to promote the website and to give our company a "Brick and Mortar feel to it" Potentially 1.8 million people will see or read our publication and 1% or 18,000 of our readers will visit our website.
The magazine project is completed and we are selling ad space. It is a quarterly magazine with 600,000 in distribution. We have contacted by mail and phone over 500 possible advertisers across the country. That list has been narrowed to approximately 60 who have shown interest. Our goal is to go to print in April and distributed in early May. Approximate cost is $50,000 for printing and $40,000 for insertion into regional county newspapers. Potential revenues are $120,000 per issue.
1.	We will expand our telemarketing program to reach the real estate agents who have older properties to sell. 40hrs per month at a cost of $25 per hour will be dedicated to this effort, a $1000 expense. At a rate of one listing per hour at $40 per listing, this activity will generate $1,600 per month in revenue. We will increase this activity every month by 10 hours for the next twelve-month. This activity will be generating $6,400 per month by the end of the next twelve months.
2.	Conduct targeted online marketing to increase our unique visitors to 10,000 monthly and total hits to 1,000,000+. Cost $500 per month. Revenues produced from this activity will be $3,000 per month. Based upon current proportional numbers. 10,000 unique visitors will generate 3,000 referrals to United Country, whom we are charging $1.00 per referral. It will also drive sales in our phone bank.
3.	Phone Bank, for incoming cost is $1,500 per month. Revenues from this activity will be, 40 hrs per week, one sale per hour=160 sales per month at $40 per sale=$6,400 per month
4.	In house sales for National Trust and ERA account will be $1,500 per month. 300 agents x 20% market penetration=60 agents listing one property at the association price of $25 per listing=$1,500 per month. We will see 10% market penetration growth every month for three months.
5.	Web site development, to include; additional management reports, some misc. programming and additional web site searches. $3,000 will go to web development
6.	A Resource button for related business to advertise by state, region, and nationally with the listings in the respected areas, this cost is included in the web site development cost. Revenues generated from this are undetermined at this time and have not been added on the income statement.
(However, if we create 10 different categories such as lending institutions, construction companies, architects…etc and allow three advertisers/resources per category per state, at $10 per listing, that would generate 30 advertisers per state X $10 X 50 states=$15,000 in revenue.)
7.	Referral based Commissions from test market study in Mass. The agent in MA would act as a clearinghouse for the referrals sent to him. His responsibility is to input the referral into the relocation network and distribute the referrals to the corresponding area agent involved in relocation referrals. He is also responsible for cutting the commission check to us.
8.	Employment contract will include salary plus commission, bonus and health insurance.
9.	Restoring a treasure magazine is a consortium of effort put forth by outsourcing to local contractors, (a list of those involved can be provided). Printing and shipping is conducted by Quebecor it is distributed through 600,000 local newspapers. 100,000 in and around the Boston, MA area, 100,000 in the Fairfield and New Haven County area, 100,000 Westchester, NY area, 100,000 in the Princeton, NJ area, 100,000 in the Philadelphia, PA area and 100,000 in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland area.
5. What milestones need to be reached and what is the exit strategy?
We are seeking a cash infusion of $150,000 at $25,000 increments at quarterly intervals for the next six quarters. The first $25,000 will be invested in January; additional quarterly investments will be contingent upon meeting the following Milestones.
Although, the revenue projections stated above are realistic and based upon sound business projections, I have chosen to make the milestones based upon current business conditions. With increments in revenues also based upon conservative revenue calculations.
1.	End of first 90-day period. Antique Properties LLC will have revenues of at least $3500 per month. Unique visitor count of at least 10,000.
2.	End of 2nd 90-day period. Revenues of at least $5,500 per month will be reached
3.	End of 3rd 90-day period. Revenues of at least $7,500 per month will be reached.
4.	End of 4th 90-day period. Revenues of at least $9,500 per month will be reached.
5.	End of 5th 90-day period. Revenues of at least $11,500 per month will be reached.
3-5 years out we would buy out the investment group or we would find a buyer such as HGTV. Buyout conditions will be based upon our business agreement. Example, four years from now, based upon the above stated milestones with similar growth over an additional 12 quarters would put revenues at approximately $34,000 per month. Minus out a supposed expense figured of $10,000 per month. 12 X $24,000= approximately $300,000 in annual profits. Using a basic valuation technique of five times profits = a company value of $1.5 million.
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One of the most comforting pieces of encouragement I ever received was from a friend who came to visit me in the hospital. I was wrestling with grief after a miscarriage, recovering from an emergency surgery, and still waiting anxiously for the doctor to figure out what was wrong in my body, which stubbornly refused to let go of a failed pregnancy. I was sad, angry, bitter, envious, emotionally exhausted, and afraid as I lie uncomfortably in my hospital bed. I remember watching nurses, doctors, and visitors walking quickly and effortlessly about the room while I felt envy creeping into my heart. I was envious of their healthy bodies, allowing them to perform normal, every day tasks while I was in too much pain to get up and walk across the tiny room. Pain has a way of freezing time so that it's hard to remember what it feels like to be pain-free or to even imagine that a day without pain will come again.
On top of all the feelings, of course, was the shame. I felt ashamed for feeling bitter as I listened to the cries of newborns coming from the rooms nearby. I imagined the other mothers on the postpartum floor counting the tiny fingers and toes of their healthy babies, smelling that sweet newborn scent. I felt ashamed for feeling envious of the healthy people who came in and out of my room even as they worked so hard to keep me comfortable and take care of me in the midst of my doctor's uncertainty. I felt ashamed of my unwashed, unkempt body as each new visitor arrived. I surveyed their makeup, attractive outfits, and washed and styled hair as I pulled the sheets of the hospital bed up higher over my pregnant-but-not-pregnant, recovering-from-surgery body.
Perhaps most of all, I felt ashamed of my anxiety. I was ashamed that I didn't have more faith in God to take care of me while the doctor seemed to fumble her way through trying to figure out what to do with me. If I had more faith, surely I would be able to rest in the peace of knowing that God's will would be done. But alas, the anxiety overwhelmed me, and I could not get past this cocktail of negative emotions. It could have been a chance for me to minister to others by showing how peaceful I remained in the midst of adversity, but clearly, I was failing.
Then this friend came. I knew her from church but hadn't spent a lot of time talking with her before. She shared with me about her own experience with miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy. She shared in my grief and then said the thing I didn't know I was desperate to hear: "Sometimes, well-meaning people will tell you 'It's going to be ok.' Sometimes, it's not ok." The flood of relief overpowered every other emotion and I felt validated and free— free to grieve, free to hurt, free to be angry, and free from the shame of it all. I had had no idea how healing it would be to give myself permission to have these feelings without attaching shame to them.
My Nelson Study Bible notes that first, Job "showed intense grief according to the accepted custom of his day." Job did worship the Lord, but first, he allowed himself to grieve deeply. In our culture, we try to suppress, ignore, and push through grief, but God did not make our hearts to operate that way. We were created to be emotional beings and to allow ourselves to enter into the vulnerability of loving and caring so much about someone that our hearts break when we lose them. When we cover up our pain instead of acknowledging it, we deny ourselves the opportunity to experience healing from the Lord, slow though it may be.
This weekend I had the pleasure of attending a workshop called "Sustainable Spiritual Practices" led by Reverend Joe Stabile at Life in the Trinity Ministry. One of the spiritual practices he explained is called "Welcoming Prayer." He talked about that moment between when something triggering happens and when we experience an intense emotional response. In that moment, we can choose to respond rather than react. The Welcoming Prayer is a tool to help us with this. It has three very simple steps: first, you focus on the way your body is responding. You notice that maybe your shoulders are tense, your jaw is clenched, your heart is pounding, or your stomach is churning. In this first step, you give full attention to your body's response to stress. Next, you identify what you are feeling and welcome it: "Welcome, pain," or "Welcome, anger," or "Welcome, ________." Rev. Stabile says that when we welcome the emotion, we disarm it so that it loses its power. You can read a practical example of a time when I learned to disarm shame by welcoming it here. Last, we let the emotion go. We may not be able to change the circumstance, but we can acknowledge, welcome, and let go of stress so that we can choose a response instead of being slaves to reaction.
Our tendency is to move too quickly to the step of letting go. These stressful emotions are uncomfortable and sometimes shame-inducing, so we try to hide them or push them down, but repressing them gives them more control over us. In that moment between the triggering event and our reaction, our bodies give us helpful information about what is going on in our hearts. After we name the feelings and allow them to reside in us, we can eventually let them go so that, despite our lingering pain, we can choose a response instead of a reaction. My study Bible says that when Job "fell to the ground and worshiped," this was a deliberate action. After he acknowledged and welcomed his grief, he was able to make the choice to worship the Lord. Though Job's difficulties were far from over, his ability to grieve freely and then make the choice to worship God set him on a path to healing and restoration.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let's be mindful of our words to those who are grieving. In a culture that says grief and pain and anger are bad, let's help disarm shame by showing up to hospitals and funerals and coffee shops and Bible studies and living rooms and front porches of those who are hurting and say, "Sometimes, it's not ok." Let's listen and validate as we pray with them and wait on the Lord to comfort, strengthen, and heal. We never know when our presence and validation of their pain might help lift the heavy burden of shame as an important step toward healing.
Love this author and this piece.
"Though Job's difficulties were far from over, his ability to grieve freely and then make the choice to worship God set him on a path to healing and restoration." This is beautiful. It is so important for us to see this progression--to know that it is ok to grieve. Thank you for sharing your story and this important message.
I don't think I'm quite there with the idea of welcoming anger because although it is a natural emotion, God does want us to be slow to anger, whereas He never tells us to be slow to sadness. I think we need to be honest with God about our anger, and we are safe to go to Him with it, just as David did in the Psalms, but I'm not sure about welcoming it. I do completely agree that we need to let people be wherever they are in their emotions—angry, sad, grieving, etc. and let them be there without judgment. Sometimes that's the best way to love. We do need to grieve. I've been through the loss of several close family members and a miscarriage, and I understand that well.
Thank you and thanks so much for reading!
Thanks for your thoughtful response! I think of welcoming anger, like any emotion, as acknowledging it as a response that is not sinful but rather an indicator that we need to probe further and ask God to show us why we are angry so we can deal with it honestly. If we don't welcome it because we feel ashamed that we are angry, it's hard to move forward and work through it in a healthy way. That may be the same thing you were saying. I think we become slow to anger by allowing Hod to help us deal honestly with it and with the underlying causes, not by denying or rejecting it without some introspection.