text:
STEWART HOUSTON TIMES
Feds say slaying by outlaw biker gang happened at Bumpus Mills cemetery
Stephanie Ingersol and Mark Hicks
USA Today Network-Tennessee
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — A 53-page federal indictment released Thursday described dozens of allegations against 15 members of a Clarksville motorcycle gang, and one of the criminal offense outlined in the documents happened in Bumpus Mills.
According to the federal indictment, James Wesley Frazier and Jacob Ort, who is now deceased, interrogated a woman and another victim regarding stolen narcotics, firearms and money. The next day, the two, along with Aelix Luis Santiago, Joel Aldridge and Michael Lee Forrester, kidnapped the couple, forceibly taking the woman's Dodge Durango and driving to a cemetery in Bumpus Mills.
Frazier, Aldridge and Ort then killed the woman by shooting her at least eight times, including once in the head and multiple times in the arm, in a wooded area behind the cemetery, according to the indictment.
Stewart County Sheriff Deryk Wyatt said in September of 2015, his office was notified that a murder had occurred in Brandon Cemetery in Bumpus Mills, and the body was still there.
"We searched the cemetery two times and had no luck finding the body," he said.
K-9s, some local and some from outside agencies, were used during both searches, he said.
"I have no clue why the dogs didn't find anything," the sheriff said.
When the searched turned up nothing, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was notified, and shortly after, federal authorities took over the investigation. The victim's body eventually was recovered, he said.
Wyatt said he had not heard anything more about the investigation and was unaware any arrests had been made in the case until Thursday.
The victim was not named in the indictment, but TBI officials identified the victim as Stephanie Bradley.
An obituary appearing in The Leaf-Chronicle listed Stephanie Ann Bradley, 31, of Woodlawn, as having died on Aug. 31, 2016, in Stewart County.
Wyatt said he was not familiar with Bradley, nor was he aware of Robert Humiston, 25, who gave a Dover address, and federal authorities say is also known as "Bric" and "Brichands."
Dover Police Chief Kim Wallace said officers responded to two domestic-related calls at Humiston's residence, and they received information about his possible drug involvement, which was "turned over to proper authorities."
The federal investigation
Twelve members and associates of the Clarksville gang known as Mongols were charged in the indictment. Three other people were included on federal charges of large scale drug trafficking and other crimes.
In addition to the Bumpus Mills slaying, gang members are accused of setting a business on fire, shooting multiple people several times and bringing more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine into Middle Tennessee.
The 54-count federal indictment charged the 12 with racketing conspiracy. Three others, not identified as gang members, were charged related to the Hobbs Act. Another was charged with large-scale drug trafficking. The arrests followed years of investigation.
Among those arrested, Kyle Heade, 30, was one of several people convicted in federal court last year in a conspiracy to steal and sell Army equipment from Fort Campbell.
Heade is also charged with attempted murder in the Jan. 15, 2016, shooting of a man in the parking lot of a Clarksville Bojangles during a robbery. Police say he shot a man five times while two men were trying to rob a woman who wanted to buy pain pills.
Two other men, Dustin McCracken, 28, and Timothy Grant, 31, both of Clarksville, are also charged with racketeering in the Mongols case and charged with robbery in the Bojangles case, along with Heade.
McCracken also pleaded guilty to theft and twice to probation violation.
Santiago, 29, also known as "Goon," "Big O" or "Big Offit," faces a slew of felony drug charges involving manufacturing or selling drugs from last year, as well as illegally possessing a firearm with an intent to go armed. That case is still pending.
Aldridge, 36, also known as "Sleezy" and "Spoon," pleaded guilty in 2015 to manufacturing, delivering, selling and possessing meth with intent to distribute. A violation probation, related to drugs is still pending.
Forrester Jr., 29, also known as "Stix," was charged with robbery in 2015 and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Charges of theft and identity theft were dismissed.
Humiston is facing an attempted second-degree murder charge in Montgomery County. According to previous stories, Humiston and another man shot each other in July 2016. Humiston was arrested but the other man was not charged.
Frazier, 30, also known as "Slo-Mo" and "Special," pleaded guilty in 2016 to manufacturing, selling or distributing drugs, manufacturing or delivering meth, and possessing marijuana. A number of other charges were dismissed. But that case has been reopened with the addition of a probation violation.
Michael Levy West, 35, also known as "Smurf" or "Blue," was charged with aggravated assault in 2014 but that charge was later dismissed. In 2011 he was facing five felony drug charges. He pleaded guilty to two charges of manufacturing, delivering or selling drugs and two probation violations. He is also charged with a drug related probation violation.
Derek Leighton Stanley, 43, of Owensboro, Kentucky, was charged with large scale drug trafficking in the federal case.


Last night I was honored to discuss the topic of "Biblical Inerrancy and Biblical Authority" at the First Baptist Church of Forsyth, Georgia as part of their "Great Debates" series of evening services. Below the fold is a somewhat edited and link-enhanced version of what I had to say.
If one of the most esteemed biblical scholars alive today questions the advisability of writing a book about the Bible, then what in the world am I doing giving a forty-five minute lecture on the Bible? At best, I can only tell you what you already know, that God reveals himself to us in unexpected ways. At worst, I fear I may distract you from Scripture itself and get you mired in secondary issues that don't really matter. Even so, here I am, and here you are.
We need to begin with the question of what Christians have said about the Bible in the past. For the first 1,500 years or so of church history, something like a belief in biblical inerrancy was simply a given. The doctrine of inerrancy was meant to safeguard the centrality of Scripture as the one unmovable anchor point on the theological landscape.
That is what Christians from the early and medieval periods taught. They believed that the Bible is free from error and completely truthful. It is "the utterly reliable source and norm of Christian theology" in the words of theologian Thomas Oden (The Living God, 335). It is important to note, however, that they didn't use the precise language of inerrancy. That's why I said they believed in "something like" biblical inerrancy.
Early Christians described Scripture in the language of praise. In gratitude to God for the good and perfect gift of inspired Scripture, early Christians and Jews sought to worship God and extol his truthfulness through the ways they talked about the Bible.
Ancient believers understood that you could trust what Scripture said. In the fifth century, Saint Augustine said, "If we are perplexed by an apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, 'The author of this book is mistaken'; but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood" (Against Faustus 11) In other words, the Bible is true; any perceived errors are errors in the transmission of the text, the translation of the words, or the understanding of the interpreter.
The word of God is to be held by us in the highest honor—by word of God is alone meant, what comes from God's Spirit—and no word should be accorded the same faith as this one. For it is certain, it cannot err, it is clear, it does not let us go errant in the darkness.
The Bible has always been central to the life of the church. Jesus was shaped by the Hebrew Scriptures, and the earliest Christians searched those same Scriptures in order to understand what God had accomplished among them through Jesus Christ.
The details of what this means, however, or what we are to understand by it in a precise, technical sense, is left unsaid. For throughout all the early centuries, as convinced as believers were of the truthfulness of Scripture, there developed no universally accepted theory of biblical inspiration (Thomas Oden, Life in the Spirit, 70).
That is to say, neither the early church fathers, the medieval theologians, nor the Protestant Reformers consistently said the same things about the inspiration of Scripture. In Thomas Oden's three-volume work of systematic theology, in which he endeavored to say nothing new or creative but merely synthesize the agreed-upon wisdom of 2,000 years of Christian history, he never sees fit to use the term "inerrancy" at all. It doesn't even appear in the subject index.
The truth is, although all early Christians agreed that Scripture is truthful in all it teaches, formal doctrines of "biblical inerrancy" have only been around for the past 200 years or so. And as we shall see, not all inerrancies are created equal.
We should note before we go any further that the early church was not naïve in its doctrine of inspiration. The church fathers were well aware of certain anomalies in the text that called for serious theological reflection.
The church fathers were perfectly aware that not all the manuscripts of the Bible said exactly the same thing. For example, some ancient manuscripts cut off the Gospel of Mark after the eighth verse of the sixteenth chapter, while others included verses 9-20—and still others appended a completely different ending! Some texts of the Gospel of John omitted the story of the woman taken in adultery, some had it as an appendix at the very end, and others placed it in the Gospel of Luke.
As early as the third century, Origen of Alexandria was comparing the various Scripture texts, both Hebrew and Greek. He wanted to establish the most authentic form of the biblical text, and thus became a pioneer in what today we call textual criticism. This was only necessary because different Bible manuscripts said different things.
The early church fathers—and the rabbis before them—were also well aware that there were other kinds of anomalies, for example, incidents of dubious morality in the Bible, and especially in the Old Testament: polygamy, violence, and so forth.
Beginning in the 1700's we enter a new phase in our thinking about the nature of Scripture. This was the era of the Enlightenment, and it posed two particular challenges with respect to the church and its Bible. The first challenge was the rise of historical, "scientific" methods of analysis of the biblical text. The second challenge was a growing skepticism about all traditional sources of authority, including the authority of the Bible and of the church that read it.
Because of the Enlightenment, new avenues of knowledge burst on the scene, both exposing people to new ways of handling the ancient texts and insisting that blanket appeals to divine authority were no longer sufficient for resolving biblical puzzles. If the Bible is true, then it was assumed that it must conform to what human reason can tell us about the way the universe works.
Now remember, the new thing that happened in the 1800's was not that somebody invented the idea that the Bible is "free from error" or "utterly reliable." What was new was the way this affirmation came to be defined and defended. In particular, "inerrancy" came to serve as a theological shorthand for the idea that the Bible was error-free not merely in terms of what it taught about the life of faith, but what it taught in any area in inquiry: not merely theology but history, geography, science, psychology, and so forth.
But these were precisely the areas in which the Enlightenment was increasing human knowledge by leaps and bounds. Through new discoveries, either of previously unknown ancient texts or through the application of the scientific method to physical phenomena—physics, biology, geology—Christians were handed a mountain of new data to compare against what they found when they opened their Bibles.
In short, before the Enlightenment, careful Bible readers knew that there were passages of Scripture that could not be read according to simplistic, face-value interpretations of the text. After the Enlightenment, face-value readings got even more difficult. In Inspiration and Incarnation, Old Testament scholar Peter Enns summarizes some of the reasons this is so. In particular, he identifies three features of the Old Testament that create problems for traditional, evangelical believers.
First, there are problems related to the Bible's uniqueness. Since the 1800's, scholars have had access to an abundance of ancient literature that has a bearing on how we read the Bible. For example, the Epic of Gilgamesh (and other ancient texts) relate a story of a universal flood. The Gilgamesh flood story is comparable to that found in Genesis 6–9, and it is centuries older.
Likewise, the Law Code of Hammurabi has many points in common with the law of Moses as found in various portions of the books of Exodus and Numbers. It's not that Moses copied from Hammurabi, but rather that the laws we find in the Bible do not look out of place when set beside other law codes from the ancient Near East.
Discoveries like these prompt believers to ask, Why does the Bible in places look a lot like the literature of Israel's ancient neighbors? Is the Old Testament really that unique? Does it not just reflect the ancient world in which it was produced? If the Bible is the word of God, why does it fit so nicely in the ancient world?
Second, there are problems related to the Bible's integrity. Here, the issue is the theological diversity that can be found in the Bible. To suggest a New Testament example, in Galatians 3 and Romans 4, Paul appeals to the example of Abraham from Genesis 15 to prove his point that we are justified by faith apart from works. But in James 2, James appeals to the example of Abraham in Genesis 15 to prove his point that "faith without works is dead." So here we have two New Testament writers appealing to the same biblical passage as support for seemingly diametrically opposed theological positions.
Of course, we could think of many other examples, and we may be justified in asking questions like, Why do different parts of the Bible say different things about the same things? It really seems as if there are contradictions, or at least large differences of opinion, among the various biblical writers.
Was Hosea talking about the Messiah rejecting God and worshiping Baal? If not, then what's going on? Did Matthew just not care about the original context? He certainly can't be accused of taking the Hosea passage literally! Why do the New Testament writers handle the Old Testament like that? It looks like they take the Old Testament passages out of context.
These phenomena are really there in the text. No liberal scholar is making them up. But since they're there, what are we to do with them? They've been there all along, but with the coming of the Enlightenment and its emphasis on reason and its inherent skepticism about traditional authority, the problem has become more and more acute.
These phenomena have challenged the faith of some, perhaps many. I think, for example, of Bart Ehrman, the New Testament scholar. Ehrman was raised an evangelical Christian, but he couldn't reconcile what he was taught about biblical inspiration with what he was learning at college (and at a Christian college, at that). Ehrman's particular sticking point was the great diversity of the New Testament manuscripts, which seemed to make it all but impossible to achieve 100% certainty about what the words of the Bible really are. Ehrman insisted that, unless the Bible lived up to his expectations about the perfection of its text and the clarity of its message, it was no good at all. Ehrman eventually concluded that the Bible was not what he had been led to believe it was, and he became an agnostic.
In "converting" from evangelical Christianity to agnostic skepticism, however, it is worth noting that Ehrman didn't change his definition of biblical inspiration one bit. Both skeptics and fundamentalists approach Scripture with an all-or-nothing mentality—either it lives up to standards of perfection determined by modern, rationalistic thinkers, or it is worthless.
If you can be talked out of your faith, you probably should be. But that doesn't keep some believers from thinking it is their Christian duty to "shield" themselves or others from the difficulties in the biblical text. Peter Enns tells the story that, after his book came out it was the topic of a faculty discussion in an unnamed evangelical seminary. One faculty member, an Old Testament scholar, remarked at one point that "Enns really isn't saying anything new here"—referring to the kind of things I summarized earlier.
In my capacity as an adjunct professor at Mercer University, every semester I encounter young people who grew up in church but are absolutely clueless about textual variants, theological diversity in the Bible, the questionable morality of their favorite Sunday school characters, and similar matters. Perhaps their churches and pastors also thought it was their job to protect their members from this sort of thing!
It may be psychologically gratifying to say that you don't need to fine-tune your view of the Bible, that what we have always believed is right and there is no point in discussing other opinions. What we may not realize, however, is that not discussing these matters poses a challenge to the faith of some. The next Bart Ehrman may be sitting in your Sunday school class.
Some believers' faith is already being shaken because they're discovering these things—either in a college classroom, or through personal study—and the best the church seems to be able to do is tell them that none of it matters and they should just have faith.
For the believer, this sends the message that their sincere concerns and questions are out of bounds. For the unbeliever, it sends the message that one must accept what is logically and intellectually unacceptable as a precondition to following Christ.
In this light, what can we say about the nature of Scripture and its authority in the church and in the lives of believers? And in that context, what can we say about that difficult word, "inerrancy"?
Some Christians want to keep the word, but strive to define it in ways that conform more closely to the phenomena we actually find in the text. And I would hasten to add that this is not something new. Remember, Christians accepted the reality of textual anomalies and moral sticking points from the earliest centuries.
To Christians who hold this view, the problem is not with "inerrancy" but with indefensible definitions of the term. They would argue that the issue isn't the term as such but what it is intended to mean.
Theological jargon is just like any other kind of technical language; it requires explanation. In The Last Word, N. T. Wright suggests that the slogans or clichés we use can sometimes serve as useful shorthand ways of pointing to more complex statements. He says they are like "portable stories" that help us say what we're getting at. Wright compares these words or slogans to suitcases in which we can carry around a lot of complicated things.
The thing we have to remember is that a suitcase isn't the same thing as what it is carrying. Likewise, a theological term is not the same thing as what we mean when we use it. Whatever terminology we use—if we prefer to speak of "inerrancy," "infallibility," "authority," or something else—the challenge is to use it thoughtfully. The temptation is to use it crudely or simplistically.
Wright says, "Too much debate about scriptural authority has had the form of people hitting one another with locked suitcases" (25). It would be far better for us to open up our suitcases and explore what is in them.
We don't throw away our Trinitarian language because someone could misunderstand it to mean that Christians worship three Gods. Rather, we retain the language, but with appropriate qualifications to explain what we do or do not mean in using it. The same should be true of the language of "biblical inerrancy." That is why many Christians continue to use the term, all the while paying close attention to what it means and does not mean.
I want to tell you about some of the recent attempts Christians have made to qualify or nuance the term "inerrancy." First, however, I need to give you one example that is not to my liking.
They believe in direct creation of mankind and therefore they believe Adam and Eve were real persons.
They believe the named authors did indeed write the biblical books attributed to them by those books.
They believe the miracles described in Scripture did indeed occur as supernatural events in history.
They believe that the historical narratives given by biblical authors are indeed accurate and reliable as given by those authors.
These are not necessarily bad things to believe, but presenting them in this context does nothing to advance the discussion of "biblical inerrancy." That is because they have no bearing on what is actually going on in the biblical text, or the fact that others might interpret these matters differently. Rather, the Peace Committee reported what rank-and-file Southern Baptists already believed with no attempt to investigate how they got there.
Like N. T. Wright, "I think I know what the Reformers…would have said to that" (85).
If you're serious about retaining the language of "inerrancy," then my word to you is, Keep painting! If you want to retain the terminology of "inerrancy," then you must constantly go back to the Bible, take seriously what is in it, and let what is in it determine what it means to say that the Bible is without error. It's not enough simply to settle on a set of conclusions you expect to be able to affirm, no matter what.
In that sense, the Peace Committee report was not serious about biblical inerrancy at all. The committee members would rather leave the Bible to a torrent of change without even throwing a lifeline to people who have honest questions about what they see when they read their Bibles.
I think it's worth noting that this statement has much to say about what does or does not count as an "error" in Scripture. That is a wise and necessary step. According to the Chicago Statement, the following phenomena do in fact appear in the Bible: lack of modern technical precision, spelling and grammar mistakes, observational descriptions of nature (the weatherman can talk about the sun rising and setting, so why not the Bible?), hyperbole (or exaggeration for rhetorical effect), and many others.
In another section there is an attempt to address the issue of genre in the Bible. The Statement says, "[H]istory must be treated as history, poetry as poetry, hyperbole and metaphor as hyperbole and metaphor, generalization and approximation as what they are, and so forth" (Exposition).
There is also acknowledgement that there were differences in literary conventions between biblical times and our own. For example, ancient writers commonly arranged their material out of chronological order and quoted sources very loosely. If those things were expected in biblical times, then we can't say it's an error if they in fact show up in the Bible. Again in the language of the Chicago Statement: "When total precision of a particular kind was not expected nor aimed at, it is no error not to have achieved it" (Exposition).
Finally, "Scripture is inerrant, not in the sense of being absolutely precise by modern standards, but in the sense of making good its claims and achieving that measure of focused truth at which its authors aimed" (Exposition).
These are some very important qualifications to make. But I wonder if the writers of the Chicago Statement thought through all the things they imply. First, these qualifications bring up the matter of literary genre. Genre simply means the kind of literature with which we're dealing. No one doubts that the Bible contains examples of many different literary genres: history, poetry, sermons, liturgies, apocalypses, etc. Each genre follows certain rules and imposes certain expectations upon the reader. You don't read a paperback novel the same way you read a doctoral dissertation; and you don't read the Psalms the same way you read Romans.
The Chicago Statement also raises the issue of the expectations we bring to the biblical text. Once again, we should not be troubled if biblical writers quoted sources loosely rather than verbatim or if they arranged their material topically rather than chronologically. We can't hold up the Bible to modern standards of historical reporting and then call it an "error" when it fails to measure up.
But the matter of expectations goes beyond mere literary conventions, however. It also touches on the issue of worldview. As but one example, John H. Walton has recently written a book called The Lost World of Genesis One in which he argues that Genesis 1 makes perfect sense within the context of ancient worldviews.
In that light, Walton describes ancient Hebrew understandings of human psychology. The ancient Israelites, he says, thought that emotions and thinking were literally located in the heart, the bowels and so forth. What we need to grasp is that, for an ancient writer and his audience, this is not metaphor—this is physiology! When the biblical writers wrote this way, they were in perfect harmony with ancient medical knowledge, and anyone in the biblical world would have interpreted it as such.
So when God wanted to talk to the Israelites about their intellect, emotions, and will, he did not attempt to correct their limited knowledge of physiology. Nor did God feel obliged to reveal to the ancient writers how the brain functions or its role in producing various psychological states. But I don't consider it an "error" for God not to have done so. If he had, those ancient Israelites would have never understood it—and it would most assuredly have distracted them from what God was really trying to tell them.
Finally, notice that the Chicago Statement brings up the purpose for which the Bible was written. Scripture, the Statement says, "makes good its claims" and "achieves the measure of truth its authors were aiming for." Elsewhere, the Statement insists that we can't evaluate Scripture "according to standards of truth and error that are alien to its usage or purpose." If you don't think we could drive a truck through that loophole, I'm sorry but you just haven't been paying attention. Let me simply suggest that as soon as you try to turn the Bible into a science textbook, you've pretty much met the definition of applying a standard of truth and error that is alien to Scripture's usage or purpose.
All of these matters of genre, expectations, and purpose are givens. And according to the logic of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, none of them should count as "errors." But for most people who wear the label of "inerrantist," they are problems. They challenge long-held beliefs, and I understand why talking about them would make some people uncomfortable.
But I don't see why these things have to be thought of as problems for the doctrine of inerrancy. I would rather think we could look on these sorts of phenomena not as problems but as windows into the world of the Bible and into what it means to say that God revealed himself to us through Scripture.
With that in mind, there are a couple more recent statements about biblical inerrancy that we need to consider.
This echoes earlier language that came out of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, that taught that the "books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully, and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation" (Dei Verbum §11).
By now I hope you realize that, if you'll pardon the expression, the devil is in the details when it comes to "biblical inerrancy." A serious, reflective, well-thought-out definition of the term may not be anything like an unserious preconception of what "inerrancy" ought to mean (based on rationalistic, Enlightenment assumptions). That's why, when I was first contacted about bringing this presentation, I almost immediately thought of two possible titles for it. I was either going to call my talk "Why I Am Not an Inerrantist—Even Though I Am" or "Why I Am an Inerrantist—Even Though I'm Not." I'm still not sure which would be the more accurate thing to say!
Finally, I would commend to you Peter Enns's approach to inerrancy, which emphasizes that the issues many of us wrestle with regarding the Bible might have less to do with the Bible itself and more to do with our own preconceptions about what the Bible ought to be like. In other words, do we expect the wrong things from Scripture?
Enns believes that "The Bible as it is is without error because the Bible as it is is God's word." He sees this as the heart of the matter: our view of Scripture should be rooted in our belief in God—and whatever God has deemed good and right to give us is where any discussion of biblical inerrancy ought to begin. So with Enns we're back to using the language of love and commitment in talking about the Bible.
reverent expectancy to see what the Spirit will teach us from and about Scripture, to be self-reflective enough to allow the very categories about which we speak of Scripture to be driven by Scripture.
Enns's view of "inerrancy" doesn't sound much like that of the Chicago Statement—and even less like the SBC Peace Committee! Rather than beginning with a conclusion already in mind, Enns begins with an open Bible and a heart that is open to receive the Bible as it is rather than trying to shoehorn it into being something it is not. Anything less fails to revere the Bible as God's Holy Word.
I believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, existing as they do by God's design and at his pleasure, are precisely what he intended for his people to have, and are therefore the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
If that's what you mean by "inerrancy," then sign me up!
No matter how carefully you qualify the doctrine of inerrancy, there are some challenges you're going to have to face. For example, one of the most common ways of qualifying the definition of "inerrancy" is to reserve it as a characteristic of the original autographs of Scripture only. This means that later manuscripts do not possess the quality of inerrancy—only the original parchments or papyri on which the biblical authors themselves penned their God-inspired words. The problem is that none of these autographs exist anymore. That means that, according to the strictest definition of the term, the Bible in your lap is not inerrant. Furthermore, no one alive today has ever seen, read, or touched an inerrant Bible, for none currently exist. For some Christians, that makes the whole concept of inerrancy sound like little more than a theological curiosity.
But beyond the textual problems, it must be said that the doctrine of inerrancy doesn't deliver on the promise of safeguarding doctrinal orthodoxy. Inerrantist Baptists insist on the baptism of believers and say that the bread and cup of Communion are symbolic, but inerrantist Lutherans baptize babies and insist that the body and blood of Christ are literally present in the Holy Eucharist. Meanwhile, inerrantist Pentecostals speak in tongues as the initial evidence that they have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, and inerrantist Catholics venerate saints and profess their allegiance to the Pope. Why the SBC thought they would arrive at doctrinal conformity by latching onto inerrancy, I'll never understand! We are all reading the same Bible. We're all handling it with the same profound reverence and the same deep commitment to its absolute truthfulness, and yet we continue see its message differently, and probably always will.
But for me, the main sticking point with the doctrine of inerrancy is that there are parts of the Bible to which the term simply doesn't seem to apply. When we think about the term "biblical inerrancy," we usually have in mind matters of propositional truth—Did Moses really part the Red Sea? Did Jesus really walk on the water? Did he literally rise from the dead and ascend into heaven?
Those are usually the contentious issues that get people's blood pressure rising. For my part, I will happily confess that all these things happened in history and that the Bible faithfully reports that this is so.
The genius of this verse according to Cassian is not that it "teaches truth" at all but that it "carries feeling." But in what sense can we say that a feeling is "inerrant"?
What does it even mean to claim that that portion of Scripture is "inerrant"?
These challenges have led some to suggest we do away with the term "inerrancy" completely. Instead, they say, we need to find ways to affirm the Bible's authority in other language.
Frankly, there are many moderate Baptists for whom the term "biblical inerrancy" will always leave a sour taste in the mouth. To use N. T. Wright's analogy, that term was the suitcase with which they were being flogged during the denominational upheaval that began in 1979. They've seen reputations ruined and livelihoods taken away, to all appearances over the use or non-use of that term. When they hear it today, all they can think of are the people who only use it as weapon.
Therefore, some of you may not like the word "inerrancy." If you don't, the challenge is, How do you intend to preserve the centrality and authority of Scripture? By whatever language we may use, Christians believe that the Bible is of greater importance than the creeds, psychological insights, archeological discoveries, sociological models, or liturgical traditions—which is another way of saying that the Bible is more important to the church than the history of its own interpretation. Whatever language we use or refrain from using, let's at least be clear about that.
N. T. Wright is helpful here. He uses the language of "biblical authority," which he describes by saying that "The 'authority of scripture' can make Christian sense only if it is a shorthand for 'the authority of the triune God, exercised somehow through scripture" (23).
In other words, Scripture's authority is rooted in how God uses the Bible to advance his kingdom upon the earth. Scripture is thus a means of God's activity in and through us. It is a living and active instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit, and sharper than any two-edged sword. To be sure, this activity of God mediated through Scripture includes the imparting of information, but it also goes far beyond this.
If we really believe in the authority of Scripture, that's the way we'll handle it. If we really believe in the authority of Scripture, that's how others will know it—not by our words but by our lives. And that is how the Bible becomes free to do what God intended: to take up residence in our hearts and transform us into the image of God's Son.
When that happens, we'll quit standing on the word of God and place ourselves underneath its authority where we belong.
By Darrell Pursiful in Bible, Theology on November 2, 2009 .
Thank you for this very good summary of the topic.
Can the word "inerrancy" be qualified so much that the term loses it meaning? I suggest this is what the Chicago Statement does.
I would say the Bibles authority rest on this; you have no idea what Jesus thought or was like, or Moses, David, Joseph, or any other figure from the Bible apart from the Bible. It's my position that if you had one of these folks with you, that they would be better to get information concerning them than from the Bible. People that put the Bible on the highest pedestal forget that while Paul was alive, no one would turn him away because they had a letter from him and so wouldn't need to here his inferior testimony. The Bible counts second in authority to the people it describes, be it Jesus, Moses, or God.
Now it seems that a lot of the discussion on the inerrancy of the Bible rest on its being "the Words of God". If a statement is the word of God then it's true. I think if a statement is true then it is the word of God. I say this because we have no way of knowing if a person presents us with a statement that God inspired them. We have to test if the words are true first, then we know they are God's. We can't first test that they are God's then know they are true. If we accept the words as true and of God without testing them then it must be because an authority as good as truth has spoken for them. Who is that?
Our Bible collection was selected by a number of people and committees. Did these people have special powers to speak on behalf of God? How did that happen? Is only on selecting works for the faithful community that they spoke with the authority of God or on their other practices as well?
Ignorance is no great sin. Knowledge must be sought and is not all laying out in plain site. I'm sure Jesus believed that the world was around 4,000 years old and tress proceeded animals in the ocean, and birds came before animals on the land. Why would he believe differently? it would, I suppose, take an intelligence far out side the human to make all the discoveries of 2000 years of science in a couple of decades. And there is no reason to believe God would let him know any more than he let the author of Genesis know. But when the truth is known, to hold on to ignorance transforms it into a lie. Bart Ehrman lost his faith because his faith was based on lies. That is why I feel it is so important for the Christian community to reject the foolishness of those like the Peace Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. If this is allowed to define Christianity then no Christlike person could ever consent to being Christian.
Wow. That's an excellent and balanced look at the issues of inerrancy. You've really hit the nail on the head here. In particular, I loved the quote from G.K. Chesterton about the fact that a fence post can only stay the same through continual change. It reminded me of Jude 3 — ". . .earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." And why do we need to earnestly contend for it? Because it was not "once delivered" in a static way. We've got to keep repainting it; and that's the only way to keep it the same. As someone who identifies very strongly with the inerrancy of scripture, it was great to see someone point out its difficulties in a form that is not a pro- or anti- polemic.
Thanks for your article here—it is well thought-out. I guess your position would be closer to espousing the infallibility of scripture, no? The Catholic position you describe is not strictly inerrantist but infalliblist. I totally agree with you that the doctrine of inerrancy does little to a priori to defend the bible since the doctrine's own validity would depend in a question-begging way on the bible's inerrancy! How would you ever know the bible was entirely free from any error except by proving it on a case by case basis? But that in turn would require every claim within it be demonstrable when many are beyond our testing. One approach is, I suppose, to suggest Jesus was an inerrantist and therefore since he can't be wrong (assuming authentic saying etc) then scripture must be inerrant in the sense of having no error.
The Chicago Statement really seems to be an attempt to define a "top-down" doctrine from what we've discovered "bottom-up"—I just think we could not worry about the top-down and use Wright's and the Catholic approach—and that which Enn's suggests—we take Scripture as we find it–noting its authority and power rather than seeking to "protect the bible" but in the process bring it into derision.
This is a wise and balanced treatment. I think there was more variety in the ancient and Medieval church than you imply. Some (many?) spoke in terms of dictation–the human authors being mere pens in God's hands. Others, including Origen, Augustine, Luther, & Calvin, were far more nuanced.
I'd say that the first "Bible crisis" in the U.S. came not from Darwin (though that became a huge crisis for many–and apparently still is for Mohler) nor from Europeans practicing early forms of "higher criticism" (as it was then called), but the slavery crisis. Because the pro-slavery folks seemed to have the better biblical case (with the hermeneutical approaches then available), and the anti-slavery party "only" had the Spirit of the Scriptures, many were shaken in their view of Scripture.
Whatever we mean by our terminology for biblical inspiration, "inerrancy," and authority, our approach cannot sanction slavery.
I like Wright's approach (except that I would emphasize shared Bible study in church groups more than private study–and even the private study is to be tested in the church which is a hermeneutical community reading Word and world together), but I guess I don't feel the need for finding a way to "preserve the centrality and authority of Scripture" because I expect it to preserve and defend itself. Have groups strayed from Scripture? Sure. Have they neglected it? Sure.
But the Power of the Holy Spirit speaking in and through these very human words always challenges and renews new generations.
To me the proof is in the pudding. I have believed so since college days. I remember a conversation back then in which I was trying to show a friend that although Carl Henry had words defending the authority of Scripture (8 volumes!) that someone like Joachim Jeremias, who'd never use a term like "inerrancy" was a much better exegete and showed greater respect for Scripture by being more careful with the actual text. My friend replied, "Well, who do you think has the higher view of Scripture, then?" Without thinking, I replied, "Mother Theresa or Desmond Tutu." I think I was right–they PERFORMED the Scriptures.
Readers here might want also to compare this statement by Roger Olsen of Truett Theological Seminary (Baylor University), a noted "postconservative" evangelical theologian.
"Inerrancy" is the wrong word for in invites the Bible's skeptics to focus on the gnats in order to find an unclean one. The Bible's defenders then take on those arguments, one gnat at a time. In the process, everyone is swallowing camels.
The Bible testifies to Jesus Christ. If its critics want to debate some other aspect of the Scriptures, let them debate themselves. Jesus is Lord!
Over the past hundred years or so, one of the chief areas of attack by those who reject inerrancy has been centered on the chronology of the Hebrew kings, those who reigned in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. For centuries, that chronology was considered undecipherable because of assumed corruption of the biblical text describing the reigns.
In 1951, Edwin Thiele published his groundbreaking book, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, which brought some order out of the chaos. However, even Thiele had to accept that some of the biblical text was corrupted in order to make his harmonization of the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah fit together, and, unfortunately, even conservative Bible scholars bought into his sytem. You will see Thiele's chronology for the Hebrew kings reflected in most Bible commentaries and study bibles on the market today.
However, Thiele's compromises were not necessary. In my new book, Sacred Chronology of the Hebrew Kings (available for reading online at my website http://www.prophecysociety.org ), I show that the biblical text about the Hebrew kings is totally accurate as transmitted down to us today, and I believe that demonstration goes a long way toward sustaining the concept of inerrancy.
After more than forty years of study and research, I have yet to find anything in the Bible that is in error, although I have found many traditional interpretations of the Bible to be suspect.


text:
from iptest.assert_util import *

add_clr_assemblies("loadorder_3")

# namespace First {
#     public class Generic1<K, V> {
#         public static string Flag = typeof(Generic1<,>).FullName;
#     }
# }

import First
from First import *

add_clr_assemblies("loadorder_3i")

# namespace First {
#     public class Generic2<T> {
#         public static string Flag = typeof(Generic2<>).FullName;
#     }
# }

AreEqual(First.Generic1[str, str].Flag, "First.Generic1`2")
AreEqual(First.Generic2[str].Flag, "First.Generic2`1")

AreEqual(Generic1[str, str].Flag, "First.Generic1`2")
AssertError(NameError, lambda: Generic2[int])

from First import *

AreEqual(Generic1[str, str].Flag, "First.Generic1`2")
AreEqual(Generic2[str].Flag, "First.Generic2`1")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Sacramento addressing policy of towing cars belonging to people experiencing homelessness
by: Karma Dickerson, Jose Fabian
The Latest – Tuesday, Dec. 14:
FOX40 previously reported that Mayor Steinberg's policy proposal to not tow cars with people living in them unless they can offer an alternate site passed at a city council meeting. Instead, a controversial portion of the proposal was changed, and the city voted to work with the business community and increase transparency.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — The Sacramento City Council is considering a new policy for removing homeless people from encampments, which would also affect their vehicles.
The consideration comes from the recent fallout of a homeless sweep at a Sacramento business park continues, with some in the business community calling out Sacramento's City Council.
Only a handful of cars remain on Commerce Way near the business park after the city cited and towed vehicles they said had been parked for more than 72 hours, which is a violation of the law.
The backlash prompted the mayor to propose modifying the city policy to only remove cars if the city can offer people an alternate site.
"Enforcement has to be a part of this process, not when capacity is reached but while capacity is being reached," President of Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce Amanda Blackwood said.
'This city is done!': San Francisco residents speak out about city's decline
But Sacramento business leaders, like Daniel Savala with the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership, do not believe enforcement can or should wait.
"We can do both. We can build shelter capacity; we can provide safe places for folks who are homeless to be. But we can also take a look at camps that present a clear danger and nuisance to our business corridor and we can put a stop to them," Savala said.
Blackwood said she recognizes there aren't enough places for people who live in their cars to legally park. One option she said worked is business owners offering their properties in the short term.
"Their immediate question is, 'and when that's over, what happens to all of these cars?' And we need to be able to say those cars are going to be moved. Your property is going to be protected," Blackwood said.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


For the last year, we have been paying netTALK's competition for home phone service. It was cheap ('bout $10.00 a month). But, it didn't offer what netTALK offers. For example, 911 service was not available.
However, now that we've installed the netTALK plan, we are so happy that we did! It's much cheaper and offers more than the competition. Now, we won't be so rude as to state who the competition was. What we will state is that it rhymed with, "Malphart." The words, "Basic, and, "Talk," are also strong hints.
netTALK takes you through setup and even allows you to transfer an existing phone number, rather than simply getting a new one. You can also block problematic phone numbers online. Plus, a year of netTALK is available for a mere $39.95/year.
Well, we are sold. We like the plan. We like the service. We also like having 911.
netTALK has tried a few times since our free year ended, to collect money. Why? Because we are listed as a customer, we suppose. Contacting them has been so difficult as to become ineffective. They still try to extract services fees from our financial account, as you need this to begin service with them.


On 15th September 2016, IT Services introduced a new IT service status tool - itstatus.bristol.ac.uk. The status page publishes a public calendar showing key IT maintenance activity. Planning IT maintenance is informed by the Critical Dates Calendar (UoB only).
The status page is updated by the IT Service Desk who record in the calendar planned work by IT Services that could interrupt a service, or put a service at risk of interruption.
In the popup window, enter the webcal URL as shown above.
Select 'Add calendar' at the top, to the left.


Boris Luther hat diese Petition an Vorstandsvorsitzender Gerhard Fuchs Audi BKK und an 2 mehr gestartet.
We are a family of 4. Mother Benonia, big sister Marwela, father Boris and our little daughter Erlynia. Our 8 year old daughter Erlynia has been severely disabled for 6 years. This happened because of a wrong treatment in the children's hospital on the Bult in Hannover.
The doctor of a children's hospital on the Bult assumes no responsibility and refuses to pay compensation for pain, although the liability is proven by a report.
The city of Hannover, Department of Social Affairs does not want to support the purchase of a disabled equitable motor vehicle.
As a family, we are not in the financial position to purchase a disabled equitable car. That's what we can do now 3 years do not lead a common family life, no trips or vacations together spend. Spontaneous activities, as well as planned therapy or doctor visits are also not possible.
Boris Luther benötigt Ihre Hilfe zur Petition "@StefanSchostok: Car for our handicapped daughter Erlynia". Jetzt machen Sie Boris und 96.796 Unterstützer/innen mit.


text:
News Release 5-Jan-2022
COVID-19 has been an 'amplifier' of intimate partner violence: Study explores pandemic impacts on survivors, providers and services
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Wolters Kluwer Health
January 5, 2022 – Brain injury is very common among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), and these risks have been further heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports a qualitative study in the January/February special issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR). The official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America, JHTR is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
In addition to increasing the risks and severity of violence, the pandemic has had important implications for service delivery and service providers supporting women survivors of IPV, according to the new research, led by Halina (Lin) Haag, MSW, PhD(c), of the Acquired Brain Injury Research Lab at the University of Toronto, and the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo. Ont., Canada. The article is part of a special issue of JHTR focusing on Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence.
Key themes in overlap of IPV and brain injury during COVID-19
As described in previous reports, the emergence of COVID-19 has led to a "shadow pandemic" of increased violence against women. "With over 90 percent of physical IPV altercations focusing on hits to the head, face, and neck or strangulation, brain injury is startlingly common among survivors," Haag and coauthors write. Despite this combined impact – heightened by the challenges of COVID-19 – there are continued gaps in research, policy, and practice on IPV and brain injury and their impact on survivors.
To address these gaps, the researchers conducted interviews with women survivors of IPV and brain injury, as well as with organization directors/managers, direct service providers, and representatives of employers or labor unions involved in supporting survivors. (Although people of any gender identity can be affected by IPV, the study focused on women, who account for the majority of survivors.)
Analysis of the interviews identified three main themes at the intersection of IPV/brain injury and COVID-19:
Implications of COVID-19 for survivors. The pandemic placed women at increased risk of IPV and brain injury, as well as risk for increased severity of violence. "Participants referred to COVID-19 as an 'amplifier' of violence," Haag and colleagues write. "Service providers reported a quiet period in the first months of lockdown, followed by a surge in calls, housing applications, and requests for peer support and counselling once communities began reopening." COVID-19 had a major impact on survivors' mental health, due to increased isolation and loneliness. Women were also faced with new challenges in caring for themselves and their children as a result of pandemic-related employment changes.
Implications for service delivery and service providers. While most shelters remained open during the pandemic, many were operating with reduced capacity and increased barriers to access, including challenges in legal services and housing. Support services had to become more adaptable and flexible, as organizations worked to overcome barriers to virtual care and incorporate new public health measures required for in-person care. Some providers felt that increased rules and decreased client autonomy " mimicked abusive behaviours and risked re-traumatizing women survivors." Providers also reported increased stress and mental health challenges due to COVID-19.
Key priorities: outreach and technology. Organizations faced new challenges as they raced to meet the demand for increased online programs. "Participants identified need for widespread outreach and technological support during the pandemic," Haag and colleagues write. Barriers to technology-based care were identified as a major priority, including funding for technology, software, internet access, brain injury related accessibility challenges, and support training for providers. Community outreach programs were another key focus.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified IPV/brain injury, increased challenges for women survivors and service providers, and accentuated the continued lack of IPV/brain injury awareness," Haag and coauthors conclude. They note that the complex intersection of IPV/brain injury has been overlooked far too long, leaving survivors exposed to ongoing violence and at increased risk of significant impacts to their mental and physical health and social integration. While there is still much work to be done, the researchers hope their findings will increase understanding of how COVID-19 affects the risks and well-being of survivors of IPV and brain injury, as well as the organizational and personal effects on those providing care and support. The authors would like to recognize and thank the participants who shared their expertise. This research was funded by the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation and in part by the Canada Research Chairs Program.
The twelve papers in the special issue highlight the widespread but neglected issue of brain injury in the context of IPV. Other topics include the characteristics and outcomes of survivors of strangulation, neurobehavioral symptoms of survivors and perpetrators, neuroimaging findings, worldwide prevalence of IPV and brain injury, and new developments in programming and knowledge transfer.
Eve M. Valera, PhD, and Angela Colantonio, PhD, OT, Reg. (Ont.), are Guest Editors of the special issue. In a preface, they write: "We are optimistic this issue will further the field and prepare the way for additional future research that will be able to expand knowledge of IPV-related brain injury to other and marginalized groups (eg, transgender women) that are yet to be examined."
Click here to read "The Shadow Pandemic: A Qualitative Exploration of the Impacts of COVID-19 on Service Providers and Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury"
DOI: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000751
About The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation
The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation is a leading, peer-reviewed resource that provides up-to-date information on the clinical management and rehabilitation of persons with traumatic brain injuries. Six issues each year aspire to the vision of "knowledge informing care" and include a wide range of articles, topical issues, commentaries and special features. It is the official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America.
About the Brain Injury Association of America
The Brain Injury Association of America is the country's oldest and largest nationwide brain injury advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance awareness, research, treatment and education and to improve the quality of life for all individuals impacted by brain injury. Through advocacy, we bring help, hope and healing to millions of individuals living with brain injury, their families and the professionals who serve them.
Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the clinicians, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and tax, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with advanced technology and services.
Wolters Kluwer reported 2020 annual revenues of €4.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,200 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.
Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students in effective decision-making and outcomes across healthcare. We support clinical effectiveness, learning and research, clinical surveillance and compliance, as well as data solutions. For more information about our solutions, visit https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/health and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth.
For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
Connie Hughes
connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com
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/Social sciences/Psychological science/Behavioral psychology/Human behavior/Violence
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Running quietly in the attic of Pam Sato's Mililani home is a breakthrough piece of technology in energy-efficient home cooling products. Unseen from the outside of the home, the Whole House Fan quietly draws hot air out of the living space through a ceiling intake while cooling both the home's living space and attic at a fraction of the cost of air conditioning systems.
The popularity of this alternative cooling system is growing as homeowners discover how effective it is. Throughout Oahu, more than 400 homeowners have taken steps towards in-home comfort and lower electrical bills by having Whole House Fans installed.
Clayton Choi of Ewa Beach agreed. He installed his fan in early 2012 and has been using it exclusively for cooling his home ever since. "You gotta get one," he said.
Call 672-2300 for a free consultation or visit www.islandcooling.com for more information.


These joggers are cut from soft cotton jersey in Grey Melange colour, featuring a contrast black stitching detail down its sides. Cropped above the ankle, it instills a sportswear influence with elasticated waistband and hems. Pair this on with heels to elevate the look.


Hello readers. A great light has gone out in the blogosphere, author Paul Curran passed away last week.
Paul was a regular commenter on The Doobsters' blog, he was friends with many bloggers, he wrote frequently on the Cordelia's Mom, Still blog (here) and wrote a Sunday column on mark bialczak's blog.
Well actually, Paul's light is not fully extinguished. Paul's light will linger on through his friends and family – and through his writing.
Paul's essence will be with us.
That is just the way life goes – you know – when we open up and share with others – it creates this bond – that leaves a connection inside our souls.
When we share with others – via social media or in everyday shared geographical space, we connect as human beings – and the social overlapping amongst us becomes this web of intrinsic meaning. It is what makes us feel alive – and so many of us are grieving the loss of this blogger friend because he connected with us and added to our life.
This commenter who liked to encourage.
This man who liked people.
This dude who had to endure dialysis in order to make it through another week.
Paul, a fiction writer, who used words to give us a slice of past and present allowing us to ponder societal trends and human experience.
This was the first image I made with a shout out to Paul (last February- here) when I paid a tribute to the blogger formerly known as The Doobsters at the now shut down Mindful Digressions blog.
On America's Father's Day in 2015, I published The Chief, which I considered the bookend to Paul's aforementioned piece on his mother, two complicated and fascinating looks at growing up and thereafter.
Afterward, he began regularly contributing to Cordelia's Mom, Still, and my friend at that fantastic blog created a glossary of Paul's WordPress work.
If you knew Paul and want to share a Paul story or just leave condolences, visit Mark's blog HERE. And I am linking this to T's weekly smile to thank Paul for the smiles he brought us all.
And remember – life is precious.
Each breath that you breathe is a gift – so let us all make each day count.
Let us all share with others in ways that matches our style – remembering the effort we make to connect is worth it (it is!) – we need each other – yes, we do – and I am truly grateful to have known Paul Curran in blogland.
I'm very sorry you lost a friend. I did not know Mr. Curran and it appears I missed meeting a wonderful person.
Well G – I am surprised you did not know this kind man- because you have such a wide circle of blog connections and I thought surely Paul made his way to the pacific paratrooper site!!! But guess. It…. and I did not know him super well – but I feel the loss! I actually thought about asking him to guest post for me earlier this year, but it never worked outa d he was busy with his other posts!
I only knew Paul through his guest posts on CM's blog and a few exchanges of comments. I am sad that he has passed away. I will miss the truck-driving stories, his wit and the experience he shared with us.
Hi D- well I did not realize the Paul wrote so often on CM blog – enough to categorize them!
And I also remembered in 2024 when the Doobs would tease Paul for not having a blog!
I did not know Mr. Curran either… You wrote a very nice tribute, Y.
Beautiful post. Thank you. May I "steal" that last "In Memory Of" picture to put on my Paul Curran page?
Yes ma'am! Take it ! And the airplane picture in blue was the gravatar image he used for a while.
Anyhow – sending condolences especially to you and Mark B because I know how close you all were. You were a sweet blog friend to Paul – to share your space and give him a platform – shows your wonderful heart CM!
Be over soon to leave my thoughts on his page!
A very nice tribute and the reminding of "life is precious". I do not know Paul but I am sad to hear about his pass away.
Thanks amigo! And reading your comment reminded me again that life is precious- something that needs ongoing reminder s ! Right?
well I really did not know him as well as other bloggers, but we did share here and there – and I really like him – and so i am the better for knowing this kind man. thanks !
April 3, 2018 at ..


Many would have thought that Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone would have been a little preoccupied of late.
Having previously appeared in the high court in London, news has just broken that he will be tried on bribery charges in Germany over the sale of Formula One.
Ecclestone has previously been questioned as part of a police investigation into a multi-million pound bribery scandal and has been accused of entering into a 'corrupt agreement' with German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky.
The case which is in direct relation to Formula One's sale to private equity firm CVC back in 2006 has already seen Gerhard Gribkowsky jailed for more than eight years for tax evasion, breach of trust and taking £28 million in bribes during the sale of F1, following a trial in Germany.
Gribkowsky, who at the time was overseeing the sale of BayernLB's stake in F1 had been accused of selling a 48% stake in Formula One without legal valuations while receiving an apparent $50million bribe disguised via consultancy agreements.
That sale according to Media company Constantin Medien cost the company millions as they had been set to receive 10% if the stake in the company had sold for more than $1.1billion, but received nothing as CVC only paid $814million.
Constantin Medien is now suing Ecclestone for $140million [the original claim had been $171million].
Bernie has previously claimed the legal action lacked merit and he and his co-defendants deny the claims of wrongdoing.
But despite all of this, 83-year-old Ecclestone has made an offer to buy the Nurburgring race circuit.
The German Grand Prix currently alternates between Hockenheim and the Nurburgring with both tracks a favourite amongst Formula One fans.
However the Nurburgring has recently been struggling financially and is currently in administration.
'We believe we can do more than anyone else for the circuit. There could be a decision as early as in the coming weeks,' Ecclestone told Handelsblatt and Wirtschaftswoche as quoted by the BBC.


text:
Fianna Fáil's Pensions Motion nothing more than a 'political stunt'– John Brady TD
18 October, 2017 - by John Brady TD
Sinn Féin spokesperson for Social Protection John Brady TD has said that Fianna Fáil's pension motion debated this evening was 'nothing more than a political stunt.'
Speaking following the debate, Teachta Brady said:
"In December 2016, Sinn Féin brought forward the Pension Equality & Fairness motion calling on the Government to restore the pension bands and rates to their pre-September 2012 position. Fianna Fáil refused to support this motion.
"Ten months later, we have a motion from Fianna Fáil calling for the same thing that they refused to support only last year.
"While, it is unfortunate that Fianna Fáil did not see fit to support our motion on this issue last December, Sinn Féin welcomes this motion from Fianna Fáil albeit late in the day.
"We have submitted an amendment to this motion to include another cohort of people who have been unfairly treated by Government. We want to see the State Pension Transition restored to end the farce of 65 year olds being forced onto Jobseekers payments, as oppose to accessing their State Pension.
"The longer these issues are allowed to go on, the more expensive they will become to rectify because more and more people will be impacted.
"Both the restoration of the pre-September 2012 pension bands and rates and the State Pension Transition are included in Sinn Féin's Alternative Budget, fully costed by the Department of Finance. It's a shame Fianna Fáil's own Budget proposals failed to propose either.
"This motion is a stunt by Fianna Fáil, nothing more, nothing less. Fianna Fáil has had ample opportunity to address these anomalies and time and time again, they have chosen not to.
"This motion is not only opportunistic on the part of Fianna Fáil but it shows a real contempt for older people who are being punished disgracefully."


text:
Home Culture Doctoring the Truth
Doctoring the Truth
Elizabeth Culliford
A front page became headline news last week when the New York Daily News ran a photo showing an injured woman lying in a pool of blood after the recent marathon bombings. But it was the cause of the blood and not the blood itself that was controversial. There is no visible wound in the photo. This led to allegations that the paper had erased the gory injury on the woman's leg that was present in other published versions of the same image.
The picture, taken by John Tlumackie of The Boston Globe, was one of many widely circulated images capturing the immediate aftermath of the explosions. Its apparent doctoring has caused anger among fellow journalists. Charles Apple, the author of the blog post which brought it to the world's attention wrote, "If you can't stomach the gore, don't run the photo. Period."
The words of the National Press Photographers Association have been echoed by many."Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context," the ethics code reads. "Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects."
People from inside Daily News reportedly said that the decision to doctor the image came from above and that many staff were embarrassed by the image. However, the Daily News spokesperson Ken Frydman later stated that the paper stood by their choice.
"The Daily News edited that photo out of sensitivity to the victims, the families and the survivors," he said. "There were far more gory photos that the paper chose not to run, and frankly I think the rest of the media should have been as sensitive as the Daily News."
The British newspapers have come under fire too in the last few months for insensitive front pages with The Daily Mail lining the racks with pictures of a gurning Mick Philpott under the headline "Vile Product of Welfare UK". The Sun was skewered for confusing its front page with page 3 in what was called "lechery over a corpse" when it printed a huge image of Reeva Steenkamp in a bikini. The headline could have been lifted from a bad thriller movie: "3 shots. Screams. Silence. . . 2 more shots".
By their very nature, front pages are dangerous, often having to tell the most unforgiving story in a few very large words and one picture. Bound up with these problems are the issues of sale; it is the main advert for the paper and so the image is seen as particularly commercial. The cover photograph sells, and the contents of it are seen as sold with it, whether it is depicting a half-naked woman or a death – or, in the Sun's case, both. The image is often not studied – even the best ones are judged by how quickly they make people want to open the paper and thereby remove the picture from their sight.
Hideously misguided front covers which have been studied in recent months include Bloomberg Businessweek's illustration of the housing bubble, with a cast of black and His- panic caricatures grabbing for cash. The cover says "The Great American Housing Rebound. Flips. No look bids. 300 percent returns. What could possibly go wrong?"
The image joins our front cover Hall of Infamy with the 2008 edition of The New Yorker, which cartoons Obama the Terrorist fist-bumping Michelle who wearsan AK-A7 slung over her shoulder as a portrait of Osama Bin Laden hangs on the wall and an American flag burning away in the grate.
The cartoon, called "The Politics of Fear", was satirical and hoped to hold a mirror up to ridiculous sensibilities about the White House. The intentions of front pages do, however, matter very little. They are, crucially, visuals; they do not get captions explaining political leanings or parody.
If we lived in a world where the Philippines issue of FHM didn't show a white model surrounded by black models with the tag "Stepping out of the shadows", or if Vogue's Shape issue had thought twice about having basketball player LeBron James baring his teeth and grabbing tiny white model Gisele Bundchen around the waist in what has become known as the 'King Kong' edition, then The New Yorker might have been safe in thinking that everyone would get the joke. But then again, if everyone thought it was a joke it wouldn't have been on the front page of The New Yorker.
While the aesthetics of a front page can accidentally raise eyebrows (as did the devil horns that TIME's 'M' famously gave Bill Clinton by a bad image placing), what provokes outrage is the intentional hours spent colouring something in, photoshopping something out. Whether you are TIME magazine manipulating a mugshot of OJ Simpson to make his skin darker during his 1994 trial, or the Daily News drawing back in someone's trouser leg, deliberate manipulation is unethical, like lying in a written piece.
The image is upsetting and the Daily News were obviously concerned about broadcasting it to all. There is no watershed or parental warning on front pages. But the point of a photograph of the aftermath of bombings is to show the destruction caused.
If the Daily News wanted to pay a sensitive tribute which acknowledged the trauma without any wounds then they should not have used the image. They could have followed the example set by the front cover of TIME after the 9/11 bombings which showed a sombre outline of the two towers. But if they wanted to show what happened, they should have done just that.
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text:
AFS Review: Notes
Explore Baltimore: Register Now for Preconference Tours and Workshop
Friday, July 12, 2019 (0 Comments)
Posted by: Lorraine Cashman
Gain a richer understanding of our meeting place, some of its people, and their ways by participating in these unique events organized by Baltimore insiders on the 2019 Local Planning Committee. These ticketed, preconference events are a great way to get outside the conference hotel and gain a wider perspective from those who know the area best. Seats are limited, and registration closes August 31. Book your seat now!
Rowhouse Arts of Baltimore: Rowhouses, Murals and Painted Screens
Baltimore is a city of rowhouses. Our ubiquitous, architectural template provides the canvas for two iconic art forms: murals and painted screens, one contemporary and one historic, where vision and paint combine to tell Baltimore's story.
We will cross the city by yellow school bus, stopping first at the American Visionary Art Museum's installation dedicated to our featured art forms. From Westside to Eastside, our day builds on the brick and mortar foundation of walls/canvases made available by urban upheavals. We will visit the iconic African-American Main Street—Pennsylvania Avenue—where the Royal Theater once stood and Billie Holiday made her name. See spontaneous creations marking "the Uprising" after our city's watershed Freddie Gray moment, and much more: a house of mirrors and its creator, famed city parks and perhaps an Arabber (the last of our horse drawn produce vendors).
After lunch at local culture doyenne Kevin "Downtown" Brown's Nancy in the Station North Arts District, we head to former Little Bohemia and Highlandtown in East Baltimore, where painted screens defined a popular domestic aesthetic for tens of thousands of working class homes since 1913. Take part in a neighborhood stroll for an up-close look at what defines community and rowhouse. Meet a screen painter at the local Highlandtown Gallery, featuring local artists, for a demonstration. Prepare to be fully schooled by three experts who know and love this city.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 9:30 am–4:00 pm
Registration: $75, including lunch. Maximum: 27 participants. Click here for more information
A Walk through "the Reservation"—The Historic Lumbee Indian Community of East Baltimore
Following World War II, thousands of Lumbee Indians migrated from North Carolina to Baltimore City seeking jobs and a better quality of life. They settled on the east side of town, in an area that bridges the neighborhoods of Upper Fells Point and Washington Hill. Today, most Baltimoreans would be surprised to learn that this area was once so densely populated by Indians that it was known as "the reservation." Come walk with members of Baltimore's Lumbee community to learn more about the places and spaces tied to their history in the city, including active sites like South Broadway Baptist Church and the Baltimore American Indian Center. These institutions were established by Lumbee people in the mid-twentieth century as safe spaces where their culture could be freely practiced in diaspora. They survive today as the cornerstones of the community. The Baltimore American Heritage Museum features a permanent collection of artifacts from throughout the Americas, as well as a revolving exhibit that is typically curated by community members.
The tour concludes with a stop for lunch at El Salvador restaurant, but the price of lunch is not included in the tour registration fee. Photo by Colby Ware.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 9:00 am–12:30 pm
Registration: $25. Maximum: 25 participants. Click here for more information.
Baltimore's Crankies: Make the World's Greatest Stories Unroll before Your Eyes!
In the contemporary world of shadow puppetry, Baltimore is famous for its Crankies. Crankies are moving panoramas with long pictorial scrolls that are typically hand-cranked, hence the name, to tell a story inside a viewing box, much like film in an old camera. The boxes are often backlit for shadow puppetry. Song, narration, and pageantry accompany the performance, often drawing on folk tales and local legends to highlight contemporary community experiences. Baltimore's Creative Alliance has hosted the annual Baltimore Crankie Fest for six years to sold-out audiences eager to slip into the world of shadow and light.
"There's a fireside magic to it," says Josh Kohn, performance director at Creative Alliance. "It's like an old-school variety show." More than performance, however, Crankies are a genre-defying artform changing the way local museums and arts organizations are engaging with their communities.
Join renowned artist and Crankie-maker Katherine Fahey for a special collaborative workshop geared for adults to make hand-cranked scrolling performance art.
Sponsored by the Local Planning Committee and the Maryland State Arts Council
Photo and artwork by Katherine Fahy.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 1:00–4:00 PM
Cost: $25, maximum 20 people (includes the kit). Click here for more information


2 Channel USB-Sensor Interface with freely available Configuration and Evaluation Software VS2. The Evaluation and Excitation of the connected Sensor occurs via the USB Interface of the PC. Sensors with Output Signals of mV/V, ±5V, ±10V or 0/4 … 20 mA are suitable for the Connection. Through the Measuring Rate of up to 2500/s, high-dynamic Measurements are realizable. This Measuring Amplifier is also very suitable for heavy Industry Applications by its robust Aluminum Die Cast Housing.


The Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 Takeover returns for 2018! The third event of the series will take place on May 16, 2018 at 168 KTV Bistro in Madison Heights. The first seating will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the second will be at 8:00 p.m.
168 KTV Bistro is also a full-service karaoke lounge with private rooms for singing. For those interested, Karaoke Rooms will be open and available for purchase during the event.
Beers will be offered from Axle Brewing Co.
Spirits will be offered from Green Door Distillery.


How do I apply for the Geoscience Masters Degree Programme?
The application to the Geoscience Masters Degree programme is submitted via the campo portal, open from mid-January to mid-July.
The entry grade for the Geoscience Masters Degree Programme is 2.5. If you did not achieve the entry requirements you can apply for the procedure of qualification verification. All information on this topic can be found in the specific examination regulations on page 7.
Studies can only be started in winter semester. Starting in summer semester is only possible in the case of a switch of university within the Geoscience Masters Degree Programme.
How can I register for the Geoscience Masters Degree Programme, if I don't yet have Bachelors Degree documents?
What do I have to do if I cannot attend an exam due to health reasons?
In order to not receive an invalid exam attempt, you have to hand in a medical report of the day of the exam at the geoscience examination office. Failure to attend an exam without a declaration of reasons (medical report) results in a failed exam.
Students can only attend the second try (Nachklausur), if they were registered for the exam and either failed or handed in a medical report. Students who resigned from an exam or have not been registered can not take the exam before the next examination cycle.
In case of illness during an exam, the simple medical report is no longer sufficient. The student is required to immediately inform the exam supervisor or the examination office of their inability to sit the exam. The medical report must be handed in immediately to the examination office after the end of the exam together with an application for resignation. In this case the medical report has to be issued by a fiduciary doctor of the FAU.
More information on the homepage of the examination office.
The retrospective claim of illness is not possible. The claim of inability to sit the exam must be done at the latest immediately after the exam. "At the latest" means, that the exam results are not yet released. Otherwise an attempt of abuse is assumed.
How can I take a leave of absence for one semester?
All information about leaves of absence can be found on the FAU Homepage – Regulations on leave from studies.
The request for leave can be found on the FAU Homepage – Student Records Office.
In the Geoscience Bachelors and Masters Degree Programme an internship is not mandatory. For a voluntary internship during the lecture period, the internship must fill at least 7 weeks of the lecture period, to be eligible for a leave of absence. Shorter internships (e.g. 4 weeks) for the key qualification modules in the Geoscience Masters must be completed in the semester break. A leave of absence for an internship is only possible once during the degree.
A leave of absence for a study abroad can be requested for up to a maximum of 2 semesters. Please attach evidence of enrolment in the host university abroad to the application.
The students have to re-register for the further studies duly and timely to every semester at FAU.
The application for a leave of absence must be handed in before re-registration at the Student Records Office (if the cause for the leave of absence occurs only after re-registration, you can normally apply for the leave of absence until the start of the lectures).
The application for a leave of absence must be made principally before the start of lectures in the respective semester. A leave of absence in the first semester is only valid for the purpose of maternity protection or parental leave. A retrospective leave of absence for a completed semester is not allowed. The length of the leave of absence should generally not exceed two semesters (this does not apply for maternity protection or parental leave). It is not possible to attend study or sit examinations FAU during the leave of absence (exception: repetition of failed exams; but not after approved resignation from an exam).
In case of a longer inability to study (more than 2 semester) instead of a leave of absence you should consider an interruption of your studies after §9 Abs. 3 of the enrolment statute of FAU.
How can I get ECTS for the core skill module (Schlüsselqualifikation/Key Qualification) in the Masters Degree?
4. Projects/ comparable work (4 weeks). Projects have to be evaluated by an approved examiner. SQ1 and SQ2 have to comprise 5 ECTS.
Further information can be found under core skill modules of the Geoscience Masters Degree in the Study Portal.
How can I get ECTS for the core skill module (Schlüsselqualifikation) in the Bachelors Degree?
The core skill modules are supposed to be completed in the 5th semester of the Bachelors Degree. Students can choose any module offered at FAU. The only requirement is that the module must be worth 5 ECTS. You can choose language courses, field exercises or lectures. Some courses are only offered annually. Lectures that offered in summer semester should be taken in 4th semester, while courses offered in winter semester should be taken in the 5th semester as recommended in the study plan.
Further information can be found under core skill modules of the Geoscience Bachelors Degree in the Study Portal.
What elective modules (Wahlpflichtnebenfach) can I choose in the Bachelors Degree?
The elective module in the Bachelors Degree should be taken in the 4th semester. Lectures are usually offered annually. You should complete lectures that are offered in Wintersemester in the 3rd semester. Lectures offered in the summer semester should be completed in the 4th semester as recommended in the study plan.
Currently seven elective modules are available within the Bachelors Programme.
What elective modules (Wahlpflichtnebenfach) can I choose in the Masters Degree?
An elective module contains one or two lectures worth 5 ECTS. Within the elective module WNF-2 Werkstoffwissenschaften (material sciences) a third lecture in form of a colloquium is offered.
Currently eight elective modules are available within the Masters Programme.


Dark MOFO is a fantastic time. Established by David Walsh from MONA, Dark MOFO brings people from all over to Hobart, in the dead of winter for two weeks of art, concerts, performances and great food. The city joins in, covering garden lights in red, adding flags and crosses (upside-down ones this year) in various locations. Bars, and underground theatres have performances of pretty much anything from doom metal to movies of crabs and prawns crawling on underwater cliffs.
The Winter Feast is a long table feast (actually three long tables) inside and small tables clustered around fire pits outside. Pretty much everything you could possibly want to eat and drink available. Let's eat!


text:
require 'spec_helper'

module TicTacToe
  describe Game do
    describe "::Configuration" do
      it "has Configuration subclass" do

        expect(Game.const_get("Configuration".to_s)).to be_true

      end
    end
    describe ".configure" do

      let(:config) { double(:config) }

      before do
        Game.stub(:configuration).and_return(config)
      end

      it "TicTacToe::Game::Configuration should receive configuration setting" do

        config.should_receive(:any_attr=).with("test")

        Game.configure { |c| c.any_attr = "test" }
      end
    end
  end
end


This could be a painting of your dog.
But actually, this is Peter's dog, Lucy.
...or YOU when you were little.
A dozen eggs. An empty plate. A bale of hay.
A bike on a rainy day in Portland.
A building in the heart of New York City.
With each image, I strive to capture the essence and energy of my subject. Here are a few.
Why is this cat blue?
She's not really. She's gray. But her essence is highly faceted and dynamic--just like most things when seen energetically. That's how I paint--not so much how I "see" them, but how I feel them from a vibrational perspective. Do you know what I mean? It's an energy thing. I tune into my subjects and the rest is basically emotional, spiritual and imaginative. If you were to ask me how I define my creative process, that's what I'd tell you.
Commissioning your own piece of art is easy.
Just email me a high resolution photo. Or even text it to me. Tell me what size you'd like. That's it.
I unconditionally guarantee your 100% satisfaction.
Order a Painting right here.
Here are a few examples of the photos some paintings were based on and the resulting artwork.
Click on the images to see the full image.
Large Installations. Where you hang your hat. Or dangle your feet.
Or drive your car or take your dog...I've created large, custom installations for Mini Cooper of Kennesaw, Georgia, the Westside Foot and Ankle Specialists of Portland, Oregon, and many veterinary clinics around the country. Need a big, bold conversation starter? Call me.
full of movement and color thrills me.
If I am painting your pet, then what I'm looking for is their essence so that when you look at the piece, you feel their spirit as though they were right there with you.
It's about how the painting makes you feel.
I want it to remind you of being with the one you love---(and you know who that is)!
My goal is to create an emotional connection between the viewer and the subject of the piece--to capture the energy and essence of the moment.
I'd love to work with you. Tell me about your project and let's get started!
Just send me some photos of your pets. Tell me what size you want.
I love when you share.
And I especially love when you post my paintings on social media.