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Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Romancing the Mind - Why Apologetics is Crucial for Women (podcast)
Women are crucial in service to the body of Christ. Women tend to pray more than men, tend to volunteer more, and attend service more, too. Most churches offer different ministries aimed at women, from Bible studies to cooking and craft workshops. Yet, there are very few women's classes aimed at teaching them how to develop their minds and thoughtfully engage the culture with the reasons for their faith. This is a glaring omission for both Christian women and the churches that serve them. Listen in as Lenny presents to a women's group and explains why women need to develop not only a strong spiritual relationship with God, but also a strong intellectual one as well.
Romancing the Mind - Why Apologetics is Crucial for Women (Part 1)
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Labels: apologetics, culture, education, witnessing, women
Progressives: Please Help Me Understand International Women's Day
Today is marked as International Women's Day, described as "a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity."1 The Women's March, among other progressive women's rights groups, decided to mark the day by creating "A Day without a Woman" campaign, instructing women to:
Take the day off, from paid and unpaid labor
Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for small, women- and minority-owned businesses)
And Wear RED in solidarity with A Day Without A Woman
As a heterosexual white male living in the 21st century, I definitely want to highlight the crucial contributions women have made to our society. But I need some help in understanding just how to go about doing this. Lest I be accused of "mansplaining" or bias because of my sex, I want to ask my progressive friends to help me make better sense of this day and just what it is I'm recognizing.
Question 1: How Do We Mark Achievements Today?
As noted above, this date is set aside to celebrate "the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women," yet women are being instructed to take the day off from labor—to go on strike. Fox News reports that "Several schools in at least four states were closed Wednesday so teachers can participate in 'A Day Without a Woman' strike in which organizers are urging female workers to stay home."2How does this celebrate achievement? What happens to the female students who are supposed to be taught today? Does losing one day's instruction give them an advantage?
Question 2: How Do We Accelerate Economic Gender Parity?
Perhaps the strike is meant to accelerate gender parity. After all, the day is to be marked with calls to action. Does the fact that these schools closed mean the school districts need to hire more men so the ratio of genders is equal? Should we put quotas in place to ensure parity? What about other jobs where men are in the vast majority, like sanitation engineers or coal miners? Business insider lists these as two of the fifteen most deadly occupations with fatalities per 100,000 workers at 22.8 and 38.9 respectively.3 Christina Hoff Sommers documents how in the top ten highest paying college majors, men overwhelmingly outnumber women in all but one while in the ten least remunerative majors women outnumber the men in all but one. So, how do we accelerate gender parity economically here?
Question 3: How Do We Accelerate Cultural Gender Parity?
Perhaps economic parity isn't the only kind of parity we should strive for. Perhaps we can recognize that women as women offer unique and worthwhile contributions to our society that cannot be measured (or are undervalued) economically. But this seems to get sticky pretty fast. Can I say that women as a gender have a unique view on society and its problems? When the city of Los Angeles was in danger of having an all-male city council, former councilwoman Laura Chick decried the possibility, saying "Shame, shame. Absolutely it makes a difference. Our brains are different. We have different perspectives.... There's something terribly wrong with this."4
But how can this be true if a family requires two loving adults, no matter what their gender? Progressives have been telling me for a long time that children don't need women as mothers, they simply need loving individuals. Gender doesn't matter at all. To create a situation where children are intentionally denied the opportunity for a mother is so inconsequential that it shouldn't even be up for discussion. It certainly shouldn't be considered as a factor when adopting, as Catholic Charites were told, forcing them to shut down their adoption services in Massachusetts.
Question 4: What do You Mean by Woman?
Perhaps the fact that women bear children and are responsible for the lion's share of rearing them is a point to be underscored. But that would mean that the very concept of being a woman is rooted in biology. But according to my progressive friends, that isn't true at all. They say the very idea of gender is simply a social construct. All that is required to be a woman is to identify as a woman. Is that right? But that means I can be celebrated if I choose to identify as a woman today.
The big question in all this is how do we celebrate the achievements of women and rally to gain parity for women when the concept of what a woman is isn't defined? This is probably where I need the most help, as I can't make sense of it at all. If the very definition of what constitutes a woman is up for grabs, then what happens to those gender parity issues? I mean, there are those who deeply identify as football fans or basketball fans. I'm in the minority as a hockey fan. Should I seek a day for celebration of achievement and a call to parity since hockey fans are so underrepresented in society?
I would really love to celebrate women. However, in today's world with all the different messaging going on, I can't figure out just who it is we're celebrating or what kind of achievements qualify to be celebrated. If anyone can help me out, I'd be really appreciative.
1. "About International Women's Day." International Women's Day. Aurora Ventures (Europe) Limited., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. https://www.internationalwomensday.com/About.
2. "'Day Without a Woman' Strike Shuts down Schools as Teachers Bolt." Fox News. FOX News Network, 08 Mar. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/08/day-without-woman-strike-shuts-schools-down-as-teachers-bolt.html.
3. Lubin Gus and Kevin Lincoln. "The 15 Most Dangerous Jobs In America." Business Insider. Business Insider, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. http://www.businessinsider.com/most-dangerous-jobs-2011-9.
4. Newton, Jim. "An All-male City Council?" Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. http://www.latimes.com/la-oe-newton-column-women-in-los-angeles-politics-20130401-column.html.
Labels: Christian living, culture, gender roles, sex, society, women
Romancing the Mind: Why Apologetics is Crucial for Women (video)
Women are crucial in service to the body of Christ. Women tend to pray more than men, tend to volunteer more, and attend service more, too.Most churches offer different ministries aimed at women, from Bible studies to cooking and craft workshops. Yet, there are very few women's classes aimed at teaching them how to develop their minds and thoughtfully engage the culture with the reasons for their faith. This is a glaring omission for both Christian women and the churches that serve them,
In this full length video, Lenny had the chance to present to a women's home bible study group and explain why women need to develop a not only a strong spiritual relationship with God, but also a strong intellectual one as well.
Labels: apologetics, Christianity, life of the church, life of the mind, theology, video, women
What's Wrong with Just Telling Boys "Don't Slap Girls"
Boys don't want to slap girls. At least that's what the popular YouTube video entitled "'Slap her': Children's reactions" shows. Produced in Italy, the short clip shows several boys aged 10 to 11 in front of a young girl where they dutifully perform requests such as "make a funny face" or "caress her" from an off- camera voice. However, when each is told "slap her", none comply. When asked why they won't slap her one says, "Because you're not supposed to hit girls!" while another replies "I don't want to hurt her."1
I applaud the boys for not hitting the girl. It's decent; and I've given the same instruction to my boys. However, I worry that the video doesn't prove what it sets out to. In fact, I think that the underlying assumption is more problematic than meets the eye.
The video has been promoted as a demonstration that violence against women is wrong. ABC News's San Francisco affiliate wrote "Italian media company fanpage.it created the video to show how both violence and pacifism can be taught at an early age."2 But what does it show? Of course, pre-pubescent boys after being instructed to tell a girl how pretty she is and to stroke her don't then follow instructions to slap her. Is that a surprise?
Juxtapose this to this is the famous Milgram experiments. These are well-known experiments in psychology where people believed they were administering electric shocks to participants (really actors pretending to hurt) and when commanded, they would obey authorities even to the point of sending a shock that could be fatal.3 While Milgram's experiment had some flaws, a more recent iteration proved that people were more than willing to obey an authority who told them to provide a painful electric shock to a stranger. The study found "People who were normally friendly followed orders because they didn't want to upset others, while those who were described as unfriendly stuck up for themselves."4
Commands in Isolation are Not Beneficial
I think both findings show the flaw in moral commands that are not grounded in a larger worldview. The Italian video may be trying to say that young children don't want to slap girls by nature, but that isn't necessarily true. Kids who know and disagree with one another will get into fights all the time, and unless specifically instructed by a parent, may slap someone of the opposite sex. Also, they obviously are taken with the pretty girl and hitting her wouldn't make sense. But Milgram-type experiments do show that some people are more than willing to inflict pain when ordered to do so.
The kids seemed to understand that hitting a girl is wrong because boys are stronger than girls and could do more damage to them. Men do have significantly more muscle mass than women, leaving women much more vulnerable in a confrontation between individuals of opposite sexes. Yet, in today's "biology doesn't matter" culture, we're told the differences between the sexes don't matter, except when they do.
Morality Rooted in Worldview
More broadly, what our kids require is not simple rules, but an understanding of the value of human beings and why men shouldn't hit women. The Christian world view teaches that anyone who is in a position of strength—be it physical, financial, or influential—should not use that position to take advantage of another person made in the image of God. It is through Christianity that we understand the equality of all people and it gives us good reasons for acting civilly towards one another. In fact, such an approach also tells us that women are as valuable as men in our society and therefore should be held in high regard. But when right and wrong are reduced to whatever the adult or some authority figure says, people may be manipulated to do horrendous things, as Hitler's Germany has proven.
I don't know if the kids in the video understood the full moral grounding of why we shouldn't hit a girl. In the video, one boy responded that "Jesus doesn't want us to hit others," which isn't a bad answer. But as parents, we need to teach our children not simply what to do and not do, but how all of that relates to the larger picture of God and man. Once that foundation is established, individuals are less likely to be swayed, and are better equipped to weigh their actions in a variety of contexts, making better decisions even in unforeseeable situation. Isn't that how we want to rear our children?
1. "Slap Her": Children's Reactions. Prod. Fanpage.it. YouTube. YouTube, 4 Jan. 2015. Web. 07 Jan. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2OcKQ_mbiQa.
2. "VIDEO: Young Boys Asked to Slap Little Girl in Social Experiment." ABC7 San Francisco. ABC, Inc., 5 Jan. 2015. Web. 07 Jan. 2015. http://abc7news.com/society/video-young-boys-asked-to-slap-little-girl-in-social-experiment/462246/ .
3. McLeod, Sam. "Milgram Experiment." Simply Psychology. Simply Psychology, 2007. Web. 06 Jan. 2015. http://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html.
4. Shim, Eileen. "Psychologists Have Uncovered a Troubling Feature of People Who Seem Nice All the Time." Mic. Mic Network, Inc., 30 June 2014. Web. 07 Jan. 2015. http://mic.com/articles/92479/psychologists-have-uncovered-a-troubling-feature-of-people-who-seem-nice-all-the-time.
Labels: culture, morality, social media, society, violence, women, worldview
Has the Sexual Revolution Been Good for Women?
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting couple of articles earlier this year discussing the pros and cons of the sexual revolution of the 1960s. It is clear to anyone who takes the time to look at history that humanity, and especially Western societies, underwent a fundamental change because of the separation of sexual activity from procreation.
In this article, Hoover Research Fellow Mary Eberstadt focuses on four myths that seem to still be prevalent today (especially by those with a certain political agenda) and she deftly knocks down each one. The four she identifies are:
The "war on women" consists of tyrannical men arrayed against oppressed but pluckily united women.
If it weren't for the Catholic Church, no one would be talking about contraception anyway.
The "social issues" are unwanted artifacts of a primitive religious past that will eventually just fade away.
The sexual revolution has made women happier.
Eberstadt takes each of these in turn and shows how silly they are when looked at in real world contexts. She shows that even by looking at popular women's periodicals you can see these myths don't hold. You can read the short article here.
Labels: America, culture, politics, sex, women
He Needs to Be Committed: Touré's Abortion Double-Speak
Last week we marked the 40th anniversary of the infamous Roe vs. Wade decision, a particularly bad bit of legalese that opened the door to more than 55 million babies being slaughtered in the U.S. to date. There were many articles commenting on the decision, from both pro-life and pro-choice camps. One that specifically caught my attention was from the MSNBC commentator Touré (nee Touré Neblett) who said in a video commentary that abortion had "saved my life."
Touré's monologue began:
"This week brought us the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and made me reflect on a moment from about fifteen years ago when I was in a committed relationship with a woman who I knew was just not the one. She probably also knew it wasn't gonna work out… and then she got pregnant. And I was terrified. I've always known the importance of family and building kids into strong adults. And I know I would not be who I am if not growing up under the watchful eye of two people who loved me and loved each other. I knew that pregnant woman and I were not gonna be able to form a lasting family. She decided it was best to have an abortion and days later she did; we did. And in some ways that choice saved my life. I was not yet smart enough or man enough to build a family or raise a child and I only would have contributed to making a mess of three lives."
Touré goes on to say how years later, after he married his current wife and they were expecting their first son, his belief in abortion was shaken by viewing 3-D ultrasounds. "But in the end I remain committed to being pro-choice because I cannot image arguing against a woman's right to control her body and thus her life." He then dismisses babies in the womb by saying that "there is a reasonable and unsolvable medical debate about when exactly life begins."
Now, there is so much terrible thinking here that I could write a book about it, but if I were to be given the chance to talk with Touré, I think I would ask him two questions. First, notice his opening sentence. He said, "I was in a committed relationship with a woman who I knew was just not the one." Hmm. What do you mean by "the one" Touré? The context seems to imply that you didn't truly love her (remember families are built by two people who love each other), or you at least didn't love her to commit to forsake all others for her. So, if that's the case, then tell me what exactly was it that you were committed to? How can one be in a "committed relationship" without committing to the person for life? The only answer I can come up with is that he was committed to the sex. He states that "She probably also knew it wasn't gonna work out... and then she got pregnant." So, she got pregnant after they both knew it wasn't going to work out? Touré's understanding of commitment is about as fast and loose as one could have.
Secondly, Touré said that the experience of prenatal care and the technology of ultrasounds made him question his position on abortion. His only escape from the fact that medical science through ultrasound showed that there is a live human being in the womb was to assert that "there is a reasonable and unsolvable medical debate about when exactly life begins." Perhaps the debate is unsolvable medically (the question of the soul would be a metaphysical question and thus lie outside the purview of science), but my question would be so what? There is an equally unsolvable medical debate about when exactly life ends. However, we don't throw up our hands and claim that we can never recognize a patient from a corpse.
No, Touré is doing a brilliant job of Orwellian double-speak here. He wants to be committed when it's not a commitment and he claims that any small area of doubt is justification to deny the facts of science that are presented to him directly so he may hold onto his politically correct ideology. It is just this type of propaganda and self-denial that allows the slaughter of the innocents to continue. If Touré was truly held to "a woman's right to control her body and thus her life", he wouldn't stand for destroying both those bodies and those lives in utero, before they ever had a chance to grow and thrive.
Labels: abortion, beliefs, culture, logic, media, relativism, women
Islam: Saudi Women Offer Their Breasts for a Bit of Freedom
How do we measure belief systems? This question has been asked of me many times in one form or another, especially by those who would like to uphold a "tolerance" for all faiths, not judging any to be true or false. However, as I've continued to say, ideas have consequences. What you believe will determine how you approach the world and live within it. So, if a person is properly following his or her belief system (you never measure a belief system by those who violate its tenets), then you can see the outworking of that belief system and see how well it conforms to reality.
That's why a story in yesterday's Los Angeles Times caught my eye. Entitled "Women threaten to breastfeed drivers if they aren't allowed to drive", it shows the twists and permutations where wrong-thinking ideas lead when they are extended to their logical conclusion.
Saudi Arabia is the center of the Islamic world, a very strict nation ruled by Sharia law, and like most countries under Sharia, it subjugates its women.[1] Women must have a male guardian at all times, they're not allowed to vote, must be covered from head to toe, legally cannot drive, and the sexes must be segregated, unless the company consists of immediate family members, such as mother and son or brother and sister. The Saudi government says these restrictions are to comply with the laws taught in Islam which is the basis of the Saudi government. As you can imagine, it becomes pretty hard to function when women and men cannot be in the same public place at the same time.
Given that Islam is a legalistic religion (your worthiness is judged by how well you perform against the requirements placed upon you), people have sought to study the laws and find "loopholes" to see if they can circumvent some of the consequences following from the law. One of the most interesting of these was a proclamation made by Saudi cleric Abdel Mohsen Obeikan, who on May 22 said that if a woman had breastfed a man, then she and the child would have a "maternal bond" and the grown man could be found with the woman, even if he is not a blood relation. Obeikan did not invent this idea; it is stated clearly in the Islamic Hadith that Mohammad was the one who first taught the practice.[2] So, any man who wants to avoid a charge of "illicit mixing" of sexes merely needs to drink the woman's breast milk, thereby creating that maternal bond. [3]
Saudi women who are now seeking the right to drive have now taken Obeikan's thoughts one step further. According to the Times article, "if they're not granted the right to drive, the women are threatening to breastfeed their drivers to establish a symbolic maternal bond. 'Is this is all that is left to us to do: to give our breasts to the foreign drivers?' a Saudi woman named Fatima Shammary was quoted as saying by Gulf News."
Although the statement seems ridiculous on its face, it follows naturally from the law and the cleric's previous reasoning. In order to maintain modesty and purity, women would have to allow strangers to suckle them so that they can get around if a family member isn't present. They cannot mix sexes in a car, and since all women cannot drive, there are no chauffeurs or taxis that would allow them transportation.
In looking at all this, the absurdities of the law become apparent. Granted, the legal ban on driving is a reaction to a group of protesters some 20 years ago, but the traditional view was in place long before that. The fact that in Islam women are seen as the sole problem in men's sexual temptation, thus men must be shielded from their looks and their company at every turn, is at the root of all these issues. And to think that just by passing a bodily fluid, all that temptation is somehow dissipated is as ridiculous as the former concept.
The bigger reason I point to this story is simply to show how bad belief systems not only harm real people, but they also lead the oppressed to desperation. When oppression mix with legalism the results are tragic and the fact that Saudi women would even threaten such a move shows the poverty of the Muslim viewpoint on women.
See Katherine Zoepf. "Talk of Women's Rights Divides Saudi Arabia." New York Times. 5/31/2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/world/middleeast/01iht-saudi.html?pagewanted=1&src=me
The Isamic Hadith, Book 008, Number 3424 records this exchange between Mohammad and a follower who raised an adopted boy, who would be considered a stranger in her home.
A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Sahla bint Suhail came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and said: Messengerof Allah, I see on the face of Abu Hudhaifa (signs of disgust) on entering of Salim (who is an ally) into (our house), whereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Suckle him. She said: How can I suckle him as he is a grown-up man? Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) smiled and said: I already know that he is a young man 'Amr has made this addition in his narration that he participated in the Battle of Badr and in the narration of Ibn 'Umar (the words are): Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) laughed.
For the full text, see http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/muslim/008.smt.html
Sandels , Alexandra "Cleric in hot seat after calling for women to give men breast milk to avoid illicit mixing." Los Angeles Times. 6/10/2010 http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/06/saudi-arabia-clerics-call-for-women-to-give-men-breastmilk-to-avoid-unislamic-mixing.html
Labels: abuse, Islam, media, muslims, religion, women


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Robert Joynes Presented at the Inaugural BIO Africa Convention | Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
Robert Joynes participated as a speaker on a panel discussing how to leverage intellectual property to fund biotechnology innovation at the inaugural BIO Africa Convention held in Durban, South Africa this week. Robert's lecture focused on hurdles biotechnology patent applications face in the United States, including issues arising under 35 U.S.C. §101 and § 112(a) (written description). Recent case law and USPTO guidance were presented along with tips for overcoming these hurdles.


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Amatat Tourism
Business in the locality
For Art
For food and wine
Of the region's yield
For The rope
Nature and heritage
For the experience
Agricultural tourism
Horse farm
TRECTRENERS
Workshops and groups
Year: All year round
Duration of the trip: 1 hour - about 1 hour, each single - 3-5 hours - day trip
Type of routeBicycle
Level of difficultyModerate
Bike tour in the Ben Shemen Forest
The route passes through the Ben Shemen Forest. The route was arranged for riding by KKL-JNF, which supports cycling and investment in the construction of a well-organized and quality walkway system in the forest.
The track is marked in blue on the trail marking maps and is also known as a brutal single. Brutia is a kind of pine planted by the JNF throughout the country. The trail passes next to the first 11 details of the oldest of their kind in Israel (will be mistaken in 1929). This is a 8 km long loop, which is not far from Mitzpeh Modi'in, and is technically relatively easy and suitable for most riders.
The entrance to the forest is at the beginning of Highway 443 East. From Highway 1 (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv) you descend east of Ben Shemen interchange toward Modi'in. About 2 km from the interchange there is a right turn to enter the forest and Mitzpe Modi'in. Where we will camp.
Start at Mitzpe Modi'in, and turn west through the eucalyptus and pine groves, near the old brothel grove, to the Mexican parking lot. Turn right onto the exit road from the forest and right next to the junction enter the single again, heading south along the fence. The single turns east and then performs beautiful winding curves in the forest until it crosses a main axis along a stream and a large intersection.
They cross the stream over a small old dam (Saharon), and then face two possibilities: first, to return to Mitzpeh via the blue trail, which turns left and north, or ride the asphalt road to Modi'in. Those who have come for a long ride can turn right after the dam to the long single, a grape, marked with red paint.
The intersections between a single and a dirt road are marked with two large stones. The stones are designed to create a language for drivers and riders to remind them to ride and drive carefully at these meeting points.
Length of the route: 32 km. There is a possibility to exit at the end of Single Herzl, 8 km from the starting point
Cumulative height: 660 m
Cycling direction: anti-clockwise only
Riding difficulty: Moderate
Approximate riding time: 1 hour – 1 hour, each 3-3 hours
Suitable for riders at medium riding level. The short Herzl is also suitable for less
experienced cyclists
Water points and services: In Mitzpe Modi'in,
For the pampering
You contacted
Phone:03-9728999
fax:03-9728998
Email:info@thm.org.il
Show Google Maps The Modi'in region.
© All Rights Reserved Tourism Association, 2017
Design and development Company Name

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Posted by JoshSamford On June - 11 - 2014
Robo Vampire (198)
Director: Joe Livingstone (alias)
Writers: William Palmer (alias)
Starring: Robin Mackay, Nian Watts, Harry Myles, and Joe Browne
The Plot: Somewhere in Hong Kong (presumably), there is a gang of drug peddlers who are at war with the law. There is one man in particular that seems to constantly get in the way of their nefarious goals, and that man is Tom. The mob are soon working with a witch doctor, of sorts, who devises a plan to create the ultimate vampire in order to defeat Tom. This ultimate vampire looks a lot like an ape… so yeah, the ape man's former girlfriend comes back from the dead as a ghost in order to marry the ape-man-vampire which is supposed to soothe his spirit. This has no bearing on the plot, but it's fun to mention. Tom does eventually fall in combat to the ape-man-vampire, but thanks to the miracles of modern medicine he comes back as a Robo Warrior, complete with a spray-painted outfit that is supposed to look like metal. The Robo Warrior, with his arsenal of firearms, begins blasting hopping vampires and random goons for the rest of the movie. Also, there's some subplot from another movie cut into the action that I could not figure out how it was supposed to work with all of the Robo action.
When it comes to movies and their ridiculous titles, I'm the naive farm girl who can easily be led astray by absurd promises. More often than not, I'm hooked solely because of these preposterous movie titles that promise the world but ultimately deliver few of the thrills. Going into Robo Vampire, I already knew of its reputation. I knew that it was from Filmark, and I knew that it was often mis-attributed to Godfrey Ho. These two things alone point to a film that isn't going to light the world on fire, but it still had all of the makings to be absurd fun. However, Robo Vampire is a movie of conflicting chaos. It is as outrageous and as stupid as the title suggests, but in ways that this same title does not even promise. This is not a movie about a robotic vampire who takes his fight against the living into new realms of technology. No, a more appropriate title would have been Robots vs. Vampires, which would have been an equally insane title. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Filmark was in on their own joke, and in many ways they missed the boat on capitalizing on their own creative lunacy.
Good friend of the site Kenny B. from sogoodreviews.com (and Sleazy K's Video) has been fighting misconceptions about Robo Vampire for years. He is not a man who can tolerate seeing Godfrey Ho's name being credited as the director of Robo Vampire, and it is an understandable annoyance. I see where the frustration comes from, as both Filmark and IFD studios both deserve their own rich heritage in terms of wild cut-and-paste madness. The biggest thing for newcomers to know about the world of wacky Hong Kong cut-and-paste ninja/action movies is that Godfrey Ho never actually worked for Filmark. So, if you don't see this credit at the beginning of a cut-and-paste ninja movie, you should question whether or not Godfrey Ho was involved. How do we know Godfrey never worked for Filmark? This is according to Godfrey himself, as well as some of the other actors within this small community. Also, much thanks goes to gentlemen like Kenny B. as well as Jesús Molina over at Golden Ninja Warrior Chronicles who have done an unprecedented amount of work studying both film catalogs and they are consistently trying to discover and then spread their information about these movies with the rest of the world. Now, going back to Robo Vampire, who actually was the director of the movie if not Godfrey Ho? Joe Livingstone is credited, but who really knows? According to those who have studied hard in this area, there's a good chance that either Kong Do, Sun Chien (yes, THE Sun Chien from 5 Deadly Venoms), or Tommy Cheng could have been responsible. Whoever is responsible, they certainly couldn't be accused of being subtle or nuanced.
Surprisingly, Robo Vampire has far more original content than audiences may at first suspect. Although it does manage to cut a Thai movie into the midst of all the robot/vampire action, these scenes don't seem to find their footing until somewhere around the halfway point in the movie. This is similar to the movie Ninja Operation: Knight and Warrior, which comes from IFD and manages to also pack a great deal of new footage. This is always a welcome surprise when looking into the back catalog of either of these companies, but these movies seem to be rather rare. If only these companies knew that in the future the things that they would be remembered for would almost always end up being their own creative endeavors. Sure, many of these Taiwanese/Thai/Filipino action films were good in their own right, but within the context of the IFD/Filmark formula, the most memorable bits always focus on the white ninjas or, in this case, the ape-suited villains and fake robots. When the Thai movie footage starts to really roll during the second half of this movie, viewers are likely to feel a little turned off. The original movie actually looks like it might have been entertaining in its own right, so this isn't to disparage it. There is a brilliant shot featuring a dummy who gets launched off of a roof and also an exploding lift that sees two of the cast members taking part in an insane stunt where they fall from an outrageous height and then land inside of a river. Still, the footage is so shoddily incorporated into the movie that these sequences feel completely out of place and off-topic. In other words, it's another day in cut-and-paste land.
Unfortunately, it takes a really long time for the film to actually reveal the Robocop knockoff. The audience is given some other cinematic oddities to behold, such as a man in an ape-suit that is supposed to be the ultimate vampire, a wedding between said ultimate vampire and his ghost ex, a scene that feels like it was directly lifted from Mr. Vampire (1985), and even some gore by way of hopping vampires! However, the game is completely changed once Tom, the anti-drug agent, becomes The Robo Warrior. After this, the stupidity levels are raised and no mere description can do the movie justice. The Robo Warrior, as you see in the images above, is a gentleman wearing a leather outfit of some sort that has been painted silver. He wears an outfit that is intended to look tough, but my God is this all hokey. After he awakens, we get scenes of The Robo Warrior shooting numerous vampires and goons, and we even get some overly-dramatic "robo acting" along the way. This is cinema that could not be made if the filmmakers knew any better or had any sense of self-awareness.
Robo Vampire is a back-and-forth affair. It is packed to the brim with cinematic insanity, but it's the bizarre pacing and poor use of the Thai base-movie makes this one drag during select moments. Still, you get outrageous stunts, incredibly goofy dubbing, and a plot that could only make sense in the mind of an eight year old. So, this one gets a three out of five rating, ut it certainly has moments that make it entertaining enough to be an easy four.
Alien Opponent
Angel Guts: High School Co-Ed
Assassins, The
Better Tomorrow (2010), A
Assassin's Blade, The
Bad Bunch, The


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Fatherhood Movement Jun. 2, 2000
Child Custody and Support Jan. 13, 1995
Americans' Search for Their Roots Dec. 14, 1990
Child Support: Payments, Progress and Problems Oct. 26, 1990
Joint Custody: Is it Good for the Children? Feb. 3, 1989
Trends in Child Custody and Support Mar. 12, 1982
Changing Male Image Aug. 29, 1980
Child Support Jan. 25, 1974
Rise in Illegitimacy Apr. 20, 1959


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If you love ice cream and cookies, then it's your lucky day! Our Test Kitchen team combined two of your favorites into one knock-your-socks-off dessert that is anytime perfect. And since we know how much you like to add a few toppings to your ice cream, we thought we'd finish these off with some whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles! The best part? There's no clean up because you get to eat the bowls! So serve these up and let everyone build their own!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 2 (12-cup) mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
Slice cookie dough into 22 slices. Roll each slice into a ball and place in prepared muffin tins. Using your thumb, make a deep well in each ball of dough.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown and edges are set. Remove from oven and press down the center of each with a spoon, forming a mini crust. Let stand 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Place a small scoop of ice cream into each cup. Top with a dollop of whipped topping and rainbow sprinkles. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve.
What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla? Chocolate? Mint Chocolate Chip? Well, whatever it is, it's perfect for our mini ice cream sundae! So buy a pint of your favorite flavor and indulge a little! Or, if you want, get a variety of flavors and a variety of toppings and have a "Build Your Own Mini Ice Cream Cup Sundaes Party!"
Ice cream is a summertime favorite, a sweet treat to beat the heat! Well for more variety and flavors, check out our Fabulously Easy Freezer Cakes!
If you really want to wow the kids, the friends, well, really anyone, then you've got to make this Crazy Good Ice Cream Cake!


KOMTRAX Plus for mining equipment is Komatsu's remote equipment health monitoring system, allowing mine operators to track equipment performance over time and configure analytics capable of alerting you on equipment issues.
Have access to ALL DATA, TRENDS, FAULT CODES & PAYLOAD information at your fingertips, with no extra costs. See the data and predict equipment problems before any real symptoms are showing - and most importantly - before it causes any downtime. That's what having access to equipment data such as engine temperatures, pressures, fault codes, and predictive analytics - triggered in near real-time - can do for you! Also, manage equipment payload with Payload Reports sent daily.
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All KOMTRAX Plus machine communicate via satellite, making it possible to report data even in the most remote areas of the world.


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SSG, has tremendous experience working as intermediary between the various unions and the owners of the projects, to facilitate and negotiate an appropriate Project Labor Agreement. We are experienced in the drafting of the agreement and in gaining consensus with regard to the overall document.
Design and execute alternative outreach methods, communications, events and collateral materials as needed.
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Bridging experience at some of L.A.'s top academic and creative institutions, he brings unique perspective to communication projects. Prior to starting his freelance business in 2015, he served as Communication Director and lead speechwriter to the USC Provost during a period of tremendous institutional growth. Before that, Stephen worked for Creative Artists Agency and Dreamworks Animation, where he supported top executives and analyzed stories for commercial viability. He earned his B.A. in Communication from Northwestern University.
As a cheeky kid growing up in Pennsylvania Dutch country, there wasn't much exciting about the annual migration of snow geese. Or the horse and buggy holding traffic to 10 MPH. So I would get creative.
At 16 I guided tours at America's oldest pretzel bakery, reciting a uniform script to group after group. As luck would have it — teenage luck that is — my supervisors included an ex-convict, an internet addict, and Gerald (aka Miss Understood). So I had plenty of opportunities to add some — color — to the tour. "The hobo got off the train with nothing but a recipe in his pocket for twisted dough." "Those starving Union soldiers were nourished by the crunchy snacks that wintry night." Did I skew the truth? Yep. But I also got to watch when and how visitors grew more connected to the message. Energy transfer through compelling story. These days, I add color to your narrative in ways that both engage and maintain integrity. It's a brave new world.
Fast forward to 2004. After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in Communication and minor in Philosophy, I checked into the Hotel California. Working for world-leading entertainment and media companies, I experienced the urgency that underscores creative business. And I learned the dedication to craft that can easily be taken for granted. Of course on the side I was writing, exploring, and networking.
The next stop was USC, where I served as Communication Director for the Office of the Provost — the university's 2nd-ranking official. The position involved a slate of responsibilities that reflect the motley nature of modern communication. Speechwriting, web copy, press releases, fundraising collateral, distillation of research, and more — all of which had to connect, at the core, to an institutional vision. The opportunity to work over five years with brilliant people; to get a forest-level perspective of research in emerging fields; to forge relationships with other institutions across the city; and, most importantly, to hone skills in crafting messages for wildly different audiences. It was an opportunity to create real influence through words and ideas.
In 2015 I left USC to start my freelance writing business, Koenig Communication and Narrative Services. I'd always wanted to start a business of my own; be a builder, a maker ... wear slippers at noon. The truth is, it was frustrating to read the content coming out of most institutions. It all sounded the same. When everything is "innovative," can innovation exist? These existential questions keep you up at night.
If it isn't clear by now, I'm a sucker for stories. They are the lens through which we experience the world. So let's make them outstanding. Let's dig for words that express authenticity through their connotations. Let's use rhetoric that inspires people to shape culture insomuch as culture shapes people. Let's explore what's unique about your organization — how you got there, and how far you'll dare to go.
... still caught on streets, moving 10 MPH.


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Adi Shankar Reveals He's Working On A New Video Game TV Series
Oct 30, 2018 Dennis Patrick
Internet quickly assumes The Legend of Zelda.
We've seen countless attempts to bring video games into a media and for the most part, these attempts where left unsatisfactory for fans of the franchise. However, one particular media attempt has broken the mold. We're referring to Netflix's Castlevania series which sparked quite a bit of interest from both fans of the franchise and newcomers. Being an animated series, the series which Adi Shankar took the role of an executive producer was brutal and dark. Now that the latest season has released and a third currently in production, we've been wondering if more video game franchises will follow suit.
Well, it looks like that may be the case as Adi Shankar recently took to Instagram and revealed that a new show is in the works. Nothing has been unveiled at the moment, but according to the Instagram post, this series comes from an iconic Japanese company along with being an iconic video game franchise. Most everyone online is jumping to the conclusion that it's Nintendo and the series will be based on The Legend of Zelda franchise. The Wrap recently reached out to Nintendo for a comment though a spokesperson only stated that Nintendo had nothing to comment about at the current moment.
The success of Castlevania created this opportunity.
A post shared by Adi Shankar's Bootleg Universe (@bootleguniverse) on Oct 29, 2018 at 5:58pm PDT
Perhaps that Nintendo is quick to not dismiss this rumor circulation is an indicator that there is some truth to Nintendo working with Adi to bring a new Netflix show on their The Legend of Zelda IP. Again, there's no confirmation at the moment so we'll have to simply wait for more information to release. At any rate, we'll continue to keep tabs on this story and update you if there are any developments.
[Source: The Wrap]


Outcome-Based Youth Ministry wanted a website that allowed different people to see different content. We'd done this before with community add-ons, but it's also a goal to limit add-ons when possible. Since the CMS we use comes with user groups standard, we gave it a shot. The result was elegant without being too complicated. Basically, a congregation signs up to use the resources, and that congregation identifies its denomination. Gary, the owner of the website, adds the congregation to the appropriate group and sends login credentials. Then, that church logs in to see only the content meant for the specific denomination.
One aspect of the website that did require an add-on was for file downloads, but it was set up in a similar manner, meaning one denomination will only see downloads for that denomination, not the others. Or, if he decided to use all the same download materials, it's easy enough to shift the downloads so they are not denomination-specific.
Think about how a system like this could be useful at your church or school. And it can go much further, too, meaning those user groups could be given author rights if you want. It might be nice to have different access levels on your church or school website. However, it's usually not necessary. Four static pages and a blog is really all most churches need. At least until those blog posts and the cool website bring in new members. Brave New Church can always add more later, but we can also make it pretty awesome right from the start. It's up to you when you leave it up to us.


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@echo off
cd bin\Debug
..\..\..\ILMerge\ILMerge.exe ManagedClient.dll Antlr4.Runtime.net35.dll Newtonsoft.Json.dll System.Threading.dll /out:ManagedClientMerged.dll /keyfile:..\..\ArsMagna.private.snk
cd ..\..
rem cd bin\Release
rem ..\..\..\ILMerge\ILMerge.exe ManagedClient.dll Antlr4.Runtime.net35.dll /out:ManagedClientMerged.dll /keyfile:..\..\ArsMagna.private.snk
rem cd ..\..

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Diatessarão ou Diatéssaron ( 160 - 175) é a mais importante Harmonia Evangélica, criada por Tatiano, um apologista e asceta dentre os primeiros cristãos. O termo "diatessarão" em português advém diretamente do latim diatessarōn ("composto por quatro [ingredientes]") e que, por sua vez, derivou do grego διὰ τεσσάρων (dia tessarōn), cujo significado é: διά - dia ("em intervalos de") e tessarōn (genitivo de τέσσαρες, tessares - "quatro"). Tatiano combinou os quatro evangelhos - Mateus, Marcos, Lucas e João - em uma única narrativa. O nome siríaco para esta harmonia é 'ܐܘܢܓܠܝܘܢ ܕܡܚܠܛܐ' (Ewangeliyôn Damhalltê), que significa 'Evangelho dos Misturados', enquanto temos o 'ܐܘܢܓܠܝܘܢ ܕܡܦܪܫܐ' (Evangelion de Mepharreshe), que significa 'Evangelho dos Separados'.

A harmonia de Tatiano segue os evangelhos bem de perto no texto, mas os coloca numa sequência nova, diferente. Como em outras harmonias, o Diatessarão resolve as aparentes discrepâncias e contradições entre os quatro evangelhos individuais. Tatiano também omitiu as genealogias presentes em Mateus e em Lucas. Com o objetivo de incluir todo o material canônico, Tatiano criou sua própria sequência narrativa, diferente tanto da sequência dos Evangelhos sinóticos quanto da encontrada em João e também omitiu duplicações, especialmente entre os sinóticos. A harmonia ainda omite o encontro de Jesus com a adúltera (Perícopa da Adúltera -  até ), uma passagem que alguns consideram não ser originalmente parte do texto de João. Assim, apenas 56 versículos dos Evangelhos canônicos não tem uma contraparte no Diatessarão, o que deixa o texto completo com aproximadamente 74% do comprimento total dos quatro evangelhos juntos.

Durante os primeiros anos do Cristianismo, os evangelhos primeiro circularam de forma independente, sendo o de Mateus o mais popular. O Diatessarão é uma notável evidência da considerável autoridade que os quatro evangelhos canônicos tinham já na segunda metade do . Vinte anos após a harmonia de Tatiano, Ireneu expressamente proclamou a autoridade formal dos quatro evangelhos. O Diatessarão se tornou a versão padrão dos evangelhos em algumas igrejas siríacas até pelo menos o quinto século, quando cedeu espaço para as versões independentes, na versão da Bíblia chamada Peshitta.

A Harmonia de Tatiano

Tatiano era um assírio, discípulo de Justino Mártir em Roma. Não é claro como Tatiano chegou à sequência narrativa que ele deu à sua harmonia, principalmente o quanto ele tomou emprestado de autores mais antigos. Também não é claro se ele já se utilizou de versões traduzidas para o siríaco ou se a tradução foi feita por ele mesmo. Onde o Diatessarão preserva citações evangélicas do Antigo Testamento, o texto parece estar mais em acordo com o encontrado na versão da Peshitta do que a versão do testamento encontrada na Septuaginta grega - utilizada pelos autores dos evangelhos originais. É consenso entre os especialistas que o texto do Antigo Testamento da Peshitta é mais antigo que o do Diatessarão e é uma tradução independente da Bíblia judaica. A resolução destas questões acadêmicas permanece muito difícil de se conseguida, uma vez que nenhuma versão completa do Diatessarão, seja em siríaco ou grego, foi encontrada até agora. Isso por que as traduções medievais que sobreviveram - em árabe e em latim - se basearam em textos já fortemente "corrigidos" para que se adequassem melhor com as versões canônicas dos quatro evangelhos independentes. Por fim, existe ainda um antigo comentário sobre o texto em armênio.

Há uma certeza entre os estudiosos sobre qual teria sido a língua utilizada por Tatiano em sua composição original, se foi o siríaco ou o grego. O consenso atual privilegia a tese do siríaco, embora se concorde que o exercício deve ter sido repetido em grego logo em seguida, provavelmente pelo próprio Tatiano.

Diatessarão no Cristianismo Siríaco
O Diatessarão foi utilizado como a versão padrão do texto evangélico na liturgia em partes da Igreja siríaca por pelo menos dois séculos e foi citado ou aludido por autores siríacos. Efrém da Síria escreveu um comentário sobre ele, cujo original siríaco foi redescoberto apenas em 1957, quando um manuscrito adquirido por Sir Chester Beatty naquele mesmo ano (agora Papiro de Chester Beatty, MS 709, Dublin) se mostrou ser o texto do comentário de Éfrem. O manuscrito consistia de aproximadamente metade das folhas de um volume de escritos siríacos que foram catalogados em 1952 na biblioteca do mosteiro copta de Deir Suriani, no Uádi Natrum, Egito. Posteriormente, a Biblioteca de Chester Beatty conseguiu localizar e adquirir mais 42 folhas, o que soma 80% do texto do comentário original. Éfrem não comentou sobre todas as passagens do Diatessarão e também não cita sempre as passagens comentadas por inteiro, mas para aquelas onde ele o faz, o comentário é muito importante para confirmar pela primeira vez, através de uma testemunha confiável do original de Tatiano, o conteúdo e a sequência do Diatessarão original.

Como um texto evangélico que foi padrão no Cristianismo siríaco por tanto tempo desapareceu requer alguma explicação. Teodoreto, bispo de Cirro no Eufrates na Síria antiga em 423, procurou e encontrou mais de 200 cópias do Diatessarão, que ele "juntou e jogou fora, introduzindo no lugar os quatro evangelistas". Assim, a harmonização foi substituída no  pelos quatro evangelhos canônicos individuais na Peshitta que, ainda assim, ainda contém muitos trechos do Diatessarão. Gradualmente, sem que se encontrassem cópias sobreviventes às quais se pudesse referir, o Diatessarão desenvolveu uma reputação de ter sido uma obra herética.

Harmonias vernaculares derivadas do Diatessarão

Nenhuma outra tradição cristã além da siríaca jamais adotou uma versão harmonizada do texto dos evangelhos em sua liturgia. Porém, em muitas tradições (dada a tendência intrínseca dos textos litúrgicos cristãos de se ossificarem), não era incomum que gerações subsequentes procurassem versões parafraseadas dos Evangelhos num linguajar mais próximo ao vernáculo de seu próprio tempo. Frequentemente, estas versões foram construídas como harmonias, às vezes tomando o Diatessarão como exemplo e, em outras, seguindo de forma independente. Assim, de um texto siríaco do Diatessarão se derivou uma harmonia árabe do  (fonte de todas as traduções para o inglês do texto) e uma persa do . A versão árabe preserva exatamente a ordem de Tatiano, mas se utiliza de um texto fonte muito próximo do que foi utilizado por Éfrem em seu comentário. Acredita-se que o Diatessarão estava disponível para Maomé e pode ter levado à crença explicitada no Alcorão de que o evangelho cristão era formado por apenas um texto.

Uma versão latina antiga (Vetus Latina) do texto siríaco de Tatiano parece ter circulado no ocidente a partir do , com uma sequência ajustada para refletir de forma mais próxima a do Evangelho de Lucas, além de incluir também material adicional (como a Perícopa da adúltera), possivelmente do Evangelho dos Hebreus. Com a gradual adoção da Vulgata como o texto litúrgico do Evangelho na Igreja Latina, o Diatessarão latino foi cada vez mais "ajustado" para corresponder com o texto da Vulgata. Em 546, Vítor de Cápua descobriu um destes manuscritos híbridos que, ainda mais corrigido por ele até que se tornasse um texto muito puro da Vulgata dentro de uma sequência modificada do Diatessarão, se conhece hoje como Codex Fuldensis. Este texto foi preservado numa biblioteca monástica em Fulda, onde ele serviu de fonte para as harmonias vernaculares em alto alemão antigo, franco oriental e saxão antigo (o aliterativo poema 'Heliand'). Versões híbridas do Diatessarão com a Vulgata parecem também ter continuado como uma tradição distinta, pois textos assim parecem estar na fonte de harmonias sobreviventes do Evangelho dos séculos XIII e XIV em diversas línguas medievais da Europa ocidental, ainda que nenhum exemplo deste hipotético sub-texto latino tenha sido recuperado até agora. Este texto ainda já foi sugerido como sendo fonte para o enigmático texto pró-muçulmano do  chamado Evangelho de Barnabé.

Veja também
 Harmonia Evangélica
 Papiro 25
 Dura Parchment 24

Bibliografia
 . A primeira tradução para o inglês.
 .
 .
 .
 .
 .

Ligações externas
  - Texto completo e comentários.
  - Uma tradução para o inglês de uma versão árabe, publicada em Roma em 1888.
  - O fragmento "Dura Parchment" do Diatessarão.
  - Texto das traduções árabes e inglesas.

Primeiras versões da Bíblia
Textos cristãos
Diatessarao

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We design and build custom software applications in LabVIEW, TestStand and Diadem. Our software is highly integrated with hardware to provide comprehensive solutions.
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Robert Downey Jr. hints he could be involved in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Lupita Nyong'o confirms her Star Wars return. That Highlander reboot is still happening. Ian Somerhalder confirms his Vampire Diaries exit. Plus American Gods casting, an action-packed Civil War clip and a chrometastic Power Rangers logo. Spoilers!
Following up on rumours earlier this week about the role Tessa Thompson will play in the movie, Latino Review claims that Thompson is indeed playing Brunnhilde, AKA Valkyrie, the leader of Asgard's Valkyrior. As ever, take these rumours with a pinch of salt, but it's a choice that would make sense, given earlier reports.
Stephen King has confirmed that production on the film has begun.
THE DARK TOWER movie is filming; IT begins soon. Pretty cool.
As part of his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Robert Downey Jr. says he'd be open to appearing the film — something he's been repeatedly rumoured for, ever since it was announced.
As far as I know… I've been working on this movie for quite a while. I'm still involved in it, very much so. In fact, I just talked about it yesterday with Lionsgate. You know, there are going to be some surprises there, for sure. I'm going to say that it's very close to the original story, but there will be surprises. The characters you love in the first movie are back. There are definitely some changes, for sure.
Channing Tatum has confirmed he's joined the film — however, no details on his role just yet.
Bucky goes on a rampage in a new clip from the film.
A new logo for the film has been released at Cinema Con.
Image: Thor: The Dark World.


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Majority-owned securities joint venture by Nomura set to be approved soon
Mar 13, 2019 (China Knowledge) - Japanese investment bank Nomura Holdings will soon be cleared to set up a new majority-owned securities joint venture in Shanghai, to become the first newly established foreign-controlled brokerage on the mainland.
The upcoming approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) comes as part of Beijing's wider push to provide foreign financial institutions with greater access to the country's financial markets by allowing them to having controlling interests in their joint ventures.
This ownership limit was raised from 49% to 51% in April last year and the CSRC gave the first approval to UBS to take control of its local securities joint venture in November last year.
For the new joint venture by Nomura, the Japanese investment bank will be holding a 51% stake while the remainder will be held by Shanghai-based state-owned Orient International (Holding) Co. Ltd.
Former vice president of China Reinsurance Group Yu Qing who also worked in the finance ministry for 20 years will be named as Chairman of this new joint venture.


أسرة مريحة. موعد الاصطحاب فندق آخر.
كانت الغرفة لطيفة. فريق عمل الفندق كان محترف للغاية للغاية. الإقامة بالكامل كان رائعا. هذا الموقع ملائم للغاية إذا ما كنت تقيم في منطقة سان فرانسيسكو، بالتأكيد تستحق السعر مقارنة الأماكن حول منطقة الخليج.
فندق لطيف للغاية بالقرب من المطار.
فندق جيد، الغرفة كانت ومحدثا، مجهزة جيدا ونظيفة. لقد حصلت على غرفة بسعر معقول في المنطقة من خلال مجموعة فنادق إنتركونتيننتال موقع الويب. الفنادق يمكن غالي جدا مقابل أماكن لائقة في المنطقة، ولا سيما في فصل الصيف. موقع رائع إذا كان لديك الصباح الباكر المغادرة.
Bom dia. Gostaria de saber se próximo ao hotel há transporte público para os pontos turísticos. E também se nas redondezas é agradável e se há locais para comer. Obrigada.
Hello, does your shuttle pick up guest from Oakland airport to your hotel? If it does, where do I go to get on the shuttle. Thanks!
The hotel shuttle is only from SFO airport. However, as stated above there is BART service to SFO and then you can catch the hotel shuttle. Just be sure you get on the right shuttle for this Holiday Inn as ther are several in the area. Good idea to carry a copy of your hotel confirmation and ask the driver if he is going to your Holiday Inn.
Hi, I heard there are shuttles between the airport and the hotel. How can I get on the shuttle after I get off the plane? Thx.
Hello Qiao M, Go to the second level outside center island of the departure area to access our shuttle at the hotel shuttle stand.
Parking is listed as free on My Trip Advisor under Amenities (Services). Is that correct?
Parking is not free it is $9.95 day and 10.95 overnight plus tax.


Brutal green dragon - Bestiary :: Tip.It RuneScape Help :: The Original RuneScape Help Site!
"It appears intelligent and savage."
This creature is immune to poison. Unless you have a death wish, equipping an antidragon shield is a must! This creature has a maximum melee hit of 1250 LP, so highly defensive armour and "Protect from Melee" is advised.
It has been confirmed that these do *not* drop Draconic visages.
The Brutal Green Dragon does possess some magical attacks as well as its melee attacks.
**Drops a Perfect green dragon scale for Vannaka's slayer challenge.


text:
Lauren Tonge
Doing stuff online & writing about it. Curious about a little of everything.
Notes Newsletter
Articles I Recommend
I read a lot of articles, probably more often than I'm reading books. I go on r/indepthstories, r/longreads, and r/longform every night to find new articles to add to Pocket (an app for saving articles). In the process I've read hundreds of articles, some better than others.
This is a collection of my favorite articles from the past however many years I've had Pocket.
Last Updated December 25, 2019
How Many Bones Would You Break to Get Laid?
"Incels" are going under the knife to reshape their faces, and their dating prospects.
Facial reconstruction surgery isn't just for women. Incels have started going to one Indiana doctor in particular to look more masculine and improve their odds with women. I can sympathize with their efforts. If you feel like your face is what's holding you back from living a better life, why not spend $30k to improve it? The community can be quite toxic, though. I would be interested to hear some how some of these guys fared in the dating world.
When a Stranger Decides to Destroy Your Life
There is also a podcast episode about this story. This is what happens when online witch hunts have real-world consequences. It focuses on a real estate agent who becomes the target of harassment and threats and how she discovers who is behind it and why.
How Intelligent Do You Have to Be to Raise a Child?
The state said a 19-year-old with an intellectual disability wasn't equipped to look after her baby and whisked the newborn off to another family just after birth—a decision the mother was ready to fight. But how smart do you have to be to raise a child?
This article brings up a divisive topic: who should be allowed to have kids? Here they focus on the story of a woman with intellectual disabilities who becomes pregnant. Should she be legally allowed to raise the kid? Does the government have the right to take that away from somebody?
A Deadly Hunt for Hidden Treasure Spawns an Online Mystery
I've read a few articles about Forrest Fenn's treasure hunt. It's a real-life treasure hunt that nobody has solved yet. It has also led to some deaths and suspicions that the hunt is fake. I can see the allure of the hunt. Who wouldn't want to find buried treasure using their wits to solve the puzzle that nobody else has solved yet?
She was 16. He was 25. They got married. Should that still be allowed?
When I first heard about this topic it was from a Frontline Dispatch podcast episode. I had no idea marriages this young were legal in certain states in the US and, while not huge, the number of these marriages surprised me. According to this article, 207,459 minors have been married between 2000 and 2015 (data is from 41 states). While most are 16 or 17, some are even younger and it's mostly young girls married to adult men (86% of minor marriages are to adults). In Alaska, the minimum age to get married is 14.
I'm not recommending this story because of the writing, but just to bring to light that child marriages are a thing in the US. Though it's not as big of an issue as in other countries where even younger kids are married out (in the US they're generally 15-17 years old), there are still quite a few instances of 12-14 year olds marrying adults. This causes me to ask: why allow this? The podcast is quite enlightening about one story of a very young girl (age 14) who gets pregnant by a 25 year old. The family is Christian and wants them to get married for religious reasons and as a way to keep the boyfriend out of jail for statutory rape. They even cross state lines to get a marriage license, even without consent of one of the girl's parents.
Inside the Haywire World of Beirut's Electricity Brokers
This is a look at the ingenuity of a community to overcome the lapses in what the government should be providing. Although these electricity brokers are likely charging more than what the government would, they are providing a useful service for a much needed utility.
The Weird, Dangerous, Isolated Life of the Saturation Diver
One of the world's most hazardous jobs is known for its intense pressure.
A look into a very obscure job I had no idea about.
Too Many Men
In countries that have previously, and still, prefer boys over girls, we are now seeing the consequences of these birth decisions. There are now too many men in China and India and they are having a harder time finding a girlfriend or wife. This is especially hard in these two countries that value marriage and taking care of family members. This article covers men and women in these countries and how they are impacted by decisions made when they were born.
The Clock is Ticking: Inside the Worst US Maritime Disaster in Decades
A recording salvaged from three miles deep tells the story of the doomed "El Faro," a cargo ship engulfed by a hurricane.
If you haven't heard of the sinking of this cargo ship, you should read this. As much as we rely on technology and satellites and weather tracking, we are still fallible in our decision making and deadly incidents like these can still happen.
The Sorrow and the Shame of the Accidental Killer
How do you live after unintentionally causing a death?
I have a few articles under "crime" that focus on what happens when someone accidentally kills someone. But this article talks about the emotional toll it takes on the person that has killed someone by accident. There are not many resources for these people. Some feel guilt over the deaths with no way to ever overcome it. If this happened to me, I have no idea how I'd live with myself but I know my life would be changed forever.
The 182 Percent Loan: How Installment Lenders Put Borrowers in a World of Hurt
Many people know the dangers of payday loans. But "installment loans" also have sky-high rates and work by getting borrowers — usually poor — to renew over and over. We take you inside one of the biggest installment lenders, billion-dollar World Finance.
Unless you live in a world where you need quick cash to cover an expense of a few hundred dollars, you never hear about all the new ways financial companies are targeting the poor. I'm always fascinated by the amount of greed with these companies and the ways they find to get more money out of people who already have so little.
The Lottery Hackers
The creativity of people is astounding. This story covers a few people who found ways to beat the lottery system. If you've ever wondered how to beat a "system" you'll like this article.
Inside the Secret Sting Operations to Expose Celebrity Psychics
Learn about a group of random people that have one thing in common: they hate psychics. Psychics prey on the vulnerable which makes them easy to dislike. This group goes undercover to expose these psychics, which they believe are checking the social media of the event attendees to use during their shows.
A Suspense Novelist's Trail of Deceptions
Dan Mallory, who writes under the name A. J. Finn, went to No. 1 with his début thriller, "The Woman in the Window." His life contains even stranger twists.
He seemed like the next big thing in the suspense novel world, but allegations have surfaced about extensive lying. The article alleges he's lied about having cancer and a brain tumor, to attending Oxford, to having a brother who died from suicide, and his mom dying from cancer.
The Mad Scramble to Claim the World's Most Coveted Meteorite
Two meteorite hunters end up squaring off with a small town in South America over a new specimen. These guys are really fascinating and the whole meteorite hunter group is something I'd like to read more on.
Such a well written story about a family that chose to stay in their home during Hurricane Harvey and how reliance on the emergency system ended up affecting their lives. What I took away from it is that when there's a storm like this (earthquake, whatever) you really need to assume you're on your own and that the police, medics, fire department can't come to your aid. Living in Florida I've evacuated a few times for hurricanes. Recently during Irma, I flew to Florida to evacuate my mom because of warnings of flooding. She had wanted to stay, but in a real emergency who can come save you? You have to expect that nobody is coming.
It's really one of the best stories I've read recently and I don't want to spoil it, so just read it.
For years he used fake identities to charm women out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then his victims banded together to take him down.
What Does It Mean to Die?
For the past four years, Jahi McMath has breathed with the help of a ventilator. A neurologist described her as "an extremely disabled but very much alive teenage girl."
Nobody wants to see a loved one die. This story of a young girl being kept alive by her family is sad and also questions when it's right to allow someone to die and how long you should keep them alive, and at what cost.
How to Lose Tens of Thousands of Dollars on Amazon
A growing number of self-proclaimed experts promise they can teach anyone how to make a passive income selling cheap Chinese goods in the internet's largest store. Not everyone's getting rich quick.
One of my passions (is passion too strong of a word?) is finding scammers and hucksters online. In the Amazon FBA and dropshipping space there are dozens all claiming the same stuff as the two guys profiled in this article. They all sell the dream of making it big on Amazon with not that much work. If you don't do well, they say you didn't work hard or picked the wrong product. They'll show off their cars, house, jewelry in an attempt to get you to believe they're making millions off Amazon, when they're really making a bulk of their money selling you a course. If I lost you at FBA and dropship, you should read this.
Since I'm a sucker for anything relating to scams or dishonesty online, I liked this article about how cutthroat the Instagram influencer space is.
The Lie Generator: Inside the Black Mirror World of Polygraph Job Screenings
I want to recommend this article because I found it crazy that there are still jobs out there that require polygraphs. Private companies are not allowed to require them, but for whatever arcane reason government jobs are able to require them. Science has shown that these are not accurate and they can be gamed. Who are they helping and who are they hurting?
How E-Commerce Is Transforming Rural China
JD.com is expanding its consumer base with drone delivery and local recruits who can exploit villages' tight-knit social networks to drum up business.
In high school and college I had a fascination with China. I learned some of the language and got really into the culture. I enjoy reading things like this about the country and how it's transforming. Since I'm in the eCommerce space this is especially interesting to me. Even if you're not that interested in either China or eCommerce this is a good read to see how other countries are innovating ahead of the US.
The Young and the Reckless
What happens when you hack the Xbox and try to profit off of it? What about when you hack into Microsoft to gain access to the unreleased Xbox One? And what happens when Microsoft and the FBI actually come after you for it?
The Ultra-Pure, Super-Secret Sand That Makes Your Phone Possible
I love stories like this that teach me something new. I didn't know how important sand is, and very particular sand, for our tech needs. It's excerpted from a book called The World in a Grain which I have on my to-read list.
The Case of Jane Doe Ponytail
An epic tragedy on a small block in Queens.
This is a very well-written piece about one Chinese woman who was working in a "massage parlor" in Queens. It focuses on her family, how she tries to support them after her husband's restaurant failed, and how the police target sex workers as opposed to the bosses and Johns.
What Happened at the Lake
A Father Took His 10-Year-Old Fishing. She Fell in the Water and Drowned. It Was a Tragic Accident — Then He Was Charged With Murder.
This is a really sad, well-written story of when something that sounds like a deadly accident involving a child turns into a case against a father. You can see why the justice system has a hard time figuring out the truth. In this case, I don't see 100% certainty that he did it, but I can see how a jury could see past any doubts and convict.
Blood Will Tell Part 1 & Part 2
Is Joe Bryan an innocent man, wrongfully imprisoned for the past 30 years on the basis of faulty forensic science?
From the New York Times, this very long, in depth 2 part investigation covers one of the many cases in which someone who doesn't sound guilty is found so based off forensic evidence that isn't all that clear.
Witness to the killing
In many homicides, police believe they know the killer's identity but can't get a witness to cooperate.
This story from the Washington Post does a great job of showing just why some witnesses won't cooperate with the police. The witness in this case wants to provide justice but the toll it takes on his family is tremendous, so I can see why the easier thing to do would have been to say nothing. It brings to light the issues the police face in trying to get witness cooperation and how they need to do much more for these witnesses if they want their help.
A Florida doctor went to court to clear his name. He gave up so much more.
Plantz, a former emergency room doctor, was sued for medical malpractice in 2009 after the death of one of his patients two years earlier. Against the urging of his insurance company, Plantz refused to settle the case and move on. The legal fight that resulted has lasted for nearly a decade.
It's the conundrum faced by many people sued over something and wanting to fight back to get justice. In this case it's a doctor who gets sued for malpractice and ends up obsessing over it for years. The legal system is tough on people who want justice. The process is long and complicated, costs lots of money, and even if you know you're right the ruling can end up in the other party's favor. Is it worth the fight?
Commonwealth v. Mohamed
A car crash in Kentucky left a 13-year-old girl dead. A Sudanese refugee was charged with her killing. Could anyone get justice?
A very sad story about what happens when someone gets charged with a death in a car accident. Especially interesting because it involves a refugee who is involved in their new community, but the accident happened in another state.
When Does an Accident Become a Crime?
Another story about a car crash that ends up being deadly. Someone is charged but it's not clear if that person was 100% at fault. It's interesting to see both sides: the family of the person killed wanting to see justice, and the person that is being charged who knows their actions led to someone dying but didn't purposefully do it. How do you come to a resolution in a case like this and the thousands of car accidents that happen?
How an Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald's Monopoly Game and Stole Millions
This story captured my attention because we all remember that McDonald's Monopoly game. As a kid I collected some of those hoping to win. But then I read this article and come to find that the real winners were an insider, his cronies, and his family.
The murder that shook Iceland
In a country with one of the lowest murder rates in the world, the killing of a 20-year-old woman upended the nation's sense of itself.
Iceland has a very low murder rate, so when a murder actually occurred it impacted citizens that didn't even know the victim. It's an interesting look into what happens when crimes occur in other countries. In the US, it's so rare for a murder to make an impact on people outside of that person's community.
When cops become robbers
Inside one of America's most corrupt police squads.
This Is the Worst Roommate Story You'll Ever Read
"You've got your whole life in front of you. You're pretty, you've got this house — well, you don't have this house anymore. This house is my house."
This scammer has the legal right to squat and take people's homes from them. If you feel like getting angry at how the law can let people get away with certain things, then you'll like this story.
Where to find more articles
Longform Newsletter
Longreads Newsletter
California Sunday
The Atavist
©2020 Lauren Tonge	| Theme by SuperbThemes.Com


text:
1936 Beverly 2021
Beverly Zehr
April 7, 1936 — November 9, 2021
Beverly B. (Sprague) Zehr, 85, of West Chester, died Tuesday, November 9, 2021, at the University of Iowa Hospital. A memorial celebration of her life will be held Sunday, November 14, 2021, at 1:30 PM at the West Chester United Methodist Church, with Pastor Don Patterson officiating. The service will be available via livestream at the Beatty Peterseim Facebook Page. Her body has been cremated and burial will be held at the West Chester Cemetery following the service. A memorial fund has been established for the West Chester United Methodist Church and the West Chester Heritage Association.
Beverly Belle Zehr was born April 7, 1936, in Lime Creek Township, the daughter of Isaac A. and Eunice B. (Bell) Sprague. She graduated from Keota High School and attended college in Missouri for accounting. Bev worked at a savings and loan in Cedar Rapids before her marriage. On November 28, 1964, she was united in marriage to Stanley G. Zehr. Beverly worked in accounting for the Exporter Elevator in West Chester for many years. She was a faithful member of the West Chester United Methodist Church where she was active as United Methodist Women historian, helped fold the monthly newsletter and assisted in setting up communion. She also served on the Election Board and helped with elections, including the most recent election only a week before her passing. Bev enjoyed watching Iowa Hawkeye sports, going to the casino, buying lottery tickets, reading, knitting, and traveling. She was a beautiful soul, known to help anyone that needed help.
Survivors include her brother Leland (Shelley) Sprague of Ojai, CA, two sisters-in-law: Deidre Zehr of Washington and Ruth Zehr of Washington and a number of nieces and nephews.
Preceding Bev in death were her parents, her husband Stanley in 2005, her brother Marvin Sprague and her sister Diana Brown.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Beverly Zehr, please visit our flower store.
Memorial Celebration of Life
West Chester United Methodist Church, West Chester
, IA


Earlier this fall, the UN Office to the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect released their new Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes. On 11 December 2014, together with the Permanent Missions of Italy and the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations, the Office held an event to mark the release of the Framework, convening governments, academics, and civil society to discuss key aspects of the new tool. Aidan White, Director of the Committee for Ethical Journalism, moderating the event, hailed the Framework as an opportunity to combat the pessimism and the sense of powerlessness that the widespread atrocity crimes in 2014 had wrought on the global community. UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson concurred, noting that the new tool, by promoting a systematic approach to prevention, would help the international community to prevent and protect people from atrocity crimes in the near future. Both the Missions of Italy and Tanzania reiterated their governments' support for prevention for the maintenance of international peace and security on the local, regional, and international level. Meanwhile, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, hoped that the Framework—designed to be a tool for practitioners—would be widely used by governments, international organizations, and civil society and galvanize the international community to take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to atrocities response.
In this regard, Ms. Azza Karam, Senior Adviser at the UN Population Fund, described the proactive role religious leaders play in atrocities prevention, as they encounter many of the risk factors identified in the Framework. Religious leaders, who are at the helm of what are often the oldest, most-established institutions in a country, have the power to either stoke tensions or help "deprogram" hate through the promotion of peaceful religious texts. Similarly—as Agnes Callamard, Director of Global Freedom and Expression and Information at Columbia University described—the media has a crucial role in atrocities prevention, and eight of the indicators elaborated in the Framework reference the media. Atrocities may breed in cultures where the media is unable to counter propaganda by providing readers with unbiased sources of information or promoting discourse.
Peggy Hicks of Human Rights Watch then described the crucial role of civil society in preventing atrocities, citing both the ICRtoP and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect as examples of organizations working to hold actors accountable to their 2005 commitment to protect populations. Ms. Hicks summarized civil society's role in the prevention of atrocities as falling in four key areas: building resilience and strong institutions, providing early warning information, atrocities response (by engaging in mediation and dispute resolution), and advocating for accountability for the perpetrators of atrocities.
Read the Framework Analysis on Atrocity Crimes here.
The post of the UN Secretary-General is "said to be the world's most impossible job…It is also one of the most important." Among the myriad other challenges he/she must face, the Secretary-General plays an outsize role in the promotion and implementation of the Responsibility to Protect norm. For example, the current UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, has been crucial in the mainstreaming of the Responsibility to Protect at the UN, thanks in large part to his annual report and his Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect. In addition, his predecessor, Kofi Annan, was one of the main advocates for the adoption of a Responsibility to Protect norm from 2003-2005. As RtoP enters its tenth year in 2015, it is critical that the next Secretary-General be a strong supporter and advocate for preventing and responding to crimes that have an inherent impact on the maintenance of international peace and security.
Despite the fact that the Secretary-General makes decisions that can affect 7 billion people, the selection process is secretive, outdated, and open to manipulation by the Permanent Members of the Security Council. In this vein, and in light of the many other global issues with which the next leader of the UN will have to contend, ICRtoP members the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy and the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom, in partnership with Avaaz, have launched the 1for7billion campaign. 1for7billion seeks to change the method of selection by creating a transparent, inclusive process based on formal criteria and qualifications.
Learn more about 1for7billion here and how your NGO can endorse this campaign.


Bone up on your Oscar nominee knowledge the easiest way possible with Alex Eylar's LEGO Best Picture nominees. Eylar is a talented LEGO artist who has recreated scenes from all 10 Best Picture nominees using everyone's favorite childhood toy.
Eylar's scene recreations are amazing, with the Inception and 127 Hours scenes being especially accurate. These LEGO Best Picture nominees function as a great primer for Oscar night. Why watch all of these movies when you can see a key scene recreated in LEGO? Time is money, after all -- money that can be used to buy more LEGOs.


text:
The government's 'concessions' over...
The government's 'concessions' over secret courts are not concessions at all
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Spooks as much as the next person, although I lost interest once the characters played by Rupert Penry Jones and Hermione Norris were bumped off. Along with most people, I have no illusions as to how accurate a portrayal it represented of the security services. Most amusing was the idea that there were only about a dozen spies at most, all highly swashbuckling, protecting us.
Nobody thinks there are spies much like James Bond either, but I suppose most people would generally assume that our spies at least are the good guys and reasonably successful in doing their jobs. And there's the rub. Mostly we have no idea what they are up to, which is why the government's proposals for secret courts are so worrying.
I wrote not that long ago about why these plans undermine the principle of open and equitable justice and why we should oppose them. Secret courts have no place in an open and democratic society and apparently the justice secretary Ken Clarke has finally been swayed by the Daily Mail's campaign against the proposals.
Or perhaps not. The much-trumpeted climbdown, most notably on the proposal that public inquests might be held in secret, is really nothing of the sort, if you take as your starting point the principle that all institutions must submit to the rule of law. Instead, this bill means that the intelligence services can insulate themselves from legal challenge and press scrutiny.
That is not to say we shouldn't welcome the concessions, limited though they might be, although, as with any government u-turn, it is always worth remembering what Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, calls the 'oldest parliamentary trick' where you start with 'a policy so outrageous that any crumb of comfort looks half reasonable'.
The other crumb offered by Clarke has been to decide that a judge, not a minister, will make the final decision on whether proceedings should go into close session. It's difficult to see, however, how the proposals, which remove judges' public interest immunity discretion, are anything other than a whitewash.
In reality, this 'concession' is a nonsense. Under the bill, a judge 'must' agree to a secretary of state's demand for secret hearings if the disclosure of information 'would be damaging to the interests of national security'. This, says Clarke, is a much narrower criterion than 'the public interest'. It may well be, but the problem remains, who defines what is in the interests of 'national security'. The judges? The government? The spies?
One key opponent to the proposals, Liberal Democrat peer and former Director of Public Prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, told the Today programme that 'judges pay a high degree of deference to ministers in the area of national security'. Judges themselves agree. As Lord Kerr of the Supreme Court said in al-Rawi, the leading case on secret hearings in civil claims, 'evidence which has been insulated from challenge may positively mislead'.
I don't know about you, but I want to know what is being done, in my name, to protect 'national security'. I want to know if my government has been complicit in the torture of detainees overseas or has allowed their rendition back to brutal regimes where their lives are in danger.
I am quite sure the Intelligence and Security Committee doesn't provide the accountability it's supposed to. But that's hardly surprising when it is appointed by the prime minister, has its reports vetted by him and probably only sees what MI5, MI6 and the government want it to see. The committee probably knows this, but that doesn't make me feel any better about it.
Ken Clarke claims there will, in fact, be more justice under these proposals because the only alternative is silence. This sounds pretty unlikely to me. Much more likely is that he wants to protect ministers against civil damages claims, like those from Guantánamo Bay detainees 'to whom we paid a lot of money recently because we could not put the evidence up against them'.
Lord Macdonald suggests the government has failed to come up with any concrete examples where this has happened. More to the point, it doesn't make it any more like fair justice if the case goes ahead in secret and is decided on evidence that one of the parties can't even see.
It is worth citing the case of Khadidja al-Saadi who was rendered at the age of twelve by the UK to Gaddafi's Libya. Her family are taking the British Secret Services to court for conspiracy to torture after failing to get either an apology or an explanation for their ordeal. Even with Ken Clarke's 'concessions, her case will be held in secret, so we'll never know the truth.
On hearing about the plans, Khadidja al-Saadi said they sounded
'a lot like the trial that Col. Gaddafi used to sentence my father to death. In that case, my dad told me, a man came from behind a panel and whispered intelligence in the judge's ear. My father had no opportunity to respond and had no idea what was said. [He was] sentenced to die. I say 'sentenced' but it was no trial. It was a joke. Is this really what Britain wants to do with my case?'
And this, ultimately, is the point. I don't want my justice system to be compared with that of a raving, maniacal and badly-dressed despot. I don't want our spies, however noble and just they might be, running around unchecked. And I don't want ministers to act as judge and jury, deciding what I can and can't know about what they are doing in my name, because it isn't always good and it's not always pretty.
Posted in: Justice system, Rule of Law
Tagged: Intelligence and Security Committee, Justice and Security Bill, Ken Clarke, Khadidja al-Saadi, Reprieve, secret courts, secret services, spies, spooks
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