In the preceding interview Gene Sharp refers to an unpublished paper he had once presented as a lecture to the Kroc Institute in Notre Dame University.1 Although we lack sufficient space to publish it here, Peace Magazine regards it as important, so I will summarize his argument here and react below to its implications.
The paper is addressed to those persons Sharp describes as "believers in principled nonviolence"—people who are sometimes called "committed pacifists." Clearly, many—perhaps most—peace activists belong in this category; they are people whose principles (whether secular or religious ethical ideals) preclude their use of violence under any circumstances. By no means does Sharp argue against this noble principle (probably he holds it himself privately), but he does suggest that living by it is not morally sufficient. We live in a world marked by conflict, where others are suffering from oppression and violence, and somehow we should respond to their needs. A "hands-off" policy is not enough. Sharp maintains that it is ethically unacceptable for principled persons to acquiesce to tyranny, even as an expression of their commitment to nonviolence.
But how can these "believers" work toward correcting violence without themselves resorting to violence? Are any nonviolent ways at least as effective in countering oppression as the use of violence? Traditionally, "believers" have supposed not, so they have concluded that the best way to oppose violence is simply to refuse to participate in it, or perhaps protest against it. Indeed, many scrupulous principled persons have lived by this rule even in extreme circumstances, refraining from fighting even when, for example, their territory was invaded by foreigners or their country was controlled by tyrants who violate human rights.
But that approach is fundamentally passive, and Gene Sharp himself would never be satisfied with it alone. Nor do most other citizens regard principled nonviolence as particularly noble. Instead, they maintain that in the face of tyranny, one may be obliged to use violence since, in their opinion, those who submit passively to the hostile violence of oppressors actually help it to succeed. Sharp notes that even the major world religions have come to regard military action as necessary in "the real world," for they see no realistic alternative to capitulation. Thus Christianity, for example, mainly accepts the ethical doctrine of the "just war." Pacifists are but a tiny proportion of all Christians.
Sharp points out the vast discrepancy between the actions of those individuals who practice respect for life and the warfare carried out by their society. Governments almost never choose to remain powerless in a threatening world, whereas most principled "believers" withdraw their participation from acute conflicts over important human issues. At most, they use mild ways of resolving the conflict, such as conducting peace education, negotiating, or engaging in dialogue with their oppressors.
While these gentle methods yield good results in certain situations, they are inadequate for dealing with open struggles, says Sharp. Moreover, the outcomes of negotiation and dialogue normally are determined by the power capacities of the two sides, not by where justice lies. Here again, power is understood to mean the ability to wage violent struggle. And here again, even in mediation situations, the weaker side loses.
But of course Sharp maintains that there are better options for principled believers in nonviolence. Alternatives to violence exist that can be very powerful, even against brutal adversaries. He has described hundreds of effective methods of nonviolent action, "ranging from mild symbolic protests and social boycotts, through more powerful economic boycotts, labor strikes, political noncooperation, and nonviolent intervention." The point is not to stage a futile expressive gesture against an unjust ruler, but to devise workable strategies to eliminate his power.
Nonviolent methods have frequently succeeded, Sharp says, by paralyzing dictators, but only rarely do they succeed by "causing the opponents to change their opinions. More often nonviolent struggle succeeds because it imposes unacceptable costs on the opponents by slowing or halting certain operations of the opponents' society." These tough nonviolent actions are commonly chosen by pragmatic people who are not "believers" in nonviolent principles but who see their practical advantages. As Gandhi discovered, people who do not believe in nonviolence as a principle can participate in it for specific purposes and thereby reduce the extent of violence in their society.
Gene Sharp is not your average peacenik. For thirty years I've admired him for that very reason.
Gene once told me about a time when he had given a speech about nonviolence to a peace group. A lady in the audience was shocked by it and scolded him by saying, "All you're doing is taking the violence out of war!" She was right. And what a glorious project!
That woman, along with most other peace activists, hates conflict and wants to stop it. Gene Sharp, on the other hand, believes conflict is a normal part of life and wants to wage it ethically, effectively, and victoriously. I'm on his side.
Of course, we all want to have warm, congenial friendships. Most of our dealings with others are amiable, cooperative, and often affectionate. Confrontations are not usual over the breakfast table or at the post office, thank heavens, and some persons almost never get into one—either because their personalities are naturally charming or because they have learned interpersonal skills in some kind of peace workshop. Probably we all can benefit from such programs, and every community should have a dispute resolution center. Peace is good.
But conflict is good too—albeit not exactly fun. Almost every social change comes about as the outcome of a significant conflict. Without controversy or opposition, life would be intolerably boring. Even in science and scholarly research conflict is essential. Look at the leading research in any subject and you will find a fight going on between a new theory or a new finding and some alternatives. Many scientists take their fights personally, feeling mutual animosity.
I once took a course from Karl Popper, probably the twentieth century's greatest philosopher of science. Far from trying to find compromises between incompatible theories, Popper wanted to sharpen up the conflicts between them. He admired scientists who formulate their ideas so they can conclusively be disproved. Any theory that cannot be disproved is scientifically useless, according to Popper. We never prove a theory. If we make progress toward the truth it is by posing contradictory ideas and eliminating the mistaken ones until only one remains standing. Even that one may later be disproved, in which case everyone should celebrate the advancement this represents. Yet every scientist or scholar should fight hard for his theory, for it takes a vigorous battle to eliminate the mistaken ones.
Likewise, in every human life one's greatest project is a struggle against something or somebody. We should celebrate our conflicts, but instead we strongly prefer harmony and avoid disputes or struggles. It takes courage to "speak truth to power," but it takes even more courage to speak truth to our dear friends when we consider them wrong. Only a grouchy, truculent person does that. We pick our fights carefully, choosing only issues that are worth making a fuss over. Probably we stand up for our beliefs less often than we should, allowing most erroneous opinions to pass unchallenged in everyday conversations. A more constructive person would be more quarrelsome, but who wants to hurt our friends or incur the social penalties that come from arguing unnecessarily?
But sometimes fights become necessary, as when we have to protect our lives, our loved ones, or our highest ideals. We are also morally obliged to protect vulnerable victims and defend human rights. The genius of Gene Sharp, like that of Gandhi, is to ask this: How can we fight effectively without injuring our opponents? Sharp has spent his entire life collecting instances of struggles that used nonviolent methods with success. Most of them are not cases of mediation or compromise or sweet reason but, frankly, alternatives to killing.
The proponents of warfare are not necessarily oblivious to ethical considerations. For example, there is a simple and reasonable moral principle behind the doctrine of the just war: If—and only if—you can do more good than harm by resorting to violence, then you are justified in doing so. The same basic notion lies behind the newer doctrine: Responsibility to Protect. If, say, there is a realistic prospect that the international community can save more lives than it will cost, while protecting justice and the human rights of a population suffering abuse from their own government, then the world has a duty to intervene on their behalf—ideally without but, if necessary, with military force.
Gene Sharp evidently does not go so far. He does work with aggrieved people, helping them find nonviolent ways to protect themselves from their abusers, while never telling them what to do. It is always their struggle, not his. He can never be accused, as George W. Bush has been, of trying to "impose" democracy and freedom on another society. His ethical formula balances two irreducible factors—strict nonviolence and pragmatic effectiveness—which he consistently seeks to reconcile. He can show that in many unexpected instances, they have been compatible, with the nonviolent side successfully ousting their oppressors.
Yet crises do occur when a massacre or even genocide seems imminent, and nevertheless Sharp does not advocate violent intervention by outsiders to protect the vulnerable. In such cases he still anticipates that military action would lead to more carnage than it would prevent—and, to judge from historical cases, he is mainly right. So far, Responsibility to Protect hasn't done much protecting. And Sharp declines to speculate about hypothetical cases in which military intervention might do more good than harm.
In the meantime, there are some nonviolent actions that the international community can take to help a victimized population save itself—without sending military support to help one side in a civil war to win. Like many other peace activists who prefer strictly nonviolent approaches, I have been haunted by the duty to help the rebels in Benghazi, Bahrain, and Syria protect themselves while ousting their dictators. At a minimum, for example, I'd impose targeted sanctions against the dictators, with the UN asking all states not to let their families enter or transfer money through their countries. Such interventions may be effective without injuring anyone.
Gene Sharp acknowledges that nonviolent methods do not always win, but even in such cases he believes that earlier preparation with wiser strategies might have prevailed. He advises, therefore, against waiting until the bullets are flying before you devise nonviolent strategies. Think ahead! Nonviolence is a sublime principle—but it is only one-half of an ethic. The other half is effectiveness in making human rights prevail.
Peace Magazine Jan-Mar 2012, page 13. Some rights reserved.


America's immigrant community is aging along with the rest of the population, and in many cases, with great financial difficulty. Some 15 percent of adults 60 and over were foreign-born in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Older immigrants represent a larger proportion of the elderly in major gateway cities and states. For example, in New York City, they comprise 46 percent of older adults; in California, one in nearly three older residents is foreign-born. Late-life immigrants are contributing to rising ethnic populations in rural areas and small towns in the Midwest and South, such as in Minnesota and Georgia, according to the Population Reference Bureau. Despite their swelling numbers and America's near-national obsession with retirement, "older immigrants are often ignored," observes Alberto Monserrate, co-founder and CEO of New Publica, a public relations and strategic communications firm based in Minneapolis. They seem almost invisible to the wider society. In addition, Monserrate and other ethnic community leaders say, older immigrants have growing fears and uncertainty about their future prospects in the U.S.


»звестный писатель и поэт .
The names of William Shakespears and Robert Burns are well known in the world.
Robert wrote a lot of poems. They are full of life. His poems and words are still known and loved by millions of people.
William Shakespeare was a writer and poet. He wrote a lot of comedies, tragedies and dramas for theatre: such as ССHamlet'', ССRomeo and Juliet'', ССMuch Ado about nothing'', ССTwelfth Night'', ССKing Lear'', ССOthello'' and many others.
William Shakespeare was born on the 23d of April, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon in a family of a glover.
The English school was a difficult place of that time. Pupils had to be at school at 6 o'clock in the morning and school days were long. In the holidays William Shakespeare went to the river Avon to have a real rest. Groups of actors visited Stratford from time to time. William Shakespeare watched them and decided to become an actor. When he was 21, he went to London . He became an actor there and began to write plays. He wrote 37 wonderful plays. Shakespeare's heroes are still on the stage. We go to the theatre to meet them again and again.


I've been cooking for probably about a decade now, and its fair to say that I've had a few disasters. I've burnt cakes, undercooked chicken (the oven's fault - I SWEAR), and a pecan pie that - to use a culinary term - just plain sucked. More of then than not I'll sit and seethe for a minute then just chalk it down to experience and reach for the nearest takeaway menu. But, on the rarest of occasions I'll end up creating something that, albeit may not be what I necessarily intended to create, can certainly pass for something else, and actually taste pretty damn good too. And so, on a totally unrelated note, these are my perfectly planned and intentional sourdough breadsticks.
A few weeks ago I started making a sourdough starter. It was a bit of a punt and there were some nervous moments right around week two, but I think I got there in the end.
I'm not gonna lie to you guys. This stuff don't smell so hot. But it makes such beautiful bread. Crazy.
For a big loaf..err..batch of breadsticks, mix 500g of strong white bread flour with 300ml of the starter and about 300ml of warm water. Add a pinch of salt and give it a good mix. Once it's all combined tip it out onto a floured worktop and give it a hell of a knead. It's REALLY wet and will take a lot of kneading. Use plenty of flour to stop it from sticking...I swore a lot at this stage actually. Once the dough is elastic and coming away from the table, roll it into a ball and pop into a big bowl that's you've ever-so-lightly oiled. Leave in a warm place for two hours.
I can't tell you how much joy I derive from seeing dough rise up like this. And then being able to punch it down. It's the coolest. I'm the coolest. Tip it out of the bowl onto a floured surface and smack it around a bit then shape into a loaf-ish shape.
So this is where it started to go wrong for me. The dough needs to rise for another 10 hours or so. You saw how much the dough had risen last time? So did I. And I still figured it would be a good idea to squeeze it into a nice little loaf tin with barely an inch or two to spare. Poor decision. What you want to do is leave it in a nice big bowl or loaf tray, even on a baking tray, with a bit of oil and covered with cling film. Mine rose like a motherbleeper, all over my oven and I lost half my dough. Great thing to wake up to.
The other, equally stupid mistake I made was leaving the dough on the side, covered on a baking sheet all day whilst I was at work instead of cooking it straight away. The result was a flat loaf. Hence...breadsticks! If you'd like some bread instead of breadsticks...don't do this. Bake it straight away after the second prove, at 230C for about 30 minutes. Throw a cup of water in the bottom of the oven and the steam will give the bread(sticks) a beautiful brown glossy crust.
I was just today contemplating doing my first sourdough starter so this post is perfectly timed. Despite not being your original intention those breadsticks do look good, though hopefully better luck next time (and a less messy oven!).


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As stated in my last blog post, we have been looking at different options for optimizing D-Bus. After some internal discussion and reviewing of the feedback we got, we think the best solution is to get the best ideas from AF_DBUS, but without having to create a new socket family, which wasn't very well welcomed by the Linux kernel developers. This brought us to having to choose a transport that allowed us to do that, so we decided on Netlink (an IPC mechanism for kernel to user-space communications).
Below is a detailed description of the architecture we are planning.
The Netlink protocol is a family of socket based IPC mechanism that can be used to communicate between the kernel and user-space processes and between user-space processes themselves. It was created as a replacement for ioctl and to receive messages sent by the kernel. It is a datagram-oriented service with both SOCK_RAW and SOCK_DGRAM valid socket types. It is based on the Berkeley sockets API and uses the AF_NETLINK address family. Netlink supports different Netlink families such as NETLINK_ROUTE, NETLINK_FIREWALL and NETLINK_SELINUX, each of which is used to communicate with a specific kernel service.
The Netlink protocol is explained in detail here.
Every Netlink family is identified by an integer number that allows using different Netlink services. Currently there are 21 assigned Netlink families from a maximum of 32. To avoid a shortage of Netlink families the Generic Netlink subsystem was created.
The Generic Netlink subsystem can multiplex different communication channels on a single Netlink family NETLINK_GENERIC. Generic Netlink subsystem is not only a simplified Netlink usage but also the communication channels can be registered at run-time without modifying core kernel code or headers.
The Generic Netlink subsystem is implemented as a service bus inside the kernel and users communicate with each other over it. The users can reside both in user-space or inside the kernel. The bus supports a number of Generic Netlink communications channels that are dynamically allocated by a Generic Netlink controller. This controller is a kernel Generic Netlink user itself, that listens on a special pre-allocated Generic Netlink channel "nlctrl" (GENL_ID_CTRL) where users send requests to create, remove and learn about available channels.
Communication channels are uniquely identified by a channel number that is allocated by the Generic Netlink controller. Users that want to provide services over Generic Netlink bus have to communicate with the Generic Netlink controller and ask it to create a new communication channel. Also, users that want to access those services have to query the Generic Netlink controller to know if these services are available and which channel number are currently using.
Every channel is identified by a Generic Netlink family and defines a set of commands that users can trigger. Each command is associated with a function handler that gets executed when a user sends a message specifying this command.
The family (communication channel) used is specified using the Netlink message header (nlmsghdr) type field (nlmsg_type).
Each Generic Netlink family can use a family specific header to be used by the service provided in that channel.
D-Bus can be implemented as a Generic Netlink service by creating a new Generic Netlink family (communication channel) "dbus". Applications will use this communication channel to send and receive D-Bus messages.
In this scenario, most of the work that is currently done by the dbus-daemon will take place in the D-Bus Netlink service, such as adding applications to the bus when they gain ownership of a name (NameAcquired signal), route the messages to the destination based on the application's unique name and maintaining match rules (AddMatch method).
The D-bus daemon will only be a special user of the Generic Netlink D-bus service, although it will still have some responsibilities such as authentication and, of course, implementing org.freedesktop.DBus service.
The other D-Bus users (apart from dbus-daemon itself), will just work as they do now, using the D-Bus wire protocol on top of the Netlink transport, although they will have to do some extra step, as explained below.
Mechanism to create and delete D-Bus buses: Since we need to separate the traffic for the different buses (system, user, etc) in the kernel module, we need a way for dbus-daemon instances to register buses in the kernel module. To do so, we can specify D-Bus family commands DBUS_CMD_NEWBUS and DBUS_CMD_DELBUS. The process who creates the bus will be the D-bus daemon implementing that bus and all the messages that have org.freedesktop.DBus as destination will be routed to it.
Besides the commands, we have to define a way to specify the name and type of the bus to be added. We can either store that information in a user defined header or define Generic Netlink family attributes to pass that information to the D-bus Generic Netlink service. In any case, the dbus-daemon will be the responsible for choosing a unique name (in the form netlink:name=unique_name), so that the kernel doesn't have to read any configuration at all, and just has to associate the unique addresses with each bus.
Another option would be to map a D-Bus bus to a multicast group and use the Generic Netlink controller CTRL_CMD_NEWMCAST_GRP and CTRL_CMD_DELMCAST_GRP commands. But we need more fine-grained control over the routing of the messages. We can't just use genlmsg_multicast() and send the message to every application in the bus. A signal message sent to a bus is not received by all the applications since AddMatch rules can prevent some applications to receive the message. So, we have to maintain our own multicast group based on match rules.
session bus, then only processes that are executed with the same uid as the one for the D-bus daemon are allowed. This restriction is not true for system bus, which allows connection from processes running as any user. Connection requests are routed to the D-bus daemon who does the authentication.
As the create/delete group case, we need to specify to which bus we are trying to connect. We can also store that information on the user defined header or define a set of Generic Netlink family attributes.
and use standard BSD socket API such as recv().
All this is even easier when using libnl, a library that simplifies a lot the use of Netlink in user-space applications. This library is used in other system services, like NetworkManager, so adding a dependency on it to D-Bus shouldn't be a problem.
The Genetlink D-bus service will parse the D-bus message, add the sender field and route to the correct destination in the case of a unicast message. If the message is a signal, the service will get the recipients list according to the match rules.
Also, it will process the NameAcquired and NameLost signals as well as the AddMatch method calls, so that it can keep track of where the messages need to go to.
Security framework: In the previous sections, authentication was mentioned as one of the responsibilities of the dbus-daemon itself. This is indeed what it does right now, but with the kernel Netlink module doing the routing based on user id, as explained above, maybe no authentication is needed on the dbus-daemon side. The question is whether the dbus-daemon should trust all that comes from the kernel or just do an extra check.
For some more fine-grained security, D-Bus services can use PolicyKit to prompt the user requesting the operation for extra authentication.
Support sending large messages: Some D-Bus users complain about bad performance from D-Bus when sending large chunks of data over it, that being the reason for file descriptor passing being available on D-Bus. It is true, though, that one can argue that those applications shouldn't be sending that much data over the bus, and that it is the application's responsibility, but the truth is that the problem exists.
Netlink provides the ability to send large messages by using multipart messages, so that the data to be sent can be sliced into chunks (no bigger than the kernel socket buffers' size), resulting in better performance.
All this needs a bigger change to libdbus/bindings as in our initial plan, since the Netlink messages, as explained before, carry on an extra header that needs to be parsed before the real D-Bus message is processed.
So, for libdbus, we will implement DBusServerNetlink object for the implementation of a Netlink-based D-Bus server, and DBusTransportNetlink for the actual implementation of the wire protocol to be used when using Netlink as a transport. DBusTransportNetlink will be responsible for getting and parsing messages from the Netlink D-Bus kernel service.
For bindings, similar work will be needed to add support to reading and writing Netlink messages, but with the use of the libnl library, this should make it easier, and anyway, it is part of our plan to add whatever code is needed to the most popular bindings.
And that's all for now, any comments/feedback is appreciated.
In the last month and a half, I have been working, as part of my work at Collabora, on optimizing D-Bus, which even though is a great piece of software, has some performance problems that affect its further adoption (specially on embedded devices).
Fortunately, we didn't have to start from scratch, since this has been an ongoing project at Collabora, where previous research and upstream discussions had been taking place.
AF_DBUS work from Alban/Ian: while it improved the performance of the bus by a big margin, the solution wasn't very well accepted in the upstream kernel mailing list, as it involved having lots of D-Bus-specific code in the kernel (all the routing).
Shared memory: this has no proof-of-concept code to look at, but was a (maybe) good idea, as it would mean peers in the bus would use shared memory segments to send messages to each other. But this would mean mostly a rewrite of most of the current D-Bus code, so maybe an option for the future, but not for the short term.
Using some sort of multicast IPC that would allow peers in the bus to send messages to each other without having all messages go through the daemon, which, as found out by several performance tests, is the biggest bottleneck in current D-Bus performance. We had a look at different options, one of them being AF_NETLINK, which mostly provides all that is needed, although it has some limitations, the biggest one being that it drops packets when the receiver queue is full, which is not an option for the D-Bus case.
UDP/IP multicast has been mentioned also in some of the discussions, but this seems to be too much overhead for the D-Bus use, as we would have to use eth0 or similar, as multicast on loopback device doesn't exist (hence no D-Bus in computers without a network card). Also, losing packets is another caveat of this solution, as well as message order guarantee.
An implementation of multicast for UNIX sockets.
A D-Bus branch to use those multicast UNIX sockets, based on current D-Bus master branch.
That is, when a peer wants to join a bus, it would connect to the daemon (exactly as it does today), authenticate, and, once the daemon knows the peer is authenticated, it would join the accept'ed socket to the multicast group (this is important, as we don't want to have peers join by themselves the multicast group, so it's the daemon's job to do that). Once the peer has joined the multicast group, it would use socket filters to determine what traffic it wants to receive, so that it only gets, from the kernel, the messages it really is interested in. The daemon would do the same, just setting its filters so that it only gets traffic to the bus itself (org.freedesktop.DBus well-known name).
In this multicast solution, we might have to prevent unauthorized eavesdropping, even though peers need to authenticate through the daemon to join the multicast group. For this, we have been thinking about using Linux Security Modules. It is still not 100% clear how this would be done, so more information on this soon.
The above-mentioned branches work right now, but as I said before, they are still a work in progress, so they still need several things before we can call this work finalized. For now, we have succeeded in making the daemon not get any traffic at all apart from what it really needs to get, so a big win there already as we are avoiding the expensive context switches, but the socket filters still need a lot of work, apart from other minor and not so minor things.
Right now, we are in the process of getting the kernel part accepted, which is in progress, and to finish the D-Bus branch to be in an upstreamable form. Apart from that, we will provide patches for all the D-Bus bindings we know about (GLib, QtDBus, python, etc).


Football Kenya Federation has shortlisted 37 referees to take charge of select FIFA Assignments for the 2019 season at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani warm-up track for a Physical Endurance test (PET).
The exercise saw the match officials taken through a series of endurance, agility drills and medical tests to ascertain whether they are physically fit with FKF Referees Manager Sylvester Kirwa saying the names of the successful referees will be forwarded to the federation for consideration.
On his part, FKF NEC Member for Nyanza Joseph Andere, who heads the FKF Referees Committee emphasized the Federation's commitment to improving the levels of officiating in the country.
Among match officials who are in line for debuts in next season's FIFA assignments include Raymond Onyango, Isaac Memusi, Caroline Kiles, Elizabeth Njoroge and Doreen Kendi.
Davies Omweno, Anthony Ogwayo, Andrew Juma, Israel Mpaima, Peter Waweru, Samuel Mwaura, Moses Simiyu, Raymond Onyango, Badir Yassin, Dickens Mimisa, Felix Ekai, Isaac Memusi.
Gilbert Cheruiyot, Tony Kidiya, Stephen Yiembe, Oliver Odhiambo, Joshua Achila, Samuel Kuria, Adam Juma, Godfrey Ndeva, Emmanuel Barasa, Boniface Gikonyo, Stephen Adeya, Michael Maru.
Caroline Wanjala, Agneta Itubu, Francina Khamali, Judith Muhonja, Beatrice Oganga.
Mary Njoroge, Jane Cherono, Caroline Kiles, Elizabeth Njoroge, Doreen Kendi, Beatrice Achieng, Gladys Kamuren, Druscilla Chepkemoi.


We are not the children nor the descendants of a weak people.
An essential component of healing the hearts of those forced from their homelands: center their beauty. It is a simple approach to disrupting that loop tape of self deprecation that is playing on repeat in so many of our brains.
For there are few pains distinct as the one that emerges from a feeling of abnormality, that seemingly inescapable idea that one is all alone in their wound and this world. Scaled up, it becomes a social belief present across hearts that one's pain has no parallels, perpetuating feelings of shame and isolation.
My how trauma convinces us we are abandoned. It is an unimaginative composer corrupting that loop tape thar sits in your frontal lobe, impeding our ability to see beyond our own experience, much less across generations.
Look up. Look around. Listen . See and hear the echoes of your wounds and dreams all around you. Know that you are never alone as you think. We may even be in the majority. Each point of connection with another transforms them from stranger into ally in the healing process.
If you read this and still feeel abandoned, walk with head high knowing there are generations of ancestors inside of you. We will survive this era as we did the eras before: using the skills we have, inventing the ones we need.
On those days when the spine or soul becomes tired, imagine all of humanity whispering a twelve word prayer inside your ear: "we are not the children nor the descendants of a weak people.
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text:
Three new travel-related cases of COVID-19 confirmed on P.E.I.
Prince Edward Island has three new cases of COVID-19, the Chief Public Health Office confirmed Thursday in a news release.
The new cases are all travel-related and the three people involved are not connected with one another.
"The individuals are two women – one is in her 30s and the other in her 50s – as well as a man in his 50s. They all arrived in the province following travel outside Atlantic Canada," the statement issued at 2:30 p.m. AT read.
"All three individuals remain in self-isolation and are being followed by public health daily."
There are three flight alerts associated with the new cases.
People who travelled to Charlottetown on the following flights are being told to monitor themselves for symptoms and continue to isolate while seeking a test if any symptoms develop:
Air Canada Flight 8302 from Montreal on Dec. 21.
Air Canada Flight 7462 from Toronto on Dec. 21.
Island testing clinics are operating on reduced hours for the Christmas holiday weekend. The changes can be found here.
The number of active cases on Prince Edward Island is now five, out of the 94 cases confirmed since the pandemic began.
A total of 57 males and 37 females have tested positive since March, but there have been no deaths and no hospitalizations.
Seven of those who tested positive were under the age of 20, and 10 were aged 60 and up.
The province's latest COVID-19 data shows testing has returned 75,201 negative results to date.
Reminder about symptoms
The symptoms of COVID-19 can include:
Cough or worsening of a previous cough.
Possible loss of taste and/or smell.
Sore throat.
New or worsening fatigue.
More from CBC P.E.I.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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VMAs in NJ: MTV Video Music Awards headed to the Prudential Center in Newark
Live from New Jersey, it's the MTV Video Music Awards
VMAs in NJ: MTV Video Music Awards headed to the Prudential Center in Newark Live from New Jersey, it's the MTV Video Music Awards Check out this story on app.com: https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/04/29/vmas-nj-mtv-video-music-awards-headed-prudential-center-newark/3623179002/
Chris Jordan, Asbury Park Press Published 8:27 p.m. ET April 29, 2019 | Updated 2:02 p.m. ET May 6, 2019
Live from New Jersey, it's the MTV Video Music Awards.
The 2019 VMAs are set for Monday, Aug. 26 at the Prudential Center in Newark, MTV and the Prudential Center have announced. The awards feature music biggest stars, unique collaborations, watercooler moments and Twitter meltdowns.
A day that's lived in infamy. (Photo: Jason DeCrow, AP)
It will be the VMAs' Jersey debut. The awards show took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City last year and the Forum in Inglewood, Ca. in 2017.
"New Jersey has an incredible music heritage and is home to some of the world's biggest artists including 'Chairman of the Board' Frank Sinatra, 'The Boss' Bruce Springsteen, Queen Latifah, Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, the Jonas Brothers, the Fugees, and Halsey. The list is wide and endless," said Bruce Gillmer, MTV VMA executive producer, in a statement. "Now the moonperson plants its flag to celebrate all that New Jersey has given to music fans around the globe."
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The VMAs debuted in 1984 at Radio City Music Hall. Madonna notably sang "Like a Virgin" that year.
"We are thrilled to welcome the music and entertainment industry's brightest stars to Prudential Center, the City of Newark, and the State of New Jersey," said Scott O'Neil, CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the owners of the Prudential Center, in a statement. "Once again, the eyes of the music industry will turn to one of the Top 10 busiest arenas in the world, Prudential Center. We look forward to continuing to tell the story of this world renowned venue and the positive change it has generated through music and entertainment in Newark and across the State of New Jersey."
The VMAs' most controversial moments
Miley twerking, Madonna and Britney smooching, and Kanye not letting Taylor finish — these moments are part of the Video Music Awards' reputation for crazy moments. Revisit the awards show's most eyebrow-raising moments in the gallery. Jason DeCrow, AP
2009: Kanye West infamously bumrushed the stage during Taylor Swift's Video of the Year acceptance speech, sparking a controversy that still makes headlines today. Jason DeCrow, AP
The 2013 VMAs were Miley Cyrus' party, and she could do what she wanted to — but that didn't mean viewers loved seeing her grind on Robin Thicke. Jeff Kravitz
2013: Miley, no! Charles Sykes, Invision/AP
In the VMAs craziest non-Kanye moment, Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera took the stage in 2002 — and swapped spit mid-performance. JULIE JACOBSON, Associated Press
2002: Madonna and Christina Aguilera locked lips in Part 2 of the VMA's craziest clip not involving Kanye. SCOTT GRIES, GETTY IMAGES
2014: Beyonce's feminist statement. Michael Buckner, Getty Images
After running through her hits and ending her performance in front of a giant "FEMINIST" screen, Bey joined husband Jay Z and her daughter Blue Ivy onstage for a sweet family moment. Mark Davis, Getty Images
2001: Britney Spears is responsible for a handful of the VMAs' most iconic moments. Only one of them featured a snake. BETH A. KEISER, Associated Press
2015: On the heels of a summer where everyone was seemingly beefing with one another, Nicki Minaj had three words for one certain 'Hannah Montana' star: "Miley, what's good?" Matt Sayles, Invision/AP
But there was no longer any bad blood between Minaj and Taylor Swift, who had squabbled earlier that summer about the 2015 VMA nominations. Lester Cohen, WireImage
After a tough stretch in the public eye, Britney Spears' 2007 performance was supposed to be a triumphant return. Instead, her shaky vocals and disoriented stage presence drew jeers. Mark J. Terrill, AP
2007: Britney's bloated comeback. Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Who can forget the meat dress? Lady Gaga was feeling carnivorous with her wardrobe during the 2010 VMAs, where she picked up the Video of the Year award for 'Bad Romance.' Kevin Winter, Getty Images
2010: Gaga gets meaty. Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images
2011: Beyoncé's big reveal. Matt Sayles, AP
At the end of her 'Love on Top' performance, the singer bust open her sequined jacket to reveal a growing baby bump. Surprise! Kevin Winter, Getty Images
1994: The awards' second-craziest kiss. BEBETO MATTHEWS, Associated Press
Michael Jackson gave his wife Lisa Marie Presley a big onstage smooch, and neither seemed at all comfortable with it. Bebeto Matthews, AP
1984: The OG controversial VMAs performance came from Madonna and her take on 'Like a Virgin' in that white wedding dress. MTV
1999: Lil Kim joined Mary J. Blige onstage to introduce Diana Ross — and the legendary singer copped a feel onstage, going straight for Lil Kim's pastie. Scott Gries, Getty Images
2002: Britney Spears came on stage to wish Michael Jackson a happy birthday. Jackson thought he was receiving the "Artist of the Millennium" award, which doesn't exist. An extremely awkward speech ensued. TIM CLARY, AFP/Getty Images
1997: Fiona Apple won the VMA for best new artist, delivering her now-notorious "The world is (expletive)" speech. DOUG KANTER, Associated Press
The broadcast will incorporate Twitter's NewFronts presentation, where the MTV VMA Stan Cam will let "fans take control of their VMA viewing experience in ways they never could before. Using a series of short-form streams on Twitter, MTV will ask fans to decide which stars they'd like to watch, follow backstage, go behind-the-scenes and poll on a live reaction cam during the show's biggest moments," according to MTV.
Last year's VMAs were the No. 1 most social cable awards show of 2018, according to MTV.
"We are incredibly proud to host one of the music industry's most celebrated and adored awards shows, the VMAs, at Prudential Center, the home of sports and entertainment in New Jersey and one of the world's most popular touring locations," said Sean Saadeh, EVP of Entertainment at Prudential Center in a statement. "The star power of the performers and attendees we expect at this year's VMAs mirrors the incredible talent that graces our stage at the more than 175 events that play Prudential Center annually. This is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate the musical heritage of New Jersey and the Tri-State Region."
Chris Jordan: cjordan@app.com; Twitter: @chrisfhjordan
Read or Share this story: https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/04/29/vmas-nj-mtv-video-music-awards-headed-prudential-center-newark/3623179002/
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Dear Pope Francis, please be Catholic
As most readers are likely aware, a signature drive with the name "Filial Appeal to His Holiness Pope Francis" has practically gone viral; petitioning the pope "to reaffirm categorically the Catholic teaching that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics cannot receive Holy Communion and that homosexual unions are contrary to Divine and natural law."
As of this writing, the drive has garnered over 76,000 signatures, some of which are from people I admire.
Mine, however, is not one of them.
I realize that this post isn't likely to win many new friends, especially among those who, with good intentions, forked over their name and email address to the anonymous creators of this operation, but hey, someone has to deliver the unwelcome news:
At best, the so-called "Filial Appeal" is a monumental waste of time; at worst, it unwittingly undermines the very thing it proposes to accomplish.
Before we get to that, however, let's talk about the petition itself.
There's reason to believe that the author of the text may not be a native English speaker, so perhaps a little leeway is in order. Even so, it's a terrible read.
Most annoying of all is its use of the capital "Y" in "You" every time it addresses Pope Francis directly, as if referring to the Almighty Himself. Perhaps this is a norm in some other languages. Who knows?
(NOTE TO WHOEVER WROTE THAT TEXT: The last thing this pope needs is an ego boost.)
In truth, the entire thing could be reworded simply to say:
Dear Pope Francis, please be Catholic. Thank you.
As it is, the "Appeal" informs the pope of "widespread confusion arising from the possibility that a breach has been opened within the Church that would accept adultery," asking him to remedy the situation.
Every interested party with a middle school education knows very well that Pope Francis is the author of that would-be breach, and furthermore, he seems Hell bent and determined to exploit it as far as the Lord will allow.
So, what's the danger in just signing the petition anyway?
Let's think this through logically:
We're living in the midst of a disastrous pontificate that shows forth every indication of going from bad to worse before it mercifully comes to an end.
Why is this so?
In part because we have a pope who appears determined to circumvent Catholic doctrine under the guise of "pastoral concerns;" even going so far as to tell the Synod bishops, "the Church must listen to the beat of this age."
In other words, we have a Roman Pontiff who seems to put more stock in the emotionally charged opinions of broken people persisting in sinful lifestyles than he does in the immutable voice of Christ as made known in the tradition of the Church.
So, how shall we respond?
Well, by joining a petition drive calling on the pope to listen to us, of course!
It's as if we're saying, "Hey, we're part of the 'beat of this age' too; in fact, we already number nearly one-ten-thousandth of one percent of the world's one billion Catholics, and we're just getting started!"
All levity aside, the point is rather simple:
The Bishop of Rome is not, contrary to his own dangerous behavior, like a local alderman who is called to govern according to the concerns of his constituents. That's the problem.
Petitioning him, albeit with good intentions, only adds to the false impression that the sheep should be leading the shepherd.
Surely some will counter with the idea that we are occasionally called, in charity, to offer fraternal correction, even to our superiors.
Indeed, but this isn't one of those occasions.
Pope Francis has been attacking Catholic doctrine and those who embrace it with remarkable rancor from the earliest days of his pontificate; not because he doesn't know how those worthy of the name Catholic think and feel and worship, but precisely because he does.
Further informing him of the true Faith and our devotion to it isn't going to help the situation one iota.
The petition is at least correct in identifying the pope as the central figure in the current controversy concerning marriage and family, but let's not kid one another – this isn't an ignorance problem that calls for correction; it's a crisis of faith that calls for a damned good confession.
The bottom line is this: Our part in this terrible crisis is neither as flashy nor as newsworthy as a well-organized petition drive; it's prayer and fasting, plain and simple.
Now if that went viral, we might be getting somewhere.
Bishops' committee to study "what it means to be Catholic"
Fr. Thomas Rosica: Persecutor or prophet?
Lessons from the Tommy Tobin affair
I agree on the prayer and fasting. 15 decades a day.
Logically, if one can authentically (and one certainly can) say to a Bergoglio/ a 'pope', 'please be Catholic', he is not the pope, because he is, obviously, not Catholic.
A Pope need not be perfect, but he MUST teach the Faith of the Popes of Holy Roman Catholic Church.
Imagine if we discovered that Roncalli had been a secret Sillonist and that he secretly overturned Pius XII excommunication of known Communists who's aim is, like the freemasons, to replace the Faith with athiestic or luciferian ideologies? And that he wrote a secret encyclical that was secretly praised by freemasons (the first ever); and that he was secretly found upside down in his coffin long after his funeral; and that his successor, Montini, secretly changed the Mass into a protestant service, and secretly perverted the rites of ordination so as to overthrow authentic apostolic succession, and then secretely changed all the other sacraments, diminishing all efficacy, and then he secretly introduced doctrine and discplines into the seminaries that would brainwash all God's chosen into being liberal enemies of the True Faith, and friends of Belial, and that Montini also secretly handed the papal tiara to the UN in order to secretly ritually abdicate the sovereignty of Christ (at least in his mind and that of his true brethren); and that his successor Wojtyla secretly worshipped with buddhists and hindus, muslims and jews and that he secretly taught that all men are already saved; and that he secretly officiated at 'mass' ceremonies where naked women were servers; and that his successor Ratzinger secretly said that the second vatican council is an anti-syllbus to the Faith taught by pre-VII Popes and that conversion was no longer necessary – simply a matter of conscience; and then also secretly worshipped with jews, hindus etc., and then his successor, Bergoglio, secretly said that we should not obsess about child-slaughter and that traditional Catholics are terrorists, and secretly insulted and slandered those who pray the Rosary and then secretly persecuted seminarians who hold to the Faith of the Apostles, and then secretly said that there is no Catholic God, whilst also secretly worshipping with jews, muslims etc. even in the Vatican, whilst also secretly promoting the dissolution of marriage, the promotion of homosexuality, etc. etc. etc….one would hope upon finding out all these terrible secrets we Catholics would stand up and go, these men could never have been Popes! Heretics, Apostates, or perhaps out and out devil worshippers, but not Popes!
http://christorchaos.com/?q=content/church-flowed-second-vatican-council
http://www.novusordowatch.org/wire/index.htm#.VNrJrS7sdOU
PS. and then imagine if they all secretly canonized themselves as ascended masters of their New Order Religion? Just imagine. Except no one needs to imagine or go uncovering any secrets. It has all happened right in front of us since the white smoke turned to black smoke in 1958.
salvemur, you make valid points. But bad popes doing bad things does not make them 'not popes.' Christ promised he would always be with us. This indicates He will always give us the means of salvation. We have a bad pope but a pope nevertheless. He gives us bad bishops (by authority) but bishops nevertheless. These bad bishops give us bad priests, but priests nevertheless.
This is the way Our Lord has promised to be with us – through His Church, and her Sacraments – without which we could not be saved.
Are we frustrated with this situation? Yes, but we must accept it, and do those things the Saints did. Their writings, thoughts, prayers, and activities comprise the instruction manual.
Does God not place each of us in the time, place, and circumstances that He sees fit? Doesn't He love us? How could He allow His beloved children to have such bad shepherds? We don't know, and if I am correct we (like Job and his friends) are not even supposed to ask Him. We can discuss this amongst ourselves, but we are not to ask HIM. His ways are not our ways.
We are asked to live it. Right here, right now. Liking it is not relevant. Telling Him we don't think His pope is real is to kick against the goad.
Hello Barbara. God loves us – when the early Church was being brutally martyred they did not doubt that God loved them; they did not doubt either that the world hated them. Christ is with us in His Church 'unto the consummation of the age'; we still have valid priests and Bishops who keep and hand on the Faith, minister unadulterated sacraments and offer the True Mass everyday. They have not defected from the Indefectable Church. We can unite ourselves in prayer with them if we cannot actually attend. It is not the first time in the Church's history that access to priests and sarcraments was scarce. God knows what we have and what we don't have. Cardinal Pie said the Church would be reduced to 'individual and domestic proportions'. Christ gave us a Rock upon which we can all stand and It has not defected even if it has been exiled by the usurpers.
Either the Church is indefectable or It isn't. If it isn't and can suddenly teach doctrines that were condemned, then Ratzinger is right, there is no need to convert and logically priests and sacraments are not necessary, but simply something optional as a result of truth being changeable. If the Church is indefectable it is impossible that It can suddenly teach against Itself. Modernism was condemned, the Novus Ordo Religion promulgates modernism in its doctrine, worship and disciplines. They are not one.
Modernism/New Order 'church' is an institution of innovations and rejection of what was handed on to it. The Novus Ordo stands in direct contradiction to the errors condemned by the Church. Which church is the 'church'? The Church and Its exiled Bishops, Priests and Faithful, or the Novus Ordo and its heirarchy? Either the successors of Peter who condemned those errors are authentic or the New Order promulgators are authentic in which case we should have no problem with the modernist mockery of what we would call authentic Tradition – clown masses, world youth day, 'popes' who teach 'make a mess', 'popes' who promote the worship of demons and promote place false religions on an 'equal' footing with Christ, the constant debasement of the papacy and Apostolicity and Holiness. We should obey and embrace modernism – the synthesis of all errors. But of course, we know better.
The Novus Ordo 'popes' are not bad popes, they are not in the Church because the teach, worship and exhort against the Church.
http://www.novusordowatch.org/tradcast/index.html
RE: the 'bad popes' theory of what is happening in the Novus Ordo: 'There is not a heretic or a schismatic who has not endeavored to legitimate his own conduct dogmatically: Photius tried to justify his pride, Luther his sensual passions, Calvin his cold cruelty. Neither Sergius III nor John XII nor Benedict IX nor Alexander VI, supreme pontiffs, definers of the faith, certain of being heard and obeyed by the whole Church, uttered, from the height of their apostolic pulpit, a single word that could be an approval of their disorders.' Rev. Fernand Mourret, A History of the Catholic Church.
An authentic Pontiff must never err in 'mainting and conserving the unity and integrity of the Catholic Faith'.
The True Church declares in the First Vatican Council: 'For, the Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter that by His revelation they might disclose new doctrine, but that by His help they might guard sacredly the revelation transmitted through the apostles and the deposit of faith, and might faithfully set it forth. Indeed, all the venerable fathers have embraced their apostolic doctrine, and the holy orthodox Doctors have venerated and followed it, knowing full well that the See of St. Peter always remains unimpaired by any error, according to the divine promise of our Lord the Savior made to the chief of His disciples: "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren".'
Dear salvemur,
One of the more frustrating aspects of these times we're living through, with this type of access to one another's thoughts via the internet, is seeing in writing the things we have in common– passionate love for the Church; willingness to defend God's Holy Truth and to work and pray for the salvation of souls; -gut-wrenching stories of loved ones whose hearts have become hardened by lies they've been fed–and yet we find we're divided for reasons that all seem right to us.
We're wondering, (seriously-not a trick question or with any sarcasm) have you any hope of what you would consider a true Papacy being resumed before the end of time, or do you think we've gone beyond that possibility? And if not, what would it take to restore it?
Bocephus February 11, 2015
How can Francis be Head of something he has repeatedly demonstrated by word and deed that he is not apart of? Louie you have been masterful at illustrating this. So I am perplexed. This petition illustrates how far the physical Church has sunk. There is nothing positive. Beam me up Scotty!!
But there are lots of positives: Holy Mass, Confession, Baptism, The Blessed Sacrament, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Last Rites – all goods that we still have given to us. It may take a bit of searching but these goods are there.
As well we do have good shepherds – the internet (Thanks Be To God) shows us daily there are good bishops and priests all over the place.
And we have Cardinal Burke, and Bishop Schneider too! So cheer up!!!
Dear Louie,
Well said. You obviously personally add to the prayer and fasting, the spiritual work of mercy of getting the word out to others about what is going on in the Church today, which the messages of Fatima and Akita and other approved apparitions of our time warned us would be very serious and reach all the way to the top of the Hierarchy, and will last until her Triumph and the Time of Peace is granted to the world..
Cardinals like Raymond Burke and others appear to be chiming in, speaking of duties to "resist" all efforts contrary to God's will, no matter how high the authority who makes them.
– Bishops like Athanasius Schneider
(who BTW has a speaking engagement in Washington D.C:.
Feb 14th at 2pm at Annunciation Church – 3810 Massachusetts Ave NW)
has called for a new syllabus of errors, and communion on the tongue only, and says,"Thank God for the internet" as he gets the word out over it.
http://www.courageouspriest.com/bishop-athanasius-schneider-fourth-great-crisis-church
These voices may be few compared to the larger number of modernists in control right now, but then God blessed the work of 12 men and spread His Church throughout the world. And they didn't HAVE the internet, only the same promises we have.
The following are two quotes from the Catholic Encyclopedia, with emphasis in bold added:
1) "The pope himself, if notoriously guilty of heresy, would cease to be pope because he would cease to be a member of the Church" ("Church legislation on heresy").
2) "Ordinarily [notoriety] is equivalent to public, manifest, evident, known; all these terms have something in common, they signify that a thing, far from being secret, may be easily known by many".
Link (must be prefixed with "http://"):
I see we can include more than one hyperlink in our comments now. Obviously both the above links work without any prefixing.
I do believe, however that the onus of prayer and fasting should primarily be on the shoulders of Bergolio who must work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.
The onus to pray and fast is on us all, particularly, the good, or those who respect the good and try to adhere to it. The bad are unlikely to pray, or fast, except for the promotion and spread of evil. Like the woman whom Bishop Sheen met, fasting for the spread of abortion, which is a diabolical evil, which cries out for vengeance. Lord, help me, to pray and fast, fast and pray.
Today's Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, might be a good day to remember
the power of the Rosary, Pray to the Immaculate Conception, and ask God to help His Church and for the conversion of all sinners.
http://en.lourdes-france.org/tv-lourdes/
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zqBEpj3NKCA/TzDWp6bZb2I/AAAAAAAABqs/9HlJTlLtIfc/s1600/holy_p24.jpg
That was a very long sentence indeed…to convert that into an alternative petition, might require some shortening.
On reflection, apologies, as my feeble attempt at humour should not take away from the serious point you are trying to make
Something we might keep in mind as well: Poor Francis hates 'counters.' Even a million or a billion signatures would make no dent in his understanding.
The fact that there are only 70,000+ signatures shows us up too! Where are the millions? Going viral does not mean 70,000+ it means more than that. Each one who signs would have to pass this on to everyone on his e-mail list, and on and on. That obviously has not happened. Superbowl ads go viral, this petition, not so much. In the same way the March for Life is ineffective in that there are 'only' a million marching. Where are the 50 million American Catholics? Mary Wagner and Linda Gibbons stand alone in front of the baby-killing mill in Toronto. Where are the millions of Catholics in Canada? If we are going to play the numbers game, the numbers have to reach the tipping point or we look as foolish as we are. (this is NOT to denigrate these efforts, their reward will be great in Heaven)
But again, numbers make no difference. Only Our Lady can defeat this Modernist heresy. As IF says above, the Apostles were only twelve. We are the few in our age. I personally cannot shoulder a back-pack and head out into Ontario preaching the Gospel, and Repentance. But I must do what I can do: the mantra of Fast, Pray The Rosary, give Alms is even more powerful for voices that are stifled in this apostate world than petitions.
Barbara, I think that figure may be only the Internet figure, and maybe not from all the internet sources of the petition either. I know various groups have been collecting handwritten signatures on the streets in various cities, over the past week or two.
And Mary Wagner is currently in prison; and Linda Gibbons may be returning there, if she hasn't alteady. There are others in prison for the Faith, and for truth and justice, and the bishops, etc., refuse to vehemently fight against the governments responsible. Shame.
Let's all be foolish (in the world's eyes) for Christ.
Something else we can do with some real effort: ask for a day of Adoration once a week in each parish we frequent. However, the effort required is to present to the priest the list of those willing to be Adoration Guards. And this means two people for each hour. And it means a firm commitment – and someone has to be responsible for opening the Church and closing up afterwards if the priest won't do it.
Adoration, regularly scheduled, brings great benefits to the whole parish. We are blessed to have the traditional 40 hours Devotion leading up to Maundy Thursday (All FSSP parish do this). Yes it means our very small FSSP parish has to come up with 80 Adoration Guards, and that means from midnight to one, from one to two, and two to three, and three to four, AM and on through out the day.
NO priest in our fallen Church will do the work required. NONE. Unless his life is made easier, not harder, he will not cooperate. Yes, there are a few, but most simply see this as either worshiping a 'cookie' or extra work for himself.
But we if do the work, The Lord does the rest.
Amen, Barbara.
oops, I mean Fat Tuesday, not Maundy Thursday.
my2cents February 11, 2015
Louie, you are so right! We're in big trouble when the Pope and the hierarchy have to be petitioned to be Catholic. Personally, I don't think these petitions bother them. It just validates that they are doing a great job replacing the True Catholic Church with a different "church" totally unrecognizable. "New " is not "True".
Our Lardy of Lourdes, pray for us!
Dear my2cents,
Not only might these petitions not "bother" them, but as Louie pointed out, the fraction of the percentage the petition represents, when you consider there are
1, 200,000,000 registered Catholics in the world, and only 70,,000+ signed it; might actually encourage them. And if they don't choose to ignore it, they can always use it as a "hit" list.
–This reminds us of the petitions Father Gruner keeps sending to the Popes to Consecrate Russia, too–we signed them, we wrote individual letters, and it seemed he was more and more reviled by the Vatican, and blamed for harassing the Pope. The mindset against it is similar to this, although they use the excuse that Fatima was a "private" revelation (even though it was proven by a very public miracle and it's messages were for the whole world).
crawler February 11, 2015
True, Fatima is a private revelation. Nonetheless, all the Popes since Fatima publicly acknowledge their acceptance of it. So, if in conscience they believe Our Lady (and thus Her son, God) is giving them a command to obey and they refuse to obey it, they are disobedient. In they don't believe Our Lady of Fatima, then they're dishonest, while exhibiting false piety to a high degree. So they're either publicly disobedient to God or publicly dishonest to God and everyone else. Either way, we're in big trouble at the top, even before Bergoglio came on the scene.
Yes, two cents, of course, it doesn't bother them but I don't think anyone believes they will stop attacking the Faith in response. As I said, below, it's a thinly disguised protest, in a formally polite mode of address or invocation, and it helps people to know there are many others who recognise and object to the ever-increasing attacks on the Faith from the Holy See, the Synod of Bishops, etc.
Roman Watcher February 11, 2015
Lou,
Thank you, you have said everything I have wanted to say about this petition, since I first knew of its existence.
I have not signed it for the same reasons.
Indeed, the petition shows just how sick the Church is in her visible head as well as all her members from every class of society and nation.
Has everyone lost their sense of just how to be Catholic?
Has everyone lost their sense and denied the plain obvious signs of what is going on the in Church?
If anyone thinks there is any hope, humanly speaking, of the conversion of Bergoglio, he's either insane or an idolater of false human hope or political correctness.
Let face it folks, Bergoglio is a heretic, a schismatic, an enemy of all that is of Christ, an enemy of the Catholic Church. He who is in communion with him, in the sense of collaborating with him, is not of God, is deceived of the Devil.
I pray and count the days till the Bishops of the Church, which ever still have some sense of faith, excommunicate and depose the man.
The sooner the better!
Anastasia February 11, 2015
Dear Roman Watcher,
Now that would be what I would call a very "meaty" petition indeed!
All you say is true. But I signed the "petition" and circulated it, not because Catholics should have to petition the pope to uphold the doctrine of the Faith and the moral law, or because I think the pope or any of the opponents of the Faith, could care less, but so that we, Catholics, can stand together, in a thinly disguised protest at the attacks on the Faith and morals by the Holy See, and be a support and encouragement for one another as we see that we are not alone but a sizeable remnant.
I don't think many signing it will be so naive as to think this is how popes are made to conform to the Faith, or that the pope would be likely to change his opposition thereto, in response (though perhaps it would affect his tactics).
I'm also familiar with the organisation that asked for my signature, and believe them to be a sound Catholic organisation. (That is what's known as Tradition, Family, Property in the US, by other names in other countries. It's a very small organisation in Ireland, but I support their work, and they have been on the streets getting signatures for this "petition".)
My initial reaction was yours – no, this is wrongheaded taking it at face value, for the obvious reasons. But when I thought more about it, I thought it would at least help people to encourage one another, to know how many we are, a way to unite, etc.
I am glad to know that named people are standing together, in what is, effectively, a statement that conveys that we know the Faith, and we know what's happened at the Synod, and other emanations of the Holy See is in contravention of the Faith, and we will not be silent.
Maybe it's dishonest, but I think its a fair way to protest to the pope at this stage, given the might of, and infiltration of the Church by Her enemies.
I'm quite sure Cardinal "I will resist" Burke, and the holy Bishop Athanasius Schneider, both of whom, signed it, are fully aware of the facts, and the unchangeability of Faith and morals and how petitions to uphold the Faith, don't make logical sense, in themselves. However, I think, as they must, that there is some good in the exercise, not as a real petition, but what it really signifies.
Dear Lynda,
I agree. And if I may add, that it is not about whether we will win or loose. It is about the fight.
By the way, I also signed the other petition, asking the college of bishops to investigate heresy and apostasy on the part of the Pope and to make a declaration in that respect.


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St. Catherine of Sienna Award
Brief History and Guidelines
In 2006 at the annual meetings of the ACPA held in Granville, Ohio, the Executive Committee and the Executive Council of the ACPA established the St. Catherine of Sienna Distinguished Service Award. This is an occasional award presented to an ACPA member who has demonstrated extraordinary service and commitment to the mission and work of the ACPA.
Anthony Lisska as 2006 president and Tim Noone as 2007 president-elect presented the motion establishing this award to both the Executive Committee and the Executive Council.
Michael Baur of Fordham University, the 2006 out-going secretary, was selected as the first recipient of the newly instituted St. Catherine of Sienna Distinguished Service Award.
The award is signified by a plaque given to the recipient and a lifetime membership to the association. The Officers of the Association recommend possible recipients to the Executive Council.
About the ACPA
• Constitution of the ACPA
• Past Presidents
• Aquinas Medal
• St. Catherine of Sienna Award
• Executive Councils
Since 1926, scholars and thinkers, mostly based in Canada and the United States, have forged a unique tradition and community known as the "American Catholic Philosophical Association." Steeped in classical sources and cultivating the Catholic Philosophical heritage, this tradition is known for creative engagement with major philosophers of every era and bold responses to the themes and issues of contemporary philosophy.
Catherine of Sienna Award: Past Recipients
2006 - Michael Baur


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Regulating health food
The proof of the pudding
If food companies want to claim that their products have health benefits, they must provide solid evidence
LeadersOct 31st 2009 edition
Illustration by Claudio Munoz
THE shelves of every supermarket are packed with probiotic yogurts that can supposedly ease constipation and fend off infections, butter substitutes that claim to reduce cholesterol, tomato extracts said to keep skin looking young while warding off cancer, infant cereals enhanced with micronutrients essential for development, and so on. Food companies have taken to trumpeting the supposed health and nutritional benefits of their products for obvious reasons. Such products may appeal both to health-conscious buyers and to people who know they eat unhealthily, but hope that some vitamins here and some probiotics there might compensate for the junk. Best of all, from the food companies' point of view, these "functional foods", which blur the line between foods and drugs, hold out the promise of higher margins and faster growth. In western Europe sales of functional foods grew by 10.2% a year between 2004 and 2007, for example, whereas sales of packaged food grew by 6.3%. That is why Nestlé, the world's biggest food company, is making a big bet on functional foods as a source of future growth (see article).
All this has attracted the attention of regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. They are concerned that some of these health claims may be misleading or unsupported by evidence, and are tightening the rules. On October 20th America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would overhaul the rules for nutritional claims on food labels and issue new standards early next year. It has already rebuked General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, a popular breakfast cereal, for claiming that it is "clinically proven to lower cholesterol". The European Food Safety Authority is also cracking down, requiring companies to back up health and nutrition claims with scientific studies (see article). Hundreds of applications submitted to its scientific panel have just been turned down. The panel has decided that there is not enough evidence to claim that, for instance, heather helps you sleep, dried cocoa extract helps you lose weight, quinoa makes your hair grow and Jerusalem artichokes make your gut healthy.
Many in the industry are howling that these rules are heavy-handed, given that most of their products are perfectly safe and that some health claims go back decades or more. Demanding expensive studies to justify such claims will stifle innovation, they argue, and tilt the playing field against smaller firms, which will be unable to afford them. Surely, they say, firms that find profit in adding iron, iodine, zinc and vitamins to their products, or cutting levels of high-fructose corn syrup or saturated fat, ought to be applauded, not denounced. Many food brands started off as a means of reassuring customers that products were trustworthy. The desire to defend their brands gives food firms a strong incentive to ensure that their products are safe.
But food companies are now claiming that their products provide specific benefits—not merely that they are safe to eat. Ordinary folk cannot tell whether health claims made by food marketers are scientifically valid, so there is a case for regulatory scrutiny of such claims. And even though it is difficult to imagine someone being harmed by eating too much breakfast cereal or yogurt, say, there is a risk of harm if health claims made about functional foods encourage people to see them as substitutes for drugs or lifestyle changes they may need. A few helpings of vegetables will do more good than any probiotic yogurt.
A lesson from the drugs industry is that industry-funded studies have a clear tendency to produce results that please their sponsors. So food companies should have to register all studies and publish even those with unfavourable results. Clear guidelines on labelling are also important. To its credit, the FDA recently proposed rules that would force food companies to publish all the important components of their products on the front of their packages, rather than picking out the healthy ones and keeping quiet about the fat, salt and sugar.
Hard to swallow
The industry's claim that greater scrutiny will kill innovation is off the mark. Those firms making misleading claims will suffer; those prepared to invest in proper scientific studies to back up their supposed breakthroughs will benefit. And in pharmaceuticals, smaller firms seem to be more innovative than bigger ones. If food companies wish to make the sorts of claims about their products that pharmaceutical companies do, they must be prepared to submit to similar scrutiny. Extraordinary claims, after all, require extraordinary evidence.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "The proof of the pudding"
More from Leaders
Donald Trump's reckoning
The new era of innovation
Why a dawn of technological optimism is breaking
Big tech and censorship


Bangladesh suffered their fourth defeat in the tournament, going down to New Zealand by 75 runs in the ICC World Twenty20.
Bangladesh suffered their fourth defeat in the tournament, going down to New Zealand by 75 runs in the ICC World Twenty20 to bow out of the tournament.
"I'm very disappointed with the approach to the score. The wicket was not that easy to bat and we gave away 20 runs extra," the former Sri Lankan opener said at their post-match news conference.
"It would have been a different story but we didn't approach intelligent enough to chase the score down.
"This was not a 140 wicket, it was slowing down after four-five overs. The ball was keeping low and had two-pace. But we can't take anything away from New Zealand. They bowled according to the conditions," he said.
On their Independence Day, Bangladesh suffered the ignominy of being folded for their lowest ever T20I score of 70 in 15.4 overs chasing 146.
On the same day, left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahim put up yet another inspirational performance with a careerbest haul of 5 for 22.
Showering praise on Mustafizur, Hathurusingha said: "He is one of the intelligent cricketers. For him experience does not matter but it's how you adapt. He's very clever. He has got some variation using them very cleverly and gets on top of the batsmen.
"It was an outstanding effort. MS Dhoni has faced him several occasions but the way he bowled to Dhoni, he still managed to keep him down by mixing up his yorkers, quickers and cutters. It is all part of cricketing intelligence," he said pointing out his tidy last over in the India-Bangladesh match.
Summing up their campaign, the Sri Lankan said: "Today's game sums up our whole campaign. We were lackadaiscal in fielding, we had some brilliant moments with our bowling. For me it sums up our campaign in the World Twenty20," he said as they made early elimination with four losses from as many matches in the Super 10.


These thin cotton disks are saturated and smell like alcohol; they make skin feel tingly.
Swiped over the entire face, these pads combat pimples, blackheads, and overall dullness, thanks to powerful exfoliating ingredients. But the formula can be too irritating for sensitive skin, so start off using just once a day.


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You are here: Home / News / Liberty in North Korea makes first visit to ACU
Liberty in North Korea makes first visit to ACU
November 18, 2014 by Hannah Little
ACU Red Thread Movement and International Justice Mission introduced Liberty in North Korea during a special Chapel in Hart auditorium last Friday.
Liberty in North Korea is a California-based nonprofit organization that works with North Korean people to promote and accelerate change. The group rescues and provides resettlement support to North Korean refugees.
Natasha Wiens from Vancouver, Canada, is one leader of the organization who has always been interested in North Korea.
"I have always thought it was something so secretive and a place that no one knew much about," Wiens said. "I watched a lot of documentaries and read a lot of books about it, and through that I was introduced to the organization and thought it would be a good way to learn more."
Liberty in North Korea helps refugees reach freedom from political persecution and economic hardship. The group has a goal of making 200 more rescues this fall. Students who join the organization are able to help by donating and being a part of the organization.
During the summer, two-month in-office internships are offered.
Wiens said students get to know the staff more and said Los Angeles is an "awesome place" to be during the summer.
"I hope to be able to make people more aware of the situations in North Korea," she said. "I hope they wouldn't just focus on the politics but also on the people so that we can raise funds to help rescue refuges that are in hiding."
Abbey Moses, founder and chaplain of ACU Social Justice Chapel, first heard of Liberty in North Korea while she was working at a non-profit called Invisible Children in California. Moses then began contacting and reaching out to anyone involved to help bring the group to ACU.
"I decided to bring them to ACU because I believe there is an ignorance surrounding North Korea," said Moses, junior political science major from Abilene. "So many Americans view North Korea as a nuclear crisis rather than a humanitarian crisis, and I hoped that by bringing LiNK to campus, students would be able to better connect the North Korean crisis to one of real human lives."
Last Friday was the first time Liberty in North Korea has visited campus and hopes to come back as many students showed interest.
"Hopefully this is something that can happen again," Moses said. "Speaking as the founder and chaplain of ACU Social Justice Chapel, I would be honored to host them again as they share the hopeful stories of North Koreans now flourishing in their new lives."
Filed Under: News Tagged With: International Justice Mission, Red Thread Movement
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About Hannah Little


Crime Rates Sure Are Low In Japan. You Know What Else is Low?
This means plenty of attention for crimes that would be considered too petty to investigate elsewhere, such as the theft of a bicycle or the possession of a tiny amount of drugs. One woman describes how five officers crowded into her cramped apartment after she reported her knickers being swiped from a clothesline. A small army of detectives was assigned last year to apprehend a group of 22 people who had been growing marijuana for their personal use only and smoking it in deserted rural spots.
In fact, as the police run out of things to do, they are becoming more inventive about what constitutes a crime, says Kanako Takayama of Kyoto University. In one recent case, she says, they arrested a group of people who had shared the cost of renting a car, deeming the arrangement an illegal taxi. Some prefectures have begun prosecuting people who ride their bicycles through red lights.


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From their vast litigation experience, Lenox attorneys are skilled at assessing lawsuits from the beginning, but also have the experience and know-how to properly alter their defense strategy as the case changes through discovery. One of the keys to our attorneys' defense of employment claims is their commitment to keeping clients involved in every step of the litigation. They understand the importance of open communication – it strengthens the defense and helps clients better assess the best path to take towards resolution, whether at trial or settlement.
The Employment litigation defense team at Lenox Law works tirelessly to achieve the best results for each individual client.
Contact Us Today to speak with an attorney about your legal options for employment law litigation.


The Library has a wide selection of books for all ages including audio/cassette books and large print books. We partner with Eastern Oregon Libraries and through that partnership have access to a wide variety of interlibrary loan books.
In addition, we offer 4 public computer workstations and WiFi access for patrons, as well as as a number of programs and services.
At 10:00 a.m. join library staff for story time.
The Gilliam County Public Library is a member of the SAGE Library System, which allows our patrons to borrow books from other libraries throughout Eastern Oregon free of charge. Patrons may search for and request books online. When a requested book becomes available to check-out, it is transported to the Gilliam County Public Library for pick-up and the patron is notified via email or text message.
Gilliam County Public Library is enrolled in OverDrive's Front Line Tech Support service.
The Library is managed by the Gilliam County Public Library Board. All members of the Library Board are appointed by the Gilliam County Court. The Board is comprised of five members. The Library Board meets the second Wednesday of the month at 9:30 a.m. at the Gilliam County Public Library.


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So Graham Norton (1998–2002)
TV Series | 50 min | Comedy, Talk-Show
Outrageous late-night talk show with celebrity guests, shocking audience confessions and bizarre internet sites.
Top Series Cast
(74 episodes, 1998-2002)
Kevan Allen
Full series cast
Series Cast & Crew
14 wins & 8 nominations.
14 May 2001 | Barnes-3
As of May 2001, the best thing on British television - no argument!
You've only to read my imdb review of The Best of So Graham Norton DVD to know how much I adore this show - I record every episode on videotape so I can watch them over and over again, I have seen two episodes being filmed - the first one I saw was the episode with Sophia Loren and Ben Fogel, the second with Sir Elton John and Kim Wilde! I also cherish the autographed photo Graham Norton himself sent me, signed "For Barnaby, So Much Love, Graham Norton"!
So Graham Norton began in 1998 and by 2001, it became one of the most popular TV chat shows in England! Loyal fans tune in every week to see what shocking/embarrassing/sexual/perverted/unbelievable revelation Graham's audience will reveal, and to see which celebrity guests will be brave enough to chat with the cheekily irresistable Graham Norton!
Infamous for the hysterical websites that Graham downloads on the show, and for his phoning up wacky civilians (usually in America!), So Graham Norton gets better and better each week, and has made Graham a household name in the UK. Surprisingly, So Graham Norton is also incredibly popular with the critics and has won several awards, including a 2001 BAFTA for Best Entertainment Programme.
The current series has come to an end, but will be back in autumn 2001. I for one can hardly wait!
Himself: Don't bother phoning, we're sorry already.
Comedy | Talk-Show
24 June 2015 | Digital Spy - TV news
Graham Norton wants to quit his chat show when he hits 60... and before the cast of Towie appear
23 May 2011 | LOVEFiLM
Martin Freeman & Steve Coogan Win BAFTA TV Awards
15 April 2011 | Unreality
Britain's Got Talent 2011: Dr Haze and The Circus of Horrors once appeared on Ant and Dec's 'Saturday Night Takeaway'


Your best employees want to expand their capabilities and responsibilities. Insecure leaders are afraid of this idea because of how it could reflect on them. But, the best leaders know, that leading is about the development and celebration of others–not the inflation of the self.
Employees really don't mind challenge. What they don't like is a challenge that comes from negativity, a harsh tone, or manipulation. Good employees know that they have places where they can grow. And, they're not afraid to make changes. The key here: delivery matters. Deliver challenge in an inspiring and candid manner and watch employees rise to the occasion.
Ah yes, the "in the loop" desire. We all want to be in the loop. Of course, there are times you can't divulge what you know–for a variety of reasons. But, employees understand that. In fact, most of the things you can't divulge are things good employees really don't want to know about. What good employees want to understand are things like: 1) where are we going? 2) what changes are going to effect the team or my work? 3) How does my work tie into the larger mission? 4) How are big organizational wide decisions or initiatives coming along–especially the ones I can't control but affect me? Keeping people informed shows respect.
The best employees have thoughts about how to make things better. In fact, leaders often lament that employees are not "engaged" enough in "making things happen." Perfect. Employees have thoughts and leaders want engaged people. This is like a Recees Peanut Butter Cup. Right? Well, not exactly. Many leaders get intimidated, insecure or even infuriated when people push back on their ideas. Not good. Of course, there are times when the push back needs to end or the squeaky wheel needs to just be quiet. But, good employees push back, for the most part, because they have a perspective about ideas and potential decisions that can make those ideas or decisions better. When good employees push back, great leaders slow down–even a tad–and listen to what they might not be able to see on their own.
Occasionally, show your humanity. It will be good for you and for your team. OK, more than occasionally. More on this one soon.


In the last years Tina has been "down the mine" creating her new exhibition series, Unter-Tage: Shot by God. The 14 large-format pictures offer an entrance into a clandestine labyrinth-like landscape of mountain passages. Each scene emerges with a sudden jolt, as if she has flicked on a torch, to reveal to us a cast of strange figures going about their, often dubious, activities.
Tina's work offers testimony to an intense preoccupation with the political and social themes of our age and a shrewd observation of our gestures. Rather than interpreting this world as a strict antithesis to our above ground society, the subterranean caverns reflect it's hidden internal structure. She ventures a way to demask society and attempts to give each player a moment of self-reflection that spurs them towards emancipation.
Light falls with equally clarity on spotless silk shirts, rusty industrial machinery, or a human skull used in a frenzied ritual. Beauty is measured against dirt, violence, corruption and darkness. The challenging stare of a young boy stood before a group of slumped lifeless bodies, a false Goethe reciting disinterestedly swamped by over-sized finery, a statuesque warrioress with bruised knees and make-shift armour surrounded by a disaffected tribe in tattered denim. This is the bloody theatre of mortality. Yet, the viewer is unable to defy the pull of this opulent image-world that reminds one of the old masters of Renaissance and Baroque paintings.
This effect is not just a matter of overtly dramatised bodies and gazes, but also of the way that Tina leads the eye, to travel through the image from detail to detail, making us squint to see what lurks in shadowy corners as much as the dramatically lit main-stage. Our roaming eye adopts the immobilised three dimensionality of the movie camera, while texture and colour appear painterly. The rock face at moments blank and cold also shimmers with gold. What the technique of this series amounts to is that the figures, the props and the backgrounds were shot separately and the whole image brought into existence within a projective system other than linear perspective.
In two distinct ways Tina has struggled to amplify the content beyond the limits of the photographic medium – a struggle that her natural restlessness, her dissatisfaction with continuing to do something that she can (as saying goes) do only too well, as well as her curiosity about the resources of art that she has left untried. The two ways in which Tina has tried to extend her art are these: she has tried to enrich the visual findings of the eye with a depth of feeling and she has also tried to implicate the eye, thus enriched, into the very scene that it seems to record.
Learning, where this includes wanting to learn, not being afraid to learn, not being afraid to show that one has something to learn, is anyway a big theme in Tina's work. Unter der Tage thematises in a provocative, unsettling and tangential manner what a worrying place life can be, but perhaps also, need not be.