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Abstract: Unless Congress and the President act promptly and wisely, sequestration under the Budget Control Act (BCA) will undermine military readiness, and the nearly $500 billion tax increase starting on January 1, 2013, will greatly harm an already weak economy. However, this fiscal cliff can be avoided. The key to avoiding this and future fiscal calamities is reform of the mandatory spending programs, from welfare to Social Security, that currently drive federal deficits. The Heritage Foundation's Saving the American Dream plan would rein in spending immediately, restructure the major entitlement programs to bring entitlement spending under control over the long term, and strengthen the core foundations of these programs.
Since the Heritage Foundation's Saving the American Dream plan[1] was first published in April 2011, there has been almost no substantive progress on spending control. The only plausible exception was the flawed Budget Control Act (BCA), a product of a contentious debt limit debate. The complete failure of the resultant bipartisan "supercommittee" to reach agreement was a sad reflection on a Congress that is divided and unwilling to pass the legislation necessary to rein in spending.
As a result, the nation is facing the looming sequester, which will further undermine the defense budget, jeopardizing one of the federal government's core constitutional responsibilities. Yet it would leave entitlement programs virtually untouched, even though they are the largest driver of spending today and in the future. Meanwhile, the prospect of a huge tax increase in January has had a deleterious effect on the economy for many months, although the effect is only a small portion of the harm the economy will incur if the tax increase ultimately takes effect. America seriously needs a true way forward.
The Heritage plan reflects the need to rein in spending immediately and to rethink major programs. Spending on the open-ended Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid entitlements must be brought under control, and the core foundations of these programs should be strengthened.
The following principles guide the policy solutions in Saving the American Dream:
- Total spending must be brought under control to balance the budget without raising taxes, ultimately holding revenues at their historical share of gross domestic product (GDP).
- Entitlement programs should, unlike today, actually guarantee seniors economic security in retirement and be recast as real and sustainable insurance programs focused on those who truly need them.
- Other spending must be curbed, and the federal government must be restricted to its proper functions.
- Defense, as a core constitutional function of the federal government, should be fully funded and efficiently delivered.
- The tax system should be structurally reformed to foster growth by eliminating tax distortions of private economic decisions, especially decisions on savings and investment, and to make the system simpler and more transparent.
Priorities for Congress and the President
Fiscal year (FY) 2012 closed on September 30 with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimating spending of $3.5 trillion and a deficit of $1.1 trillion.[2] Debt held by the public was $11.3 trillion (73 percent of GDP). According to the CBO, debt will explode to 199 percent of GDP by 2037, driven by growth in spending that will reach 36 percent of GDP.[3]
The main drivers of spending and debt increases are incontrovertibly the major entitlement programs: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. However, the slow economy with its high unemployment rate, which remains stuck at around 8 percent, also adds to deficits and debt through two channels: mandatory spending for those workers who are most affected by the slow economy (e.g., unemployment compensation) and below-average tax revenues.
It is clear that the top priorities for Congress and the President should be controlling spending, especially entitlement reform, and setting an economic growth agenda through tax reform. After averting the fiscal cliff, Congress and the President should immediately turn their attention to these pressing issues.
As noted, entitlements are the fastest-growing programs. Even if all other spending was eliminated, these programs would still cause large and unsustainable deficits in the future. Their growth is automatic, with autopilot spending increases built in and no serious budgetary constraints. The top priority must be to restructure entitlements and put a brake on their spending levels while strengthening and preserving them for future generations.
A number of robust proposals for health care reforms already exist, both in Congress and in the policy community.[4] Congress and the President should take advantage of this policy momentum and focus on reforming Medicaid and especially Medicare. However, changes in Social Security should follow quickly, and the rules that govern these programs in general should be more consistent. For example, increases in the normal eligibility age should proceed simultaneously for both Social Security and Medicare.
Specific steps for Congress and the President include the following:
- The President should submit a budget by the 2013 tax deadline deadline that outlines strong, sweeping changes in entitlement programs that will reduce spending over the 10-year budget window and significantly improve the long-term trajectory of these programs.
- The President's budget should lay out specific goals for a pro-growth, revenue-neutral tax reform plan.
- Congress and the President should include reforms in entitlement programs and further reductions in other spending areas, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), in exchange for any increases in the debt limit. These should reflect lessons learned from the 2011 Budget Control Act, such as avoiding high-stakes mechanisms like sequestration that are designed to fail.
- Congress should pass a joint budget resolution by the April 15, 2013, deadline that includes reconciliation instructions for entitlement and tax reform.
- The budget resolution should also require reforms of other spending programs to bring spending below the BCA levels for 2014 and beyond.
Health Care
If only one issue is thoroughly addressed in 2013, it should be the federal role in health care, the biggest driver of spending. The flawed Obamacare law only adds to the problem. Instead of expanding the government's role, health care should follow a true patient-centered, market-based model, including reforms in Medicare, Medicaid, and the tax treatment of health insurance.
Medicare. Medicare's finances must be brought under control. As a first step, the age of eligibility should be raised gradually from 65 to 68 and then indexed to life expectancy. Premiums for Parts B and D should also gradually increase, thus expanding the current policy for Medicare of adjusting the level of taxpayer subsidies to income, with the most affluent seniors receiving much smaller (or in some cases no) taxpayer subsidies for their health coverage. These steps, among others,[5] should occur immediately because they are easily achieved and less controversial and should be part of new debt-limit legislation.
Within five years of these initial changes, patients should also be transitioned to a defined-contribution or premium-support model that would be adjusted for income. Expanding competition in Medicare would restrain federal spending, slow health care costs, and promote greater innovation in the delivery of care.[6]
Medicaid. Federal spending on Medicaid should be put on a budget subject to regular congressional review to bring greater fiscal certainty and stability to the process. Federal Medicaid spending would follow antipoverty spending caps by reverting to the 2007 spending levels when the economy approaches full employment (e.g., the unemployment rate dips below 6 percent) and be adjusted for medical inflation thereafter.
In lieu of traditional Medicaid, able-bodied individuals and families should receive direct federal assistance in the form of tax credits or direct assistance to enable them to buy private insurance coverage of their choice. For the disabled and frail elderly, Medicaid would remain a joint federal–state safety net program, but states would have additional flexibility to adopt more patient-centered models.
Reform of the Tax Treatment of Health Insurance. As a part of tax reform (see below), the employee tax break for employer-sponsored coverage would be converted to a non-refundable tax credit that individuals and families could use to purchase the health plan of their choice.
These larger reforms are best achieved through normal legislative order. This could include the legitimate use of reconciliation as part of a comprehensive budget plan. In any case, Congress should pass a concurrent budget resolution for FY 2014.
Social Security
Social Security needs to be reformed. It is running permanent cash-flow deficits and has severe programmatic flaws.[7]
First, Social Security's eligibility age should gradually be increased in tandem with Medicare's eligibility age. For both, this change is straightforward and could be included in an initial, small reform package. Next, Social Security should return to its original purpose of guaranteeing that all Americans are protected from poverty in retirement. As part of this insurance protection, benefits would evolve to an understandable, predictable flat benefit that is well above the poverty level. With Social Security functioning as an insurance program, moderate-income retirees would receive a smaller check, while affluent seniors would receive no check unless their financial circumstances change.
To encourage people to stay in the workforce longer, those who work beyond full retirement age would receive a higher level of after-tax income until they do retire.
Tax reform would support Social Security reforms by significantly increasing personal savings that seniors can take into retirement, and there would be no limit on the amount of these tax-deferred savings. Thus, more retirement income would be possible than under the current system. Social Security would become a safety valve against economic reversals and a floor for income after the statutory retirement age.
Other Spending
Defense cuts are already reducing military readiness, thus endangering the security of the United States. The defense portion of the BCA cuts is dangerously flawed and must be reversed. In Saving the American Dream, the sequester for defense spending (including the 2013 cuts) is eliminated, and the higher spending is more than offset with reforms in other spending and entitlements. Defense spending is brought slowly up to and held at 4 percent of GDP. Non-defense discretionary spending is set for 2013 at the BCA sequester level and then reduced to 2 percent of GDP, after which it is indexed to inflation.
Spending in 2014 and beyond should include reforms in long-standing but growing and expensive programs such as farm subsidies and transportation. A program of privatization, including federal asset sales, could begin as early as 2015. Anti-poverty spending should be rolled back and capped when the economy approaches full employment and then consolidated into fewer programs that reflect strong incentives for work and marriage.
Tax Reform. The economy remains plagued by the uncertainty of expiring tax policy and an unwieldy and inefficient tax code. Beyond preventing Taxmageddon by extending all current tax policy and delaying the Obamacare tax increases before January 1, 2013, Congress should pass broad substantive tax reform consistent with the New Flat Tax in Saving the American Dream. Tax reform should focus on promoting economic growth by reducing both tax rates and tax distortions while maintaining revenue and distributional neutrality. It should also simplify the tax system and improve its transparency so that taxpayers can better understand the influence of tax policy as well as the true cost of government.[8]
The broad direction for tax reform already in play, especially the bipartisan push for lower corporate income tax rates, is fully consistent with the New Flat Tax. Congress will likely find the goal of lower corporate tax rates quickly running up against the consequent need to lower tax rates for non-corporate businesses. This occurs naturally under the New Flat Tax, which taxes all businesses at a single rate on their domestic net cash flow at the entity level. Likewise, the growing support for a territorial tax system—under which U.S. businesses are taxed solely on their domestic income—is also fully consistent with the New Flat Tax, which levies tax solely on domestic income.
Under the New Flat Tax, the individual income tax and the payroll tax are rolled into one system with the same tax rate that is imposed on business income. Nearly all other federal levies are repealed, leaving a simple system for both individuals and businesses. Under the New Flat Tax as it applies to individuals, only income used for consumption is taxed, thus eliminating the existing tax bias against saving. In addition, all distorting credits, exemptions, and deductions are eliminated, leaving only two credits and three deductions.
The first credit is the above-mentioned tax credit for health insurance. This tax credit is less distortive of economic decisions than current law is, but it remains a clear subsidy for the purchase of health insurance. It is necessary because the current-law tax bias favoring health insurance is so powerful and so entrenched that simply eliminating the tax advantage is impracticable.
The second credit carried over from current law is the earned income credit (EIC). The EIC needs reform in its own right, but it is also the largest income-support component of the overall federal anti-poverty program and one of its most effective elements. Changes in the EIC should then be considered part of the proposed budget for anti-poverty programs.
The three deductions are as follows:
- The deduction for charitable expense, which is retained because this tax system taxes the individual on what he or she spends. Charitable contributions benefit the receiving organization and thus should be deductible for the recipient.
- A deduction for higher education, which recognizes that education expenses are a form of saving and investing simultaneously, which in every other instance is excluded from tax under the New Flat Tax.
- An optional home mortgage deduction with the proviso that if the homeowner chooses a mortgage with deductible interest, then the lender must, as under current law, continue to pay tax on interest income earned. Alternatively, the home owner may choose to forgo the deduction, in which case the lender earns tax-free interest income and can thus charge a lower mortgage interest rate.
The New Flat Tax, the tax reform plan, is implemented effective January 1, 2014.
Addressing the Fiscal Cliff
Table 1 addresses each element of the fiscal cliff and the proposed steps that Congress should take on each of them.
—Alison Acosta Fraser is Director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, William W. Beach is Director of the Center for Data Analysis and Lazof Family Fellow in Economics, and Stuart M. Butler, PhD, is Director of the Center for Policy Innovation at The Heritage Foundation.
The editors are grateful to the team leaders who worked with policy experts throughout The Heritage Foundation to develop this report: J. D. Foster, Ph.D., Norman B. Ture Senior Fellow in the Economics of Fiscal Policy; Rea S. Hederman, Jr., Assistant Director and Research Fellow in the Center for Data Analysis; David C. John, Senior Research Fellow in Retirement Security and Financial Institutions; Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., Senior Fellow in the Center for Policy Innovation; Nina Owcharenko, Director of the Center for Health Policy Studies; and Drew Gonshorowski, Policy Analyst in the Center for Data Analysis.
This plan was developed as part of the Solutions Initiative and funded by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. The Peterson Foundation convened organizations with a variety of perspectives to develop plans addressing our nation's fiscal challenges. The American Action Forum, Bipartisan Policy Center, Center for American Progress, Economic Policy Institute, and The Heritage Foundation, each received grants. All organizations had discretion and independence to develop their own goals and propose comprehensive solutions. The Peterson Foundation's involvement with this project does not represent endorsement of any plan.


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A family owned business, Touch Out Sports was founded by people who know how water sports can damage your hair. They spent decades in pools being frustrated by the problems caused by chemicals, sun and salt. They tried every "swimmer" shampoo on the market, but none of them worked and in fact, most of them made the problem worse. So they set out to create a shampoo and conditioner that actually repaired the damage done by chlorine, sun and sea.
Whether you are a competitive swimmer, a casual swimmer, a diver or just enjoy spending time in the water, Touch Out is confident you will agree that their shampoo and conditioner are the only hair care products available that actually repair the damage water sports can do to your hair.

subset: commoncrawl


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Cocktails & Spirits Category Main Page Articles & Reviews
Main Nibbles Main Page Articles & Reviews Of Foods From A To Z
Product Reviews Main Page Food, Beverages, Books, News & More
April 2007
Spring, or just your love of green tea and things green, is reason enough to enjoy "Goodnight Ginger," a green tea martini created by Numi Organic Tea. You can experiment with your own favorite green teas and make other "green-tea-nis." We've included recipes for other tea-nis that use white and black tea.
For a completely organic cocktail, buy organic limes and agave nectar and Square One Organic Vodka. If you're not familiar with agave nectar, it's a wonderful product to get to know. Agave is a succulent plant that grows in Mexico and the Southwest. Its sap, a pleasant sweetener which tastes a bit like honey, is naturally-occurring fructose that is an alternative for people on a low-glycemic diet. Agave nectar can be purchased in any health food store in squeeze bottles, or click here to purchase organic agave nectar. It's easy to pour and doesn't crystallize.
All recipes are for single cocktail servings.
Infusing Instructions
This cocktail uses Numi Organic "Velvet Garden" white rose tea plus ruby red hibiscus flower concentrate to create a very floral cocktail berry-like flavors.
A complexity layering of flavors from chamomile, ginger and lemon.
2 ounces vodka infused with Numi Chamomile Lemon Myrtle Teasan
2 ounces ginger lemonade (Trader Joe's, Reed's)
Juice of ½ lemon
1/8 tsp. fresh grated ginger
½ ounce agave nectar
Splash of extra-dry vermouth
Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
A powerful "masculine" nightcap inspired by combining the after-dinner tea service with the traditional after-dinner cognac.
For a very light and refreshing cocktail, try this riff on a Cuban mojito, using vodka instead of rum and Moroccan mint flavors instead of traditional mint.
This recipe uses two of Numi's green teas—Rainforest Green and Ginger Sun and combines lively springtime flavors of lime juice and orange liqueur. The result is earthy yet refreshing elixir.
The Numi line of teas is USDA Certified Organic, certified kosher by Natural Food Certifiers and certified Halal.
You can purchase Numi Organic Tea at fine food stores and at NumiTea.com.
Lifestyle Direct Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.
© Copyright 2005-2024 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. All images are copyrighted to their respective owners.


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I had a little trouble understanding Circles in Google Plus myself, so I created this visual guide on how the Asymmetric Sharing model works:
Google Plus has a different privacy/sharing model than other social networks. Different from Facebook's confirmed tie model that they have been gradually breaking with ever more granular complexity. Different from Twitter & SlideShare's model of Asymmetric Follow, where people can follow/subscribe to posts that are public. Google+ is Asymmetric Sharing, where you selectively choose to share, but to make it into the main stream of view, someone nees to choose to share back. I give it high marks on privacy, but it inherently comes at a cost for complexity, virality, discovery and retaining social context.


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Fox News Calls Mr. Rogers An Evil Man
Little did I know, Mr. Rogers was an evil man. By telling children they're special just for being who they are, he helped create this generation of worthless, lazy socialists who think they're entitled to health care… at least according to Fox News.
They actually use the word "evil" to describe Mr. Rogers and criticize him for his "optimistic message where everyone was special even if they didn't deserve it", which is "ruining kids with a sense of entitlement." Then one of them starts babbling about how children should go back to churning butter and making their own sweaters. Fox's Brian Kilmeade said "that man unintentionally did a whole generation or two a disservice." Only on Fox could a man who spent his life dedicated to public service and education be blamed for ruining generations of Americans.
And if you are interested in the 'study' done by the LSU professor referenced when Fox News calls Mr. Rogers an evil man, it's available at the Wall Street Journal: Blame It on Mr. Rogers: Why Young Adults Feel So Entitled.


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SAN FRANCISCO —- Blockbuster Inc . will begin selling concert tickets at about 500 of its video rental stores, bolstering its effort to create a one-stop shop for entertainment.
Under a three-year agreement announced Tuesday, Blockbuster 's stores next month will become the primary brick-and-mortar sales outlet for music concerts staged by promoter Live Nation Inc. in the United States.
Dallas-based Blockbuster will supplant a hodgepodge of department stores, supermarkets and other retailers that Live Nation had been relying upon as part of an unraveling partnership with Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc.
Beverly Hills-based Live Nation is breaking away from Ticketmaster to build its own ticketing channel. Ticketmaster will continue to handle some of Live Nation's sales until contracts covering several concert venues expire.
With most consumers buying their tickets online, Blockbuster is expected to account for less than 10 percent of the more than 10 million tickets that Live Nation anticipates selling in the United States next year.
Still, the Live Nation relationship will provide Blockbuster with a new way to lure people into its stores as more consumers rent movies through DVD-by-mail vendors like Netflix Inc . or buy entertainment through Internet downloading services and "on-demand" features bundled into cable-television subscriptions.
"This is another step in the right direction," said James Keyes, Blockbuster's chief executive. "It helps reinforce what Blockbuster really is trying to do – provide the most convenient access to entertainment and media."
Keyes, a former CEO for 7-Eleven Inc., has been trying to lessen Blockbuster's dependence on in-store video rentals by emphasizing more sales of movies, games and DVD players. Last week, Blockbuster also expanded its digital business by unveiling a TV set-top box that stores video rentals piped over high-speed Internet connections.
Now that it's hooking up with Live Nation, Blockbuster hopes to piggyback on the ticket sales to peddle more CDs and licensed merchandise connected to the featured performers. Blockbuster will also get a slice of the transaction fee charged on the ticket sales.
Blockbuster's diversification has helped increase its store's sales so far this year, although the company is still losing money – a factor that has further depressed its long-slumping stock. Blockbuster dropped 17 cents Monday to close at $1.02.
Live Nation is faring better. The company earned $105.8 million on revenue of $3.25 billion through the first nine months of this year. But its shares dropped $1.05, or 21.5 percent, to $3.84 on Monday amid a broad market swoon.


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Debt Default And Dollar Meltdown, Derivative Explosion And Deflation Implosion Are Timed According To A Controlling Calendar
The following essay is arguably the single most important article on the internet today. Now that may seem like a bit of a stretch; however, only by reading the entire piece will it be seen for its complete lack of hyperbole. Truly, the vital information and critical timelines contained therein are as immediately relevant as they are highly consequential.
The revealed history, the analysis of the present times, and the extraordinary predictions are as crucial as anything we have seen to date. What could possibly be more urgent to understand, and respond to, especially on the mundane level?
Where everyone has a different take on the immediate future, we strongly feel that this particular portrayal is as good as it gets. It brings together so many high integrity threads to form a veritable tapestry of truth and revelation.
Once again, 2015 AND 2016 COLLAPSE TIMELINE is by far the "single most important" post ever to appear on any of our websites. We trust that the reader will agree.
State of the Nation
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: The Great Tribulation Of The 3rd Millennium Foreshadowed By The Shemitah Jubilee
Shemitah Jubilee Coincides with the
Chinese Year of the Fire Monkey
following a Blood Moon Tetrad
while Pluto Cruises Through Capricorn
by Revisionist Historians for World Peace
All of the major calendars of the world have been constructed by those who were steeped in the ancient wisdom of "occult astrology and cabalistic numerology, hermetic freemasonry and esoteric scriptures". Each was created with great purpose and prophetic foresight. Not only are they pregnant with profound spiritual and mundane meaning, they all possess varying degrees of predictive power.
The various systems of chronology, such as the elegant Mayan Calendar[1], are each encoded with energetic frequencies which contribute to the calendric matrix so it functions as a conscious temporal blueprint. Each culture and nation, religion and race, which embraces a particular calendrical system, is deeply affected by the inherent energies and potentialities infused into it. The dominant calendar and chronology of any society ultimately dictates its future, just as it interpenetrates every facet of culture and custom, tradition and ritual.
The pervasiveness of the Western calendar around the globe is the product of a bygone era when Rome was the center of the world. The British Empire was also very deliberate about the institution of English time-keeping wherever they claimed a new colony or established a new settlement. Which is the very reason why Greenwich Mean Time is calibrated from the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Whoever controls the time, controls the colony as well as the civilization!
Just as the Mayan Calendar has great utility for those who adopt it and make it their own, so too does the Gregorian calendar greatly influence Western civilization. Some nations and/or cultures have had multiple calendrical systems operating simultaneously. This will always occur within nation-states that have evolved as melting pots of different cultures and nationalities. The United States of America (USA) is a perfect example of this cultural demographic dynamic at work.
In addition to the Gregorian calendar, the USA has recently been influenced by the calendars from the East. Both the Chinese New Year and Indian celebrations of Holi and Diwali are observed by growing segments of the U.S. population as illustrations. However, it is the Hebrew calendar which has exerted the greatest amount of influence over the affairs of the USA after the commonly used Christian calendar. Since the very founding of the constitutional republic, the Jewish calendar slowly came into prominence because of the number of Jews who regularly emigrated from Europe and Russia to the USA.
Today just under half of the world Jewry population is domiciled within the 50 states and its territories. More significantly, Jews occupy a highly disproportionate number of leadership positions throughout American society. Government and politics, banking and commerce, medicine and law, academia and science, media and movie production are all areas of an incommensurate concentration of Jewish power and domination.
Even the vast majority of comedians, who have entertained America for decades, came through the Borscht Belt in the Catskills as did beet borscht and lochs and bagels. Likewise, their many Yiddish idioms and colloquialisms, Jewish customs and traditions, have become a part of American culture. All of these have been further disseminated throughout English-speaking societies everywhere, over many decades, by Hollywood and the Mainstream Media. In this way many are now acutely aware of the pervasiveness of Jewish influence in the USA and abroad.
The Jewish Question: Why are the Jews The Chosen People?
Actually, the question is better put: How did they become the Chosen People for all of Christendom?
Here lies the critical and operative perspective if one is to understand the impact of the 7th year of Shemitah on U.S. history, as well as on its future. Because of the superpower status of the USA on Planet Earth, whoever controls her destiny has controlled the destiny of the planet to a great extent. Witness the past century of wars and economic depressions that the world has experienced, all of which originated in New York City (Jewish capital of the world) and implemented by Washington D.C. (where Jewish lawyers and lobbyists control the federal government)
The role of American Jewry throughout every facet of society was greatly enhanced over the very same century. That they were intimately involved with many of the most consequential decisions to come from the U.S. Government and Banking Industry stands as testimony to their stature and influence. In effect they have been chosen to administer the United States of America on the level of visible governance, both political and financial. In light of this undeniable fact of life in the US of A, the Jews effectively function as "The Chosen People"[2].
Because of this profound relationship, what affects the many Jews living in the U.S. deeply affects all Americans. Just as what affects America can dramatically affect the Middle East and Central Asia, China and Japan, South America and Africa, Canada and Mexico, etc. The current battleground of Armageddon in the Mideast is a grim testament to this reality. Similarly, the current domestic predicament of the USA has been controlled to an inordinate degree, by the same Chosen People. Ergo, the calendar which the Jewish people hold sacred will inevitably have a tremendous impact on the nation, and especially on the immediate future of America.
The Biblical Shemitah Explained
The following excerpt comes from a detailed and well informed essay entitled:
The Coming Shemitah 5775 (2014/5) & Jubilee Year 5776 (2015/6)[7]
The entire essay is dedicated to explaining the biblical meaning and historical context of the Shemitah year, as well as its relevance to any country that continues to operate under the direct or indirect influence of the Hebrew calendar.
The key concept here, and it is emphasized by various knowledgable authors, is the release of debts which must occur if there is to be renewal of the land and rebirth of the people. When the debts are properly forgiven, God is pleased and the future will be bright and prosperous. When the debts are not released, JUDGMENT comes upon the land and the people.
It is often this type of biblical context in which the ram's horn or trumpet is blown. Their sounding is either a cause for great celebration for the anticipated prosperity and happiness (which in this case comes with the release of debts and subsequent spiritual pursuits of the society). Or, the trumpet blast signals an upcoming JUDGMENT, and therefore causes much apprehension, fear and even dread for what the future might bring.
Because the Shemitah of 2014/15 is followed by the Jubilee Year, which ever outcome ultimately manifests will be greatly magnified. In other words, when the proverbial trumpets are finally blown, there will be no mistake about their prophetic message. The unfolding destiny of each nation involved during this 70th Jubilee is as inexorable as the future fate and fortune of the world-at-large.
The world community of nations has never been so interconnected. Countries such as the USA and Israel are uniquely interdependent. Because certain national, as well as regional, destinies are now inextricably interwoven, the fate suffered by one country can easily overwhelm another. Conversely, the degree of good fortune experienced by any given region or nation will naturally be enjoyed by its neighbors. Hence, when the "Biblical Shemitah" trumpets are finally blown during the upcoming Jubilee, everyone will hear what they will according to their destiny and fate.
Perhaps this pivotal passage from the Book of Revelation about the sounding of the "7th Trumpet" represents the long-awaited 70th Shemitah Jubilee.
"The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven …."
— Book of Revelation 11:15
Shemitah and its Influence on American History
The "Biblical Shemitah" has proven to be the most earth-shaking of years for the USA and for the world-at-large for the past 100 years. This name — SHEMITAH — is given to every seventh year in the Hebrew calendar. The current Shemitah actually began on September 24/25, 2014 and will end on September 13, 2015. The last three months of 2014 ought to provide an indication of what 2015 will bring. One article put it this way: All Hell Breaks Loose In 2014.
The correlation between truly cataclysmic events over the past one hundred years and the dates of the Shemitah are as remarkable as they are indisputable. The preceding graphic portrays the uncanny correspondence since 1990 in a way that is quite telling. The dot-com bubble burst of 2000 and 2001, the 9/11/01 false flag terrorist attacks, the economic crash of that September in 2001, the stock market crash of 2008 are just a few of those events which occurred during Shemitah*.
*The Mystery of the Shemitah… As the prophets gazed out at the ruins of ancient Israel, they realized that there was a mystery to the timing of God's judgment! That mystery centred on the Biblical Shemitah. Every seventh year, the "Shemitah, or Sabbath Year," would cause the land to rest, when sowing and reaping, buying and selling would come to a standstill. The Shemitah was unique in that it specifically affected the nation's economic and financial realms — wiping out all accounts of credit and debt. For the nation that departs from God, the Shemitah becomes a sign of judgment. The year of Shemitah reaches its culmination on the last day of the Hebrew year.
(The Harbinger – Jonathan Cahn)
The month of Tishri (September/October) has established numerous and extraordinary historical precedents
since the 3rd Millennium began.
Going back to the legendary stock market crash of Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, which marked the beginning of the Great Depression, this striking correlation again shows up during the very last month of Shemitah. It is often during the Jewish month known as Tishri in which the main events often occur that leave such an indelible mark on civilization. Tishri is demarcated by the months of September and October and always includes the second half of September.
The stock market crash of 2008 first began on Black Monday, September 15th, and then continued with a series of mini-crashes right up until the very end of October. Thus began the 2nd Great Depression which continues up to the present time with severe global repercussions. Likewise, a close examination of many economic and financial calamities, as well as historic military and political events will reveal their proximity to the month of Tishri in the year of Shemitah.
The following diagram clearly indicates the most important days (religious observances and holy days) of the Hebrew calendar, including those which fall within the month of Tishri. In less than a month's time there occurs a rapid succession of (i) Trumpets, (ii) Atonement, (iii) Tabernacles, followed by the (iv) Last Great Day. What is most significant is that the month of Tishri starts with the Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah. This day marks the last day of the previous month — Elul — and is written as Elul 29 as shown on the calendar wheel below.
There is also something special about the day of Elul 29 on the Jewish calendar. This is the last day of the Hebrew month of Elul, when all debts were canceled and all credit released, and the nation of Israel's financial accounts were wiped clean. This is the day that ushers in the month of Tishri and the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah.
The first shaking was 9/11 and a stock market crash on Sept. 17, or Elul 29 on the Jewish calendar. The second was in 2008, seven years later to the day. At end of September 2008, the greatest stock market crash in U.S. history, again on Elul 29, touched off the Great Recession.
"So it means in Israel the orthodox Jews were canceling out their debts symbolically, while God is cancelling out the debts, there's this giant Shemitah, across the world, both times, to the day," Cahn explained in a TV interview with Gary Stearman on "Prophecy in the News" last year.
On Rosh Hashanah it is customary to blow the trumpets once each day as a type of a warning, and the sound of the trumpet is a symbol of alarm and judgment throughout Scripture.
"Yes Elul is all about warning, it's about trumpets, it's about getting right with God and it's about repentance," Cahn said. "Sundown comes and then comes the Feast of Trumpets, the blowing of the trumpet. The day of the judgment, or the day of the warning. All these converging on this exact precise day."[1]
Undoubtedly, Jonathan Cahn, the author of this excerpt from "The Mystery of the Shemitah" is on to something very BIG. Even a cursory look at the evidence demonstrates that the Shemitah 7-year cycle reoccurs with such predictability in the world of finance and economics that it's a wonder it does not prominently configure into the outlooks of every practicing economist and financial advisor, investment broker and market analyst. With the internet making privileged information like this available, perhaps a fateful economic and financial future can still be averted.
Does the 7-Year Great Tribulation begin with the ending of the Shemitah?
There is no question that the "Blood Moon Tetrad" of 2014 and 2015 reflects a portentous cycle which cannot be ignored, particularly in view of so many earth-shattering global developments since the first of four consecutive lunar eclipses occurred on April 15, 2014. That the last Blood Moon of the tetrad takes place on September 15th of 2015 certainly fits the timing of the prophecy. The Shemitah officially ends on September 13, 2015 and is followed by the 70th Jubilee.
For those who are unaware, full lunar (and solar) eclipses are considered quite inauspicious events[4] and should NEVER be viewed directly or indirectly (photos on the internet included). Wisdom from the East admonishes the skywatcher to refrain from observing both types of eclipses, especially the full lunar eclipse, unless one wants to become a lunatic. Hence, a tetrad of Blood Moons does not bode well for the planetary civilization, particularly when so many people happily watch them out of ignorance. For spiritual aspirants, the 5-day period surrounding any eclipse is a very good time to intensify one's practice of meditation and prayer.
Astrologers, both Vedic and Western, will corroborate the significance of a Blood Moon Tetrad. Given that all four are occurring while Pluto is in Capricorn, Neptune is in Pisces and Uranus is in Aries certainly amplifies the prevailing tumultuous social energies as much as the tempestuous weather trends. With Saturn in Scorpio during much of the duration of this 17-month Blood Moon Tetrad, there is guaranteed to be an underlying period of turbulence in every sphere of life. Welcome to 2015, a time to go inside and prepare for a full-blown Tribulation, should it manifest in living color.
The following excerpt may be written in language which many often dismiss because of its obvious religious overtones and scriptural language. Nevertheless, it conveys some pertinent information and insight which only confirms that 2015 may shape up to be the most pivotal year of the 3rd Millennium. We feel obligated to point out that our analysis independently arrived at the very same correlation between the Shemitah and the Great Tribulation, right down to the exact starting month of September, 2015.
The subsequent converging event possibly connected to the Shemitah is the Blood Moon Tetrad discovered by Pastor Mark Blitz. The first of the Tetrad occurred on April 15, 2014, and the next will appear in the night sky on October 8, 2014, according to the Gregorian calendar. Pastor Blitz, using the Biblical Jewish calendar and the NASA website, discovered that these Blood Moons or total lunar eclipses would occur on Jewish Feast days in 2014-2015. Most notable of these, in relation to the upcoming Shemitah year, will be the final Blood Moon, on the Feast of Tabernacles, September 28, 2015. This is also the date for the celebration of the end of the Shemitah year to be held at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and this final Super Blood Moon will be visible in Jerusalem! (Deuteronomy 31; 10)
Pastor Blitz' investigation of the Blood Moon phenomena connected the tetrads to momentous dates in Jewish history such as the 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the declaration Jewish statehood in 1948, and the Six Day War of 1967. Like Rabbi Cahn, Pastor Blitz is careful not to make predictions of what might occur during this period, but he does encourage a watchful attitude as we witness the progressive unveiling of the Blood Moon Tetrad.
In a recent exclusive article published in the WND, Pastor Blitz delivers what he calls a "bombshell" concerning the significance of the Shemitah and the Blood Moon Tetrad. In referring to the Biblical Tribulation, a seven year period of unprecedented peril and suffering on earth, he goes on to state, "what I am proposing is that it (the Tribulation) is simply a continuation of the Shemitah cycle that has been ticking along for ages. The Tribulation will not be any random sequence of seven years, but the first year of the Tribulation will begin with the first year of the seven-year cycle. This has huge prophetic implications when we realize this Rosh Hashanah is the seventh year of a seven-year cycle, and the fall of 2015 begins a new seven-year cycle."[5]
"The 70th Jubilee Shemitah of 2015 is extra significant!"
The 2015 Shemitah is also an exceptionally momentous year because it marks the 70th Jubilee*. This simultaneity of powerful calendrical energies, once again, reflects a marked intensification of global events because of the pervasiveness of Judaic culture, especially within those rich and powerful English-speaking nations which comprise the Anglo-American Axis[6]. Over many centuries the various Jewish diasporas ensured that the Hebrew calendar would enjoy pervasive use throughout the entire earth realm. The United States, along with Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France and Germany are all deeply affected by the calendar's worldly impacts, especially during the upcoming Jubilee.
*The English word "jubilee" comes from the Hebrew word "yovel" meaning a "trumpet or ram's horn."[7]
According to their calendar, the Jubilee* occurs every 50 years after the 49-year cycle (seven cycles of seven years also known as "seven Sabbaths of years") completes as delineated in the above diagram. It comes to its ultimate fruition in 2015 because this year is also the 70th Jubilee, 7 years prior to the crucial Shemitah year of 2022/23. Because that year —2023 — represents the final end of the current Judaic calendrical cycle, the oft-prophesied 7-year Great Tribulation appears to begin in earnest in the 2015/2016 time frame.
The number 70 is a prophetic number. Daniel the prophet spoke of 70 sevens that must be fulfilled in order for redemption to come. The 70th Jubilee Shemitah of "2015" is extra significant! This Jubilee Shemitah of 2015/2016 will mark the beginning of a prophetic series of events that could ultimately culminate seven Years later….[7]
The Old Testament soundings of the ram's horn always accompanied the inauguration of great celebrations, as well as served as the divine announcement of apocalyptic events. Throughout the Book of Revelation the biblical blowing of trumpets precedes the seven major prophecies that would soon unfold upon the Earth, which John the Divine saw in his meditative visions on the island of Patmos. In this manner, the trumpet blast functions as both grave warning and urgent wakeup call.
When the seventh trumpet is blown, it is then that the door into the most Holy is opened in the temple of heaven and the ark of the covenant is seen, and the 24 elders announce that the time of judgment has come[8].
As per the previous graphic the various key dates of the Hebrew calendar are stacking up throughout 2014, 2015 and 2016. If 2015/16 is the "Year of the Trumpets" when time literally stands still, 2016 may come to be known as the year when the Great Tribulation finally breaks out into the open. According to Chinese astrology, 2016 also represents the year when everyone in the worldwide audience will be treated to "The Greatest Show on Earth". For there is no performer or actor anywhere as captivating and impressive as the inimitable Fire Monkey.
2016: Chinese Year of the Fire Monkey … … …
as Pluto continues to cruise through Capricorn!
This piece of the End Times puzzle is of paramount importance. Again, because of the center stage that the USA currently occupies in world affairs, its evolving and predominant astrological dynamics weigh heavily on nations large and small. Chinese astrology tells us that the USA was born in the Year of the Fire Monkey on July 4, 1776. This birth date also indicates that Pluto was transiting through Capricorn during the revolutionary period of the 1770s. Everyone knows the rest of the story about the unprecedented American Revolution.
The coincidence of these two mutually reinforcing astrological events only occurs every 245 years. The obvious deduction is that the United States of America is getting ready to experience the 2nd American Revolution. Only this time the people are revolting against an extremely oppressive U.S. Federal Government. Political and financial tyranny have been manifesting on a daily basis. The citizenry has never been so justifiably rebellious in almost 250 years.
Clearly, the powerful energies associated with the Fire Monkey encourage exactly the same kind of revolutionary fervor that we see developing throughout American society today. Aggressive and assertive, courageous and daring, the Fire Monkey knows no fear when his show begins. Just as those who served in George Washington's army went up against great odds to defeat the 'invincible' British Empire. The political and financial establishment simply has no idea what it's facing in the form of the enraged and determined Fire Monkey.
The upcoming segment of this show starring the Fire Monkey is taking place while Pluto is crashing through Capricorn, as it has been since 2008. This particular combination, of Plutonian energy sending shockwaves through the very foundations of the USA power structure while the Fire Monkey (known as King Kong in Hollywood) ensures that the whole place crashes and burns, is utterly irrepressible. Here's what can happen every 245 years, which only infrequently occurs due to the lengthy orbit of distant Pluto.
Even the stars portend striking parallels between the revolutionary spirit of 1776 and the upcoming Revolution of 2016. Every knowledgeable astrologer will agree that the 1770s saw the planet Pluto cruising through Capricorn just as it has been since 2008. This particular transit only occurs once every 245 years and does not bode well for those who populate the establishment. Especially those who occupy the greatest positions of power throughout government, the military, law enforcement, banking and the like, will be seriously challenged. Ultimately, the entire power structure of American society will find itself under tremendous assault and inordinate stress, as it should be.
Certainly the English Generals and their mercenary armies did not fare well when Pluto was barreling through Capricorn during the Revolutionary War. When the most powerful navy and best equipped infantry on Earth is defeated by roving ragtag bands of minutemen, there must have been far greater forces at work than the once almighty British Crown. And so there were.[9]
Barack Obama and Ron Paul, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu
There is no question that Ron Paul is a 21st century incarnation of Thomas Paine. Quite courageously, ex-Congressman Paul has educated and edified the U.S. electorate in a way that no other politician has in American history. Let's call him the cyber-Pamphleteer of the 21st century. Just as Thomas Paine enlisted the Black Brigade in the mid 1770s, Paul has received the assistance of ministers like Chuck Baldwin who also ran for President with Paul's endorsement in 2008. Truly, the history books (if there are any in the future) will recognize Ron Paul as the man who lit the fuse of the Second American Revolution. No one has ever spoken truth to power in these United States of America as he has done, and to this very day.
That leaves us wondering what roles Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu might be playing.
It ought to be clear that President Obama did not want to run for a second term. His first disastrous presidential debate in 2012 was no accident; he didn't want to be there, nor where he is now. Surely his astrologer told him that 2015 and 2016 would not be easy. For certain, most of the competent political and national astrologers see nothing but trouble on the horizon for Obama. When a Nobel Peace Prize winner is directly responsible for killing more people around the world than all the other Peace Prize winners put together, he has serious problems. Re-starting the epic Cold War with Russia didn't help his legacy either. Ergo, President Obama appears to be today's version of King George III of Great Britain.
As for Vladimir Putin, he's the man of the hour — literally. He is our Catherine the Great and Alexander II of Russia, both of whom lent invaluable assistance to the USA during the Revolutionary War and Civil War, respectively. President Putin is also our Marquis de Lafayette, without whose help the colonies would not have won the most critical military battles against the English. He might also be our Comte de Saint Germain, so magical are the workings of his diplomacy and statecraft. It is said that it was St. Germain who mysteriously showed up at the original signing of the Declaration of Independence and encouraged the very first signature when all present were paralyzed with apprehension.
As for Benjamin Netanyahu, there are no words to describe his actions or his speech; only a photo (see below) can do some justice … perhaps. Needless to say, his continued leadership of the Israeli Government does not bode well for the community of nations. Israel's notorious control of the U.S. political establishment is likewise cause for great concern. There is a saying:
"Only when there is peace in the Middle East, will there be peace throughout the world."[2]
The Zionist Movement and the Modern State of Israel
It is absolutely true that all of the major global cataclysms of the 20th century were directly caused by the national and political movement of Zionism. World War I, World War II and the Great Depression are three examples of the Zionist Movement at work. All three of these earth-shaking events served to facilitate the process of establishing the Modern State of Israel (MSI). In so doing, a "reverse diaspora" was engineered whereby the Jewish communities throughout Europe were compelled to emigrate to Palestine.
Once the MSI was firmly established, the next phase of this multi-decade plot was the gradual accretion of more land by way of wars and skirmishes, aggressive settlement policies and outright land theft. This strategy of transparently manufacturing the return of Jews to their homeland continues to this very day as the recent Paris attacks have demonstrated. Not only was Netanyahu asked not to come to Paris, he purposefully used the largest march in the history of France to encourage French Jews to move to Israel.
The larger point here is that the leaders of the international Zionist Movement (ZM) have meticulously utilized the Hebrew calendar to plan all of their nation-building initiatives, all of which have transpired at great expense to the Jewish people. As a matter of historical fact, many of the leaders of the ZM in the first half of the 20th century were intimately involved at the very highest levels of German, and especially Nazi, political, financial, and military leadership (That's why this particular group of fascist Ashkenazi Jews are known as Zionazis). They guaranteed that the plot to encourage European Jewry to emigrate to the MSI would happen right on time in the wake of each continent-wide calamity.
This rapidly evolving scheme, of which the 9/11 false flag operation was a critical part, has deliberately capitalized on the history of oppression of the Jewish people. It has also taken advantage of their deep commitment to their religious traditions and holy days, especially those which are central to the Jewish cultural narrative. Any psychohistorical analysis of the last hundred years would reveal a conspiracy so complex and convoluted that only a genuine Talmudic scholar could figure it out.
Have the Jewish elders, who strictly follow their forefathers' Talmud of Rabbinic Judaism, been advancing Zionism over the centuries?
Or, has the worldwide Zionist Movement employed Talmudic religious fanaticism to create a One World Government headquartered in Israel?
Or, are both agendas operating concurrently?
More importantly, are the vast majority of Jewish people even aware of any of this ongoing manipulation of their history, their present, and their future?
As it was insinuated at the beginning of this essay, whoever manages the religious calendar (and, therefore, cultural trigger points), can easily control the events, the lives, and the futures of any given race of people.
Of utmost consequence, however, it is those who dictate and manipulate the religious prophecy who exercise the greatest control over the faithful as well as other believers.
It has been a well kept secret over millennia that some of the most sacred scriptures of Western civilization were written as a movie script. In other words, those theological 'screenplays' were written by men whose mundane knowledge and religious understanding were such that their descendants — over millennia — would ensure that the actual events described in the scriptures took place at the right location, on the predicted day, and at the appointed hour.
By way of illustration, the original books of the Old Testament, as well as newer versions of the Holy Bible, are known to be secretly coded. Through the use of various ciphers and other cryptographical techniques, they have been used to disseminate a furtive plan to those of like mind. In this way a highly clandestine agenda has been executed over centuries which appears in the form of unrelated and spontaneous events to the uninitiated.
All major world events have been scripted in this way, just as calendars have been fastidiously constructed to reflect their exact nature and timing, purpose and effect. Therefore, all historical happenings of great import, such as 9/11 and WWII and the Great Depression had been planned for quite a long time. In fact, these and other monumental cataclysms have been fabricated according to a precise blueprint that is known to but a very few.
*Excellent video exposé of how "Sacred Scripture Morphs Into Profane Script"[youtube_sc url= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc4FFlTvWEY&w=560&h=315]
While the mysterious ways of personal karma and national destiny are inextricably intertwined and fairly cut in stone, the overriding evolution of planetary consciousness can oftentimes alter the current trajectories and future events of a civilization. Therefore, a more highly evolved state of the collective consciousness can move mountains even when they refuse to move, as we are now confronted with.
However, it is necessarily the state of the individual consciousness which must first be elevated, if it is to raise the collective awareness of all earthlings. This is where 2016 comes in. The coming American revolution is fundamentally a revolution of consciousness — individual and group consciousness. Each individual is being summoned by the Universe to reclaim his or her personal sovereignty. Only then can the critical group known as the U.S. citizenry take back their power from those who have misappropriated it.
As a modern day prophet once uttered in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001:
Revisionist Historians for World Peace
Submitted: January 13, 2015
In light of the wild and crazy ride that 2014 took the entire world on, 2015 has every reason to continue along the same roller coaster trajectories … in every sphere of life. And why shouldn't it? Humanity has shown insufficient inclination to make the necessary changes in order to avert whatever destiny has in store. Yes, there are those light-workers and old souls who do what they can to raise the vibration of the planet. However, it really does appear that the vast majority of human beings are still asleep.
Hence, it is our sincere belief that the Universe will be compelled to 'perform' a dramatic wakeup call. This is not, in any way, intended to be a pessimistic assessment of the oncoming future; it's only meant to be a reality check. When a critical mass of enlightened consciousness is necessary to advance the planetary civilization fully into the 4th Density and beyond, the Universe will ensure that the perfect set of circumstances will manifest in order to produce the requisite enlightenment.
In closing, it has never been so crucial to understand exactly what time it really is. In the grand sweep of time, and being ever-cognizant of the epochal movements of the great eras, it seems clear that we are long past a minute to midnight. The Mayan Calendar informs us that the world is enjoying a literal grace period every single day beyond December 21, 2012. The 2012 meme was, after all, a blessing from the Great Mother, revered by the Mayans as the divine womb from which the Milky Way Galaxy sprang.
What each of us does with our time and energy between now and September of 2015 can have significant impact on the earthly outcomes. Regardless of the workings of the World Shadow Government, it does appear that the Shift of the Ages will happen with or without them. Perhaps it's time to simply let the Divine Mother work Her magic and hope that we will know when to get out of the way. The preordained "Return of the Goddess" has been eagerly anticipated since time immemorial. Hopefully, the Masters of the Patriarchy[11] do know that their time is now up.
The following video offers a unique window into the realities and mysteries of Shemitah. It provides some very compelling information which is particularly timely and relevant as we approach Tishri this coming September of 2015. If you watch only one video in 2015, this ought to be the one.
[youtube_sc url= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owWu2yy5nxs&w=560&h=315]
[1] When does the Mayan Long Count Calendar really end?
[2] The Chosen People: Israel, 'Christian' Zionism and the Middle East Crisis
[3] The Biblical Shemitah has already begun: 2015 is the year of JUDGEMENT
[4] Solar and Lunar Eclipses: Don't Watch Them!
[5] The Shemitah, Blood Moons, and God's Seven Year Cycles
[6] WORLD WAR III: Anglo-American Axis vs. BRICS Alliance
[7] The Coming Shemitah & Jubilee Year 5774/5
[8] The Book of Revelation: SEVEN TRUMPETS
[9] Ultimatum To America: Change From Within Or Be Changed From Without
[10] September 11th, 2001 Marks The Final End Of The KALI YUGA
ISRAEL: 'The Chosen People' Are Called To Be Peacemakers
BOOK OF REVELATION: An Authoritative Interpretation Finally Unveils Its Many Mysteries
AWESOME Earth Changes Coming Around The Corner
The FOUR HORSEMEN Herald the Death Knell of Predatory Capitalism


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Slow roasted Aromatic shoulder of Pork
Prep Time: 5min
Cook Time: 24 hour
Serving: 6
- 1 pork shoulder, skin scored (approximately 12 to 14 pounds)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger
- 2 fresh red chiles or 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (not extra-virgin)
- 4 tablespoons sherry or rice vinegar
- The pork takes 24 hours to cook, which is no cause for alarm, because for about 23 hours and 55 minutes you are ignoring it absolutely. And it makes your house smell like a home should.
- So, if you're planning to eat this for Sunday lunch, at about Saturday lunchtime, preheat your (clean) oven to the hottest it will go. Sit the pork skin-side-up on a rack over a roasting pan. I like to use a mortar and pestle to make my paste but you could just grate the garlic and ginger (one of my beloved, and often mentions, a microplane grater is the tool for the job) and stir in chiles, a tablespoonful of oil and 2 of vinegar if you want. Otherwise, pound together the peeled chopped ginger and peeled cloves with the fresh chiles, adding a tablespoonful of oil and 2 of vinegar when they're squished and paste-like.
- Using your fingers, rub this paste over the scored skin, pushing bits into the cut lines of the rind. Stagger across to the oven and put in the tray, leaving it for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, into the bowl in which you mixed the paste, pour the 2 remaining tablespoons each of oil and vinegar. When the pork's had its half an hour, remove it from the oven, and turn the temperature down to 225 degrees F. Now turn the pork over: I find it easiest to lift it by hand wearing oven mitts. It makes them dirty, ok, but there is the washing machine. . .
- Pour the oil and vinegar over the underside (which is now uppermost on the rack) and put the pork back in the low oven, leaving it there for 23 hours. (Actually, you could leave it longer. One of the joys of this is that it cannot overcook.) Anyway, after 23 hours, or 30 to 40 minutes before you actually want to eat, turn the oven back to the highest it will go, remove the pork and turn it back crackling side up. Put it back in the oven for 30 minutes, in which time it will get hot and crisp, though you can give it another 10 if you feel it needs it.
- Remove, slice off the crackling in a horizontal swipe of the knife and break it into manageable pieces, then start carving or pulling at the tender meat.


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Sacré Cœur and the butte Montmartre from the roof terrace of the Musée d'Orsay
(aka the sketch I wish I'd done while I was there! - see below)
copyright Katherine Tyrrell
(aka the sketch I wish I'd done while I was there! - see below)
copyright Katherine Tyrrell
On our second day in Paris I visited the Musée d'Orsay and the Sennelier shop at Quai Voltaire (on the Left Bank, opposite the Louvre). Click this link to see a Google map of the places I visited - also shown below.
View Musée d'Orsay in a larger map
You can read blog posts on my two other blogs about:
- Making A Mark - The Musée d'Orsay
- Making A Mark - Video: Vincent van Gogh at the Musée d'Orsay
- Making A Mark - Video: Claude Monet at the Musée d'Orsay
- Making A Mark Reviews - Art shop review: Magasin Sennelier, Paris
- Flickr set: Musée d'Orsay
- YouTube: my videos of paintings in the Musée d'Orsay
Sketching in the Musée d'Orsay
You can also copy works in the museum as follows. The museum makes a distinction between freehand drawing (including sketching) and people who want to set up an easel and copy paintings (by sight-size methods presumably).
An artist copying a painting in the Musée d'Orsay
photo copyright Katherine Tyrrell
photo copyright Katherine Tyrrell
Freehand drawingThe main issues for those wanting to sketch are as follows:
Freehand pencil sketches, not exceeding 30 x 60 cm, are allowed in the museum. However, for groups, previous authorisation must be requested when the booking is made.
Copying museum works of art, by professional or amateur copyists, or by art school students, requires an individual authorisation. This is issued to one named person, and for a single work. The request must be submitted at least one month before the required date of entry to the museum. The permission is valid for three months, and may not be extended.
- you can only to enter the museum with a handbag. So my sister's very large shoulder bag got in but my sketching backpack had to go in the cloakroom. I'd pared it right down so it wasn't in any way bulky as I've had this problem before but they were still adamant that all backpacks had to go in the cloakroom. (If I'd had a handbag inside the backpack I would have been able to take a basic kit in).
- the museum can be incredibly busy in certain areas - which means a lot of potential 'visual interference' while sketching. Plus you need to get yourself set up somewhere where you aren't in the way of other people as otherwise you'll be jostled on a fairly frequent basis as people tend to look at the pictures rather than where they are going!
- there aren't a lot of places to sit down. Fine if you can stand - but people like me who have a limit on standing still will have a problem. I also didn't see any sketching stools in use, nor did I see any store of them. You also won't be able to take in your own. (Has anybody ever used a museum sketching stool? If so, where did you get one)
The terrace is reached a door at the side of the cafe at the top of the building. The door to the terrace seems to be locked after summer is over. I've visited on a fine day at the end of October and was unable to get out on the terrace. However it was a fine warm day at the end of September when I visited. The door was unlocked while I sat eating lunch in the cafe and hordes of people immediately poured out and on to the terrace!
A visit to the Sennelier shop
Art shop review: Magasin Sennelier, Paris provides my perspective on the Sennelier shop I visited after leavingthe museum. I've also got a Flickr set of photos taken in the Sennelier shop.
- Musée d'Orsay 62, rue de Lille, 75343 Paris
- Musée d'Orsay - details for visitors
- Sennelier - 3 quai Voltaire 75007 Paris


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It's less of a recipe and more like generalities, but here goes....
In a large skillet, sear 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat in a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Add in stock (preferably beef, but I realized I was out of beef and used duck instead), carrots, celery, onions, a splash or two of rice wine vinegar, thyme and salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until beef is tender. Mine took about 45 minutes. While that's cooking, use your leftover veggies and make some stock to cook the couscous in. When the beef is nearly done, toss in two portabella mushroom caps, sliced, and steam some asparagus. Cook the couscous by combining equal parts of boiling stock and couscous. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
Serve by laying asparagus on bottom, couscous next, then top with meat and vegetable mixture-make sure to get lots of the juice from the pan!!!
The best part of this was he ate everything on the plate. After he was done, I asked him if he liked the couscous! He finally admitted that maybe, just maybe, he likes couscous.
Now, it's time to link up some of those great dishes you make from scratch!
Here are the rules:
1. You can link up as many posts as you'd like.
2. My
3. The post you link up MUST CONTAIN A RECIPE!
4. If you want to put my button somewhere, that'd be cool. You can grab the code for the Made From Scratch Tuesday button on the top right of my sidebar.


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Chevrolet Celebrates Debut on New Manchester United Shirt
Fans worldwide take part in digital campaign at www.chevroletfc.com, virtually wearing and sharing the shirt
DETROIT (July 9, 2014) – Chevrolet and Manchester United fans worldwide today are celebrating Chevrolet's debut on the football club's 2014-15 season shirt. Fans are invited to upload photos of themselves wearing a digital version of the new shirt at www.chevroletfc.com, and share it via their social channels.
Putting fans at the centre of the brand's debut on the shirt via a unique digital experience is part of Chevrolet's "What Do You #PlayFor?" global campaign to bring football fans closer to the sport and help them celebrate the passion for play.
"Manchester United has more than 659 million supporters around the world, and we want them to know that we march side by side with them," said Tim Mahoney, chief marketing officer, Global Chevrolet. "We wanted to celebrate this new shirt with Manchester United supporters in an historic way because they deserve to be part of this important moment in club history."
To celebrate the kickoff of its seven-year Manchester United shirt sponsorship, Chevrolet on Monday released an enhanced version of its video at www.ChevroletFC.com that pays homage to the history of iconic Manchester United shirts, dating to the club's inception in 1878.
The video, which features Manchester United fans throughout history marching through the streets of Manchester with current players and legends singing the "Glory, Glory Man Utd" anthem, ends with player Wayne Rooney declaring, "This shirt belongs to you; always has, always will," as he and teammates Robin van Persie, David De Gea, Adnan Januzaj and Juan Mata reveal the new Chevrolet-branded home shirt.
Manchester United's Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold, said:
"The Club's traditions and heritage are extremely important to our players, team management and 659 million followers worldwide. As we look to our future in the new shirts, we are delighted that Chevrolet has been so committed to honouring everything that is so important to our club."
Nine Manchester United legends also appear in the video: Sir Bobby Charlton, Alex Stepney, Denis Law, Lou Macari, Arthur Albiston, Norman Whiteside, Clayton Blackmore, Denis Irwin and Gary Pallister.
Celebrating its debut on the new shirt is one of several upcoming events highlighting Chevrolet's partnership with Manchester United. On July 23, Manchester United will play its first match in the new Chevrolet-branded shirt against the L.A. Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., in the Chevrolet Cup. Chevrolet also will serve as the presenting sponsor of Manchester United's Aug. 2 match versus Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. Chevrolet has plans for a memorable fan moment at Manchester United's 2014-15 opening Premier League match on the weekend of Aug. 16-17 against Swansea City FC.
About Chevrolet in Canada
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.ca, on Facebook or by following @ChevroletCanada on Twitter. For more information on Chevrolet's commitment to football, please visit www.chevroletfc.com.
About Manchester United
Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth. Through our 136-year heritage, we have won 62 trophies, enabling us to develop the world's leading sports brand and a global community of 659 million followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media mobile, broadcasting and match day.


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So, I am literally just starting out with google adsense. I have implemented google adsense ads from (1) account and from (2) different channels, per website they're on. (2 Wordpress Websites, activated with 'GoogleAdsense Plugin' for WordPress).
They are implemented at the bottom of every post on my 2 Wordpress websites within the 'Blog' sections. My adsense dashboard is stating I've received a few clicks; but across it still states my account earnings and balance at $0.00.
When / How will I start seeing money earned to my account?


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Same-Sex Marriage Linked to Longer Lives
Since the advent of same-sex marriage in Denmark, married gay men and women have seen their death rates drop, a new study finds.
The research fits well with other studies that have linked health and marriage among opposite-sex couples. Men in same-sex couples now have lower mortality rates than unmarried or divorced men, with only men in opposite-sex marriages living longer.
"Among men in Denmark, it is more dangerous to be unmarried or divorced than to be married to another man," said study researcher Martin Frisch of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen and the Center for Sexology Research of Aalborg University.
Tracking health
Denmark was the first nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, doing so in 1989. That length of time provides a unique advantage for researchers looking at the effects of legalized marriage, Frisch told LiveScience.
In the United States, same-sex marriage is now legal in the District of Columbia and nine states (Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington). The federal government does not recognize these unions.
Frisch and his colleagues used data from the country's Civil Registration System, which is used to issue citizens identification numbers (similar to Social Security numbers) and contains basic demographic information, including marital status and death dates. This database gave them information on 6.5 million Danes between 1982 and 2011.
During the study period, about 1.7 million of the people in the registry died, allowing the researchers to calculate mortality rates for the 29-year period. Controlling for education, income, city and population density, the researchers found that marriage made a difference.
Men and women in opposite-sex marriages had the lowest mortality rates of any other group in the study, including people who were widowed, divorced or unmarried. Female widows and divorcees were about 1.4 and 1.6 times more likely to die during the study period than those who were married to a man, respectively, and mortality rates for unmarried women rose slightly between 1982 and 2011, from 1.5 to 1.7 times more likely to die than married women.
Male widowers were 1.4 times more likely to die than men in opposite-sex marriages as of 2011, a slight increase from 1.2 in 1982. Men who were divorced also saw their chance of mortality go up over the study period, from 1.3 to 1.7 times more likely to die than married men. For unmarried men, the same numbers rose from 1.2 to 1.7 between 1982 and 2011.
Same-sex marriage and survival
Starting in 1989, when same-sex marriage was introduced, mortality rates among gays and lesbians who got married have declined. As of 2011, men in same-sex marriages were only 1.4 times more likely to die during the study period than men in opposite-sex marriages, a number lower than unmarried or divorced men. [5 Myths About Gay People Debunked]
Part of the mortality drop likely has to do with the development of antiretroviral therapies to treat HIV and AIDS, Fisch said. The syndrome affects gay men disproportionately, but drug therapies have been available since 1995 and 1996. As a result, gay men went from the group with the highest mortality rates to the group with the second-lowest, behind only men married to women.
Married lesbians also saw their mortality rates decline between 1989 and 2011, Frisch said, but not as dramatically.
"Since the year 2000, same-sex married Danish lesbians have had mortality rates that are almost 90 percent higher than opposite-sex women in Denmark," he said. Their mortality rates may even be increasing, he added.
Based on data about causes of death, the researchers think that an increased suicide risk among Danish lesbians explains a large part of their mortality lag. Married lesbians were more than six times more likely to commit suicide than married straight women. They were also at a 60 percent increased risk of death from cancer, for reasons not yet understood.
On one hand, the study reveals that mortality rates are not necessarily elevated in gay men, despite many studies finding disproportionate physical and mental health struggles among this group (often associated with social stigma). Marriage may protect against the societal challenges of being gay, or healthier gay men may be more likely to enter marriages.
On the other hand, Frisch said, the data suggest that men and women who are gay still struggle more than their straight counterparts. Both same-sex-married men and women had elevated suicide rates over straight-married couples, he said.
"It is important now to identify those factors that make more homosexuals than heterosexuals vulnerable to life's challenges to such an extent that suicide may appear to be the only way out," Frisch said.
The researchers report their findings online today (March 11) in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Follow Stephanie Pappas @sipappas. Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience, Facebook or Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
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Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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By Harry Baker
By Ben Turner


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Greg Campbell is an obscure writer for the Fort Collins, Colo., Now. But on Oct. 26, he penned what serves as the perfect window into the mind of many Barack Obama supporters. Campbell attended an Obama rally with his 11-year-old son, Turner. Turner was excited by Obama's typical "American Dream" stump speech. Campbell himself was excited not by Obama, but by his son's reaction: "For me, (Obama's message) sunk in because I could see it through the eyes of an 11-year-old."
We have reached a dangerous point in American politics when parents take their voting cues from 11-year-old children. But Campbell isn't alone. Americans left and right have paid homage to Obama for "getting the youth involved." In fact, young voters barely surpassed their 2004 turnout percentage – voters aged 18-29 comprised just 18 percent of the electorate, as opposed to 17 percent in 2004. Nonetheless, there is a feeling that youth led the way in this election. "A new generation looks ready to engage in American democracy – and not just on Election Day," gushed the Christian Science Monitor on Nov. 10. "Encouragingly, this generation actually wants to interact with government, politics and public service."
And Obama is looking to capitalize on that youth support. Obama's sophisticated online network is geared toward mobilizing teenage minions. Obama's proposed civilian national security force is directed toward calcifying support for him into support for his political program. And Obama's "national service" requirement is an attempt to turn young people into government employees.
There is no question that the Barack Obama Movement was led not by elder statesman, but by college students and twentysomethings. This election cycle provided Generation Y a chance to assume unearned moral superiority over their elders by promoting a black president. It also provided Generation Y a chance to live out the precepts of their public school educations, which focused on "changing the world," as well as "diversity" and "tolerance."
TRENDING: U.S. drops first payload of humanitarian aid into Gaza
Here's the big question: Why in the world should we be excited about young Americans defining our politics?
No political mass movement led by young people has ever resulted in good. In fact, the most murderous mass movements in history have been led by young people. Nazism became popular among the youth before it became the German national theology; Hitler, of course, cultivated young people by targeting them for service in his SA, or Sturm Abteilung, and later, his Hitler Youth. The movement for Soviet Communism was led by young devotees of Lenin, who swallowed his sadistic ideology wholesale; later, the Soviet system would ask children to spy on their parents in service of the state. Similarly, the Chinese Maoists were largely composed of young people; so were the Vietnamese Viet Cong. It is no coincidence that the current Islamo-fascist movement is dominated by militant young Muslims.
In America, the story is the same. The disastrous 1960s were a result of the Greatest Generation giving full leeway to the baby boomers. Students led the movement for surrender in Vietnam, the anarchist movement, the so-called gay rights movement and the free love movement. America has been plagued with the results of those movements ever since.
Young people have the enthusiasm for politics, but not practical experience or breadth of learning. They spend little or no time studying history. Instead, they are told from birth that they are the future, and that the future is in their hands. They rely on high-flown idealism rather than historical knowledge. Young people largely agree with the following precept: "True idealism is nothing but the subordination of the interests and life of the individual to the community. … The purest idealism is unconsciously equivalent to the deepest knowledge."
Such idealism is the most basic building block for dangerous movements. But young people are not trained to see the danger in such idealism. It is only when young people grow up that they see Hitler in those lines rather than Barack Obama.
Celebrating the leadership of the youth in 2008 election, then, is a foolish exercise. Young people should be involved in politics – they should protect their interests. But they, like all other voters, should be expected to get informed, not just motivated; they, like all other voters, should be expected to learn about policy, not merely follow a leader. And the rest of America should be expected to take the voting preferences of those who have never studied history, held a job, paid a bill, or built a family, with a large grain of salt. What inspires 11-year-olds – or 21-year-olds – should not be what inspires 40-year-olds.


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SALT LAKE CITY — Twenty-five years ago this week, Utah Department of Corrections Lt. Fred House was shot and killed during one of the most infamous standoffs in Utah history.
Addam Swapp, the man responsible for the events that led to the standoff, may soon be released after serving 2 ½ decades behind bars. During his latest parole hearing, Utah Board of Pardons and Parole member Jesse Gallegos told him he would likely recommend to the full board that Swapp be allowed to leave prison.
The most compelling factor for his recommendation came from a letter written by House's widow, Ann House.
"In essence, she has come to a point where she feels that you have served enough time. She doesn't go on to say that she thinks you should be released, but that's certainly the implication or the read I have of it," Gallegos told Swapp. "She now accepts your apology and feels enough time has been spent behind solid walls. And that had a great impact on me. I will probably recommend a release; I just don't know when."
But while that hearing occurred more than four months ago on Sept. 27, the full parole board has not yet made any decision about releasing Swapp.
Swapp, now 51, has been in custody since 1988. He spent 17 years in federal prison for the Jan. 16, 1988, bombing of the stake center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Marion, Summit County. After serving time for that federal conviction, he has spent the past five years of a one-to-15-year sentence for a state manslaughter conviction.
Swapp is being held in an Arizona prison instead of the Utah State Prison, where some of House's relatives and colleagues still work.
The Singer-Swapp saga, as it was known, began in 1979 when polygamist John Singer was shot and killed by police officers serving a warrant. Police say Singer resisted arrest and pulled a gun on them. Swapp, who was in high school at the time, admitted that the shooting had a great impact on him. He ended up becoming part of the family and took two of Singer's daughters as his polygamous wives.
It was during this time that Swapp admitted he developed "very, very strong religious beliefs" and thought that somehow Singer was guiding him. After an issue with water rights arose, Swapp planted 18 sticks of dynamite in the LDS meetinghouse. The bombing — on the ninth anniversary of Singer's death — was intended to spark a confrontation that would lead to Singer's resurrection. Instead, it launched a 13-day standoff with police at the Singer-Swapp clan's compound in Marion. It ended on Jan. 28, 1988, following a shootout that left Fred House dead and Swapp injured.
John Timothy Singer, John Singer's son, was the one who actually shot and killed House. But Swapp today said he accepts that the lion's share of the blame was rightfully placed on him.
"Because I set the things in motion," he said during the latest parole hearing. "Now I never told Timothy to shoot, but the whole thing was set in motion because of my actions. Therefore, I'm responsible."
John Timothy Singer was paroled in 2006 after serving federal time and nearly 10 years of a manslaughter conviction. The matriarch of the clan, Vickie Singer, was sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years of probation for helping orchestrate the event.
Before he was sentenced in 1988, Swapp told the court that God had revealed to him that he would not actually serve any time in prison and that Americans would be destroyed if they didn't repent.
"Something moves within me very strongly — I need to call the people of the state of Utah to repent," he said at the time. He also called the country to repentance and said, "If they do not, they will be destroyed.
"I know I will be delivered from the court. Whatever your sentence will be today is nothing to me. … I stand unshaken. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.''
25 years later
In September, Swapp still spoke with religious overtones during his one-hour parole hearing. But instead of speaking from a standpoint of God causing destruction upon the world, Swapp spoke in the tone similar to a born-again Christian.
"It is important for you to know that I have fully embraced, adopted my core belief, (the) very center of my belief is in the person of Jesus Christ and through his word the New Testament. That's the pebble dropped into the pot. I try to have my actions governed by that. When I read (Romans 13:1-4) and it tells me to be subject unto higher powers and principalities unto the government that be, I have to subject myself, I have to humble myself, and recognize that this is what God wants," he said.
Swapp spoke of being born again during a previous parole hearing in 2007. He also offered an apology to Ann House.
Swapp frequently used the words "ashamed" and "embarrassed" during his 2012 hearing. He read from a letter he had prepared and, during his long speech, apologized to many people and asked for their forgiveness — including the House family, his own family, the Singer family, the LDS Church and the town of Marion.
"I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused so many people, most especially to the House family. To the House family, I want to say publicly, I'm so very sorry for having caused Fred's death. I'm so very sorry for having caused your family deep grief and pain for all these many years," Swapp said in tears.
"If I could, I'd like to tell you, Fred, publicly, I'm so sorry for causing your death. I was so wrong with what I did, by blowing up the church and resisting arrest. I know now that you only wanted a peaceful end to the standoff. I'm sorry that I've caused you to miss out in the life of your family … especially in the lives of your children and the love and companionship with your wife. I hope somehow on the other side, God will let you hear these words from my heart. Dear Fred, I am so very very sorry for causing your death."
Living his life by following Christ's example was another frequent theme during Swapp's parole hearing.
"I am not the same person I was when I came to prison. My core beliefs have completely changed. I am completely opposed to the violent acts that I committed that got me sent to prison," he said.
"I am fully determined to live a life of peace, to be a blessing to my fellow man. When I finally am buried and people reflect upon my life, I want it not to be what happened to me in 1988, but the man that I've become since I got out of prison so I can be a blessing to my fellow man. And that when people talk about me it will be with love in their hearts, not as some radical, not as some fanatic. But as someone who truly reflected the teachings of Christ."
When Gallegos asked Swapp if he believes he is still a risk to society, he replied, "No, I am not."
Changes in prison
When asked what was different now than from 25 years ago, Swapp said being incarcerated has exposed him to many people with different beliefs and cultures.
"I can say with an honest heart, I am thankful that I came to prison. I would not be the man I am today without the experiences I've had in prison. That being said, it pains me for all the pain I've caused my family, for not being there for them. But I don't think there could have been any other way to reach my heart than going through this experience," Swapp said.
He also said that in 1988, he had what he called an "Old Testament mindset."
"I did not know fully how Jesus' followers should act and react. What I've come to learn is that how I acted was completely wrong. I should not have done what I did."
When asked what he would do if he were faced today with a similar situation as in 1988, Swapp said he would simply pack up and move.
Gallegos warned Swapp and his family in attendance that if he were to be released, "It's going to take a tremendous effort to get Addam back into society."
He said he would likely also recommend continuing mental health treatment once Swapp is released, particularly for treatment of radical theories and beliefs.
"Addam, whatever happens in your life, you do not want to start up with those type of deep held and radical thoughts. Because Addam, I'm here to tell you, if that starts again, you will be remembered as the guy from 1988," he said.
Swapp said he would likely move back to the Fairview area where he still has many family members.
A decision by the full parole board on Swapp's release is expected in the coming weeks.
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Sport is a proven contributor to high self-esteem, confidence, positive outlook and good health. It would be reasonable to assume then that athletes have higher than average protection from depression and dysfunctional eating? On the contrary, athletes are considered three times more likely to develop an eating disorder and there is strong empirical evidence linking eating disorders and depression. Previous research to determine causality between the two conditions has been conflicting.
In the study, "Eating psychopathology as a risk factor for depressive symptoms in a sample of British athletes" in the Journal of Sport Sciences, Shanmugam, Jowett & Meyer ask does depression lead to eating disorders in athletes or vice versa?
Many athletes face various stresses; pressure to train, perform well, financial hardship, as well as maintaining a balance with other aspects of their life such as study, family and friends. Athletes also face pressure to be body perfect. Top flight athletes follow performance boosting nutritional regimes which can deprive them of the nutrients and calories needed for optimal mental health. With statistics noted of up to 17% of competitive athletes showing symptoms of psychiatric disorders and a paucity of research on the subject, the authors conducted a time lapse study. 122 British athletes completed questionnaires assessing weight, diet history, previous eating related diagnoses and desired weight. They were also quizzed on their attitudes to eating; restraint, fear of losing control, weight and self-image issues. Finally they were assessed on their mental state and checked for signs of clinical depression. Six months later, the athletes BMI was checked and two studies conducted; the first examining participants' psychological state at the start point and eating habits after six months, and the second, eating psychopathology at outset and depressive symptoms at the end point. Results make fascinating reading and conflict with the small amount of existing previous research.
It was found by a small margin that eating and diet disturbances were a precursor to depressive tendencies. So, why should athletes, seemingly so invincible be affected? Low self-esteem, failure to meet exacting physical standards, regimented eating and constant negative sport related pressure all add to the mix. How can we protect athletes from this vicious cycle? Despite high profile cases of depressed athletes such as Michael Vaughn and Ricky Hatton, there remains a lack of research and education on behalf of and amongst vulnerable athletes. The authors call for improved education programmes on nutrition and intervention strategies to minimise the risks for athletes. "Given that sport organizations and clubs are ethically and legally responsible for the health and welfare of athletes, it is imperative that practices that increase the risk of eating disorders are minimized as they appear to inadvertently increase the risk of depression in athletes… research needs to move beyond examining the factors that affect eating … to the factors that are affected by eating, so that a more comprehensive and holistic theoretical framework can be established."
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