text:
schadenfreude pie anyone!
Posted on November 3, 2006 Posted by John Scalzi 119 Comments
A conversation here in the Scalzi household this morning:
Krissy: So, what's in the news?
Me: The head of the largest evangelical Christian organization in the United States is accused of having a three-year-long adulterous affair with a man whore.
Krissy: I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't be laughing.
Yes, well. Gobsmackingly ironic karmic retribution will do that to a person, won't it. If these accusations are true (and apparently at least some of them are), then hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the absolute collapse of evangelical moral credibility. I mean, if you wanted the current set of evangelical marching orders to be cut off right at the knees, you couldn't do much better than to have the married leader of 30 million evangelicals paying to have his pole smoked by another guy. On a monthly basis. For three years. I mean, Christ. Talk about intelligent design.
Mind you, I don't expect this will stop evangelicals from warning all the rest of us of the dangers of homosexuality and same-sex marriage and how they threaten good old-fashioned morals and what not. But now the response to this can be "if it's good enough for Ted Haggard, it's good enough for me," and that's going to be a pretty effective rejoinder for a while, I think. Let's recap: One of the most influential evangelical leaders in the country — a guy who gets on a conference call with the President of the United States every week — stands accused of being a drug-snorting adulterous whore-mongering sodomite. Which are all adjectives and nouns this fellow has apparently spent much of his career railing against. Now, we're all human, and if you believe in the concept of sin, it's pretty clear we all do it. But this fellow sure seems to be buying his sin in bulk.
How should those of us who are not evangelicals respond to the evangelical moral agenda? As ever, the Bible is a font of wisdom. Let's read from the Book of Luke, chapter six:
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
There's a great big evangelical eye beam right about now, I'd say. What will be interesting is whether the evangelicals see it. Because the rest of us can see it just fine.
And what of Ted Haggard? What should we think of him? And of the evangelicals who have recently built so much of their power in the despising of others? Back to Luke:
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
If that's too much to ask, consider this variation: "Forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them more."
Personally, while I'm pleased to be at least temporarily relieved of the fiction that evangelicals have greater moral credibility than the rest of us simply because they talk about Jesus in churches the size of sports arenas, I also hope that the evangelistic movement takes this moment to look inward and work on its core beliefs. From the outside, it looks like evangelistic core beliefs are about division, acquisition and exclusion, none of which strike me as particularly Christ-like (or for that matter particularly evangelical). I'm never going to be an evangelical Christian, but I like Jesus; he was a righteous dude. It would be nice to see more of Jesus in the loud and showy thing that is evangelical Christianity. I don't expect it. It would still be nice to see.
In the meantime, of course, I'll be happy to remind the folks who want to busy themselves with the morality of others in the name of Christ that they've got their own house to get in order first. Luke 6:42 is going to be awful handy for this, and I plan to use it. Of course, I'll say it with love. That's what Jesus would want.
Update, 3:07pm — The story now is that Haggard contacted the male escort for a "massage" but never had sex, and that he bought the meth but just kind of stared at it instead of using it. In other words, he didn't inhale. Either time.
schadenfreude pie anyone!
"I like Jesus; he was a righteous dude."
Sure seems like a lot of powerful people are actually horrifying scum. The sad part is, almost no decent person would want his job.
As a Christian (moderate Methodist who drinks beer and screams the f-word when he steps on a Lego at 3 am,) I find the sanctimony of the far right and their millionaire televangelists an afront to my faith.
It'll be interesting to see if this guy does a public mea culpa ala Swaggart, or if he simply vanishes for a few years and then returns whack-a-mole style as a cult leader in Florida.
Incidentally, we recently built a Habitat House with a group of 'evangelicals' and they were extremely nice and surprisingly moderate. Not sure if they are the same as 'Evangelicals' (with a capital E), or if they simply believe in a certain way that makes them generally more devout than your humble correspondent. Maybe someone can clarify.
Anyway, good post, John, with good source references.
You just won my "Hero Of The Day" award. Bravo.
Totally linking to this, as you've just said everything that I wanted to say about the matter, and in a far more eloquent manner than I would have been capable of.
Why do I have the feeling that Haggard will be transformed into some sort of victim of the supposed "gay agenda."
I agree though. People should worry more about their own lives and spend less time fixating on what's going on in the bedrooms of their neighbors.
Wouldn't hurt to toss in Matthew 6:5-8, where Jesus suggests the whole concept of "church," let alone mega-church, is downright un-Christian. The section says, basically: Pray, but keep it to yourself.
I think Homer Simpson provides, as always, an apposite quote:
"$14.95 for the Bible? What a preachy book! EVERYBODY's a sinner! Except this guy…"
Oh man. I kinda feel sorry for the guy: that must have been a very stressful and confusing way of living. But I did think of Mr Scalzi's lovely pie when I read this, I'm afraid.
I am SHOCKED, I repeat SHOCKED that this is your topic for the morning, sir. Who'dathunkit?
The thing is that this just demonstrates, once again, that people like Hazzard have more in common with Ron Popiel than with Jesus. Except that Mr. Popiel is selling crap you might actually find useful. Hazzard's been selling self-righteousness that he can't back up in exchange for his big bucks.
Don't get me wrong. I've got no problem with you if you model your life after Jesus or Bhudda or Deputy Dawg. Just please do the rest of us the favor of making it your PERSONAL journey and leaving us out of it unless we ask you for
Oh, and "whack-a-mole style"….good one Scott.
then hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the absolute collapse of evangelical moral credibility.
If only that were true. Remember Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart and all the scandals of the late 80s and early 90s (the exposure of Peter Popoff by James Randi, Robert Tilton's exposure by ABC PrimeTime Live among others)? It won't make a bit of difference – one charlatan is exposed and another rises up to take his place…people that trust these "evangelists" will keep on doing so no matter what…
Well, at least it won't be alcohol rehab for him, I hear that place is filled to capacity anyway. Nope, it'll be meth rehab. The rooms aren't as nice but the food is better. He'll enter right after this "spiritual retreat" (and ain't *that* a good word for it).
There's no doubt that evangelism is going to be around; the credibility collapse is regarding the influence it has outside its own sphere. Your average non-evangelical is less likely to find the evangelistic moral stance credible if evangelical leaders are acting hypocritically.
Also, if I may say so, for better or worse, getting caught with a man is different than getting caught with a woman.
Good words and a balanced, constructive response to the issue.
Though I generally agree with what you're saying here, using Luke 6:41-42 to condemn another person, however deserving, seems sort of like missing the point.
Matt McIrvin:
I'm not condemning anyone. I'm just reminding them what Jesus said about hypocrisy. Hopefully they will infer how it might relate to them.
This makes Jimmy Swaggart's problems seem almost quaint. What next? James Dobson caught fellating a mule?
I suggested this morning that perhaps these right-wing nutjobs' opposition to gay marriage is more to keep the population of gay men single so they have more to choose from…
Thank you for posting this. My day cannot get better now. Even if it tried VERY hard. *bwahahahahaha*
So, now its off to work, floating on a giant cloud of GRIN! Perfumed by a whiff of SCHADENFREUDE!
Okay, I stop now. Writing, not grinning. :D
I think so far Digby has said it best: I think we may be at a point at which it would be easier to assume that all the most virulent gay marriage opponents and staunch family values conservatives are in the closet. Then we can get past all this ridiculous posturing and deal with their true issues. As it is they are all playing them out in destructive, sublimated fashion in politics and it's hurting a lot of people.
To be fair, there are still some honest, good clergy. Here's an example of about 20 Christian and Jewish leaders pushing to defeat an amendment to the Virginia Constitution, defining legal marriage: As Clergy from across Virginia, we oppose Ballot Question #1 and encourage people of faith in this Commonwealth to vote "no" on this amendment on November 7.
We come from many different traditions, faiths and denominations, yet we all agree that Ballot Question #1 violates the call to justice and fairness that is a moral imperative shared by our faith traditions. Ballot Question #1, though called "the marriage amendmnent" by some, will not protect any marriages. It will cause undue hardship and harm to the families of unmarried couples in Virginia.
As religious leaders, we affirm the dignity of all persons and value the welfare of all loving and committed families regardless of their legal status. This amendment undermines those principles. Even those of us who believe that the state should reserve legally sanctioned marriage for unions between a man and a woman agree that this amendment goes too far.
To which all I can add is Amen.
Before you gloat too much, consider how God sees ALL of us:
But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isaiah 64:6
It is no surpirse to me, a fundementalist evangelical Christian that men sin, even Pastors and Deacons. I am saddened by it, but does not diminish Jesus or his teachings that, we sinful men, do err and disobey God's commands.
One thing to keep in mind, though is that God is Faithful to forgive us. Though this man will have earthly consequences to his sinful deeds (loss of station/respect, loss of family, perhaps even legal actions against him), if he was truly saved by Grace thourgh faith, he can return to Spirit filled walk.
Note, I am not defending him. All sin is wicked, and the sins of each man affect all those he touches directly, and many he touches indrectly (and no, this is not a bleeping double entendre). When a man, who is connected to so many sins, his sins can do great damage. For that, he needs to be removed from his position in the ministry, and be content to be 'just' a Christian.
Frankly, y'all disappoint me in that you take so much glee in the fall of another. You may think we are ignorant, or blindly follow men, but I don't. And we are taught that all men fall short of the glory of god. Period. End of story.
Very nice. Thanks.
"Before you gloat too much, consider how God sees ALL of us"
More accurately, how some folks believe God sees us. Many folks don't believe that God sees us that way at all. And some don't believe in God to begin with.
"Frankly, y'all disappoint me in that you take so much glee in the fall of another."
You'll just have to forgive them, Kristian.
I am a little angry at you… but that is wrong… ARGH!
You put this eloquent piece on 'Whatever' and then wrap it together with scripture that tells me that I should not take delight in the misfortune of others. Damn, got to go, my Schadenfreude Pie is burning.
Yes, Dan, I think you have captured the real story. The good rev didn't do anything wrong! He was saved, after all. This just has to be an evil plot that is a part of the insidious gay agenda to destroy christianity.And why would we want to destroy christianity? Because we can't tolerate being called to repentence, I guess.Jon, unrepentant homosexual heretic.
Any glee I take in seeing this man fall from grace is due to his own intolerance of the sins of others. As the passage John pointed out says, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
Or in the words of another saying, "What goes around, comes around."
I have a sincere curiosity as to what makes a Christian 'evangelical', and suspect others here do as well.
Care to expound?
Jon the unrepentant:
The church I attend would welcome you regardless of your herectic status, or your choice of sleeping partners. FYI.
I truly wish that this would change any evangelical's heart and that they could then not condemn me and others to hell.
Practically, I believe that the outcome of this is that they will abandon this man and use him as an example of the absolute depravity that comes with being a homosexual. They will take his years of lying and cheating not as a sign that to condemn a lifestyle is to create a need to lie about it, but rather as a sign that homosexuals really ARE this bad.
Kristian, there's something about "let he without sin cast the first stone" and the gravel pits this guy has filled that leads me to "those who live by the sword, die by the sword." He dabbled in politics, which the person he claims to have followed specifically commands his followers not to do (render unto Caesar, etc), he will have to live with the judgement of politics.
Consider also Numbers 32:23. A determined spinner of biblical tests could turn the entire chapter into a lesson on how the closeted should not get in the way of those who don't want to remain closeted.
Due to the polemic nature of this thread, stand by for its length to exceed that of Coke Zero and possibly even Bacon Cat.
Nothing will ever beat Bacon Cat!
Nothing beats Bacon Cat.
The true get-out-the-popcorn moments will come from the post-scandal spin. Expect the usual suspects to talk about how we should forgive him, how he was infected with Teh Gay and it's Satan's fault, not his, how this is truly gay-bashing and the Left should be ashamed, etc. etc.
Scott Mactavish, "stand by for its length to exceed that of Coke Zero and possibly even Bacon Cat"
Exceed the (posts) length of Bacon Cat? Why, sir, I take extreme junction at those words. the importance to society and the course of Western Civilization that permeated the instance of said Bacon on Cat violence overshadows by orders of magnitude this tawdry little "homosexual" affair.
Let the silliness begin!
Frankly, y'all disappoint me in that you take so much glee in the fall of another.
We should all take glee the downfall of a hypocrite. That's what hypocrites are for.
Krissy should definitely have been laughing. I hope we all get days of chuckles out of this.
I don't necessarily think that some religious people 'blindly follow men' – but I do think that some religious leaders do not practice what they preach. And what some of these leaders preach is not a Christian message – or at least not my view of one. Haggard is well known for preaching a nasty hate filled message about homosexuality.
If someone feels that way about homosexuals, and they have gotten to that point through their own investigation, research and soul searching, well, I disagree with them, and I hope that they would be open to a discussion about why we disagree.
If someone feels that way about homosexuals, and they do so because rather than conduct their own investigation, they simply adopt the views of their religious leader, not only do I disagree with them, but I do take satisfaction in the fact that one of those leaders has just been caught doing exactly what he preached was so sinful.
I take satisfaction not because I glory in the downfall of another, but rather in the hope that one sinner's downfall can encourage his followers to re-evaluate some of their positions. I hope that others will see that Haggard's hate filled message about homosexuals stemmed not from a sincere belief, but rather sought to take advantage of preexisting prejudices and inclinations in his flock.
If Haggard was a practicing homosexual over the past three years, it is my hope that some people decide that what was *wrong* was his preaching that it was sinful – not the fact that he was (and is) gay.
It's worth noting that every group is unfortunately defined by its loudest members. For the past two or three decades, Christianity in the US has been generally defined by the loudest ones, whose voices has been amplified largely because they've been co-opted by the political right.
There's been signs lately that many of the folks who have gone along with the script are starting to get tired of it, partly because the Bush League hasn't implemented a Christian theocracy, and partly because more and more folks are realizing that they never intended to.
I bet if I taped some bacon to Ted Haggard's man- whore, posted pictures here and then popped it onto teh Fark, the whatever would go up in flames and Bacon Cat would flee in shame, to live in a cave at the edge of the Scalzi Estate.
I'm not above porking a man-whore, yo.
Hey, wait a minute….
Scott, okay, I take-off my clown hat in respect of that comment.
I bow before your superior punning, yo.
I believe the definition of "evangelical" is: "belonging to or designating the Christian churches that emphasize the teachings and authority of the Scriptures, especially of the New Testament, in opposition to the institutional authority of the church itself, and that stress as paramount the tenet that salvation is achieved by personal conversion to faith in the atonement of Christ." This is consistent with the "Statement of Faith" published by the National Association of Evangelicals.
Others who label themselves as such (I most definitely do NOT) may have a different interpretation.
I grew up in a very conservative Christian family, and went to evangelical churches, etc. etc. But this is the first time I've ever heard Ted Haggard's name. So I'm having a bit of a WTF moment here.
Yup. It's a reminder that evangelicals aren't necessarily the mainstream.
My own Schadenfreude is somewhat tempered by the thought of what Haggard's family is going through. Mrs. Haggard may or may not have had an inkling, but I'd guess not, and having "your dad is a crank-snorting gay whoremonger" trumpeted nationwide is not something that's ever best for the children.
You know, the super-uber macho straight guys who just can't ever shut up about how much they hate gays usually have issues.
I'm sure a study of blogger political orientation and their PC image cache would be illuminating.
Stupid human subjects review and research consent rules. (Kicks sod angrily.)
You know, the super-uber macho straight guys who just can't ever shut up about how much they hate gays usually have issues.
I'm sure a study of blogger political orientation and their PC image cache would be illuminating.
Stupid human subjects review and research consent rules. (Kicks sod angrily.)
You know, the super-uber macho straight guys who just can't ever shut up about how much they hate gays usually have issues.
I'm sure a study of blogger political orientation and their PC image cache would be illuminating.
Stupid human subjects review and research consent rules. (Kicks sod angrily.)
You know, the super-uber macho straight guys who just can't ever shut up about how much they hate gays usually have issues.
I'm sure a study of blogger political orientation and their PC image cache would be illuminating.
Stupid human subjects review and research consent rules. (Kicks sod angrily.)
Jim Bakker
Jimmy Swaggart
Ted Haggard
I think it's all part of the evil Double Consonant Effect.
It's also a reminder that "evangelical" as it describes a political segment of the population is not the same as "evangelical" as a descriptor for Christian churches that emphasize evangelizing.
I have no problem describing myself as a lifelong "evangelical"….and I've never heard of this Haggard dude. Obviously a dreadful hypocrite, deserving of all that he's brought on himself, if the allegations are even partially true. But describing him as "the leader of 30 million evangelicals" is a bit much. I'd be willing to bet 97% of evangelicals have never heard of him, so he's not exactly the "fundie" version of the Pope.
Hey, look, from the CNN breaking news headline: he didn't inhale – the drugs, anyway.
"The Rev. Ted Haggard admits he purchased methamphetamine from Mike Jones, the man who accuses Haggard of paying him for sex, but the pastor says he threw away the drugs."
Did he throw them away every time he bought them? Because it seems like he bought them more than once.
Apparently he just had a drug *buying* habit. Who knew?
I don't see what "Kristian" finds so objectionable. Speaking as a fellow Christian, I think this story a complete hoot. And it's all decked out in appropriate scriptural references, too! What's not to like?
What's all the fuss about? As you have reminded us, we Christians are commanded to love our fellow men . . .
Sorry to jump in so late (had to kip down to the store to buy a pint of the Bitter Tears Of My Enemies, which you need for Schadenfreude Vinaigrette [I'm on a diet, so the ol' Schadenfreude Pie is right out]), but if didn't have a chance to read Jeff Sharlet's excellent (and scary) profile of Ted Haggard and the New Life Church, hop on over to Harper's and have a read.
As for ol' Ted: I feel badly for his family and his flock. This is the kind of thing that will knock an entire world-view out of whack.
And, John H: thank you for that mind-scarring image (re: James Dobson and mule fellatio).
The "Jesus Camp" documentary reminds us that Haggard was one of the Evangelicals that had a weekly conference call with the Bush Administration for political advice and spiritual guidance, so how's that for a just-past-October surprise?
I'm still not convinced there's hot flaming fire underneath all this smoke, but each new revelation is half-hilarious and half-awful. If it was adulterous gay sex, that's simply the love that dare not speak its name (uh, plus adultery). If Haggard was into meth as well…maybe he was trying to degrade himself into masochistic relief? Would the next step be simony, embezzlement, or murder?
Unfortunately, the Evangelical movement can still ignore all the cool, well-adjusted homosexual couples wanting to get married. Rev. Haggard wasn't advocating a romantic, stable relationship with his meth dealer, he was just wallowing in sin and self-loathing. At least that's how I'd spin it, along with accusations of some childhood minister molestations.
thank you for that mind-scarring image
That's okay – I could have come up with something worse. Like the thought of Rush Limbaugh and Pat Buchanon snuggling together…
(I think I need to disinfect my brain now…)
Or Ann Coulter in the middle of Cheney and Rumsfeld, daisy-chained in ecstasy on top of the glass case containing the US Constitution as GWB, dressed as the Gimp, mops the floor underneath them.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemnened.
Isn't it paradoxical how people quote these sentences only when judging others? Witness how I myself just quoted them in order to judge Mr. Scalzi's judgement of others.
Two things, first you say "I like Jesus; he was a righteous dude." You might want to reconsider that thought. Jesus claimed to be God. He raised people from the dead and conversed with demons. If your neighbor did that I don't think you would describe him as a "righteous dude". The fact is that Jesus wasn't a "good man or a "good moral teacher" like Budda or Mohammed. He was either who he said he was ( God) or he was a lunatic and a dangerous lunatic at that. You can't read the Bible any other way.
Secondly, Jesus teaches a very narrow and exclusionary gospel. He say " I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." That's as narrow as you get. You can like it or not but to complain abot it being narrow or that the people who believe it are narrow is to miss the whole point of what Jesus was trying to say. If there was another way then He wouldn't have had to die. I'm pretty sure He didn't go through the whole incarnation/crucifixion thing just to be another option on the menu.
Finally, Christianity is unique among all religions in that it is the only one in which God comes looking for us. In every other religion man goes looking for God. Jesus comes for us because we are too far gone to go to Him. Ted is certainly an example of that.
"He was either who he said he was ( God) or he was a lunatic and a dangerous lunatic at that. You can't read the Bible any other way."
Maybe you can't, Paul. But you're not me, and I'm not enjoined to buy into your either/or scheme here because I don't find it either correct or useful. I'm perfectly happy to consider Jesus as a human moral philosopher. You don't have to like that position, but I'm not particularly concerned about whether you or anyone else likes it or not.
Ug…I am ashamed to admit I have a common ancestor with the twit…
…what's that you say? He does drugs and consorts with male prostitues?
Somehow, knowing that, I don't think it is any worse to be related. And knowing most of the other Haggards in my family tree- he's not too different from the rest of the bunch. Somehow I managed to get out without major addiction issues and a penchant for the "The Love that Dare not Speak Its Name During Pancake Breakfasts".
It's true…he's kin…
Tor, I'll see you and raise you Cheney and Limbaugh in cheap naugahyde bondage harnesses that are two sizes too small.
forget I brought it up – PLEASE!!!
Dane: Are you also related to Merle, the original Okie from Muskogee?
TNH, okay, I'm gonna need some mental clorox to get over that one.
Excuse me. There is NO forgiveness for simony.
An X-Mas Miracle
And Cheney and Rumsfeld, with their grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And they puzzled three hours, `till their puzzlers were sore.
Then Cheney and Rumsfeld thought of something they hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," they thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!"
And what happened then…?
Well…in Who-ville they say
That Cheney and Rumsfeld's small naugahyde bondage harnesses
Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute their naugahyde bondage harnesses didn't feel quite so tight,
They whizzed with their loads through the bright morning light
And they brought back the civil rights! And the food for the feast!
And they…
Began the withdrawal from Iraq!
Hopefully I'm allowed to post a YouTube link here. Apologies if this is a no-no.
Richard Dawkins debating Haggard from a series that appeared on British television.
A bit slanted, but still eye opening to say the least…
Yes, they got along famously, didn't they?
Merle? Not that I know of…though I have to say that if I could pick my relatives, Merle would be my choice.
Don't make me break out the Hillary and Madeline Albright having a pillow fight in panties bit.
Before you gloat too much, consider how God sees ALL of us:
But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isaiah 64:6
That's because God is an abusive parent. Or more accurately, the God that some people believe in is an abusive parent, and them the abused children in denial. Fred Phelps and his god for example. It's sad. Other people believe in a kind and nurturing God, and they're better off for it.
What I'm trying to figure out is if Ted Haggard actually expects us to believe that he threw away the meth he bought from the male prostitute. I don't remember if he has admitted to being massaged. (However, there's nothing wrong with a massage.)
I find how he worded his denial weird. He said, "I did not have a homosexual relationship with a man in Denver." It's weirdly too specific. Does this mean they went to Boulder? Why say "with a man"? Who else could he have a homosexual relationship with? Perhaps he meant "with that man"? But that's weirdly specific too.
He was trying to avoid saying, "I did not have sexual intercourse with that manwhore in Denver proper, nor any of Denver's northern, eastern or western suburbs."
Not to mention that the phone messages have him looking to buy more meth. Because apparently he was going to throw away the new batch, too.
Saying doesn't have a "homosexual relationship" is not the same as saying one hasn't had "homosexual sex," which I suspect was the matter of that parsing. As for getting a massage from a male prostitute, clearly one needs to ask if there was a "happy ending" special going on. Because per Clinton, some things may not count as "sex."
Mmmm…. happy endings.
As a friend of mine might once have put it, Haggard's life has gone from suck to blow.
Oh Jeez, history is echoing again. So he's going to start saying, "it all depend on what your definition of "is" is?"
"Haggard's life has gone from suck to blow."
Ha! Thanks for that.
Oooh! I know what he should say!
He should say he only did it because he made the mistake of getting involved with Dungeons & Dragons, and the rules required him to do it!
It'd be like a Jack Chick tract made real! All the evangelicals would nod sagely and forgive him the transgression of getting involved with esoterically shaped dice.
John H, So *that's* what happens when you role a 1 on a d20!
Thanks to everyone, I have now lost my saving throw vs. Mental Scarring.
Just wanted to alert you that in some places you are now "he of 'bacon taped to the cat' fame." (Sorry Christie, I had to give you up.)
Jokes aside… the meth epidemic is getting pretty serious in America, isn't it? This very nasty drug (which rots people's brains) seems to be spreading to all corners of your society.
What is to be done about meth? First thing that evangelists COULD do is to demand that over-the-counter cough medicines (like NyQuil and similar ones) are banned. Everybody knows that these over-the-counter drugs are used to extract crystal meth in meth labs across America.
What would Jesus do?
Yngve, on the off-chance that you aren't up on what passes as the War on Some Drugs over here, rest assured, that's already being done. I had to fill out paperwork, show a photo ID, and sign (although not in blood) the US equivalent of a poison registry to buy 20 tablets of pseudephedrine this past weekend. Last year, I put the package into my shooping cart and went on to buy shampoo and a magazine without any extra work involved.
Oddly, making it more difficulty to purchase small amounts of pseudephedrine has not stopped the use of methamphetemines–just increased the imports of the drug from Mexico.
Next Week: We blame this on NAFTA.
The only way this could get better would be if there was a collection of gay porn and a collecton of bondage gear hidden inside that giant globe.
Oh my sweet Jiminy, I just saw the interview Scalzi linked to in the Update. It's on the link marked "Watch what Haggard said about the drugs he bought — 1:59)". The reporter peppers him with very pointed questions, and by the end when Haggard answers you can *see* him think, "Okay, I shouldn't have said that, either."
To quote a famous philosopher: "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't be laughing." Especially with his wife sitting in the SUV between him and the reporter. Like mythago said (paraphrased), this must suck for his family.
I live in a southern suburb of Denver…should I have been paying closer attention to the comings and goings at the "no-tell mo-tell?"
Steve Bucheit writes: "Well, at least it won't be alcohol rehab for him, I hear that place is filled to capacity anyway. Nope, it'll be meth rehab. The rooms aren't as nice but the food is better. "
I dunno about that. The meth rehab may have to serve liquids and soft foods, if what they say about meth users' teeth is true.
I recently discovered this blog. I've been doing netroots work in this election since May. It's very refreshing to read such a fine blog. John is a fine host writer and the commenters certainly live up to the standard he set.
After months of reading people screaming at each other, it's refreshing to see thinking people have a lively conversation.
Strange development: Haggard's accuser failed a lie detector test….
Yeah, I read about that earlier. The guy who conducted it says he was too stressed out for the thing to be done correctly.
Honestly, this whole thing is weird.
Almost completely off the topic, whenever I compare the New Standard to the King James, I am struck by the poetry of the latter.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Compared to:
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
Man. That King James, he rocked. That's poetry.
Well, the guy who administered was giving him some benefit of the doubt for stress, yes, although the accuser is also begging off on the offer for another test, say, next week….hmmm…
Yeah, I read about that earlier. The guy who conducted it says he was too stressed out for the thing to be done correctly.
I'm pretty skeptical of lie detector tests. Have been since 60 Minutes, I think it was, conducted an investigation and found that the examiner tended to find that the person that the examiner had been told was probably guilty was, in fact, the guilty party.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
I really don't like that phrase. (I'm always tempted to respond "your terms are acceptable"—and I'm not without sin neither.) Because judgment is important. It is important that we judge our own action so we avoid doing wrong. It is important to judge the character of others to avoid being hurt, or being lead into error. And regrettably it is sometimes appropriate and necessary to judge and censure others—we do need to police our bad actors, and not just through a formal justice system. I much perfer the mote/speck formulation, for it is our own actions where judging is the most important&mash;it is our own actions we are best placed to change and it is our own actions that we are responsible for. But also because we really should show mercy and kindness when possible, and to not strain at gnats.
As for Ted Haggard, well despite the evil he advocates (appearently; I'm not familiar with him), he is a human being. I don't think some schadenfreude pie once in a while is a bad thing; but I think we all realize it should only be eaten in moderation.
I think I can speak for everyone here when I say: Please dear god let there not be anything about a cigar.
Mule face writes: "Strange development: Haggard's accuser failed a lie detector test…."
Apparently only on *part* of the questioning.
But regardless, Haggard's story doesn't sound terribly convincing, and the tapes of him asking for "more" meth don't really support the idea that he bought it once out of temptation then threw it away.
I'm falling back on the Pagan ancient Greeks, via the Oxford English dictionary:
"hubris"- (in Greek tragedy)excessive pride or presumption towards the gods, leading to nemesis.
"nemesis"- the inescapable agent of someone's downfall, especially when deserved.
His hubris caused him to become his own nemesis.
I think the phrase "really officer- this was my first time" is somehow imbeded in the human genome. Along with it are phrases like,"How'd that get there?." and "That's not mine!". No matter how red-handedly caught, how intoxicated, or how surprised you might be- those phrases automatically spring into existence in your mouth…
At some point in history they must have made the difference between life and death….
autonomic-denial; proof of evolution?
To throw some fuel on the fiery Biblical debate, scholars uncovering and studying the Q Sayings Gospel (the reconstructed direct quotes from Jesus' actual ministry, as distilled from later texts building upon them), pretty much say straight out that Jesus, in fact, NEVER said He was God or the son thereof.
Apparently, those claims were added later by the New Testament gospel authors who wanted to boost the credibility of Jesus by having Him claim Divine relationship.
Yes, it's in the Bible. But the Bible isn't the direct words of Jesus (none actually exist, since it's quite likely that neither Jesus nor his disciples were literate, hence the need to peel away the layers of centuries of texts to determine what was really said by determining the chronological ages of various texts and seeing what was added and what was taken out over time), but rather is based on texts written later on by people who believed Jesus' Divinity to be true (or wanted to very badly) and put that "truth" into the mouth of the Man they believed to be their Savior, regardless of what Jesus Himself actually said.
So, at least according to the Man Himself, He really was a righteous dude. But that's all He ever claimed for Himself. What others claimed of Him after the fact is another matter.
I just want to say that that giant globe behind Haggart in the photo is truly S.M.E.R.S.H.-worthy.
Maybe his true calling isn't the Cloth, but as a Bond villain.
And yeah, weep for the guy, he managed to sell out gays, lesbians, and evangelicals.
I have no problem judging people.
1. Nothing but contempt for Haggard.
2. No sympathy for his family. They probably sat in the front row amening while he preached homosexuality is evil. Just desserts, as far as I'm concerned, and deliciously so.
3. The Bible is the last place I would ever look for guidance on anything. Except the KJ version. Yes, good poetry.
4. I don't believe there is a meth epidemic. Or a crack one. Or a heroin one. I do believe there is a gullibility epidemic targeted to distract people from real problems like poverty and war.
5. I believe John's baldness is kickin'. Oops. Wrong thread.
No crap, Janiece–all this talk about "does that mean they got it on in Boulder" makes me think I should have been paying attention. I mean, there's this bar, y'know, it's walking distance from my house, I once ended up there barefoot due to being distracted during a search for a Colorado Daily newstand that wasn't empty.
The things I miss!
Before you gloat too much, consider how God sees ALL of us
I think Coyote is LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF.
"Jesus was way cool
Everybody liked Jesus
Everybody wanted to hang out with him
Anything he wanted to do, he did
He turned water into wine
And if he wanted to
He could have turned wheat into marijuana
Or sugar into cocaine
Or vitamin pills into amphetamines?"
-Jesus Was Way Cool, King Missile
Andrew Wade: Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
I really don't like that phrase. (I'm always tempted to respond "your terms are acceptable"—and I'm not without sin neither.)
What that phrase says to me is, if you're going to be judgmental (and there are certainly times when one must be), you should be prepared to be scrutinized as well. If you point out my shortcomings, human nature will tempt me to start checking off yours too.
Josh, I'm sure Coyote is, until he gets distracted by something shiny. :)
Soni, "quite likely that neither Jesus nor his disciples were literate." Far be it from me to defend Christianity, but if we accept at least some of the premises of the New Testament Story (pieced together from the accepted Gospels), Mathew was a tax collector, he would have had to be able to read and write. Jesus quoted the scripture, which, you know, since He dictated it He ought to be able to without being able to read (that's meant to be funny, Coyote is still laughing). There would be a master thesis (multitudes actually, with a plethora of PhD dissertations thrown in) over just who wrote the Gospels and when and for what purpose, but people back then did have some degree of knowledge, although I think most people know that the Gospels themselves weren't penned by the Apostles.
Also, the KJV was specifically written to be poetic and use the language in a way that it hadn't been used in decades.
since it's quite likely that neither Jesus nor his disciples were literate
Why do you say that?
the meth epidemic is getting pretty serious in America, isn't it?
It's BEEN very bad. And a contributor to the problem is that the Drug W4rri0rz have cried wolf so many times (Pot will destroy America! No, crack! No, Ecstasy!) that now that they are really talking about a drug that is very, very dangerous, people aren't inclined to treat it as more than the panic-of-the-month.
The posting was amusing enough on its own, but the "either time" kicker was enough to make me, well, you know, LOL.
I am afraid that I have to agree with the comments by critter42.
It's unlikely that Mr. Haggard's outing will have any effect on the masses of Evangelicals. They are a large herd and one that won't be turned around easily.
I worry a great deal about what these narrow minded folks are doing to contribute to the current wave of neofascism (a term that sounds harsh but rings true to me)that seems to be sweeping my beloved country.
The Harper's article on Haggard mentioned a Thomas Blackshear painting that was a prominent feature of Haggard's church. I went looking for more Blackshear info and found this painting:
Creepily erotic. Jesus as homosexual savior.
Scalzi wrote:
"He was either who he said he was ( God) or he was a lunatic and a dangerous lunatic at that. You can't read the Bible any other way."
Maybe you can't, Paul. But you're not me, and I'm not enjoined to buy into your either/or scheme here because I don't find it either correct or useful. I'm perfectly happy to consider Jesus as a human moral philosopher. You don't have to like that position, but I'm not particularly concerned about whether you or anyone else likes it or not.
Paul seems to be basically asserting C.S. Lewis' rejection of a "middle ground" as set forth in "Mere Christianity" (although less eloquently, of course).
But it seems as if Lewis (and Paul!) neglects the possibility that a person can be crazy or greatly mistaken about some things but not necessarily about others. Maybe every "great" person is a little crazy—why would a sane person put up with the hours? Maybe believing one is the son of God (or at least divinely inspired) is a little less crazy in some times and places than it would seem today.
Soni Pitts claimed….
"Apparently, those claims were added later by the New Testament gospel authors who wanted to boost the credibility of Jesus by having Him claim Divine relationship. "
Nice bit of biblical scholarship there….care to back it up?
Karen Lofstrom:
Good call on the Beardshear painting. My initial instinct, upon seeing the "Forgiven" man's purple shirt and mallet in his hand, was that he was supposed to symbolize those activist judges. But maybe the tent peg in his other hand is supposed to imply that he nailed Jesus to the Cross? Then perhaps Jesus' brotherly embrace-from-behind with his brawny hands symbolizes that Jesus is cool with getting nailed. What can we infer from the anachronistic blue jeans? I'm no art historian, but symbolism and symbology are neat.
"He was either who he said he was ( God) or he was a lunatic and a dangerous lunatic at that. You can't read the Bible any other way."
Well there is a third way, that the Gospel is largely fabricated or heavily distorted. We'll never know for sure but a very good case can be made that the first Gospel was a kit-bash of things that several different messianac preachers said.
Richard Dawkins tangled with Haggard a while back. During the filming of The Root of All Evil. Haggard flips out at the end apparently, a nasty streak under the nice smile.
But I don't consider gay sex or taking recreational drugs to be a crime so he's blameless over this in my opinion. He's guilty of hypocripsy but I don't rate that as a big crime either.
It's too bad he can't just come out and say "Look I'm gay, can I keep my job?"
The two best blog post titles on this:
Roger Ailes (not the fox one):
Things to do in Denver when you're Ted
Lindsey at Majikthise:
Evangelical leader says he bought meth he didn't use from a prostitute he didn't fuck
Mule Face, "Nice bit of biblical scholarship there….care to back it up?"
I'm sure she could, but a doctoral thesis including document forensics, early Church history, and historical bibliographic cross-referencing probably wouldn't fit here. But I think she did reference the Q-Gospel/Document, so yeah, she did back it up. If you believe the Q hypothosis is up to you (again, defense would require PhD disertation length material).
This is an old argument. One that keeps cropping up every hundred years or so. On one side is the "Church" which claims it's always been there. On the other side are Biblical Scholars who look at more than just the "accepted" Gospels.
Here's a good primer, From Jesus to Christ from Frontline.
John H,
Andrew Wade: Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
I really don't like that phrase. (I'm always tempted to respond "your terms are acceptable"—and I'm not without sin neither.)
What that phrase says to me is, if you're going to be judgmental (and there are certainly times when one must be), you should be prepared to be scrutinized as well. If you point out my shortcomings, human nature will tempt me to start checking off yours too.
Oh aye. And Tom Haggard is at the pointy end of that dynamic right now. However I see a distinction between judging, and being judgemental: one doesn't necessarily have to share one's judgements with all and sundry. (The latter does have its occasional place too).
One could read the phrase as a call for empathy. I'm down with that. Or as a call to concentrate on getting one's own house in order. Sounds good to me too. But on occasion, I've seen the phrase, along with the axiom "we are all sinners", used as an excuse for abdicating the responsibility for exercising judgement. And that's crap. It is that interpretation that is at the root of my objection.
YES THANK YOU!!! (to the guy who said "Pray, but keep it to yourself.") the main reason i don't practice any religion is because THEY ALL TRY TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO/THINK/BELIEVE etc. in 15 years i have gone willingly a'churchin' once, with my grandmother, for their 400th year celebration. most of the service was more a looking back, but the other parts were, in short, be nice, everyone has their own god be it Our Father, Zeus, Hecate, Kami, Tezcatl-ipoca, love, money, malice, etc.


text:
Monday, February 1, 2016
Time to turn around!
Tucker will be sad to leave Bunny Heaven Campground. He's been fixated watching them through the windows.
Below is a shot of the city from Coronado.
Now it is time to turn around and start heading back east. There is a still a lot more of the Southwest we haven't seen. It has been almost 3 months of travelling to get here.
Our route home will be similiar to the route out as the weather is still kind of chilly to hit the northern half of the southwest.
We still have a bunch of touring to do so it won't just be a quick cruise home. We will probably be on the road at least another month.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Ride Along 2 Review
Over the past several years, comedian Kevin Hart has grown in popularity and notoriety. The thirty-six-year-old utilizes his small stature (5'.4) and high-pitched vocal range in telling or reenacting his comedic angst and jokes. With his popularity swelling, Hart has moved into participating in feature films, lending his stand-up comedy styles into the widely casted net of the comedy movie genre. Harts films, including Think Like a Man, The Wedding Ringer, and Get Hard have been met with mixed feelings from critics and moviegoers, but usually do praise Hart for his comedian talents in the feature. Back in 2014, Kevin Hart teamed up with rapper (now turned actor) Ice Cube for the buddy cop comedy Ride Along, which grossed over $160 million at the box office (not too shabby for a film that only cost $25 million to make), but was met with mostly negative reviews. Two years later, Hart, Cube, and director Tim Story are back on the case for another crazy cop adventure with the sequel Ride Along 2. Does newest installment bring with it great laughs or is it just another unwanted sequel from Hollywood?
Utilizing his probationary period to prove himself as valuable police officer, Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) is devoted to his partner, and future brother-in-law, James Payton (Ice Cube). About to be married to James's sister Angela (Tika Sumpter), Ben is more interested with a recent case in Miami (involving a murder of a government official) than his own wedding plans, begging to accompany James to Florida. James, reluctantly, agrees to bring Ben along for the ride, soon teaming up with local Miami cop Maya (Olivia Munn) to investigate the shady dealings of Antonio Pope (Benjamin Bratt), a drug dealer who's become a respected business / public figure. The trio soon finds a witness in a computer hacker named A.J. (Ken Jeong), who stole money from Pope and now fears retaliation from the ruthless kingpin. Hunting for leads, dodging bullets, and surviving car chases, Ben and James attempt to bring down Pop, only to be outsmarted at every turn.
I'll do admit that I do like Kevin Hart's comedy. Unfortunately, (like I said above) I think that the movies that he's in are mediocre at best, proving the comedian / actor is perhaps the best and only part of the feature. An example of this was in the first Ride Along movie. The action buddy / cop premise worked, but has been already played out many times before and just felt like a retread and only Hart's performance pulled the movie from being generic. The same can be said for the movie's intended sequel Ride Along 2, which ultimately acts like an uninspired continuation to its passable predecessor.
Director Tim Story, who previously directed the first Ride Along as well as the two older Fantastic Four movies, directs this sequel movie and does (for a lack of a better word) an unimpressive job. That's not to say that Story as some positive elements going into this feature. The saying "going bigger" is a commonplace usage in most sequels and Story seems to embrace the fundamental idea for Ride Along 2, creating more elaborate scenes with car chases, gun shootouts, as well as adding more characters and a new lavishing location (the city of Miami as its backdrop). Story's director of photography Mitchell Amundsen does do a good job of capturing some nifty shots and angles, especially when it's during the action scenes. Story also utilizes Kevin Hart's performance and makes him the more central character in the feature (more on that below). Thus, if you're a fan of Kevin Hart, then you'll sure enjoy watching him on-screen in Ride Along 2.
That being said, Ride Along 2 (no matter how much you dress it up) is just a repackage version of the first film. There's really nothing new and or great about this sequel as I felt like it was pretty much the same thing that I've seeing in the first Ride Along movie or even any other generic buddy cop film. Recycled ideas, little to none character growths, a clichéd bad guy that lives and conducts business in Miami are all used in this movie and just fells overtly familiar and lackadaisical. And let's be honest, Ride Along was just a mediocre comedy movie and really didn't need a sequel. Even Ride Along 2's comedy is just "blah", a really "hit or miss" with its jokes and gags as if Story and his writers were throwing comedy ideas around (while directing the movie) and seeing what sticks. Hart's humor is funny in the movie, but it becomes apparent that the movie's comedy is low on laughable jokes. Which is sad for a comedy movie. Additionally, the movie, which runs about 104 minutes long, feels too long that causes several pacing issues.
As casting goes, the movie is pretty much the same as it was before. Ice Cube keeps an even performance as if he's on "cruise" control throughout the movie's duration. He got the character of James right in the first Ride Along (a no-nonsense straight-man cop), but doesn't bring anything "new" to the table for Ride Along 2, besides the usual glaring and disapproval remarks towards his very loud and eccentric partner. Being the polar opposite to Ice Cube's James, Kevin Hart is then tasked to carry most of the sequel on his back, which he kind of does with his character performance of Ben. Unfortunately, while Hart does what Hart does best in this role (being loud, constantly energetic, and adding his style of humor), its again a somewhat of a retread from a lot of his other past comedic performances. I think he does a good job at it, but again it's just nothing really new.
While Hart's Ben gets a lot of the screen time in the movie, it sorts of takes away from all the supporting characters, who are recognizable individuals, but are mostly stock and / or underserved in the film. HBO's Newsroom alum and future star in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, Olivia Munn offers a fresh face to the franchise as the pretty (but again familiar) straight-laced / tough as nails Miami cop Maya. Munn's character is meant to a foil for Cube's James as she delivers a more energetic performance than he does (if you were to compare the two). Community alum Ken Jeong gives another variation of quirky geek in his character of A.J, a persona that Jeong has played in previous roles in both film and television, while actor Benjamin Bratt slides easily into the role of the good-looking (but again familiar) two-dimensional villain Antonio Pope, a character that's commonplace in action buddy cop comedies.
Lastly, returning cast members from the first Ride Along, including Tika Sumpter's Angel (James's sister and Ben's soon-to-be wife) and Bruce McGill's Lt. Brooks (James and Ben's police lieutenant) are back for this second go-round, but have less to do and are more in the background for continuity purposes.
Unoriginal and uninspired, Ride Along 2 is, more or less, the same thing from the first movie. Tim Story's sequel breeds loads of familiarity and doesn't really challenge the status quo in in either Ride Along's franchise tag or in the ways of the action buddy cop comedy genre. While the story seems "bigger", more centered around Hart's comedic performance, and adds new faces in the supporting roles, the movie just has a "been there, done that" feel to it as well as running too long, and lacking emotion (even for a comedy). To me, it was just okay, but it a sequel that didn't need to made. However, if you really liked the first Ride Along, then you'll find no problem with this sequel and you'll probably will enjoy it. On the other hand, for everyone else, Ride Along 2 is a pretty forgetful and doesn't really warrant a glance.
2.6 Out of 5 (Iffy Choice / Skip It)
Reviewed on January 19th, 2016
Ride Along 2 is Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, sexual content, language and some drug material


text:
Reserva Florística Río Guajalito
Basic information
Sample name: Reserva Florística Río Guajalito
Reference: J. Mutke. 2001. Forest structure and tree species composition of the submontane rainforest at Río Guajalito. In The Flora of the Río Guajalito Mountain Rain Forest (Ecuador) (eds. J. Nieder, W. Barthlott), pp. 25-45 [ER 2092]
Country: Ecuador
State: Pichincha
Coordinate: 0° 14' S, 78° 49' W
Basis of coordinate: stated in text
Geography comments: "30 km west of Quito... 3 km NW from m 59 on the old road from Quito to St. Domingo"
elevation of subplots 1900 to 1950 m
elevation of subplots 1900 to 1950 m
Habitat: tropical/subtropical moist broadleaf forest
Substrate: ground surface
Habitat comments: "submontane rainforest... Some 320 ha of the reserve's total area of 400 ha are covered by primary forest... There are indications of former human influence within parts of the reserve"
Life forms: trees
Sites: 10
Site area: 0.100
Sampling methods: quadrat
Sample size: 149
Minimum size: 5.0cm dbh
Basal area: 95.2000 per ha
Sampling comments: "an area of 0.1 ha divided in 10 subplots of 20 x 5 m each... not localized in one continuous plot... distributed on the central mountain range of the reserve over a distance of 350 m"
Sample: 2036
Contributor: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2016-06-08 14:00:45
Modified: 2017-11-02 14:38:18
Abundance distribution
57 species
34 singletons
total count 149
extrapolated richness: 169.2
Fisher's α: 33.740
geometric series k: 0.9479
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.9552
Shannon's H: 3.5705
Good's u: 0.7725
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
• Find matching samples


text:
Once US-led military operations in Iraq are over, the country will be ruled by an American administrator for an undefined period of time. An agency set up under the auspices of the US Defense Department is starting to take charge of civilian matters for the foreseeable future.
A 200-strong team of former US military and other government agency personnel, humanitarian workers and Iraqi experts have assembled under the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance.
ORHA's mission is to provide humanitarian assistance, work on reconstructing Iraq and prepare for the eventual creation of an interim government by the Iraqis themselves.
General Garner's team, which also includes some British civil servants, is preparing to cross into Iraq to overhaul everything from the country's currency - which features the likeness of Saddam Hussein - to power supplies, legal code, police service and schools.
It will also have the considerable task of establishing democratic institutions in a country that has never known them.
'Feeling their way'
The ORHA team includes people from the State Department and the US Agency for International Development who have worked in a similar capacity in the former Yugoslavia, in
Haiti, and in Somalia.
But, one key problem is a lack of on-the-ground knowledge - diplomatic ties with Iraq were broken off in 1990.
Officials acknowledge they will be feeling their way. "In many ways we are learning as we go," said Major Jeff Jurgensen, an ORHA spokesman.
He said the organisation wants to earn Iraqis' trust by keeping up a steady flow of aid.
The ORHA was set up by the US Defense Department in March to deal specifically with a post-Saddam Iraq. About half a dozen key officials have been hand-picked by the Pentagon.
It has been secretive in nature, but, some details are known.
Its aim is to split the country into three regions and establish three administration centres - in the capital Baghdad, Mosul in the north and Basra, or Umm Qasr, in the south.
It is believed that each administration will have a core staff of around 12 people. They will be supplemented by "free Iraqis" - those who have been living in the US, the UK and other European countries, and do not represent a particular opposition group.
In theory, they will represent each of the 17 provinces of Iraq and Baghdad and will help run each of 23 ministries. They will, however, only be hired on short-term contracts, so that Iraqis inside the country can, eventually, take over.
General Garner will have three other deputies who will be in charge of broad areas:
General Garner's role in the reconstruction of the country has prompted Arab suspicion over Washington's motives - and one difficulty for the ORHA will be not to appear as though it is taking over the country. Some analysts say Iraqis would not tolerate an American governor for more than a couple of months.
One big question mark over the organisation is how long it will remain in Iraq.
General Garner has indicated that the ORHA will run Iraq for about three months after hostilities cease.
But General Buck Walters suggested it would stay in the
country for longer, telling BBC's Newsnight: "My tenure is probably somewhere near the end of the year - I took a one-year leave of absence - but this organisation
is going to be here for a while."
Areas under the ORHA's remit that could prove controversial are:
Managing the oil: ORHA will manage the contracts for foreign companies to increase oil production, but this could be one of the areas on which Washington would be judged on its behaviour. President Bush has said that oil resources will be used for the "benefit of its owners: the Iraqi people".
The ORHA has already run into problems, with opposition groups being split over its role.
The main Iraqi Shia group, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri), says it is boycotting a meeting planned for Iraqi opposition leaders, including exiles. It is to be one of the first meetings leading up to the establishment of an interim authority.
"We are not going to take part in this meeting in Nasiriya. We think this is part of General Garner's rule of Iraq and we are not going to be part of that project at all," Sciri's London representative, Hamid al-Bayati told Reuters.
Shia make up the majority of the population and analysts believe they could play a key role in the success of US plans.


text:
This week in Riverhead history: Shane Daniels battles back from beating
The following were excerpted from Riverhead News-Review issues published between five and 30 years ago this week:
15 years ago …
Shane Daniels has head surgery
Most of what Shane Daniels thinks about these days is "getting better," and a large portion of the the 21-year-old Riverhead man's time is spent pursuing that goal, we wrote in the Jan. 23, 1997 issue of the Riverhead News-Review.
Mr. Daniels had been severely beaten with a metal club by two men, including an off-duty New York City Police Officer, outside a Westhampton Beach night club just eight months earlier. The week our followup story about his health was published his family was honored at First Baptist Church's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.
The week prior to the breakfast, Mr. Daniels had a metal plate installed in the back of his head to cover a hole left there by the assault, we wrote. He told us at the time he still had no recollection of the attack.
"I feel like a whole segment of my life is missing," he said.
Postscript: Mr. Daniels, now 36, works as a security guard at the county center. His attackers both served time in prison, but have since been released.
Megan's Law list makes debut
Seven men convicted of sex crimes are living on the North Fork, according to the recently released New York State Registry of sex offenders, we wrote in the Jan. 23, 1997 issue of the News-Review.
There were five level 2 and 3 sex offenders in Riverhead and two in Southold, police officials confirmed to us then.
"Megan's Law is a good thing in my book and a long time coming," said Riverhead Det. Sgt. David Cheshire.
Postscript: A search of the Parents for Megan's Law website now shows more than 100 level 2 and 3 sex offenders living in Riverhead Town zip codes, though the vast majority reside at the county jail in Riverside.
25 years ago …
Kidnap victim is found safe in trunk
Suffolk Police found a Riverhead man in the trunk of his own car after he was kidnapped January 18, 1987, according to a story in that week's Riverhead News-Review.
Melvin Anderson, 51 at the time, gave his abductors, two men who were waiting near the Riverhead LIRR station, $21 in cash before they drove him to an area elementary school.
The men then decided they couldn't let him free since he might tell the police, we reported. So they forced him to get into his trunk.
"After they put me in the trunk I figured they weren't done with me," he told us. "I was just praying to God I'd get out."
He remained in the trunk for more than two hours before the abductors abandoned the car after realizing police were on to them. Two cops on a drug stake out — all the way in North Amityville — spotted the two men turn the headlights off on the car while driving.
After he heard police, Mr. Robinson began banging on the trunk to alert them.
Police told the News-Review days later: "We haven't the slightest idea who was involved."
30 years ago …
Bike ordinance adopted
An ordinance governing the use of bicycles in Riverhead Town was adopted by the Town Board on Jan. 19, 1982. A major feature of the law banned the riding of bicycles on downtown sidewalks.
Another feature of the law requires all bike riders to keep both hands on the handlebars at all times, except for when making a hand signal.
Passengers are forbidden from riding on bikes not equipped with passenger seats, we wrote.
Bicyclists caught violating the law are subject to impoundment and must provide an affidavit of ownership to recover their bikes.
Postscript: The law remains in effect today. Whether or not it's ever been enforced, we can't say.
It's a busy time for area oil dealers
Want to take a guess how much home heating oil cost on this date in 1982? According to a report in the Jan. 21, 1982 issue of the Riverhead News-Review local companies were charging about $1.24 per gallon, up from $1.15 the year before.
20 years ago …
Cuomo budget means good news and bad news
The good news: Governor Mario Cuomo's proposed 1992-93 state budget released Jan. 20, 1992 provided $1 million in landfill-closure assistance to municipalities in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, we reported.
The bad news: The proposal called for aid cuts of $73 million for Long Island schools. Most North Fork districts lost 20 percent in state aid, we reported. Riverhead was actually the only area district to receive an increase, receiving $19,000 more in aid over the previous year.
Postscript: Twenty years later, his governor son took a different approach, securing an increase in aid to most local districts.
5 years ago …
After 17 years, Madelyn to retire
Madelyn Sendlewski, a much-loved, gregarious figure, who has served Riverhead town for nearly 17 years as an assessor will leave her elected position at the end of the month, we reported in the Jan. 25, 2007 issue of The Suffolk Times.
A kidney transplant recipient, she said she stepped down due to the impact her health had on how she did her job.
"It's been an honor winning four elections, and I can leave knowing that I served with honesty, dignity and a true concern for taxpayers," she said.
Postscript: Ms. Sendlewski passed away in October 2008.


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Liposuction is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures in Turkey. Liposuction aims to reshape specific regions of the body — improving body contours and proportions by removing stubborn, unwanted body fat.
Treatable areas of the body can include the thighs, arms, hips, waist, back, chest and chin.
Adem & Havva plastic surgeons are experienced, board-certified medical professionals who can safely perform liposuction procedure to achieve the most desired results. Liposuction in Turkey can treat a wide array of areas where excess fat is deposited including stomach, hips, love handles, thighs, breasts, neck, arms and back.
It is the latest in advanced techniques that uses ultrasound energy to selectively target unwanted fat for smooth, precise results with minimal downtime and fast recovery.
Another added advantage to VASER liposuction that distinguishes it from traditional body-slimming techniques is its excellent skin tightening effect. In a few weeks following VASER liposuction in Turkey, your skin will contract in the treated areas, leaving you with smooth, firm and natural looking results.
Good Candidates for Liposuction
The best candidate for liposuction is an individual of average or slightly above-average weight.
• In good health
• People with a localized area of fat
• Realistic expectations
• People with good skin elasticity
• Non-smokers
Before Liposuction
• One month before Liposuction: Stop taking medicines such as Aspirin and Vitamin E. Stop smoking completely.
• One week before Liposuction: Complete blood tests and cardiac evaluation.
• One day before Liposuction: Do not ingest any food or drink after the time set by the doctor. Pack a bag with comfortable shoes and loose fitting clothes.
• The same day of Liposuction: Shower or bathe normally. Do not use facial creams or body lotions.
What to expect during Liposuction
Liposuction is performed under general anaesthesia or intravenous sedation. Your plastic surgeon will make a small incision in the skin, where a cannula is inserted through the incisions and moved back and forth to loosen fat. A surgical vacuum is attached to the cannula is used to help as power suction to dislodge fat out of the Body.
After Liposuction
• The day after Liposuction: During the first 48 hours following liposuction, patients experience varying degree of bruising and swelling.
• One week after Liposuction: Bruising normally disappears within seven to ten days. Stitches are usually removed within a week of surgery.
• One month after Liposuction: Most patients can expect 90 % of the swelling to be subsided in about 4 weeks. Depending on the extent of stitches used with incisions, swelling may persist for 8-10 weeks.
General risks of Liposuction
• Infections
• Allergic reaction to anaesthesia
• Blood clots
• Excessive fluid loss
• Damage to skin or nerves
Frequently Asked Questions about Liposuction
How long before I see results from my Liposuction?
You will be able to see an obvious improvement after liposuction. In 3 weeks, you will see a more evident difference in the shape and body profile. The final results will be noticeable will be witnessed after 6 months.
Will my incisions from Liposuction be visible?
Incisions made during liposuction are very small, about 5mm and are typically placed in hidden locations.


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This week's special guest is Thuc Vu from OhmniLabs. Graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a BS and Stanford with a PhD both in Computer Science, OhmniLabs' CEO and co-founder Thuc Vu is an expert in Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms.
His ambition is to bring robots into every home to create a positive impact in people's life. And Kambria – a decentralized AI and Robotics platform – is his next move to bring this goal one step closer to reality.
Also Read: The Jay Kim Show with HYPE Co-founder and CEO Henek Lo
He previously founded Katango and Tappy which were quickly acquired by Google and Weeby.co, respectively. He also invests in early stage startups and helps grow the ecosystem in Vietnam. Apart from being an entrepreneur, Thuc is also a Research Scientist and Assistant Professor at John Von Neumann Institute of Vietnam National University.
As a way to pay it forward, Thuc co-founded VietSeeds in 2011, a nonprofit organization empowering hundreds of underprivileged students with excellent academic record in Vietnam.
Also Read: Lazada and Shopee battle for pole positions in Malaysia's e-commerce landscape
In 2017, he was named as one of the "40 Under 40" of Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for his tireless effort to bring about a significantly positive impact in the business world.
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SJC: Burnt Marijuana Odor Not Enough To Suspect Criminal Activity
BOSTON (AP) -- The odor of burnt marijuana alone is not enough for police to suspect criminal activity and order a person to get out of a car, the state's highest court ruled Tuesday, citing a state law that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of the narcotic.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports
The Supreme Judicial Court cited a 2008 ballot question in which voters agreed to make possession of 1 ounce or less a civil, rather than a criminal, violation.
"We conclude that, to order a passenger in a stopped vehicle to exit based merely on suspicion of an offense, that offense must be criminal," Chief Justice Roderick Ireland wrote for the court in the 5-1 ruling.
The court found that the new law "provides a clear directive to police departments handling violators to treat commission of this offense as noncriminal."
"Ferreting out decriminalized conduct with the same fervor associated with the pursuit of serious criminal conduct is neither desired by the public nor in accord with the plain language of the statute," Ireland wrote.
The court said that there must be additional reasons for police to suspect criminal activity to justify ordering someone to get out of a car.
Police Commissioner Ed Davis on ruling with WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Jon Maclean
The ruling came in the case of Benjamin Cruz, a passenger in a stopped car, after a Boston police officer, smelling burnt marijuana inside, ordered Cruz to get out.
The court found that police permissibly approached the car because it was parked in front of a fire hydrant but did not have probable cause to order Cruz to step out.
As Cruz was getting out, police officers asked him if he had anything on him. They say Cruz replied that he had "a little rock for myself" in his pocket.
Police say they seized crack cocaine from Cruz and charged him with drug possession with intent to distribute and committing a controlled substances violation in a school zone.
The Supreme Judicial Court, in its ruling, upheld a lower court ruling suppressing the man's statement to police.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Judith Cowin said case law in Massachusetts has always made it clear that police can do a warrantless search of a car if they smell marijuana.
She said the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana should not change that.
"An officer's reasonable suspicion justifies an inquiry and, if necessary, an exit order to determine whether probable cause exists to believe that criminal activity has occurred or is occurring," wrote Cowin, who deliberated in the case before her recent retirement.
In this case, the officers' detection of the odor of marijuana provided a basis for a reasonable suspicion that the people in the vehicle might be involved in the commission of crime, Cowin wrote.
"Because that suspicion was reasonable," she wrote, "the officers did not violate the defendant's rights by inquiring further and by requiring him to exit the vehicle."
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said he was disappointed in the court's ruling and agreed with Cowin's dissenting opinion.
"Today's decision sets a negative precedent for countless cases to follow," Leone said. "This is another example of the challenging legal ramifications for law enforcement resulting from Question 2's passage and, just as importantly, the mixed messages being sent to our children about marijuana."
Sixty-five percent of voters approved the measure to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in 2008.
Supporters said the move would spare thousands of people from having criminal records and would save taxpayers $30 million in costs associated with marijuana arrests. Opponents, led by district attorneys, warned that the move could lead to more drug abuse among young people.
Cruz's lawyer praised the court's ruling.
"What they said was now that the people of Massachusetts have spoken and decided they no longer want small amounts of marijuana treated like a major crime, police shouldn't do that, either in terms of how they investigate it or the reasons for which they begin investigating in the first place," said Scott Michelman, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union's Criminal Law Reform Project.
He said the opinion "reaffirmed that you need suspicion of criminal conduct in order to search and seize."
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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2016 has been quite the whirlwind. Moving from New York City to Santa Cruz, California is a difference as big as night and day. Life here on the left coast moves slower but is sunnier and warmer than winters in NYC which I cannot complain about at all. I do NOT miss the cold winters in New York, but I do miss New York. A LOT! I miss the convenience of having everything you need within a few blocks of your apartment. I miss all kinds of gluten-free friendly food day and night. I miss my friends and family.
On the flip side, Santa Cruz is gorgeous. The ocean, the redwoods, the hiking, biking, and walking… it's so beautiful. Every day, I am so thankful I landed in a location that has so much natural beauty to explore. I recently bought the Golden Poppy Pass for the California State Park system and I am so excited to explore this spring and summer. I've been whale watching and saw hundreds of dolphins and at least six whales. I am going kayaking in a protected nature reserve that is teeming with baby otters. To say I am taking full advantage of the natural world of Santa Cruz would be an understatement.
I am also keeping busy building my west coast clientele for my GlutenFreelancer consulting business and starting a new celiac support group. If you are local, I encourage you to join Santa Cruz Celiac on Facebook. I hope to have our first event during the US Celiac Awareness Month in May.
I am staying active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and hope you visit me there as I get this blog back up and running. Drop me a line and let me know you are still reading Gluten-Free Globetrotter! Miss you all. xo


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The Pitch
VertiFarms builds and operates aquaponic and hydroponic farms that sustainably grow greens onsite for grocers, schools, and restaurants. Their goal is to grow a large percentage of all salad greens consumed by New Orleanians.
Douglas Jacobs & Kevin Morgan-Rothschild
The Entrepreneur
As CEO and founder of VertiFarms, Doug is responsible for designing systems, developing partnerships, and raising capital. He has been an aquaponic and hydroponic enthusiast for over ten years constructing and testing his own systems. Born in Miami Beach, Doug grew up with an appreciation for plants and nature. His interest in aquaponics began during a trip to Disney World as a child and re-emerged during his studies in Complex Emergency Management. He is the primary consultant behind the Rouses 'Roots on the Rooftop' Project.
Kevin holds a degree in Sociology and Social Policy and Planning. He has studied urban agriculture, urban planning, architectural design, rural sociology and New Orleans urban geography. His past work with non-profits, alternative energy companies and a local farmers cooperative led him to implement aquaponics and other soilless farming technology to the urban landscape of New Orleans.
The Opportunity/Challenge
Aquaponics is a process that symbiotically raises fish and vegetables simultaneously. Its benefits include 90% less water usage, higher yields in smaller spaces, 90 steps from farm to retail, and recycled rain water.
The Impact
- 1,500 lbs of lettuce and herbs grown at Hollygrove Market and on the rooftop of Rouse's Market on Baronne Street
- Helped to create and manage the first aeroponic rooftop urban farm on a grocer in the United States.
- Earned nearly $270,000 in system sales, management, and produce sales
- Named number three in the "World's 8 Most Inspiring Urban Farms" by farmxchange.org.
"The various workshops that the New Orleans entrepreneurial communities have provided have been very important. Propeller-hosted accounting workshops have helped us stay organized, and a Propeller-hosted public relations workshop helped us land a spot on national television after a cold call to a show called, 'America's Heartland.'"
Kevin Morgan-Rothschild
VertiFarms (Ventures 2012-2013)


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How to publish with us
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Universal Access in the Information Society is actively committed to becoming a fully Open Access journal. We will increase the number of articles we publish OA, with the eventual goal of becoming a fully Open Access journal. A journal that commits to this process is known as a Transformative Journal.
Find out more about Transformative Journals.
Authors may need to take specific actions to achieve compliance with funder and institutional open access mandates. If your research is supported by a funder that requires immediate open access (e.g. according to Plan S principles) then you should select the gold OA route, and we will direct you to the compliant route where possible. For authors selecting the subscription publication route, the journal's standard licensing terms will need to be accepted, including self-archiving policies. Those licensing terms will supersede any other terms that the author or any third party may assert apply to any version of the manuscript.
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Kid's Activity Day at the Old Courthouse Museum
Jun 16
Thursday, June 16 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Learn about history and make your own crafts to take home! Call to register in advance. Kids Activity Day is free. Children will be given the opportunity to make a craft while learning about history. The morning session is from 9 to 11 :30 a.m., creative learning programs run every 15 minutes throughout the session.
Kid's Activity Day is a make and take craft program offered year around on the third Thursday of every month at the Old Courthouse Museum. Children 3-12 are invited to participate. Please register by calling (605) 367-4210.


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New York-based producer Atropolis, aka Adam Partridge, recently dropped his new EP, entitled Shuffle Mode, on the Cumba Mela imprint.
The EP took almost three years to complete, and reflects Partridge's submersion into the music scene of NYC.
Atropolis says, "This EP is a collection of intimate collaborations, it feels like a playlist on shuffle mode, a reflection of how music is being experienced by the masses."
Shuffle Mode features the vocal talents of Latasha, Zuzuka Poderosa, Vivian Garcia, and Ani Challa, as well as Slavic Soul Party.
Made up of five tracks, Shuffle Mode opens with "Cada Manana," featuring Vivian Garcia. It's a Latin-flavored love song about the experience and emotions associated with rejection. The overall feel of the music is Latin-pop, with flavors of hip-hop-lite running through it. "Violencia Policial" rides the vocal gifts of Zuzuka Poderosa and travels on a compact Latin hip-hop tune seasoned with psychedelic colors. Poderosa's flow is skintight and rife with ominous timbres.
"The Take Back" features Latasha on vocals, and opens with spoken words over glowing, simmering synths. When the beat enters, the tune assumes a dark hip-hop energy with droning synths hues riding overhead. Latasha's flow defines her as an experienced rapper because it is smart and smooth and tough.
The fourth track is "Barbes," featuring Slavic Soul Party. The song opens with crisp percussive effects followed by stuttering horns and a Latin-reggae-hip-hop feel. A potently deep bass line gives the song a rumbling rhythm as the horns shimmer and ooze overhead. A tasty trumpet infuses the music with smoldering textures. The thumping line of the bass dominates the breaks, prior to the horns and synths jumping back in with blaring hues.
The last track is "Immigrant," featuring Ani Challa. The song opens with mystical chanting moving into a numinous Eastern-magical hip-hop tune. Surfacing, discordant synths give the harmonics a snug, tinny resonance, as mechanical effects infuse the tune with a kind of intractable essence.
Shuffle Mode is superbly innovative, merging various textures, colors, and rhythms into novel hip-hop flows. If you're into hip-hop, but resent its current derivative status, then Shuffle Mode should please you.
Follow Atropolis on his official website, Facebook, and Instagram.


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Kitchen Chat – Chef Carrie Nahabedian's Culinary Celebrations
This is the year of culinary celebrations for James Beard award winner, Chef Carrie Nahabedian. Her Michelin star restaurant, NAHA marks its 13th anniversary. Her new French restaurant, Brindille just opened to high acclaim. She is nominated for the Jean Banchet Chef of the Year award. And she is the Chicago Bears chef for The Taste of the NFL. Tune in and hear Chef Carrie share her passion to stop hunger in America and how you can help. Savor the day!.
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