text:
Blinded by Fright
We're 10 years past the Twin Towers attack and still fighting wars in its name. Can we open our eyes in time?
By Tom Hayden
Progressive America Rising via Detroit Metro Times
September 7, 2011 - After witnessing the first jetliner crash into the Twin Towers on that Sept. 11 morning, a friend of mine's wife and 7-year-old daughter fled to their nearby Manhattan loft and ran to the roof to look around. From there, they saw the second plane explode in a rolling ball of flaming fuel across the rooftops. It felt like the heat of a fiery furnace.
Not long after, the girl was struck with blindness. She rarely left her room. Her parents worked with therapists for months, trying various techniques including touch and visualization, before the young girl finally recovered her sight.
"The interesting new development," my friend reports, "is that she no longer remembers very much, which she told me when I asked her if she would be willing to speak with you."
That's what happened to America itself 10 years ago this Sunday on 9/11, though it might be charged that many of us were blinded by privilege and hubris long before.
But 9/11 produced a spasm of blind rage arising from a pre-existing blindness as to the way much of the world sees us. That in turn led to the invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq, Afghanistan again, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia — in all, a dozen "shadow wars," according to The New York Times. In Bob Woodward's crucial book, Obama's Wars, there were already secret and lethal counterterrorism operations active in more than 60 countries as of 2009.
From Pentagon think tanks came a new military doctrine of the "Long War," a counterinsurgency vision arising from the failed Phoenix program of the Vietnam era, projecting U.S. open combat and secret wars over a span of 50 to 80 years, or 20 future presidential terms. The taxpayer costs of this Long War, also shadowy, would be in the many trillions of dollars and paid for not from current budgets, but by generations born after the 2000 election of George W. Bush. The deficit spending on the Long War would invisibly force the budgetary crisis now squeezing our states, cities and most Americans.
Besides the future being mortgaged in this way, civil liberties were thought to require a shrinking proper to a state of permanent and secretive war, and so the Patriot Act was promulgated. All this happened after 9/11 through democratic default and denial. Who knows what future might have followed if Al Gore, with a half-million popular-vote margin over George Bush, had prevailed in the U.S. Supreme Court instead of losing by the vote of a single justice?
In any event, only a single member of Congress, Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), voted against Bush's initial request for emergency war-authorization powers on Sept. 14, 2001, to deal with the aftermath of the attacks, and only a single senator, Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), voted against the Patriot Act.
Were we not blinded by what happened on 9/11? Are we still? Let's look at the numbers we almost never see.
Fog of war
As to American casualties, the figure now is beyond twice those who died in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., on 9/11. The casualties are rarely totaled, but they are broken down into three categories by the Pentagon and Congressional Research Service.
There is Operation Enduring Freedom, which includes Afghanistan and Pakistan but, in keeping with the Long War definition, also covers Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Second, there is Operation Iraqi Freedom and its successor, Operation New Dawn, the name adopted after September 2010 for the 47,000 U.S. advisers, trainers and counterterrorism units still in Iraq. The scope of these latter operations includes Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
These territories include not only Muslim majorities but also include, according to former Centcom Commander Tommy Franks, 68 percent of the world's proven oil reserves and the passageway for 43 percent of petroleum exports, another American geo-interest that was heavily denied in official explanations. (See Michael Klare's Blood and Oil and Antonia Juhasz's The Bush Agenda for more on this.)
A combined 6,197 Americans were killed in these wars as of Aug. 16, 2011, in the name of avenging 9/11, a day when 2,996 Americans died. The total number of Americans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan has been 45,338, and rising at a rapid rate. Of that number, 13,168 were taken by medevac out of battle zones. An additional 56,462 suffering "non-hostile injuries and diseases" were carried out by medevac as well. That's a total of 107,996 Americans — dead, wounded, injured, diseased — as of Aug. 16. And the active-duty military-suicide rate for the decade is at a record high of 2,276, not counting veterans or those who have tried unsuccessfully to take their own lives. In fact, the suicide rate for last year was greater than the American death toll in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
The Pentagon has long played a numbers game with these body counts. Accurate information has always been painfully difficult to obtain, and there was a time when the Pentagon refused to count as Iraq war casualties any soldier who died from his or her wounds outside of Iraq's airspace. Similar controversies have surrounded examples such as soldiers killed in non-combat accidents.
The fog around Iraqi and Afghan civilian casualties will be seen in the future as one of the great scandals of the era. Briefly, the United States and its allies in Baghdad and Kabul have relied on eyewitness, media or hospital numbers instead of the more common cluster-sampling interview techniques used in conflict zones like the first Gulf War, Kosovo or the Congo.
The United Nations has a conflict of interest as a party to the military conflict, and acknowledged in a July 2009 UN human rights report footnote that "there is a significant possibility that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is underreporting civilian casualties." In August, even the mainstream media derided a claim by the White House counterterrorism adviser that there hasn't been a single "collateral," or innocent, death during an entire year of CIA drone strikes in Pakistan, a period in which 600 people were killed, all of them alleged "militants."
As a specific explanation for the blindness, the Los Angeles Times reported on April 9 that "Special Forces account for a disproportionate share of civilian casualties caused by western troops, military officials and human rights groups say, though there are no precise figures because many of their missions are deemed secret."
Sticker shock of war
Among the most bizarre symptoms of the blindness is the tendency of most deficit hawks to become big spenders on Iraq and Afghanistan, at least until lately. The direct costs of the war, which is to say those unfunded costs in each year's budget, now come to $1.23 trillion, or $444.6 billion for Afghanistan and $791.4 billion for Iraq, according to the National Priorities Project.
But that's another sleight of hand, when one considers the so-called indirect costs like long-term veterans' care. Leading economists Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes recently testified to Congress that their previous estimate of $4 to $6 trillion in ultimate costs was conservative. Nancy Youssef, of McClatchy Newspapers in Washington, D.C., in my opinion the best war reporter of the decade, wrote recently that "it's almost impossible to pin down just what the United States spends on war." The president himself expressed "sticker shock," according to Woodward's book, when presented cost projections during his internal review of 2009.
The Long War casts a shadow not only over our economy and future budgets, but our unborn children's future as well. This is no accident, but the result of deliberate lies, obfuscations and scandalous accounting techniques. We are victims of an information warfare strategy waged deliberately by the Pentagon.
As Gen. Stanley McChrystal said much too candidly in February 2010, "This is not a physical war of how many people you kill or how much ground you capture, how many bridges you blow up. This is all in the minds of the participants." David Kilcullen, once the top counterinsurgency adviser to Gen. David Petraeus, defines "international information operations as part of counterinsurgency."
In his 2010 book Counterinsurgency Kilcullen wrote that Petraeus' goal is to achieve a "unity of perception management measures targeting the increasingly influential spectators' gallery of the international community."
This new "war of perceptions," relying on naked media manipulation such as the treatment of media commentators as "message amplifiers" but also high-technology information warfare, only highlights the vast importance of the ongoing WikiLeaks whistle-blowing campaign against the global secrecy establishment.
Consider just what we have learned about Iraq and Afghanistan because of WikiLeaks: tens of thousands of civilian casualties in Iraq never before disclosed; instructions to U.S. troops not to investigate torture when conducted by U.S. allies; the existence of Task Force 373, carrying out night raids in Afghanistan; the CIA's secret army of 3,000 mercenaries; private parties by DynCorp featuring trafficked boys as entertainment; and an Afghan vice president carrying $52 million in a suitcase. The efforts of the White House to prosecute Julian Assange and persecute Pfc. Bradley Manning in military prison should be of deep concern to anyone believing in the public's right to know.
The news that this is not a physical war but mainly one of perceptions will not be received well among American military families or Afghan children, which is why a responsible citizen must rebel first and foremost against The Official Story. That simple act of resistance necessarily leads to study as part of critical practice, which is as essential to the recovery of a democratic self and democratic society.
Read, for example, this early martial line of Rudyard Kipling, the English poet of the white man's burden: "When you're left wounded on Afghanistan's plains and the women come out to cut up what remains / just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains / And go to your God like a soldier." Years later, after Kipling's beloved son was killed in World War I and his remains were never recovered, the poet wrote: "If any question why we died / Tell them because our fathers lied."
A hope for peace
An important part of the story of the peace movement, and the hope for peace itself, is the process by which hawks come to see their own mistakes. A brilliant history — and autobiography — in this regard is Dan Ellsberg's Secrets, about his evolution from defense hawk to historic whistleblower during the Vietnam War. Ellsberg writes movingly about how he was influenced on his journey by contact with young men on their way to prison for draft resistance.
The military occupation of our minds will continue until many more Americans become familiar with the strategies and doctrines in play during the Long War. Not enough Americans in the peace movement are literate about counterinsurgency, counterterrorism and the debates about "the clash of civilizations" — i.e., the West versus the Muslim world.
The writings of Andrew Bacevich, a Vietnam veteran and retired Army lieutenant colonel whose own son was killed in Iraq in 2007, is one place to begin. Bacevich, a professor at Boston University, has written The New American Militarism and edited The Long War, both worth absorbing.
For the military point of view, there is the 2007 Army-Marine Counterinsurgency Field Manual developed by Gen. Petraeus, with its stunning resurrection of the Phoenix model from Vietnam, in which thousands of Vietnamese were tortured or killed before media outcry and Senate hearings shut it down. David Kilcullen, Petraeus' main doctrinal adviser, even calls for a "global Phoenix program" to combat al-Qaeda-style groupings. These are Ivy League calls to war, Kilcullen even endorsing "armed social science" in a New Yorker article in 2007.
For a criticism of counterinsurgency and defense of the "martial spirit," Bing West's recent The Wrong War is a must-read. West, a combat Marine and former Pentagon official, worries that counterinsurgency is turning the Army into a Peace Corps, when it needs grit and bullets. "America is the last Western nation standing that fights for what it believes," he roars.
Not enough is being written about how to end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but experts with much to say are the University of Michigan's Scott Atran (Talking to the Enemy) and former UK envoy Sherard Cowper Coles (Cables from Kabul). Also there is my own 2007 book, Ending the War in Iraq, which sketches a strategy of grass-roots pressure against the pillars of the policy (the pillars necessary for the war are public opinion, trillions of dollars, thousands of available troops, and global alliances; as those fall, the war must be resolved by diplomacy).
The more we know about the Long War doctrine, the more we understand the need for a long peace movement. The pillars of the peace movement, in my experience and reading, are the networks of local progressives in hundreds of communities across the United States. Most of them are citizen volunteers, always immersed in the crises of the moment, nowadays the economic recession and unemployment. Look at them from the bottom up, and not the top down, and you will see:
• the people who marched in the hundreds of thousands during the Iraq War;
• those who became the enthusiastic consumer base for Michael Moore's documentaries and the Dixie Chicks' anti-Bush lyrics;
• the first to support Howard Dean when he opposed the Iraq war, and the stalwarts who formed the anti-war base for Barack Obama;
• the online legions of MoveOn who raised millions of dollars and turned out thousands of focused bloggers;
• the voters who dumped a Republican Congress in 2006 on the Iraq issue, when the party experts said it was impossible;
• the millions who elected Obama president by a historic flood of voluntary enthusiasm and get-out-the-vote drives.
• the majorities who still oppose the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and want military spending reversed.
This peace bloc deserves more. It won't happen overnight, but gradually we are wearing down the pillars of the war. It's painfully slow, because the president is threatened by Pentagon officials, private military contractors and an entire Republican Party (except the Ron Paul contingent), all of whom benefit from the politics and economics of the Long War.
But consider the progress, however slow. In February of this year, Rep. Barbara Lee passed a unanimous resolution at the Democratic National Committee calling for a rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan and transfer of funds to job creation. The White House approved of the resolution. Then 205 House members, including a majority of Democrats, voted for a resolution that almost passed calling for the same rapid withdrawal. Even the AFL-CIO executive board, despite a long history of militarism, adopted a policy opposing the Afghanistan war.
The president himself is quoted in Obama's Wars as opposing his military advisers, demanding an exit strategy and musing that he "can't lose the whole Democratic Party."
At every step of the way, it must be emphasized, public opinion in congressional districts has been a key factor in changing establishment behavior.
In the end, the president decided to withdraw 33,000 American troops from Afghanistan by next summer, and continue "steady" withdrawals of the rest (68,000) from combat roles by 2014. At this writing, it is unclear how many remaining troops Obama will withdraw from Iraq, or when and whether the drone attacks on Pakistan will be forced to an end.
The Arab Spring has demolished key pillars of the Long War alliance, particularly in Egypt, to which the CIA only recently was able to render its detainees for torture.
Obama's withdrawal decision upset the military but also most peace advocates he presumably wanted to win back. The differences revealed a serious gap in the inside-outside strategy applied by many progressives.
After a week of hard debate over the president's plan, for example, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) invited Tim Carpenter, leader of the heavily grass-roots Progressive Democrats of America, into his office for a chat. Kerry had slowly reversed his pro-war position on Afghanistan, and said he thought Carpenter would be pleased with the then-secret Obama decision on troop withdrawals. From Kerry's insider view, the number 33,000 was a very heavy lift, supported mainly by Vice President Joe Biden but not the national security mandarins. (Secretary of Defense Gates had called Biden "ridiculous," and Gen. McChrystal's later ridicule of Biden helped lose the general his job.)
From Carpenter's point of view, 33,000 would seem a disappointing too little, too late. While it was definite progress toward a phased withdrawal, bridging the differences between the Democratic liberal establishment and the idealistic progressive networks will remain an ordeal through the 2012 elections.
As for al-Qaeda, there is always the threat of another attack, like those attempted by militants aiming at Detroit during Christmas 2009 or Times Square in May 2010. In the event of another such terrorist assault originating from Pakistan, all bets are off: According to Woodward, the United States has a "retribution" plan to bomb 150 separate sites in that country alone, and there are no apparent plans for The Day After.
Assuming that nightmare doesn't happen, today's al-Qaeda is not the al-Qaeda of a decade ago. Osama bin Laden is dead, its organization is damaged, and its strategy of conspiratorial terrorism has been displaced significantly by the people-power democratic uprisings across the Arab world.
It is clear that shadow wars lie ahead, but not expanding ground wars involving greater numbers of American troops. The emerging argument will be over the question of whether special operations and drone attacks are effective, moral and consistent with the standards of a constitutional democracy. And it is clear that the economic crisis finally is enabling more politicians to question the trillion-dollar war spending.
Meanwhile, the 2012 national elections present a historic opportunity to awaken from the blindness inflicted by 9/11.
Diminishing the U.S. combat role by escalating the drone wars and Special Operations could repeat the failure of Richard Nixon in Vietnam. Continued spending on the Long War could repeat the disaster of Lyndon Johnson. A gradual winding down may not reap the budget benefits or political reward Obama needs in time.
With peace voters making a critical difference in numerous electoral battlegrounds, however, Obama might speed up the "ebbing," plausibly announce a peace dividend in the trillions of dollars, and transfer those funds to energy conservation and America's state and local crises. His answer to the deficit crisis will have to include a sharp reduction in war funding, and his answer to the Tea Party Republicans will have to be a Peace Party.
About the author: Born in Detroit and raised in Royal Oak, Tom Hayden first gained widespread notoriety while still a student at the University of Michigan. As a co-founder of the radical Students for a Democratic Society, he was the primary author of that group's manifesto, the Port Huron Statement, which gave voice to the idealism of the New Left movement.
A commitment to the civil rights movement prompted him to become a Freedom Rider in the South in the early 1960s. Afterward, he became a leader of opposition to the war in Vietnam. During the Democratic National Convention in 1968 he was arrested and put on trial as part of the "Chicago Seven," a group that included radicals Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman. After five years of legal battles, he was cleared of all charges.
Hayden, a one-time husband of actress Jane Fonda, went on to become a politician, serving a total of 18 years in both houses of the California Legislature. The author or editor of 17 books, he currently lives in Los Angeles.
After more than 50 years of activism, politics, teaching and writing, Hayden is a leading voice for ending the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, and reforming politics through a more participatory democracy.


text:
DT Conference
Through Different Eyes. We live in the same world, but not in the same reality.
We've chosen the theme "Through Different Eyes" focusing on the importance of empathy and how we experience reality in different ways. This is a very topical theme, connecting to the discussion on our polarizing societies, and it also allows us to explore empathy, a key quality of the design thinking mindset. We have invited an amazing group of people, our members of the cast, to help us look for the boundaries of empathy and how they overcame them.
The Design Thinking Conference 2019 is going to take place in Amsterdam during the 10th and 11th of October 2019.
Here you can find all information and details.
The exciting new format of the conference, inspired by theatre, will help both speakers and audiences be engaged and surprised. In the true spirit of design thinking we will question everything, so prepare to be challenged.
We believe that new approaches are emerging because our world needs new solutions to solve the problems we are facing. Design thinking, and other human centric approaches, is emerging as a result. It is a symptom, not an end.
The mission of the Design Thinking Conference is to keep the conversation on design thinking moving forward and push the boundaries as far as we possibly can.
Please find all detailed information about the Conference program and registration here.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
She practices on her farm. We drive about 20 minutes down windy country roads and up her cedar lined farm lane:
To this gorgeous, calming place. I feel as though the minute we toodle up the driveway the healing begins!
Well. Dr Vicky is a DVM but also practices acupuncture, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, chiropractic and a host of other things. She carries quite a bag of tricks! Because of her knowledge and loving treatment Layla's knees are doing very well. Plus changes in diet have cleared up some long term digestive problems. Dr Vicky and her staff are just fantastic.
Layla doesn't look like SHE thinks this is a good idea, does she??
Besides her regular treatment the real reason for our trip was a broken tooth. :( That means surgery next week to remove a badly cracked molar. Poor Baby. Scheduled for next Tuesday. And its her birthday too! 9 years old, but still the 6 month old we rescued from PetSmart.


text:
TechRadar Verdict
Once 802.11n setttes in, a kit like this will make little sense
- +
Simple to use
Decent throughput
- -
Why you can trust TechRadar
To call power line networking a bandwagon is perhaps too much of a cliché, but debating the lexicon of the English language is irrelevant; more and more networking vendors are jumping onto it. But quite why is a mystery. The core reason for buying a kit that can network non-wirelessly with high throughput is about to fall away with the arrival of 802.11n.
True, wireless is still less than easy to set up and configure, while 802.11n will remain far from established even a year from now. Yet the key selling point of 802.11n is that it can stream high bandwidth files, including HD video. That's a shame for D-Link then, because that's exactly what its new plugs are designed to do.
Just a quick recap in case you don't know. Powerline networking uses the electricity cabling in your home as a network - critically, this means that powerline kit can be used to network in situations where wireless networks don't cut the mustard, such as in very tall houses or even to extend a network to a basement. And, of course, it removes the need to trail wires anywhere. You can also use powerline throughout your house, providing you stick to the same mains loop.
Still standards
Despite the fact that powerline adaptors from different manufacturers aren't designed to work together, they can if they use the same standard - much like wireless networks. D-Link's adaptors conform to the DS2 standard (www.ds2.es), but in reality this is meaningless - if you're going to set up a power line network we always recommend all your kit is from the same manufacturer.
As you would expect, the plugs are easy to set up. Power line is designed to be simple. Just plug in, connect the Ethernet cables and install a software utility on one PC. The software part of the process - currently incompatible with Vista - configures the plugs and makes sure they have the same password, ensuring security, which has previously been perceived as a problem in the past.
Such perceptions are misguided, since although there have been scare stories about plug networks being accessible to your neighbours, a simple password is enough to prevent any problems and make sure the signals along your electricity cables are encrypted.
As an aside, the LED indicators on the plugs are simple yet effective. Most other power line kit doesn't provide this, and it's surprising just how hard it is to diagnose problems if you have no visual indication that your plug has either not detected any other plugs or, alternatively, doesn't even detect that it's connected to the Ethernet port on your PC.
Speed issues
This kit has a cited speed of 200Mbps, but as with wireless, don't be misguided by such absurd figures. On our first attempt we got around 24Mbps of real-world throughput from the network and thereafter we pushed it to get around 34Mbps.
These figures sound surprisingly low, but they highlight one of the major issues with this kind of networking - your network is only as good as your home wiring. And ours would, apparently, provide the Electrician of the Year with a real test. With old homes, you can expect your network to take a major bandwidth hit.
But there is a positive side to this. Our throughput figures are still good enough for all Internet streaming and multi-room net access. More crucially for our verdict, they're also good enough to push a 19.5Mbps MPEG2 HD file down our connection, though trying multiple streams didn't go too well.
If you're lucky, though, you may well find that in a new house you can get these plugs to push 70 to 80Mbps, so you'll be instantly able to watch two or even three HD streams over your network. Standard definition content transfers in multiple streams without difficulty and we were able to get three streams playing quite happily alongside each other.
While this isn't the most impressive performance, it shows that D-Link's plugs are more than adequate for basic home networking or HD streaming. At well over £100 for two plugs, powerline has a big problem in terms of cost-per-connection. You can buy more plugs, of course, but it'll cost you.
Once 802.11n has become more established in a year's time, it'll be nigh-on impossible to work out why you would want a kit like this. Even so, there are still a few months left when you may consider this worth buying.


text:
There are no products listed under this category.
Sebenza 21
Chris Reeve Knives: Sebenza 21
The Sebenza has been the heart and soul of Chris Reeve's impressive line of knives. In 2018, the Sebenza 21 introduced an updated design to mark the 21st anniversary of the original from 1987. This became the standard by which all other titanium folders are measured. Sebenzas are known for their highly engineered quality. Chris Reeve invented and perfected the framelock used on these knives. It is strong and intuitive. The Sebenza is world famous for its smooth, "bank-vault" action. It must be experienced to be believed.
Both the Large Sebenza 21 and Small Sebenza 21 remain popular in the knife market to this day, in their classic all-titanium form as well as the many premium inlay options expertly machined by CRK.


text:
Bling collection delivers the flashiest bar tapes for the flashiest of riders. Fusing performance and style, Supacaz delivers the only bar tape worth dreaming about. Signature Supacaz Oil Slick gives that perfect touch. Bling bling every time you ride around your city!
- Bling PU (top layer): We've utilized exclusive materials to produce the most insane looking bar tape ever. Super flashy and extremely durable.
- Kush Foam (middle layer): Exclusive compound that maximizes dampening via a nano amount of foam. Shock-absorbing qualities that drastically improve bike handling in the corners, downhill, and in rough conditions.
- Emboss: The tape is completed with the embossment of the beloved Supacaz pattern. The embossment creates the unique Supacaz look and wicks away moisture which maximizes grip.
- Star Plugz: Aluminum Bar Plugs, Screw & Expand (3mm), Anodized, Laser Etched logo
- Finish Tape: High-End Rubberized Tape (Multi-Use), Supacaz Pattern Frost Print
Part Numbers
Option | UPC | MPN |
Oil Slick/Oil Slick | 753068721935 | 25523-3300 |


text:
North Carolina governor signs tough new voting restrictions
Marti Maguire Reuters
6:26 a.m. CDT, August 13, 2013
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) – North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed into law on Monday a requirement that voters present photo identification at the polls, making it the first state to enact new voting restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of a Civil Rights-era law designed to protect minority voters.
"Common practices like boarding an airplane and purchasing Sudafed require photo ID," McCrory, a Republican, said in a statement. "And we should expect nothing less for the protection of our right to vote."
His action was followed immediately by a challenge to the new law, filed in a U.S. district court in North Carolina by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.
The lawsuit challenges parts of the law that end same-day registration and shorten early voting, but does not address the photo ID requirement.
Supporters say the law eliminates voter fraud and standardizes elections across the state, but opponents argue it disenfranchises minorities, the young, and poor people.
The law passed the Republican-majority North Carolina General Assembly in late July among a number of other conservative measures such as restrictions on abortion.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has threatened federal government action against states that seek to curb voting access in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
That law was passed during the Civil Rights era to force states in the U.S. South with a history of racial discrimination, such as North Carolina, to meet certain tests of fairness in access to voting.
In addition to the ID, the new North Carolina measure reduces by a week the amount of time voters can cast early ballots before election day.
It also bans election-day voter registration, as well as the practice of straight-ticket voting, in which a voter casts one ballot for every candidate in a particular party, instead of voting on individual candidates.
The law also includes two measures Democrats say are aimed at discouraging young people, who lean Democratic, from casting ballots. College and university photo IDs will not be acceptable at polls, and the law eliminates a program allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote.
"This is a naked attempt to predetermine election outcomes by making it harder for certain people to vote: poor people, people of color, elderly people and young people," Allison Riggs, a lawyer with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, told lawmakers.
Republicans took control of the North Carolina state legislature in 2010 for the first time in more than a century, passing a host of conservative laws that have sparked "Moral Monday" protests at the state Capitol building for months.
Ten states have already enacted laws that require photo identification to vote, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and North Carolina is among a dozen states that have considered or adopted new laws this year.
The law will not go into effect until 2016, which means it will not affect the key race involving Democratic U.S. Senator Kay Hagan seeking reelection, the outcome of which could help determining whether Republicans or Democrats hold a majority in the U.S. Senate for the last two years of President Barack Obama's term.
North Carolina will launch an education campaign in 2014 on the new law and implement it for the presidential elections in 2016.
(Reporting by Marti Maguire in Raleigh; Writing by Karen Brooks; Editing by Greg McCune, David Adams and Richard Chang)
Copyright © 2013, Reuters


text:
Sometimes it seems like kids spend all their time in front of the TV or on a smartphone or on the computer. You might even feel like banning technology from your house. That's your choice. But for most parents, the reality is we need to adapt. We need to help our kids lead a balanced life.
Children can benefit from age-appropriate technology. Watching TV or playing on the computer can be fun, entertaining and a good way to relax. And there are many programs, games and apps that are educational and can help your child's learning.
But if children spend too much time in front of a screen they will miss out on other important activities. Things like playing outdoors, talking to friends and reading are vital for kids.
So how can you strike the right balance in your house?
Start by learning about what technology is around. You can do your own research and talk to your children and other parents. Think about what is good about each device. And think about what you will need to limit or manage, based on your child's age.
It's also a good idea to put some rules in place. Let your kids know what they are allowed to use and when they can use it. Discuss this as a family so that your kids can have a say too.


text:
Riley Star and her best friend Cameron Minx have had a great time at their sleepover. But morning dawns to find them fast asleep. Jason sees two hot nubile chicks in bed and can't help but whip it out. He start masturbating over them. Riley wakes up to find her stepbrother jerking off over her and her friend. His claim that he has blue balls and needs some help. If it shuts Jason up and keeps him from waking her friend up, Riley will do just about anything. Up to and including stroking her stepbro's dick. Now Jason has his hot stepsis right where he wants her. He coaxes her to take off her shirt so he can admire her titties. Then climbs on the bed so she can start sucking him off. Riley's blowjob is nice, but not quite the satisfaction Jason craves. He tells Riley once again that he'll wake Cameron if she doesn't do what he wants. But this time he tells her she has to fuck him.
Riley tries to argue, but soon enough she climbs astride Jason's fuck stick to give him a cowgirl style ride.Turning around for some reverse cowgirl action, Riley lets her hips do all the talking. Then she gets on her hands and knees for a doggy style pussy pounding that lets Jason fill his hands with the firm delight of his sister's big ass. He finishes her off as she lays on her back so he can fuck her while he stands beside the bed. Just as Jason is giving Riley a facial of cum to show his satisfaction, Cameron begins to wake. Jason beats it from the room, leaving Riley to tell her friend that she's dreaming that she sees cum on Riley's face.


text:
It's finally here! After what it seems like forever the new iteration of the Canon 7D has been finally announced at the 2014 Photokina and it is available for pre-orders!
Quick specs: 10 frames per second, brand new 20.2 Mega Pixel APS-C Sensor, ISO from 100 to 16000 (Expandable to 51200), 65 cross-type Auto focus Points, 1080p HD Video (no 4k!) , Built-In GPS tagging (it even records which direction the camera is pointing!), internal compass customizable viewfinder, built in intervalometer, Weather Sealed Dual Card Slots (FC and SD).
It's finally here! After what it seems like forever the new iteration of the Canon 7D has been finally announced at the 2014 Photokina at is available for pre-orders!
The Canon EOS 7D Mark II digital SLR camera is designed to meet the demands of photographers and videographers who want a camera that can provide a wide range of artistic opportunities. With a winning combination of cutting-edge operations and a robust, ergonomic design, it is optimized to make even the most challenging photography simple and easy. The EOS 7D Mark II features a refined APS-C sized 20.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor with Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors for gorgeous imagery. It shoots up to 10 frames per second at ISOs ranging from 100–16000 (expandable to H1: 25600, H2: 51200), has a 65-point* all cross-type AF system and features Canon's amazing Dual Pixel CMOS AF for brilliant Live-View AF. It has dual card slots for both CF and SD cards, USB 3.0 connectivity and even has built-in GPS** for easy location tagging, automatically. Compatible with an ever-expanding collection of EF and EF-S lenses plus a host of EOS accessories, the EOS 7D Mark II is an ideal tool for creative and ambitious photography.
* The number of available AF points, and whether single line or cross-type, varies depending on the lens.
** In certain countries and regions, the use of GPS may be restricted. Therefore be sure to use GPS in accordance with the laws and regulations of your country or region. Be particularly careful when traveling outside your home country. As a signal is received from GPS satellites, take sufficient measures when using in locations where the use of electronics is regulated.
Superlative Sensor for Gorgeous Images
20.2 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor and ISO 100–16000
The EOS 7D Mark II has a newly designed 20.2 Megapixel sensor that delivers high-resolution image files with stunning detail and impressive clarity. Optimized for low-light shooting, the EOS 7D Mark II's sensor captures images at up to ISO 16000 (expandable to H1: 25600, H2: 51200) with remarkably low noise, thanks to its improved, higher sensitivity design. Phenomenal for stills, the EOS 7D Mark II's sensor is equally up to the task for movies, delivering Full HD capture even at rates of up to 60p.
Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors
The EOS 7D Mark II's sensor works seamlessly with its Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors for advanced image processing across the board. These image processors help the EOS 7D Mark II capture up to 1090 JPEG, 31 RAW, and 19 RAW + JPEG shots in a single burst for amazing action photography. Further, they enable the camera's powerful image processing on-the-fly: lens aberration, variances in peripheral illumination and image distortion can all be corrected in real time thanks to the EOS 7D Mark II's Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors.
Speed Improvements Across the Board
7D Mark II
High speed continuous shooting up to 10.0 fps allows you to capture fast action
With a new, rugged shutter designed for 200,000 cycles, the EOS 7D Mark II can shoot up to 10 frames per second to capture all the action. With super quick AF and exposure systems complementing the shutter's 55 msec shutter release time lag, the EOS 7D Mark II is tailored to meet and even exceed the speed of the action. Refined mechanics like a newly designed, more efficient shutter-drive motor and a vibration dampened mirror drive mean impressive performance for high caliber image quality, fast.
Sophisticated Mirror Control System
The EOS 7D Mark II camera employs an advanced mirror vibration control technology that enables the camera to support its speedy, continuous shooting capabilities while ensuring great image quality. The system uses a motor to help reduce the vibrations caused by high-speed shooting. By reducing the vibrations, the camera can achieve accurate and precise autofocus to provide steady and clear action shots at up to 10.0 frames per second.
Brilliant, Speedy AF Tracking
65-point* all cross-type AF system for high-performance, accurate subject tracking with EV -3 sensitivity (center point) for focusing in extreme low-light conditions
An EOS first, the EOS 7D Mark II features 65 all cross-type AF points* for high precision AF at remarkable speed. Cross-type AF points ensure stable AF that is not influenced by the subject's shape or color. On the EOS 7D Mark II, the AF points are spread over a wide area of the frame, enabling faster AF, wherever the subject lies. With a central dual cross-type AF point of f/2.8, AF is enhanced with lenses faster than f/2.8. And thanks to this new system, AF is possible even in dim lighting as low as EV-3.
* The number of available AF points, and whether single line or cross-type, varies depending on the lens.
7D Mark II
Achieve Impressive AF During Video Capture
Canon's innovative Dual Pixel CMOS AF enables you to shoot video like a camcorder with smooth, fast, and accurate autofocus and lets you enjoy instant and precise autofocus even when shooting stills
The EOS 7D Mark II features Canon's revolutionary Dual Pixel CMOS AF, a milestone in AF speed and accuracy that unlocks the potential of Live View shooting. This advanced technology has truly changed what is possible with a DSLR camera.
Dual Pixel CMOS AF involves a sophisticated rethinking of the CMOS sensor. Traditionally, image sensors have one photodiode per pixel for recording, but the CMOS sensor on the EOS 7D Mark II has two photodiodes per pixel, 40 million in total, enabling each pixel on the sensor to both perform phase-difference detection autofocus and capture light. With phase-difference detection AF, autofocus is achieved quickly and easily on the camera. This unique AF system enables autofocus on approximately 80% of the image plane, vertically and horizontally, and helps ensure virtually no loss in image quality.
The benefits of Dual Pixel CMOS AF are clearly evident in Live View and video shooting, where the EOS 7D Mark II achieves natural, precise focus very quickly, even when switching between subjects. And, combined with the predictive power of Movie Servo AF, subjects in motion are smoothly and consistently tracked – once focus is locked, the EOS 7D Mark II holds on! Plus, with the shallow depth-of-field afforded by EOS optics, video gains a brilliant, cinematic ambience lacking when shooting video with many other Digital SLRs.
HD Quality, EOS Performance
Stunning Full HD video with custom Movie Servo AF (speed and sensitivity) for continuous focus tracking of moving subjects, multiple frame rates including Full HD recording at 60p in MOV and MP4 formats and uncompressed HDMI out
While offering performance improvements across the board for still photography, the EOS 7D Mark II is also an incredibly capable HD movie camera. Taking advantage of its Dual Pixel CMOS AF capabilities, the EOS 7D Mark II has customizable Movie Servo AF options: not only can AF location be defined, AF speed and tracking intervals can be specified too, for fluid, smooth focus transitions. The EOS 7D Mark II delivers refined and detailed image quality with Full HD 60P recording at ISO values up to 16000, has an HDMI output and records to both SD and CF cards for versatility and security during important shoots.
Comprehensive Information, Right in the Viewfinder
Intelligent Viewfinder II provides approximately 100% field of view for shooting ease
The EOS 7D Mark II's Intelligent Viewfinder II makes it easy to both shoot, change and confirm camera settings and shooting modes all without looking away from the viewfinder. Displaying approximately 100% of the composition, the viewfinder can show settings like shooting mode, exposure level, white balance, drive mode, AF operation, metering mode, recording format, even an electronic level and more. All of this information can be displayed by or superimposed easily over the image for review while shooting, and multiple views are customizable through the EOS 7D Mark II's simple user interface.
Specialty Controls, Built Right In
Improved custom controls and built-in intervalometer and bulb timer for expanded creativity
An EOS first, the EOS 7D Mark II offers time-lapse fixed-point shooting and long exposures without the need for a remote control. The EOS 7D Mark II's interval timer takes from 1 to 99 shots at preselected intervals, ideal for shooting flowers as they bloom or clouds drifting through the sky. Its built-in bulb timer keeps the shutter open for a designated amount of time, perfect for night photography, or to capture the flow of traffic on a street corner.
Built to Perform
Magnesium alloy body with shutter durability up to 200,000 cycles and enhanced dust and weather resistance
The EOS 7D Mark II is constructed of the highest quality materials, and to exacting standards that ensure unfettered performance at all times. For example, the shutter can shoot at speeds up to 1/8000 sec. for up to 200,000 cycles, the chassis is built of lightweight and rigid magnesium, and the camera's seals are built to resist water and dust. This combination makes the EOS 7D Mark II ready for almost anything.
Speed and Accuracy with Intelligent Subject Recognition and Analysis
EOS Scene Detection System features a new 150,000-pixel RGB+IR Metering Sensor for improved precision
The EOS 7D Mark II has an amazing iSA Intelligent Subject Analysis system that employs an independent RGB light sensor with approximately 150,000-pixel resolution. This sensor enables Canon's intelligent Tracking and Recognition system (iTR AF) that detects and tracks subjects, automatically switching the AF point to optimize tracking. With new tracking algorithms tailored to recognize faces and colors, this system serves as a brilliant foundation to the EOS 7D Mark II's AF system.
Extraordinary GPS, Built-in
Built-in GPS* Receiver provides a digital compass, records location information (longitude, latitude, elevation and universal coordinated time (UTC)) as EXIF information for geotagging images when shooting
Ideal for travel or nature photography, the EOS 7D Mark II's built-in GPS* can record longitude, latitude and altitude data as EXIF data, can track movement at set intervals with its logging function, and can even set the camera's internal clock to local time! When using the logger function on a computer, you will see the exact route you travelled, and the map will show you where and when you took each image.
* In certain countries and regions, the use of GPS may be restricted. Therefore be sure to use GPS in accordance with the laws and regulations of your country or region. Be particularly careful when traveling outside your home country. As a signal is received from GPS satellites, take sufficient measures when using in locations where the use of electronics is regulated.
Sharp and Clear Viewing
3.0-inch Clear View II LCD monitor (approximately 1,040,000 dots) for bright and clear viewing
The EOS 7D Mark II comes with a 3.0-inch Clear View II LCD monitor for shooting videos and stills. Displaying fine detail (at approximately 1.04 million dots), this screen is perfect for composing and reviewing images. Thanks to a solid construction between the monitor's resin-coated cover and the liquid crystal display, reflections are minimized, and the display can be viewed with reduced glare. The LCD's surface is treated with a smudge-resistant coating to minimize fingerprints and maintain a bright, clear image display.
Additional Features
Anti-flicker shooting
The EOS 7D Mark II features a new flicker detection system that not only alerts the user in the viewfinder, but with the camera's Anti-Flicker Shooting function can compensate for flickering light sources, taking shots only at peak light volume. This feature is useful for minimizing disparities in color and exposure, especially during continuous shooting in sub-optimal lighting situations.
In-camera lens aberration corrections
To help photographers with achieving high quality images, the EOS 7D Mark II corrects image distortions like peripheral illumination, chromatic aberration and distortion, in-camera, as the image is recorded. When shooting in Live View mode, the results of distortion can even be monitored in real time through the EOS 7D Mark II's Image Simulation Function.
The EOS 7D Mark II features a USB 3.0 digital terminal for fast transfer to PCs and printers, plus offers connectivity to Canon's WFT-E7 (Version 2) for wireless transfer and Wi-Fi® compatibility.
NOTE: For connecting an interface cable to the USB 3.0 terminal, a cable protector is included with the EOS 7D Mark II, and must be used at all times to protect the camera's circuit board.
It's finally here! After what it seems like forever the new iteration of the Canon 7D has been finally announced at the 2014 Photokina and it is available for pre-orders!


text:
The video is brutal: a young man, pinned face down in four-point restraints, receiving 31 electric shocks over the course of several hours that convulse his body with pain. But this is not Guantánamo or Syria. The electric shocks were delivered in Massachusetts, at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) for autistic, emotionally disturbed and developmentally disabled youth. JRC is currently the only place in the U.S. that is legally permitted to provide this so-called aversive therapy.
Although the Rotenberg Center fought for years to suppress the video, it recently became public as part of a lawsuit filed against the center by the parents of the victim, 18-year-old Andre McCollins. Closing arguments in the case are expected on Monday.
If the plaintiffs' attorneys did their job, a large settlement against JRC should be forthcoming: res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself) would seem obviously to be the relevant principle here. But, unfortunately, unless the judgment is big enough to bankrupt the program and shut it down for good, the torture of troubled teens will continue, as it did after other similar cases were settled.
But while the video is horrifying, I find other facts about JRC to be even more disturbing. Together, these facts make an airtight case for shuttering the program, which is opposed by all of the major autism and disability rights organizations and has been called torture by the United Nations special rapporteur on torture.
The first problem is that JRC has been allowed to conduct its skin shock "therapy" for more than four decades, with little more than anecdotes to support its effectiveness.
The center claims that using skin shocks, which are comparable in pain intensity to a bee sting, can help control severe self-injurious behavior like head-banging and cutting, without use of medication. (A reporter who tried the device, however, compared the feeling to "a horde of wasps attacking me all at once.") On its website, JRC also argues that its punitive approach is twice as effective as using rewards to change behavior, even for the most severe cases.
But over the 40-odd years that it has been operating, JRC has never published a single randomized controlled trial demonstrating the superiority — or even lack of inferiority — of its methods, compared with standard therapy, in a peer-reviewed journal. The research it has published in the scientific literature has all involved case studies: basically stories of less than a dozen patients in each paper who were not randomly selected and whose outcomes were not compared to those of similar patients receiving less torturous treatments.
The FDA would not approve any drug with this sparse a scientific record, let alone one that caused pain as its intended effect. Unfortunately, however, talk and behavioral therapies aren't regulated and don't have to meet any scientific standards before they are marketed, even if they are clearly risky.
Of course, many parents of children at JRC have become strong advocates for the program. They believe that the JRC's approach — barbarous as it may look from the outside — is the only thing that has helped their children avoid self-injury and participate in school. They tell compelling stories about children who had been so dangerous to themselves that they'd caused brain damage, now being able to sit at a computer and learn.
I'd be much more convinced by these claims, however, if I hadn't already heard similar stories told by dozens of parents of children in other abusive treatments and subjected to quack remedies — ones that are known to be either ineffective or outright harmful or both. The reason the FDA's approval rules for drugs and other therapies it regulates exist at all is because such extraordinary anecdotal evidence can make useless or dangerous treatments appear to work miracles.
I'd also be less skeptical if JRC admitted only children with the most severe self-injurious behavior, rather than advertising the program broadly as a solution for any teen who is simply "failing in school or refusing to attend or stuck in psychiatric or correctional setting."
However, I admit that even if JRC limited admissions and had 10 published peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials proving the superiority of its techniques to drugs and positive behavioral treatments, I'd still be loath to recommend it. The most insurmountable problem with JRC involves the corrupting influence of power — especially when that power is wielded in the context of infliction of pain as "helping."
Virtually all situations in which vulnerable people are under the complete power of others — such as that which exists at JRC — are prone to cultivate abuse: we hear again and again about abuses in nursing homes, prisons, homes for the disabled and teen treatment centers. As Lord Acton once said, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
(MORE: Why So Much Abuse Is Allowed to Continue in Residential Care)
The principle was first made vivid by psychologist Phil Zimbardo in the notorious Stanford Prison experiment. Within days, healthy people who had been assigned to play the role of prison guards began abusing those who were assigned to be prisoners.
Basically, ordinary people placed in positions of authority without checks or balances will tend to drift towards abusive practices. And they will also tend to "just follow orders" even when those orders involve escalating abuse, as another famous social psychology experiment once showed. At Harvard, researcher Stanley Milgram got dozens of normal people to administer a series of increasingly painful shocks to another human being (actually an actor making pained noises in another room), simply by having a man in an authoritative white coat encourage them to continue. The shockers escalated the pain even though they were told that the shocks could be potentially deadly.
A 2007 incident at JRC illustrates the issue perfectly. A former resident placed a prank phone call in the middle of the night to one of the program's sites, pretending to be a supervisor. He ordered the staff member who answered to phone to rouse two teens from their beds and deliver dozens of shocks to them, claiming that they'd misbehaved earlier.
For three hours, six staff restrained and shocked the innocent victims — even though the shocks weren't in the treatment plan, even though they'd never talked to the so-called supervisor before and even though the other residents protested vigorously that no bad behavior had occurred.
When you train people to believe that painful punishments are an acceptable way to control the behavior of others, it's hard to prevent this kind of harm. Despicable behavior comes to seem acceptable, not worth questioning.
This is especially the case when — as has also happened at JRC — when your staff is not as qualified as it should be. The less educated the staff is about effects like those seen in Zimbardo's and Milgram's research, the more likely they are to accidentally replicate it.
Indeed, there are now at least a half-dozen documented cases of programs that use aversive treatments becoming actual cults, in which the program director has gained so much power over the participants and their parents that he can even command bizarre behavior among them, like kidnapping and partner-swapping.
I covered one particularly stunning instance of this in my book Help At Any Cost: How The Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids. In that case, the director of the KIDS program in New Jersey ordered teens to beat each other, restrain people for hours without bathroom access and had parents and teens kidnap people over 18 who were legally allowed to leave if they fled. He even continued to run program meetings underground after it lost its license. This man wasn't outside the mainstream either: he had previously directed the anti-drug program that First Lady Nancy Reagan had called her "favorite."
Rotenberg's founder and long-time head, Matthew Israel, was forced to step down last year after facing criminal charges for trying to destroy video evidence of the 2007 incident. Perhaps without his leadership, the center will wither naturally, or perhaps a combination of legal settlements and public outrage will finally end this sad story.
What I hope will bring an end to Rotenberg, however, is simple human compassion and the public's demand that extraordinary claims should require extraordinary evidence — especially when the claims advocate using physical pain to control our most vulnerable children.
Maia Szalavitz is a health writer for TIME.com. Find her on Twitter at @maiasz. You can also continue the discussion on TIME Healthland's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIMEHealthland.


text: Metal Christmas tree ornaments are durable and will bring holiday cheer for years to come. Print your festive designs on both sides of the white aluminum base, and we'll print them in high resolution with a glossy finish. Their surface is scratch and chip-resistant, so they can be stored together in the famous Christmas decoration box. Note that there's one ornament per pack, and it already comes with a red ribbon for hanging. .: White aluminum base with a glossy finish .: Scratch and chip resistant surface .: Print on both sides .: Each ornament comes with a red ribbon for hanging .: NB! Each pack contains a single ornament


text:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." -Ephesians 6:12
One would be hard pressed to find a single battle in all of history that wasn't fought without some level of declared spiritual rationale. Sadly, throughout the ages, pronouncements of Christian faith have been used to pound the drums of violence. Many who profess to be followers of Jesus have claimed God's anointing to engage in wars and acts of aggression that they believe are necessary to cleanse society of its evils. The world has been watching, documenting, and increasingly connecting the dots of Christian-driven hatred—now, like never before.
As the appearance of being shrouded in righteousness and divine faithfulness can be convincing to the untrained eye, nothing is more deceptive than the spiritual rationalization of violent acts that are ultimately motivated by the desire for power and privilege. Underneath the convenient veil of biblical faithfulness and divine sanction, selfishness, greed, and supremacy are often the true desires lurking in the shadows of those who would turn to Jesus for the justification of their aggression. For nothing speaks of privilege like the condemning, enslaving, or killing of another in order to further one's faith system. What has been transpiring in church-ladened communities across America for decades is now being manifested on a national scale. In the name of Christianity, oceans of emotional, spiritual, and even physical blood have been shed in an effort to assert their brand of freedom upon countless people who are, in essence, already free.
In fact, for many Christians, their faith is rooted upon the premise that there is an enemy that needs to conquered, a divine prosperity that is theirs for the taking, and an inferior world that needs to be converted. For them, there is an underlying belief that they are "set apart" from the rest of society by God Himself. Therefore, their mission is to engage the world in such a way that their own prosperity is realized, the enemy is defeated, and the world is either converted or condemned. In fact, acts of Christian "mission," though appearingly noble, are often a means to a self-serving end—that is, the conversion of people into their faith system and the correlating stroke of their spiritual egos upon success.
Combined with a white, heterosexual, male-driven privilege intrinsic to much of global society (especially America and European countries), Christianity has long become the spiritual rationale-of-choice for those who desire the fruition of white male heterosexual power and privilege. With a brand of Christianity that declares the Bible infallible and their interpretations uniquely faithful to its "clear teachings," right wing conservative Christianity offers an additional level of spiritually rationalized control and power over people.
This toxic diabolical concoction of Jesus-justified savagery can be seen no more clearly than what has become of much of American Christianity. From the rape of the American Indian to the slavery of black people. From the brutal condemnation of the LGBTQ community to the discrimination of women and minorities, a white male heterosexual lust for power and privilege has long hijacked the person and cause of Jesus to spiritually justify their creeds of greed. In fact, intended or not, right wing conservative Christianity has now become nothing less than an incubator for a tacit white supremacy that desires to commandeer the world. Search the vaults of historical fact and there you will find, it is not the average citizen who is leading the way in these atrocities against humanity, but rather pastors, Christians, and communities of faith, all in the name of Jesus and the Bible. From sea to shining sea, right wing conservative Christianity has been the spiritual lense through which many have rationalized their acts of dominance and destruction. Thankfully, the cat is out of the bag as a great awakening is rising from the depths. The evils of right-wing conservative Christianity are being chased out of the shadows–the elixir is wearing off and the deception is being dragged into the light.
Now, a perfect storm of human terrorism cloaked as Christian faithfulness has emerged onto the scene of our American journey. Inflamed by the presidency of Donald Trump and their concerns over an increasingly vocal and organized resistance, right wing conservative Christianity has reached a boiling point unprecedented in history. From voices like Alex Jones of Infowars to Sean Hannity of Fox News, the dogs of war are barking with an emboldened sense of empowerment from their growing base. In fact, for some, their aspirations are nothing less than the ushering in of Armageddon where they believe God has promised to defeat their enemies and cleanse the world of all that does not conform to their ideology. With 70% of the murders committed by domestic extremists stemming from right-wing influences, the line between what is considered mainstream and the fringe is increasingly becoming blurred. Sadly, it seems that right wing conservative Christianity is not far removed from translating the pages of Old Testament scenes of God-sanctioned violence into the real-life tragedy of our near future. In response, segments of liberal resistance have trumpeted their willingness to do battle if necessary, some even taking a bold initiative. The age old question of "who started it?" becomes mute in the context of the long historical trail of leatherbound terrorism spiritually rationalized by right wing religious conservatism. To be sure, growing numbers on both sides seem ready to take off the gloves—one side desiring further dominance and the protection of their privilege, the other defending human dignity and the rights and freedoms that are intrinsic.
For this is the underlying plot behind ever battle. This is the path that led to the cross. This was the provocation behind our first American civil war—religiously rationalized human oppression versus true human equality and freedom. An ancient conflict of the spiritual realm is now coming to fruition on American soil once again.
Sadly, it seems as if there is no way to avoid it—each side emboldened to their cause. I fear a new American civil war is on the horizon. This time, it will not be north versus south, or even left versus right. Instead, it will be Christianity versus Jesus, the Kingdom of religion versus the Kingdom of Grace, the human oppression of some versus human equality for all, the way of violence versus the way of peace, the exclusion of some versus the inclusion of all, and a god who punishes versus the God who is Love. For this is a war of ultimate truth with seemingly irreconcilable differences at the core.
Unfortunately, these battles have already begun in the homes, schools, streets, cubicles, courtrooms, computers, churches, televisions, social media outlets, and halls of America. We are a people and a nation divided at the marrow of who and whose we are. True evil is being exposed from the caverns of religious disguise, and true resistance is finding its wings through the bravery of Grace.
The truth is, the coming American civil war is already here. Who knows to what level the battle will further rise and consume us all. One thing is for sure, our future is in the balance like never before.
Come what may, it is my prayer that as the religious oppressor draws the sword and summons their ranks for battle, the lovers of true freedom and equality will faithfully endure and boldly resist with a refusal to become the evil done against them—just like Jesus.
Grace is brave. Be brave.


text:
Big inside, small on the outside.
Bolder, sportier and more fun.
Advanced styling inside and out.
A legend reborn.
Sleek and muscular small SUV.
The SUV for every journey.
Tough to the task.
The ultimate family SUV.
Tough, durable and comfortable.
For the toughest challenges in style.
The legendary workhorse.
Professional and reliable.
Comfort and versatility.
Everything you need to know about Toyota Service Advantage
1. What is covered under Toyota Service Advantage?
Toyota Service Advantage covers all items specified under the standard 'Maintenance for Normal Operating Conditions' schedule detailed in the Warranty and Service Logbook. This includes inspection and adjustment of all items listed, genuine parts, labour and fluids required for each standard scheduled service.
2. When does Toyota Service Advantage become effective?
From the original registration of warranty date for the vehicle recorded in the Warranty and Service Logbook.
3. Term of Coverage - Toyota Service Advantage.
Eligibility of your vehicle to participate in Toyota Service Advantage is deemed to have expired upon the first to occur of any of the following three conditions:
4. When should a scheduled service be carried out?
Service intervals are for a given distance or period of time. Camry, Hybrid Camry and Aurion should be serviced every 9 months/15,000km[N13]; all remaining vehicles every 6 months/10,000km, whichever occurs first. Even if you don't drive far enough to cover the distance between recommended time-based service intervals your Toyota should still be serviced according to the time period shown on the schedule.
5. Claim periods for Toyota Service Advantage.
Toyota Service Advantage services can be claimed within a nominated number of months or kilometres of the due service date, dependent on the model and compliance plate. Please note that when the service claim period expires, the next service period will then be available. Please contact Maryborough Toyota for claim periods for further details.
Note: You cannot claim both a specified distance service and the corresponding time period service separately.
6. Where can Toyota Service Advantage be carried out?
Only at authorised Toyota Dealers in Australia.
7. What is not covered under Toyota Service Advantage?
Additional service / repair items which are not covered within the 'Maintenance for Normal Operating Conditions' standard scheduled services as outlined in the Warranty and Service logbook, which include:
8. Transfer of Toyota Service Advantage.
Toyota Service Advantage cannot be transferred to any other vehicle and remains with the vehicle for the full duration outlined above, regardless of ownership. Subsequent owners of excluded / ineligible vehicles are not entitled to claim services under Toyota Service Advantage in respect of those vehicles.
9. No refunds.
No refund is payable to an owner in respect of an eligible vehicle for any services under Toyota Service Advantage which are not claimed during the relevant time period/distance.
10. Exclusions.
Government, Rental, Fleet Not For Profit and Toyota Employee Family Vehicle Purchase vehicles are not eligible and additional exclusions may apply.
[N13] 9 month service interval effective for January 2009 compliance plates and onwards. For vehicles prior to this, the service interval is 12 months.
[T15] All Toyota Genuine Parts carry a 12 month Toyota Warranty. Conditions apply. The Toyota Genuine Parts Warranty does not limit and may not necessarily exceed your rights under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Warranty conditions differ for Tyres and Batteries. See Maryborough Toyota for relevant details.


text:
Subluxation – pronounced sub-luck-say-shun
Subluxations are problem areas of your spine that affect your entire nerve system. In these problem areas the spinal bones are misaligned or have lost their normal range of movement. This irritates or puts pressure on local nerves which interferes with the communication between your brain and body (and vice versa).
How do Subluxations Happen?
The stresses and strains of everyday living such as housework, gardening, desk work, lifting, or even sleeping on the couch, can cause spinal problems. So can falls, accidents (especially car accidents), sports activities and injuries. In children, subluxations may occur during the birth process, while they learn to walk and play, and from everyday childhood activities.
What are Some Warning Signs of Subluxations?
Symptoms such as headaches, back pain, neck stiffness, pain in your shoulders, arms or legs, numbness in your hands or feet, or nerveness are the most common signs of subluxations. But like a tooth cavity, most people will have a subluxation long before they notice any symptoms.
How are Subluxations Corrected?
Your chiropractor will reduce and correct subluxations with highly skilled adjustments to your spine. If the subluxations have been present a short time, you may need only a few adjustments. However, long-term, chronic subluxations will require more frequent adjustments to retrain the problem areas of the spine to hold the vertebrae in their normal, healthy positions. As subluxations are corrected, your nerve system starts to function properly again and your body heals itself.
How can I Avoid Subluxations?
If you want to keep subluxations from recurring, or new ones from developing, it's best to have periodic adjustments. Combined with a sensible diet and moderate exercise, chiropractic care can help you enjoy the best of health for the rest of your life. Seeing a chiropractor should go with everyone's job!
Subluxations prevent you from enjoying
the best of health. Only a chiropractor
is trained to correct them.


text:
SCENE II. A room in the castle.
Enter KING CLAUDIUS, QUEEN GERTRUDE, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants
Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern!
Moreover that we much did long to see you,
The need we have to use you did provoke
Our hasty sending. Something have you heard
Of Hamlet's transformation; so call it,
Sith nor the exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of: I entreat you both,
That, being of so young days brought up with him,
And sith so neighbour'd to his youth and havior,
That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court
Some little time: so by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather,
So much as from occasion you may glean,
Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus,
That, open'd, lies within our remedy.
Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of you;
And sure I am two men there are not living
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
To show us so much gentry and good will
As to expend your time with us awhile,
For the supply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks
As fits a king's remembrance.
Both your majesties
Might, by the sovereign power you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.
But we both obey,
And here give up ourselves, in the full bent
To lay our service freely at your feet,
To be commanded.
Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern.
Thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz:
And I beseech you instantly to visit
My too much changed son. Go, some of you,
And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.
Heavens make our presence and our practises
Pleasant and helpful to him!
Ay, amen!
Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and some Attendants
Enter POLONIUS
The ambassadors from Norway, my good lord,
Are joyfully return'd.
Thou still hast been the father of good news.
Have I, my lord? I assure my good liege,
I hold my duty, as I hold my soul,
Both to my God and to my gracious king:
And I do think, or else this brain of mine
Hunts not the trail of policy so sure
As it hath used to do, that I have found
The very cause of Hamlet's lunacy.
O, speak of that; that do I long to hear.
Give first admittance to the ambassadors;
My news shall be the fruit to that great feast.
Thyself do grace to them, and bring them in.
Exit POLONIUS
He tells me, my dear Gertrude, he hath found
The head and source of all your son's distemper.
I doubt it is no other but the main;
His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage.
Well, we shall sift him.
Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMAND and CORNELIUS
Welcome, my good friends!
Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway?
Most fair return of greetings and desires.
Upon our first, he sent out to suppress
His nephew's levies; which to him appear'd
To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack;
But, better look'd into, he truly found
It was against your highness: whereat grieved,
That so his sickness, age and impotence
Was falsely borne in hand, sends out arrests
On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys;
Receives rebuke from Norway, and in fine
Makes vow before his uncle never more
To give the assay of arms against your majesty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee,
And his commission to employ those soldiers,
So levied as before, against the Polack:
With an entreaty, herein further shown,
Giving a paper
That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this enterprise,
On such regards of safety and allowance
As therein are set down.
It likes us well;
And at our more consider'd time well read,
Answer, and think upon this business.
Meantime we thank you for your well-took labour:
Go to your rest; at night we'll feast together:
Most welcome home!
Exeunt VOLTIMAND and CORNELIUS
This business is well ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.
More matter, with less art.
Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity;
And pity 'tis 'tis true: a foolish figure;
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him, then: and now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect,
Or rather say, the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause:
Thus it remains, and the remainder thus. Perpend.
I have a daughter--have while she is mine--
Who, in her duty and obedience, mark,
Hath given me this: now gather, and surmise.
'To the celestial and my soul's idol, the most
beautified Ophelia,'--
That's an ill phrase, a vile phrase; 'beautified' is
a vile phrase: but you shall hear. Thus:
'In her excellent white bosom, these, & c.'
Came this from Hamlet to her?
Good madam, stay awhile; I will be faithful.
'Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
'O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers;
I have not art to reckon my groans: but that
I love thee best, O most best, believe it. Adieu.
'Thine evermore most dear lady, whilst
this machine is to him, HAMLET.'
This, in obedience, hath my daughter shown me,
And more above, hath his solicitings,
As they fell out by time, by means and place,
All given to mine ear.
But how hath she
Received his love?
What do you think of me?
As of a man faithful and honourable.
I would fain prove so. But what might you think,
When I had seen this hot love on the wing--
As I perceived it, I must tell you that,
Before my daughter told me--what might you,
Or my dear majesty your queen here, think,
If I had play'd the desk or table-book,
Or given my heart a winking, mute and dumb,
Or look'd upon this love with idle sight;
What might you think? No, I went round to work,
And my young mistress thus I did bespeak:
'Lord Hamlet is a prince, out of thy star;
This must not be:' and then I precepts gave her,
That she should lock herself from his resort,
Admit no messengers, receive no tokens.
Which done, she took the fruits of my advice;
And he, repulsed--a short tale to make--
Fell into a sadness, then into a fast,
Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness,
Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension,
Into the madness wherein now he raves,
And all we mourn for.
Do you think 'tis this?
It may be, very likely.
Hath there been such a time--I'd fain know that--
That I have positively said 'Tis so,'
When it proved otherwise?
Not that I know.
[Pointing to his head and shoulder]
Take this from this, if this be otherwise:
If circumstances lead me, I will find
Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed
Within the centre.
How may we try it further?
You know, sometimes he walks four hours together
Here in the lobby.
So he does indeed.
At such a time I'll loose my daughter to him:
Be you and I behind an arras then;
Mark the encounter: if he love her not
And be not from his reason fall'n thereon,
Let me be no assistant for a state,
But keep a farm and carters.
We will try it.
But, look, where sadly the poor wretch comes reading.
Away, I do beseech you, both away:
I'll board him presently.
Exeunt KING CLAUDIUS, QUEEN GERTRUDE, and Attendants
Enter HAMLET, reading
O, give me leave:
How does my good Lord Hamlet?
Well, God-a-mercy.
Do you know me, my lord?
Excellent well; you are a fishmonger.
Not I, my lord.
Then I would you were so honest a man.
Honest, my lord!
Ay, sir; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be
one man picked out of ten thousand.
That's very true, my lord.
For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a
god kissing carrion,--Have you a daughter?
I have, my lord.
Let her not walk i' the sun: conception is a
blessing: but not as your daughter may conceive.
Friend, look to 't.
[Aside] How say you by that? Still harping on my
daughter: yet he knew me not at first; he said I
was a fishmonger: he is far gone, far gone: and
truly in my youth I suffered much extremity for
love; very near this. I'll speak to him again.
What do you read, my lord?
Words, words, words.
What is the matter, my lord?
Between who?
I mean, the matter that you read, my lord.
Slanders, sir: for the satirical rogue says here
that old men have grey beards, that their faces are
wrinkled, their eyes purging thick amber and
plum-tree gum and that they have a plentiful lack of
wit, together with most weak hams: all which, sir,
though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet
I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down, for
yourself, sir, should be old as I am, if like a crab
you could go backward.
[Aside] Though this be madness, yet there is method
in 't. Will you walk out of the air, my lord?
Into my grave.
Indeed, that is out o' the air.
How pregnant sometimes his replies are! a happiness
that often madness hits on, which reason and sanity
could not so prosperously be delivered of. I will
leave him, and suddenly contrive the means of
meeting between him and my daughter.--My honourable
lord, I will most humbly take my leave of you.
You cannot, sir, take from me any thing that I will
more willingly part withal: except my life, except
my life, except my life.
Fare you well, my lord.
These tedious old fools!
Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN
You go to seek the Lord Hamlet; there he is.
[To POLONIUS] God save you, sir!
Exit POLONIUS
My honoured lord!
My most dear lord!
My excellent good friends! How dost thou,
Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye both?
As the indifferent children of the earth.
Happy, in that we are not over-happy;
On fortune's cap we are not the very button.
Nor the soles of her shoe?
Neither, my lord.
Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of
her favours?
'Faith, her privates we.
In the secret parts of fortune? O, most true; she
is a strumpet. What's the news?
None, my lord, but that the world's grown honest.
Then is doomsday near: but your news is not true.
Let me question more in particular: what have you,
my good friends, deserved at the hands of fortune,
that she sends you to prison hither?
Prison, my lord!
Denmark's a prison.
Then is the world one.
A goodly one; in which there are many confines,
wards and dungeons, Denmark being one o' the worst.
We think not so, my lord.
Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing
either good or bad, but thinking makes it so: to me
it is a prison.
Why then, your ambition makes it one; 'tis too
narrow for your mind.
O God, I could be bounded in a nut shell and count
myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I
have bad dreams.
Which dreams indeed are ambition, for the very
substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.
A dream itself is but a shadow.
Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a
quality that it is but a shadow's shadow.
Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and
outstretched heroes the beggars' shadows. Shall we
to the court? for, by my fay, I cannot reason.
We'll wait upon you.
No such matter: I will not sort you with the rest
of my servants, for, to speak to you like an honest
man, I am most dreadfully attended. But, in the
beaten way of friendship, what make you at Elsinore?
To visit you, my lord; no other occasion.
Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks; but I
thank you: and sure, dear friends, my thanks are
too dear a halfpenny. Were you not sent for? Is it
your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? Come,
deal justly with me: come, come; nay, speak.
What should we say, my lord?
Why, any thing, but to the purpose. You were sent
for; and there is a kind of confession in your looks
which your modesties have not craft enough to colour:
I know the good king and queen have sent for you.
To what end, my lord?
That you must teach me. But let me conjure you, by
the rights of our fellowship, by the consonancy of
our youth, by the obligation of our ever-preserved
love, and by what more dear a better proposer could
charge you withal, be even and direct with me,
whether you were sent for, or no?
[Aside to GUILDENSTERN] What say you?
[Aside] Nay, then, I have an eye of you.--If you
love me, hold not off.
My lord, we were sent for.
I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation
prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the king
and queen moult no feather. I have of late--but
wherefore I know not--lost all my mirth, forgone all
custom of exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily
with my disposition that this goodly frame, the
earth, seems to me a sterile promontory, this most
excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave
o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted
with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to
me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.
What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the
world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me,
what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not
me: no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling
you seem to say so.
My lord, there was no such stuff in my thoughts.
Why did you laugh then, when I said 'man delights not me'?
To think, my lord, if you delight not in man, what
lenten entertainment the players shall receive from
you: we coted them on the way; and hither are they
coming, to offer you service.
He that plays the king shall be welcome; his majesty
shall have tribute of me; the adventurous knight
shall use his foil and target; the lover shall not
sigh gratis; the humourous man shall end his part
in peace; the clown shall make those laugh whose
lungs are tickled o' the sere; and the lady shall
say her mind freely, or the blank verse shall halt
for't. What players are they?
Even those you were wont to take delight in, the
tragedians of the city.
How chances it they travel? their residence, both
in reputation and profit, was better both ways.
I think their inhibition comes by the means of the
late innovation.
Do they hold the same estimation they did when I was
in the city? are they so followed?
No, indeed, are they not.
How comes it? do they grow rusty?
Nay, their endeavour keeps in the wonted pace: but
there is, sir, an aery of children, little eyases,
that cry out on the top of question, and are most
tyrannically clapped for't: these are now the
fashion, and so berattle the common stages--so they
call them--that many wearing rapiers are afraid of
goose-quills and dare scarce come thither.
What, are they children? who maintains 'em? how are
they escoted? Will they pursue the quality no
longer than they can sing? will they not say
afterwards, if they should grow themselves to common
players--as it is most like, if their means are no
better--their writers do them wrong, to make them
exclaim against their own succession?
'Faith, there has been much to do on both sides; and
the nation holds it no sin to tarre them to
controversy: there was, for a while, no money bid
for argument, unless the poet and the player went to
cuffs in the question.
Is't possible?
O, there has been much throwing about of brains.
Do the boys carry it away?
Ay, that they do, my lord; Hercules and his load too.
It is not very strange; for mine uncle is king of
Denmark, and those that would make mows at him while
my father lived, give twenty, forty, fifty, an
hundred ducats a-piece for his picture in little.
'Sblood, there is something in this more than
natural, if philosophy could find it out.
Flourish of trumpets within
There are the players.
Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinore. Your hands,
come then: the appurtenance of welcome is fashion
and ceremony: let me comply with you in this garb,
lest my extent to the players, which, I tell you,
must show fairly outward, should more appear like
entertainment than yours. You are welcome: but my
uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived.
In what, my dear lord?
I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is
southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.
Enter POLONIUS
Well be with you, gentlemen!
Hark you, Guildenstern; and you too: at each ear a
hearer: that great baby you see there is not yet
out of his swaddling-clouts.
Happily he's the second time come to them; for they
say an old man is twice a child.
I will prophesy he comes to tell me of the players;
mark it. You say right, sir: o' Monday morning;
'twas so indeed.
My lord, I have news to tell you.
My lord, I have news to tell you.
When Roscius was an actor in Rome,--
The actors are come hither, my lord.
Buz, buz!
Upon mine honour,--
Then came each actor on his ass,--
The best actors in the world, either for tragedy,
comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical,
historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-
comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or
poem unlimited: Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor
Plautus too light. For the law of writ and the
liberty, these are the only men.
O Jephthah, judge of Israel, what a treasure hadst thou!
What a treasure had he, my lord?
'One fair daughter and no more,
The which he loved passing well.'
[Aside] Still on my daughter.
Am I not i' the right, old Jephthah?
If you call me Jephthah, my lord, I have a daughter
that I love passing well.
Nay, that follows not.
What follows, then, my lord?
'As by lot, God wot,'
and then, you know,
'It came to pass, as most like it was,'--
the first row of the pious chanson will show you
more; for look, where my abridgement comes.
Enter four or five Players
You are welcome, masters; welcome, all. I am glad
to see thee well. Welcome, good friends. O, my old
friend! thy face is valenced since I saw thee last:
comest thou to beard me in Denmark? What, my young
lady and mistress! By'r lady, your ladyship is
nearer to heaven than when I saw you last, by the
altitude of a chopine. Pray God, your voice, like
apiece of uncurrent gold, be not cracked within the
ring. Masters, you are all welcome. We'll e'en
to't like French falconers, fly at any thing we see:
we'll have a speech straight: come, give us a taste
of your quality; come, a passionate speech.
First Player
What speech, my lord?
I heard thee speak me a speech once, but it was
never acted; or, if it was, not above once; for the
play, I remember, pleased not the million; 'twas
caviare to the general: but it was--as I received
it, and others, whose judgments in such matters
cried in the top of mine--an excellent play, well
digested in the scenes, set down with as much
modesty as cunning. I remember, one said there
were no sallets in the lines to make the matter
savoury, nor no matter in the phrase that might
indict the author of affectation; but called it an
honest method, as wholesome as sweet, and by very
much more handsome than fine. One speech in it I
chiefly loved: 'twas Aeneas' tale to Dido; and
thereabout of it especially, where he speaks of
Priam's slaughter: if it live in your memory, begin
at this line: let me see, let me see--
'The rugged Pyrrhus, like the Hyrcanian beast,'--
it is not so:--it begins with Pyrrhus:--
'The rugged Pyrrhus, he whose sable arms,
Black as his purpose, did the night resemble
When he lay couched in the ominous horse,
Hath now this dread and black complexion smear'd
With heraldry more dismal; head to foot
Now is he total gules; horridly trick'd
With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons,
Baked and impasted with the parching streets,
That lend a tyrannous and damned light
To their lord's murder: roasted in wrath and fire,
And thus o'er-sized with coagulate gore,
With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus
Old grandsire Priam seeks.'
So, proceed you.
'Fore God, my lord, well spoken, with good accent and
good discretion.
First Player
'Anon he finds him
Striking too short at Greeks; his antique sword,
Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,
Repugnant to command: unequal match'd,
Pyrrhus at Priam drives; in rage strikes wide;
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
The unnerved father falls. Then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his base, and with a hideous crash
Takes prisoner Pyrrhus' ear: for, lo! his sword,
Which was declining on the milky head
Of reverend Priam, seem'd i' the air to stick:
So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood,
And like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.
But, as we often see, against some storm,
A silence in the heavens, the rack stand still,
The bold winds speechless and the orb below
As hush as death, anon the dreadful thunder
Doth rend the region, so, after Pyrrhus' pause,
Aroused vengeance sets him new a-work;
And never did the Cyclops' hammers fall
On Mars's armour forged for proof eterne
With less remorse than Pyrrhus' bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam.
Out, out, thou strumpet, Fortune! All you gods,
In general synod 'take away her power;
Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel,
And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven,
As low as to the fiends!'
This is too long.
It shall to the barber's, with your beard. Prithee,
say on: he's for a jig or a tale of bawdry, or he
sleeps: say on: come to Hecuba.
First Player
'But who, O, who had seen the mobled queen--'
'The mobled queen?'
That's good; 'mobled queen' is good.
First Player
'Run barefoot up and down, threatening the flames
With bisson rheum; a clout upon that head
Where late the diadem stood, and for a robe,
About her lank and all o'er-teemed loins,
A blanket, in the alarm of fear caught up;
Who this had seen, with tongue in venom steep'd,
'Gainst Fortune's state would treason have
But if the gods themselves did see her then
When she saw Pyrrhus make malicious sport
In mincing with his sword her husband's limbs,
The instant burst of clamour that she made,
Unless things mortal move them not at all,
Would have made milch the burning eyes of heaven,
And passion in the gods.'
Look, whether he has not turned his colour and has
tears in's eyes. Pray you, no more.
'Tis well: I'll have thee speak out the rest soon.
Good my lord, will you see the players well
bestowed? Do you hear, let them be well used; for
they are the abstract and brief chronicles of the
time: after your death you were better have a bad
epitaph than their ill report while you live.
My lord, I will use them according to their desert.
God's bodykins, man, much better: use every man
after his desert, and who should 'scape whipping?
Use them after your own honour and dignity: the less
they deserve, the more merit is in your bounty.
Take them in.
Come, sirs.
Follow him, friends: we'll hear a play to-morrow.
Exit POLONIUS with all the Players but the First
Dost thou hear me, old friend; can you play the
Murder of Gonzago?
First Player
Ay, my lord.
We'll ha't to-morrow night. You could, for a need,
study a speech of some dozen or sixteen lines, which
I would set down and insert in't, could you not?
First Player
Ay, my lord.
Very well. Follow that lord; and look you mock him
Exit First Player
My good friends, I'll leave you till night: you are
welcome to Elsinore.
Good my lord!
Ay, so, God be wi' ye;
Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN
Now I am alone.
O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!
Is it not monstrous that this player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,
Could force his soul so to his own conceit
That from her working all his visage wann'd,
Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect,
A broken voice, and his whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing!
For Hecuba!
What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her? What would he do,
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,
Make mad the guilty and appal the free,
Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed
The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing; no, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward?
Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?
Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face?
Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat,
As deep as to the lungs? who does me this?
'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be
But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall
To make oppression bitter, or ere this
I should have fatted all the region kites
With this slave's offal: bloody, bawdy villain!
Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!
O, vengeance!
Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,
That I, the son of a dear father murder'd,
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words,
And fall a-cursing, like a very drab,
A scullion!
Fie upon't! foh! About, my brain! I have heard
That guilty creatures sitting at a play
Have by the very cunning of the scene
Been struck so to the soul that presently
They have proclaim'd their malefactions;
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak
With most miraculous organ. I'll have these players
Play something like the murder of my father
Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks;
I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench,
I know my course. The spirit that I have seen
May be the devil: and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds
More relative than this: the play 's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.