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After the Nice, France terror attack—where approximately 84 people were killed and hundreds injured—Western "mainstream media" is again in full damage control trying to rescue "the narrative," namely, that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism.
Take one Reuters report by Tom Heneghan, titled "Foreign and domestic policies make France 'most threatened country.'" Its very first opening sentence cites terrorist propaganda:
After two militant attacks in Paris killed 17 people in January last year, Islamic State's French-language magazine Dar al-Islam appeared with the Eiffel Tower on the cover and the headline "May Allah curse France"….
Why Muslims would call on Allah's wrath against France is the theme of the entire report, and here Heneghan leaves no stone unturned—even managing to invoke the Crusades—in his attempt to portray France as "aggrieving" Muslims:
The reasons that make France a prime target for radical Islamist groups range from its present-day military operations all the way to - at least in Islamic State's propaganda - the Crusades from the 11th to 15th centuries when Christians battled Muslims in the Middle East.
Regarding France's foreign policies, Heneghan writes:
After the Paris attacks, Islamic State said France and other countries fighting alongside it would remain threatened as long as they pursued "their crusader campaign" in Syria and Iraq….
"France is gripped by an irrational and deaf hatred against Islam and Muslims that pushed it to the head of the coalition against the caliphate," Dar al-Islam wrote last year, referring to the territory controlled by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Aside from the fact that Heneghan almost entirely relies on and spreads ISIS and Islamic propaganda, the purport of all this is that Muslims are angry with France because it is warring against ISIS. Here we encounter the first conundrum: if, as we are repeatedly told by mainstream media, ISIS—that terrorist organization that beheads, enslaves, rapes, crucifies, and burns people alive—has "nothing to do with Islam," why are Muslims angry at France's efforts against ISIS to the point of launching terrorist attacks against its civilians?The only way to accept that regular Muslims—such as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, the non-ISIS affiliated perpetrator of the Nice attack—are aggrieved at France's war on ISIS is by first accepting that such Muslims identity and support the worst human rights abusing state of the 21st century (as several polls indicate).
On France's domestic front, Heneghan finds a number of other factors and policies to aggrieve Muslims:
The country, which has Europe's largest Muslim minority, also has a steadfastly secular culture that sidelines religion in public life, typified by a ban on Islamic face veils in public and headscarves in state schools and the civil service.
Supporters say this encourages a common French identity but critics say it alienates non-Christian minorities, who see many vestiges of France's traditional Catholicism - such as official holidays for Christmas and Easter - but little leeway for them.
This is a misrepresentation of facts. All religious symbols—not just Muslim ones like the face veil—are banned in France's public schools. Devout Christians are banned from wearing conspicuous crucifixes. And although there are many more Christians than Muslims in France, they do not commit terrorist acts (perhaps because Christianity, unlike Islam, comports well with secular rule).
At any rate, by claiming that France "alienates non-Christian minorities"—when indigenous Christians face the same restrictions—Heneghan continues disseminating Islamic propaganda:
Some in the five-million-strong Muslim community, about 8 percent of the population, complain of discrimination and many Muslims live in poorer neighborhoods in the large cities.
They feel France is unfairly tough on their religion....
The poor babies… If it's so bad, why do they go there? Why do they stay there? Why don't they feel aggrieved at and hold responsible their own corrupt Muslim countries of origin—and terrorize them instead?
Whatever one makes of the claims of this report, the facts remain: "Terrorism ... is a threat that weighs heavily on France and will continue doing so for a long time," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said after the Nice attack. "Today, France is clearly the most threatened country," the head of the General Directorate for Internal Security also declared. "The question about the threat is not to know 'if' but 'when' and 'where'."
The reasons for this have little to do with Western sponsored Islamic propaganda and everything to do with Islam's presence in France, a non-Muslim, "infidel" nation.
Consider: if Muslims are terrorizing France due to social and political "grievances," why are they also terrorizing and slaughtering other non-Muslim minorities who have no political power to "aggrieve" anyone? For example, a 2016 statistical report found that Muslims—not ISIS, just regular Muslims—are responsible for persecuting Christians in 41 of the 50 worst nations to be Christian in.
In these nations, Muslim governments openly discriminate against Christians—churches are banned from being built—while Muslim mobs openly persecute, abduct, extort, enslave, and rape them with impunity. And they all justify their persecution by citing Islamic doctrines that are unequivocally hostile to non-Muslims.
Yet here are Muslims who are allowed to build mosques and granted equality before the law complaining because "They feel France is unfairly tough on their religion," and upset because they "see many vestiges of France's traditional Catholicism - such as official holidays for Christmas and Easter," to quote Reuters.
Unlike the disparity between the indigenous Europeans and their Muslim guests, the Christians being persecuted by Muslims are often identical to their persecutors in race, ethnicity, national identity, culture, and language. There is no political dispute, no land dispute. Most significantly, these disempowered Christian minorities certainly have no political power—meaning there are no Muslim "grievances" either.
So why are they hated and hounded? Because they are Christians—infidels—and that's the ultimate reason the French are being terrorized.
The French and all Western people—indeed, all non-Islamic people—would do well to remember what James Lorimer, a theoretician of legal jurisprudence, wrote back in 1884 in his Institutes of the Law of Nations:
So long as Islam endures, the reconciliation of its adherents, even with Jews and Christians ["People of the Book"], and still more with the rest of mankind, must continue to be an insoluble problem… For an indefinite future, however reluctantly, we must confine our political recognition to the professors of those religions which… preach the doctrine of "live and let live."
In this light, a much simpler factor explains why France has been repeatedly exposed to terrorist attacks—a factor that was casually alluded to in Reuter's otherwise pro-Islamic propaganda piece: "Europe's largest Muslim minority" resides in France; there is a "five-million-strong Muslim community, about 8 percent of the population."
In short, Islam's Rule of Numbers—which holds that the more Muslims grow in numbers, the more violence against non-Muslims grows with them—is the true reason France has become the "most threatened country."
Read more at FrontpageMag.com.


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
My Name Is
[Eminem] This ain't beef man I don't know what the f*ck to call it But no beef Whattup X? I float like big spirit in this bitch I'm ghostly Rush me, cause you ain't gonna live to roast me I'd have my motherfuckin ass kicked by Moby if I let some bitch in the Can like 'Bis cop over me to do war, and try to bring my crew back down I'll never stoop, to that level, to do that now I got a new cat, this time I'm pullin two gats out With bullets, I finally got somethin to shoot at now [Xzibit] Let's see who got they city on lock Let's see who got the better aim with the glock Let's see who come out on top Let's see who REALLY want they name in the streets Let's see who want to die the same time as me and make ends meet Now was I, blessed with a gift, or cursed with a curse? I follow, hearse after hearse, with verse after verse And I'll be damned if I let Billy dance Dupri Or anybody swing an axe at my family tree, so now [Chorus: Nate Dogg] I love it when you niggaz be talkin, sayin my name Seems like your mouth is not connected to your brain Two-zero-zero-three, and shit, it ain't the same Better have a strap my nigga, simple and plain Put your nuts on the table, my nigga let's play the game Heard you so long, you be up to get the pain I don't want to hear what you meant, do not explain Right before you lay in your coffin, hoe say my name [Xzibit] Why do you hate me? (Hate me) I came from nothin Blood sweat and tears, you did not create me How can you doubt me? (Doubt me) You don't know shit about me There'd be no West coast without me Cut with the bullshit (Bullshit) I struggle for survival And now you tryin to act like my rival? Watch what you say partner, it's a small earth Don't play games with your life nigga, it's not worth all the pain (all the pain) all the agony (all the agony) All the horror (all the horrow) all the tragedy (all the tragedy) Put your hands up people, it's time to fight now I beat holes in your chest, remain hostile Threaten my life? (C'mon!) One day you'll understand They say that pride is the sign of a foolish man So who the F*CK?! (Who the F*CK?!) you think you talkin to Live and direct in the flesh, I'm right in FRONT OF YOU! [Chorus] [Eminem] I never really smashed on Jermaine's ass, Dre smashed him Nobody ganged up 'til he came back and jacked him I never really brought it to his ass, I tapped him I coulda been like Treach, boom-bapped and slapped him purple, for mimickin him with two rappin Urkels I coulda snapped, took it past rap and hurt you But I didn't, I kept it on wax and served you I "Square Dance" cause I'm sick of rappin circles around these clowns, stready tryin to call me out It's like I'm listenin to motherfuckin dogs meow You'd probably do better tryin to come and stomp me out You don't want it with rap, this is what I'm all about - see'mon (I) No gangsta you ain't either (Will) But I know that I spit "Ether" (Not) I shoulda crossed your belly (Lose) Show you I'm not R. Kelly X, pass me the weed, I'ma put my ashes out on his ass For the last time man.. {*scratched* - "Watch your fuckin mouth"} [Chorus] [Eminem] For the last time man, I'm through


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Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
1 Samuel 2:30
God honors those who honor Him. He'll never forget the seeds of loyalty you sow. He'll multiply them and give them back to you in a harvest of blessing. And Malachi 3:17 says when He makes up His jewels, you'll be forever among them.
Forever. Think about that for a moment. By honoring God with your life and your lips, you're stepping into a realm of blessing that will literally take an eternity to explore.
Once you begin to get that kind of eternal perspective on things, you'll see that it's grossly immature to get mad at God when temporary things don't work out exactly how and when you want them to. You'll see that your loyalty must be first of all to God, that you must seek first His kingdom—even when things seem to be going wrong. The Bible says that if you'll do that, all these other things will be added unto you.
God never forgets. He'll never forget that in the heat of the battle, when others were giving up and saying, "Hey, this faith stuff doesn't work!" you were still honoring Him by standing firm and speaking His promises.
So determine in your heart today to be loyal toward God in every word you speak. Make up your mind once and for all that nothing in your life is as vital as honoring Him. Keep honoring Him and speaking words of faith.
It will work deliverance for you in this life, and in eternity you'll sure be glad you did.
Psalm 61


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Stop the presses! Mario Lemieux is worried about the integrity of the game. So much so, he is even suggesting that he cannot be part of it any more. Especially after having to endure it for the two decades since he called the NHL a "garage league" (although I don't recall seeing him put a garage league asterisk next to the two Stanley Cups he won since making that remark).
Mario, I have three words for: Pot, meet Kettle.
Lemieux of course is angry about his precious Penguins getting roughed up by the big bad Islanders Friday night in a game his team lost 9-3, trailing 6-0 barely more than one period in even before all the nonsense broke out. Now far be it for me, a Ranger fan who despises the Islanders even when they do good things, to rush to their defense when they do (admittedly) bad things, like Max Talbot sucker-punched and some other guy I never heard of blindsided in the head.
But Lemieux's two-faced whine is equally as galling.
Mario, where was your outrage when Talbot blindsided Comeau? Where was your outrage not only at your player's headhunting, but at his getting away without even being penalized, let alone suspended? That was one of the reasons the Islanders were so hepped up at getting at Talbot.
And if you're all hot and bothered about the sucker punch Talbot turtled on, why did we not hear a peep from you when your guy Jordan Staal suckered Brandon Prust? Where was your indignation at the NHL rescinding Staal's automatic one-game suspension, blaming the victim for diving, despite the indisputable fact that the dangerous sucker punch was in fact delivered?
And where was your outrage when your resident dirtbag Matt Cooke ran the Isles' goalie and your goalie skated the length of the ice to fight said goalie and break his face with one punch? Where was your concern about the integrity of the game safety of the players when your players were the one committing the sins, and getting away with them?
There's a word for that. To paraphrase a TV pundit, it's a word that rhymes with schmipocrisy. Or as many others say, you can dish it out, but you sure can't take it.
That was your Matt Cooke who was not even in the line-up against the Isles because he was suspended for plastering Fedor Tyutin into the glass from behind with a charge -- he took ten strides from the red line to the end boards to deliver that hit on the former Ranger defenseman. Where was your outrage that the monstrous "Cookie" only got four games for that, the same length given Daniel Paille for his first offense, after getting nothing for his latest kneeing, this one on Alex Ovechkin.
I guess it was in the same place where you left your outrage when Cooke blindsided Marc Savard right off the ice on a stretcher and right out of his career. The same Matt Cooke who was suspended two games for blindsiding the Rangers' Artem Anisimov last year. The same Matt Cooke who has a highlight reel more than four minutes long filled with head shots, knee shots, and in one case a kick to the head of a goalie (view the video here).
Sure, some of those "highlights" were from his years before coming to Pittsburgh. But you, Mario, signed this sociopath as a free agent, giving more than a million a year to a guy who has never scored more than 15 goals in a season, only once more than 30 points in a season, a guy you re-signed at the start of this season and are paying more than two million in cold hard greenback dollars. The kind of marginal player who targets skill players that you used to rail against -- this one targeting them not with hooks and holds but with elbows and knees meant to injure.
And while we're at it, let's go back in time. I expressly remember Mario the Magnificent striding to the podium to express his disappointment that the NHL did nothing about Malkin repeatedly slewfooting the Rangers' Paul Mara during a playoff game. I remember the outcry from his office when Malkin got a penalty shot in that same game after a clean hit, for a reason that to this day has never been explained by the NHL.
And I remember Mario running down to the ice to exhort the officials to call his player for a high stick when Chris Drury was bleeding profusely from the high stick Ryan Malone inflicted upon him that not one of the four zebras saw even though 20,000 viewers did. And I remember him running down a second time in that game to exhort them to give Drury the same leeway when he high-sticked Malone.
No, I'm kidding. Mario gladly accepted both the non-call on Malone and call on Drury that went his team's way without issuing a statement about the integrity of the league and the safety of the players.
Mario Lemieux worried about integrity. What a laugh. This from the guy who went to Pittsburgh after they tanked the regular season in order to be in position to draft him -- an act so unsportsmanlike that the league had to create a new rule to keep it from happening again. And this from the guy whose team is so obviously favored by the league and refs that sympathizers have to write exhaustive statistical studies proving that that is not the case.
And how about that Sidney Crosby tirade that HBO caught on tape after he was hit with a penalty, aimed at an NHL referee and laced with more F-bombs than allowed by the laws of physics? Or Crosby whining to the ref about not getting a penalty shot after drawing a penalty with an obvious dive? Or Cooke's ceaseless assault on the refs about how much he was being victimized while continuing his relentless assault on his fellow players?
Where was all your indignation, Marion, when it was your players threatening the integrity of the game and the safety of opposing players?
Take your puck and go home, Mario. Never mind that your pooh widdow Penguins lead the league in fights, in major penalties, in minor penalties -- by a wide, wide margin. You have no problem with integrity and safety when your players are throwing the headshots and punches. But god forbid anyone should touch your precious Penguins!


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Small Animals
The Vets and Nurses at Clear Ridge have a long background of experience of Small Animal work across all the disciplines
- from Internal Medicine to ENT
- from Dental Work to Abdominal Surgery
- from Urinary Tract Problems to Skin Cases
- from Emergencies/Trauma to Oncology/Cancer Medicine
- from Orthopaedics to Neurology
Cats, Dogs, Ferrets and Rabbits all benefit from the protection of Vaccination.
All our vaccinations have a high degree of safety and have undergone rigorous testing by the vaccine company. In addition, Vaccination confers a good high level of immunity enabling your animal to fight off otherwise serious and life-threatening infection. Get in touch to discuss your vaccination needs.
Ophthalmology Referrals
We have a long standing Referral Service for Eye cases which includes BVA/ISDS Eye Testing.
We treat Ophthalmology cases across several species. Cases vary from:
- Emergencies to Eyelid problems
- Ulcers to Cataracts
- Vision matters to Neurological Eye Syndromes
The business of anaesthetising and operating on your animal family member is always taken seriously, from both the anaesthetic safety and surgical risk points of view.
We assess each patient in objective manner and not necessarily in subjective terms that might otherwise be applied. Then an appropriate anaesthetic regime is given and the patient is carefully monitored…
X-Rays & Imaging
This area is an important part of the practice with lots of animals being X-Rayed or Ultrasounded or both.
We have a powerful ZooVet X-Ray machine and a new Agfa Digital X-Ray processor allowing us to send Radiographs for Hip and Elbow Scoring on CD.
We can look at X-Rays on the computer throughout the practice. Both plain X-Rays and also Contrast Studies are done on a regular basis.


text:
I just thought I'd let you know, you know, in case you miss me. :)
I'll check it out...have a good one!
Ill check it out....
But when I read your title, I lit up because I thought you were going to say what I am about to post about.
Blog hopping.... but I mean it in terms that I am going to take the time and blog hop and go visit and meet a lot of my readers. LOL
Ill go check it out now.
Okay bring tears to my why don't you.
Okay another funny story...
I read just the other day after your mothers day post about your twins. I had to go look up the fancy twin title that you mentioned to see what it meant, but forgot to. So today your post answered that question. LOL
What an awesome story.
10 weeks is a long time..... its like you were just getting adjusted to YOUR new normal to then have to go back to the REALY normal life you had at home missing you all that time.
10 weeks is along time for kids.
Off to find you.
So glad I found you via Little Bites of Heaven. I just read your story about your pregnancy. We share a lot of pregnancy similarities. I did not find out until I was 17 weeks pregnant that I was pregnant with twins. My girls were holding hand on the 1st ultrasound too! Again, it is so nice to meet another MoMo Mom!
of course we miss you! hopping over.
It's nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping over at Little Bites of Heaven!
Okie dokie! Here I come to see you!
that was a very beautiful post.
Angie, my very first little bundle was sick and I was so sad we didn't come for home for almost 2 weeks. Today.. I am counting my blessings - thanks to you.
What a beautiful spirit.
Great guest posting.
I enjoyed hearing about your experiences and can only imagine what it must have been like. It had to have been nice to have someone so strong by your side.
Your post at Little Bites of Heaven is great...very sweet & touching!!
Hey Angie, I know your experience well, and it still moves me to tears each time.
Thank you for the reminder to look at what I have, and have to offer and not what I don't have or can't do. I needed that boost to look at the bright side of things and be grateful!
It took me 15 minutes just to stop the tears from falling before I could post this. It is not that I hadn't read your story or even written a similar story about my own experience, but I think the fact that I hadn't thought about the homecoming part of the journey in a long time. It truely was bittersweet. As much as I wanted to go home going home without my babies was the hardest part of that journey. Your words were so perfect.
That was a moving heartfelt post!
What a scary thing for you to have to go through and its good to hear that your twins are healthy.
Love Rachael! Fun!!
Going to check it out!


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Synthetic wash set
Category: accessories
The health and well-being of our customers, staff and everyone associated with our business is our number one priority. We are therefore taking all necessary precautions in the operation of our consultations and direct exchanges.
In order to serve our customers during this time, please don't hesitate to contact us on 01275 840 191; where we are continuing consultations online and will be more than happy to discuss your personal requirements further.
In light of the times and lack of face-to-face consultations, we are offering a free delivery service on all products as seen across the website – Look through the collection now (http://hairflairdesigns.co.uk/shop/) and make an enquiry via any of our contact details.
Wishing everyone keeps well and safe in these unprecedented time.
Best wishes from Jo, Dawn and the Hairflair team.


text:
Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie
Peter Pan Chapter 1 PETER BREAKS THROUGH
Peter Pan Chapter 2 THE SHADOW
Peter Pan Chapter 3 COME AWAY, COME AWAY!
Peter Pan Chapter 4 THE FLIGHT
Peter Pan Chapter 5 THE ISLAND COME TRUE
Peter Pan Chapter 6 THE LITTLE HOUSE
Peter Pan Chapter 7 THE HOME UNDER THE GROUND
Peter Pan Chapter 8 THE MERMAIDS' LAGOON
Peter Pan Chapter 9 THE NEVER BIRD
Peter Pan Chapter 10 THE HAPPY HOME
Peter Pan Chapter 11 WENDY'S STORY
Peter Pan Chapter 12 THE CHILDREN ARE CARRIED OFF
Peter Pan Chapter 13 DO YOU BELIEVE IN FAIRIES?
Peter Pan Chapter 14 THE PIRATE SHIP
Peter Pan Chapter 15 "HOOK OR ME THIS TIME"
Peter Pan Chapter 16 THE RETURN HOME
Peter Pan Chapter 17 WHEN WENDY GREW UP
Peter Pan Chapter 14 THE PIRATE SHIP
One green light squinting over Kidd's Creek, which is near the mouth of the pirate river, marked where the brig, the JOLLY ROGER, lay, low in the water; a rakish-looking [speedy-looking] craft foul to the hull, every beam in her detestable, like ground strewn with mangled feathers. She was the cannibal of the seas, and scarce needed that watchful eye, for she floated immune in the horror of her name.
She was wrapped in the blanket of night, through which no sound from her could have reached the shore. There was little sound, and none agreeable save the whir of the ship's sewing machine at which Smee sat, ever industrious and obliging, the essence of the commonplace, pathetic Smee. I know not why he was so infinitely pathetic, unless it were because he was so pathetically unaware of it; but even strong men had to turn hastily from looking at him, and more than once on summer evenings he had touched the fount of Hook's tears and made it flow. Of this, as of almost everything else, Smee was quite unconscious.
A few of the pirates leant over the bulwarks, drinking in the miasma [putrid mist] of the night; others sprawled by barrels over games of dice and cards; and the exhausted four who had carried the little house lay prone on the deck, where even in their sleep they rolled skillfully to this side or that out of Hook's reach, lest he should claw them mechanically in passing.
Hook trod the deck in thought. O man unfathomable. It was his hour of triumph. Peter had been removed for ever from his path, and all the other boys were in the brig, about to walk the plank. It was his grimmest deed since the days when he had brought Barbecue to heel; and knowing as we do how vain a tabernacle is man, could we be surprised had he now paced the deck unsteadily, bellied out by the winds of his success?
But there was no elation in his gait, which kept pace with the action of his sombre mind. Hook was profoundly dejected.
He was often thus when communing with himself on board ship in the quietude of the night. It was because he was so terribly alone. This inscrutable man never felt more alone than when surrounded by his dogs. They were socially inferior to him.
Hook was not his true name. To reveal who he really was would even at this date set the country in a blaze; but as those who read between the lines must already have guessed, he had been at a famous public school; and its traditions still clung to him like garments, with which indeed they are largely concerned. Thus it was offensive to him even now to board a ship in the same dress in which he grappled [attacked] her, and he still adhered in his walk to the school's distinguished slouch. But above all he retained the passion for good form.
Good form! However much he may have degenerated, he still knew that this is all that really matters.
From far within him he heard a creaking as of rusty portals, and through them came a stern tap-tap-tap, like hammering in the night when one cannot sleep. "Have you been good form to-day?" was their eternal question.
"Fame, fame, that glittering bauble, it is mine," he cried.
"Is it quite good form to be distinguished at anything?" the tap-tap from his school replied.
"I am the only man whom Barbecue feared," he urged, "and Flint feared Barbecue."
"Barbecue, Flint—what house?" came the cutting retort.
Most disquieting reflection of all, was it not bad form to think about good form?
His vitals were tortured by this problem. It was a claw within him sharper than the iron one; and as it tore him, the perspiration dripped down his tallow [waxy] countenance and streaked his doublet. Ofttimes he drew his sleeve across his face, but there was no damming that trickle.
Ah, envy not Hook.
There came to him a presentiment of his early dissolution [death]. It was as if Peter's terrible oath had boarded the ship. Hook felt a gloomy desire to make his dying speech, lest presently there should be no time for it.
"Better for Hook," he cried, "if he had had less ambition!" It was in his darkest hours only that he referred to himself in the third person.
"No little children to love me!"
Strange that he should think of this, which had never troubled him before; perhaps the sewing machine brought it to his mind. For long he muttered to himself, staring at Smee, who was hemming placidly, under the conviction that all children feared him.
Feared him! Feared Smee! There was not a child on board the brig that night who did not already love him. He had said horrid things to them and hit them with the palm of his hand, because he could not hit with his fist, but they had only clung to him the more. Michael had tried on his spectacles.
To tell poor Smee that they thought him lovable! Hook itched to do it, but it seemed too brutal. Instead, he revolved this mystery in his mind: why do they find Smee lovable? He pursued the problem like the sleuth-hound that he was. If Smee was lovable, what was it that made him so? A terrible answer suddenly presented itself—"Good form?"
Had the bo'sun good form without knowing it, which is the best form of all?
He remembered that you have to prove you don't know you have it before you are eligible for Pop [an elite social club at Eton].
With a cry of rage he raised his iron hand over Smee's head; but he did not tear. What arrested him was this reflection:
"To claw a man because he is good form, what would that be?"
"Bad form!"
The unhappy Hook was as impotent [powerless] as he was damp, and he fell forward like a cut flower.
His dogs thinking him out of the way for a time, discipline instantly relaxed; and they broke into a bacchanalian [drunken] dance, which brought him to his feet at once, all traces of human weakness gone, as if a bucket of water had passed over him.
"Quiet, you scugs," he cried, "or I'll cast anchor in you;" and at once the din was hushed. "Are all the children chained, so that they cannot fly away?"
"Ay, ay."
"Then hoist them up."
The wretched prisoners were dragged from the hold, all except Wendy, and ranged in line in front of him. For a time he seemed unconscious of their presence. He lolled at his ease, humming, not unmelodiously, snatches of a rude song, and fingering a pack of cards. Ever and anon the light from his cigar gave a touch of colour to his face.
"Now then, bullies," he said briskly, "six of you walk the plank to-night, but I have room for two cabin boys. Which of you is it to be?"
"Don't irritate him unnecessarily," had been Wendy's instructions in the hold; so Tootles stepped forward politely. Tootles hated the idea of signing under such a man, but an instinct told him that it would be prudent to lay the responsibility on an absent person; and though a somewhat silly boy, he knew that mothers alone are always willing to be the buffer. All children know this about mothers, and despise them for it, but make constant use of it.
So Tootles explained prudently, "You see, sir, I don't think my mother would like me to be a pirate. Would your mother like you to be a pirate, Slightly?"
He winked at Slightly, who said mournfully, "I don't think so," as if he wished things had been otherwise. "Would your mother like you to be a pirate, Twin?"
"I don't think so," said the first twin, as clever as the others. "Nibs, would—"
"Stow this gab," roared Hook, and the spokesmen were dragged back. "You, boy," he said, addressing John, "you look as if you had a little pluck in you. Didst never want to be a pirate, my hearty?"
Now John had sometimes experienced this hankering at maths. prep.; and he was struck by Hook's picking him out.
"I once thought of calling myself Red-handed Jack," he said diffidently.
"And a good name too. We'll call you that here, bully, if you join."
"What do you think, Michael?" asked John.
"What would you call me if I join?" Michael demanded.
"Blackbeard Joe."
Michael was naturally impressed. "What do you think, John?" He wanted John to decide, and John wanted him to decide.
"Shall we still be respectful subjects of the King?" John inquired.
Through Hook's teeth came the answer: "You would have to swear, 'Down with the King.'"
Perhaps John had not behaved very well so far, but he shone out now.
"Then I refuse," he cried, banging the barrel in front of Hook.
"And I refuse," cried Michael.
"Rule Britannia!" squeaked Curly.
The infuriated pirates buffeted them in the mouth; and Hook roared out, "That seals your doom. Bring up their mother. Get the plank ready."
They were only boys, and they went white as they saw Jukes and Cecco preparing the fatal plank. But they tried to look brave when Wendy was brought up.
No words of mine can tell you how Wendy despised those pirates. To the boys there was at least some glamour in the pirate calling; but all that she saw was that the ship had not been tidied for years. There was not a porthole on the grimy glass of which you might not have written with your finger "Dirty pig"; and she had already written it on several. But as the boys gathered round her she had no thought, of course, save for them.
"So, my beauty," said Hook, as if he spoke in syrup, "you are to see your children walk the plank."
Fine gentlemen though he was, the intensity of his communings had soiled his ruff, and suddenly he knew that she was gazing at it. With a hasty gesture he tried to hide it, but he was too late.
"Are they to die?" asked Wendy, with a look of such frightful contempt that he nearly fainted.
"They are," he snarled. "Silence all," he called gloatingly, "for a mother's last words to her children."
At this moment Wendy was grand. "These are my last words, dear boys," she said firmly. "I feel that I have a message to you from your real mothers, and it is this: 'We hope our sons will die like English gentlemen.'"
Even the pirates were awed, and Tootles cried out hysterically, "I am going to do what my mother hopes. What are you to do, Nibs?"
"What my mother hopes. What are you to do, Twin?"
"What my mother hopes. John, what are—"
But Hook had found his voice again.
"Tie her up!" he shouted.
It was Smee who tied her to the mast. "See here, honey," he whispered, "I'll save you if you promise to be my mother."
But not even for Smee would she make such a promise. "I would almost rather have no children at all," she said disdainfully [scornfully].
It is sad to know that not a boy was looking at her as Smee tied her to the mast; the eyes of all were on the plank: that last little walk they were about to take. They were no longer able to hope that they would walk it manfully, for the capacity to think had gone from them; they could stare and shiver only.
Hook smiled on them with his teeth closed, and took a step toward Wendy. His intention was to turn her face so that she should see the boys walking the plank one by one. But he never reached her, he never heard the cry of anguish he hoped to wring from her. He heard something else instead.
It was the terrible tick-tick of the crocodile.
They all heard it—pirates, boys, Wendy; and immediately every head was blown in one direction; not to the water whence the sound proceeded, but toward Hook. All knew that what was about to happen concerned him alone, and that from being actors they were suddenly become spectators.
Very frightful was it to see the change that came over him. It was as if he had been clipped at every joint. He fell in a little heap.
The sound came steadily nearer; and in advance of it came this ghastly thought, "The crocodile is about to board the ship!"
Even the iron claw hung inactive; as if knowing that it was no intrinsic part of what the attacking force wanted. Left so fearfully alone, any other man would have lain with his eyes shut where he fell: but the gigantic brain of Hook was still working, and under its guidance he crawled on the knees along the deck as far from the sound as he could go. The pirates respectfully cleared a passage for him, and it was only when he brought up against the bulwarks that he spoke.
"Hide me!" he cried hoarsely.
They gathered round him, all eyes averted from the thing that was coming aboard. They had no thought of fighting it. It was Fate.
Only when Hook was hidden from them did curiosity loosen the limbs of the boys so that they could rush to the ship's side to see the crocodile climbing it. Then they got the strangest surprise of the Night of Nights; for it was no crocodile that was coming to their aid. It was Peter.
He signed to them not to give vent to any cry of admiration that might rouse suspicion. Then he went on ticking.


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US silver coins 30.8 ozt., together with fifteen cased Barber and Standing quarters, and eight Cased dimes.
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Congrats to AlbertaGirl, SarahM, and Melora, who won copies of Mourning Heaven by Amy Lane! Mourning Heaven is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.
Congrats to Mammarella, who won Sub Zero by Angel Martinez!
Congrats to Sarah S, who won Body Magic (Triad #2) by Poppy Dennison! Body Magic will be released by Dreamspinner Press on September 10.
- Armchair Reader Cole's giving away an ebook copy of The Ballad of the Burning Year by Augusta Li. Closes midnight CDT, September 9.
- Joyfully Jay's celebrating her one year blogiversary with a contest. Make sure you read the rules! Closes 11:59 pm EDT, September 13.
- Blodeuedd's giving away three ebook copies of Fighting Fate by Leigh Morgan. Closes September 17.
- Blodeuedd's also giving away an ebook copy of The Night Beat by Gini Koch. Closes September 27.
- New releases and more: Rarely Dusty Books (m/m romance), Pants Off Reviews (m/m romance), Tor.com (PNR), and Book Binge (various sorts of romance).
- Book and publishing news from Dear Author.
- Copyright enforcement robots shut down the legitimate broadcast of the Hugo Awards. (via Wil Wheaton's tumblr) The Hugo Awards will be rebroadcast in full on Sunday, September 9, 7 pm CDT.
- *blink blink* "Christian church capitalizes on 'Mommy P0rn'". (Thanks, Jase!)
- Kindle Serials: "…Bezos says it should spawn a new genre of books…" I think Amazon's a bit behind the curve on this one – serials have been popping up all over the place. I still hate them! 🙂
Think, Make, Do, Learn
- The genetics behind Venus the famous tortie. (Thanks, Brenda!)
- How to make your bag of chocolate chips resealable. (Thanks, Jeanne!)
- Plum slump. (via The Kitchn)
- Eggnog custard pie. (via The Kitchn)
- Breakfast migas. (via The Kitchn)
- Beet hummus. (via CRAFT)
- Iron Throne cake. (via The Mary Sue)
Cool or Wha…?
- Before Kotex got around to destroying tainted tampons, someone stole them. (They had the things sitting around for eight months and didn't destroy them?!)
- A Chinese company selling iPhone 5 clones says they'll sue Apple if Apple releases the iPhone 5. (Yes, that makes my brain hurt, too.)
- Word. (via Bron's Pinterest)
- Cleverly placed bus advertisement. (Thanks, Jeanne!)
- Chaos gets around this by simply ripping the roll into confetti – I haven't been able to hang up a roll of toilet paper for many, many years. (For future reference, it's in the cupboard under the bathroom sink. I hope you're good at opening childproof locks one-handed whilst leaning over from the toilet…)
Teh Cute
- Black cat! Black cat! Tiger! Black panther! Black jaguar! Lionesses and baby! Lioness and baby! Baby cheetah! Egret! Bison and baby! Cheetah and babies! Baby tiger! Tigers! Tiger! Fox! Tiger and baby! Swan! Egret! Baby cheetahs! Baby wolverines! Baby ringtail possums! Kittens! Baby red panda! Prehensile-tailed porcupine and baby! Baby fox! Kittens! Tiger and babies! Red pandas! Baby tiger! Baby buns! Cat and kittens! Cygnets! Baby red panda! Baby fox! Dalmatian and puppies!
Reading Update
The Cat in the Cradle (Loka Legends #1) by Jay Bell. ebook. Very good young adult gay fantasy (with romantic elements) about a young man and his talking cat who head out to experience more of life than what they've seen during their sheltered existence. They achieve that in spades.
Finding Fire, Flesh and Blood, and the Loka Legends Sketchbook (Loka Legends #0.5/1.5) by Jay Bell & Andreas Bell. free ebook collection. Finding Fire takes place before The Cat in the Cradle, but you don't need to read them in that order. Flesh and Blood takes place before, during, and after The Cat in the Cradle; I recommend you read it after. Both (very good) short stories provide additional insight into the events of The Cat in the Cradle.
From Darkness to Darkness (Loka Legends #2) by Jay Bell. ebook. Very good young adult gay fantasy (with romantic elements) about life, death, love, and the responsibilities of power. Hmm. Could I be any more cryptic? 😉
Stained Glass by Jaime Samms. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a guy who's only recently realized he's a sub, but who's been almost destroyed by his dom imploding. He retreats into a bottle, but his friends are not ready to lose him.
Max & Finn (Men of Smithfield #2) by LB Gregg. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romance about a prep school teacher and dorm parent who is discomfited to discover that the security specialist he had an impulsive encounter with will be protecting one of the students in the dorm.
Slow Burn by Dawn Douglas. ebook short. Steamy short m/m romance about a college student whose twin sister blackmails him into doing a dreaded coffee delivery for a financial trust. In the elevator on the way to the delivery, he drools over the handsome older Brit…
Words and Their Digestion by seventhswan. free online short. Very good short m/m romance about a college student who's probably somewhere on the autism spectrum and whose roommate is one of his few friends. And then his roommate gets a serious boyfriend…
Posted to Death (Simon Kirby-Jones #1) by Dean James. reread. This was a delightful and slightly twisted version of the British village cozy mystery, because Simon is a gay vampire (he can be out in sunlight and doesn't need to drink blood, as long as he takes his medication) and well-known historian (who secretly writes romances and mysteries under several pseudonyms). Definitely recommended if you enjoy mysteries with a bit of snark and a complicated cast of suspects. (Also, for the wary, I would give this book a no-pepper heat rating – a very safe read.)
Faked to Death (Simon Kirby-Jones #2) by Dean James. Good gay mystery in which vampire and author Simon goes to a retreat for mystery writers, which is livened up a bit too much by murder.
A Road Not Taken by Jennifer Thorne. ebook. Good m/m romance about an eco-house builder who finds a depressed young man along the side of a road in a broken-down car, takes him home, and puts him to work. Things proceeded between them pretty fast – I think it would've worked better in a slightly longer format, with more time for their relationship to develop.
Love, Hypoethetically (Theta Alpha Gamma #2) by Anne Tenino. ebook. Good m/m romance about a grad student and tutor who's never really gotten over his first love from high school, even though things ended in a way that left him horribly bitter.
Out of the Ashes by Olivia Duncan Craig. ebook. Good m/m romance based on Cinderella about a guy who grows up on a remote Texas ranch, basically living the life of an indentured servant. And then one day a handsome young man visits the ranch… This needed a wee bit more proofreading attention.
Murder on Camac (Marco Fontana #1) by Joseph RG DeMarco. ebook. Good gay mystery about a PI who also runs a troupe of male strippers and is hired by a grieving man to find out whether his boyfriend died in a mugging gone wrong, or was murdered because of a book he was writing exposing wrongdoing in the Catholic church.
Crimes on Latimer (Marco Fontana #3) by Joseph RG DeMarco. ebook. Good collection of six short gay mysteries featuring PI Marco Fontana, starting with Marco's first "case" in high school. I was a little frustrated that a promising thread from "The DaVinci Theft" wasn't resolved in that or any of the other stories.
Touching Evil by Rob Knight. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a psychic who can basically read minds when he touches someone or touches an object someone else touched. This makes him very useful to the police… until a serial killer starts working to get his attention. I found this a frustrating read – too many sex scenes, too many food descriptions, and too many sentence fragments (reminding me that "Rob Knight" is just a "Sean Michael" pseudonym).
It Happened in Buenos Aires (Grave Watchers #2) by Missouri Dalton. ebook short. Huh. I'm setting this to today, but I read this soon after it came out and can't remember the dates. Perhaps my disappointment in the story blocked it all out?
"You better watch out, big kitty! I am preparing my kitty laser eyes!" -Mayhem
"I'm so scared. Not." -Chaos


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IT IS VERY OFTEN POINTED OUT that the nidāna sequence is only the application of a general principle of conditionality to the specific case of rebirth or becoming (depending on how one interprets the nidānas). What if this idea, that the Buddha proposed a general theory of conditionality, is not true? I want to revisit an article by Eviatar Shulman in the Journal of Indian Philosophy [1] I've previously mentioned, and discuss one of his conclusions. He points out that what is traditionally thought of as the general principle of conditionality is:
imasmiṃ sati idaṃ hoti,
imass'uppādā idaṃ uppajjati;
imasmiṃ asati idaṃ na hoti,
imassa nirodha nirujjhati.
That being, this becomes;This formula occurs just 14 times throughout the Nikāyas, and not at all in the Vinaya. [2] What we don't often see is that this formula is, in all but one case, followed immediately by the nidānas. So at SN 12.21 (Dasabala Sutta):
with the arising of that, this arises.
That not being, this does not become
with the ceasing of that, this ceases.
Iti imasmiṃ sati idaṃ hoti, imassuppādā idaṃ uppajjati; imasmiṃ asati idaṃ na hoti, imassa nirodhā idaṃ nirujjhati - yadidaṃ avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā; saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṃ…pe… evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.Note that the punctuation varies from place to place in the various Romanised versions of the Canon: sometimes the phrases are connected by hyphens or semi-colons, though of course Pāli traditionally employed no such punctuation; sometimes they are separated into separate sentences. The abbreviation "pe" occurs in the Pāli, especially in the Saṃyutta Nikāya, for well known lists such as the 12 nidānas. The phrase avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā means 'with the condition of ignorance, there are volitions'.
A great deal of exposition on the Dharma relies on paṭicca-samuppāda being a general theory of conditionality. Nyanatiloka's Buddhist Dictionary entry on paṭicca-samuppāda is broadly representative and begins:
'dependent origination', is the doctrine of the conditionality of all physical and psychical phenomena... (p.154)For Buddhists all phenomena are explained by paṭicca-samuppāda. In the traditional account the twelve-fold nidāna sequence is a special case of paṭicca-samuppāda applied to becoming, or to rebirth, just as the 'Four Noble Truths' are that principle applied to suffering. Shulman's point is that this is not what the suttas say. His argument revolves around the connecting pronoun yadidaṃ (or yad idaṃ). He says:
"If yad idaṃ meant 'for example' or 'such as,' we could accept the view that the 12 links are a private case of a general principle of conditionality. But it clearly does not. What it does express is more akin to 'that is,' or more precisely 'that which is'." (p.307)This proposition is quite startling. Shulman is not just proposing that we reinterpret an obscure piece of doctrine, but that we completely re-read the Buddhist tradition. I decided to take him seriously, and explore his hypothesis more fully.
The PED has a fairly full description of the use of yadidaṃ (s.v. ya˚, p.544b)
nt. yadidaŋ lit. "as that," which is this (i. e. the following), may be translated by "viz.," that is, "i.e." in other words, so to speak, just this, "I mean"; e.g. kāmānaŋ etaŋ nissaraṇaŋ yad idaŋ nekkhammaŋ "there is an escape from the lusts, viz. lustlessness"; or: "this is the abandoning of lusts, in other words lustlessness" It 61; dve dānāni āmisa˚ dhamm˚, etad aggaŋ imesaŋ yad idaŋ dhamma˚ "this is the best of them, I mean dh -- d." It 98=100; supaṭipanno sāvaka -- sangho, y. i. cattāri purisa -- yugāni etc. M i.37.There seems no necessity to restrict yadidaṃ to a narrow range of meaning based on etymology as in practice it is quite broad. Additionally Warder (Introduction to Pāli, p.292) suggests precisely the kinds of translations that Shulman says are not applicable: "such as, to wit, i.e., namely". So the case on this ground is not as strong as Shulman suggests.
The single exception to the imasmiṃ formula being followed by the nidānas (M ii.32 Cūḷasakuludāyi Sutta) seems to be inconclusive and Shulman dismisses it summarily. My opinion is that the 13 examples where imasmiṃ... is linked via yadidaṃ to the nidānas weigh against the singular exception. The context of the sutta - where the Buddha introduces the imasmiṃ formula but appears to be interrupted by Udāyin, who baulks at hearing the full teaching - supports the contention that this exception need not be construed as a standalone, but could equally be seen as a fragment, as an incomplete statement. In other words though I disagree with Shulman about yadidaṃ, I tend to agree that the exception does not definitely point to a different conclusion.
In search of some more conclusive evidence I looked for sentences which used the same locative absolute syntax as the 'general formula - Xlocative sati Y hoti. If we were to find the same syntax applied in different situations this would strengthen the 'general principle' case. It turns out that we do find other types of examples: for instance at D ii.276 we find a series of connected elements in the form:
kismiṃ sati issāmacchariyaṃ hoti? piyāppiye sati issāmacchariyaṃ hoti.The sequence runs:
When what exists is there envy? When there is pleasant and unpleasant, there is envy.
papañcasaññāsaṅkhaya → vitakka → chanda → piyāppiya → issāmacchariyaThere is no intersection with the nidāna sequence, but the same syntax is being used, suggesting that this syntax is not as specific as Shulman's claim would suggest. Having found a counter example we can say that Shulman's specific conjecture is refuted. The formula does have a more general, a more abstract sense.
However Shulman's wider point is this: "There is no reason to believe that dependent-origination originally discussed anything but mental conditioning" (p.307), and here I find we are in better agreement. In looking at this kind of syntax I did mostly find applications to mental process. However just one example of the Xlocative sati Y hoti construction is used as a simile which is suggestive. At S iv.172 the Buddha uses the example that "where there are hands, you get picking up and putting down" and similarly with the functions of the feet, limbs, and belly. These are cited to illustrate the application to mental processes, but they do show that the Buddha was aware of a more general application, even if it was not emphasised. As elsewhere the Buddha draws on nature for similes to illustrate his meaning, and this suggests that he saw similar processes in nature, though the similes all point one way - the mind is never a simile for what happens in nature.
The other aspect of the formula - X uppādā Y uppajjati - is much more restricted. I can find only one occurrence outside the context of the nidānas. At D ii.215 (Janavasabha Sutta) we find:
Tassa evaṃ jānato evaṃ passato avijjā pahīyati, vijjā uppajjati. Tassa avijjāvirāgā vijjuppādā uppajjati sukhaṃ, sukhā bhiyyo somanassaṃ.The relevant part is vijjuppādā uppajjati sukhaṃ - word order is not important here, and this is equivalent to vijjā uppādā sukhaṃ uppajjati. This confirms my earlier finding that though the formula is not tied specifically to the nidānas, it applies mainly to mental processes. It seems that Shulman has over-stated the case a little, but was not completely off the mark. Indeed his idea is confirmed by Sue Hamilton's findings in Early Buddhism: a New Approach, and some of the references he himself cites, particularly Collette Cox's investigation of the development of the theory of dhammas in the Sarvastivādin tradition. It is good to see scholars continuing to challenge the status quo and traditional orthodoxy. I found Shulman's paper very stimulating and thought provoking. I've focussed here on only one aspect of it and may return to some of his other points in other blog posts.
For one who knows and sees, ignorance wanes and knowledge arises. For that one, from the purification of ignorance and arising of knowledge, bliss and happiness arise.
This has clarified my thinking on paṭicca-samuppāda in a very useful way. The fact that there is even a single example of the kind - "when there are hands, there is picking up and putting down" - suggests that the Buddha did indeed see the idea of conditionality applying outside of mental processes - a hypothesis I have been arguing against for some time on this blog. That conditionality can be illustrated by similes drawn from nature tells us that the principle is more general. I don't think this changes the observation that the Buddha was concerned exclusively with mental processes as the source of disappointment; it changes the context a little, but not the focus.
- Shulman, Eviatar. 2008. 'Early Meanings of Dependent-Origination,' Journal of Indian Philosophy, 36(2): 297-317.
- The imasmiṃ formula occurs at: M i.263, ii.32, iii.63; S ii.28, 65, 70, 78, 79, 95, 96, v.388; A v.184; Ud 1, 2. All of the references in S ii are in the nidāna saṃyutta.
A much longer and more involved exploration of this subject can be found in this essay: Is Paṭicca-samuppāda a Theory of Everything?.


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Performed: 7-10 July 1988; George Kaufman and Moss Hart's "The Man Who Came to Dinner" centers around radio personality Sheridan Whiteside. He injures himself and becomes an unexpected houseguest for the prominent Stanley family. The set was by Carlton Ward. This item is contained within the Theatre & Film Production Archive.
This performance was held in the Ernest Stone Performing Arts Center Theatre.
- Larry Miles -- Sheridan Whiteside
- Catherine Flanders
- Wendy Morgan
- Melody Nunley
- Dan Driggers
- Susan Perry Lockette
- Laurel Read -- actress
- Kathleen Welker
- Kim Brooks
- Tim Ballard -- physician
- Mylane Perry
- Freddie Hinton
- Phillip Hurt -- Professor Metz
- Scott Croley -- actor
- Andrew Reaves
- Mike Roberts
- Tina Seals
- Koen Jansen
Is Part Of
The original items are located in the Library's Alabama Gallery Special Collections.
Jacksonville State University -- History, College students -- Alabama, Jacksonville State University -- Students, College and school drama
These materials are the property of Jacksonville State University and are intended for non-commercial use. They may be copied for research, teaching, personal, or any fair use as defined by U.S. copyright law. The materials may not be altered in any way. Users of these materials are asked to acknowledge Jacksonville State University. For questions or further information about usage rights, please contact email@example.com.
Recommended Citation
Jacksonville State University, "The Man Who Came to Dinner (1988) | Image 003" (1988). Department of Theatre & Film Performance Archive | Images. 2275.
Jacksonville State University -- History, College students -- Alabama, Jacksonville State University -- Students, College and school drama


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updated 4/11/07 for pics by Pasquale
"I can't rule out violence." Before the Hindraf march on 25 Nov, P. uthayakumar gave an interview to the new paper of Singapore. The popular tabloid front-paged the interview with a picture of the lawyer, fist clinched, saying; "I CAN'T RULE OUT VIOLENCE".
Excerpts:by Desmond Ng
His words are chilling.
He claims he stands for peaceful protests, but the same man inspires his followers with footage of violent protests in Myanmar.
A UK-trained lawyer, Mr P. uthayakumar called himself a patriot, but is now prepared to shame Malaysia internationally for what he sees as policies that are racially discriminatory ....
Mr Uthayakumar dismissed (S.Samy Vellu) as irrelevant to the Indian cummunity.
He claimed the community is now turning to Hindraf instead, and Indians of all walks of life have been donating money to the group so they can advance their agenda.
Their public protest was inspired by events in Myanmar in September.
Mr Uthayakumar said: "Some of the monks were prepared to die for their cause. I've shown slides of monks getting shot and killed during my road shows and I think it struck a chord with the people.
But is he inspiring his followers to turn to violence? He said: "I think it's quite unlikely we'll head down the path towards a civil war BUT THERE'S ALWAYS THAT POSSIBILITY. Some of the uneducated may resort to VIOLENCE."
On charges that he is a traitor, Mr Uthayakumar claimed that during his university days in England, he was often wearing a lapel pin with a Malaysian flag on his coat.
"When I opened my legal firm in 1994, the first thing on my table was a flag of Malaysia. I still want to be a Malaysian but I think they don't want me."


text:
Ei saatavilla suomeksi
Mehdi Manaa
- 17 May 2019
- OCCASIONAL PAPER SERIES - No. 223Details
- Abstract
- This paper summarises the outcomes of the analysis of the ECB Crypto-Assets Task Force. First, it proposes a characterisation of crypto-assets in the absence of a common definition and as a basis for the consistent analysis of this phenomenon. Second, it analyses recent developments in the crypto-assets market and unfolding links with financial markets and the economy. Finally, it assesses the potential impact of crypto-assets on monetary policy, payments and market infrastructures, and financial stability. The analysis shows that, in the current market, crypto-assets' risks or potential implications are limited and/or manageable on the basis of the existing regulatory and oversight frameworks. However, this assessment is subject to change and should not prevent the ECB from continuing to monitor crypto-assets, raise awareness and develop preparedness.
- JEL Code
- E42 : Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics→Money and Interest Rates→Monetary Systems, Standards, Regimes, Government and the Monetary System, Payment Systems
G21 : Financial Economics→Financial Institutions and Services→Banks, Depository Institutions, Micro Finance Institutions, Mortgages
G23 : Financial Economics→Financial Institutions and Services→Non-bank Financial Institutions, Financial Instruments, Institutional Investors
O33 : Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth→Technological Change, Research and Development, Intellectual Property Rights→Technological Change: Choices and Consequences, Diffusion Processes


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Life With Braces | Types of Braces | Braces Diagram | Brace Painter | Types of Appliances | Retainer Instructions | Brushing and Flossing
Braces Diagram
Elastic Tie
Small rubber band that is hooked between different points on the appliance to provide pressure to move the teeth.
Loop in Archwire
Frequently used for closing space left by an extraction. Many archwires don't have a loop.
The main wire that acts as a track to guide the teeth along. It's changed periodically throughout treatment, as teeth move to their new positions.
Small attachment that holds the archwire in place. Most often, a bracket is cemented directly onto the tooth's surface, eliminating the need for a band.
Headgear Tube
Round, hollow attachment on the back bands. The inner bow of the headgear fits into it.
Coil Spring
Fits between brackets and over archwire to open space between teeth.
Tie Wire
Fine wire that is twisted around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.
A thin ring of metal fitted around a tooth and cemented in place. The band provides a way to attach the brackets to the tooth.
Welded or removable arm to which elastics (rubber bands) are attached.
Elastic (Rubber Band)
Small rubber band that is hooked between different points on the appliance to provide pressure to move the teeth.


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1. Colossus, West Oaktown (Om): Acid jazz made an official comeback in 2005, perhaps best symbolized by this double CD that stacked up a mountain of press clippings faster than you can say, "Bring it, mate!" The result of importing an English jazz-funkhead like Charlie Tate to urban Oakland and letting him marinate, West Oaktown's combination of complex time signatures, soulful mood swings, chilled beats, and scientific raps from Capitol A, Roots Manuva, and Azeem made it hip to be Cool like dat all over again.
2. Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim, Ceasefire (Riverboat/World Music Network): Perhaps the only things more fascinating than this groundbreaking fusion of traditional East African rhythms with up-to-the-minute electronics and stirring raps were the artists' own backstories. MC Emmanuel Jal hails from southern Sudan, while Abdel Gadir Salim is from the north. Their historic collaboration constitutes a strong cry for unity -- healing the civil-war-ravaged nation with insistent messages of peace as well as captivating melodic textures.
3. Seu Jorge, Cru (Wrasse): This South American singer and actor (City of God, the Bowie guy in The Life Aquatic) has the versatility to pull off Elvis Presley and Serge Gainsbourg covers, Brasilelectro remixes ("Tive Razão"), and acoustic ballads ("Fiore de la Città") on Cru, which lives up to its title (it means "raw" in Portuguese). Jorge globalized and energized the singer-songwriter shtick with percussive rhythms, soothing guitars, and a dash of electronic treatments, all held together by his intense vocal delivery.
4. M.I.A. , Arular (XL/Beggars US): A tricky blend of jump-up, garage, and drum 'n' bass that flaunted simplistic yet ultra-infectious MC styles, Arular is 2005's most impressive debut, an instant classic whose cutting-edge hotness registered at radioactive levels. M.I.A.'s singsongy vocals proved a clever front for her subversive, revolutionary sentiments -- her personal history as a Tamil Tiger baby turned sound-system siren lent double meanings to rabble-rousing dance tunes like "Bucky Done Gun" and "Fire Fire," and you couldn't help but love the cute but strident way she insisted that the major cities of the world each "Quieten down, I need to make a sound!"
5. Orishas, El Kilo (Universal Latin): On their third album, the Latin Grammy-winning Cuban trio Orishas -- who broke new ground for international hip-hop on their previous two releases -- continue to make amazing musical leaps and bounds beyond any artistic statement even attempted by their American rap counterparts in 2005. Fully infused with Afro-Cuban musical sensibilities, El Kilo is a spirited, rhythmic triumph from start to finish, a confidently executed effort assuring us that the Orishas' juju is only getting stronger.
6. Roots Manuva, Awfully Deep (Big Dada): All the buzz from trendy ol' England was on grime MCs like Lady Sovereign, but Mr. Manuva kept it real with lines like "I don't give a damn about U.K. rap/I'm a U.K. black, making U.K. tracks," and his third album confirmed he's the only chap who can hold his lyrical weight against America's elite MCs. The Rootsman stretches himself artistically on Awfully Deep, departing from the familiar bashment boogie of previous efforts to make more personal ("Colossal Insight"), ironic ("Too Cold") and serious ("The Falling") statements -- while still delivering the hotness ("Move Ya Loin") as necessary.
7. Platinum Pied Pipers, Triple P (Ubiquity): This talented duo from Detroit has wrapped its hands around a gritty, urban, soulful style all its own, revving up the Motor City's engine once again. Breaking away from the overly smoothed-out approach of neo-soul, the Pipers leave the edges sharp and rough on their debut album, favoring raw grooves that perfectly capture the atmosphere of an underground club at 2 a.m. Whether you call it garage soul or warehouse funk, songs like "I Got You" present a welcome alternative to tired club music, brainless rap, and "safe" R&B.
8. Prefuse 73, Surrounded by Silence (Warp): A sublimely eclectic sensibility runs through Surrounded by Silence, which boasts some of the illest beats of the year, hands down. Prefuse 73 (a.k.a. Scott Herren) is no ordinary producer. Like Amon Tobin and DJ Shadow, he's a composer who happens to work with samplers, analog synths, and other electric instruments, eschewing the obvious in favor of uncharted rhythmic territory. Prefuse makes the most of cameos by Ghostface and El-P (the verbally lacerating "Hideyaface"), shows his soul chops (the beautifully fractured "We Go Our Own Way"), and crams more interesting musical ideas into short interludes than most folks manage on entire albums.
9. Warrior King, Hold the Faith (VP): I-Wayne and Junior Gong got all the hype, but Warrior King delivered the most consistent roots/dancehall album of the year. Hold the Faith could've used an over-the-top crossover single, but what it lacks in flashiness, it makes up for in steadiness; songs like "Can't Get Me Down," "They Don't Know," and "Education" reiterated the Rasta creed in fine style. No gimmicks or celebrity collaborations to speak of -- just an upful yout' holding firm over updated versions of classic reggae riddims.
10. DJ Cheb i Sabbah, La Kahena (Six Degrees): Break out the baba ghanouj, falafel, and pointy slippers. After thoroughly exploring the trancelike qualities of Hindustani music, original world beatnik DJ Cheb i Sabbah turns to the trancelike qualities of the Arabian diaspora, bringing "les voix du Maghreb" to the forefront with an intoxicating excursion into Moroccan gnaoua styles. Gently stitching electro-dub layers onto traditional rhythmic garb, La Kahena fits like a disco-ready djellaba -- its flavorful beats and beautifully melodic vocals make it the musical equivalent of chicken tagine.


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Heidi N. Moore is The Guardian's U.S. finance and economics editor. She was formerly the New York bureau chief and Wall Street correspondent for Marketplace.
Prior to joining Marketplace, Moore was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, where she was the lead writer for the paper's award-winning Deal Journal online and daily newspaper column during the height (and depths) of the world financial crisis. In addition, she wrote an analysis of banks and mergers and broke news of SEC investigations, big acquisitions, and Barclays Capital buying most of Lehman Brothers out of bankruptcy. Before that, she was U.S. Bureau Chief for London-based, Dow Jones-owned weekly newspaper and daily website, Financial News. For six years, she was a senior writer covering Wall Street banks and power brokers for The Deal magazine.
Moore's articles on Wall Street banks and finance have been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Financial Times and Slate.
Moore is a graduate of Columbia University and a native New Yorker. In her free time, Moore enjoys running and traveling.


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Another writer I know mentioned that she landed a sweet little gig. The client paid her at or above market rate for a series of five articles that were right up her alley.
Good news, right?
Maybe. Maybe not. We may never know.
What You Don't Know Might Hurt You (or Your Income)
Here's why:
The client approached her on a referral. They exchanged a few emails about the job before they finalized the arrangements.
And that's where she may have screwed up.
She didn't ask enough questions about how the client was planning to actually use the material. She knew that they're offering a new service, but she didn't ask them about how they were doing it. She doesn't know if they had a blogging plan in place. She doesn"t know if the articles were going to be used as top-level site content, backfill or for article marketing or guest posting purposes. She's not sure if they're building a list and, if they are, what they're using as an inducement (if anything). She doesn't know how aggressively they're approaching SEO concerns.
You get the idea…
She knew about the project specs. She wrote the articles. The client liked them. The end.
She doesn't know how much money and work she may have left behind, though.
Multiplying Projects
If you're asking the right questions, you're opening doors to additional opportunities.
Those five articles may have turned into ten articles, some additional web content, a better squeeze page, a white paper or special report for list building, a regular blogging gig, assistance in constructing additional content for inbound link creation and who-knows-what-else.
Those questions are business multipliers.
Plus, they have a fantastic upside even if the client really doesn't need a hand with anything other than the base assignment. When you know the answers to all of those other questions, you have a better idea of how your work will fit into the bigger picture. That allows you to produce the best possible work, which is always a good idea.
An Example
Someone approached me about helping with the editing of a business plan. We talk. She didn't have anyone to write a letter or brochure to go along with the plan to the prospective investors. She didn't plan to create a web presence to aid in the project.
I asked questions. Now she has a copywriter on board. A great little interactive WordPress-driven website that will feature key information about her project along with some video and plenty of visuals is on its way. She be able to direct people to the site as well as asking them to read through the paper materials. She has a contained social media presence to help her out, too.
That's good news for me. More importantly, it's good news for her. Everything I'm offering will undoubtedly help her with this project. I can't share the details here, but I can tell you that this is a "perfect fit" situation.
That little "help me with this business plan" request has turned into a mutually beneficial working relationship.
What about You?
That's just an example. You might not be interested in some aspects of projects. You may not do the training and consulting thing. I understand completely. However, I do think everyone can benefit when people actually take the time to discuss the bigger picture and the way its component parts are working instead of having insulated conversations about discrete elements.
So, are you multiplying your business or are you taking it as it comes?
If you've had a positive experience after taking an extra step to get a wider understanding of a project, feel free to share it. I have a feeling that a number of people have turned small assignments into big money because they dug a little deeper.


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North Carolina legislators made national headlines last week with a bit of high-profile religious extremism. They introduced a resolution declaring that the state has the right to declare an official religion – presumably Christianity. The bill also contended that states are "sovereign" and that federal courts cannot prevent states "from making laws respecting the establishment of religion."
The North Carolina bill—which appears to be dead for now—was one of two big church-state blow-ups last week. In Tennessee, legislators withdrew a school voucher bill that would have allowed parents to direct taxpayer money to private schools, including Christian academies. The reason they balked: it suddenly occurred to them that the bill would also allow parents to direct tax dollars to Islamic schools.
(MORE: Where Are the Most Religious States in America in 2013?)
State assaults on the separation of church and state are nothing new. What set the North Carolina bill apart, however, is that it was an aggressive attempt to change the constitutional landscape. It made an argument that conservative lawyers have been developing for some time: that the first amendment's Establishment Clause does not apply to the states – and that, as a result, states are allowed to favor a particular religion in a way the federal government cannot.
North Carolina's "Rowan County, North Carolina Defense of Religion Act of 2013" came about as a response to a lawsuit by the ACLU. The civil liberties group charged that Rowan County was violating the first amendment by opening 97% of its meetings with Christian prayers. In 2011, a federal court ruled that another North Carolina's county's public prayers violated the first amendment.
The North Carolina bill would have defended against the suit – and any other lawsuits alleging that the state was promoting a particular religion – in two ways. It would have declared that the Establishment Clause did not apply to the states. And it would have asserted that federal courts have no right to tell states what is and is not constitutional.
(WATCH: Your Bill of Rights)
The attempt to declare that states can choose a favored religion might sound a bit loopy, but it is actually a prominent item on the far-right constitutional law wish list. Conservative legal advocates have been arguing for years that the Establishment Clause only prohibits the federal government from designating a favored religion – not the states. They point out that at the time the first amendment was adopted, many states – including North Carolina – actually had established religions.
But the Supreme Court made clear in a landmark ruling in 1947 that the Establishment Clause does apply to states – and they have underscored this holding repeatedly since then. There is, however, one prominent dissenter: Justice Clarence Thomas. In a 2004 opinion, he argued that the purpose of the Establishment Clause was to protect the states from having Congress impose a religion on them. Given that, he argued, it "makes little sense" to use the Establishment Clause to tell the states what they can do.
(MORE: Church and State: The Role of Religion in Cuba)
Justice Thomas is not entirely alone in arguing that the first amendment does not prevent the states from favoring a particular religion. There are at least a few religious rights advocates, legal academics, and law bloggers who share his view. But given that no other Supreme Court Justice has backed his interpretation, it clearly remains a fringe view – and one that will not become law any time soon.
That may be why the Speaker of North Carolina's House of Representatives declared late last week that the "Rowan County, North Carolina Defense of Religion Act of 2013" will not be getting a vote by the full House, effectively killing it. There may be some legislators who like the idea of turning their states into mini-theocracies, which use taxpayer money and public employees to promote a favored religion. But even if a state law insists that the federal courts cannot stop a state from establishing a religion – as the North Carolina bill did – the federal courts would still go ahead and do just that.
Which leaves the question of what the Tennessee legislators intend to do about their school voucher bill. State Sen. Jim Tracy, a supporter of the bill, said that the issue of taxpayer money going to Islamic schools is one "we must address." He added that he didn't "know whether we can simply amend the bill in such a way that will fix the issue at this point."
Tennessee legislators have some options. They can strip all of the state's religious schools from the voucher program if they want. Or they can kill the school voucher bill entirely. But one thing they cannot constitutionally do – as North Carolina legislators seemed to finally realize by the end of last week – is to enact a law that favors one religion over another. But it doesn't mean that we shouldn't be alarmed by how little all of these legislators seem to understand about the separation of church and state.