text:
The Allegrini family has been handing down grape growing and wine producing traditions over many generations, playing a major role in the Valpolicella Classico area for many centuries. Giovanni Allegrini was the founder of the new generation. He was extremely proud to be part of the Valpolicella, and dedicated his many resources and energies to this land. He was among the first in questioning local viticultural techniques, revolutionizing accepted practices, and speaking clearly about quality. He was able to combine the science of enology with strict grape selection, and between 1960 and 1970, made some of the Valpolicella's best wines.
Allegrini's winemaking philosophy is largely based on the concept of "cru" production: a single vineyard dedicated to the production of local varieties destined to become a single wine. These crus have been a success worldwide: The Palazzo della Torre, La Grola and La Poja have set the highest benchmarks for Valpolicella's wines. View all Allegrini Wines
About VenetoView a map of Veneto wineries (vey-NEH-toe)
Notable FactsThe wine of Soave is most common white wine made here. Occasionally you can find an exceptional Soave, but for the most part the wine is easy-drinking and refreshingly pleasant. For the reds, the most popular are Amarone and Valpolicella – both made primarily from the good structured Corvina grape. While Amarone is always made in the recioto method (drying out the grapes to intensify the flavor), Valpolicella has a few different levels. Amarone is made from very ripe grapes, which are then dried and then pressed, producing an opulent, concentrated, full-bodied wine that has a distinctive and powerful taste that stays with you. Not for the lighter fare meal, this wine is almost port-like and delicious with cheese and/or dessert. Valpolicella can also be made in the recioto method, but it's more often found in a dry style – the wine goes up in rank, from Valpolicella to Valpolicella Classico to Valpolicella Classico Superiore. And finally, the bubbly of Veneto – Prosecco. Made from the same-named grape, Prosecco is less fizzy than Champagne and occasionally has a slight sweetness. It's absolutely delicious as a value aperitif.
About Italy
A little ditty about Italy...This country has about as many wines as its had governments. With 20 different regions, hundreds of DOCs and even more indigenous varieties, the amount of wine made in Italy is mind-boggling. Most of the juice, however, remains in the country for thirsty Italians. Wine is food in Italy and its rare that a meal is consumed without a glass of vino. That said, it's not common to find many folks drinking wine without food either. In turn, it's a match, and a mighty good one at that. In fact, it's safe to say that Italian wine is a foodie wine – one that goes on the table for a myraid of meals.
For regions, the most popular are Tuscany (home of Chianti), Piedmont and the Tre-Venezie, which includes Veneto, Trentino Alto-Adige and Friuli. Other communes of note are in Southern Italy, and a few good wines are made elsewhere in the country. The islands of Sardinia and Sicily are members of the Italian winemaking community as well.


text:
135 items found in this collection
African-American man at Washington Market loading dock.
Two men talking in front of vegetable baskets.
Men in room with slaughtered pigs.
Man handling slaughtered pigs.
Man in room with posters of nude women.
Men discussing a document in room with other men watching a presentation.
Men negotiating at desk.
Two men packing strawberries.
Man with strawberries, lighting a cigar.
Two workers talking
African-American worker pushing dolly past fruit baskets.
"Tomatoes" sign over a man pushing vegetable baskets on a dolly.
Two men, one African-American, talking side by side in front of vegetable baskets, truck ...
Man with back turned unloading vegetable baskets.
Chambers Street corner, outside of the market.
Street corner of market. Crates stacked and men talking under lights.
Page 1 of 9 Next »

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Think of yourself pursuing a law career
If you are thinking about law school, you are taking the essential first step toward a potentially rewarding career involving law. Embarking on a legal education requires a great deal of thought as well as a sizable investment of time, money and energy.
Why go to law school? The reasons are not the same for everyone. You may want to learn the skills a lawyer uses and apply them either in law practice or some other work. You may be drawn to the intricacies of the law. You may be motivated by a desire to see justice done or to facilitate change. You may hope to enter a lucrative, prestigious profession.
As is true in any profession, not all lawyers are wealthy, and not all accomplish the objectives they set out to achieve. People of all ages and backgrounds are discovering that a legal education can open the door to a variety of opportunities, not only in traditional law practice, but in other areas as well such as managing organizations, teaching, politics, and advocacy.
Law schools, whether large or small, religiously affiliated or independent, have curriculums designed to focus on certain basic skills required of all lawyers. Going to law school will strengthen your reading and debating skills and further develop your analytical, creative, and logical thinking abilities.
Lawyers must know how to identify and analyze legal issues in light of the constantly changing legal and public policy landscape. You must be able to advocate the views of individuals and diverse interest groups within the context of the legal system. Clients will expect your intelligent counsel on the law to show the way to a viable goal while avoiding destructive conflict. You will need to write and speak clearly and be able to persuade and negotiate effectively.
Practicing law for a few years after law school will hone those skills and help you get the most out of your legal education. After that you can shoose a different career path, as many do, knowing you possess valuable and useful skills.
Preparing for law study while at Bucknell University
There is no pre-law academic track, and there is no required major for the purpose of gaining admission to law school. Law schools want students who can think critically and write well, and who have some understanding of the forces that have shaped the human experience. These attributes can be acquired in any number of university courses, whether in the arts and humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, or engineering.
Your education should include courses which will provide opportunities for critical analysis, logical reasoning, and written and oral expression. What counts is the intensity and depth of your undergraduate program and your capacity to perform well at an academically rigorous level.
Bucknell pre-law students major in a range of subjects, including management and accounting, political science, philosophy, economics, English, engineering, psychology, education, chemistry, classics, environmental science, sociology, history, biology, international relations, and computer programming. An important factor for admission to law school is the grade point average. It is important to take courses you find intellectually stimulating as these are the courses in which you're likely to excel.
The Legal Studies Minor. This course of study allows you to choose at least five courses outside your major from a list of law related courses, no more than three of which may be from a single department. You are encouraged to contact the program's coordinator for further information.
The selection process.
Appraise your strengths and preferences. In selecting a law school consider the size, composition, and background of the student body; the location, size, and nature of the surrounding community; the particular strengths or interests of the faculty; the degree to which clinical experience or classroom learning is emphasized; the nature of any special programs offered; the number and type of student organizations; the range of library holdings; and whether a school is religiously affiliated, connected to a parent university, or independent. Cultural diversity is increasingly important, as is international law, in a diverse and globalizing world. Look at law schools with those eyes, too.
Admissions committees at the law schools look at many factors to try to predict who will be successful in law school and beyond. Schools rely heavily upon the results of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and the undergraduate grade point average. They also look at your personal statement (a substitute for an interview), letters of recommendation, and registration with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS).
Many applicants do not present a clear choice to the law school admissions committee. In those instances the following criteria may be considered to differentiate you from the routine applicant: LSAT score; GPA; undergraduate course of study; any graduate work; university from which you are graduating; improvement in grades and grade distribution; extracurricular activities; ethnic/racial/other diverse background characteristics; individual character and personality; letters of recommendation; writing skills; personal statement or essay; work experience or other post graduate experiences; community activities; motivation to study and reasons for deciding to study law; state of residency; difficulties that you have overcome; pre-college preparation; past accomplishments and leadership; and anything else that stands out in an application.
To this point this handbook uses language developed by Bucknell pre-law advisors over time, particularly by Patricia T. Longley, Ph.D. The remainder of the guide, contained in other sections of this web site, is taken from a publication of the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors. It was issued in October of 2007. Bucknell University's Pre-Law Advisor,available to students and alumni, is John P. Fernsler, Esq. In law practice for 35 years in government, large urban law firm and corporate counsel for a NYSE traded company, and now a lecturer in business law in the Management Department, he is located at the Career Development Center where other services are also available; e.g. resume writing advice and job placement services.
NAPLA has prepared the Pre-Law Guide for those considering the legal profession, for undergraduates preparing for legal study, and for candidates applying to law school. The Guide is designed to help at each stage by providing accurate and up-to-date information.
Pre-law advisors at nonprofit educational institutions are granted permission by NAPLA to use the Guide and are encouraged to tailor it to their respective schools. The Guide can be printed and distributed to students and alumni, and used on schools' websites. NAPLA requests that the attribution below be included in both print and online versions of the Guide.
The NAPLA Pre-Law Guide is based on Cornell University's Legal Careers Guide, which was used by permission of Cornell Career Services.NAPLA would like to acknowledge the following schools for their contributions to the Guide:Binghamton University, Boston College, Boston University, Bucknell University, Columbia University, Duke University, Northeastern University, Princeton University, and Texas A & M University. The Law School Admission Council provided information on study abroad transcripts, and the Financial Aid section is based on the "Financial Aid Toolkit" developed by the Pre-Law Advisors National Council (PLANC).
The following links are virtual breadcrumbs marking the 27 most recent pages you have visited in Bucknell.edu. If you want to remember a specific page forever click the pin in the top right corner and we will be sure not to replace it. Close this message.


text:
Feminism | Posted by Julia B on 04/14/2014
Not "Crazy," Just Dedicated
When girls are young, Cinderella tells them "dreams really do come true." As we get older, that philosophy changes and we learn that life isn't actually a fairytale. You have to work hard in order to achieve something great, and even then it doesn't always happen. For me, ballet started as a fairytale and transformed into a whole lot of hard work. And I love it.
Like any professional-in-training, I spend about 20 hours per week training for what I dream of doing: becoming a professional ballet dancer. I don't know if I'll succeed (because the ballet world is extremely, extremely competitive), but either way I want to be able to say that I worked as hard as I possibly could.
People have said that I "have no life" outside …


text:
Stephen M. Daniels - Chairman, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals
Judge Stephen M. Daniels became Chairman of the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals at its inception. Daniels had been chairman of the GSA Board of Contract Appeals since December 1992. He was a member of the GSA board from 1987 until the establishment of the Civilian Board.
The Civilian Board of Contract Appeals began operations, as mandated by Congress, on Jan. 6, 2007. The board is a quasi-judicial tribunal whose principal mission is to hear and decide disputes between contractors and virtually all civilian agencies of the federal government. The board also provides alternative dispute resolution services for government contract matters involving federal agencies.
Also, the board hears and decides cases under the Indian Self-Determination Act; resolves disputes between insurance companies and the Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency involving actions of the Federal Crop Insurance Corp.; and settles claims by federal civilian employees for travel and relocation expenses, and claims by common carriers about payment for transportation services provided to federal agencies.
As a member of the board, Daniels manages cases, conducts hearings when necessary, issues opinions and orders, and serves as a neutral in alternative dispute resolution proceedings. As chairman, he is additionally responsible for management of the tribunal itself.
Before his appointment to the GSA board, Daniels was for 15 years counsel to the Committee on Government Operations of the U.S. House of Representatives. With that committee, he served as chief Republican counsel from 1980 to 1987, and also as Republican staff director from 1984 to 1987.
Daniels served in the legislative offices of two federal agencies, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the Office of Management and Budget; and was legislative assistant to a member of Congress. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Daniels is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School.


text:
Amada Sandoval - from Hayward, CA
I buy fondant ready made at the craft store because it saves me a lot of time when decorating. When you're making figures and modeling fondant, nothing is better than practice. When you have spare time, take out a chunk of fondant and start molding it and playing with it until it looks how you want it. This will help you get a feel for the scale of things (for example, how large a head should be in proportion to a body). The proportions of things can get tricky, especially facial features, but I find the more modeling I do, the better I get at it. Good luck!


text:
Free Fat Burning Fitness Classes to Support Local Food Charities - Train For The Game- Long Island
Hours: 7pm
Ages: TE,AD
545 Bedford Avenue - 516-809-9700
Bellmore, NY 11710
Description: These classes are free in exchange for donations of canned goods and other non-perishable food items which will be delivered to local food pantries. Get 30 minutes of high intensity, total body/cardio workout. Tuesday and Thursday sessions through December 29.


text:
Complete Race Results (pdf)
Bethlehem, Pa. -The men's cross country team cruised to the title of the Brown Race at the 39th annual Paul Short Invitational on Friday afternoon. The Quakers top five put together a total of only 47 points while second place Canisius was the closest of the 33 teams in the field with 167 points.
Penn's rookies gave the term freshman fifteen anew twiston Friday. Brendan Smith (25:18) was the top finisher for the team in the race in third place. He was followed by Brandon Clark (25:22) in fifth and Thomas Awad (25:31) in seventh. Together, the trio accumulated only 15 points for the Quakers.
Two seniors rounded out the scorers for Penn. Kevin Foy finished 15th overall with a time of 25:42 and George Dickson followed close behind in 17th at 25:48 over the 8K. With only 30 seconds separating Smith from Dickson, the Quakers also had the smallest spread in the field.
The team will have next weekend off from competition before returning to action for two races in two weeks' time. First, a select few will travel to the west suburbs to compete in the Haverford Invitational on October 11. Two days later, the full team will make the trip to Lafayette for the Leopard Invitational, beginning at 10 a.m. on October 13.
Download: PAUL SHORT -- MENS BROWN.pdf


text:
Dawkins, Richard. The Magic of Reality
Famous evolutionary biologist Dawkins teams up with well-known illustrator Dave McKean to examine many of the most fundamental questions in science including why the seasons occur, whether life on other planets is possible, what are the building blocks of matter, and how evolution really works. Dawkins presents many of these ideas from a religious or mythological perspective first before delving into the real science. His writing is straightforward enough for most pre-teens or teens to grasp the concepts he's presenting, but not so simplistic that average adults will feel that Dawkins is talking down to them. McKean's illustrations, beautiful and complex as always, do a wonderful job of both explicating the concepts Dawkins is presenting and also demonstrating Dawkins' central theme: that scientific truth is beautiful and magical enough on its own without any need for mythical or supernatural trappings.


text:
Basic Sheer with Gold or Silver Edge is available in 5/8", 7/8" or 1 1/2" Widths on a 25 yard spool in white and ivory.
General Shipment Timing GuidelineThis product takes about 3 weeks before we are ready to ship not including ship time to your area from JKM's facility.
(Product Characteristic: Not Available) / (Fabric Content: Not Available)


text:
Farm to Grill at Monte Bello, June 29th or 30th 11a-5p
Ridge Vineyards
Take part in a delicious afternoon of wine and food as we spotlight our local farms in and around the Santa Cruz Mountains.
These wonderful dishes will be paired with a selection of Ridge wines:
Orichiette with Lamb Ragu
marin sun farms lamb neck / happy boy rabe / calabrian chili / marin roots rucula flower
Tomales Bay Oyster
wine forest sea bean & wild ramp 'salsa verde'
Aidell's Pork Sausages
grilled with wineforest porcinis /grilled Sishito / scallions
Ecopia Baby Radicchio & Heirloom lettuces
blossom bluffs garnet cherries / marcona almonds / vanilla-cabernet vinaigrette
House-smoked Marin Sun Farms Bacon 'Hushpuppies'
blossom bluffs bourbon-soaked peach / macerated red onion / ecopia micro-mint
Housemade Flatbreads
andante dairy goat cheese fonduta / happy boy toybox tomatoes & padron peppers / brentwood sweet corn / ecopia and micro-basil & pepper flowers
Sustainable, fresh & organic ingredients supplied by these local producers:
Marin Sun Farms
Tomales Bay Oyster Company
Aidell's Sausage
ECOPIA Farms
Blossom Bluff Orchards
Andante Dairy
Happy Boy Farms
Marin Roots Farm
Exceptional single-vineyard wines since 1962!
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


text:
A program about Harun Yahya's documentaries was aired in June 2006 on the Australian national broadcaster ABD Radio. The program covered parts of the documentaries based on Harun Yahya's works, and the presenter, Margaret Coffey, offered the following comments regarding these sections. Gary Dargan, a New South Wales paleontologist and a director of the Islamic Education Trust of Australasia, also participated.
A transcript of part of the program reads as follows:
Audio from Harun Yahya DVD: Anyone with wisdom and conscience will understand when he examines the living things around him that they are created by a superior wisdom, knowledge and power.
Margaret Coffey: On ABC Radio National, this is Encounter… Harun Yahya is the pseudonym of the front person for an organisation based in Turkey. This organisation produces a prolific amount of audiovisual material and books with titles such as "Evolution Deceit". As Gary Dargan explained to the seminar, the material is produced in many languages and a Harun Yahya representative has visited Australia to promote the organisation"s ideology.
Audio from Harun Yahya DVD: Materialism, the philosophy which holds that everything is composed of matter, and which denies the existence of God, is actually the contemporary version of paganism ... This superstitious belief of materialism is called evolution ... the belief in evolution first introduced in the pagan cultures of the ancient Sumerians and then the ancient Greeks was, in a way, revived in the 19th century by a group of materialistic scientists and brought on to the world agenda - Charles Darwin is the best known of these scientists.
Gary Dargan: Harun Yahya"s views have become very, very strongly accepted in the Muslim world. In Nigeria, for instance, Harun Yahya"s textbooks are now being used in their biology syllabus. In NSW I have been contacted by a biology teacher at a high school saying, "I"ve got a lot of Muslim students, they quote Harun Yahya at me, and say all this evolution business is rubbish; we are not going to bother learning it." …
Audio from Harun Yahya DVD: However, as mentioned earlier, materialism is collapsing with a big bang.
Gary Dargan: … You go to just about every Islamic bookshop in any state of Australia and you will find basically shelves devoted to Harun Yahya: DVDs, videos, books and so on, and people have actually taken Harun Yahya"s books and printed them out for free distribution. And virtually all of his books are available free over the internet as well. You can actually download them.
Margaret Coffey: In your experience, do imams take his part or offer his views, his perspective on evolution…?
Gary Dargan: Well as far as I know most of the imams I"ve talked to reject evolution. … a lot of Muslims certainly do read his material and see his videos and DVDs.


text:
UK Hoops Inks Four in Fall Signing Period
Nov. 26, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Four of the nation's top-rated recruits in Jaycee Coe, Ivana Jakubcova, Alexis Jennings and Alyssa Rice have inked National Letters of Intent to play for the Kentucky women's basketball program and head coach Matthew Mitchell.
The class is ranked in the top 20 by all the major recruiting services, including No. 17 by espnW Hoopgurlz and Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, No. 19 by the All-Star Girls Report and No. 19 by Blue Star Basketball. This marks Mitchell's fifth consecutive recruiting class ranked in the top 20.
"We are very excited to welcome four new members to the UK Hoops family," UK Hoops head coach Matthew Mitchell said. "We are looking for young women who possess high character and the ability to play championship basketball. Kentucky is a unique place and we need people who appreciate our uniqueness. We need people who value character, principles, preparation and sacrifice; the Kentucky way of doing things. We found four exceptional people who are committed to the Kentucky way both on and off the court."
|Jaycee Coe
Coe, a 5-foot-11 guard from Jackson County High School and native of Cookeville, Tenn., is rated the 25th-best shooting guard in the country by ESPN.com. As a junior, she was named District 7-A Player of the Year, District 7-A Tournament Most Valuable Player, Region 4-A Tournament MVP, Class A Miss Basketball, State Tournament MVP, Herald-Citizen Upper Cumberland Player of the Year, and named to the Tennessee Sports Writers All-State Team. She averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in 2012-13, while shooting 45 percent from the floor, including 31 percent from 3-point range. She has already compiled over 1,500 points in her career at Jackson County heading into her senior season.
Coe chose the Wildcats over Belmont, Georgia, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee Tech and Vanderbilt.
"Jaycee is an outstanding player who will make us better," Mitchell said. "She is a very dangerous offensive threat with the ability to make all the plays we require in our system. Jaycee has a polished offensive skill set. She is a tremendous ball handler and an elite level shooter with extremely deep range. I felt like Jaycee was a player we had to have to make this a successful class and I am ecstatic she chose Kentucky."
|Ivana Jakubcova
Jakubcova (pronounced YAK-ub-SOVA) is a 6-6 sophomore center at Murray State College in Tishomingo, Okla. MSC competes in Region 2 – Division I of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The native of Bratislava, Slovakia, is averaging 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds in nine games so far this season. She is ranked as the No. 20 overall junior college player, including fourth-ranked post player. She the first player in program history from Slovakia and is UK's first international player since Melissa Langelier of Quebec, Canada in 2000.
At 6-6, Jackubcova is the tallest Wildcat since 6-foot-7 Anna Cole in 2010. She will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"Ivana is an exciting player for our 2014 class," Mitchell said. "She has great size and speed which will be an asset in our up-tempo style of play. She has great hands which we value greatly in our post players. Ivana is a very good shooter and her ability to make shots will be valuable to our offense. Ivana is an extremely hard worker and will be a tremendous asset to the Kentucky program."
|Alexis Jennings
Jennings is a 6-2 forward out of Sparkman High School in Madison, Ala. She is rated as the ninth-best forward in the 2014 class by ESPN.com. As a junior, Jennings was named the Huntsville Times Player of the Year after averaging 22.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 3.2 steals per game in leading Sparkman to a 33-1 record. She earned Class 6A All-State First Team honors along with being named to the ASWA Super 5 and the AL.com Sweet 16. Jennings was a finalist for the 6A Player of the Year and Miss Basketball award.
She chose UK over Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State and Middle Tennessee.
Coe and Jennings were teammates on the Tennessee Flight AAU team.
"Alexis is an extremely versatile post player who possesses all of the characteristics we look for at Kentucky," Mitchell said. "She is strong, athletic and skilled. Her ability to run the floor was attractive to us. Alexis has 3-point shooting range which will stretch the defense and she can also put the ball on the floor and get to the basket to score. She is hard-nosed and tough on the defensive end and she will be very effective in full-court press situations. I am thrilled Alexis chose Kentucky. She will be a significant player here."
|Alyssa Rice
Rice is a native of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, where she is a standout player at Reynoldsburg High School. The 6-3 forward is ranked the No. 3 post player in the country and 20th overall player according to ESPN.com. As a junior, Rice led the Raiders to a 24-4 overall record and averaged 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game, while shooting 65 percent from the floor. She was named to the MaxPreps 2013 Girls Basketball All-America Team and is the highest ranked recruit in UK's 2014 signing class.
She chose Kentucky over Virginia, Maryland, Ohio State and West Virginia.
"Alyssa possesses all of the qualities we desire in a post player," Mitchell said. "Her incredible combination of size and speed make her a perfect fit for Kentucky. She is clearly one of the top post players in the 2014 class. Her versatility makes her very difficult to defend. Alyssa is a great ball handler, a great shooter and a tough finisher around the basket. Her ability to run the floor will be very valuable to our program. Alyssa has a tremendous work ethic and I am confident that her Kentucky career will be filled with success."
Follow UK Hoops on Twitter and Instagram at @UKHoopCats and on Facebook by liking University of Kentucky Women's Basketball.


text:
The New York Times reported yesterday that the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is planning to demolish the critically acclaimed American Folk Art Museum building, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. MoMA plans to tear down the structure by year's end to make way for a new gallery addition that will connect its existing facilities to the new Jean Nouvel, Hon. FAIA–designed tower going up on a lot adjacent to the former Folk Art Museum. That tower will contain as much as 52,000 square feet of exhibition space for MoMA.
MoMA weighed the decision to reuse the Williams Tsien building as its gallery addition, but the museum told the Times that the combination of the bronze-and-copper cladding (which differs from MoMA's more open, glass-enclosed aesthetic) and the fact that the gallery floors did not line up with the existing MoMA facility made the decision to preserve it unfeasible.
Considered a seminal work of the New York–based practice, which was selected as the 2013 AIA Architecture Firm of the Year, the eight-story, 40-000-square-foot building opened in 2001, and was the first museum building completed in New York in more than three decades. Clad in sculptural bronze-and-copper plating that sheathes the 40-foot-wide façade, the building stretches 100 feet deep; inside, a series of galleries unfolds around a grand central staircase, each different than the last.
The American Folk Art Museum sold the building to MoMA in 2011 and retreated to its smaller satellite location at 2 Lincoln Square, a move that did little to secure the future of the Williams and Tsien–designed building. Financial strain prompted the retrench—the $32 million that the institution borrowed to construct the new building caused the museum to buckle. But the museum was also beset by bad luck: The post-9/11 recession exacerbated finances woes, and the closing of West 53rd Street from much of 2002 to 2004 to accommodate the construction of MoMA's Yoshio Taniguchi–designed addition canceled out the anticipated rise in foot traffic. Add in the recession that began in 2008, and the museum had little chance to recover financially.
But the architects also call into question the efficacy of their own design. A circumspect Williams told the Times in 2011 that the spiral galleries were a "challenging place to hang art," and cited the need for more signage: "From the onset, we believed a quiet façade was appropriate," he said. "Looking back, I would tell you we needed to be more aggressive."
The public outcry from the architectural community at the decision to demolish was immediate. Critic Paul Goldberger took to twitter, decrying MoMA as "the new villain in Modernist preservation: a terrible loss," and calling it "the saddest architectural news of the year." Karrie Jacobs said, "What I love about the Folk Art Museum is that it adds to midtown's variegated texture. MoMA, as a rule, doesn't tolerate variegation." And critic Inga Saffron just said, "What a waste."
MoMA plans to start interviewing architects for its new addition by the end of the year.


text:
Sounders acquire Pappa via allocation - January 31, 2014
Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Seattle Sounders FC added midfielder Marco Pappa via allocation on Friday with the club using its place in Major League Soccer's Allocation Ranking Order to acquire the former Chicago Fire man.
Pappa will join the Sounders pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Clearance.
"Marco is a proven and established player who has been very productive in this league," said sporting director Chris Henderson. "He has the technical quality to create chances for himself and his teammates at any moment. Marco has been able to adapt his game to the international level. He is a high-character guy who brings excitement and quality to our midfield."
The 26-year-old spent the 2012-13 season with Dutch side Heerenveen, where he appeared in 11 matches.
Prior to his move to the Netherlands, Pappa played five years in Chicago where he tallied 26 goals and 16 assists in 112 games.


text:
"Thanks Michael. Talk again soon. "
"Susana very helpful, fitted in with our dog's needs and our needs. We would happily recommend her..."
"Absolutely fantastic property, perfect for a dog like ours. Amanda was extremely good to deal with..."
"Nicole and Glen were excellent. They were both kind and caring towards Rosie and made the process..."
"As always, Chris has done a wonderful job looking after our boys. We will always book with him in..."
"Monica was great, we had daily updates and Sonny seemed very happy. No fuss and no worry."
"The dogs were both given lots of love and attention. "
"Absolutely wonderful first experience using a dog sitter. Excellent communication from start to..."
"We were extremely happy with the way Kleo looked after our dog and our house. She left..."
"Thank you so much Victor for looking after Millie. I was so happy to receive regular updates and..."
"Xxxxxxxxx x"
"Kerry was amazing and took great care of my puppy Ralphie. Great communication, very dog focussed..."
"Romina always provides an excellent service. We were able to enjoy our time away so much more..."
"Tilly was great with our Gypsy, going above and beyond to make her feel secure. Highly recommend..."
"Thanks for walking ryder. I hope he enjoyed his puppy play date?! "
"A lovely, pleasant young lady that was a delight to have looking after my pets! I would recommend..."
"Thanks Taylor, Kane & Blayne for taking such great care of Yogi. Looks like Yogi had a great time..."


text:
Susan E. Wells, partner of business law firm Jaburg Wilk, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Scottsdale League for the Arts.
The Scottsdale League for the Arts is a non-profit volunteer organization supporting artists, arts programs and education through fundraising and special events, including the Scottsdale Culinary Festival. Funds raised are granted to arts-focused organizations.
Wells has been a member of the organization for three years and has been actively involved for five. In April 2013, she chaired the VIP Passport to the Picnic Experience at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival. She founded and chaired the "Take the Cake Competition," a cake decorating contest for professionals and culinary art students that showcased participant's creativity and talents to top pastry chefs and Wine Country Brunch guests. In 2014, she will co-chair the "Friends of James Beard Benefit Dinner," a culinary feast prepared by several James Beard award-winning chefs and held at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa.
"The Scottsdale League for the Arts has issued millions of dollars of grant money to arts-focused organizations over its 35-year history," said Wells. "This past year has been one of the League's best years in terms of fundraising. I look forward to working with Jerry McMahon, the incoming President, and the League directors and members in making 2014 an even better year by enhancing the League's legacy and positively impacting the community."
Wells is an attorney at Phoenix Business law firm Jaburg Wilk. Practice areas include Business/Corporate law, Franchise law, Healthcare law and Employment law. She is a 2008 Super Lawyer, listed in Best Lawyers of America, named 2012 Best Lawyers in Franchise Law and named 2013 Lawyer of the year by Best Lawyers. Wells has achieved the Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent® peer review rating, the highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards.


text:
At Harrah's Reno, excitement is always on the table! The fast-thinking strategy of Blackjack, the camaraderie of the Craps table, the tradition of Baccarat – it's all here waiting for you when you pick up the chips and Come Out and Play your favorite Reno casino table games right here.
At Harrah's Reno, casino fun doesn't get more fast-paced than the classic casino table game of 21, better known as Blackjack. Get a hand as close to 21 as possible. Beat the dealer without going over and you win. Getting 21 on the deal is a thrill, but the strategy is what makes Blackjack special – though easy to learn, the strategy of the game can often reflect the strategy of its players.
Craps is a game with a rich history and a language all its own. It's easy for first-timers to be overwhelmed by all the slang and all the betting options – but don't be fooled. Craps is a simple game to learn and an easy one to play – and within minutes, even the most novice players will be cheering and high fiving strangers together as points come up to make players into winners!
Roulette may be the most popular casino table game on earth, with no strategy other than sheer chance in predicting where the ball ends up on the spinning wheel. Pick your lucky numbers, anything from 1 to 36, or 0 and 00 – or hedge your bets with a wager on red, black, odd, even or a column. Place your bets and then watch your lucky number come up!
It's James Bond's casino table game of choice, and now it can be yours on your next visit to Harrah's Reno. This traditional game has only one decision – bet on the player or the bank. The cards are dealt according to specific rules, and the two hands square off for supremacy. It's a straightforward game that is elegant in its simplicity.
Let it Ride
Hit a winning hand in this popular Five Card Stud variation and you could win thousands of dollars! Let It Ride is a game that gives you three chances to win, with three different wagers. When you've got a great hand, just let it ride! Each player is dealt three cards and combines them with the dealer's two community cards. You could win big when you Let It Ride.
Pai Gow Poker is a popular Harrah's Reno casino table game that combines the ancient Chinese Pai Gow tiles with America's classic, poker, to create a game that gives players the best of both worlds. This exciting east-meets-west game is played with a regular deck of 52 cards, plus one joker. Players form two hands of five and two cards; each goes up against the dealer's. Win one face off to push, two to win!
At Harrah's Reno Casino, Three Card Poker is a game that combines two in one! Players are dealt three cards and are paid according to their value. You can play two ways. The game allows the player to wager only on the value of his or her own hand, or the player may wager against the dealer on the value of their own hand. There is also a six-card bonus feature which allows you to combine both the players' and dealers' cards.
This game features head-to-head play against the dealer and an optional bonus bet. It's similar to Three Card Poker, but as the title suggests, four cards are used instead of three.
Let It Ride, Fortune Pai Gow Poker, and Three Card Poker are trademarks used under license from SHFL Entertainment, Inc.


text:
Today you can download HD technology and girls picture downloads on FaceGFX. So free download this simple yet useful HD technology and girls picture downloads File. Please click to direct download link or refer download link. Enjoy!
File size: Size: 8.25MBDownload link 3Download link 4Download link 5Download link 6
Signup for the newsletter


text:
Statement by Minister of State Hoyer on the Floods in Pakistan
(check against delivery)
Mr President,
First of all let me thank you, Mr President, for convening this special UN General Assembly meeting. Your initiative for this important gathering comes timely and is greatly appreciated.
Germany fully aligns itself with the Statement the Belgian Foreign Minister in his capacity as President of the Council of the European Union just delivered.
Mr President,
We have listened carefully to the Secretary General's dramatic report on the situation. Personally, I was deeply moved by his account of the plight of the Pakistani people.
Today, Pakistan is facing an unprecedented natural disaster which has caused tragic loss of life, enormous damage and tremendous suffering.
I would like to join previous speakers and express our sincere condolences to the Pakistani people. In Germany, our thoughts are with the many victims and their families, with those who have lost everything in this disaster and now struggle to recover.
After having received the dramatic reports from Pakistan and in response to OCHA's Flood Emergency Response Plan the German government immediately started its humanitarian assistance operations.
It is my pleasure to announce today that we have decided to further increase our humanitarian aid to 32 million US-dollars (25 million euro). This is on top of the German contributions to the EU humanitarian funds, roughly 18 million US-dollars, and the German contributions to UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The total German humanitarian aid therefore currently stands well beyond 50 million US-dollars.
The bilateral funds go to UN humanitarian organisations, to the International Committee of the Red Cross, to Non-governmental relief organisations as well as to German implementing agencies. It serves to distribute food, drinking water and to provide medical care and shelter to the people in need. Numerous humanitarian aid organisations in the affected areas are already working hard to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the flood.
We thank the Secretary-General for his leadership and also express our support for the important work of his special envoy.
In a disaster of such dimensions, the coordination of aid efforts is also of paramount importance. We commend UN Relief Coordinator Sir John Holmes and OCHA for their tireless and successful efforts to coordinate the international relief reaching Pakistan.
Mr President,
Today, 19th August, is the World Humanitarian Day. It has been created to highlight the role of the many dedicated humanitarian workers who - under difficult and dangerous circumstances - provide life-saving aid to the victims of humanitarian disasters. Therefore, allow me to express our gratitude to the Pakistani and international aid workers in the affected areas who relentlessly work for the suffering population. Their contribution to mitigate the consequences of this crisis is invaluable. They deserve our greatest respect.
Mr President,
So far, our assistance is focussed on the immediate relief and early recovery period. But we must not forget: Pakistan will be confronted with far bigger challenges when the full scale of destruction becomes visible. Damaged infrastructure, destroyed crops and livestock will have massive consequences on the livelihood of the people and on the already strained economy of the country. We all agree: The International Community must stand by Pakistan – also after the waters have receded and the TV cameras have turned away.
Germany will support Pakistan to meet the immediate needs caused by the floods, and we will sustain our support through our long-term development cooperation to overcome the structural challenges the nation faces.
We have built a strong partnership in the framework of the "Friends of a Democratic Pakistan" to jointly ensure a strong and stable Pakistan. Germany will continue to work with the Pakistani government in this framework.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We believe that Pakistan plays a vital role in the region. A stable, democratic and prosperous Pakistan is paramount for peace in South Asia and beyond. In the face of this tragedy, our friendship and support is even more important.
I can assure you: Germany will continue to stand by Pakistan in this challenging time and offer its full assistance.


text:
Donoghue, Emma. Life Mask
Spanning the years between 1787 and 1797, this fictionalized account of a real-life scandal follows three figures in London's beau monde society: common-born actress Eliza Farren, who has spent her life striving to reach the pinnacle of high society; famously ugly Lord Derby, who has spent years pursuing Eliza's affections but must wait until his ill and estranged wife passes away before Eliza can be his; and Derby's friend, the widowed sculptress Anne Damer, who strikes up a close friendship with young Eliza. Politics are complicated in this time—the American Revolution has only recently ended, the French Revolution is about to begin, and liberal and conservative factions are going head-to-head for control of British government—but no more so than romantic and social relationships. Casual (and often shocking to chase Eliza) multiple-partner relationships seem to be the norm among the indolent gentry, and Anne Damer has been fighting rumors of lesbianism which now threaten the reputations of all those close to her as well.
Deliberately paced, with much tension simmering beneath the surface, Life Mask is a compelling portrait of a fascinating time and three appealingly flawed characters. The fast-paced thrills of Donoghue's bestselling Room are not on offer here, but for a reader of novels of manners, there is much to enjoy.


text: The Late Late Show has a new host and once again the producers went to Europe to find a host. In kind of a big deal, James Corden has been hired. In a bigger deal I heard that his bff David Beckham will be a week long guest the first week. Kind of like when Justin Timberlake was on Jimmy Fallon for a week. In 2012 Corden won a Tony Award so he can act and sing. He also knows how to make really bad movies and some really great television like Gavin & Stacey which he created and wrote. This guy is really good and he is going to eventually pass NBC's Late Night and will be there if Stephen Colbert bombs.


text:
Sorry Christmas Mayhem is not working with your browser
-Please read about solutions here
The war of Men vs Monsters goes endless PvP in the stunning ManOrMonster.io!
There are 3 awards in Christmas Mayhem. View All Awards
Oh no! Poor Santa has caught a cold just before Xmas. Olaf, the reindeer, has to help deliver the presents this year. Aim to deliver all the presents in timely fashion. The town folk are waiting, and they are depending on you! Don't let this festive holiday could go down in history as Christmas Mayhem.Add Christmas Mayhem to Your Website Help


text:
By Michelle Dunlop Herald Writer
Aviation officials approved Boeing's new 787 battery system Friday, clearing the way for the Dreamliner to resume passenger flights after being grounded for three months.
"The Boeing team is ready to help get our customers' 787s back in the air where they belong," Ray Conner, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a statement.
Boeing mechanics on Friday were to begin retrofitting customer 787s with an enhanced battery system after the Federal Aviation Administration signed off on the new design. Early next week, the FAA will issue the formal airworthiness directive, allowing 787 operators to return their Dreamliners to commercial service after modification.
The 787 has been grounded from passenger service since Jan. 16 after the jet's lithium-ion battery failed on two 787s. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is holding an investigative hearing next week on the problem, continues to search for the cause of a Jan. 7 battery fire on a Japan Airlines 787 in Boston.
Despite the lack of a root cause, Boeing officials voiced confidence Friday in their updated battery system. The system, which the FAA will require on all 787s, includes an improved cell and battery, enhancements to the battery charger and the addition of a containment and venting system.
"It's been a long haul, that's for sure," Mike Sinnett, 787 chief project engineer, said in a conference call with journalists. "The 787 is and remains a great airplane."
Boeing still could face a challenge convincing passengers of that. But both Sinnett and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reiterated on Friday that the traveling public's safety is their top priority.
"These changes to the 787 battery will ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers," LaHood said in a statement.
Analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group called the FAA certification a positive step. But "we'll see whether it moves forward as planned."
In returning the 787 to service, the FAA will not restrict 787s from long-distance flights that take the airplane up to three hours away from the nearest airport. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta earlier this week said long-range flight certification for the 787 was under review. Long-distance flights are important to customers like Japan Airlines, which was flying the 787 between Tokyo and Boston.
The FAA will observe the installation of new battery systems and is sending teams of investigators to modification sites. Boeing has dispatched 10 teams, 300 employees in all, to customer locations around the world, the company said.
The FAA gave Boeing permission last month to flight-test the revamped system. The company completed the required testing earlier this month. Huerta called Boeing's testing "rigorous" and noted the FAA had devoted weeks to analyzing the design changes.
"The FAA set a high bar for our team and our solution," Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said in a statement. "We appreciate the diligence, expertise and professionalism of the FAA's technical team."
The FAA's initial certification process will be in question at the NTSB hearing next week. The agency announced on Friday that the agenda will include at least six Boeing officials.
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., applauded the work of Boeing engineers and the FAA. He vowed to make sure Congress and aviation officials "review the lessons learned through this certification process."
The FAA's action only directly affects United Airlines, which is the only U.S. airline with 787s. The airline is "mapping out" a plan to return the 787 to service, said a United spokeswoman.
Aviation authorities in other countries are expected to swiftly follow suit. Japanese aviation officials were expected soon to finish their investigation of a Jan. 15 incident involving a 787 belonging to launch customer All Nippon Airways. Japanese carriers have 24 of the 50 Dreamliners that were delivered before the grounding.
Boeing will begin installing the updated battery system on 787s parked in Everett and North Charleston, S.C., after helping customers return already-delivered 787s to service. The company continued building Dreamliner jets during the grounding.
Chicago-based Boeing said Friday that the grounding hasn't changed the company's delivery goal for 2013, and Boeing doesn't anticipate a significant financial impact to 2013 earnings.
Boeing shares rose $1.84, or 2.1 percent, to close at $87.96 Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
787 fleet
Boeing had delivered 50 787s to airlines around the world when the fleet was grounded in January. Here's who owns them:
- All Nippon Airways, 17
- Japan Airlines, 7
- Air India, 6
- United Continental Holdings Inc., U.S., 6
- Qatar Airways, 5
- Ethiopian Airlines, 4
- LAN Airlines (Chile), 3
- LOT Polish Airlines, 2
Steps to resuming 787 flights
- The Federal Aviation Administration certified the redesigned battery system on April 19.
- Crews will install the new system in previously delivered 787s, a process which takes five days per plane.
- Aviation regulators are to give formal operational approval early next week.
- Dreamliner customers will return jets to service.
- Boeing will retrofit previously built but undelivered 787s in Everett and North Charleston, S.C., and will resume deliveries of 787s as they come off the assembly lines.


text:
Scientific defense of freethought wins By Philip Kaltman
Philip received $1,000 from FFRF for his winning essay.
By Philip Kaltman
Since I was a small child, religion was a large part of my life. I attended Sunday school and Hebrew school regularly. I went to Friday night services often, and I trusted that God had a plan and was everywhere.
I have lived in the bible belt my entire life, surrounded by both Judaism and Christianity, but natural science also played a large role in my childhood. Instead of playing baseball, I stood in the outfield watching insects in the grass. Before I could read, I could tell you which dinosaur a skull or tailbone belonged to. I watched "Land Before Time" cartoons and paleontology documentaries. Dinosaurs were my life.
So when my Sunday school teacher explained that Noah put two of every animal on his ark so they would survive, my 7-year-old brain was confused. Where were the dinosaurs? Why weren't they on the ark? Obviously, they existed once, or we wouldn't have their bones.
I got the classic answer, "Because Noah didn't take them." Who was this Noah, and why did he decide to deprive me of dinosaurs?
Later, a documentary showed me that dinosaurs' extinction was due to a massive meteor impact, an answer that made sense. It wasn't some old man's capricious decision, it was a natural occurrence.
That was my first seed of doubt. My synagogue was no longer infallible. It was contradicted by smart scientists.
When I was stung by a bee several years later, it hurt horribly. My parents said the bee was trying to protect itself. So I asked, "Why did it need to protect itself? Didn't God control everything? Wouldn't he protect the bee and me equally?"
Then I learned about the theory of evolution, which led me to understand why animals that could hurt us existed, and to see that perhaps God didn't control the bee and wouldn't protect it and me. This was my first real crisis of faith. Did God exist at all?
The more I learned, the more I doubted, until in 10th grade, I declared in front of my entire synagogue that I did not believe in God. There were gasps, stares and weird looks, but I persevered. After the service, astoundingly, many people congratulated me on my speech and my willingness to share my lack of belief.
I learned that defending my freethought was not something to be nervous about, but instead could be accepted as a good thing. So I tried it more, this time at school.
Despite how secular we want our public schools to be, religion in many places permeates almost every aspect of them. I had to awkwardly explain to my football coach that I didn't know the Lord's Prayer. I repeatedly turned down the friend who invited me to his Fellowship of Christian Athletes prayer sessions.
To overcome this, I helped found my school's first freethinker's club, after jumping through myriad hoops and finding ways around constantly being told we couldn't. We provided a safe haven for others who challenged the faith that is so deeply ingrained in our culture.
Recently, I attended a planning meeting for my Cobb County School District, where a woman demanded that creationist alternatives to evolution be taught in science classrooms. (Cobb County in Georgia became notorious about 10 years ago for putting labels on science textbooks that said "Evolution is a theory, not a fact.")
I was quick to jump in and oppose her. I explained that I had interned in an evolutionary biology lab at Emory University and had seen evolution happen in front of my eyes.
The meeting's leaders gave every attendee a sticker to put next to the viewpoint that they supported. I felt extremely proud as I counted line after line of stickers next to my suggestion that only evolution should be taught in schools, versus the single sticker next to my opponent's.
Philip Kaltman, 17, Marietta, Ga., will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology and major in biology. He interned in an Emory University microbiology lab, researching evolutionary and genetic biology. He was an officer of the Science Honor Society and an officer of the Freethinker's club at his magnet STEM high school.
One nation, under the Constitution By Julianna Evans
Julianna received $2,000 from FFRF for her winning essay.
By Julianna Evans
In schools across the country, students like me are pressured to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning. While I don't see any problem with reciting such a pledge to our country and the values which we hold important, I do have a problem with two words in it: "under God."
In a land of freedom of expression and protection of beliefs, those two words violate the ideals and laws we value. As a nonbeliever, I think I can speak for many people — nonbelievers and members of non-Christian religions — in saying that "under God" is overtly Judeo-Christian and has no place in American public schools or government.
I have never believed in a higher power, and I have always tried to be open-minded and a critical thinker. Although my mother took me to a Lutheran church to expose me to religion, I never felt any sort of religious connection. Both of my parents are nonreligious and have been very supportive of my nonbelief, but my school experiences have shown me that many people won't accept those who don't share their beliefs.
Last year my humanities teacher required students to write a speech about a controversial topic we felt strongly about. I chose the Pledge of Allegiance and focused on why we should remove "under God" from it.
I targeted the issue in an objective way and presented it in a factual and logical manner. I did not make provocative remarks against Christianity, but focused on the viewpoint that religion has no place in public institutions. The response I received from my classmates was astonishing to me. I experienced hostile looks, eye-rolling, muttering and scoffing, primarily from classmates who were heavily involved with their church's youth group.
That my speech was so rudely received was very hurtful to me. Due to this experience, I was less willing to express my views on religion, though I am now returning to the mindset that my nonbelief is part of who I am, and no amount of religious discrimination should prevent me from expressing myself. I would gladly present my speech again and again to advocate for separation of church and state.
I have also been directly influenced by the enforcement of the Pledge of Allegiance in my school. Every morning I am asked to stand with my classmates and recite it with my hand placed over my heart. It has become routine for me to skip the "under God" or to simply not say the pledge at all.
It is uncomfortable for me to be participating in a tradition that, through the addition of two words, goes against my beliefs. But if I were to not participate, I would be ridiculed and regarded as unpatriotic. I love my country just as much as any other American. It's wrong to associate a pledge and the freedom and justice the flag stands for to something as unrelated as religion.
Many people may wonder why this such an important issue for me, when seemingly it's a such a small issue. But we must remember that it's not just the large violations of rights which are important. If we submit to small violations, we run the risk of accepting larger and larger violations.
In issues such as these, we must adopt a "zero tolerance" policy regarding the entanglement of religion and government. With a firewall between church and state, we will then progress in our goal of freedom of and from religion, and of being a nation "with liberty and justice for all."
Julianna writes: "I am 18 and attended Fauquier High School in Warrenton, Va.. and Mountain Vista Governor's School for Science and Technology in Warrenton. I will be attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering. I was heavily involved in my school's marching band program and was Math Club secretary and a Secular Student Alliance member. I won a Gold Medal award for innovation in computer science in March at James Madison University's Junior Science and Humanities Symposium."
Editor's note: In 1943, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, the Supreme Court ruled that students and all others have a constitutional right not to be forced to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance. From FFRF's State-Church FAQ:
"Nor should a student be singled out, rebuked, told they must stand, or otherwise be penalized for following their freedom of conscience. Nor should students who participate in the pledge, or who volunteer to lead the class in the pledge or to recite it over the intercom, be rewarded or favored over students who don't participate."
ffrf.org/faq/state-church (scroll down to Pledge of Allegiance).
My evolution as a freethinker By Delaney Gold-Diamond
Delaney received $3,000 from FFRF for her winning essay.
By Delaney Gold-Diamond
The evolution of the human species has not culminated in a perfect society. It holds on to the vestigial structures of the past, such as religious orthodoxy. Yet humankind continues to grow, change and evolve.
Sometimes mutations randomly occur and our evolution begins to take a different course. We are moving forward and progressing into a society of freethinkers. And, just like evolution, it is a journey that will never end.
My personal evolution as a freethinker mirrors this process. I did not have a sudden jolt of realization during young adulthood, like many freethinkers. I have grown and changed, taken some steps forward and some backward on this journey. But I can say that my atheist worldview has emerged as naturally and organically as the evolution of our species.
When I was 5, my dad and I were driving past the Catholic church in the center of my small town. It was a Sunday, and many well-dressed people were milling around in front. My dad has told me the story of what happened that day many times. Our conversation went like this:
"Daddy, what is that building?"
"That is a church."
"What is a church?"
"A church is where people pray to God."
"What is God?"
"Some people believe there is an all-powerful being who created the universe and all living things. They pray to this being they call God to ask for good things to happen and for bad things not to happen."
After several seconds of awkward silence, my tiny voice piped up from the back seat, "Daddy, do you believe in God?" He said no, and with a huge sigh of relief I replied,
"Good, because that is the dumbest thing I ever heard."
As with philosopher John Locke's "tabula rasa," I was a blank slate. No one had ever taught me to question the existence of a supreme being, nor had I ever had any kind of religious experience. While many seem to think that it is naturally human to believe in a higher power, my experience proves that logic and reason are instinctual. Because I never had any religious indoctrination, I was born a freethinker.
Many of my peers were not so fortunate. While I was allowed to develop my own moral guidelines from reason and rationality, their families subjected them to religious indoctrination.
In first grade, I got into a fight with a boy during recess. He told me I was going to hell because I did not believe in God. I told him that I could not go to hell because it was an imaginary place. He ran off crying, and I knew I had won that debate.
In fact, debate became my passion. Once in high school, for my first foray into the world of competitive public speaking, I chose (perhaps naively) a controversial topic, advocating for a constitutional amendment to remove the words "In God We Trust" from coins and currency. I still remember the stunned looks on the judges' faces. I may not have won many tournaments that season, but that was a matter of secondary importance. I believed in my cause.
Ever since, I have been a devil's advocate (pun intended) in every English, history and government class I have taken, standing up for freethought whenever necessary. I religiously cross out "In God We Trust" on every dollar bill that passes through my hands and refuse to say those two very particular, unconstitutional words in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Evolution is ongoing, never a finished process. I will continue to evolve as a freethinker, just as society will continue to evolve and become more enlightened. I believe in our nation and one day I hope to run for office as an out-of-the-closet atheist, dedicated to the separation of church and state, as our founders intended.
My achievements prove that religion and spirituality are not necessary to lead a successful, moral life. My childhood demonstrates that atheism and freethought are as natural as evolution itself.
Delaney writes: "I'm 18 and I've lived my entire life in Sonoma, Calif. This fall I will be moving 2,000 miles away to attend the University of Chicago to pursue a major in law, letters and society or political science. I plan on attending law school after I obtain my undergraduate degree. While at Sonoma Valley High School, I served as captain of the speech and debate and mock trial teams. I'm a "special distinction" member of the National Forensics League and a member of the Secular Student Alliance."
Karen Abbe, 1959–2014
Karen Abbe, 54, Sacramento, Calif., died of cancer at home May 30, 2014.
She was born Sept. 3, 1959, in Sunnyvale and graduated from Encina High School in 1977 and earned an associate's degree from American River College in 1981 in parks administration. Her career with the state of California from 1980-2012 included the Attorney General's Office, the Board of Pharmacy and Victims of Crime program.
Karen loved to travel in her motor home and took her dog Katie and two cats across the country, from Victoria Island to Niagara Falls.
Survivors include her parents, John and Carol Abbe; a sister, Sandra Abbe; a niece, MaryAnn Estes; and a nephew, Larry Averitt. A private memorial gathering was held in July.
FFRF offers its sincerest condolences to Karen's family.
Elizabeth Blackwelder, 1920–2014
Elizabeth June (Gerrard) Blackwelder, 93, La Cañada Flintridge, Calif., died at home of natural causes Jan. 15, 2014. She was born June 17, 1920, in Evanston, Ill., and grew up in Atherton, Calif. She studied biology at Stanford University and during World War II was a member of the WAVES division of the Navy, assigned to the Naval Medical Research Institute, where she worked on the development of emergency life raft rations, among other projects. After the war, she returned to college at UCLA, earning a bachelor's degree in zoology.
In 1950 she married Spencer Blackwelder, a real estate broker. She managed the insurance arm of the business.
FFRF only recently learned of her death, said Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "Elizabeth and Spencer joined FFRF in 1978 and were among our earliest members. Freethought Today published articles by Spencer in its early editions. I enjoyed corresponding with them. They were always stalwart supporters of freethought and secularism."
A Los Angeles Times obituary noted Elizabeth's love of horses and her ride aboard Chungo across the nation in 1976 to observe American's bicentennial. Her horseback ride as part of a wagon train took six months from California to Valley Forge, Pa.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 1996. Survivors include three sons, Steven of Dana Point, Robert of La Cañada Flintridge and Clyde of San Juan Capistrano; a daughter, Lenora of Glendale; and two grandchildren.
"I remember Liz's warm hospitality when she invited me to stay in her home during a speaking tour in southern California," said Dan Barker, FFRF co-president. "Our thoughts go out to her family and friends."
Victor Stenger, 1935 – 2014
The man who coined the famous phrase "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings" died Aug. 25. Longtime FFRF member and prominent atheist Victor J. Stenger died at age 79 of an aneurysm near the heart at Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu while vacationing with his wife Phylliss in Hawaii. He was also an FFRF honorary director.
He was born Jan. 29, 1935, in Bayonne, N.J., and earned a degree in electrical engineering and advanced degrees in physics. In his last major research project, before retiring in Colorado in 2000, Stenger collaborated on a project in Japan that demonstrated for the first time that the neutrino has mass. The project's head researcher won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2002.
In addition to numerous and influential peer-reviewed articles, he wrote 12 books, including the 2007 New York Times best-seller God: The Failed Hypothesis and the new God and the Multiverse.
That book and subsequent ones placed Stenger in the ranks of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens, the so-called "four horsemen" of New Atheism. The Salt Lake Tribune dubbed him "the fifth horseman" in its obituary.
He was a member of the Department of Physics at the University of Hawaii from 1963 to 2000 and after retiring was adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado.
"We were headed out for a pleasant dinner when he lost his balance on some steps outside our vacation rental and fell against me," Phylliss wrote. "I unfortunately fell against a beam, suffered a skull fracture and concussion and was taken to the emergency room by ambulance. While there, Vic complained about not feeling well and in spite of having a team of neurologists and trauma surgeons, he died within 20 minutes."
The Stengers were married in 1962 and have two children. He was cremated, followed by a memorial Aug. 31 in Honolulu.
"We will miss this great freethinker," said Dan Barker, FFRF co-president. "He gave us so much to ponder and wonder about."
"Our sincerest condolences go to Phylliss and the family," added Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "Vic gave a lot of himself to so many worthy causes and was such a preeminent scientist and skeptic. He will be missed greatly."
To hear a clip from one of his three interviews with Freethought Radio, go to ffrf.org/news/radio and click on the Sept. 6, 2014, podcast.
Essay scholarships to seniors total $10,250
FFRF congratulates the 16 college-bound high school seniors who placed in this year's essay competition. FFRF has offered scholarships through essay competitions to college students since 1979, high school students since 1994 and graduate students since 2010.
The high school contest is named for William J. Schultz, a Wisconsin member who died at 57, was a chemical engineer and cared deeply about FFRF's work. FFRF also thanks Dean and Dorea Schramm of Florida for providing a $100 bonus to students who are members of a secular student club or the Secular Student Alliance. The total of $10,250 reflects bonuses.
Essayists were asked to describe "A moment when you stood up for freethought/secularism" in 500-700 words. There were six top awards and 10 honorable mentions.
First place: Delaney Gold-Diamond, 18, University of Chicago ($3,000).
Second place: Julianna Evans, 18, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ($2,000).
Third place: Philip Kaltman, 17, Georgia Institute of Technology ($1,000).
Fourth place: Harrison Horwitz, 17, University of California-Berkeley ($750).
Fifth place: Kali Richardson, 18, University of Arizona ($500).
Sixth place: Fallon Rowe, 17, Utah State University ($400).
Honorable mention ($200 each):
Adam Bivens, 18, Pennsylvania State University.
Erin Camia, 18, Case Western Reserve University.
Aífe Ní Chochlain, 18, University of Pittsburgh.
Jayne M. Cosh, 18, State University of New York at New Paltz.
Sam Davidson, 18, Northwestern University.
Alida Markgraf, 18, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Ryan Muskopf, 17, Rochester Institute of Technology.
Travis Northern, 17, University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Pranit Singh, 18, Creighton University.
Tara Thankachan, 18, University of Texas-Austin.
"We consider our scholarships for freethinking students to be among FFRF's most important investments in the future of freethought," said Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "There are thousands of scholarships for religious students and hardly any rewarding critical thinking and the use of reason opining about religion."
Upcoming issues will feature top placers in the college and graduate/mature student competitions.
Nonbelievers continue to give secular invocations: Brooke Mulder, Eric Williams, Michele Ritt & Amanda Novotny
Brooke Mulder
City Council, Glendale, Ariz.
Aug. 12, 2014
The purpose of the invocation read before each council meeting is to "add solemnity" to the proceedings. I can't think of anything more solemn or significant than the act of democracy itself. As citizens of this great country, we have the right to participate equally in the proposal, development and creation of laws. We may choose to do this directly, by serving on a city council, as governor or even as president of the United States. Or we may choose to participate indirectly by electing representatives to act in our interests.
Let us all take a moment to reflect on why we are here tonight. If you are here, you may have chosen a path of serving your electorate, to the benefit of their welfare. Or you may have concerns you've chosen to bring in front of the council. We should be grateful that the city of Glendale has those who are willing to serve and those who trust in the system enough to participate in the process. It is people like those that enable us to truly govern ourselves.
My principles as a secular humanist teach me to rely on reason and our common humanity. A city council is an excellent illustration of how people can come together, without supernaturalism, to provide meaningful changes in each other's lives. I would like to leave you with a final thought from Thomas Jefferson: "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. Enable them to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order and they will preserve them."
Thank you.
Brooke writes: I have spent the last nine years as an Army spouse/girlfriend. My husband attended West Point for four years, followed by five years as an active duty infantry officer. I have moved from Florida, to New York, to Georgia, to Washington and finally to Arizona. My husband is now a civilian, so hopefully we can settle down here!
One of the hardest parts of being an Army spouse (in addition to the separations, the deployments and the moves) is the exclusive, nonsecular culture in the Army, especially among the officer corps. The Army is one of the only organizations where your spouse's behavior can affect how your chain of command feels about you and consequently promotions and performance evaluations.
It is an unspoken rule as an Army officer that you should be religious, and preferably Christian. There are constantly prayers before meetings and briefings, religious marriage retreats, invitations to church and bible study.The invitations themselves did not bother me. However, the knowledge that we'd be snubbed after we politely declined did.
I remember one instance, among many, in particular. My husband's commanding officer's wife asked me point blank what religion I was and what church I attended. I didn't even use the "A word" in my answer, but politely told her I did not attend church. After she found out I was not Christian, she never spoke to me again and the social invitations dried up. Now that we are in the civilian world, we are free to admit we are not believers without the fear of career retribution.
Eric Williams
City City Council, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Aug. 12, 2014
Good afternoon. Before I begin, let me offer my thanks to Ms. Dean Beukema for allowing me this opportunity. Her service to our community over the last 25 years reflects her dedication and love for our great community.
Council members, President [Keith] King, thank you for inviting me here.
Thousands of years ago, after emerging from relative obscurity, mankind began to form communities. The first ones were simple hunter gatherers, evolved to feed their own very small camps. Soon, these small camps and tribes began to join to each other, either through violence or simple needs. Either way, they saw joining forces as being the foundation for survival.
Over the millennia, agriculture built even larger tribes. They became large villages, then towns, then cities, then city-states. And even farther, empires and great kingdoms. These people in the later ages eventually became obsessed with power and greed, driven by their beliefs that their higher powers were better than any others. Patton Oswalt, a contemporary comedian, put it simply as, "My Sky Cake is better that your Sky Baklava." These divisions caused chaos within the overall sapien community for millennia.
Then, after centuries of great strife, the "Enlightenment" was born. The United States was built upon the principles of this Enlightenment. The deists that formed our Constitution knew the dangers of sectarian strife and therefore enshrined secular government in our most sacred document.
With this in mind, I stand before the most basic unit of human democracy, the city council. The core unit of our lives as humans living within an inherently secular system. It's the local government that actually guides the daily lives of the citizens of this great nation.
Let us therefore, this afternoon, provide both our vocal and thoughtful support to this most fundamental institution of humanity today, and hope that reason and thoughtful reflection will guide our elected leaders to lead this great city to where it could be.
So be it.
Eric is a member of FFRF and the Atheist Community of Colorado Springs.
Michele Ritt
Dane County Board, Madison, Wis.
June 26, 2014
I find continual inspiration in my family. As a young child, my grandmother instilled in me that community service is a way of life. Me being here today is part of that. My daughter connected me directly to the country of India.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems."
My husband and my son brought me to a completely unexpected world.
Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try."
May the force be with us all.
Michele is a Dane County supervisor and FFRF member.
South Dakota atheist gives invocation
Amanda Novotny, Brookings, S.D., an atheist and Siouxland Freethinkers president, delivered a secular invocation Aug. 5 to open the Sioux Falls City Council meeting:
Thank you, Mr. Mayor, council members, citizens of Sioux Falls and all those present for this opportunity to provide an inspirational opening to your meeting.
Often at this time, you are asked to bow your heads. Instead, I ask you to lift your head up and look around. Turn your attention to this room, a room that has heard countless discussions, frustrations and successes, a room where important decisions regarding your city are routinely made.
Now take a moment to soak in the presence of the men and women in this room, gathered here at this time and place to engage in their civic duty, to contribute and work toward creating a better community. Think of the hundreds and thousands of others who are also affected by the ideas shared here. Let all voices be heard and understood equally.
It is also often customary to read from a book during an invocation, and tonight will be no different. I'll be sharing a quote from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in which Professor Albus Dumbledore said: "Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
Although our differences may be many, we are bound together in similarity as members of the human species. As humans, we have the capacity to appreciate and thank each other, to utilize compassion and reason in our decision making. I ask those present to join me in showing gratitude to the men and women that serve the great city of Sioux Falls. We need only look to each other for guidance and work together to overcome any challenges we may face.
— Transcript courtesy of Hemant Mehta
Living as an atheist in an Islamic state by Charlotte Stein
May God grant you grace. And to you may He do the same. How are you? I am well, thanks be to God. God bless you. You are well? Everything is good, God bless you. Everything fine? God bless you, God bless you. Thanks be to God! OK, well, may God guide you on your path. Oh, God bless you, peace be upon you. Peace, may God grant you grace!
This is an average greeting shared between myself and a passerby in rural Morocco. As an atheist, I don't believe that any gods have ever existed outside of their literary confines. Nope, not any of those named Jesus, Allah, Zeus, Almighty Father, Vishnu, or Woden (though perhaps I could bring to the attention of the government our "Germanic" religious heritage, thus instituting the sacrifice of several pilsners each Wodensday? A fine and honorable mid-week tradition indeed).
I would say maybe two or three of the hundreds of Moroccans I interacted with during my work as a Peace Corps volunteer knew of my lack of faith. Morocco is a nonsecular state, meaning that its citizens are required to follow Islamic Law. Over 99% of them consider themselves Muslim.
I often basked in the warmth of the large, caring family units with Muslim values, who took me in after only minutes of acquaintance. I learned how to tell who truly hoped that Allah would reward me, and those who merely said it because it would look bad if they didn't. I watched my beloved host mother find relief in prayer and extreme pride in her son's close relationship with the village imam.
I chose to suffer through two Sahara summers without food, only to share in the joy of breaking fast when the sun went down.
I love many Moroccan Muslims and enjoyed many of the ways they acted on their religion and how it affected their culture and day-to-day life. The women and girls with whom I worked left me with everlasting affection for the hijab. I get excited whenever I see a woman wearing one. I now see it as an elegant and graceful piece of self-expression worn by some of the kindest, hardworking women I know. I also appreciate the protection it provided from the often objectifying and unnerving glances of Moroccan males.
I have very close relationships with Moroccan men, who respected me and cared for me because of my intelligence, the authority I commanded when necessary and the equality I demanded in all situations. I had a whole community of young men who told me they would never harass me and would protect me from harassment, because they valued me. Apparently, I had earned a special level of respect.
These 14- to 20-year-old students knew me, had worked with me, had lived with me. Take those elements away and I become the thing they have been taught not to value — the object that walks around in public only to seek attention. The object that is to be obtained and used — the younger and healthier the better.
Women face a lot of pressures in Moroccan society, one of which is the heinous act of sexual harassment. When traveling alone in Marrakesh, I would leave my hotel and walk to a restaurant a couple of blocks away, encountering between 10 and 30 men who would shout various comments about my appearance at me, as if they couldn't help themselves.
Or they would just stare, because I was a juicy piece of meat waggling my tender curves in their starving faces. It was taking everything in them not to pounce and devour me. That's how those looks made me feel. That's how women are made to feel when they walk around not attached to their male owner. Why leave the safety of your home when this is what you have to face?
I also witnessed many girls of high school age being bullied to leave school by their mothers and older sisters, who wanted more hands and some company in their homes. My students were made to feel guilty for being so selfish, for taking time to learn and study or for exercising in our running club because it made them feel good. Being healthy is a luxury that women in my community didn't feel worthy of.
So many girls quit school because they knew it was useless; they had no future beyond the home of their family or the family of their husband. Child marriage is incredibly common, and almost always the girl is substantially younger than the groom. This, I was told, is because women age faster than men. Soon she will catch up to her husband; soon her body will be useless. Finding a girl a husband early is doing them a favor, giving them stability and purpose. She finds all of her self-worth in the wealth and standing of her husband and the children they produce.
What an effective way to dominate half the population. So many women I lived with and grew to love were stuck in this cycle of oppression, in a society that doesn't value them and often encourages them not to develop themselves beyond a wife and mother, housemaid and cook.
Tea with Hayat
My 16-year-old neighbor's name is Hayat, which means "life." She is incredibly smart and is the family's only female child. She is shy but confident. She is still in school and promised me she would finish. One afternoon we sat and drank tea, rehashing a sexual harassment discussion we had facilitated at the local youth center.
During the presentation, my host brother, one of the most loving, positive and emotional young men I knew in Morocco, had stormed out. His close study of Islam had convinced him it was inappropriate to discuss such a taboo subject, especially with men and women in the same room.
So much excitement makes for good tea conversation, but Hayat's mother is an expert at changing the conversation, and soon we were discussing God's omnipresence and good will. When asked to chime in with a fitting verse, Hayat mentioned she had not memorized the Quran. This was very upsetting to her mother, but equally incensed, Hayat responded that in her experience, those who memorize the Quran follow it blindly and interpret it in a way that ignores the human experience.
She was referencing my host brother, who had deemed it unnecessary and even forbidden to discuss an issue that so deeply affected women in Moroccan society. At 16, Hayat was thinking more critically than most adults I had encountered thus far. Her words and her thoughts were my hope and kept me working hard to find more freethinking young women to help rise above the fray of everyday life in abject poverty.
I can only hope the admiration that gleamed in my eyes when she spoke conveyed how important she was, and could be.
What the future holds
With smart kids and wonderful people, what seems to be holding Morocco back? Why is Morocco's Islam still so prominent in the poorest, most rural areas? Islam is young, virile and adaptive. Morocco's educated elite are well-off, and its leaders are "liberal" enough to forge important domestic and global relationships, maintaining their role as a "progressive" force in the Middle East. Uprisings and protests are minimal, because those who suffer the most don't have the power to make change.
Being stuck in the rural south, barricaded by mountains on all sides (well, apart from the side that faces the Sahara Desert), I was often frustrated by the lack of resources, the government's apparent ignorance of the suffering of my neighbors, the forced complacency of my neighbors who had little access to quality education, and the exhausting circus that was government bureaucracy surrounding anything from traveling between cities to getting an "official" stamp with your name on it.
But it is changing, shwiya bi shwiya, or little by little as we say in Moroccan Arabic. I was constantly moved by individuals who shined despite the adversity they faced and will continue to inspire me for the rest of my life.
I will leave you with an impressive encounter I had while traveling during the last couple of months of my service. He was a youthful stranger who was intrigued by my "American-ness," and probably by the fact that I was a little blonde girl speaking the local language and taking the local transportation.
While I was used to men asking me why America is a secular state — asking where we got our laws if not from a holy book — and asking me to repeat a verse that would ensure my access to al Jannah (heaven), this experience was truly unique and refreshing. He asked what religion we were, and I said that although Americans are mostly Christian, you are allowed to follow whatever religion you choose, and that most of the religions in the world have some sort of representation in the U.S.
He thought this was fascinating, and pondered it for a while. After some deep reflection and lots of smiles, he said, "I think, that if everyone was allowed to find the religion that was closest to their heart, that they would choose the best elements of whichever they found, and they could be the best, kindest people possible."
This wave of blissful inspiration is an excellent argument for the separation of church and state.
Charlotte Stein is transitioning back into American life in Madison, Wis., helping out as a clerical assistant at FFRF. In her free time, she practices German, French and Arabic on her adorable dog Oscar. She also loves to write, read and eat cheese curds. Soon she will be moving to either of the coasts to work for a development organization.
Meet a Deist Member: Steve Pinski
Name: Steve Pinski.
Where I live: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Where and when I was born: St. Paul, Minn., in 1959.
Family: Linda is the love of my life, best friend and wife of 35 years. Our two married children are also freethinkers; they made the leap much quicker than I.
Education: Bourgade Catholic High School, Phoenix; bachelor's in electrical engineering, Arizona State University; master's in electrical engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology.
Occupation: I work for the federal government. I'm here to help — trust me.
Military service: Retired with 20 years in the U.S. Air Force (10 years enlisted and 10 as an officer). Various jobs included maintaining the avionics on the F-111F, intelligence, acquisition and teaching electrical engineering at the Air Force Academy.
How I got where I am today: I grew up in a very Catholic family with seven siblings. I was an altar boy and received the highest honor in my high school, the Cardinal Award for Christian Leadership. I married at 20 and we raised our children Catholic. I was a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Eucharistic minister and led services known as Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest. Linda and I taught the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the classes required to join the church.
Basically, I went to church every week for 50 years and was as Catholic as possible. As I went deeper into the Catholic Church, the growing doubts became overwhelming. Finally, while reciting the Profession of Faith (Nicene Creed) one Sunday, I realized that I just didn't believe the dogma and doctrine which I was professing to believe; I was not being honest with myself. So, I stopped going to church and started reading about the philosophy of religion. Linda, who had gone to church with me for 30 years, left the church as well, saying "It's about time we both acknowledge the unreasonableness of all religions."
Where I'm headed: I am determined to be mentally faithful to myself. I try not to deceive myself about all things in life. I enjoy reading about the philosophy of religion and why people believe what they believe. The human brain is fascinating.
Person in history I admire: Thomas Paine, who was a deist and wrote passionately about his beliefs and would not equivocate. Part one of The Age of Reason is my favorite book by Paine.
A quotation I like: "It is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing or disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe." — Thomas Paine
These are a few of my favorite things: Traveling, reading and learning about other cultures, beliefs and religions. In the last five years, I have read over 100 books, including ones on atheist, agnostic and theist subjects. I am a strong supporter of FFRF and the separation of church and state.
A few of my least favorite things: People who persecute others for their own agenda: homophobes, transgenderphobes, racists, theocrats, etc.
My doubts about religion started: In grade school. Religion, in general didn't make sense. The more I learned, the worse my doubts became. How could all religions claim to have absolute truth? At best only one could be true; at worst they were all false.
Today, I believe all organized religions are man-made and false. It took me 50 years to break the spell and realize that all holy texts and divine revelations are myths and fables.
Ways I promote freethought: As an FFRF Lifetime Member, I try to respond to as many Action Alerts as possible. I also share my story and my lifetime of doubting organized religion. It's amazing how many people have similar doubts ("De omnibus dubitandum," all is to be doubted).
I wish you'd have asked me: "What do you believe?" I believe in God; however, I believe all organized religions are false. I most closely identify with deism, where God is simply the great mystery behind the existence of the universe. I appreciate the mystery of God; on the other hand I do not profess to understand this mystery.
I do not believe in an anthropomorphic, Santa Claus God who makes wishes come true, cures cancer and will save me from a tornado, but only if I pray hard enough. As a deist, I realize I am a minority in FFRF's freethought membership. Conversely, I have never felt more welcome in an organization as I have amongst the atheists and agnostics here. FFRF is truly an umbrella organization welcoming all freethinkers who promote separation of church and state.
If alive, I believe Thomas Paine would also be a Lifetime Member.