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Tikkun Torah Commentary: Perashat Emor- The Priest Within
by: Mark Kirschbaum on May 11th, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Nietzche was preoccupied with the question of where the "good" came from, and who was responsible for it, that is, what is its "genealogy". Here is his summary statement on the matter:
The judgement "good" did not originate with those to whom "goodness" was shown! Rather it was "the good" themselves , that is to say, the noble, powerful, high-stationed and high-minded, who felt and established themselves and their actions as good, that is, of the first rank, in contradistinction to all the low, low-minded, common and plebian. It was out of this pathos of nobility and distance, as aforesaid, the protracted and domineering fundamental total feeling on the part of a higher ruling order in relation to a lower order, to a "below"- that is the origin of the antithesis "good" and "bad"' (The Genealogy of Morals, Kauffman edition pp 25-26).
Thus, to Nietzche, those who have power are those who create morals for a society. When, as in the ancient times, according to Nietzche's myth, the leadership was in the hands of the aristocratic and noble, there was a different conception of morality than the currently accepted one in bourgeois society, which derives from the ressentiment of the herd, "perverted" towards concepts like pity and shame. The idea that morality as a concept and practice is the result of forces of power in society is developed in Foucault and others. Is this definition of power = morality the case in Jewish thought?
I propose that our perasha offers a test case in reading of these ideas. The way one explains the supplementary prohibitions of the kohanim (I don't like the term "priesthood" loaded as it is with a set of meanings from our European history) in essence situates the concept of an elite within Jewish society.
The textual issues which give rise to this discussion in the commentators is found at the outset of our perasha. Perashat Emor begins with Gd telling Moshe to speak to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon, instructing them not to be defiled by contact with the dead. The word emor, speak, is repeated twice in the verse. The Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 114. explains this duplication as instructing the priests to caution the adults to educate the children as well in the ways of ritual purity, so that the children don't defile themselves either. The Hebrew phrase used to explain this is very concise and leads to several alternate readings "l'hazhir gedolim al ketanim"- translated literally, warn the big regarding the small. The Midrash adds that this repetition of the command Emor, is necessary because of the presence in humanity of an evil inclination, and thus, being easily corruptible, requires its warnings in duplicate.
The Kotzker finds this Midrash's meaning to be adressed to the wrong audience. If a duplicated warning is mandatory for those in a lower state, then duplications should be present in commands relating to the masses, not the priesthood, the spiritual elite, as it is here! So why then is it directed at the Kohanim, instead of towards the masses?
According to the Kotzker, this message of spiritual weakness is specifically directed to the Kohanim as an educational paradigm oriented toward the entire people's transformation. That is, the duplication addressed to the kohanim is meant to teach the body of Israel, that if these people who are so close to the Temple need a special extra precautionary warning, then how much more careful everyone else must be!
At any rate, returning to our original question of valuation of spiritual hierarchies, among the classic Hasidic thinkers, we notice a trend, whereby the status of the Kohen is diminished in favor of the people as a whole. The Tiferet Shelomo notes that the opening verse begins in the plural, addressed to the Kohanim, but ends with the singular- here's the verse transliterated: v'amarta alehem, you shall say unto them, lanefesh lo yitama b'amav, that the kohen should not "yitama", defile himself, among the people. Spiritual elitism? According to the Tiferet Shelomo, the purpose of the kehuna as an institution is primarily concerned with elevating the entire people, thus, the subject of the verb yitama (defiled) is not the kohen, but rather is an injunction against letting any nefesh b'amav, a person of the nation, be defiled. In other words, don't read it that no priest should profane himself among the people, rather, read the verse as: Teach the priests to create an environment which prevents the people, b'amav, from becoming profaned. Not letting any individual stumble is the primary purpose of the institution of kehuna. The Sefat Emet (in the sermons from 1877, trl"z) suggests that the level of holiness of the kohen is in a direct relationship to the level of holiness of each individual among the rest of the people. The spiritual level of the kohen is not only some individual attainment, but rather reflects the level of the people as a whole. When the people are led to greatness, their leaders are then great.
The Kedushat Levi, the Be'er Mayim Hayim, and the Noam Elimelech share an interesting, more radically egalitarian view. The Kedushat Levi explains that the phrase "the sons of Aharon" is superfluous, after all, we know who the kohanim are descended from. To him, this phrase is meant to keep the kohanim modest. The kohen can not lord his position over others, as his position is solely a result of lineage, something which one doesn't earn, and can't be said to deserve, so what does he have to be a big shot about? Thus he must fulfil his duties not thinking he is any more special than anyone else as a result (this is exactly the opposite of how many organizations, including contemporary chassidut with its emphasis on lineage, evolved).(The Kedushat Levi thus also reads the double emphasis on the word "emor" "say", not just as a teaching for the kohanim, but to all people as a message to keep their speech from becoming defiled.)
The Noam Elimelech very aggressively denies the validity of pride about lineage, the person's "am", his volk or genitori, which he refers to as a "tuma'a", a defilement! He thus rereads the end of the verse transliterated above as "the kohen shouldn't defile his soul with pride about his people". Once freed from reading this passage concerning the priesthood, he rereads the above cited Talmudic teaching regarding "Gedolim al ketanim", warning the great regarding the lesser, in two ways of interest to us:
1. That even those in a lofty spiritual state (gedolim) must be concerned about their own seemingly trivial sins (ketanim).
2. The idea of repetition as in Kierkegaard: When in a high spiritual state (gadlut), the individual must attempt to descend with the lessons of that state back into the quotidian, the everyday. The challenge is to carry the spiritual heights of specific moments of grandeur back into ordinary life and society. It is not a great achievement to feel spiritual when at a point of spiritual high, it is maintaining that moment in everyday life that is the achievement.
The Be'er Mayim Hayim stresses the mutual inter-relatedness of all the strata of the people; there is a mutual responsibility upon every sector of society to not pull the others down. He explains that this teaching intentionally is presented after the Nadav V'Avihu episode, which was a failure not of the masses but of the upper echelons of spiritual society, and thus wonderfully inverts the assumed standard reading of the "l'hazhir gedolim al ketanim" maxim: The ordinary people should not be misled by the sins of the leadership!
In conclusion, let us turn to the teaching of R. Zadok Hacohen, who at the outset seems to teach that the kohanim do have a privileged position, but his inversion of who the kohanim are is most dramatic- to R. Zadok, all of Israel ultimately are the kohanim .According to the Midrash Rabba, this perasha of spiritual nondefilement for the priesthood comes as a reward for the "yir'ah", the awe, with which Aharon, forerunner of the priestly clan, approached Gd when called to the altar (see Rashi on Vayikra 9:7, supported by Malachi 2:5). The Midrash adds that this honor will be bestowed upon all his subsequent generations, even after the Temple is destroyed. But what significance does non-defilement have in the absence of the Temple, when the ritual rites of purification are no longer in existence? R. Zadok explains that even if the physical edifice on Mt. Zion no longer exists, the "Temple" still exists. Where is it? In our hearts, as quoted according to the Midrash Shir Hashirim Rabba. There, Gd is referred to as the heart of the Jewish people; the Midrash's proof text refers to Gd as being "shochen", dwelling, in our hearts; the word "shochen" is etymologically related to the word for the sanctuary, the "Mishkan"- thus there, in our heart, is the Temple, where Gd's presence dwells. As a result of yir'ah, awe before the Divine Presence, the descendents of Aharaon are always ready to enter this Temple, the one alive, beating, and present inside each and every one of us. And in truth, it is not only genetic kohanim who have this ability. We are all described as having this same awe, this yir'ah that enables us to encounter Gd dwelling within us, on the Shabbat, as stated in a halachic context in the Mishna, Demai 4:1, and in the Jerusalem Talmud there. The Zohar states explicitly that Shabbat in time is equivalent to the Temple in space, so that keeping the Shabbat is equivalent to serving Gd in the Temple. Thus, in summary, when we attune to proper consciousness, we are all equivalent to kohanim serving in the Temple- in that Temple within each and every one of us.
Once we have reached a situation of reading whereby the priestly texts regarding Kohanim can be understood as referring to inter- and intra- personal issues, then we are open to lovely readings of the sort presented by R. Hayim of Sanz in his Diverei Hayim. The Diverei Hayim expands a suggestion by the Noam Meggidim that the nefesh, a metonymic term that is usually read as "a person" referred to in the opening verse of Perashat Emor, refers not to the priest but actually means what its literal translation says it is, the "soul" (that is, nefesh is translated as soul rather than person). Verse 21:1 reads: lanefesh lo yitama b'amav,generally translated as "the priest should not become ritually impure among the people". However, in the spirit of the subversion described throughout this essay, the Noam Meggidim and Diverei Hayim democratize the reading to refer to each individual soul. The Divrei Hayim adds a radical translation of the word amav, which is generally read as deriving from the root "am", meaning "the people". However, he suggests that the root here is one with a doubled m, which is the term used for the dwindling flickering of a coal, the dimming light of the ember. Read in this light, the Divrei Hayim reads the verse as follows: When the spiritual achievement of a particular individual (soul, nefesh) has reached a low point (its immui, its dwindling), it should not give up hope and self destruct in despair (lo yitama, giving a psychological spin to the ritualistic term "impurity"). A person should not become depressed even when one feels really down. Rather, every person should realize that even at the lowest point, when one feels one has entirely lost all connection to spiritual life, one can restore ones self to a state of great holiness and wholeness.
Here's an additional reading along these lines, one that transfers the verse into one making reference to more rarified concepts about prayer and consciousness. The Pri Haaretz, R. Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, reads "nefesh" as referring to prayer (the term is used frequently in relation to David, who is viewed metaphysically as the archetype of prayer/shekhina). Prayer, to the Pri Haaretz, takes flight when it is intended as a contemplation of the Divine, as opposed to the "grounded" form of prayer as petition for personal gain. The latter to him is degraded prayer,defiled- "tamei". As such he read our verse as instructing us that the soul/prayer must not be defiled by "amav", the physical drives and desires of the body (with all the components of the physical organism incorporating, as it were, a whole population of desires). Thus the teaching "l'hazhir gedolim al ketanim" is read as " To illuminate (l'hazhir from the root "zohar" meaning to glow), the higher, expanded consciousness (the term "gadlut" is a frequent Lurianic term for higher states of consciousness) into the lower worlds, the lower states of mind (that is the material world, "katnut" read as small mindedness).
We have seen how a seemingly exclusionary set of dry ritualistic exhortations regarding an "elite", have become transvalued into a set of universally normative spiritual and ethical goals and guidelines. In our readings, we look to the "masses" not as the source of ressentiment as did Nietszche, but rather to each and every person at every level and rank as the source of endless spiritual renewal.


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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The day after one of Iraq's bloodiest days for months, shoppers and drivers packed the streets of Baghdad on Thursday, grimly aware that death can strike anywhere, any time.
At least eight bombs hit the capital, mostly in Shi'ite districts, on Wednesday, killing 40 people and wounding 88, while attacks elsewhere pushed the national death toll to 78.
"We are afraid even when we are in our houses, because we do not know the enemy," said Raed Mohammed, as he and his assistant put spare machine parts back on the shelves of his shop, which had been damaged by one of the blasts in the Karrada neighborhood.
"We don't know who is targeting us. We aren't in a war where we know who we're fighting," said the shopkeeper, shaven-headed apart from a neat goatee beard.
"We've lost our sense of security. Sometimes we have days when security is good, followed by days of relentless attacks."
Mangled corrugated iron sheeting hung down from the storefront, which was open to the street. Pedestrians strode by without a second look at the pool of blood staining the asphalt.
"We walk in the streets with death certificates in our pockets," Mohammed said. "We always have the feeling we won't be going home. The problem is every one of us has a family, a wife and children to feed, so how would they live without us?"
Despite the almost daily carnage, Baghdad's 7 million people have no choice but to go about their lives.
Sometimes the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claims responsibility for the blasts, especially those involving suicide bomb attacks on ministries or other high-profile targets. Many explosions are never claimed.
"Every day, when I leave the house, I tell my wife what to do if I die," said a middle-aged passer-by in a green jacket who gave his name only as Adel.
"I'm afraid to take my wife and children out. I'm thinking of stopping my child from going to school out of fear that schools will be bombed," he said.
Two years after U.S. troops left Iraq, violence has climbed back to its highest levels since the Sunni-Shi'ite bloodletting of 2006-2007, when tens of thousands of people were killed.
The United Nations says nearly 9,000 people died violently in Iraq last year, all but 1,050 of them civilians.
The bombers have been just as diligent this year, with tension high since ISIL gunmen and their Sunni tribal allies seized the city of Falluja west of Baghdad on January 1, exploiting widespread Sunni resentment at the Shi'ite-led government.
The bombing campaign, whose targets include the army and police, Shi'ite civilians and pro-government Sunni tribal fighters, appears aimed at provoking Shi'ite militias to retaliate and plunge Iraq back into open sectarian warfare.
Such calculations are lost on Baghdad's residents, who, like people everywhere, just want to work, relax and send their kids to school knowing they will come home safely.
Men smiled and joked in the winter sunshine as they waited to pay for their fruit and vegetables at a market stall. A woman dressed in black wheeled a toddler past toys laid out on the pavement. Honking vehicles snarled the roads as normal.
"It is true the security situation is unstable, but you can see people out and about," said Fadhil al-Nidawi, a man in his 40s.
"After each attack, people clean up, remove the rubble and go on with their business as usual. People have got used to it ...
"Those who want to harm Iraq should think it over - they will achieve nothing."
(Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

subset: commoncrawl


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Amazing Migrations
by Stephen James O'Meara
From whales to butterflies, animals around the globe are on the move. Who hasn't noticed geese flying south for winter, or the seasonal appearance of whales off our coasts? Who isn't aware of the almost clockwork-like appearance and disappearance of certain species of birds in the spring and fall?
While most of us anticipate the comings and goings of the animals that visit our neighborhoods, some scientists are gaining a more global perspective on the seasonal mass movements of animals, known as migrations. Millions of creatures undertake these extraordinary journeys of survival each year. Here are some of the most mysterious—and perhaps most unknown—amazing migrations.
Great White Sharks
Great White Sharks mysteriously appear each spring along the U.S. coast of the north Pacific, in an area called the "Red (Blood) Triangle." No one knows where they come from. They arrive in early April, at the Farallon Islands, 48 kilometers west of San Francisco, where they feed on newborn seal pups. The sharks then swim south to the Channel Islands off the coast of Los Angeles, where they give birth. Come summer, the sharks circle northward to Ano Nuevo Island (just south of the Farallons) before they migrate to southern Alaska. What happens after that? No one knows.
Arctic Terns
Arctic Terns are the undisputed "migration marathon" champs. Each year, they fly from the Arctic to the Antarctic—a roundtrip of 32,000 to 40,000 km. They leave the Arctic in the fall, flying eastward across the Atlantic and then southward along the west coast of Europe and Africa, until they reach the Antarctic Ocean. In the spring, they return along the east coast of South and North America. Because the terns are in both the Arctic and Antarctic during the periods of the longest days, they see more daylight than any other living creature!
Desert Locusts
Desert Locusts hold the record for the longest insect movement. Migration in insects serves not only for escape from old habitats but also for reproduction and colonization in new ones. Each year, seasonal winds carry these breeding insects from the west coast of Africa, at Mauritania, to as far west as the West Indies—a distance of 4,500 km. Others have reached the east coast of South America. In fact, some probably traveled thousands of kilometers from their habitats in north Africa before they began their trip across the Atlantic.
Red Crabs
Red Crabs of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean make one of the most bizarre migrations known. At the beginning of the wet season (usually October through November), some 120 million of these land crabs scurry from the forest to the sea, where they breed and lay eggs. The crabs travel more than 90 meters in an hour to prevent dehydration in the hot sun. The three-week journey involves climbing down high cliff faces, marching through human settlements, and crossing streams and highways. If caught in unshaded heat, the crabs die; about one million are killed crossing streets. The migration is linked to the phases of the moon, so that eggs may be released into the sea precisely at the turn of the high tide during the last quarter moon.
Green Turtles
Green Turtles leave their feeding grounds off the coast of Brazil to begin a remarkable 2,000-km roundtrip journey to tiny and remote Ascension Island in the south Atlantic. Adult turtles make this journey every three to four years. The turtles swim for six weeks through open ocean to nest, it appears, on the very beaches where they were born. After their young are born, the turtles return to the coast of Brazil. The method by which the turtles find Ascension Island is not fully understood, and is considered one of the most amazing navigational feats of all species in the animal kingdom.
Loggerhead Turtles
Loggerhead Turtles migrate in enormous circles in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Pacific route takes them from Japan to Mexico and back again. That's a 30,000-km roundtrip, and one of the longest migrations recorded. (It is longer than the 20,000-km roundtrip of gray whales on their annual voyage between Mexico and the Arctic.) A third of Japan's loggerhead turtles nest on Yakushima Island. One of them, which had spent a year at the Okinawa Aquarium before being tagged and released in 1988, was recaptured six years later…in Mexico!
Zebras, Gazelles, and Wildebeests
Every year, around the end of the wet season in April, Africa's Serengeti Plain is the site of the greatest wildlife show on Earth, as some 200,000 Zebras, 500,000 Gazelles, and 1.5 million Wildebeests follow the rains and cross some of the continent's most spectacular landscapes. The main migration starts in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the southern Serengeti, where the animals calve between January and mid-March. The migration then heads north into the Serengeti's western corridor, almost as far as Lake Victoria. When the grass supply has been exhausted, usually at the end of May, the herds move farther north to the Kenyan border before returning to their breeding grounds. by the time they arrive, the grounds are once again green and lush. In the end, the animals will have covered thousands of kilometers—that's if they successfully avoid the multitude of lions, leopards, cheetahs, crocodiles, wild dogs, and hyenas, who must see the great migration as a super-value meal!
- This article mentions several types of animals that migrate for various reasons. Why do animals migrate to breed? What might be some of the benefits in traveling, sometimes thousands of miles, to breed? Write a few sentences explaining what you think some of the benefits might be.
[anno: Answers will vary but could include opinions about a more abundant food supply and fewer natural predators in breeding grounds.]


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Gluten Free Galette Buckwheat Crepe Recipe with Lowfat Creamy Mushroom Filling
Buckwheat is a mysterious thing. I was always vaguely nervous about it, because of the name, BuckWHEAT, and because most (all?) mainstream American Buckwheat pancake mixes also contain wheat flour, making them off limits and uninteresting. But pure buckwheat is gluten free, so what is it, and why is it called buckwheat?
Despite the common name and the grain-like use of the crop, buckwheats are not grasses and are not related to wheat. . . The name "buckwheat" or "beech wheat" comes from its triangular seeds, which resemble the much larger seeds of the beech nut from the beech tree, and the fact that it is used like wheat. . . . The fruit is an achene, similar to sunflower seed, with a single seed inside a hard outer hull. The starchy endosperm is white and makes up most or all of buckwheat flour. The seed coat is green or tan, which darkens buckwheat flour. The hull is dark brown or black, and some may be included in buckwheat flour as dark specks. The dark flour is known (exaggeratedly) as "blé noir" ("black wheat") in French, along with the name sarrasin ("saracen"). (source: Wikipedia)
Pure buckwheat is completely gluten free, and is surprisingly versatile. I first had Buckwheat in a tasty, healthy gluten free cereal called Mesa Sunrise- one of the few "adult" cereals that I actually liked. It has a wide variety of traditional applications internationally, though- Buckwheat groats, the whole grain, are are popular in western Asia and eastern Europe, especially in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. In the 20th century, it was most commonly eaten in a dish called "kasha" where the roasted groats are simmered in broth until they resemble rice.
In Japan and Korea, Buckwheat is used in noodles respectively called soba and memil guksu. Unfortunately, while I can't speak for Korean buckwheat noodles, almost all Japanese soba noodles also contain wheat. Luckily, while I was living in Japan I was able to find an exception: a 100% soba flour noodle, although it did contain a warning in Japanese that it is produced in a factory that also works with wheat products. Luckily, I never seemed bothered by it, and I was immensely happy to be able to experiment with at least one traditional Japanese ingredient. One of my most recent experiments with soba noodles was a spa salad, but I also enjoy using them in fox noodle soup, a dish that contains fried tofu and soba noodles in a rich, salty broth. Interestingly, while gluten intolerance is rare in Japan, serious soba allergy seems about as common as peanut allergies are in the states. I worked with several Japanese teachers who had a serious, life threatening allergy to buckwheat. Luckily I think this kind of allergy is far less common in western populations.
Buckwheat flour is also used in a variety of traditional pancakes, like buckwheat blinis in Russia, galettes in France (especially in Brittany), ployes in Acadia and boûketes in Wallonia. American pioneers also reputedly chowed down on their own variety of buckwheat pancakes. In Ukraine, yeast rolls called hrechanyky are made from buckwheat. Interestingly enough, I actually had my first buckwheat crepe in Japan at the French retail store, Carrefour. (Sadly, in 2005 Carrefour withdrew from Japan and their shares were purchased by the Japanese largest store chain, Aeon. Doh!) Their unique food court boasted a buckwheat crepe shop with some 100% buckwheat crepes. I nervously ordered one and (nervously) enjoyed my first buckwheat crepe- with smoked salmon, as I recall. It was delicious. (And I felt fine afterwards, even better!)
Being me, I immediately became obsessed with this new food, the French buckwheat crepe that was called Galette. (The name crepe seems to be a general term for wheat flour crepes.) According to my friend Wikipedia, "Crêpe is a type of thin pancake mostly associated with the region of Brittany where it replaced at times bread as basic food, but it is eaten as a dessert countrywide. Buckwheat was introduced as a crop suitable to impoverished soils, so [in addition to] Britanny, buckwheat crêpes were known to other regions where this crop was cultivated, such as Limousin or Auvergne." Rather than being filled with something sweet, the gallette often contains "egg, apple slices, meat, fish, cheese, salad or similar ingredients. One of the most popular varieties is a galette covered with grated gruyère cheese, a slice of ham and an egg, cooked on the galette." (source: Wikipedia) Sounds delicious, right? Do be careful if you see them available in restaurants or small shops, though- as with most dishes using an unusual, gluten free flour, most proprietors add wheat for additional ease in preparation and to lower the cost of production. Besides my one experience in Japan, I have never found a gluten free source of gallette, except for my own kitchen, of course.
Which brings me to today's post. You may have noticed I've been a bit quiet in the kitchen lately. The French reading class I was taking recently culminated in a three hour exam that sapped all creative energy out of me- I've been eating, and even eating the things on my menu, but I've also been eating my fair share of frozen meals. However, that all ended dramatically yesterday. I woke up, checked my email, and started thinking about food. Recently there have been a fair number of gluten free crepe recipes floating about. I've always loved crepes- with their high protein ingredients of eggs and milk, they adapt very well to being made gluten free. The hardest thing about them is waiting for the batter to set in the refrigerator (usually about 30 minutes), and standing over the stove making your stack of crepes. I usually get restless halfway through the process, but the end result is entirely worth it.
Recently I shared my favorite tried and true sweet crepe recipe with you, but this time I thought I should embrace my stronger savory side and create a delicious savory mushroom gallette that would be perfect for a romantic brunch for two or marvelous for an impressive dinner party. I searched high and low for recipes, and finally came up with a combination of several recipes that could be adapted to my needs. Gourmet magazine had a lovely recipe for buckwheat crepe noodles that inspired the crepe base for my recipe, and my favorite magazine, Cooking Light, actually won me over with a low fat but flavorful mushroom filling with just a dab of cream cheese. I have to admit, I was enchanted by CL's suggestion to create a crepe "purse" for a more dramatic presentation. I mixed my batter in the blender, sauteed a delicious mushroom filling, and created three different presentations of the crepe- a traditional crepe roll, the sophisticated (but trying) crepe purse, and finally a square crepe package as a compromise between the two. Then I sat on my sunny balcony and enjoyed some perfect French gallettes with a savory (but not calorie laden)mushroom filling, while sipping a cappucino and chilled herbal tea. It was the perfect way to celebrate the completion of my reading French class. So- for now, au revoir, and bonne chance! Why not try your hand at a gluten free galette recipe of your own? It's well worth the effort.
*notes: While the recipe contains both eggs and dairy, I think you would probably have good results substituting dairy free milk. For the filling, barring any soy allergy, Toffutti cream cheese would be an excellent replacement for dairy cream cheese.*
Gluten Free Buckwheat Crepe Recipe
1 1/2 cups lowfat milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup GF buckwheat flour (Bob's Red Mill is produced in dedicated facility)
1/4 cup Favorite GF flour blend (white is better)
1/2 tsp salt
liberal sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
1 or 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Additional margarine or butter, melted
Savory Mushroom Crepe Filling Recipe
Combine all ingredients through pepper in blender until thoroughly blended. Add 1 tbsp and 1.5 tsp melted margarine/ghee mixture and parsley and combine one more time. Pour into large cup or small bowl.
Heat nonstick frypan on medium heat, and baste a little melted margarine or butter on it to cover lightly. When it is hot (but not smoking!) take a very scant 1/4 cup (minus a tbsp. or so) of batter in your left hand (if right handed) and remove the fry pan from the stove with your right hand. Pour the batter directly in the middle of the pan and swirl the pan with your right hand so batter smoothly covers entire surface of pan. If you have any bubbles without batter you can dip your finger in the batter (what, not hygienic?) and let a little dollop drip into the hole- IF You act quickly. Otherwise, just let it be. When the crepe starts to dry out on the edges (about 15 seconds), take a plastic spatula and gently poke the outside of the crepe all around the edge so that it has lifted slightly from the pan. Use your fingers to carefully peel the crepe off the pan and flip it over, leaving it for another 15 seconds before removing it to a plate. Continue. Brush pan with more margarine between crepes. The first crepe or so may be harder to remove from the pan- don't worry, it just takes a little time to get the right temperature and oil combination. Continue until you've made all your crepes, snacking on any deformed crepes. Reserve.
To assemble crepes, you have three options.
1) Fancy shmancy crepe purses
How to make crepe purses: Put 1/3 cup or so of your filling in the center of the crepe, gently lift up all the edges and gather the crepe up right above the filling. Tie a (pre-boiled for 6 minutes, cut into long green thread green onion green top) DRY green onion ribbon around it, remove to a baking pan.
2)The smart woman's pouch- so much easier, unlikely to result in ripped crepes, slightly lower fancy shmancy rating but not by much.
How to make the SW crepe pouch: Put 1/3 cup or so of filling in the center of the crepe. Fold over one side, and then another, like you're wrapping a flat present. Your goal is to make a little square pouch. Tie one of those boiled, extra long green onion tops around the whole pouch and tie it, just like a present.
3)Easy Peasy Traditional Crepe- No risk of tearing, little imperfections are less likely to show up in the finished product.
How to make a traditional crepe with filling: Put 1/3 cup of filling or so in a line going from one side of the crepe to another. You may want this to be slightly left of center. Lift the side of the crepe and wrap it up in a little tube. Easy, and yummy. If you want to be really crazy you can still tie a green onion around it, but it isn't necessary.
I was so happy with this recipe. I can see myself making it a lot in the future. YUM!!
Mushroom Crepe Filling Recipe
at least 6 green onions, with green tops cut off and reserved and white part chopped
1 1/2 tsp butter or margarine
2-3 diced fresh garlic cloves
1 portobello mushroom, diced
2-3 cups crimini mushrooms (or various types of mushrooms)
1/3 cup white wine
1 tbsp. lowfat cream cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp. assorted fresh herbs
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
generous dash of freshly ground black pepper
8 GF buckwheat crepes
For crepe purses, cut the green tops off your green onions and cut them down the middle to create two long green onion ties. Boil them for about 10 seconds and then remove them to drain. Spin in a salad spinner if you have some to remove any last bits of water.
Heat your butter, margarine, or olive oil on medium and when hot, throw in your garlic cloves and the white part of your green onions. When it has heated through, add your mushrooms and sautee until they are soft and have released some of their juices. Add the white wine and simmer until the liquid has evaporated and your mushrooms are thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat and add your tablespoon of lowfat cream cheese (or toffuti Cream Cheese) and mix until the cream cheese has dissolved into the mushrooms. Sprinkle your fresh herbs, salt and pepper and mix through the entire mix.
Reserve and use as filling for your savory crepes. (this is enough for 8-10 crepes, double recipe if desired)
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Ludlow suit pant in Italian chino
Prices do not include taxes.
size & fit
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Product Details
Timeless, versatile and seriously stylish, the Ludlow will quickly become the foundation of your suiting wardrobe. This one is made in cotton chino from Italy's famed Larusmiani mill in Milan. It's lightweight and less brushed than most chino, so it's cooler in the heat. Translation? It's breathable and comfortable but still looks crisp and polished. Find out how to get the perfect fit.
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- Italian cotton from the Larusmiani mill.
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- On-seam pockets, back welt pockets.
- Partial Bemberg lining.
- Dry clean.
- Import.
- Item A0503.


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2013 comes roaring in
2013 comes roaring in
Fireworks exploded over Boston Common Monday night as revelers crowded Boston for the annual First Night celebration.
Organizers expected more than a million people to take in the sights and performances.
Lion dancers with the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association performed on Boylston Street.
Mark Chenevert played saxophone with the Hot Tamale Brass Band.
Onlookers crowded Boylston Street to see the New Year's parade.
An inflatable dinosaur was seen in Boston.
Lee Fields and the Expressions performed at Jordan Hall in Boston.
Lucinda Briggs of Wellesley was in Copley Square earlier in the day.
Confetti rained on revelers at midnight in Times Square in New York.
Revelers in New York's Times Square took in the festivities.
Fireworks lit up the sky and Big Ben in London just after midnight there.
Fireworks exploded over the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.
A ferris wheel was lit up in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Pakistani youths celebrated early on Jan. 1 on a street in Lahore.


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At another point this season, Florida will need to figure out how to execute in clutch situations.
At another point this season, Florida will need to figure out how to execute in clutch situations.
It most likely won't happen tonight, when the No. 8 Gators return home to face Southeastern Louisiana at the O'Connell Center. Of the 347 teams in Division I basketball, Southeastern Louisiana ranks 339th in RPI, which measures a team's record (1-7) with its schedule strength.
But with a chance to pick up a statement road win at Arizona done in by poor play down the stretch, Florida spent its last two practices trying to learn from its mistakes.
"When you play against good teams, you've got to play all the way through for 40 minutes," Florida coach Billy Donovan said.
The loss against Arizona dropped Florida to 2-6 in its last eight games decided by five points or less. Overall, Donovan is 58-74 in games decided by five points or less in 17 seasons at UF. Turnovers, defensive breakdowns and missed free throws have all played roles in Florida's recent close losses.
Comparing it to a closer in baseball, Florida has had its share of rough outings in recent seasons.
"I think obviously when you talk about a trend or a theme, it's a pretty broad-based thing," Donovan said. "If it was one specific thing where I think 'Geez, this is really causing us a problem,' but it's been a lot of different things."
One thing won't change — Donovan said he's still comfortable with Kenny Boynton having the ball in his hands in late-game and late-half situations. Boynton dribbled the ball off his foot in the closing seconds of the first half, a turnover that resulted in a Solomon Hill dunk that cut Florida's lead to 32-29 at halftime. In the second half, Boynton took an ill-advised 3-pointer with 1:55 left and 30 seconds on the shot clock and committed one of UF's three turnovers in the final 56 seconds of the game.
In reviewing film of the three straight turnovers on in-bounds plays, Donovan said the first occurred when Boynton made a break to get open but stopped running for the ball. The second came because Scottie Wilbekin broke too close to the baseline on an Erik Murphy in-bounds, and the third he felt Boynton anticipated getting fouled rather than being strong with the basketball.
Donovan said he felt players in the final two minutes became careless, expecting to be fouled right away rather than focusing on getting the ball upcourt.
"What was most important was for us to get the ball in bounds first," Donovan said. "You know I told our guys if in some way, we really, really learn from this, it will be very beneficial going forward. If we didn't learn, it will be two things — we didn't learn, and it was a tough loss."
As the mistakes snowballed, Donovan said he felt the Gators lost focus on the defensive end on the floor. He thought Florida could have gotten stops following two of the three in-bounds turnovers.
"Maybe we got a little nervous," Florida junior forward Will Yeguete said. "I don't know. I feel like we had never been in that situation before, in the season, so maybe that's why we were a little nervous about it. But we just have to move on and move past that loss."
Even with 7.6 seconds to play, Florida had a chance for a final shot, but poor execution doomed the Gators again. Donovan said both Murphy and Wilbekin ended up behind the end line, and there was confusion over who would in-bound the basketball. As a result, Arizona had time to set its defense in transition, and Wilbekin flailed a last-second shot attempt that was nowhere close to the rim.
"We didn't do a very good job there," Donovan said.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Donovan said he was encouraged with how hard and how well Florida executed on the road for 38-plus minutes. During a one-and-a-half minute stretch at the end of the half and end of the game, Arizona outscored the Gators 15-0.
"I think (the loss is) going to help us in the long run," Yeguete said.
A look at Florida's inability to close out games in recent seasons:
Dec. 15, 2012: Arizona 65, Florida 64
Lead: Gators up six points (64-58) with 56 seconds remaining.
Key mistakes: Mike Rosario with two turnovers on in-bounds passes, Kenny Boynton turnover, Boynton misses front end of one-and-one free throw attempt with 21.5 seconds left.
March 24, 2012: Louisville 72, Florida 68
Lead: Gators up 11 points (63-52) with 9:04 remaining.
Key mistakes: Bradley Beal travel with 18 seconds remaining, Florida 1-4 from free throw line in final 9:04.
Dec. 29, 2011: Rutgers 85, Florida 83 OT
Lead: Gators up seven points (66-59) with 2:04 remaining.
Key mistakes: Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker with turnovers on back-to-back possessions.
March 26, 2011: Butler 74, Florida 71 OT
Lead: Gators up 11 points (51-40) with 9:02 remaining.
Key mistakes: Vernon Macklin 2-of-4 from free throw line in final 2:32 of regulation and overtime, Macklin picks up fourth foul with 9:02 left on poor defense on in-bounds play, Erving Walker turnover.
G Kenny Boynton 6-2 Sr. 13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg
G Mike Rosario 6-3 Sr. 12.0 ppg, 2.5 apg
F Will Yeguete 6-7 Jr. 7.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg
F Erik Murphy 6-10 Sr. 12.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg
C Patric Young 6-9 Jr. 10.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg
G Brandon Fortenberry 6-3 Gr. 11.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg
G Jeffery Ricard 6-2 Jr. 9.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg
G Dre Evans 5-9 Jr. 7.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg
F Roger Woods 6-5 Sr. 12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg
F Roosevelt Johnson 6-6 Sr. 7.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Notes: Florida is hosting Southeastern Louisiana for its only home game in December. … The Gators are coming off their first loss of the season at Arizona (65-64) after seven straight wins. … Florida has held five of its eight opponents under 50 points this season. The Gators still rank third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 50.4 points per game. … Southeastern Louisiana will be playing for the seventh time on the road in nine games this season. … Southeastern Louisiana's lone win was a 91-49 victory over Louisiana College. … The Gators will look to improve an assist-to-turnover ratio that is close to 1-to-1 this season. The Gators are averaging 13.6 assists per game, compared to 12.6 turnovers.


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In this London Times article, reporter Philip Graves compared passages from Maurice Joly's Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu (1864) side-by-side with the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in order to prove that the Protocols was plagiarized. Other investigations revealed that one chapter of a Prussian novel, Hermann Goedsche's Biarritz (1868), also "inspired" the Protocols. Times (London), August 17, 1921.
© Philip Graves, NI Syndication Limited, 1921
Copyright © United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC


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The Gables at Farmington
The Gables at Farmington, located in Farmington, Connecticut, provides a full range of choices for today's seniors. Choosing a senior living community represents a lifestyle choice and we understand that our residents are choosing much more than a comfortable living environment to call home. Brookdale Living's Farmington, Connecticut community delivers Inspired Independent Living, with the promise of Exceptional Experiences Everyday. In choosing this community, our residents have made a conscious lifestyle decision designed to deliver enhanced opportunities for pursuing health and life fulfillment through the exceptional independent and assisted living services, amenities, and opportunities we offer. And, the residents at The Gables at Farmington can rest assured that as their needs change, we provide a variety of ancillary services and a Personalized Assisted Living environment that encourages residents to continue to live as they please while respecting individual preferences.
Optimum Life® and Celebrations provide an all-encompassing way of life that touches the lives of the residents of this Farmington, Connecticut independent and assisted living community, their families, and associates alike. Optimum Life® is a journey of self discovery including services, features, and benefits that allow each resident to pursue their peak level of health, wholeness and fulfillment while balancing six key dimensions of personal wellness: emotional, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual and purposeful. As part of Optimum Life®, the mission of The Gables at Farmington is to encourage our independent and assisted living residents to celebrate life each day. Inspired dining and vibrant lifestyle activities come together in our Celebrations program filling the monthly calendar at Brookdale Living' Farmington, Connecticut community with themed experiences, special events, and group activities that highlight different cultures and cuisines in a common venue of camaraderie.
Please Note: Some rates shown are "all inclusive" rates, please contact the community directly for specific pricing details and what is included in the monthly service fees.
Housing Type
Independent Living, Assisted Living
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$2,800/ month


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Team Internet was founded in 2010 with the belief that Ideas. Change. Markets.
Located in Munich, Germany, Team Internet is a leading provider of services in the direct navigation search market.
With an estimated market size of US $1 billion per year1 direct navigation traffic has a 4.23% conversion-to-sale rate which significantly outperforms other traffic sources such as search engines (2.30%) and internet links (0.96%)2. Direct navigation is the preferred way of users to locate a site for the first time3 which makes this traffic source a prime vehicle for user acquisition.
Team Internet products currently reach more than 1 billion visitors per month.
1 – RBC Capital Markets, 2006; Susquehanna Financial, 2005
2 – Susquehanna, 2005
3 – Users locate a site for the first time using direct navigation between 51 and 59% of the time according to a study conducted by Verisign in 2005


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Boozehound: Kuroki Honten Distillery
Christopher Pellegrini tours Kuroki Honten in majestic Miyazaki Prefecture.
Click here to read the first Boozehound report from our recent trip to Kyushu.
After a day and a night in Kagoshima City, we hopped on a northbound train headed for Miyazaki Prefecture. Our ultimate goal for the day was to visit Kuroki Honten, the makers of well-respected shochu labels such as Kiroku, Nakanaka, and Hyakunen no Kodoku.
To our pleasant surprise, we were in for an incredibly educational and inspiring tour conducted by the president of the shuzo, Mr. Toshiyuki Kuroki himself.
Mr. Kuroki is the fourth generation to have piloted the family distillery, and it was under his watch that business flourished during the past 15 years. A trim and jovial family man, Mr. Kuroki is an executive with a serious hop in his step. He's difficult to keep up with.
One thing that stood out about Mr. Kuroki is that he has a clear affection for his employees. That evening, and the next day, we observed countless instances of him talking to and joking with the distillers, bottlers and field workers. Solid sales will put smiles on many people's faces, but it was obvious that the working culture at Kuroki Honten is buoyed by workers who share Mr. Kuroki's passion and believe in his vision.
And another thing that grabbed our attention, and something that Mr. Kuroki is very proud of, is the shuzo's determination to recycle everything they possibly can. This includes using the lees from the distilling process to make both fertilizer and livestock feed. Their efforts to make the shochu production process as circular and socially responsible as possible are detailed on the Kuroki Honten website (Japanese).
We later tasted several of the shuzo's less widely available brands, such as their unfiltered Kiroku and Bakudan Hanatare. The latter, an 88 proof imo shochu that is best kept in the freezer, is supposed to be consumed like a shooter even though there tends to be served in vessels much larger than shot glasses. That might have been the highlight of the visit, but I don't recall.
While Kuroki Honten doesn't normally do tours, shochu fans can take solace in the fact that the shuzo's exemplary products are easily locatable around Japan. In Tokyo, for example, one can purchase Nakanaka, the company's smooth sipping mugi shochu, at vendors as diverse as Shinanoya (chain liquor store) and Bic Camera (chain electronics store).
Anything made by Kuroki Honten or their sister shuzo, Osuzuyama (the shuzo detailed in my next Boozehound article), is well worth your time and hard-earned cash.


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Thursday, July 21, 2011
Simple Pleasures
Now we have moved again (still in Utah but down the road a ways) and I am missing the simple pleasures of my life in our old neighborhood. Good friends, our backyard garden oasis, fruit trees, the sound of birds waking us up and putting us to sleep at night. On top of that, my mom died this year and I miss the simple pleasure of our weekly phone calls. My husband and I are on a strict diet essential for our health and I miss the joy of drinking massive quantities of diet Coke while I write. Silly, isn't it? I have everything I need, but I am looking for some new simple pleasures to replace the ones that I've lost.
Got any ideas for me? What simple pleasures do you most enjoy?
11 comments:
Charlie! :-)ReplyDelete
I hope you find your own simple pleasures KarenG! Take care
I feel for you about mourning what you've lost when you move. From 1994-2001, I moved five times. Just as I'd get used to the nooks and crannies of a particular place, I'd be uprooted. Each place had the parts I loved. It turns out that no place has everything any of us love. Each place is a compromise.ReplyDelete
I'm sorry for your mother. That loss will take years to get over, if ever.
What simple pleasures do I enjoy? Reading a book at the beach under an umbrella, snuggling with my daughter, watching a movie with my husband, riding my cute bicycle, taking a walk on the river. Having a day to myself to write or not to write, a good cup of coffee, my cat snuggling on my lap with a good cup of coffee, going out to dinner at place that has outdoor seating on a perfect night.
When things go wrong in my life, sometimes all I have are the little things.
It will be hard and it may take longer than you'd like, but you'll make grooves in your new place. Seek them out.
Theresa, Thank you, and I loved reading about your own simple pleasures. Many of mine used to involve food, which is what got me and my husband in this place to begin with. We are trying to find replacements!ReplyDelete
Kitty, Maybe I should get a cat?
I too made the move from CA to Utah 21 years ago this Oct, so I can relate to your missing the Ocean. There are days when I long for the the Salt spray from the waves on my skin and the warm sand between my toes.....but I have so many wonderful pleasures now in my mountain valley home that I soon forget how homesick I am for the Beaches. My simple pleasures now hmmm, sitting outside late and being in Awe (still) of all the stars I can see that were missing when I lived in the city, getting up early to watch the sunrise from my porch as I sip my morning cup of coffee in the peacefulness of a small town still sleeping. I hope soon you too find new simple pleasures, they are everywhere you just have to be open to them....and then you will find them.ReplyDelete
Tracie, That was lovely! Thank you.ReplyDelete
I miss the ocean and beaches too. Yes, the mountains here in Santa Fe are beautiful, but my soul wants the ocean. Simple pleasures are the best. One of mine is getting stuff free!ReplyDelete
Yes, get a cat!ReplyDelete
Is there a book about good places to walk/hike? That might get you out. What about joining a book club at your new library or exploring the town to check out the new shops? Perhaps you can even help out at some local charity one afternoon. Keep your mind off food!
I moved from the ocean and mountains 9 years ago to the mines (I wish I could say there's still gold dust and diamonds to be picked but alas). Johannesburg is one of the greenest cities in the world but it is flat and oceanless. I miss the sea dreadfully. I am so sorry to hear of your mom's passing Karen.ReplyDelete
My little pleasures are: we are a family of five and I love dancing with my girls, all the girls love music and dance and the boys are left footed, we love reading together although the two year old normally reads through torn pages, picnics, buying books, my blogs, balmy evenings on the patio and catching a quiet moment with my hubby for drinks.
It is always those little things that don't seem important at the time, until you are robbed of them. Like my Iced Tea.ReplyDelete
Jerry, And my diet Coke. Sigh.ReplyDelete
Wendy, Your little pleasures sound delightful!
Theresa, I enjoy walking around this area, it's quite a lot nicer than where I used to live, and my husband and I have been spending more time together since we left our friends behind. I think generally it's been a positive thing :)
Some of the simple pleasures in my life are: Singing "If you're happy and you know it..." with my daughter and coming up with sillier ways to show how happier we are, taking a long walk in the morning and watching the sunrise, taking my daughter to the pool and watching her hold court from the top step, a book that completely takes me by surprise, and a wonderful, relaxing yoga class.ReplyDelete
Some of the little pleasures that I miss: being about to go out to lunch as often as I desire (I love to try new restaurants, but I don't have as much disposable income as I once had), spending hours in a bookstore or coffee shop, playing World of Warcraft (I was a heck of a priestess!) and going to Pete's Fish and Chips with my grandma.
When I decided to stop drinking Coke (I went back but that is not the point--LOL), I found a tea company with unique flavors like chocolate and fruity and minty. It helped to have the variety (the company I found was White August Tea Company).
Shanan (new follower)
I don't post very often, but if you leave a comment I'll know someone is out there reading. And then I will post more! Bwa ha ha!


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Views: 1236
Yeh, Buddhism has got to be very complicated, hasn't it ? It's not. It's just mind trained people following the philosophy of a dead guy. Anyway, those guys in Thailand who wear orange robes, ceremoniously cut their heads open, and bleed in public, just want to rip off tourists.I met a Buddhist recently and she won't communicate with me now. She thinks she possesses wisdom but she just can't think for herself. Rather judgemental too.
Every religion creates a frenzied beliefs. There is no exception.
I personally take Buddhism as a philosophy and believe that Siddhartha was an Atheist.There are different sects in Buddhism and there are many who consider it as a religion and any religion is crap,its an intrinsic property of a religion to be irrational.People have this tendency of making god out of anything and then start a religion from it.So what I feel here is you cannot generalize the experience you've been through.Though there maybe very few left in that camp who actually don't take it as a religion,it's people who are to be blamed.If they say that Buddhism is a religion,then it is to be taken as evil other wise I find no problem with Buddhism.
I see your point, Jeremy.
Christopher Hitchens points-out why Buddism is also evil in the talk: christopher hitchens amazing meeting 2009
He said everyone blamed the other religions for the Tsunami in Sir-Lanka. "The worst of the lot were the Buddhists. The Buddhists said 'Of course we knew this would happen because at Christmas, just the other day, the Christians were eating meat and drinking alcohol, and if this didn't bring it on, we don't know what does.' And, furthermore, there's a photograph of this woman pointing to the Buddha head on her gate, saying 'the Lord Buddha was on my gate. He wasn't on the Christian gate, or on the Muslim family's gate. They've all gone, and I'm still here.' I mention it because a lot of people think 'well, some of these religions are not as bad as the others. That's contemplative, they're eastern. They're friendly. They're furry. NO THEY'RE NOT!
Why don't you try and look at a book called 'Zen at war' which shows the Japanese Imperialists and it's military arm used Zen Buddhism as it's training manual. The ideal soldier was a Zen spear. Erect, the mind at rest, the body all ready for action, waiting for orders, contemptuous of the mind. Contemptuous of reflection. Contemptuous of the intellect. The perfect Fascist robot who would die for a God King.
Well, people say 'well shurly the Dali-Lama's a furry figure.' Oh ya? He said he was born a God and born a King. And we have to begin with that proposition, before we can understand how safrin he is. And, who has also published a manual on bedroom strategy. and with what you may do with whom and at what time in the sanctum of your bed. Always a bad sign. That and the dietary regulations, I find. All of these religions are the same.
They will represent the surrender of the mind, of the only thing that distinguishes us from the round worms, and other creatures, who are also in our DNA string. And they try to snuff-out and blow-out the poor candle of reason which is the only light that we have.
I can understand you all and your feelings.My point is,if you take Buddhism as a teaching then what's wrong in accepting it?If people misuse it for their own selfish wants should we consider it as evil?I don't think Siddhartha(Buddha) ever said to make a religion out of his teachings.So it all depends how you consider the word 'Buddhism'.If you take it as a teaching then I don't see why it should not be accepted because I feel it contains more insights.I think it would be more clear if we dismiss the word Buddhism and just call it as teachings of Siddhartha which is of course subject to reasoning and correction which Siddhartha himself encourages.It's just like accepting Dawkins' insights and reasoning on Truth and appreciating him for that.
Atheists have their own thinking and need not take Buddhism for learning. All religioous ideas are outdated. Modern values like freethinking, humanism are enough to provide us with a philosophy of life. There is absolutely no need to look back 2500 years.
All religious ideas are outdated. God, Saturn, Heaven, Hell, Next Births, soul, Ghost, Spirit,are all imaginary. All these things cannot be proved scientifically. People see the sky, when they think of God, as if God is above us. Why he is having legs when he is dwelling in the sky?
Siddhartha specifically told his followers *not* to worship him as a god, and look how that turned out... I don't think Buddhism should necessarily be "accepted" (On face value? Based on what?) but some of the philosophical points have their merits.
Then again, many other religions also have a few good points buried within their piles of hogwash. It's just that Buddhism seems to have more of a philosophical grounding than some others. Buddhism as a philosophy might be okay, but as a religion it's still as bad as any other.
There are a lot of different Buddhist traditions, and among them everyone has their own interpretations... just like Christians. It's not very rational to judge Buddhism based on a conversation with one Buddhist family, or even a dozen Buddhist families. You should check out a Buddhist forum sometime and see just how varied their beliefs can be, even among the same sect. One such forum that's meant for newcomers to all forms of Buddhism is NewBuddhist.com.
If you're actually looking to learn about the most atheistic type (or interpretation) of Buddhism you can get, check out the books written by Stephen Batchelor, "Buddhism Without Beliefs" and "Alone With Others".
Or if you just want to get to the heart of the matter, of what "enlightenment" is actually all about, without it even being in a religious context... check out Eckhart Tolle (e.g. "The Power of Now" and "A New Earth").
Finally if you have general questions about Buddhism, you can message me and I'll do my best to answer them. I don't consider myself a Buddhist (more a Humanist/Skeptic), but I was a moderator on that forum for a couple of years, and have spent plenty of time studying the subject.
I think it's important also to make the distinction between a "Buddhist" and a "Buddha." You see, Buddhists are merely aspiring Buddhas, so they still retain the prejudices, the misconceptions of their religion and so forth as any other religious member does of any other religion. In other words, the entire goal of Buddhism is to have this experience of "nirvana" or "samadhi," etc. which is basically the insight, you know. And until that person has had this insight, they are not "Buddhas." So, it's important to understand that you're speaking to people who are still, in a certain sense, "seekers" within their own religion and do not fully comprehend it, because if they did, then they wouldn't be Buddhists, but Buddhas.
A lot of the more reasonable Buddhists I've met were only marginally Buddhist, or "culturally Buddhist". Like secular Judaism, you know? As with any religion, the more fervent the believers, the more likely they are to be crazy.
I did a post on this a while ago, which you might find of interest:
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Artist Ken Kewley presents lecture
For painter Ken Kewley, a love of color is at the heart of his work. He will discuss that relationship on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.
Painting brightly colored figurative images composed of abstract shapes, Kewley works in oil, gouache and collages of solid color-cut paper.
"It is all about having a passion for color. This passion gives one an unlimited vocabulary," he has said. "Color is used to create steps to direct the eye around the painting parallel to the vision of the artist. Along the way, like a songwriter, rhyming words that do not really rhyme, we invent color relationships to get at the surprising juxtapositions that are found in nature. It is a way of staying excited, staying in love."
Born in Michigan, Kewley spent 10 years as a night watchman at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. He started working in collage in 1993, and continues to paint and create collages, recently making sculptures with corrugated cardboard.
Kewley's creations were recently in exhibitions at Hendrix College in Arkansas, the Washington Studio School in Washington, D.C., and Rothschild Fine Art in Tel Aviv. He teaches at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and has also taught at Pratt, Jerusalem Studio School and the National Academy of Design.
Kewley's talk is part of the university's master of fine arts slide lecture series.
Viewing Room 2, White Hall, WCSU campus, 181 White St., Danbury. Tuesday, Jan. 21, 11 a.m. Free. 203-837-8881, email@example.com, www.kenkewley.com.


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EBC Ultimax Slotted Rotors Part #USR7151 Customer Reviews
1 Customer Review
Reviewed by Richard M (PROVIDENCE, RI) Reviewed for a 2005 Ford Explorer — Aug 20, 2015 2:53 PM
Well they work nice so far, had them on for about two weeks. Bed them in on the highway until they smoked up. No warped rotors, no rusting yet, everything seems fine. I did not notice that much of an improvement though, I was expecting more from them. They do have more initial bite when you press the pedal but that's about it, im sure they will get better once I put about 1K on them along with the Green stuff brake pads. The black anti rust coating comes off almost instantly.
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text: funnydie Up Next: Massive Head Trauma AUTOPLAY Up Next In: 10 Massive Head Trauma What If There's Bears? Bathroom Gender Benders: All Signs Point to Androgyny Fun with a Greenscreen!!! Follow Livin' 'Neath the law with Jack McBrayer: Episode 2 Helpful hints on how to keep your bitches in line. October 11, 2007 670k Views Immortal Jack McBrayerDrew AntzisFunny Or Die Jack McBrayer Uploader Drew Antzis Director Funny Or Die Executive Producer Additional Credits Starring The Hollywood Entertainment Industry's Jack McBrayer. Written by Amy Rhodes and Bryan Safi. Directed by Drew Antzis. 4,739Funny612Die 665,341 Views October 11, 2007 Published Tags The Law episode 2 Hollywood Entertainment Amy Rhodes Jack McBrayer 30 Rock bitches Lorna Doone hollywood Voicover: [Gudish]. (music) Jack: Hello, I'm the Hollywood entertainment industries Jack McBrayer. You may recognize me from my role of Mario Lopez on Saved by the Bell, to which banks Customer Service Industrial or the Trader Joe's on Hyperion. I am humbled to welcome you to my show, Living Neath the Law with Jack McBrayer. Today, I'd love to share a kernel of wisdom with you about how to keep your bitches in line. Come along. You don't have to be a pimp to have bitches. You just have to be a man and like it or not, women are here to stay. As you know bitches are always saying things like "Let's hold hands," or "Take me out for Korean Barbecue," or "Don't throw me down the stairs, I'm pregnant." That ain't no way to live. Whenever one of your bitches gets out of line, feel free to slap her around. After all, if God hadn't want us to smack our bitches around he wouldn't have given us hands. So next time your bitch gets out of line, remember talk shit, get hit. I'm Jack McBrayer, reminding you, you don't have to look like a criminal to live like one. (music) Up Next Favorites 2:52 Massive Head Trauma suegalloway 2:27 What If There's Bears? Will Hines Advertisement Livin' 'Neath the Law with Jack McBrayer 1:29 Livin' 'Neath the Law with Jack McBrayer: Episode 3 Jack McBrayer 1:29 Jack McBrayer in Livin' 'Neath The Law: Episode 1 Jack McBrayer


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Short Biographies of Scholars
Short Biographies of Scholars
Below is a list of articles with the most recent ones listed first.
Brief Biographies Of The 4 Imams
Short Biographies
Brief Biographies of the Four Imams : Abu Hanifa, Shafi'i, Malik & Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Imam Abu Hanifa - died in 150 AH/767CE. He met the companions of the Prophet (saw) and is counted amongst the Tabi'un (followers). He is renowned for his piercing intellect as faqih, his scrupulousness, integrity ...
Published: Tuesday 09 January, 2018
Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami
Short Biographies
Professor Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami, was one of the world's premier scholars of Hadith, born in Mau, India in the early 1930s and received his education successively at Dar al-Ulum Deoband, India (1952), al-Azhar University, Cairo (M.A., 1955), and University of Cambridge (Ph.D., 1966). He was P...
Published: Thursday 28 December, 2017
A Short Biography of Allama Iqbal
Short Biographies
Name: Dr Muhammad Iqbal known as Allama Iqbal Father's Name: Shaikh Noor Mohammad, he was a tailor, not formally educated but a religious man. Born: He was born on November 9, 1877 /14th Dhul Qa'da 1294 Hijri in Sialkot, within the Punjab Province of British India (now in Pakistan). I...
Published: Thursday 21 December, 2017
Short Biography of Dr Mahmud al-Tahan
Short Biographies
Short Biography of Dr Mahmud al-Tahan Name: Mahmud bin Ahmad Tahan was Born in 1935/1354 in the district of Aleppo. Upbringing & Study: He grew up in a religious family. He began memorizing The Quran (Hifz), with Sheikh Mohammed Najib Hayatah May God's mercy be upon him, then he h...
Published: Wednesday 20 December, 2017
Short Biography of Ibn Nujaim al-Hanafi
Short Biographies
Name: Zain ud Din / Zain ul Abidin bin Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Bakr Known as Ibn Nujaim al-Hanafi Birth: He was born in Egypt in 926 AH/1520 CE. He was a Sunni (Ahl Sunna wal Jama'ah, Maturidi) scholar, legist & jurist in accordance with Hanafi school of though...
Published: Tuesday 12 December, 2017
Badi'uzzama Said Nursi : A Short Biography
Short Biographies
Badi'uzzama Said Nursi Birth & Upbringing: Said Nursi was born in 1873/1290 AH in Eastern Turkey (the Village of Nurs) and brought up and raised in a sundried brick house. His parents were Kurdish farmers who were devout and humble. Education: He received his basic education from the be...
Published: Tuesday 05 December, 2017
Sayyid Abul A'la Al-Mawdudi (D. 1399 AH)
Short Biographies
Sayyid Abul A'la Al-Mawdudi Birth place: He was born in 1903/1320 in Aurangabad (then in Hyderabad, now in the state of Maharashtra, in India) into a traditional Muslim family with a strong religious bent. Education: He was primarily home schooled. His formal education, mostly in the tra...
Published: Monday 28 August, 2017
Authors of the Art Books
Short Biographies
This article is containing among the short biographies of the authors for art books as M.H. Morgan, M.F.Gulen, Mohamed Amin and Hilmi Aydin: Hilmi Aydin, currently the manager of the Division of Sacred Relics at the Museum, has photographed and presented this absolutely unique collection in a har...
Published: Saturday 13 May, 2017
Short Biography of Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
Short Biographies
Name & Birth Sham Al-din Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya. He was born in Syria in 691 A.H/1292 C.E. Bringing up & Education: He was brought up in his village under his father's guidance. He studied under his father as well. Later on, he pursued his quest for knowledge at th...
Published: Thursday 02 March, 2017
Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi's message of balanced spirituality
Short Biographies
Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi's message of balanced spirituality By Mansoor Akbar Kundi There is only one Maulana in Turkey - Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, known as one of the greatest mystic poets of Islam. In Turkey, he is known simply as 'Mevlana,' and his followers go by the title of 'Mevlevi.'...
Published: Monday 20 February, 2017
Life of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
Short Biographies
Life of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani Name: Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Qadir bin Musa bin 'Abd Allah al-Jilani Born: He was born in Jilan a city of Iraq in 470 AH/1077 CE. Bringing up & Study: He was brought up in his noble Syed family under the guidance of his father "Abu Saleh Musa. H...
Published: Tuesday 14 February, 2017
Self Development/Motivational Books by Contemporary Writers
Short Biographies
Self Development, Motivational Books This Page is not yet complete Umm Muhammad She is also known under the pseudonym of Saheeh International , she accepted Islam in 1974 while in Syria following an intensive study of Arabic. In 1981 she moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she continues...
Published: Friday 10 February, 2017
Mohammad Hashim Kamali
Short Biographies
Professor Mohammad Hashim Kamali was born on February 7, 1944, in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. He graduated from the University of Kabul (1965) and the University of London (1972). He is the author of Islamic Commercial Law (2000), a study of the application of Shariah principles to some crucial...
Published: Wednesday 08 February, 2017
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Short Biographies
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya Name & Birth: Shams al-Din Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya. He was born in a small farming village near Damascus, Syria in 691 A.H/.1292 C.E. Study and His Shuyukh: He received a comprehensive Islamic education in Madrasah al-Jawziyyah, one...
Published: Tuesday 07 February, 2017
Shaykh Muhammad Awwamah
Short Biographies
Name & Birth: Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Muhammad 'Awwamah (hafizahullah) was born on 1940 (1358) in Aleppo. Study & Shuyukh: Before he commenced his studies in the year 1374 AH (1953), he used to attend the lessons of Shaykh Muhammad al-Salqini. From the very beginning he was the student of Shay...
Published: Monday 06 February, 2017
Shaykh Said bin Ali al-Qahtani
Short Biographies
Saykh Sa'id bin Ali al-Qahtani was born in 1372 Hijri in Abha. He was brought up in a village He started reading in Madrasa al-Arin in 1387 Hijri, when he was about 15 years. He was graduated from jamia Imam Muhammad in 1406 Hijri, Obtained a Master degree in 1412 Hijri and PhD. degree in 1419 Hi...
Published: Wednesday 11 January, 2017
Four Imams: Their lives, works and their Schools of Thought
Short Biographies
Brief Biographies of the Four Imams Imam Malik - the first of the four great imams and founder of the Maliki school of thought. He lived his whole life in Madina where much of the Quran was revealed and most of the legal practices of Islam established. He spent his life studying, recording and cl...
Published: Wednesday 14 December, 2016
Contemporary Muslim Scholars
Short Biographies
Hamza Yusuf Shaykh Hamza Yusuf was born in Washington State and raised in Northern California. In 1977, he became Muslim and subsequently traveled to the Muslim world and studied for ten years in the U. A. E., Saudi Arabia, as well as North and West Africa. He received teaching licenses in variou...
Published: Wednesday 09 November, 2016
Imam Jalaluddin as-Suyuti
Short Biographies
Full Name: Abd al-Rahman ibn Kamal al-Din Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Sabiq al-Din, Jalal al-Din al-Misri al-Suyuti al-Shafi`i al-Ash`ari, well known simply as Imam as-Suyuti. Birth: He was born on 1445 AD/849 AH in Cairo, Egypt . Studies: Imam As-Suyuti was raised an orphan. His fat...
Published: Tuesday 25 October, 2016
Shaykh Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Short Biographies
Shaykh Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya Name & Birth: Shams Al-din Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya. He was born in a small farming village near Damascus, Syria in 691 A.H/.1292 C.E. Education: He studied under his father who was the local attendant (qayyim) of al-Jawziyya schoo...
Published: Thursday 20 October, 2016
Hazrat Allamah Khalid Mahmud sahib DB
Short Biographies
Allama Khalid Mahmud is an Islamic scholar. He is one of the senior scholars of Dar ul Uloom Ta'leemud - Din Dabhel. He served as justice of Supreme court of Pakistan (Shariat Appellate Bench). He is also director of the Islamic Academy of Manchester UK.
Published: Friday 16 September, 2016
Mufti Ashiq Ilahi al-Bulandshahri
Short Biographies
Name: Muḥammad Ashiq Ilahi BulandShahri Muhajir Madani. Birth: He was born in Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1343 AH (1924 AD). Education: He completed his primary studies at Madrasah Imdadiyyah Muradabad and Jami' Masjid Aligarh. He then enrolled at Mazahir Uloom Sahara...
Published: Monday 29 August, 2016
Short Biographies of Maulana Kandhlawis
Short Biographies
Maulana Zakariyya Kandhlawi He was born in the village of Kandhla (in Uttar Pradesh, India) on Ramadan 1315 AH (1898 CE). His full name was Muhammad Zakariyya ibn Muhammad Yahya ibn Muhammad Ismail, and his lineage continues all the way back to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), the g...
Published: Wednesday 24 August, 2016
Biography of Martin Lings
Short Biographies
Martin Lings (1909-2005) was a leading member of the Traditionalist or Perennialist school and an acclaimed author, editor, translator, scholar, Arabist, and poet whose work centers on the relationship between God and man through religious doctrine, scripture, symbolism, literature, and art. He ...
Published: Wednesday 17 August, 2016
Dr. Khalid Mahmood Shaikh
Short Biographies
Dr. Khalid Mahmood Shaikh had been Director Institute of Islamic studies, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir for over a decade. Prior to that he had worked as Director Training and Research at International Islamic University, Islamabad. He obtained his M.A. English and M.A. Arabic degrees fro...
Published: Monday 15 August, 2016
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Worst Globes Hair: Kate Hudson and Amanda Seyfried
My dear women of Hollywood,
You may find yourselves surprised to be getting this award, for each of you has long, beautiful flowing tresses that you're known for. You may find me harsh in saying that you made a mistake with your hair, when you have long golden locks, and I have long struggling locks with a bump where I didn't dry the crown completely enough.
But I am here to implore you: If you wear a dress with a high, interesting neckline – one of those necklines that completely changes the way your dress looks and indeed, takes you out of the horrifying boredom that would come if you were wearing a stupid fishtail dress with a straight-across tube top like everyone else – if you choose this neckline, I would like to see it.
Raise high the tresses, women! Embrace ye the ponytail or updo. Fear not that you will look old. You won't. You don't. (Your face does look weird, Kate Hudson, so don't think we didn't notice – but it doesn't look old.)
It's an extra pain in my ass because I liked both the dresses a lot. Amanda's is not my colour at all, but the tie-pin was nifty, and it stood up to Anne Hathaway hugging all over it in a flood of tears. (It did not particularly hold up to climbing down from Seacrest's platform, but I'm willing to call that "beyond the scope of the job of the dress", I guess.) Kate's was absolutely lulu, but in the best way possible. She's one of these women who, while thin, never worries me. It's just how she is. But the gold plating combined with the long hair, and compared to Amanda Seyfried by me against her will in this article, she began to look kind of mutton dressed as lamb, you know?
As for Seyfried, yes of course I thought she seemed spacey, but she always does.I don't even notice it anymore.
Kevin Winter/ Jason Merritt/ Getty


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Hana W. Kinoshita of Hood River passed away on Monday, June 21, 2010, at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital in Hood River, Ore.
She was born in Sumner, Wash., on July 15, 1921, to Eitaro and Hisa Wakamatsu. She moved to the Hood River area in 1924, attended Barrett Elementary School and graduated from Hood River High School.
She met her husband, Fred, while roller-skating and they were married in 1941.
In June of 1942 Hana and all of the Hood River Japanese were put in American concentration camps. She gave birth to her first daughter, Corinne, while still in camp. After the war, she and her husband returned to Hood River, where they worked hard and saved enough money to purchase their first piece of property in Parkdale, where they cleared the land, built a house and planted their first orchard.
Hana continued to work hard, packing fruit seasonally at Pooley's which later became the Duckwall-Pooley Fruit Company. She made many friends while working at the packing house and cherished those relationships throughout her life.
She and her husband had three more children and in 1972 they moved to the Oak Grove area of Hood River. Her husband passed away in 1976, leaving her to raise her three teen-aged children, while continuing to work the family farm. She retired from Duckwall-Pooley in 1984.
She enjoyed collecting antiques, gardening, knitting, spending time with her friends and family and supporting the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Mariners. She won many homemaker awards at the Hood River Country Fair and donated her time and talents knitting hats and booties for Hood River's newborn children.
She is survived by her brother, Jim Wakamatsu, and her sister, Mary Ishimaru, both of Hood River. She is also survived by her daughter Marianne Anderson, of Auburn, Wash., her son, Rick Kinoshita, of Hood River, her daughter Rachel Kinoshita, of Menlo Park, Calif., and eight grandchildren.
Her funeral will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Monday, June 28, at 11 a.m., followed by an interment at Idlewilde Cemetery.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals, Receptions, Cremations), 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River, OR 97031; 541-386-1000. Please visit www.andersonstributecenter.com to leave a note of condolence for family. Donations may be made to one of Hana's favorite charities, the Hospice of the Gorge or the Heart of Hospice.
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Close liaison is maintained between the political and administrative arms of government. The administrative structure consists of the various ministries and statutory boards. These are staffed by civil servants who are monitored by an independent Public Service Commission.
Singapore's electorate includes every adult citizen who is a registered voter, and voting is compulsory. A number of parties contest elections, but since 1959 Singaporean politics have been dominated by the People's Action Party (). The PAP's ability to maintain its control largely has been attributable to Singapore's rapid economic growth and improved social welfare. In addition, the PAP often has suppressed and co-opted domestic opposition—notably through internal-security laws that allow political dissidents to be held indefinitely without trial—and it has promoted a national paternalistic
through a variety of laws and corporate institutions. The emphasis of this ideology has been a rigid public
focused on personal appearance and cleanliness, political loyalty, and
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is administered by the Supreme Court and by courts of lesser jurisdiction, such as district and magistrates' courts. Appeals can be made from the lower to the higher courts, with final appeal to the Court of Appeals. A Sharīʿah court has jurisdiction in matters of Angara Amethyst Dangling Earrings in Rose Gold 4Q2CR
The armed forces of Singapore are divided into army, air force , and navy branches. The army is by far the largest of the services and consists primarily of infantry battalions with supporting artillery, armour, engineer, and logistics units. The main duties of the air force are air defense, support of ground forces, and long-range surveillance and tracking. The navy patrols the country's coastal waters and protects shipping lanes. Compulsory military conscription for 18-year-old males was introduced in 1967. There are two paramilitary forces: the Peoples' Defence Force, composed mainly of reservists, and the National Cadet Corps, consisting of high-school and college students.
The police force is responsible for internal security, traffic management, and crime prevention. It is assisted by a Civil Defence Force consisting of reservists and volunteers.
Education is highly valued in Singapore, and its education system is elaborately structured. Primary education is free and lasts from six to eight years; the language of instruction is English, and students are required to learn any one of the other three official languages as a second language. Students at the secondary level are placed into academic or vocational and commercial tracks. Those on academic tracks are further channeled into four- or five-year courses of instruction. Opportunities for higher education are determined by academic performance and usually involve two or three years of preuniversity instruction followed by enrollment at a university or technical college. The National University of Singapore, founded in 1980 by a merger of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University, is the largest and best-known institute of higher education.
ALAMEDA — What in the name of Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes is going on?
The Raiders released Sean Smith as expected Monday, a day after the 49ers snapped up Richard Sherman, a player who was reportedly told by general manager Reggie McKenzie his team wouldn't be in the running for financial reasons.
The Raiders have a rich cornerback history dating back to Hall of Famer Willie Brown, but since McKenzie came aboard in 2012, it's been pretty much a wasteland when it comes to acquiring talent — hence the yearly problem the team has with receivers running free in the secondary.
Smith was let go two years into a contract that had a maximum value of $38 million. David Amerson, a waiver claim got off to a terrific start, earned a contract extension and then tailed off considerably in terms of quality o play and health, was also let go.
So the Raiders are in the market for a corner and will likely sign one or two. In light of Sherman telling Monday Morning Quarterback's Peter King that McKenzie said the Raiders wouldn't have the money to compete, it remains to be seen if they were saving some of that cash for the Rams' Trumaine Johnson.
Agents were able to begin negotiations with teams Monday, but no players can be signed until Wednesday at the start of the new league year.
For complete Oakland Raiders coverage follow us on Flipboard.
Twice a franchise player, Johnson was considered a possibility for both the Raiders and 49ers. The 49ers, by the way, have so much cap room it'd be possible to get Johnson even with Sherman aboard.
Signing corners can be a tricky business, particularly with veterans. The Smith-Amerson pairing was the fourth time McKenzie attempted to get starting corners that way, having also signed former 49ers Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers (2014), Tracy Porter and Mike Jenkins (2013) and Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer (2012).
What McKenzie desperately needs is for Gareon Conley, a first-round pick last year, to step in and be a difference-maker after losing his rookie season to a shin injury. Conley was McKenzie's second attempt at securing a corner in the first round of the draft, having spent the No. 12 pick in 2013 on DJ Hayden.
For an example of how much difference adding two standout corners can make, look no further than Jon Gruden's rookie year as coach of the Raiders in 2018.
The Raiders were coming off a 4-12 season under Joe Bugel, with a horrific defense that finished last against both the run and the pass.
When Gruden took over, Al Davis and the Raiders' personnel department made two moves that were huge in turning around the franchise — acquiring veteran Eric Allen by trade from the New Orleans Saints, and then drafting Charles Woodson No. 4 overall.
Freud proposed that much of what humans feel, think, and do is outside awareness, self-defensive in its motivations, and unconsciously determined. Much of it also reflects conflicts grounded in early childhood that out in complex patterns of seemingly paradoxical behaviours and symptoms. His followers, the psychologists, emphasized the importance of the higher-order functions and
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processes (e.g., competence motivation, self-regulatory abilities) as well as the individual's psychological defense mechanisms . They also shifted their focus to the roles of interpersonal relations and of secure attachment in mental health and adaptive functioning, and they pioneered the analysis of these processes in the clinical setting.
World War II
, American psychology, particularly clinical psychology, grew into a substantial field in its own right, partly in response to the needs of returning veterans. The growth of psychology as a science was stimulated further by the launching of
in 1957 and the opening of the Russian-American space race to the . As part of this race, the U.S. government fueled the growth of science. For the first time, massive federal funding became available, both to support behavioral research and to enable graduate training. Psychology became both a thriving profession of practitioners and a scientific discipline that investigated all aspects of human social behaviour,
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, and learning.
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was heavily influenced by Freudian psychology and its offshoots. But some clinical researchers, working with both normal and disturbed populations, began to develop and apply methods focusing on the learning conditions that influence and control social behaviour. This behaviour therapy movement analyzed problematic behaviours (e.g., aggressiveness , bizarre speech patterns, smoking , fear responses) in terms of the observable events and conditions that seemed to influence the person's problematic behaviour. Behavioral approaches led to Angara South Sea Cultured Pearl Earrings with Twisted Rope Frame uxbp8m
for therapy by working to modify problematic behaviour not through insight, awareness, or the uncovering of unconscious motivations but by addressing the behaviour itself. Behaviourists attempted to modify the maladaptive behaviour directly, examining the conditions controlling the individual's current problems, not their possible historical roots. They also intended to show that such efforts could be successful without the symptom substitution that Freudian theory predicted. Freudians believed that removing the troubling behaviour directly would be followed by new and worse problems. Behaviour therapists showed that this was not necessarily the case.


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Mad Catz has announced a new Xbox 360 flight stick controller for armchair gamers who like to take their flight sims seriously.
The new Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 Wireless Flight Stick for Xbox 360 (what a name), is the first licensed wireless flight stick for the console and promises to let gamers customise and tweak several aspects of the Flight Stick anatomy.
Mad Catz says that gamers will be able to adjust the handle length, handle rake angle and head angle. If that wasn't enough to get fans happy, the Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 features Throttle and Twist Rudder controls an integrated lap mount and removable feet allowing gamers the flexibility of playing at a desk or in front of the TV.
The Mad Catz Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 Wireless Flight Stick for the Xbox 360 is expected to be available worldwide in spring 2010 (that means now) for around $99.99 / £79.99 / 89.99 euros.