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I was just wondering if anyone has ever came across any good secular arguments against gay marriage. All I ever seem to hear is about how being gay is immoral, and they get that immorality thesis from the Bible so it doesn't really apply.
Views: 2725
I don't know that you can slough off at least 5,000 years of marriage being between men and women. You see it one way, someone else sees it another way. To some, based on their beliefs (which may not be held in a state of malice at all), same sex marriage might seem little different than allowing marriage between humans and dogs or cats (something PETA might soon be arguing for, since they seem intent on giving animals human-like rights).
I don't think you're taking the opposition seriously enough.
Don't misunderstand me: I'm not taking one side or the other here. Just saying it's very easy to be so enthusiastic for one's own view that one can't empathize with those who hold the other view.
Don't always assume that people who disagree with you have evil ulterior motives.
After all, it's simply a dispute over a word, as long as the rights are the same. A rose by any other name...no?
Like I said, I'm not taking one side or the other, but I'm happy to play Devil's Advocate.
But why should we be slaves to history anyway? Same-sex marriage is a perfectly logical application of the term 'marriage' that reflects the current values of a growing number of regions. It's the exact same union as current heterosexual marriages only with a different anatomical arrangement.
Why be slaves to the history that marriage always involves humans. Already we hear of people wanting to marry a pet or their girlfriend's corpse. You want a logical reason? Okay, it's simply obviously the first gentle angle in what is a slippery slope we can already see ahead of us.
No. If there is going to be a legal discrepancy, it has to be rationally justified.
Perhaps, but the discepancy is more linguistic than legal. A legal definition would have a legally relevant distinction, but it sounds like a case where the only difference is a word with no distinction in terms of rights (property and inheritance rights, rights to parent children, rights to visit their mate when they are in the hospital). You're arguing about a distinction without a difference, and you're making well-meaning traditionalists unhappy with no particular intent, it seems, then to make them unhappy.
The slope STARTS with heterosexual marriage? By that logic, EVERYTHING that exists is the start of a slope. Private property is the start of a slide toward state ownership. Long skirts are the start of a slope toward short skirts. Healthy living is the start of a slope toward ill health. No, the status quo is a plateau.
Remember, I'm still playing Devil's Advocate here, but doesn't it make more sense for a rational justification AWAY from what's been the case for thousands of years? Why is it that new ways don't have to justify themselves by proving they are equal to or better than traditions?
If you''re basing your support on an appeal to Justice, then prove that it's more just to the children of gay couples to be raised in gay families than in heterosexual families. Prove that it's a better world if we use the word "marriage" instead of "union" (or whatever the word is in Australia).
When people insist on change, it is clear that the burden of proof is on them, not on those in the traditional position. Why, because the tradition exists through some process proving that it is successful, better, or that there is a need for it. A process akin to natural selection.
Something new cannot make a claim for itself without attacking whatever it seeks to set aside.
So far, I see no proof.
The problem with civil unions is that they lack portability. If same-sex marriage is not recognized federally, any rights that you have been given by your civil union, whether they be the same as marriage or not, are not recognized as soon as you leave the state. That is not equal.
And on the note of people always jumping to the conclusion that we are on the slope of people being allowed to marry their pets or girlfriends corpse.. how is it that this leap is made? It's not even comparable. Talking about same-sex marriage is still under the presumption that we are talking about two adults giving their mutual consent to enter into a marriage. It is not comparable to a pet or corpse or what have you, that cannot consent.
That can be fixed and probably will be once the Supreme Court deals with the question.
I agree completely. Giving the lgbt community a separate but equal status just deems them second class citizens. It's just saying that even though they may deserve equal rights, they are not deserving of a marriage.
You know, a lot has to do with one's attitude. Reading into it something that wasn't intended. I'm sure everyone who worked so hard to give gays equal rights had no idea their good deed would be sending a "You don't deserve marriage" message.
What evidence do you have that it has anything to do with what gays deserve? Were there, in the debates leading to the legislation anyone testifying "Gays don't deserve to have this labeled 'marriage'?" I doubt it.
In the end, we are all responsible for our feelings and how we respond to what happens to us. Don't make it someone else's responsibility, especially when a lot of hetero legislators took a big risk by bucking the sentiments of a huge part of the electorate.
I'm sure some of the legislators who spent a huge amount of political capital to give gays equal rights are having that "No good deed goes unpunished" feeling.
None whatsoever unless they have a really bad band organised for the reception. The chances of that are very slight though. That would be my main concern.
None. There is no argument a secular and non against gay marriage. People need to grow up.
Shouldn't it be their choice to pass on or not pass on their genes? Also, if a woman marries another woman...she can still get pregnant...
TL;DR not exactly a "good" argument....probably the best one so far...
People can successfully pass on genes without being married, so I don't believe gay marriage bears any effect on that.
If the only argument that can be found is about procreation, and procreation can be done without marriage, this still inevitably down the line falls into a theological argument. Why?
- because religious belief states that we should be married first in order to procreate. Physiologically, we are still able to make babies as unwed lesbian mothers. It has been brought up that if marriage is for the purpose of procreation, then infertile couples, post-menopausal women, and couples that choose not to have children should not allowed to be married either. Clearly, this is not the sole purpose of marriage.
Again, playing devil's advocate here, but gay-marriage opponents would go beyond just procreation, and say that gay marriage goes against the traditional family structure, so the kids would be lacking proper mother/father figures, which, they would argue, will have negative effects on their development.
But it's still bullshit.


text: The world's second most prodigious wine producer (behind, perhaps surprisingly, Italy) France has long been considered the spiritual home of wine. Some are baffled by the labelling system (entirely geographical rather than by grape varietal), but armed with a bit of knowledge it's reasonably easy to pick it up. You say potato, I say potahto. You say Chardonnay, I say White Burgundy, You say Viognier, I say Condrieu... you get the picture.

subset: commoncrawl


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In Sour Patch Kids: World Gone Sour, gamers will take on the miniature role of a lost Sour Patch Kid, guiding the hero through the sticky floors of a movie theater, across the counter of a concession stand, and other unique and oversized environments.
Joining forces with fellow lost Sour Patch Kids, players will use a combination of jumps, twists and puzzle-solving to negotiate and overcome larger than life obstacles. Along the way, they will battle unusual candy enemies, escape from deranged humans, and face-off against bizarre creatures including one very angry wad of sticky chewing gum.
Also known as: World Gone Sour, Sour Patch Kids: World Gone Sour -- The Game
Release Region: United States
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Capcom
Sour Patch Kids: World... at IGN
Sour Patch Kids: World... at GameSpy
Sour Patch Kids: World... at GameStats


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Book, Music and Lyrics by
Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy
- July 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 & August 3, 4, 5 @ 8:00pm
- July 23, 30 & August 6 @ 2:00pm
Based on the classic 1989 film, Westerberg High is ruled by a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing junta: Heather, Heather and Heather, the hottest and cruelest girls in all of Ohio. But misfit Veronica Sawyer rejects their evil regime for a new boyfriend, the dark and sexy stranger J.D., who plans to put the Heathers in their place - six feet under.
Heathers The Musical is the darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather's aerobicized ass… but J.D. has another plan for that bullet.
Created by the award-winning creative team of Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness, "Desperate Housewives"), Laurence O'Keefe (Bat Boy, Legally Blonde) and Andy Fickman (Reefer Madness, She's the Man). Heathers The Musical is a hilarious, heartfelt and homicidal new show based on the greatest teen comedy of all time. With its moving love story, laugh-out-loud comedy and unflinching look at the joys and anguish of high school, Heathers will be New York's most popular new musical. Are you in, or are you out?


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Get the Flash Playerto see this player.
|Kat Young
Short review: Kat Young is a little Thai sex machine who clocks in at under 5 feet tall. Despite her petite frame, she manages to pack a whole lot of sex appeal in that little body. Inside her personal site, you'll find her stripping naked, masturbating by herself, or having lesbian sex with her girlfriends. She has a huge number of videos in her archive and schedules regular webcam shows to interact with her members.
Content Amount: Kat Young seems to be updated twice a week with a new video episode and there are currently 152 episodes inside her member's area. Most of the videos are 9-11 minutes long and you'll find Kat playing with her pussy in the shower or just being a sexy girl.


text: Hi Till/Falko, I try to use jailkit but it is not running. I can see jailkit is not installed on my server. May I installit now without issues? I have read u have to install before ispconfig install.... Let me know right way to solve jailkit on ispconfig. Thanks Servidores Dedicados


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Latest search for Hoffa ends, but FBI not quitting
The FBI ended their search for Jimmy Hoffa today in Oakland Township, Mich.
FBI agents using bulldozer, backhoe began digging Monday about 30 miles north of Detroit.
DETROIT -- The umpteenth dig for Jimmy Hoffa may have unearthed zilch, but the FBI's decades-old search for the famous Teamsters leader is far from over.
"It remains an open investigation," FBI spokesman Simon Shaykhet said Wednesday, shortly after a nearly three-day excavation involving shovels and cadaver dogs was called off in Oakland Township. "As long as cases remain open, the FBI remains committed to the pursuit of justice."
STORY: Who was Jimmy Hoffa?
STORY: Day 2 brings no sign of Hoffa remains
Just before 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Detroit's FBI chief, Robert Foley III, announced that investigators had not found any evidence that Hoffa was buried in an overgrown Oakland Township farm field, where they were led to by a tipster with close ties to the mob.
"After a diligent search "1/8 we did not uncover any evidence relevant to the investigation on James Hoffa," Foley said. "We're very confident of our result here after two days-plus of diligent effort."
He added: "Certainly, we're disappointed."
So was the tipster. Anthony Zerilli, 85, the son of reputed former Detroit mob boss Joseph Zerilli, told the FBI in January that Hoffa was struck with a shovel and then buried alive on the property, with a slab of concrete placed over the body. The 62-year-old Hoffa was kidnapped on the afternoon of July 30, 1975, from the parking lot of what was then the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township.
FULL COVERAGE: Detroit Free Press on the search for Jimmy Hoffa
Despite the FBI's latest search results, Zerilli is sticking to his story.
"Mr. Zerilli is convinced he's there. … There's zero doubt in his mind," Zerilli's lawyer David Chasnick told the Detroit Free Press, noting his client was distraught and frustrated by the FBI's decision to stop digging.
"It's unsettling," Chasnick said. "He wanted it to finally be put to rest."
According to Chasnick, who is adamant his client is telling the truth, there may be one of three reasons the FBI didn't find anything:
• The didn't search enough of the property. Chasnick said that the FBI didn't search the whole property because the court limited the warrant to a small area. The FBI has disputed that, saying it searched exactly what it needed to, which was about 1 acre.
• Zerilli's source gave him a false story.
• Zerilli did get the right story, but that the killers dumped the body in another location, when they were supposed to dump it in the field.
Over the years, authorities have received scores of tips on Hoffa. None has panned out.


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Benefit to support the Mertka family Aug. 16
SOLON– A benefit for the Abby, Jeff, Brittany and Lily Mertka family will be held at the Celebration Farm, Double Round Barn 4696 Robin Woods Ln. NE, Iowa City, Thursday, Aug. 16, from 4:30 until 7:30 p.m.
Activities include a dinner, silent auction, 50/50 raffle, kids activities, bake sale, photo booth, and more. If you are unable to attend, monetary donations can be made to the Abby Mertka Care Fund at the University of Iowa Community Credit Union.
For more information, contact Jackie and Steve McQuinn at 319-331-8707.


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Vermont, like the United States, has a government of laws, not of men — what Abraham Lincoln called "of the people, by the people and for the people."
It's an ancient idea, one that dates back at least to the time of Aristotle and Plato, more than 300 years before Christ. It was a keystone of the American Revolution. In Britain, the king was the law, but Thomas Paine wrote that, "in America, the law is king."
Maybe Armando Vilaseca and the municipal officials of Hartford, Vt., should brush up on the principles of democracy.
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Costa Rica has been blessed with assets that virtually any country in the world would envy: stable government, twenty-some different micro-climates, low unemployment and an educated class that knows how to get the job done.
Yet, there are persistent questions about a saturation point in Costa Rica, where all the best labor is soaked up – especially in technical fields. For a country of just 4.1 million people, there is an impressive list of foreign companies with operations in Costa Rica. Oracle, HP, Intel and Cisco all have offices in Costa Rica and there are countless software development firms providing services to clients all over the world.
According a study just released by Manpower, nearly half of Costa Rica firms cannot meet their needs for skilled labor, particulary in technical fields. The survey found Peru (56%) and Mexico (44%), are also having a tough time. On the other hand, employers in the U.S. (19%), Guatemala (20%) and Canada (24%) reported the least problems.
On my recent visit to Costa Rica – for the June Services Summit sponsored by promotion agencies CAMTIC and PROCOMER – it was clear companies are adapting to the skilled labor challenges by looking beyond borders throughout South and Central America to funnel business to other providers. This is an encouraging trend as the regionalization of service relationships is another shot in the arm to help drive BPO activites – and economies – in such places as Colombia, Panama and Nicargua.
Filed under: Nearshore ICT | Tagged: CAMTIC, Costa Rica labor, Costa Rica outsourcing, PROCOMER | 3 Comments »


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following links are provided solely as a courtesy and
convenience to you, the visitor. When you link to one of these
sites, you are no longer on the State of New Jersey web site.
The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement
by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
of these Web sites or the information, products or services
contained therein.
State specifically disclaims any and all liability from damages
which may result from the accessing of a third party site
which is linked to the State of New Jersey web site, or from
reliance upon any such information.


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Watch a Reporter Get Punched in the Face By an Angry Father
Richard Wilder lets his father fight his battles.
Wilder's father was none too pleased that a reporter for WGCL in Atlanta was investigating a report his son was stealing his customers' tax refunds, so he did what any sane papa would do: he sucker punched the reporter in the face.
While the cameras were rolling.
Reporter Jeff Chirico was doing his due diligence in looking into the story when Wilder's father showed up and went all Ralph Kramden on him by threatening to bop him in the kisser. Sure enough, after Chirico continued to press the issue by asking more questions, Wilder's father made good on his promise by delivering a sucker punch that would make Ivan Drago proud.
Chirico was not hurt and, although he threatened to call the police, it's unclear if he did. Of course, if you were pummeled by a guy twice your age, would you want to call even more attention to it?


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10-Port Gigabit L2 Managed Switch - including 2 Gigabit combo BASE-T/SFP Ports
The DGS-3000-10TC is part of the Layer 2 family of D-Link's managed switch product line that provides wired Gigabit speed access for metro and campus networks. The DGS-3000-10TC is designed as a 1U rackmount case suitable for enterprise access or service provider telecom cabinets, maximising network performance without compromising on reliability and security. Green technology decreases energy costs by reducing power consumption, without compromising on performance.
Reliable Networking
All of the Ethernet ports of the DGS-3000-10TC support 6kV surge/lightning protection. This feature protects the switch from power surges due to lightning or improper electrical wiring when the Ethernet cables are exposed in open spaces, such as in old buildings. For Ethernet link fail-over, the DGS-3000-10TC supports 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), and 802.1s Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP), to allow automatic backup of bridge paths. Using these features, the transmission and reception of frames can be guaranteed even during a network failure. For mission critical environments, the switches also support ITU-I G.8032 Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS); traffic can be rerouted around the ring within 50 milliseconds, minimising disruption to service. D-Link Loopback Detection (LBD) is a protocol-less loop detection function that prevent loop events from causing congestion in uncontrolled network segments such as unmanaged switches or customer networks. The DGS-3000-10TC also support 802.1AX and 802.3ad Link Aggregation, which allows grouping of multiple ports in parallel to increase bandwidth and redundancy for high availability and load sharing in a multi-client environment.
Virtual Stacking reduces the number of IP addresses needed on a network by configuring up to 32 devices to appear as a single unit with one IP address. This simplifies network management for small workgroups and allows for switches to be added without special cabling.
Solid Security with High Availability
The DGS-3000-10TC offers various user/device authentication features including 802.1X, Web-based Access Control (WAC)1 and MAC-based Access Control (MAC). The clientless WAC1 and MAC functions provide convenience for IT managers implementing user/device authentication into a network. It permits administrators to control security without installing client software on each network device; this is especially important for devices on which the software cannot be installed. For a greater security level, the DGS-3000-10TC also supports Compound Authentication1, letting IT managers choose between multiple authentication methods for any single device. Selectable host-based authentication and authorisation provides the option to finely control access by each device in the network. For advanced applications, the switches also provide RADIUS and TACACS accounting information for integration of backend services such as a billing system or advanced user/device control. In mission critical networks, the DGS-3000-10TC supports strict address and interface binding function via IP-MAC-Port Binding and ARP Spoofing Prevention to protect the networks from Man-In-The-Middle or ARP Spoofing attacks.
To maintain a high availability network, the DGS-3000-10TC uses D-Link Safeguard Engine to manage the CPU and ensure that your network stays up even if it is overloaded by malicious traffic caused by worms and viruses. The switches also support DHCP Screening to filter out unauthorised DHCP offerings from rogue DHCP servers or routers. Other security features such as BPDU Attack Protection, DoS Attack Prevention, and L3 Control Packet Filtering help to block leaks caused by protocol or behavioural security intrusions.
Deliver Triple Play Services
The DGS-3000-10TC features full L2 multicast functions, including IGMP/MLD snooping, fast leave, and filtering. With L2 multicast support, the switches can handle the increasingly popular IPTV service. Host-based IGMP/MLD Snooping provide service to multiple IPTV subscribers per physical interface and ISM VLAN registers multicast streams in a multicast VLAN to save bandwidth on the network backbone. The ISM VLAN profiles allow users to bind or replace the channel profiles of subscription ports quickly and easily. The DGS-3000-10TC also supports IGMP authentication, which can prevent rogue IPTV subscriptions by authenticating Set Top Boxes as well as channel switching to secure Internet Service Provider (ISP) revenues.
The DGS-3000-10TC also supports advanced Quality of Service (QoS) functions to help ISPs reliably deliver high-quality triple play services. Flexible packet classification can be based on various header fields or user-defined packet content to help administrators prioritise network traffic. Two-rate and single-rate Three Colour Marker (trTCM/srTCM) help classify traffic streams into conforming and nonconforming groups to guarantee the minimum bandwidth for prioritised packets. The Bandwidth Control feature allows ISPs to define the upstream/downstream throughput levels for each port with granularity down to 64 kbps.
Easy Maintenance and Troubleshooting
The DGS-3000-10TC features rich Operations, Administration, and Management (OAM) features to help ISPs reduce the burden of maintenance and troubleshooting. Cable diagnostics display the status of Ethernet cables and locate the position of cable errors remotely, helping providers cut onsite support costs. 802.1ag Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) provides administrators with a convenient tool to monitor and troubleshoot end-to-end service networks. This allows service providers to check connectivity, isolate network issues, and identify the affected customers. D-Link Unidirectional Link Detection (DULD) helps detect a broken one-way fibre connection, improving the stability of the fibre infrastructure in a Metropolitan Area Network.
IPv6 Ready
The DGS-3000-10TC is IPv6 ready and supports various IPv6 functions such as MLD Snooping, WAC1, IPv6 ACL/QoS, and IMPBv6 to ensure seamless integration of next generation networks. The DGS-3000-10TC also supports a IPv4/v6 dual stack function that allows the switch to act as a bridge between IPv4 and IPv6 networks. Finally, all DGS-3000-10TC are certified to be IPv6 ready, which guarantees interoperability for IPv6 environments.
|D-Link DGS-3000-10TC Specifications
|Optional Redundant Power Supply
|Console Port
|Switching Capacity
|20 Gbps
|64 Byte Packet Forwarding Rate
|14.88 Mpps
|MAC Address Table
|16K Entries
|DRAM for CPU
|Packet Buffer Memory
|Flash Memory
|Jumbo Frame
|12,288 Bytes
|711,565.6 hours
|33.8 dB
|Heat Dissipation
|56.26 Btu/h
|Power Input
|AC Input 100 to 240 V AC, 50 to 60 Hz Internal Universal Power Supply
|Max Power Consumption
|Dimensions (W x D x H)
|9 x 7.68 x 1.73 in (228.5 x 195 x 44 mm)
|2.42 lb (1.11 kg)
|Smart Fan (Turns on at > 26 ˚C; Turns off at < 20 ˚C)
|Power Surge Protection
|All Ethernet ports support IEC61000-4-5 10/700us 6 kV surge protection
|Operation Temperature
|32 to 122°F (0 to 50°C)
|Storage Temperature
|-40 to 158°F (-40 to 70°C)
|Operation Humidity
|10% to 90% RH
|Storage Humidity
|5% to 90% RH
|Emission (EMI)
|CE, FCC, IC, C-Tick, VCCI, BSMI
|CB, UL/cUL, BSMI
|IPv6 Ready Logo Phase 2
|Software Features
|Virtual Stacking
|L2 Features
|L2 Multicasting
|L3 Features
|Quality of Service (QoS)
|Access Control List(ACL)
|Green Features
|IETF® Standards
1 Available in the future.
2 Use DPS-CB150-2PS for connecting DPS-200 to DGS-3000-10TC.
3 Lifetime warranty available in the U.S.A. and Canada only. Visit www.dlink.com for warranty details.
Bảo hành 36 tháng
20-port UTP 10/100/1000Mbps 802.3af PoE & 802.3at PoE+, 4-port UTP 10/100/1000Mbps PoE / SFP Combo, 4-port 10G SPF+
20-port Gigabit SFP, 4-port UTP 10/100/1000Mbps / SFP Combo, 4-port 10G SFP+
48-port UTP 10/100/1000Mbps 802.3af PoE & 802.3at PoE+, 4-port 10G SFP+
48-port UTP 10/100/1000Mbps, 4-port 10G SFP+
Trong những năm gần đây, tình hình tội phạm ngày một gia tăng, tính chất mức độ hành vi phạm tội ngày càng nguy hiểm, tinh vi hơn, trong đó thì loại tội phạm "trộm cắp tài sản" chiếm tỉ ...
Chủ sở hữu Website www.dlink.ketnoimang.vn thuộc về:
Công Ty TNHH Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Kết Nối Mạng
Số chứng nhận ĐKKD: 0314815571
Ngày cấp: 03/01/2018, nơi cấp: Sở KH & ĐT TPHCM
Người đại diện: Văn Nhật Tân
Địa chỉ: Số 18A Đường D2, Phường 25, Quận Bình Thạnh, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam
Điện thoại: 84.028.35125568 | Fax: 84.028.35125968


text:
BLS Vallum Hadriani Tracker
Yet another wonderful tour organised by the Branch Line Society and TransPennine Express to raise funds for the Railway Children charity, with over £10,000 being donated! As per usual, I was part of the proceedings as "Official Photographer" with special privileges - my thanks to all involved. Also as usual, a few shots to start with, more to add as time permits.Read More
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text:
Benefits & Features
The most durable and functional base layer half tights on the market - perfect for maximum performance in a tough team sport world. Carbonyte Base Layer Half Tights have been tested in extreme conditions by top international football and rugby players to ensure the best performance in even the most demanding training and playing environments.
SKINS' Youth Carbonyte Base Layer Half Tights include integrated carbon thread which reduces friction and chafing enabling you to have full freedom of movement at all times.
In addition, SKINdry technology allows for maximum climatic control through optimum moisture management and wicking. This accelerates the evaporation of perspiration, as well as slowing down the formation of humidity. The result is a constant temperature allowing you to feel dry, fresh and ready to take on the opposition.


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Miami-Dade County
Jackson assembles political team to campaign for $830 million bond initiative
Jackson Health System is preparing to wage an expensive countywide campaign to persuade Miami-Dade voters to approve $830 million in hospital upgrades financed by a property-tax rate hike.
The public health system has created a political action committee to raise money, and Carlos Migoya, Jackson's chief executive, has hired a campaign manager who is assembling a political team to lead the fundraising and outreach effort for the Nov. 5 special election.
Though county commissioners only just approved the referendum on Tuesday, Jackson has been gearing up for the bond initiative behind the scenes for months. A privately funded poll whose results have not been made public gauged voters' interest a year ago in raising additional public funds for the hospital. Jackson registered its fundraising committee, Citizens For A Healthy Miami-Dade, in May.
"After years of painful neglect, it is abundantly clear that without modern facilities, Jackson will always struggle to compete," Darryl Sharpton, chairman of the Public Health Trust that governs the hospital, told commissioners Tuesday.
He said trust members had been batting around the bond initiative idea for two years, though they only voted on it last week — without details on the size of the property-tax rate increase.
The peak rate hike would amount to an additional $48.60 for a homeowner with a taxable property value of $200,000 in an unincorporated neighborhood such as Kendall. That peak increase would hit in year 10 of the 30-year bond, according to county projections; the hike the first year would be about $9.80.
Jackson's PAC does not have to report any raised funds until next week. In Miami-Dade, countywide campaigns typically aim to raise about $1 million to pay for pricey television, radio and direct-mail advertisements in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. The Miami-Dade school district's successful $1.2 billion bond initiative last year raised more than $992,000.
But the schools campaign was on a crowded general-election ballot. Jackson will be the only countywide question on the ballot this year, meaning it won't have to compete with high-profile political candidates for TV and radio air time and voters' attention. The health system will share the Nov. 5 ballot with municipal races in just four of the county's largest cities: Miami, Hialeah, Miami Beach and Homestead.
Putting the countywide Jackson referendum on the ballot will cost the Miami-Dade elections department an additional $2.6 million, Elections Supervisor Penelope Townsley told commissioners Tuesday.
Heading Jackson's campaign will be Ashley Walker, the Florida chief for President Barack Obama's reelection effort. Walker led the Miami Dolphins' short-lived push earlier this year for a $350 million renovation to Sun Life Stadium partly funded by public dollars.
Joining or in talks to join Walker are two other Dolphins veterans, fundraiser Brian Goldmeier and strategist Steve Marin, and communications consultant Freddy Balsera, who has advised Obama on Hispanic issues.
Balsera and Goldmeier worked on the school district's bond initiative last fall. Goldmeier also handled fundraising for Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez's two successful campaigns; one of the mayor's sons, Carlos J. Gimenez, is vice-president and general counsel for Balsera's namesake firm, Balsera Communications.
Marin, a specialist in reaching out to voters through mailed fliers, has extensive experience in the city of Miami, where a mayoral contest between incumbent Tomás Regalado and Commissioner Francis Suarez is expected to draw voters' interest.
"Wherever they could use our firm, we'd be interested," Marin said of Jackson, noting the public hospital's deep ties to the community — a potential campaign theme.
"At one point in our lives, I think everybody has been at that facility, at Jackson, with a loved one in a very, very difficult place and giving thanks that we have that first-class facility."


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Hi all,
Just a little plug for an event that I'm helping to organise,next Saturday in Honiton, Devon. It's a one-day sci-fi convention run by Exewing Fundraisers, raising money for Honiton Hospicecare. We have a special guest Jerome Blake who played multiple roles in the prequel trilogy, and costumed characters, photo opportunities, displays of props and collectibles (I'll make sure there's a good bit of vintage and oddball stuff on display!), games, competitions, crafts, dealers and more. The event is open between 10am and 4pm and the entry fee is £3 for adults, £1.50 for children and free to under 5's. It's not a big event but should be a good day out, if anyone's failrly local it would be great to see you.
The website is http://www.exewing.co.uk with all the details you'll need.
Many thanks,


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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Sheldon McClellan scored 20 points, including two free throws with 8.9 seconds left, to carry Texas to a 55-53 win over Fresno State on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
McClellan was 14-of-14 from the free throw line and his last one proved crucial because it gave Texas a 54-50 lead. Fresno State's Tyler Johnson made a 3-pointer with .7 seconds to play and Kevin Foster was whistled for a foul as Texas tried to get the ball in play. Jonathan Holmes made the last free throw for the final point.
Marvelle Harris scored 11 points to lead Fresno State.
Texas played without two starters, point guard Myck Kabongo, who was held out while the NCAA investigates his relationship with an agent, and injured forward Jaylen Bond.


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A Scottish woman who went to the hospital after a dramatic weight loss was found to have a sex toy in her vagina that she had put there 10 years before, a report in the Journal of Sexual Medicine says.
The 38-year-old woman had reportedly forgotten to remove it.
The woman also complained of having trouble urinating and sepsis-like symptoms, the case study said. Surgeons at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Aberdeen, Scotland, removed a 11 cm-long sex toy from the woman.
The sex toy caused major health issues, including vesicovagina fistula, where urine discharges into the vagina, and bilateral hydroureteronephrosis, when urine can't drain from the kidney to the bladder. She also lost weight and was lethargic.
The case is "extremely rare but potentially life-threatening," the researchers said in the study, which appeared in the June edition of the journal.


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Who Did 'The Creepiest Television Hack' of All Time?
The Max Headroom signal intrusion hack is one of those hacker legends that seems too good to be true: In 1987, an unknown group hacked into the signal of local Chicago TV channel WGN-TV. 25 years later, Vice's Motherboard blog has published a fascinating investigation into who pulled off the still unsolved crime.
The hack, which is viewable on YouTube, interrupted a broadcast of the nine o'clock news at 9:14 PM on November 22nd, 1987. The picture was replaced with a man babbling in front of a camera wearing a Max Headroom mask. (Max Headroom was a cult fictional British VJ.) Vice's Chris Knittel obtained FBI files and interviewed former investigators about the crime.
In the case of the Max Headroom intrusion, the theory goes like this: the hacker managed to overpower the microwaves of the STL, which sat vulnerable to attack on a frequency that wouldn't have been hard to find, as they were being sent to the receivers atop the John Hancock Building and Sears Tower.
The intruders would have simply had to switch on their transmission equipment at a high enough location, probably a high-rise apartment or a roof, at a place between the two studios and their downtown transmitters, somewhere on the North or Northwest Sides of Chicago. From there, they could blast the skyscraper receivers with high-power microwave frequencies, and by overriding the studios' signals, they could trick the transmitters into sending out their own signal. "I think the bad guy got close to the receiving end and just transmitted a signal that was received with a stronger strength than the more distant, intended signal," said Marcus.
In the end, the only real lead Knittel found was a Redditor to have met those responsible through the Chicago online bulletin board scene in the 80s. But the whole story is a fascinating and much-overdue dig into a piece of hacker lore. Read the whole thing.


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Queen Sarah Liu
Queen & Court
- Sarah Liu, Miss Asian America
- Amanda Lee, First Princess & Miss Asian California
- Nancy Kwong, Second Princess & Best in Ethnic Costume
- Brijal Vadgama, Third Princess & Miss Asian San Francisco
- Alexandra Calingo, Miss Photogenic & Miss Talent
- Angellica Yi, Miss Scholastic Achievement & Miss Popularity
- Liza Chu, Miss Congeniality
- Melanie Wong, Miss Community Service
- Tabitha Wong, Miss Entrepreneur
About the Reign
Sarah Liu, 19, crowned Miss Asian America
San Francisco August 7, 2010 SARAH LIU, 19, was crowned Miss Asian America at the 25th Annual Pageant held on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco.
Sarah Liu is a student of University of California, Berkeley Class of 2013 majoring in Business Administration. Working currently as a Financial Advisory Intern, she is from the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. She aspires to pursue a career in finance.
First runner up and Miss Asian California was Amanda Lee, 23, a 2009 graduate of San Francisco State University where she majored in Communications Studies and is currently a Client Services Representative. Second runner up and Best in Ethnic Costume, Nancy Kwong of Los Angeles is a USC graduate in business and a cutting- edge sustainable Packaging Project Director. Brijal Vadgama, 19 is a FIDM student and was crowned Third runner up and Miss Asian San Francisco.
Alexandra Calingo, 22, a UC Berkeley graduate in Anthropology was awarded Miss Photogenic and Miss Talent. Angellica Yi, 26, a Federal agent was crowned Miss Scholastic Achievement and Miss Popularity. Liza Chu was crowned Miss Congeniality. Coming from the Aloha State, Melanie Wong, 27, a Land Planner and a Doctor of Architecture was crowned Miss Community Service. And Tabitha Wong, 25, was crowned Miss Entrepreneur.
The competition is one of the longest running Asian American events in the United States. Twenty contestants from all over the United States competed, including contestants from Mississippi, Arizona, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Massachusetts, Florida, and California.
Historically, pageants play a crucial role in the immigrant experience of Chinese Americans in the West. After decades of mob rule, forced repatriation, and even lynchings which rocked San Francisco's Chinatown, family associations (wui goon) and clan groups in San Francisco came together in the World War II period to begin a process of reconciling the community. Here were people that came to the understanding that America was to become home, and Chinatown the center of life. Opportunities to integrate with mainstream society were unprecedented the Chinese were fighting a war with Americans, side by side, and a sense of patriotism swept the community. It was during this tumultuous time that the Chinese utilized a uniquely American and popular medium the beauty pageant to celebrate and represent the community: pageantry.


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Charity Pub Quiz
26 January, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
| £2.50 - £10
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every 1 month(s) on that lasts 0 day(s) and 2.5 hour(s) with no end date,
Event Navigation
Join us at 7pm on the last Sunday of each month for the King's Arms Pub Quiz, each month a different charity will benefit from proceeds. Teams of up to 4 people. £2.50 per person to book a team in call 01366 347410 or book at the bar.


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Call for Membership - ARC Gallery
Oct 8, 2010 - ongoing
ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation
832 W. Superior St. #204
Chicago, IL 60622
|Phone Number:
|Goldstein Iris
ARC Gallery is the 2nd oldest women-artist cooperative in the U.S. and is still going strong. The organization mentors women artists through exhibits, friendship and support. The gallery exhibits solo exhibits of the member artists and a wide range of artists, styles and media, as well, in its three spaces. You can learn how a gallery is run, how to display work, how to seek out new exhibits, how publicity works, how to sweat out business details AND be mentored by wonderful women artists. The friendships will endure and flourish. Go to http://www.arcgallery.org/membership.aspx to download a membership prospectus.
|Event Type:
|Call for Entry/Participation


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Global Freemasonry
-IV- Materialism Revisited
In the first chapter of this book, we looked at the regime of Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and came to some important conclusions about its philosophical underpinnings. The most interesting feature of Ancient Egyptian thought, as we said, is that it was materialist, that is, posited the belief that matter is eternal and uncreated. In their book The Hiram Key, Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas have some important things to say on this matter that are worth repeating:
There is a striking similarity between the myths of Ancient Egypt and modern materialist thinking. A hidden reason for this interesting fact is that, there is a modern organization that has adopted these Ancient Egyptian beliefs, and aims to establish them throughout the world. This organization is Masonry…
Masons and Ancient Egypt
The Ancient Egyptian materialist philosophy continued to exist after this civilization disappeared. It was adopted by certain Jews and kept alive within Kabbalist doctrine. On the other hand, a number of Greek thinkers adopted the same philosophy, and reinterpreted it and perpetuated it as the school of thought known as "Hermeticism."
The word Hermeticism comes from the name of Hermes, the Greek counterpart for the Ancient Egyptian god "Thoth." In other words, Hermeticism is the Ancient Greek version of Ancient Egyptian philosophy.
Master Mason Selami Isindag explains the origins of this philosophy and its place in modern Masonry:
In Ancient Egypt there was a religious society that bequeathed a system of thought and belief to Hermeticism. Masonry held something similar to this. For example, those who had come to a certain level attended ceremonies of the society, revealed their spiritual thoughts and feelings and trained those who were at a lower level. Pythagoras was a Hermeticist trained among them. Again, the organization and the philosophical systems of the Alexandrian school and of Neoplatonism had their origins in Ancient Egypt and there are some significant similarities between them and Masonic rites.60
Isindag is much more overt about the influence of Ancient Egypt on the origins of Masonry when he declares, "Freemasonry is a social and ritual organization whose beginnings go back to Ancient Egypt."61
Many other Masonic authorities maintain that the origins of Masonry go back to secret societies of ancient pagan cultures, such as those of Ancient Egypt and Greece. A senior Turkish Mason, Celil Layiktez, stated in an article in Mimar Sinan magazine entitled, "The Masonic Secret: What is Secrecy and What is Not?":
In Ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman civilizations there were mystery schools (écoles de mystères) which met in the context of a particular science, gnosis or secret knowledge. Members of these mystery schools were accepted only after a long period of study and initiation ceremonies. Among these schools, the first is thought to have been the school of "Osiris" based on the events of this god's birth, youth, struggle against darkness, death and resurrection. These themes were ritually dramatized in ceremonies performed by clergy and in this way the rituals and symbols being presented were much more effective because of the actual participation…
In the above quotation, Layiktez praises the societies that were the origin of Masonry, and claims they kept themselves hidden to protect themselves from "ignorant people." If we can leave aside this subjective claim for a moment, we can understand from the quotation above that Masonry is a present-day representation of societies that were founded in the ancient pagan civilizations of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome. Of these three civilizations, the oldest is Egypt; it is possible, therefore, to say that the main source of Masonry is Ancient Egypt. (We saw earlier that basic connection between this pagan tradition and modern Masons is the Templars.)
It is necessary to recall at this point that Ancient Egypt was one of the most referred to examples of a godless system as revealed by Allah in the Qur'an. It is the true archetype of an evil system. Many verses relate to us of the pharaohs that governed Egypt and their inner-circles, their cruelty, injustice, wickedness and excesses. Moreover, the Egyptians were a perverse people, that acquiesced to the system of their pharaohs, and believed in their false gods.
Despite this, Masons maintain that their origins lie in Ancient Egypt, and regard that civilization as praiseworthy. An article published in Mimar Sinan praises the temples of Ancient Egypt as the "source of Masonic craft":
…The Egyptians founded Heliopolis (the Sun City) and Memphis and according to Masonic legend, these two cities were the source of knowledge and science, that is, as the Masons would say "Great Light." Pythagoras, who visited Heliopolis, had much to say about the temple. The Memphis temple where he had been trained has historical significance. In the city of Thebes there were advanced schools. Pythagoras, Plato and Cicero were initiated into
Masonry in these cities.63
Masonic writings do not laud Ancient Egypt merely in broad terms; they express praise and sympathy for the pharaohs who governed that cruel system. In another article from Mimar Sinan magazine it is stated:
The basic duty of the pharaoh was to find Light. To exalt Hidden Light in a much more vivid and powerful way….As we Masons are trying to construct the Temple of Solomon, so did the Ancient Egyptians try to build Ehram, or the House of Light. The ceremonies performed in the temples of Ancient Egypt were divided into several degrees. These degrees had two sections, small and great. The small degree was divided into one, two and three; after these the Great degrees began.64
It can be seen from this that the "light" which the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and Masons search for is the same . This can also be interpreted as suggesting that Masonry is a modern representative of the philosophy of the Egyptian pharaohs. The nature of this philosophy is revealed by Allah in the Qur'an in the judgment He passed over Pharaoh and his people: "They are a people of deviators." (Surat an-Naml: 12)
In other verses, the godless system of Egypt is described in this way:
Pharaoh called to his people, saying, "My people, does the kingdom of Egypt not belong to me? Do not all these rivers flow under my control? Do you not then see?" (Surat az-Zukhruf: 51)
In that way he swayed his people and they succumbed to him. They were a people of deviators. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 54)
Ancient Egyptian Symbols in Masonic Lodges
One of the most important things that establishes the relation between Ancient Egypt and the Masons is their symbols.
Symbols are very important in Masonry. Masons reveal the true meaning of their philosophy to their members through allegory. A Mason, who advances stage by stage through the 33 degrees of the Masonic hierarchy, learns new meanings for each symbol at every stage. In this way, members descend step by step into the depths of Masonic philosophy.
An article in Mimar Sinan magazine describes this function of their symbols:
The conceptions of the Ancient Egyptians are the most prominent of these symbols and legends, that stretch back to the first ages of history. Everywhere in Masonic lodges, and frequently in Masonic publications, drawings of pyramids and sphinxes and hieroglyphs can be found. In an article in Mimar Sinan magazine, about the ancient sources of Masonry, it states:
Again, an article in Mimar Sinan entitled "The Social Origins and Aims of Freemasonry" says:
In ancient times in Egypt, the initiation ceremonies in the temple of Memphis lasted a long time, were performed with the greatest attention and splendor, and showed many similarities to Masonic ceremonies.67
Let us examine a few examples of the relationship between Ancient Egypt and Masonry:
The Pyramid Under the Eye
The most well known Masonic symbol is found on the seal of the United States of America, also found on the one-dollar bill. On this seal there is a half pyramid above which sits an eye within a triangle. This eye within the triangle is a symbol constantly found in Masonic lodges and all Masonic publications. A great number of the writings that deal with the subject of Masonry stress this fact.
The pyramid below the eye in the triangle attracts relatively little notice. However, this pyramid is extremely meaningful and enlightening for the understanding of the philosophy of Masonry. An American author, Robert Hieronimus, wrote a doctoral thesis on the United States' seal in which he provided some very important information. The title of Hieronimus' thesis was "An Historic Analysis of the Reverse of the American Great Seal and Its Relationship to the Ideology of Humanist Psychology." His thesis shows that the founders of America, who originally adopted the seal, had been Masons, and that they, therefore, espoused the humanist philosophy. The connection of this philosophy with Ancient Egypt is symbolized by the pyramid placed in the center of the seal. This pyramid is a representation of the Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the Pharaoh's tombs.68
The Masonic Meaning of the Six Pointed Star
Another well-known symbol of Masonry is the six pointed star, formed by the imposition of one triangle over another. This is also a traditional symbol of the Jews, and today appears on the flag of Israel. It is known that the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) used it as a seal for the first time. Therefore the six-pointed star is a seal of a prophet, a Divine symbol.
But, Masons have a different conception. They do not accept the six-pointed star as a symbol of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh), but as a symbol of Ancient Egyptian paganism. An article in Mimar Sinan entitled "Allegory and Symbols in our Rituals" relates a number of interesting facts about this matter:
Actually, we must interpret all Masonic symbols in relation to Solomon's Temple in this way. As revealed in the Qur'an, like other prophets, the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) was a blessed prophet who some wished to slander. In a verse of the Qur'an, Allah says, "They follow what the satans recited in the reign of Solomon. Solomon did not become unbeliever, but the satans did…" (Surat al-Baqara: 102)
Masons have adopted this corrupt idea mistakenly attributed to the Prophet Solomon (pbuh). For this reason, they afford him an important place in their doctrines. In his book The Occult Conspiracy, the American historian Michael Howard says that, since the Middle Ages, the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) (Allah forbid) has been regarded by various ignorant people as a magician and as one who introduced some pagan ideas into Judaism.70 Howard explains that the Masons regard the Temple of Solomon as being in their eyes a "pagan temple," and as important for this reason.71
This false image fabricated against the Prophet Solomon (pbuh), who was a devout and obedient servant of Allah, shows the true origins of Masonry.
The Double Column
An indispensable part of the décor of a Masonic lodge is the double column in the entrance. The words "Jachin" and "Boaz" are inscribed on them, in imitation of the two columns at the entrance to Solomon's Temple. But actually, the Masons do not intend these columns as a memorial to the Prophet Solomon (pbuh); they are an expression of those corrupt insinuations against the Prophet Solomon (pbuh). The origins of these columns again go back to Ancient Egypt. In the article entitled "Allegory and Symbols in our Rituals," Mimar Sinan magazine states:
The Egyptian Terminology of the Lodges
In their book, The Hiram Key, two British Masonic authors, Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, drew attention to the Ancient Egyptian roots of Masonry. One interesting point they reveal is that the words used in the ceremony in which a Mason is made to rise to the degree of Master Mason are:
Ma'at-neb-men-aa, Ma'at-ba-aa'.73
Knight and Lomas explain that these words are used most of the time without any thought to their meaning, but they are Ancient Egyptian words and mean,
The authors state that the word "Ma'at means the skill of wall building, and that the nearest translation is "Masonry." This means that modern Masons, thousands of years later, still conserve the language of Ancient Egypt in their lodges.
Mozart's Magic Flute
One of the more interesting products of Masonry is the Magic Flute, an opera by the famous composer, Mozart. Mozart was a Mason, and it is an acknowledged fact that many parts of this opera contain Masonic messages. The interesting matter is that these Masonic messages are closely related to Ancient Egyptian paganism. Mimar Sinan explains it in this way:
It is known that there is a clear connection between Ancient Egyptian and Masonic rituals. No matter how much those who attempted to interpret the Magic Flute as "a story about the Far East," at its foundation are Egyptian rituals. It is the gods and goddesses of the Egyptian temples that influenced the creation of the characters of the Magic Flute.75
Another important symbol of Masonry is what was once an important element in Ancient Egyptian architecture—the obelisk. An obelisk is a tall, vertical tower with a pyramid as its peak. Obelisks were inscribed with Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and lay buried for centuries under the ground until they were discovered in the nineteenth century, and removed to Western cities such as New York, London and Paris. The largest obelisk was sent to the USA. This exportation was arranged by Masons. This was because obelisks, as well as the Ancient Egyptian figures inscribed on them, are claimed by Masons as being really their own symbols. Mimar Sinan avers this about the 21-meter high obelisk in New York:
The Legend of Isis—The Widow
An important symbolic idea in Masonry is that of the widow. Masons call themselves the children of the widow, and pictures of widows often appear in their publications. What is the origin of this idea? Who is this widow?
When we examine Masonic sources, we find that the symbol of the widow derives originally from an Egyptian legend. This legend is one of Ancient Egypt's most important myths—the story of Osiris and Isis. Osiris was an imaginary fertility god and Isis was his wife. According to the legend, Osiris died as a result of a crime of passion by which Isis became a widow. So, the Masonic widow is Isis. An article in Mimar Sinan explains the matter in the following way:
We see that Masonry, which portrays itself as being founded on reason and science, is actually a mythological doctrine full of superstitious beliefs.
The Compass and Square
Among the most familiar symbols of Masonry is the compass superimposed over a square. If Masons are asked, they explain that this symbol represents the concepts of science, geometric order and rational thinking. However, the compass and square actually has quite a different meaning.
We can learn this from a book written by one of the greatest Masons of all time. In his book Morals and Dogma, Albert Pike wrote the following about the compass and square:
This means that the compass and square, the most well known symbol of Masonry, is a symbol of Arian paganism and which dates back to Ancient Egypt or before the advent of Christianity. The moon and the sun, in the passage quoted from Pike, are important symbols in Masonic lodges, and are none other than a reflection of the false beliefs of those ancient pagan societies that worshipped the moon and the sun.
Masonry's Pagan Philosophy
So far, we have learned that Masonry's origins lie in a pagan doctrine that stretches back to Ancient Egypt, and that it is there that the true meaning of its concepts and symbols are hidden. For this reason, Masonry is in conflict with the monotheistic religions. It is humanist, materialist and evolutionist. The American historian Michael Howard describes this secret that is only completely revealed to those Masons of the highest degree:
When we look at the writing of Turkish Masonry, we see that Masons of the highest degree are in possession of knowledge that they keep hidden from the other brothers. The Master Mason Necdet Egeran describes what higher degree Masons think about this matter:
This quotation underlines that though a few Masons of lower degree think that Masonry is a charitable and social organization, it is actually about the secrets of human existence. That is, the outward appearance of Masonry as charitable or social organization is actually a guise to hide the philosophy of the organization. In reality, Masonry is an organization that aims to systematically impose a specific philosophy on its members as on the rest of society.
As we said at the beginning, the fundamental element of this philosophy, one which has transpired to Masonry from pagan cultures, especially that of Ancient Egypt, is materialism.
Materialism in Masonic Sources
I. The Absolute Matter Error
Today's Masons, as did the pharaohs, priests and other classes of Ancient Egypt, believe in the eternity and uncreatedness of matter, and that out of this lifeless matter living things came to be by chance. In Masonic writings we can read detailed accounts of these basic errors of materialist philosophy.
In his book, Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations from Freemasonry), Master Mason Selami Isindag writes about Masonry's pure materialist philosophy:
You will find views identical to those above in the books of materialist thinkers such as K. Marx, F. Engels, V .I. Lenin, G. Politzer, C. Sagan, and J. Monod. They all accept the basic materialist myth that the universe has existed for ever, matter is the one absolute existent entity, human beings are composed of matter and are without spirit, matter evolved in and out of itself, and life appeared as a result of chance. It is right to use the term myth because, contrary to Isindag's claim that "these processes are the result of positivist science and reason," all these views have been invalidated by scientific discoveries in the second half of the twentieth century. For example, the Big Bang theory, accepted in scientific circles as proven, shows scientifically that the universe was created from nothing millions of years ago. The Laws of Thermodynamics show that matter does not have the ability to organize itself and that the balance and order in the universe is the result therefore of a conscious Creation. By demonstrating the extraordinary structure of living things, biology proves the existence of a Creator, in other words Allah, Who made them all. (For detailed information, see Harun Yahya's The Creation of the Universe, Darwinism Refuted, The Evolution Deceit)
In his article, Isindag continues to explain that Masons are, in fact, materialists and, therefore, atheists, and that they use the concept of the "Great Architect of the Universe" in reference to a material evolution:
As we see, one of the most basic principles of Masonic philosophy is that things come from matter and go back to matter. An interesting aspect of this view is that Masons do not regard this philosophy as particular to just themselves; they want to disseminate these ideas to the whole of society. Isindag continues:
These words show two aspects of Masonry's perceived role in society;
There is an important matter that we must take notice of here: the terminology that Masons use is deceptive. In their writings, especially those directed at the rest of society, they employ language designed to show their philosophy as harmless, intelligent and tolerant. An example of this can be seen in the quotation above, in the notion of "edifying people by teaching them the principles of reason and positivist science." Indeed, Masonic philosophy has nothing to do with "science and reason"; it has to do with an outmoded myth that flies in the face of science. It is not Masonry's goal to edify people; their deliberate intention is to impose their philosophy on people. When they maintain that they are determined to do this despite the people, we see that they are not tolerant, but in possession of a totalitarian world-view.
II. Denial of the Existence of Spirit and of the Hereafter
As a part of their materialist beliefs, Masons do not accept the existence of the human spirit and completely reject the idea of the hereafter. In spite of this, Masonic writings sometimes say of the dead that they "passed over into eternity" or other such spiritual expressions. This may appear contradictory, but it is not, actually, because all of Masonry's references to the immortality of the spirit are symbolic. Mimar Sinan deals with this topic in an article entitled, "After Death in Freemasonry":
On the same topic, Master Mason Isindag writes:
To reject resurrection after death and to search for immortality in worldly legacy... Even if Masons present this idea as being in conformity with modern science, it is, in fact, a myth that has been believed by godless people since the early ages of history. It is stated in the Qur'an that godless people "constructed fine buildings hoping to live forever." The Prophet Hud (peace be upon him), one of the past prophets, warned the people of 'Ad against this mode of ignorance, as stated below:
When their brother Hud said to them, "Will you not do your duty?
The mistake these godless people committed was not the construction of fine buildings. Muslims also give importance to art; by producing it, they try to beautify the world. The difference lies in intention. A Muslim is interested in art to the extent that it expresses the beauty and esthetic notions that Allah has given to human beings. Godless people are mistaken in regarding art as a way to immortality.
The Scientific Incongruity of Denying the Soul
The Masons' denial of the existence of spirit, and their claim that human consciousness is composed of matter, are not in accord with science. On the contrary, modern scientific discoveries demonstrate that human consciousness cannot be reduced to matter, and that consciousness cannot be explained in terms of the functions of the brain.
A look at the relevant literature shows that scientists have reached no conclusion as a result of their efforts, spurred on by materialist belief, to reduce consciousness to the brain, and many have ultimately given up. Today, many researchers are of the opinion that human consciousness comes from an unknown source beyond the neurons in the brain and the molecules and atoms that form them.
After years of study, one of these researchers, Wilder Penfield, reached the conclusion that the existence of spirit is an undeniable fact:
After years of striving to explain the mind on the basis of brain-action alone, I have come to the conclusion that it is simpler (and far easier to be logical) if one adopts the hypothesis that our being does consist of two fundamental elements [brain and mind (or soul)]. …Because it seems to be certain that it will always be quite impossible to explain the mind on the basis of neuronal action within the brain… I am forced to choose the proposition that our being is to be explained on the basis of two fundamental elements." [brain and mind, or body and soul] 86
What leads scientists to this conclusion is the fact that consciousness can never be described in terms of material factors alone. The human brain is like a marvelous computer, in which information from our five senses are collected and processed. But, this computer does not have a sense of "self"; it cannot conceive, feel or think about the sensations that it receives. The prominent English physicist, Roger Penrose, in his book The Emperor's New Mind, writes:
What is it that gives a particular person his individual identity? Is it, to some extent, the very atoms that compose his body? Is his identity dependent upon the particular choice of electrons, protons, and other particles that compose those atoms? There are at least two reasons why this cannot be so. In the first place, there is a continual turnover in the material of any living person's body. This applies in particular to the cells in a person's brain, despite the fact that no new actual brain cells are produced after birth. The vast majority of atoms in each living cell (including each brain cell)—and, indeed, virtually the entire material of our bodies—has been replaced many times since birth. The second reason comes from quantum physics…If an electron in a person's brain were to be exchanged with an electron in a brick, then the state of the system would be exactly the same state as it was before, not merely indistinguishable from it! The same holds for protons and for any other kind of particle, and for whole atoms, molecules, etc. If the entire material content of a person were to be exchanged with corresponding particles in the bricks of his house then, in a strong sense, nothing would have happened whatsoever.87
Penrose clearly says that, even if all human atoms were exchanged with brick atoms, the qualities that make a human being conscious would remain completely the same. Or we could think of it conversely. If we exchanged the particles of the atoms in the brain with the atoms in bricks, the bricks would not become conscious.
In short, what makes human beings human is not a material quality; it is a spiritual one, and it is clear that its source is an entity apart from matter. In the conclusion of his book, Penrose comments:
Consciousness seems to me to be such an important phenomenon that I simply cannot believe that it is something just "accidentally" conjured up by a complicated computation. It is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.88
What is materialism's standpoint, then, in light of these findings? How can materialists claim that human beings are composed only of matter, and that a human being with intelligence, feelings, thoughts, memory and senses, could come to be by the chance composition of lifeless, unconscious atoms? How can they possibly think that such a process is possible?
These questions concern all materialists. But, on these topics, Masonic writings contain ideas still more curious than anything found among the writings of materialists. When we look at these writings, we see clearly that behind the materialist philosophy lies the "worship of matter."
Masonic Materialism: The Divinization of Matter
It is necessary to understand clearly what the materialist philosophy is: Those who espouse this philosophy believe that the great order and balance of the universe, and the millions of species of living things in the world, including human beings, came about only by the activity of the atoms that comprise matter. In other words, they think that lifeless and unconscious atoms are creators (Surely Allah is beyond that).
No matter how modern this idea may seem, it is, in fact, a reemergence of a corrupt belief that has existed since the earliest ages of history: Idolatry. Those who worshipped idols believed that the statues and totems they worshipped had spirit and power. In other words, they attributed consciousness and great power to lifeless, unconscious matter. Surely, this is obviously nonsensical. In the Qur'an, Allah refers to the irrationality of paganism. In the stories of the Prophets, the spuriousness of pagan beliefs is especially emphasized. For example, it is revealed in a Qur'anic verse that the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) asked his father, "Father, why do you worship what can neither hear nor see and is not of any use to you at all?" (Surah Maryam: 42) It is clear that, to attribute divinity to lifeless matter, that cannot hear or see, and has no power, is evidently very foolish.
Materialists are modern examples of idolaters. They do not worship statues and totems made of wood and stone, but believe in the idea that matter constitutes, not only these, but all bodies, and think that this matter has limitless power, intelligence and knowledge. Masonic writings have some interesting things to say about this, because Masons openly confess this pagan belief, which is the essence of materialism. An article in Mimar Sinan magazine declares:
We notice that it is claimed here that every atom has intelligence and consciousness. The Masonic writer making this claim proposes that every thing has consciousness because of the atoms it possesses and, because he rejects the existence of the human spirit, he regards a human being as a mass of atoms, just like an animal or lifeless molecules.
However, the fact is this: lifeless matter (atoms) has no spirit, consciousness or intelligence. This is a fact proved to us by both observation and experiment. Only living things have consciousness, which is the result of the "soul" that Allah has given to them. Of all living things, human beings are benefited with the highest degree of consciousness because they possess a unique spirit that Allah has given to them.
In other words, consciousness is not found in lifeless matter, as the Masons believe, but in beings that have spirit. But, in order not to accept the existence of Allah, Masons resort to the foolish belief that attributes "spirit" to atoms.
This materialist belief espoused by Masons is a new expression of a pagan belief called "animism," which supposes that every material thing in nature (rocks, mountains, winds, water, etc.) has its own spirit and consciousness. The Greek philosopher Aristotle combined this belief with materialism (the belief that matter is uncreated and is the only absolute) and even today, the attribution of consciousness to lifeless things—being the essence of materialism—has become a kind of contemporary paganism.
Masonic writings are full of interesting accounts of this belief. An article in Mimar Sinan entitled "The Way of Truth" maintains:
If we accept the animist hierarchy that spirit exists in an atom, that a molecule directs the spirit in an atom, that a cell directs the spirit in a molecule, that an organ directs the spirit in a cell, is not the main spirit that directs the whole body the god of these lesser spirits?90
This false and primitive doctrine leads Masons to believe that the balance and order in the universe is effected by lifeless matter. Again, in Mimar Sinan, an article has appeared about the world's geological development. It states:
Another article in the magazine Mimar Sinan claims that the first living cells, and those that multiplied from them, were conscious, formed a plan and implemented it:
But, contrary to what is asserted in this quotation, there is no consciousness in a living cell. To believe this is nothing but superstition. Again, as we see in the above quotation, in order to deny the existence and creative activity of Allah, they attribute farcical attributes to atoms, molecules and cells, such as intelligence, the ability to plan, self-sacrifice and even "democratic harmony." Just as it is nonsense to say of the creation of an oil painting that "the paints ordered themselves together according to a plan, and proceeded democratically and in harmony," so the Masons' claim about the origin of life is nonsense.
Another common expression of the superstitious tenets of Masonry and its materialism is the notion of "Mother Nature." We encounter this expression in documentary films, books, magazines and even commercials; it is used to express the belief that the lifeless matter that composes nature (nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, etc.) has a conscious power, and that it has by itself created human beings and all living things. This myth is not based on observation or logical reasoning, but is intended to win people over by means of mass indoctrination. The purpose is for people to forget Allah, the real Creator, turning instead to paganism, in which "nature" is regarded as the creator.
Masonry strives to give shape to this creed, strengthen and disseminate it, and supports all social forces that it regards as being its allies. An article in Mimar Sinan, entitled "Thoughts About The Concept and the Evolution of Solidarity from the Scientific Point of View," speaks of the "mysterious harmony that mother nature has ordered" and states that this is the basis of Masonry's humanist philosophy. It further states that Masonry will support those movements that espouse this philosophy:
The most important of those "means and actions" which "advance the ideals of Masonry" is the purportedly scientifically based theory of evolution, the modern support for materialism and humanism.
In the next chapter we will take a closer look to the theory of evolution from Darwin's time to modern evolutionist propaganda, and we will discover the secret relationship of Masonry to this greatest scientific error of all time.
59 Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas, The Hiram Key, Arrow Books, London, 1997, p. 131, (emphasis added)
60 Dr. Selami Isindag, Kurulusundan Bugune Masonluk ve Bizler (Freemasonry and Us: From Its Establishment Until Today), Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations from Freemasonry), Istanbul1977, pp. 274-275, (emphasis added)
61 Dr. Selami Isindag, Sezerman Kardes VII, Masonlukta Yorumlama Vardir Ama Putlastirma Yoktur (There is No Idolization in Freemasonry but Interpretation), Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations from Freemasonry), Istanbul 1977, p. 120, (emphasis added)
62 Celil Layiktez, "Masonik Sir, Ketumiyet Nedir? Ne Degildir?" (Masonic Secret, What is Secrecy?), Mimar Sinan, 1992, No. 84, pp. 27-29, (emphasis added)
63 Dr. Cahit Bergil, "Masonlugun Lejander Devri" (The Lejander Age of Freemasonry), Mimar Sinan, 1992, No. 84, p. 75, (emphasis added)
64 Oktay Gok, "Eski Misirda Tekris" (Initiation in Ancient Egypt), Mimar Sinan, 1995, Vol. 95, pp. 62-63, (emphasis added)
65 Dr. Cahit Bergil, "Masonlugun Lejander Devri" (The Lejander Age of Freemasonry) , Mimar Sinan, 1992, No. 84, p. 74, (emphasis added)
66 Resit Ata, "Çile: Tefekkur Hucresi" (Ordeal: Reflection Cell), Mimar Sinan, 1984, No. 53, p. 61, (emphasis added)
67 Rasim Adasal, "Masonlugun Sosyal Kaynaklari ve Amaclari" (The Social Origins and Aims of Freemasonry), Mimar Sinan, December 1968, No. 8, p. 26
68 Robert Hieronimus, America's Secret Destiny: Spiritual Vision and the Founding of a Nation, Vermont, Destiny Books, 1989, p. 84, (emphasis added)
69 Koparal Çerman, "Rituellerimizdeki Allegori ve Semboller" (Allegory and Symbols in our Rituals), Mimar Sinan, 1997, No. 106, p. 34
70 Michael Howard, The Occult Conspiracy: The Secret History of Mystics, Templars, Masons and Occult Societies, 1st ed., London, Rider, 1989, p. 8
71 Michael Howard, The Occult Conspiracy: The Secret History of Mystics, Templars, Masons and Occult Societies, 1st ed., London, Rider, 1989, p. 9
72 Koparal Çerman, "Rituellerimizdeki Allegori ve Semboller" (Allegory and Symbols in our Rituals), Mimar Sinan, 1997, No. 106, p. 38, (emphasis added)
73 Christopher Knight ve Robert Lomas, The Hiram Key, p. 188
74 Christopher Knight ve Robert Lomas, The Hiram Key, p. 188
75 Orhan Tanrikulu, "Kadinin Mason Toplumundaki Yeri" (The Woman's Place in Masonic Society), Mimar Sinan, 1987, No.63, p. 46
76 Koparal Çerman, "Rituellerimizdeki Allegori ve Semboller" (Allegory and Symbols in our Rituals), Mimar Sinan, 1997, No. 106, p. 39, (emphasis added)
77 Resit Ata, "Bir Fantezi: Mitoloji'den Masonluga" (A Fantasy: From Mythology to Freemasonry), Mimar Sinan, 1980, No. 38, p. 59, (emphasis added)
78 Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma, Kessinger Publishing Company, October 1992, p. 839
79 Michael Howard, The Occult Conspiracy: The Secret History of Mystics, Templars, Masons and Occult Societies, 1st ed., London, Rider, 1989, pp. 2-3, (emphasis added)
80 Previous Master Mason Enver Necdet Egeran, Gercek Yuzuyle Masonluk (Freemasonry Unveiled) , Basnur Press, Ankara, 1972, pp. 8-9, (emphasis added)
81 Dr. Selami Isindag, Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations from Freemasonry), Istanbul 1977, p. 189, (emphasis added)
82 Dr. Selami Isindag, Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations from Freemasonry), Istanbul 1977, p. 190, (emphasis added)
83 Dr. Selami Isindag, Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations from Freemasonry), Istanbul 1977, pp. 189-190, (emphasis added)
84 Hasan Erman, "Masonlukta Olum Sonrasi" (After Death in Freemasonry), Mimar Sinan, 1977, No. 24, p. 57
85 Dr. Selami Isindag, Masonlugun Kendine Ozgu Bir Felsefesi Var Midir, Yok Mudur? (Does Freemasonry Have an Original Philosophy or Not?), Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations from Freemasonry), Istanbul 1977, p. 97, (emphasis added)
86 Wilder Penfield, The Mystery of the Mind: A Critical Study of Consciousness and the Human Brain, Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1975, p. 80, (emphasis added)
87 Roger Penrose, The Emperor's New Mind, Penguin Books, 1989, pp. 24-25, (emphasis added)
88 Roger Penrose, The Emperor's New Mind, Penguin Books, 1989, p. 448
89 Onur Ayangil, "Yeni Gnose" (New Gnosis), Mimar Sinan, 1977, No. 25, p. 20, (emphasis added)
90 Enis Ecer, "Gercegin Yolu" (The Path of the Truth), Mimar Sinan, 1979, No. 30, p. 29, (emphasis added)
91 Faruk Erengul, "Evrende Zeka" (Intelligence in the Universe), Mimar Sinan, 1982, No. 46, p. 27, (emphasis added)
92 Albert Arditti, "Hurriyet-Disiplin- Dinamizm-Statizm" (Freedom-Discipline- Dynamism-Statism), Mimar Sinan, 1974, No. 15, p. 23
93 Naki Cevad Akkerman, "Bilimsel Acidan Dayanisma Kavrami ve Evrimi Uzerine Dusunceler II" (Thoughts About The Concept and the Evolution of Solidarity from the Scientific Point of View II), Mimar Sinan, 1976, No. 20, p. 49, (emphasis added)


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Lindsey Vonn is still hanging with Tiger Woods.
Those stories about Woods and ex-wife Elin Nordegren reuniting for the kids now seem inaccurate with the fresh photos on the Web of the Olympic ski champ and champion golfer arriving or leaving, on separate golf carts, at his yachtly lair, "Privacy." There was also the TMZ photo of a woman on crutches, who looked like injured Vonn from the back, getting on Tiger's private jet for a flight from Austria to the USA, where she is rehabbing.
You don't expose a woman to your jet and yacht unless you're trying to impress her.
Yardbarker.com doesn't get it: "This is an odd pairing but it seems to be working for Tiger, he's currently ranked No. 2 in the world. As for Vonn, well, this seems to be a luxurious way for her to recover from her recent knee injury."
Now read this, Yardbarker: Tiger likes them blonde and athletic. Elite athletes are drawn to each other because they understand the extreme commitment to training. Tiger's rehabbed a knee. He likes his relationships kept private (as countless women could attest until they decided to confess). Once Vonn got the shut-it-up memo, she wouldn't even give NBC's Matt Lauer a heads-up.
And Tiger's winning again. Maybe he thinks Vonn is a lucky charm.
The New York Post claims Nordegren is dating a gazillionaire coal magnate, Chris Cline, owner of Foresight Energy.
I'm an unabashed Nordegren fan, but if Elin's truly finished with her hopefully reformed Liger, a Minnesotan might as well have him. Limp on, Lindsey! How long is it going to take for you to get Tiger to put a ring on it?
Prince apologized
Prince has reportedly apologized for breaking Roots guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas' instrument and is paying for repairs.
In a Tweet, Kirk wrote, "For the record, Prince did apologize. His people reached out and made arrangements to take care of damages. Guitar's in the shop," according to music.msn.com.
How belatedly adult of Prince; didn't see that coming. After performing his final song on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," Prince chucked the guitar that Douglas had loaned to him.
You don't throw that which is not yours. I wrote that. Similarly, yahoo.com quoted Living Colour's Vernon Reid's Twitter account: "Prince needs to write a CHECK. Smash SOMEONE ELSE'S 60'S ERA GUITAR & WALK AWAY?! NOPE. Talent, even a SUPREME LEVEL like PRINCE'S doesn't give him THE RIGHT TO DO THAT."
Maybe now e-mailer "Marcia Loud" will get off my back: "R u racist or do u get off on slamming Prince for a behavior everyone has at some point, even u. Get off your high horse and show some respect."
In other e-mail exchanges, "Loud" asserted that I should not criticize Prince because we are both black! "I'm ashamed of being a black American after dealing with u," she wrote.
I've never done black for black's sake well and neither has Prince. Right and wrong have no color.
Sterger overhauls body
Jenn Sterger decided her breast friends were attracting the wrong guys.
Sterger told "Access Hollywood's" Billy Bush that's why she had them surgically deflated.
You may recall Sterger, a former Jets sideline reporter, bringing undesired media scrutiny to Brett Favre's tenure with the Vikings after Deadspin.com alleged that during the QB's time with the Jets he sexted an inappropriate photo to her.
Bush asked Sterger if the Favre situation inspired her to re-evaluate choices she made, including having breast-enhancement surgery.
"It definitely played into that," said Sterger, who told Bush she never led Favre on. "It was one of those things that I realized they were bringing the wrong kind of attention. … Taking out my implants was one of the first things that I did to kind of fight against [stereotypes]."
C.J. can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com and seen on Fox 9's "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject; "Hello" does not count. Attachments are not opened.


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The Man with the Golden Arm A junkie must face his true... MORE > $11.95 Regularly $10.99 Buy Now
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If there were ever any doubts about Frank Sinatra's acting ability, The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) is the film that removed them, giving Sinatra an Oscar® nomination for Best Actor. A famous shocker in its time, The Man with the Golden Arm is also one of the first to deal honestly and directly with drug addiction. Sinatra plays a supposedly dried-out addict who returns to Chicago with big plans of becoming a jazz drummer. His bitter wife wants him to return to poker playing (the "golden arm" of the title) and the local drug dealer (Darren McGavin of Night Stalker fame) wants him for a customer. When he hits the night clubs, Sinatra falls for a professional bar hostess (Kim Novak) while sliding further and further back into his addiction until he feels that something has to give.
Nelson Algren's novel The Man with the Golden Arm was such a controversial bestseller that somebody was bound to film it. John Garfield bought the rights but after his death, director/producer Otto Preminger acquired them. He had Algren come out to Hollywood for the adaptation but the novelist didn't have much of a film sense so the script had to be rewritten, much to Algren's irritation. Preminger sent the first half of the script to Frank Sinatra's and Marlon Brando's agents, getting an almost immediate response from Sinatra who was ready to sign the dotted line without seeing the rest. The contract was quickly done only to hear that they didn't even give Brando time to see the script. (In an odd twist, years later Preminger was working on adapting The Godfather and thought Sinatra indispensable. Sinatra passed on the film and consequently so did Preminger leaving Brando to get the lead role.) Sinatra and Preminger got along wonderfully, Sinatra calling Preminger by his middle name Ludwig (which he deliberately mispronounced "Ludvig") while Preminger jokingly pulled "Anatole" from thin air as his name for Sinatra.
Before working on this film, Sinatra had generally declined rehearsals, being famous for his insistence on filming quickly and getting it done. Preminger talked him into rehearsing and Sinatra soon discovered how much he actually enjoyed the process. Throughout filming Sinatra was considerate of Kim Novak's nervousness as a new actor in such a high-profile film, even redoing scenes up to 35 times without complaining.
When The Man with the Golden Arm was finished, the Production Code refused a seal of approval to the film because it dealt with narcotics, a clear no-no under the Code. Preminger said he always expected they would change their mind after seeing the quality of the film but the Code didn't allow for such leeway. So United Artists released the film without a seal and it became commercially successful, helping lead to the collapse of the old form of Hollywood censorship. The film also received Oscar® nominations for art direction and for Elmer Bernstein's jazzy score (look for real-life jazz musicians Shorty Rogers and Shelley Manne).
Director/Producer: Otto Preminger
Screenplay: Walter Newman, Lewis Meltzer, Ben Hecht (uncredited), based on the novel by Nelson Algren
Cinematography: Sam Leavitt
Editor: Louis R. Loeffler
Music: Elmer Bernstein
Cast: Frank Sinatra (Frankie Machine), Eleanor Parker (Zosch Machine), Kim Novak (Molly), Arnold Stang (Sparrow), Darren McGavin (Louie).
by Lang Thompson


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- The Pickle Factory
- Saturday 15th Sep 2018
- 22:00 - 06:00
Secretsundaze All Night Long
Secretsundaze's All Night Long monthly takeover of The Pickle Factory is a rare opportunity to experience two of London's finest selectors Giles Smith & James Priestley in an intimate 250 capacity setting. In-between touring the world's best clubs such as Panorama Bar, Robert Jonson and The Block Tel Aviv, they get the chance to dig deep into their 30,000 strong record collection to deliver an 8 hour session that moves from their beloved house music to disco to techno to boogie and back.
The Pickle Factory is one of London's finest venues, with a killer D&B sound system hitting the spot. Secretsundaze All Night Long monthly residency has fast become a firm favourite in the venue programme every second Saturday of the month and they look forward to welcoming you on the dance floor!
This event is 18+, ID required


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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got into a heated exchange with Republican Sen. Ron Johnson during her testimony on the September terrorist attack in Benghazi when he asked her about the Obama administration's initial response to the attack.
Johnson asked why the people who were evacuated safely weren't interviewed immediately. He said that he believed U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice "intentionally misled" people in the initial aftermath of the attack by blaming it on a spontaneous protest, a charge that Clinton brushed off and said "nothing could be further from the truth."
When Johnson continued to press her on the initial misleading information, Clinton got visibly animated and shouted down Johnson before he could finish his question.
"We had four dead Americans!" she said. "Whether it was attack preplanned by terrorists or it because of a guy out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill Americans ... What difference does it make?!"
The exchange came as Clinton enters into a marathon day of testimony on the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya that killed four Americans.
Clinton's testimony comes after months of Republican charges that the Obama administration misled by originally blaming the attack on a spontaneous protest sparked by an anti-Muslim video. Republicans charge that the administration ignored warning signs of an increasingly bleak situation in Libya and failed to beef up security.
In her testimony, Clinton defended her handling of the lead-up to the attack and its aftermath but said that she accepted responsibility.
Clinton said she was not responsible for changing talking points that led to immediate confusion over whether the attack was carried out by terrorists.
"I personally was not focused on talking points. I was focused on keeping our people safe," Clinton said.
UPDATE: Johnson reacted to the exchange afterward with Wisconsin radio host Charlie Sykes. During his interview with Sykes, he accused Clinton of engaging in "theatrics" instead of providing a simple answer.
"I wasn't trying to get under her skin," Johnson told Sykes. "I was trying to get a relatively simple question answered that she didn't want to answer."
"It was theatrics," he added. "Again, she didn't want to answer questions so she makes a big show of it."


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Daniel J. Hurdle, senior vice president and chief career schools officer, Career Education Corp.
Career Education Corp. has hired Daniel J. Hurdle senior vice president and chief career schools officer. Hurdle leads the new, consolidated Career Schools Education Group, encompassing more than 70 culinary, health, and art and design education campuses. Hurdle joins CEC from Caribou Coffee Co. where he most recently served as senior vice president for retail. Previously, Hurdle served as senior vice president for strategy and business development, at Washington Mutual and had roles at Starbucks and McKinsey & Co. and was a nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. He holds a master¿s degree from Cambridge University and a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy.
Copyright © 2019, Chicago Tribune


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Virginia Tech football players, coaches and fans are rightfully disappointed in the last two seasons. The Hokies were 15-11 combined and finished outside the national polls in consecutive years for the first time since 1991 and '92.
Yet while the dip is undeniable and cause for action – head coach Frank Beamer and his overhauled staff appear to be recruiting more aggressively and effectively – the program's just-completed 10th season in the ACC offers a convenient opportunity for perspective.
During that stretch, Tech won more games, more conference games and more conference championships than any of its rivals. Sure, the Hokies would trade with second-place Florida State in a heartbeat given the Seminoles' unbeaten run to the 2013 national title, but no one else in the league approaches Virginia Tech's decade-long consistency and excellence.
Clemson has won 11 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time, but the Tigers' one ACC championship and two top-10 finishes in the last decade pale to the Hokies' four and four.
That Virginia Tech, Florida State, Clemson and Boston College are the only ACC programs to author top-10 seasons since 2004 speaks to the conference's lack of depth – nine Southeastern Conference programs have cracked the final Associated Press top 10 during the same period – and the importance of Louisville's impending arrival. The Cardinals are 23-3 the last two seasons and finished top-15 in both years.
Beamer's 27 seasons leading the Hokies give the program uncommon stability. Indeed, with Jim Grobe's resignation last month after 13 seasons at Wake Forest, no other ACC coach has been on the job more than six years (Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson and Duke's David Cutcliffe).
Now some Virginia Tech faithful – I believe it's a very small minority – say Beamer's age (67) and the team's recent struggles dictate a change. After all, they point out, the Hokies haven't won the ACC since – gasp! – 2010 and haven't been ranked in the final top 10 since 2009.
No, no, a thousand times no. Beamer doesn't deserve the bum's rush.
As recently as 2011, Virginia Tech defeated three ranked teams on the road: Marshall, Georgia Tech and Virginia. The Hokies received the ACC's first Bowl Championship Series at-large bid that season, and if not for a dubious replay reversal of an overtime touchdown, likely would have beaten Michigan to conclude the first 12-win season in program history.
No question, with its third national championship and a Heisman Trophy quarterback returning next season in Jameis Winston, Florida State has re-established the ACC supremacy it enjoyed from 1992-2003. But even if we narrow the focus from the past 10 years to the past five, the numbers flatter Virginia Tech.
The Hokies are 47-20 during that span, 30-10 in the ACC. Only Florida State's 52-16 and 30-10 are better. Clemson also is 47-20 and 30-10 over the last five seasons.
Beamer will be the first to concede that 7-6 and 8-5 in back-to-back years falls far shy of Virginia Tech standards, and he was quietly steaming after the Hokies' 42-12 Sun Bowl loss to UCLA. But Beamer is equally proud of Virginia Tech's 21 consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances, and of the Hokies' impact on the ACC.
As well he should be.
Remember, this isn't Texas, where national championship trophies reside, resources are unlimited and coach Mack Brown was ushered aside. This isn't an athletic department with its own cable channel and one of the nation's most fertile recruiting bases.
This is Virginia Tech, where despite long odds, Beamer has built a remarkable program.
Below is a chart of ACC teams' overall, conference and bowl records in the last 10 years, as well as their winning seasons, top-10 finishes, league championships and number of head coaches. I did not tabulate Syracuse and Pittsburgh, since they just joined the ACC this season.
Virginia Tech 99-35 62-18 4-6 10 4 4 1
Florida State 92-40 53-27 8-2 10 2 3 2
Clemson 85-44 52-28 4-5 9 2 1 2
Georgia Tech 78-53 51-29 2-8 9 0 1 2
Boston Coll.* 76-52 42-36 4-4 8 1 0 4
Univ. Miami 75-50 43-37 2-5 8 0 0 3
North Carolina 64-60 38-42 2-4 6 0 0 3
N. Carolina St. 58-65 30-50 3-2 4 0 0 3
Maryland 57-66 30-50 3-2 4 0 0 2
Wake Forest 60-64 33-47 2-2 3 0 1 1**
Univ. Virginia 55-67 31-49 1-3 4 0 0 2
Duke Univ. 35-86 16-64 0-2 1 0 0 2
* Boston College has competed in the ACC only nine years, so its final season in the Big East is included in the calculations.
** Grobe coached Wake Forest throughout the past 10 seasons but has since resigned. Dave Clawson is the Deacons' new head coach.
I can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at email@example.com. Follow me at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP
Here's a link to my Daily Press print columns.


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MISS AND LADY DIOR SHADOW EFFECT MINI BAGSCategories:Other Brands
Let's explore a different kind of shine today as we walk through the different Dior bags (from the Miss Dior and Lady Dior lines) available this season! These shadow effect bags and purses are marvelous pieces of art that you shouldn't miss!
Miss Dior Niagara Shadow Effect and Bleu Jeans Lambskin
Size: 21cm x 13.5cm
Price: €1600 EUR or £1300 GBP
This blue lambskin stunner is as pretty as the skies above. We love how the block lambskin exterior melds beautifully with the shadow effect above. It also has a large compartment, a zipped pocket, an inside and outside flat pocket and seven card slots inside. Very functional, indeed!
Miss Dior Old Rose Shadow Effect and Rose Dragee Lambskin
Size: 21cm x 13.5cm
Price: €1600 EUR or £1300 GBP
Feeling pretty bashful? Well, this old rose pouch is your piece! We love how dainty this baby is.
Miss Dior Black Shadow Effect and Black Lambskin
Size: 21cm x 13.5cm
Price: €1600 EUR or £1300 GBP
As fascinating as the night, this black pouch is set to exceed expectations. It also shares the same functionality as other Miss Dior pieces in the same line.
Lady Dior Rendez-vous Wallet in Old Rose Shadow Effect and Rose Dragee Lambskin
Size: 19.5cm x 10cm
This Lady Dior piece has a zipped pocket, two gusset compartments, a flat pocket and sixteen credit card slots inside. I mean, if you can fit that much stuff in a stylish way, that would be the best!
All pieces come in the brand's signature Cannage stitching, which is very beautiful indeed. You can get your very own Shadow Effect bag via Dior e-store.
Tags: bags Dior Mini Lady Miss SHADOW EFFECT


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High Demand For Scottsdale Homes…
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Maximum savings amount of $7,500 is based on a sales price of $500,000 and a listing fee of 1.5% instead of 3%. Real Estate commissions are not set by law. All commissions are negotiable by the seller. There are no standard commissions and seller decides total commissions paid. Offer excludes Short Sales. Home Buyer Cash Back Program: A Signed Buyer Broker Agreement is required. Cash Back will be listed as a credit on the buyers settlement statement. No actual cash or check will be given to the buyer outside of escrow.