text:
Iraq: Republican Pawn in Political War
Republicans are pushing Iraq firmly into the news in order to demonstrate that Republicans are fighting terror while hapless and wimpy Democrats refuse to fight. After Zarquawi was killed and the new Iraqi government was established, Bush began the big push with a secret visit to Baghdad. And today, the House is debating - I use the term loosely - an "I support the war" resolution. Passage of the resolution will not affect the war in any way. The Iraq War is being used as a pawn not to fight insurgents or terrorists but to fight Democrats.
Yes, indeed. The purpose of the debate is to paint Democrats as the real enemy. This is obvious when you look at a confidential memo sent to House Republican members by House Majority Leader John A. Boehner:
"Similarly, we must conduct this debate as a portrait of contrasts between Republicans and Democrats with regard to one of the most important political issues of our era. Articulating and advocating our core principles will allow the American public to witness Members of Congress debate a fundamental question facing America's leaders:
"In a post-9/11 world, do we confront dangerous regimes and the threat of terrorism with strength and resolve, or do we instead abandon our efforts against these threats in the hopes that they will just fade away on their own?
"Republicans believe victory in Iraq will be an important blow to terrorism and the threat it poses around the world. Democrats, on the other hand, are prone to waver endlessly about the use of force to protect American ideals. Capitol Hill Democrats' only specific policy proposals are to concede defeat on the battlefield and instead, merely manage the threat of terrorism and the danger it poses."
This statement has the usual Republican lies: that 9/11 and Iraq are related, that Democrats are willing "to concede defeat" and that they do not want to fight terrorism. Boehner makes clear the debate's purpose when he says:
"As a result of our efforts during this debate, Americans will recognize that on the issue of national security, they have a clear choice between a Republican Party aware of the stakes and dedicated to victory, versus a Democrat Party without a coherent national security policy that sheepishly dismisses the challenges America faces in a post- 9/11 world."
There is nothing honest about the debate. All amendments are barred. Democrats must vote yea or nay. They can't talk about withdrawal. They can't make any suggestions about winning in Iraq. It's the old Bush statement: "Either you are with us or against us."
It's a gotcha debate. If Democrats vote against the resolution they are against fighting the war on terror. If Democrats vote for the resolution, they're flip-floppers.
All indications are that Republicans do not know how to fight a war. 2500 Americans dead, tens of thousands are wounded and who knows how many Iraqis are dead. And Iraq is saturated with violence.
But Republicans do know how to fight a propaganda war. OK, I'd love to see a propaganda war against Al Qaeda. But no, Republicans are waging a propaganda war against fellow Americans who happen to disagree with them, some of whom are Democrats.
Disgraceful! I'm positive there is more important business that needs tending to in the House.
The Democratic answer should be: Vote for the resolution. Then issue "signing statements" explaining their differences with the formal resolution.Posted by Paul Siegel at June 15, 2006 4:56 PM
And 14 permanent bases in Iraq will not be seen as colonialism?
Or is Bush waiting to pull out, I mean cut & run, only when those bases are finished.
Or Am I just reading liberal between those lines?
Paul-Six of your brave Senetors voted for pulling out of Iraq.The usual suspects i dont have to tell you who the cut and runners are.It looks to me like Democrats are getting more Conservitive every day.Ihave to be honest with you it dont look too good for your party.Posted by: K.O.n5 at June 15, 2006 5:08 PM
Its beginning to look alot like Cristmas!!Posted by: troll lookingout at June 15, 2006 5:13 PM
Jesus, troll, you can't even spell Christmas right.
K.O.n5- what? That was not even close to English.
Let me address a general question to all of the Repubs out there: when is Iraq able to stand on its own two feet? What sign are you waiting for?Posted by: David S at June 15, 2006 5:19 PM
"The Democratic answer should be: Vote for the resolution. Then issue 'signing statements' explaining their differences with the formal resolution."
Democrats fighting fire with fire? Now that would be a shock!
Seems we have to wait for 50000 American dead before again before the militarist are willing to admit a mistake.
Exactly when and where did you serve. We just love to corroberate blowhard chicken hawks here.
Sure, a "one-sided" "no lose" debate should piss y'all off.
You wouldn't be human to not be pissed that the deck is stacked against you.
But what REALLY pisses you off is…
we are now winning.
Captured papers show weakening insurgencyPosted by: Jim T at June 15, 2006 6:29 PM
Lately I have been reading several Republican bloggers regurgitating the newest Rovian talking point that the Democrats are anti-war. I have to disagree with that statement on the basis that myself, and several friends of mine who are Democrats, supported the war on terror after 9/11 along with an overwhelming number of Americans. However, we were opposed to the Iraq war since it had nothing to do with the war on terror. So to make it clear I think Democrats should be saying we are Pro-(war on terror), and Anti-(Iraq war).
Now I would like to ask our Republican bloggers why we are fighting the war on terror using conventional war tactics? Most terrorists are rogue elements in their own country yet we are going to war with whole countries, taking many innocent lives in the process. Shouldn't we be using more strategic and surgical like tactics in eliminating these terrorists without harming civilians? Don't you think our steam-roller like approach to fighting this war is creating more terrorists from the people who have lost innocent loved ones?Posted by: bushflipflops at June 15, 2006 6:33 PM
Note to "bushflipflops": What a great strategic and surgical mind you have my friend. Wouldn't it be great if "these terrorists" would just leave the comfort and safety of civilian homes and fight us out in the desert? Hell boy, the war would have been over ten minutes after the first shot. What a fantastic military mind you carry around in your head.
Note to "paul": Your statement, "Passage of the resolution will not affect the war in any way" is quite revealing. Apparently the firm resolve by 92 U.S. Senators who voted for the resolution means nothing to the terrorists. Do you believe they don't know what our congress does? Would an opposite outcome of the resolution give terrorist aid and comfort? Think about it. Many on this site are very glad you didn't have a vote. Call the resolution a ploy, gimmic, political hardball or whatever you choose, it was time for all 100 U.S. Senators to stand up and be counted. We don't need political mumbo-jumbo with stakes this high. And, no political pundit can twist or parse what this resolution means to our enemies. Jim
Jim T,
We are winning? That is great. But… I have heard that before. Please let everyone know which version of winning applies:
1) Mission Accomplished!
2) Dead enders
3) Last throes
4) We are turning a corner
The problem, Jim, is that the Bush administration lies. They lie all the time.
This war was never about US national security. Our borders were never threatened. No Iraqi ever launched an attack against an American inside the United States. Never. Not one.
So when Bush Supporters back this administration, and back this war, they place the political interests of the Republican Party above the best interests of the United States of America. They sacrifice thousands of American lives, tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and it is all for a lie, it is just blood for oil, Bucko.Posted by: phx8 at June 15, 2006 7:39 PM
"We don't need political mumbo-jumbo with stakes this high.
Posted by: Jim Martin at June 15, 2006 07:20 PM"
This "resolution" is just exactly that: pure political mumbo jumbo. Where's the beef?
Dang I hope we can find a copy of this book in PDF:
"Pentagon arms Iraq supporters with rebuttal book"
"The Associated Press obtained a copy of the 74-page document. It was sent to both Republicans and Democrats and it laid out the administration's positions in strong terms and offered page after page of counterpoints to criticisms that Democrats typically level against President Bush's war policies."
KansasDemPosted by: KansasDem at June 15, 2006 7:58 PM
Jim Martin,
All I am saying is that our approach should be to infiltrate these radical organizations by recruiting Arabs and Persians. We should be targeting any cleric that calls for jihad and then spreading propaganda about their character to weaken their support, or if we have to assassinating them. We should be supporting rebel groups who would fight against these terrorists. We should be willing to negotiate with other nations to hand over or offer help in capturing terrorists in their countries. Declaring war on any country should be a last resort. Afghanistan was necessary since the Taliban refused to cooperate, although I felt it would have made the post-war reconstruction much smoother if we'd given the rebels a greater role during the war and not just used them primarily as scouts. Iraq on the other hand had nothing to do with the war on terror. Saddam was in a box, the sanctions were working, and Iraq was the most secular nation in the middle east. True Saddam was a bad guy, but we don't go around toppling other regimes around the world because they're bad, remember Bush said America should not be in the business of nation building.
It seems your approach would be to invade any country we want for any reason we want. Why don't you just admit that you and the rest of the neocons are either gullable little sheep or evil warmongers?Posted by: bushflipflops at June 15, 2006 8:03 PM
Jim M,
What a strawman you have built! It looks lovely, by the way.
The fighting has taken place in all sectors of Iraq, not just in cities. It's everywhere. The conventional military IS being used for 90% of the fighting, which it's not very good at, since they aren't trained in counterinsurgency the way the elite troops are. In the cities, it makes more sense to use special troops in small numbers to go after suspected terrorists.
It all makes such wonderful sense to you, though, in how it's being conducted now. According to the conservatives, the Iraqis love us all. They want to help us win the war. They will help us to get those nasty insurgents (likely family and friends of theirs) and the terrorists that showed up along with them.
Only they really don't. They don't like us. They don't want us there with our guns and fighters and tanks. Since the population isn't actually helping us at all to kill their own people, we have to resort to conventional means to do the job, as bushflipflops mentions. Only by doing that, we don't get them alone. We only get them by bombing entire city blocks to get a few insurgents. Have you seen figures of the numbers of Iraqi civilians killed in this fight so far? It's not heavily reported. Know why? Because it would be appalling to any decent human being. Your own strategic mind is a bit soft there, bud. The tactic to fight insurgents is the rifle and the bayonet and communications and intelligence, not bombers and tanks. That kind of puts your statements at odds with how the war is being conducted, doesn't it?
I, too, am for the War on Terror. Going into Afghanistan was the right move. Putting Iran, North Korea, Syria, Libya and the Sudan on notice was also a good start. They are known exporters of terrorism. But where did we go? Iraq? Sorry, the ulterior motive is showing.
And here go the Republicans, playing their simple little games again. Let's make a resolution stating that all members of this august body must stand up and be counted. But for what? The War on Terror? I doubt very seriously anyone in their right minds would vote against that. 9/11 was a fact. Those people killed our fellow citizens and the citizens of many nations, all without provocation and cause. They have shown themselves to be beneath contempt and well beyond any decent moral restraint. No question.
But you see, they are going to make this a referendum of the Senate by stating that they must vote for this and say that Iraq is part of the War on Terror, and if you vote against what we are doing in Iraq, you are against the War on Terror. It's a shoddy, shameful piece of political crap designed to help win votes for 2006's elections, and nothing more. To the Republicans and the authors of this disgusting piece of filth, it's nothing more than a way to oversimplify the case and to create more confusion into the real debate. Which is, of course, is Iraq part of the War on Terror?
Well, is it? No, it is not. There were no WMD's there. Saddam Hussein was not consorting with the terrorists. There was no al-Qaeda presence in Iraq in any real sense. It was our demolishing the security apparatus that brought them there. So, now Iraq is loaded with terrorists. We created their presence in Iraq. So, now it's ex post facto a haven for terrorists and now it must be part of the War on Terror, right?
Such twisted logic you conservatives use. How on earth do you sleep at night telling such lies?Posted by: joshuacrime at June 15, 2006 8:08 PM
Joshua & Bushflips,
Good posts. Agreement on a national level was nearly unanimous when it came to going into Afghanistan. It beggars description that we may yet lose there, simply because we became distracted by the invasion & occupation of Iraq.
The same old talking points, the same Republican crap, utter tripe, attempting to turn our best instincts for supporting the country into support for the Bush administration & its sick, despicable policies & sicker payoffs to its cronies.
The sad part is that most Bush Supporters do not understand- they are mere tools.
Worst. President. Ever.Posted by: phx8 at June 15, 2006 8:19 PM
And in the meanwhile Afghanistan looks worse and worse:
"In a move of staggering foolishness, the Bush Administration in early 2002 blocked the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force beyond Kabul. This, more than any other single development, disrupted the momentum of Afghanistan's transition."
"Afghan and foreign officials and local villagers blame a lack of United States-led coalition forces on the ground for the resurgence."
Maybe the GOOP led Senate and House should be resolving to pull their own heads out of the sand.
KansasDemPosted by: KansasDem at June 15, 2006 8:42 PM
Regardless of the sheer idiocy of going into Iraq, the fact remains we are there now.
We cannot leave Iraq until it is stable. I define "Stable" as George Bush being able to use the Highway to go to the Green Zone instead of Chopper in the dead of night.
We must stay. We have a responsibility to fix what we broke.
Regardless of the cost in lives and gold.
We must stay.Posted by: Aldous at June 15, 2006 8:47 PM
The fact is that on the war the Democratic party is a mess. We are now into this thing three years and there is no Democratic position. We are three years into a war and your party has no position. Think long and hard about that.
This isn't liberal/conservative. You belong to a messed up, dysfunctional party. From the very beginning your party was split down the middle.
Here is the fall campaign on the War.
1. Hillary Clinton: Stay the course
2. Kerry. I voted for the war resolution but was a mistake. I voted against the first Iraq war and that was a mistake as well. I can never get this war thing right. I want to be president. Even though I never seem to vote correctly on a war resolution Bush was wrong in getting us into this war. (This is pretty funny)
3. Kennedy: I voted against the resolution and am proud of it. I was against the war from the beginning.
4. Joe Biden: I support the war, but not the war way Bush has conducted it.
5. Al Gore: Here we are in a middle of a war, and I think we should focus on Global warming.
6. Joe Lieberman. We are in the middle of a war and I support the president.
Please for the love of America, can you please explain to me the Democratic position on the war? Now that we are in the third year, and you want to take over the house and senate, what is your party's position?
By the way, the only two people with a clear position are Lieberman and Kennedy. The rest seem to be playing politics.
You might just win!!
CraigPosted by: Craig Holmes at June 15, 2006 9:21 PM
Paul, you nailed it.
But you know what I believe the Democratic answer should be? Abstain from voting for the resolution entirely. That's right, simply boycott their dirty trick. Unfortunately, this would only be truly effective if every last one of the Dems are able to glance down and realize they're in full possession of a whole stomach filled with guts.
I'm 100% in agreement with you. Abstain altogether. Makes sense to me.
KansasDemPosted by: KansasDem at June 15, 2006 9:43 PM
The debate should be re-framed to include the costs of the war in Iraq. Are you willing to raise the taxes needed to pay for the war in Iraq as we go, and not insist our kids and grandkids pay for it.Posted by: j2t2 at June 15, 2006 10:00 PM
Abstention! Absolutely! Funny, I thought the same thing. I see no reason to participate in a fraudulent debate for a "non-binding resolution."
You are right about the division among the Dems. It is funny just how much more and more Iraq comes to resemble Vietnam. Half the Dems support the war. The liberal half oppose it. Meanwhile, Republicans walk in lockstep. Sadly, like lemmings, they will walk in lockstep right off the cliff, taking the country down with them; and, like lemmings, there are quite a few of them. Furthermore, like lemmings, they will walk off the same cliff year after year. I believe it is called "staying the course."
Jim T,
So you must be thrilled about 70,000 troops retaking Bagdhad. But does it not strike you as strange that we need to retake Bagdhad in the first place?
Absolutely abstain! What a piece of crap this resolution is, and to introduce it as John Kerry's. They should have all walked off the floor.
Good point. Does anyone know how many times this is that we've had to retake Bagdhad. How many young men and women have died retaking other parts of Iraq?Posted by: mark at June 15, 2006 10:20 PM
"The debate should be re-framed to include the costs of the war"
I'd add "reinstate the draft" to that.
KansasDemPosted by: KansasDem at June 15, 2006 10:23 PM
I've been watching this debate and got ill. Americans should have to sit and watch the whole farce.
The waste of time and money for them to stand and bloviate over such an unbelievably political stunt should make every American as angry as I got watching it.
With our debt out of sight, this waste of time and money when there are so many other pressing problems is unforgiveable.Posted by: womanmarine at June 15, 2006 10:34 PM
Next up: Flag Burning. I'm surprised the Republicans didn't pull this one out of their bag of tricks yesterday(Flag Day).Posted by: mark at June 15, 2006 10:34 PM
I suppose it's very difficult for Republicans to understand that Democrats do not insist that everyone in the party must think alike. We are allowed to think for ourselves and therefore have differences of opinion. This may not always be the best way to get things done but it is better than being lied to and swallowing it hook, line, and sinker because you cannot think for yourself.Posted by: mark at June 15, 2006 10:42 PM
Does this actually surprise anyone?
Meaningful legislation or election year pander?
Oh, the choices!
Wasting time and money is what they are good at.
This does, however, keep them from adding a couple of billion to the deficit for a little bit. Perhaps next they can resolve the color blue (for or against would be adequate) and save us another couple of billion.
Kansas, phx8, mark,
Glad you guys liked that idea too. Question is, do you think they'd have the guts to actually do it?
I agree the situation with Iraq has indeed become very eerily like Vietnam. I was just a little kid back then, but I recall how the Dems were split on the issue because my parents used talk about that. Maybe everybody did back then?
You're right, of course. But if they instituted a draft, they know the whole public sentiment regarding the Iraq war would change with lightning speed.
Off topic, but important:
It seems there were some improper proceedures courtesy of Diebold (surprise, surprise!) in California's 50th district special election where Bilbray won over Busby by only three percentage points. If you want, you can go and sign the petition to help them get a 100% hand recount in the district by clicking on this link.
You are spot on in that remark. I see lots of political robots spinning there wheels with the repeat button depressed.
I do believe that adults debating an issue with a sence of fair play and differing opinions can do miraculas things.
First , I'm affraid, we must find some adults, who have a sence of fairness.
I remain hopfull.
P.S. Love the flag message too.
maybe if you tell two people and I tell two people and each tell two people, well ya'll get my meaning. Simple ? yes. but that may be the best way to have it understood by these meatheads.Posted by: gypsyirishgirl at June 15, 2006 11:39 PM
Blah blah blah blah. You neolibs just keep saying the same old stuff that is neither logical or factual. More like fantasy thinking. Wake up. It is a world wide war. We started in the back yard of the ones killing us. It is better to take it to them rather than they bring it to us again. Talking nice won't fix it. Your neolib speak just undermines the US and worst of all the Troops. However you cut it your neolib speak DOES provide aid and comfort to the enemy.Posted by: nunya at June 16, 2006 12:12 AM
The only parallel the war on terror has to Vietnam are the spineless neolibs that don't have the guts to do what needs to be done and provide aid and comfort to the enemy.Posted by: nunya at June 16, 2006 12:16 AM
You support your party at the expense of what is right for your country, and the price is paid in the blood of American soldiers and Iraqis.
A big difference between Vietnam and Iraq is that in Vietnam we tried to keep a country divided through war, while in Iraq we attempt to keep a country united through occupation.
Eventually the Shia Death Squads will kill enough Sunnis to finish the job of ethnic cleansing. The Shias & Sunnis will be separated. But what next? The eventual partitioning of Iraq seems unavoidable. It was always the most desirable solution, but Republicans NEVER cared about the Iraqis. The invasion & occupation was always about what seemd most expedient with the Republican base at the time: Mission Accomplished! Dead Enders! Last throes! Turning the Corner! And so Republicans waved purple thumbs in the air, because elections were good for rallying Republicans in this country.
We never bothered to ask the Iraqis if they wanted to remain united in one country in the first place.
So the debacle grinds on, lives are damaged, or lost, billions upon billions of dollars disappear, and the partition seems more likely as time passes.
This is from a weekly newspaper representing one of the two major Kurdish parties, courtesy of Juan Cole:
"After three years of journeys to Baghdad, we are certain that nobody is ready to recognize the issue of the displaced Kurds and mass graves; no one is happy to have a Kurdish president; nobody accepts for Kurdistan to have a president and nobody accepts a Kurdish symbol on the Iraqi passport or the Iraqi currency. Because of all these questions and hundreds more by our miserable people, it would be better for us to leave Baghdad and the government of the Green Zone and return to Kurdistan."
Nunya, Jim T, do you have any idea what that means? Any idea at all?
I very seriously doubt it, but would welcome a discussion.
Posted by: phx8 at June 16, 2006 12:31 AM
You are right about the division among the Dems. It is funny just how much more and more Iraq comes to resemble Vietnam. Half the Dems support the war. The liberal half oppose it. Meanwhile, Republicans walk in lockstep. Sadly, like lemmings, they will walk in lockstep right off the cliff, taking the country down with them; and, like lemmings, there are quite a few of them. Furthermore, like lemmings, they will walk off the same cliff year after year. I believe it is called "staying the course."
I don't disagree. But what would the Democrats possibly do in Iraq if they were returned to power?
The only Democratic policy on Iraq I can see is that George Bush is wrong. So I guess my question of the party is, if you are elected, what would you do on the most important issue facing our country? The bottom line is that the party has no answer, therefore no mandate to lead.
CraigPosted by: Craig Holmes at June 16, 2006 12:48 AM
Wow. What country did this person come from?
Blah blah blah blah. You neolibs just keep saying the same old stuff that is neither logical or factual. More like fantasy thinking. Wake up. It is a world wide war. We started in the back yard of the ones killing us. It is better to take it to them rather than they bring it to us again. Talking nice won't fix it. Your neolib speak just undermines the US and worst of all the Troops. However you cut it your neolib speak DOES provide aid and comfort to the enemy.I'm sure it was better in the original German.
As I recall, we're never took it to the backyard of the ones that killed our citizens on 9/11, because they were not from a single nation. They are criminals, not soldiers. As such, there is nothing to declare war on. The ones that killed our citizens were citizens of Arab nations, mainly Saudi Arabia. The only thing we've been taking to them is a lot of money for their oil. Afghanistan, now they aren't Arabs at all. They are followers of Islam, some radical, most not. Whose backyard are you refering to here?
Iraq was never a part of the War on Terror as far as I and many other citizens of this nation are concerned. It's a sideshow. I haven't quite figured out the real motivation for our being there, but I figure it will come out eventually.
Meanwhile, the most repugnant thing to ever come out of an American's mouth is what you just said. Accusing me of giving aid and comfort to the enemy for exercising my 1st Amendment rights as a rate-paying citizen of this nation? How dare you?
I, probably unlike you, actually served in the military, but then again, I met some real knuckle-dragging retards in my time in service, so I can imagine that some people might have served but probably fall under this category.
Those people over there in Iraq, you know, the ones in the desert camo? Guess what they are protecting? Well, we can debate about that all we want to here, as is our right and our privelege, but in the end, you can argue it's about freedom. It's not in this case, but we can set that aside for the moment. Let's just suspend reality for one moment here, and say that the war in Iraq is about freedom. Well, guess what those brave men and women in our nation's military uniforms are there to protect? My right to open my big yap and say whatever I would like to say.
You have a lot of nerve, proleboy.Posted by: joshuacrime at June 16, 2006 12:54 AM
I don't disagree. But what would the Democrats possibly do in Iraq if they were returned to power? The only Democratic policy on Iraq I can see is that George Bush is wrong. So I guess my question of the party is, if you are elected, what would you do on the most important issue facing our country? The bottom line is that the party has no answer, therefore no mandate to lead.Sorry for sounding a bit cliche here, but the first thing you do when you are digging a hole for yourself is stop digging.
There are lots of people all over that think about this very issue all the time. Just because they don't bark it in the papers doesn't mean it isn't happening. You have as much knowledge as I do that Democratic leaders are or are not discussing this. None. You don't need a mandate to lead.
George W. Bush didn't have one. He just had a paper thin majority in our government houses to go along with his executive power. The nation was clearly split in all but a few tenths of a percentage point from being split right down the middle.
Mandate? Reagan had one when he crushed Mondale. There was no argument that he started with a mandate. Bush doesn't have a mandate, didn't have a mandate to start with, and won't have one, either. He's just enough of a mouthpiece for all his corporate puppetmasters to ignore the normal decorum of politics and just do whatever he feels like doing.
What would I do? Get out! If we're really lucky, the Shia and Sunni won't kill each other in droves while they both take turns killing the Kurds. At least not right away. The operation needs the UN to drive it, and then it won't seem like a unilateral move to control the oil in Iraq. Of course, that's precisely why Bush invaded Iraq.
We did what we set out to do there, right? Saddam is out of power, and so are the Baathists. Fine, train the troops of Iraq, and get the hell out of Dodge. Oh, wait, it was about WMD's and al-Qaeda. I forgot. Or was it? With all of Bush's flip-flopping on the subject, it's hard for little old me to keep track. It was WMD's first, then it was al-Qaeda next, and then it was Saddam's a Hitler, and then it was the insurgents. We'll find something else as an excuse soon, I'm sure. All designed to cover up what we were really after, at least on paper. The rest of the world knows precisely why our military is in Iraq: oil.Posted by: joshuacrime at June 16, 2006 1:07 AM
Iraq and 9/11 are related as any reasonably well informed person should be able to see.
You can't win the war on terror while containing Iraq. Our policy of sanctions in Iraq was a major factor in the anti-americanism rampant in the middle east which harbors terrorists and promotes recruiting efforts by terrorists. The UN reported that 250,000 Iraqis were killed by the sanctions and Madeline Albright implicitly agreed that as many as 500,000 Iraqi Children were killed by the sanctions. Meanwhile, Hussein was saying the sanctions killed 1,000,000 Iraqis.
While there is no doubt that what deaths did occur, occured due to Hussein's manipulation of the santions to starve (out of food and medicine) his enemies, it is true that this propaganda is WIDELY believed in the Islamic world.
Al Qaida's 1998 fatwa declaring war on America and Americans EXPLICITLY states that the Iraq sanctions, enforcement of the no-fly zones and the troops stationed in Saudi Arabia enforcing those no-fly zones ARE ALL Cassus Belli.
So how do you come to the conclusion that Iraq and 9/11 aren't related?
That's some interesting logic.
9/11 commited by Al Quaida. Al Quaid declares war due to our policy of containment of Iraq.
Wow, phx8 and joshuacrime, terrific posts. Thanks.Posted by: Adrienne at June 16, 2006 2:52 AM
"Unfortunately, this would only be truly effective if every last one of the Dems are able to glance down and realize they're in full possession of a whole stomach filled with guts."
Where I come from, this is called cannibalism. Which reminds me of another Mencken quote:
"If a politician learned he had cannibals in his constituency, he would promise them missionaries for dinner."Posted by: Tim Crow at June 16, 2006 3:23 AM
You know, on second thought, if their stomachs were full of Republican guts, I just might vote for them.:-)
Yummmm! Tastes just like chickenhawks!Posted by: Tim Crow at June 16, 2006 3:34 AM
Whatching thedebate in the House of repensntive shows the republicans propganing and the brain washing of the going on linking the invasion of on the global war on terror. There have been no hard evidence of any ties to Osama. Iraq was secular society that was ruled by an iron fisted dictator. Past administraion helped in putting the Bathist in power helped inthe toppeling of a miltary dictator with comunist leanings. During Iraqs war against Iran we supported Sadam With Miltary intell and direct miltary aid because Rumsfeld was over ther shaking Hands with Sadam after signing anarms deal. If some ofthe Classified material wasreleased we probaly sold him the material to manufacture the gas he used on Kurds in the early 80s. Wher was world out cry against this genocide. Ithink the US should pull the troops out.Leave quick reaction force in Quita {sic] And use our Special foces as counter insurgince. This is about some ego trip by Gw to finish the job his dad thought better of so in closeing Iurge every to for anything than R or D in this election to send amessage they work for us and glable conglmerates!Posted by: disgruntaled at June 16, 2006 7:44 AM
Of course the debate is being used to show the different views of the parties, isn't that the point of debate? This way, citizens will know who is for or against the war, plain and simple. And judging from the voting, it looks as if more Democrats are for the war than all of us thought, either that or they are afraid to vote against it because of the upcoming elections.Posted by: Joe at June 16, 2006 11:49 AM
Meet Panamawarvet. And you have some rather twisted logic there, mate.
The reason for going to war, according to the Republicans, at least at first, 2 things:
1. Saddamn Hussein and the Baath Party of Iraq were trying to create or obtain weapons of mass destruction. These weapons could then be sold to terrorists or to "rogue states".
2. Al-Qaeda was dealing with the Iraqi government through intelligence agents all over the world, and an al-Qaeda base existed right in Iraq.
The CIA helped George Bush and the NSC cherry pick intelligence that supported his case for going to war, and then they fit it all into a nice neat basket for that "slam dunk" they were so desperate to get. The NIE on Iraq was so full of shit that a number of prominent government officials and veteran CIA officers quit their jobs in protest. Jack Straw (the former Home Secretary of England) quit also because of the crap that was being presented as our casus belli in England.
A small side note here: if you want to make me believe you are smart, you'll learn how to spell first. It's CASUS BELLI. I realize it's Latin, but you used it. You can tell a lot about a person by how well they spell and use their own native language. You can tell even more when they try to use another language and turn it into a load of bollocks.
Anyway, moving on. Al-Qaeda decided that their main reason for terrorism against the United States was because we had troops in the Holy Land. Don't give me that bullshit about how our sanctions in Iraq are the reason they attacked us. They've said it time and time again. Since we wound up in Iraq with a lousy security situation (thanks to good Ol' Rummy, the moron), they took advantage of it and came after us.
Bin Laden has said time and time again that if we removed our presence from the Holy Land (meaning Saudi Arabia), they wouldn't really have much truck with us. Of course, NOW that we are militarily in Iraq and killing Arabs, they are made at that, but I'm going to help you out with something. This is Latin as well, so don't be afraid, ok?
EX POST FACTO. That means "after the fact". It's a term we use in US laws to describe a condition where people used to get arrested for an action which violated a law that wasn't in place at the time the action was committed, but the person is still prosecuted for it. Since the law was created ex post facto, it does not hold any authority in that particular instance.
Now, the Casus Belli of Al-Qaeda, as you play it out, is tied to Iraq. It's not, and you could only say it was if you decided that it was an ex post facto casus belli. Al-Qaeda was already attacking us for being in Saudi Arabia, therefore they were already at war with us. Their casus belli was already created well before we removed Saddam from power.
The reason GWB gave us for going into Iraq have all turned out to be lies. Every last fecking one of them. No WMD's. No al-Qaeda in Iraq before we let them run rampant through the nation. No links to foreign terrorists. No threat of moving against Israel. No nothing. It's all bullshit.
The other thing that really pisses me off is the people that say that "well, we're there now, so we have to finish it". No, we do not. We have no obligation to Iraq. The CIC has the obligation to protect the Constitution. That's it. The problem lies in the fact that people like you are too obtuse to understand that we have to get out when we are doing absolutely no good there.
The other point is that the government won't ever admit a single mistake, and so we'll be there until the verminous multitude are tossed out of Washington and onto the lecture circuit where losers like G. Gordon Liddy, Oliver North and his ilk go. Or maybe onto AM Radio, the last bastion of the non-thinking.Posted by: joshuacrime at June 16, 2006 11:58 AM
The American people get Huge win over the Democrats in Congress and Senate.We will continue the WAR ON TERRORISM.Posted by: lookingout at June 16, 2006 12:06 PM
joshuacrime This might come as a shock to you but i will take the oppinion of a man who has been there done that over the likes of you any time.Thank you for your service Iraqwarvet.Posted by: justwondering at June 16, 2006 1:00 PM
The official defenition for DEMOCRAT-Some one mostly liberal who seeks a loss for the american people.They come in all colors and all nationalitys.Win is not in their vocabulary as its been so long since they have had one.Some pose as something other than liberal democrats but they are a dead give away just tell one that you love America and if its a Dem. this person will give you 100 reasons why America is an evel country.The Republican s Are the exact opposite. They will give you 100 reasons why they love their country.Posted by: justwondering at June 16, 2006 2:52 PM
"The Republican s Are the exact opposite. They will give you 100 reasons why they love their country."
Then they will sell US port security to the United Arab Emirates.Posted by: phx8 at June 16, 2006 2:58 PM
You are 100% correct. The war on terrorism will continue. Haliburton and the likes will continue to make billions. Thousands will continue to die.
Tens of thousands will continue to recieve life altering injuries. The military-industrial complex will continue to thrive. This is just as the Republican hierarchy wants it and as long enough people like you buy into it, the war that begets more war will continue. Certain corporations will become richer and more powerful, just as Eisenhower warned. As we continue to kill more innocent people, as we bomb terrorists, we will fail to end anything, only create more terrorists. Is this really what you want?
Mark and the democrats will get weeker and meeker.And before you know it Hollywood will becme Dollywood.Posted by: lookingout at June 16, 2006 3:29 PM
Classic lookingdown. Thanks joshuacrime.Posted by: mark at June 16, 2006 3:47 PM
Mark O.K.hero lets do it your way.Pull all the military back to the states.Lets cut ties with all other countries.Lets tell haliburton to get screwed.Then we can all sit around here in the good old U.S.A. like the Bitches that you want us to become.Some one should wash your mouth out with soap!Posted by: lookingout at June 16, 2006 4:05 PM
lookingout, your comments do not comply with our Critique the Message, not the Messenger policy. Comply or lose your comment privileges here.Posted by: WatchBlog Managing Editor at June 16, 2006 4:20 PM
Who said anything about cutting ties with other countries lookingdown. But now that you've mentioned it, there are plenty of countries who want very little to do with us.Posted by: mark at June 16, 2006 5:30 PM
If you bothered to read what I typed, I mentioned that I, too, am a veteran of a US conflict, that being Panama. But, in reality, I could be full of shit, and so could Iraqwarvet. There is no proof of either of us being anywhere at all. Since it's likely I'm not going to show you my 201 file, you have to take both of our words on it that we both served. Or not. In any event, if you are basing your opinion on who is right and who is wrong on an alleged statement made without any corroboration, then I'd say you're just another Republican toady that goes along with everything your party tells you to.
Read what is being said, see if it makes any logical sense, and then judge. But that is not the Republican way, is it? The Republicans are soldier sniffers and cop lovers, by and large. Authority is there to serve us, not to be worshipped. Sieg Rummy!Posted by: joshuacrime at June 16, 2006 6:16 PM
You again, huh?
The official defenition for DEMOCRAT-Some one mostly liberal who seeks a loss for the american people.They come in all colors and all nationalitys.Win is not in their vocabulary as its been so long since they have had one.Some pose as something other than liberal democrats but they are a dead give away just tell one that you love America and if its a Dem. this person will give you 100 reasons why America is an evel country.The Republican s Are the exact opposite. They will give you 100 reasons why they love their country.What a bunch of hyperbolous, cretinous balderdash. Get your Thesaurus out if you don't parlez vouz Englais, mon ami.
I can prove to you that Democrats love their country as much, if not more than Republicans do. We care about what our nation does at home as well as abroad.
We have a sense of fair play, of basing our judgement on facts and not oversimplified rhetoric spewed forth from the vomit factory that is the RNC.
We care about every single person in this nation, not just the corporations that really run everything.
We want a flourishing economy, one that benefits every man, woman and child, not just the upper 1%.
We care that the nation is a living, breathing first-rate nation full of ideals, wisdom, common sense and justice. We don't want to be a laughing stock to the rest of the world because our populace has elected, well, not twice, but once, a drooling buffoon whose puppet strings are so obvious it's frightening.
We care that our conduct abroad is in accordance with international law, as well as common decency.
We want to be seen as a nation people look up to, not denigrate because we feel we're above everyone else simply because this particular piece of dirt is where our parents fucked.
We want to be the nation of tolerance for all creeds, colors, persuasions and rational, lawful philosophies. We don't want to be seen as the intolerant, war-mongering, religious-persecuting yahoos that thinks that we can do no wrong, and there's no reason to ever think we do.
We want to be the people that Jefferson wanted us to become: self-sufficient, well mannered men and women of distinction, courage, intelligence and honesty. How does the rest of the world see us now? Anything close to that? If not, then we have some serious clean-up work ahead of us. And that, my very non-learned friend, benefits every American, not just one party.Posted by: joshuacrime at June 16, 2006 6:29 PM
Great writing. I'm going to send that to my Senators(both Democrat) if its all right with you. By the way, I think lookingdown and justwondering are one and the same, although with some of these republican lemmings it easy to assume they are the same person.Posted by: mark at June 16, 2006 9:58 PM
THE FINAL SOLUTION Gopers make the big mess.. cause a civil war.. exit stage RIGHT!!!!!!!!!
let the civil war kill off most of the people of need… NO NATION BUILDING NEEDED…leaving the CONTRACTORS to rule & kill off babies & mothers.. old men in wheelchairs.. O we are the land of the brave all right! puke in a bag!
after all we are now living in a DICTATORSHIP
so let's all just try to buck up and get along…
one good thing .. is that we all die.. & one day GWB & his merry gang of thugs.. all those old farts.. have more years behind them than in front of them… so they will go long before most of us here on this board… we will be left with the filthy mess that they have left us..
but then there is that old crime of NEPOTISM..
their children will take their place in the KINGDOM of the DICTATORSHIP of THE BUSH CABAL
& Goodluck suckers!
Great article, nothing new here, Rove is back. I like the idea of signing statements…Posted by: Ray Guest at June 18, 2006 9:50 PM
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Dean's Fund for Student Development
Enhance your Honors College experience! Advance your academic and professional goals by winning a grant for:
Application: Deans Fund Application-2018Jan19.pdf (For team applications, letters of support from faculty advisors are required for each team member).
For additional information on this topic, or to submit your application, email us at email@example.com
*NOTE: For priority consideration for applications for projects in the spring term (available online or through the office) please submit these by Friday, November 16.
Application Deadlines*:
Projects occuring in the Fall Semester, applications need to be submitted by the first week of September.
Projects occuring in the Spring Semester, applications need to be submitted by the first week of February.
Projects occuring in the Summer, applications need to be submitted by the first week of April.
Yasmine Ghattas
Arevalo, Faustin
Alumni Dinner in California
Service Learning - Global Brigades - July 2018 - Honduras
Study Abroad - Summer Internship at CERN (June 4 - August 24, 2018)
Beam Dynamics Studies of a Fast Dump System in the CERN Proton Synchrotron
Service Learning - HealthEd Mission Trip (Coptic Orphans) - Namibia
Watch the YouTube video here.
Service Learning - Global Brigades Leadership Institute - July 2018 - Honduras
Research Project - 3D Imaging in pediatric oncology
Service Learning - Global Brigades - 2018
Research Project - Governor Stem Scholars Program - create a robot that will go inside a pipe and develop a 3D scan of that pipe
Study Abroad - Amsterdam - Youth Entrepreneur Summit 2018 - showcase my medical device startup

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This is the first post in a series featuring helpful meditation techniques.
In a previous post, I explained the benefits I have experienced by committing to a regular meditation practice. One of the techniques that can be used during a meditation session is the recitation of mantras. In this post I will introduce mantras and give you some advice on how best to use them in your own meditation practice.
What Are Mantras?
Mantras are essentially words or phrases that are repeated many times, over and over again. The symbol in the image shown above is the Sanskrit text for the mantra Om, which is perhaps the most well-known mantra, and often what a novice meditator assumes he or she will be chanting during every meditation session. However, Om is not the only mantra available to a meditator, nor is it the only aspect of meditation.
As described on Deepak Chopra's webpage about mantras:
"The word mantra has two parts: man, which is the root of the Sanskrit word for mind; and tra, which is the root of the word instrument. A mantra is therefore an instrument of the mind, a powerful sound or vibration that you can use to enter a deep state of meditation."
Taken from the Wikipedia article on mantras:
"'Mantra' means a sacred utterance, numinous sound, or a syllable, word, phonemes, or group of words believed by some to have psychological and spiritual power. A mantra may or may not have syntactic structure or literal meaning; the spiritual value of a mantra comes when it is audible, visible, or present in thought."
My personal take on mantras is that using them in a meditation practice helps calm the mind and focus attention. There have been times during my own meditation sessions that reciting mantras has led me to another state of consciousness. These experiences are difficult for me to describe, but the important message I would like to share is that using mantras can be an effective meditation technique.
How Do Mantras Work?
Repeating a mantra allows the mind to focus wholly on one particular sound or meaning. When we practice mantra repetition during meditation, we allow the vibration and meaning of the mantra to meld with our subconscious mind while also detaching from the racing thoughts that often fill our mind. This leads to myriad positive results, including altering the brain's chemical balance, freeing the mind from injurious thoughts, identifying negative habits, elevating our spirituality, and healing diseases.
The practice of repeating a mantra over and over again replaces the normal thought processes that we experience. It is really easy to get caught in our thoughts without even realizing it, and mantras can help us break that pattern by refocusing our attention on one specific word, sound, or phrase. After all, it is difficult to think about one thing while focusing your attention on another!
Three Mantras for Beginners
Included below are three mantras that are excellent for novice meditators. I have included each mantra's respective meaning and pronunciation that will help you started with incorporating mantras into your meditation practice. Please note that executing the correct pronunciation of a mantra is not as important as cultivating an honest intention while reciting the mantra. In addition, there are debates about the correct pronunciation of mantras. When in doubt, just do your best.
1) Om
- Translation: Om is said to be the sound of the universe. It is generally understood to be the original vibration, representing the birth, death, and re-birth process of Samsara.
- Pronunciation: Om has an alternate spelling of Aum, which is the sound that is made when the mantra is pronounced correctly. Position your mouth as you would say the vowel "U". Start vocalizing "Aum" and finish with "M" in the form of a deep hum. Another way to recite Om is to open your mouth, begin to utter "Aahh", slowly close your mouth as it becomes "Ooh", and when you close your mouth the sound becomes "Mmm".
2) Om Namah Shivaya
- Translation: Also known as Panchakshara, the "five-syllable" mantra Namah Shivaya is a holy salutation to Shiva. Shiva is understood to be the supreme deity of transformation who represents the truest, highest self. When an Om is included at the beginning of the mantra, the phrase translates to "I bow to Shiva". When I first started using this mantra, I imagined the meaning to be "I bow to myself", which helped me dedicate myself to my then-new meditation practice and thus, to myself.
- Pronunciation: When the beginning Om is included, this mantra is simply pronounced "Aum-Nah-Mah-Shee-Vah-Yah". I found this video from Yoga Vidya to be very helpful when learning to pronounce this mantra.
3) Om Mani Padme Hum
- Translation: This mantra loosely translates to "The jewel is in the lotus" or "Praise to the jewel in the lotus". It is said that all the teachings of the Buddha are contained in this mantra, and it cannot really be translated into a simple phrase or sentence. If you are interested in further reading, this explanation on Dharma Haven gives a thorough explanation of the meaning behind the mantra.
- Pronunciation: This mantra is pronounced "Aum-Mah-Nee-Pahd-May-Hum". The vowel in they syllable "Hum" is pronounced as in the English word "hook". The final consonant in that syllable is often pronounced "ng" as in "gong".
How to Recite Mantras
Learning to recite mantras is fairly straightforward. It is important to find a physical space that is pleasant to be in for an extended period and a time of day when you will not be interrupted by others. To begin, simply sit in a comfortable meditation pose with either closed or open eyes and repeat the mantra.
A mantra is traditionally repeated 108 times, the same count as the number of beads on a mala. There are many reasons given for the number 108, ranging from numerological theories to metaphysical explanations of the amount of energy lines there are in the human body. A more thorough examination of the reasons behind the number 108 can be found at SwamiJ.com. I have found using mala beads to be extremely helpful when first learning to recite mantras.
It is okay to begin by reciting mantras out loud, however the goal in many spiritual traditions is to arrive at the point where you can recite the mantra silently in your mind. The idea behind this is that once you are able to recite the mantra silently, you are fully entering the silence of the mind. While you repeat the mantra, the process generates a conscious vibration that carries the mind into deeper levels of awareness. As you continue with your meditation, the mantra becomes less prominent in your mind, and eventually you are led to the realm of pure consciousness from which the vibration arose.
Now that you have a basic understanding of what mantras are, how they work, some mantras to begin with, and how to recite them, I invite you to give the technique a try during your next meditation session.


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Freshman year at the University of Vermont tried to stomp on me, but I found ways to compensate for my new memory deficits. My desk was Post-It note central. I studied hard. I found tutors and tried to relearn all the stuff that I'd forgotten from the last two years of high school. Those problems I couldn't fix, I accepted. I introduced myself to the same person five times and the guy thought I was an idiot? So what?
By May of 2000, I had fallen in love. I bought a set of Trango cams, Wild Country nuts, and the cheapest wiregates carabiners on Earth. I sent my pathetic resume ahead and bought a bus ticket to the rock climbing mecca of North America: Yosemite National Park.
Sometimes when the inner world plateaus, it's time for a journey.
It was springtime, the perfect season to get up from my normal life, leave New England, and find the rest of myself. Sometimes when the inner world plateaus, it's time for a journey.
The bus route from Concord, New Hampshire to Merced, California can't be done in less than seventy-eight hours. That's three days and six hours. On a bus. No bed. Few restaurants. For more than 3,000 miles.
In love, no distance is too great, right?
It's an interesting crowd that rides the bus. I had ridden fifty or a hundred miles on the bus before. But this was something new. I was living on the Greyhound. It was my home. People tromped into my house drunk or weighed down with bags or newlywed or toting three kids or out of luck.
Outside of Chicago, one of my neighbors, a slouched fellow with a threadbare jacket, asked what I was reading.
"Night, by Elie Wiesel."
"What's it about?"
"The Holocaust."
"Oh, them Jews. They're a sad lot. Let it happen to themselves, they did."
"No, I don't think–"
"Yeah. Yeah, they did. They were sheep. Imagine if they'da stood up together. They could have–"
"No. They were victims of a systematic military–"
"I'd never let that happen to myself. Americans would never let that happen. The Jews were sheep. Tell me if I'm wrong: Americans aren't sheep."
I looked sidelong at the people around us. How could I shut this guy up? I opened my book again. Ignore the guy. That's it. Ignore him.
"Tell me if I'm wrong."
Don't encourage him. Just bury my nose in this book and pretend he's not here and I'm not here and he never said these terrible things so loudly. Oh, please don't say anything else…
"No, I'm not. See. Them Jews, they weren't organized. They didn't have any spine."
A man sitting in front of me rose up out of his seat and turned around. His eyes blazed. He hollered, "Enough! My grandparents died in the Holocaust!" He slammed his hand against the headrest, raising a ghost of dust. Everyone turned to watch. "My father lived in a concentration camp! Shut your damn mouth. I can't stand another word. You have no idea what you're talking about. Not another word."
My slouched neighbor disembarked at the next stop. I hope he learned something about people standing up. I know I did, from this man's actions and from Eli Wiesel's book.
When I reached California, my nerves began to jangle. Soon I'd have to leave this rocking, smelly berth. No more sitting and watching a landscape pass by. My home had rolled through endless cornfields in Ohio, the huge prairies of South Dakota, the high desert of Utah, past the lights of Las Vegas. I was a spectator.
For two hours I was spectator beside an elderly man with a white cane. Robert. He liked to ride the bus, he told me. His daughter found a special disabled veteran's pass so he could ride whenever he got a hankerin. The card hung on a string around his neck.
"If you don't mind, how did you lose your sight?"
"Oh. This." Robert patted his cane. "I'm not completely blind. I have some peripheral vision. It happened during the second war. The Germans had these lights on the beach. Up on the bunkers, they would flash. Blink. Blink. Blink." He moved the arthritic fingers of one hand as if to show tiny explosions. "It didn't happen right away. It was later that I started to go blind. But that's what it was from. Those lights."
"Must have been awful."
"I don't regret it. Somebody had to stand up to them."
Before disembarking in Sacramento, Robert gave me his address. I scribbled it on a scrap of paper. "Send me a postcard from Yosemite. My daughter will read it to me," he said.
At the Greyhound station in Merced, the Yosemite bus driver told me this was the first season they'd been running service from the Sacramento valley. "That's why you're the only one," she said. I loaded my bags and a taped-up cardboard box for the final leg. The spotless, giant bus climbed up into the Sierras carrying me, its only passenger.
As the bus glided toward Yosemite, my heart beat faster. My legs were restless. A valley rose around me like I'd never seen. I stood up. I ran from one side of the bus to the other, gawking at rivers and mountains and old growth forests.
"Your first time?" the driver asked.
"Come up here," she said. "Have a look out the front window."
Yosemite is amazing. No two ways about it. But after more than three days in the dark tube of a bus, the vista of Yosemite Valley was incomprehensible. I stood next to the driver, trying to take it in.
I spent the summer there. I climbed and ran and hiked as only a college-aged body can handle. I might have rolled into Yosemite on a bus, but I was standing up when I reached my destination. That's the only way to make a pilgrimage.


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TGIWeekend! (7 Quick Takes)/
What I've been up to lately: places, people, books, podcasts, music, links & more for your weekend downtime.
(1) movie I watched this week
Paterson, starring Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani (If you love understated films that include both art & quirk, you'll like this movie! Here's a good review at Larsen on Film.)
(2) things I wrote published this week (both are rather personal - yikes!)
All Who Enter Here at Art House America
Catastrophe's Refreshingly Ancient Take on Marriage at Think Christian
(3) books I'm reading
The Underground Railroad: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
God Is Love: Essays from Portland Magazine by Brian Doyle
A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems 1979-1997 by Wendell Berry (An Ordinary Time selection for our church's reading group.)
(4) television shows we're recording this summer
Turn: Washington's Spies on AMC (previous seasons on Amazon)
Broadchurch, season 3 at BBC America (previous seasons on Amazon)
So You Think You Can Dance, season 14 on Fox
The Great British Baking Show, season 4 on PBS (previous seasons on Amazon)
(5) recent photos from our church community
We're so grateful to live and serve among this beautiful community of people (and, yes, we're a bit biased about our kids!)
(6) blog posts from this week in the archives
2016 - Ireland! (A year ago on July 14th we returned from our month in Ireland. All the posts with all the photos.)
2015 - Monday morning thoughts: Dancing bear act, crash helmets, and a Doxology (a stream-of-consciousness meditation on the Anglican liturgy)
2012 - 5 pieces of art inspired by the great American road trip
2010 - "Sometimes we have to change jobs in order to maintain our vocation." - Eugene Peterson (If I'd known in 2010 we were on the brink of so much change, I probably wouldn't have believed it. A prophetic post...)
2008 - Transforming Culture Symposium #1: THE GOSPEL (Andy Crouch) (You could also title this series The Origins of Tamara's Mind Blown.)
2006 - The summer our town flooded - here, here, and here (another life-changing event, captured in the earliest days of this blog)
View from our week.
Have I mentioned we are moving? Just across town this time. See first link below. In case you're wondering, there's 5 steps to get in the door and 19 to get into the apartment. Lord, have mercy.
(7) Cities, Towns, & Neighborhoods links I love
Some links I've recently added to my Pinterest board about living and loving the communities where we live, worship, and work: Cities, Towns, and Neighborhoods
25 Things You Should Know About Bridgeport, Connecticut. Connecticut is a web of neighboring small towns with an occasional larger urban area thrown in. Our church is based in Fairfield, and is bordered on one side by Westport (the 22nd richest place in America) and on the other by Bridgeport, the largest city in Connecticut with one of the highest crime rates and lowest median incomes in the country. When we came to Church of the Apostles we drove between both, and felt strongly that we were called to love and serve both Westport and Bridgeport and everyone between. For now, we are also called to live in Bridgeport, and I'll write more about that soon. | via Mental Floss
Protective Hospitality. Jayme Reaves writes about creating safety amidst violent conflict, in two of the most infamous neighborhoods in Northern Ireland, reminding me of the Bogside murals in Derry/Londonderry and our bus tour through Belfast las summer. It's also an intriguing perspective on what walls can mean. | via The Porch Magazine
Why America Can't Make Up Its Mind About Housing. "We are, in conclusion, profoundly conflicted as a nation when it comes to housing: we want it to be affordable, but we also want its prices to rise fast enough to be valuable as a financial investment. That's a contradiction we need to acknowledge if our housing policy debate—and, ultimately, our housing policy—is going to be coherent and constructive." | via Strong Towns
Small is Beautiful (Except When It Isn't). | via Comment Magazine
Stop Shoehorning Suburbia Into Walkable Places. "All we need is the common sense to improve these areas without destroying them." | via Strong Towns
Can City Design Help End Street Harassment? "One study shows that 87 percent of American women have experienced physical or sexual harassment in public by a male stranger ... there's absolutely nothing we can do to stop it. Or is there?" | via Strong Towns
Robert Moses' Jones Beach. I have vague, but happy memories of playing on this beach when I was a little girl and our family visited family friends in Long Island. This article gives a brief description of the history of the architect's vision in all the complexity of its value to the area. | via Curbed
May your weekend include sunshine, beauty and a good laugh, friends. Peace...
p.s. This post contains affiliate links because I'm trying to be a good steward, and when you buy something through one of these links you don't pay more money, but in some magical twist of capitalism we get a little pocket change. Thanks!


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Easy Peasy Cone 04 Glaze Recipes
In today's post, our own Holly Goring not only includes some versatile three-ingredient cone 04 glaze recipes, but she also … Read More
Glaze defect characterized by fine pinholes in the surface—often caused by pinholes already present in dry unfired glaze coating. Can also be caused by burst bubbles in glaze surface that are not given opportunity to "heal" at end of firing. Source: Clay: A Studio Handbook
In today's post, our own Holly Goring not only includes some versatile three-ingredient cone 04 glaze recipes, but she also … Read More
When you pull a piece out of the kiln and there is a glaze defect on it, you might think there … Read More
If you are looking to buy a kiln, you will need to consider a kiln exhaust system too. Typically we … Read More
The truth is, I was a nerdy ceramics undergraduate student. I wanted to learn everything, right away—and I loved my … Read More
It is especially true in the ceramics world that one person's fault is another person's fancy–especially when it comes to … Read More
Today, we live in an age of super abundance of ceramic raw materials. Innumerable clays and glaze materials offer us … Read More
Many clay and glaze faults in ceramic wares are caused by incomplete burnout (oxidation) of carbon and sulfur during the … Read More
Kilns are vented primarily to protect the health of people around the kiln. An additional benefit is that a vented … Read More
Combining the right materials within acceptable limits to make a workable clay body can be difficult and full of trial … Read More
Glaze mixing and testing is really complicated and can involve a lot of testing and time and effort, but not … Read More


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The teacher told the only black student in the class that "if he didn't get back on task, then his friends were going to form an angry mob and lynch him." He responded that her comment was racist, and the teacher "kept asking him why."
An Ohio teacher who told a black eighth-grader that his friends would "lynch" him if he didn't finish his work has been put on leave, the school district said, calling the student a "hero" for standing up to her.
The 13-year-old student, Nathan Bell, was chatting with his friends at Mason Middle School in Mason, Ohio, about 25 miles north of Cincinnati, on Dec. 4 when his social-studies teacher became frustrated, his mother, Tanisha Agee-Bell, said Sunday.
The teacher told Nathan, who was the only black student in the class, that "if he didn't get back on task, then his friends were going to form an angry mob and lynch him," Agee-Bell said. Nathan responded that her comment was racist, and the teacher, Renee Thole, "kept asking him why," Agee-Bell said.
"Her job is to teach American history to eighth-graders," Agee-Bell said. "How can you teach American history and you don't understand the impact of your words to your students, given our nation's history?"
Nathan waited a week to tell his mother what happened because he was afraid he might get in trouble for having questioned an authority figure, Agee-Bell said.
Thole could not be reached for comment.
A petition on Change.org called for Thole to be fired.
The superintendent of Mason City Schools, Gail Kist-Kline, said Saturday in a statement posted on Facebook that "we understand and respect the passion of these viewpoints," but that Thole had not been fired.
She was "formally reprimanded," received a disciplinary report in her personnel file and was placed on administrative leave, the statement said. She will be "required to take further training" while the district investigates.
This was the first time Thole has been disciplined in more than 22 years with the district, Kist-Kline said in the statement.
She added: "It is not lost on me that this comes as we prepare to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and his legacy of fighting for justice. Dr. King reminded us that, 'the time is always right to do what is right.' In this case involving our teacher, the right thing to do is apologize, make amends, and take steps to be better."
Agee-Bell responded on Facebook that the actions taken against the teacher were "a great first step."
"I never wanted her fired," she wrote. "I want her trained properly."
"But just as important, I want the district to institute practices that give student and families confidence in being heard, valued and respected when they have been wronged," she added.
The superintendent applauded Nathan because he "bravely stood up and called his teacher to account."
"The student could have reacted poorly and could have rightfully berated the teacher for her thoughtlessness," the statement said. "Yet, he extended grace to the teacher. The student is the hero in this story."
In a statement Thursday, the school district, which has about 10,700 students, 4 percent of whom are black, noted that it had observed "an uptick in the number of racially and culturally insensitive comments" in its schools.
"As a district, we want to be very clear, racial slurs or any behavior that discriminates against others are NOT acceptable," the statement said.
A spokeswoman for the district could not immediately be reached for comment.
Nathan's experience was indicative of the "hostile racial environment" in Mason's schools, and is only one example among many, said Agee-Bell, 43, who has served on the district's diversity council for 12 years and is the former president of the middle school's parent-teacher organization.
Black students have reported feeling unsafe or disrespected across the country.
In November, a physics teacher in Conyers, Georgia, was placed on paid administrative leave after telling a black student not to smile at him, because "that's how people like you get shot."
"I got a bet," he added. "I bet by the time you're 21, someone's going to put a bullet right through your head, OK? And it might be me, the one that does it."
In August, five black former students sued the Woodland Hills School District in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, for verbal and physical abuse, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. A few months earlier the district had commissioned an independent review of its school culture and disciplinary practices.


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Republicans want to cut taxpayer funding of NPR. They argue that this is in the interests of fiscal responsibility, but the effects of this cut on the budget are negligible at best.
What they really want is to silence the voice of reason, one which presents all sides to the story, a "fair and balanced" view of the world and the events going on in it, rather than the FOX news version.
It's so much easier to govern the ignorant.
I also worry that it's yet another step in the efforts to privatize everything. (David Mitchell writes effectively about this in his beautifully-written book Cloud Atlas, although I wish the part about the journalist researching lax safety practices at a nuclear power plant had been "real" rather than "fiction.") In Michigan, the governor is trying to overturn democracy, all in the name of handling our "financial emergency." These steps include giving him the right to dis-incorporate towns and take over school districts and turn them over to "financial managers." Of course, these would be privately-run companies, and there would be no guarantee, for example, that the person put in charge of your school actually has any experience at all in education.
THEY want to take THEIR country back? From who? And so they can give it to the corporations? Are this many of MFA really that stupid? How can these people, middle-class, hardworking people, believe that any representative of the current incarnation of the Republic party is looking out for them? Do we really need to protect the interests of the wealthiest just in case someday you win the lottery and don't want to pay any taxes on it?
And don't we all realize that if we prodigiously pollute our planet, and don't educate our children, and don't provide basic services for the ill and the poor, we all will pay? That we're paying already?
I feel like we're at the beginning of the fall of the Roman Empire.


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Seams are made where the two pieces of stone are put together. The seams are joined with epoxy that is mixed with the color that matches the stone. Then the joined area is smoothened so that only a very thin line is visible.
Maintaining your stone is an integral part of your natural stone experience, as well enjoying the longevity that natural stone offers to clients. Please use this information as a guide to ensure you are doing everything possible to keep your natural stone products looking like they did the day they arrived in your home or business. Below are some different maintenance suggestions based on the type of natural stone care you are performing: General Care Care and Precautions Use coasters under all glasses, particularly those containing alcohol or citrus juices. Many common foods and drinks contain acids that will etch or dull the surface of many stones. Do not place hot items directly on the stone surface. Use trivets or mats under hot dishes and placemats under china, ceramics, silver or other objects that can scratch the surface. Cleaning Procedures and Recommendations Floor Surfaces Dust mop interior floors frequently using a clean non-treated dry dust mop. Sand, dirt and grit do the most damage to natural stone surfaces due to their abrasiveness. Mats or area rugs inside and outside an entrance will help to minimize the sand, dirt and grit that will scratch the stone floor. Be sure that the underside of the mat or rug is a non-slip surface. Normally, it will take a person about eight steps on a floor surface to remove sand or dirt from the bottom of their shoes. Do not use vacuum cleaners that are worn. The metal or plastic attachments or the wheels may scratch the surface. Other Surfaces Clean stone surfaces with a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap (available at hardware stores) or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water. Use a clean rag mop on floors and a soft cloth for other surfaces for best results. Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks. Do not use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone. Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing with the soap solution and dry with a soft cloth. Change the rinse water frequently. Do not use scouring powders or creams; these products contain abrasives that may scratch the surface. Bath and Other Wet Areas In the bath or other wet areas, soap scum can be minimized by using a squeegee after each use. To remove soap scum, use a non-acidic soap scum remover or a solution of ammonia and water (about 1/2 cup ammonia to a gallon of water). Frequent or over-use of an ammonia solution may eventually dull the surface of the stone. Dos and Don'ts DO Dust mop floors frequently DO Clean surfaces with mild detergent or stone soap DO Thoroughly rinse and dry the surface after washing DO Blot up spills immediately DO Protect floor surfaces with non-slip mats or area rugs and countertop surfaces with coasters, trivets or placemats DON'T Use vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaners containing acids on marble, limestone, travertine or onyx surfaces DON'T Use cleaners that contain acid such as bathroom cleaners, grout cleaners or tub & tile cleaners DON'T Use abrasive cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers DON'T Mix bleach and ammonia; this combination creates a toxic and lethal gas DON'T Ever mix chemicals together unless directions specifically instruct you to do so
There are some great products available that are man made and have a great design and function. ECO, by Cosentino, as an example is made from 25% crushed stone and 75% recycled materials. Those materials include – glass, mirrors, porcelain, earthenware, vitrified ash and corn resin. It's processed, heated to extremely high temperatures, cooled and then buffed with diamond buffers. 94% of the water used to make it is recycled as well. This is a truly sustainable and ec0-friendly product. As hard as stone, scratch resistant and beautiful to look at.
Granite is a natural stone. It is very hard and durable; heat and scratch resistant; and easy to maintain–in every sense, it's the material of the future. Aside from the practical aspect, granite is very versatile in the design field. It comes in various colors and structural compositions; our yard stocks more than 200 colors from which to choose on site. All stones are not exactly the same. Each lot will have unique characteristics attributed to the specific granite.
Yes, template and installation will be included with your quote.
Free quotes for faxed or emailed proposals are given a 24-hour time frame. We will either call, email or fax back the estimate assuming that the contact information is provided to us in the original communication.
The main difference between granite and marble is that granite is a highly dense material formed deep inside the earth's core while marble is formed from sediments under the seabed. Both solidify into stone after millions of years but the mineral composition of the two stones makes marble and granite react differently to various chemicals and household cleaners.


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Agencies near Leonardtown, MD
Leonardtown, MD Home Health Care Agencies
Step By Step In Homecare LLC41660 Courthouse Drive Suite 201 B
St. Mary's County DSSPO Box 509
Add Your Facility Adding your assisted living to the directory is completely free.
Other Senior Care Providers in Leonardtown
- Adult Day Care Facilities in Leonardtown, MD
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Cities Near Leonardtown, MD
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- Waldorf, MD (3)
- Warsaw, VA (4)
Leonardtown seniors that want to remain independent and live in their homes but need some assistance should consider an in-home care provider. Leonardtown, MD home care agencies can provide seniors with assistance with daily activities and minor medical services in the comfort of the resident's home or apartment.
Seniors in Leonardtown can stay in their homes and have home care workers visit to help with basic daily tasks and other services such as medication management. There are 2 home care companies that serve the Leonardtown market.
Some page content retrieved from Google Places
Search Home Health Care Providers
Getting Started
- What is Home Care?
- Home Health Care vs. Non-Medical Home Care
- Home Health Care Services
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- How is Home Care Different from Other Care Options?
- When is Home Care Needed?
- Benefits of Home Care
- Talking to a Loved One
Choosing Home Care
- Selecting a Home Care Agency
- Medicare Quality Data
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Paying for Home Care
- Home Health Care Costs
- Ways to Pay for Home Care
- Medicare and Home Care
- Medicaid and Home Care
- Does Insurance Cover Home Care
- Using a Reverse Mortgage to Stay Home
For Caregivers
For Staff and Owners
Experts Weigh In


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We are so excited to be spending our first week in our new location at Good Work in South Dallas. Good Work is an incredible new co-working space that will be hosting the BridgeBuilders WORK team and class, along with our support and executive staff.
This move opens up enormous opportunities for BridgeBuilders ministry to the community. First, being located more centrally in South Dallas, clients will be able to access our services much easier than before. Previously, a bus ride from South Dallas to our former location in West Dallas took about an hour. Today, at Good Work, students will be looking at a 15 to 20-minute commute. We are praying that removing this barrier, as well as a few others will increase the size of our WORK program class dramatically.
Another exciting opportunity afforded by the space is significant cost savings without reducing our program capacities in any way. Officing and training our WORK students out of this facility should save us approximately $80,000 a year! This means that the generous donations of our partners and supporters will go extend more and more to the people we serve and not the building we occupy.
Our current plan is to be operational in our new space on May 14th, launching our first WORK class the following Monday. We invite you to join us in praying that many people will be impacted with the gospel and many families will be able to make the transition from dependency to self-sufficiency through the power of the gospel as we are able to more effectively serve those in South Dallas.
Want to check out our new space? Here are some pictures, but don't be shy. Come see us! Sign up for a tour of our new space here. We'd love to host you for a cup of coffee while showing you how God is at work through BridgeBuilders.


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By Eric Heinz
The City Council of San Clemente sent a press release asking area residents to write letters to their legislators in support of Senate Bill 787 (Patricia Bates) and Assembly Bill 911 (Bill Brough), which would authorize a satellite emergency room at the current location of the Saddleback Memorial Hospital San Clemente Campus. By state law, stand-alone ERs are not permitted and must be a part of a full-service hospital. In 2014 MemorialCare announced plans to close the hospital and ER and replace it with an urgent care facility.
"When the City of San Clemente became aware of the potential closure of the Saddleback Memorial Hospital San Clemente Campus in late 2014, it took immediate steps to understand the impacts, seek community input, involve stakeholders and seek plans to mitigate this potential impact to the city," the release stated. "Approval of these bills will help ensure south Orange County residents are able to retain access to quality healthcare and not be forced to travel 15 miles north on the I-5 Freeway to access the nearest emergency department—a road in which the access and travel time is uncertain due to traffic congestion and road construction."
The Dana Point City Council passed a resolution in March 2015 joining with San Clemente and other area cities in support of saving the hospital and ER.
AB 911 is set to be heard in the state capitol before the Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 12. SB 787 is expected to be heard before the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 13. Members of the San Clemente City Council will appear before these policy committees to testify in support of these bills.
Letters can be sent to State Sen. Patricia Bates and Assemblyman Bill Brough's respective staff at email@example.com and Jeff Montejano at: email@example.com.
—Andrea Swayne contributed to this report.


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Commentary: Cam Newton center of attention
Video: Panthers' Cam Newton true to his roots
My first impression of Cam Newton – and probably yours, too – was colored by something other than skin pigment.
That color was green, as in money.
In 2010, Newton was midway through his junior season at Auburn when reports began to circulate that his father, Cecil Newton, sought a substantial chunk of cash in return for Cam to sign out of junior college. (Cam Newton spent his two years of college at Florida as Tim Tebow's backup.)
How substantial? Between $120,000 and $180,000, according to documents released by the NCAA.
No one was surprised to learn this sort of thing happens – especially in the SEC. But this particular example felt both brazen and tawdry. A father pimping out his own son's athletic talents to the highest bidder.
I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon.
Cam Newton, two months before the 2011 NFL Draft
The NCAA spent 13 months investigating and did not produce any evidence that actual money changed hands. (Both Newtons also denied receiving payments.) Under that cumulus cloud of suspicion, Cam Newton led Auburn to an undefeated season and national championship while winning the Heisman Trophy.
My second impression of Newton was colored by his own pretentiousness.
After he declared for the NFL draft, Newton created another stir by declaring he was more than just an athlete.
"I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon," Newton told SI's Peter King in February 2011, two months before the Carolina Panthers selected him No. 1 overall.
An entertainer and icon? The guy had yet to play a snap of pro football but was already talking like someone with a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio.
The guy had yet to play a snap of pro football but was already talking like someone with a bronze bust in Canton.
These are the reasons I was predisposed to dislike Newton. It had nothing to do with his athletic ability, his physical prowess, his excessive touchdown celebrations. And certainly not the color of his skin.
It was because he came off like a total prima donna.
After getting the chance to observe Newton during the buildup to Sunday's Super Bowl – seeing that megawatt smile up close, listening to how he answers questions and hearing his teammates and coaches gush about him – my opinion has shifted.
I am no longer predisposed to hate Newton. In fact, I kind of like the guy.
"Cam's a great dude," said Panthers linebacker Ben Jacobs, the former Fresno State standout. "What people don't know is he's a great teammate. He gets a hard time for being cocky, and I expect that from people who haven't played football and don't know how emotional this game is. When I look at Cam, I see a great captain and a great leader."
Tight end Greg Olsen echoed those sentiments, calling Newton "everything you could hope for" in a quarterback.
"Cam brings a lot of energy," Olsen said. "Everyone sees it on Sunday, but we see that in every walk-thru, every meeting. He brings a lot of life. He brings a lot of energy to everything he does, and it's contagious."
Not only does (Newton) talk it, but he walks it. He's one of those guys that's all in and he's truly committed.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera
Newton did himself zero favors last week by attributing all the criticism he faces, all the parents who've written angry letters to newspapers and bloggers who scrutinize every minor misstep, as a factor of race.
"I'm an African American quarterback that scares people because they haven't seen nothing that they can compare me to," he said.
When subsequently asked about his legacy as a black quarterback, Newton responded: "I don't even want to touch on the topic of black quarterback, because I think this game is bigger than black, white or even green."
Let's not be naive. Of course skin color is a factor in the way some people view Newton. I was reminded of that recently when logging to to Facebook and seeing a blatantly racist comment attached to a column I'd written about Tulare native Virgil Green of the Denver Broncos.
So, yes, that sentiment exists.
But in Newton's case, I'll argue it's not the prevailing one.
The reason people formed negative perceptions of Newton isn't because of race.
The reason people formed negative perceptions of Newton isn't because of race. It's because he (and his family) gave us reasons to do so.
Newton will be the sixth black quarterback to start a Super Bowl as well as the fourth in the past four years. So America is used to the concept. What makes Newton different from recent predecessors is he isn't overtly religious like Russell Wilson. Nor is he sullen like Colin Kaepernick, who drew criticism for his tattoos.
Newton is dynamic, charismatic and boisterous. In a league full of physical specimens, he was created in a different laboratory. Probably no quarterback in NFL history has possessed his combination of arm strength and running ability. At 6-5 and 260 pounds, he has the frame to not only withstand punishment but also dole it out.
There's not a whole lot of guys, if any, who have played the position the way he can.
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen
"He's doing things that have not been done before," Panthers cornerback Charles Tillman said. "He's changing the way the quarterback position is played."
Are Newton's on-the-field celebrations a little over the top? Sure. But judging by the number of people who emulate his dabbing pose, it's clear his influence is widespread.
That influence will only grow if Carolina wins Sunday. Newton would become the first player in football history to win a college national championship, a Heisman and the Super Bowl. He would become the NFL's biggest star, the icon he set out to be from the very beginning.
"I just wanted to become relatable," Newton said. "It's bigger than race."
Consider me in complete agreement.
Marek Warszawski: 559-441-6218, firstname.lastname@example.com, @MarekTheBee


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I know, I know--nobody wants to be reminded of Fall in June, but mid-summer is the ideal time to prepare your gardens to feed you (and/or your soil) through the winter, and even get a head start on the following spring. We'll be hands-on in the field at Sideyard Farm for a closer look at what to do during the summer months to grow your own fall food garden. Whether you are gardening out of containers, raised beds or indoors, bring any plans and ideas you have for your current (or envisioned!) garden and we'll work on developing your site plan and maximizing your growing capacity there. Students will take home a tray with a variety of fall crops we will seed together.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: June 15Clothing Swap!
Later Event: August 17Fresh Cheeses! Making Mozzarella, Ricotta, and Burrata $80


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LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A former northwest Indiana teacher faces nearly two dozen charges for his alleged sexual misconduct with boys during after-school baseball lessons.
Forty-six-year-old Joe Kimerer was fired in March as a fourth-grade teacher and baseball coach at Amelia Earhart Elementary School after the allegations surfaced.
The Journal & Courier reports Kimerer initially faced 13 charges, including vicarious sexual gratification with a child, for his alleged actions with male students during after-school baseball pitching lessons at the Lafayette school.
But he's now charged with a total of 21 counts after three additional boys told authorities that he'd victimized them. Kimerer also faces two counts of violating no-contact orders for allegedly leaving notes of apology for two of his alleged victims' fathers.
A message seeking comment was left Tuesday with Kimerer's attorney.
Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com


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A quick lyric video of my cover of Alicia Keys' 2010 number one hit, Unthinkable.
As I'm trying to improve with my mixing and mastering, constructive criticism is always welcomed.
Sounds good and the Volume is fine for my taste.
I would not rise the volume higher than it is. Think it`s perfect.
Sounds full, warm an fat. Maybe the Clap has a bit too much highs for my taste. Sounds too much like an Exciter, but maybe it`s the Headset I´m currently listening to. The Snare was fine in the highs. Both Clap and Snare had snap.
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text: Wireshark is super powerful, but it's pretty hard to use. Or… is it? Once you get into filtering and coloring wireless frames, Wireshark becomes addicting. In 10 minutes, we'll learn how to quickly apply filters without having to memorize regular expressions, create coloring rules to track 802.11 exchanges, and build custom configuration profiles.


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Please contact Victoria to book your place: Email: email@example.com or tel 07980 168529.
Ballroom & Latin Dance Classes with Victoria at the Sunningdale Village Hall, Station Road, SL5 0NJ, near Ascot, Berkshire.
Beginners Ballroom & Latin American dance class for couples... Tuesday : 7.30pm
Victoria teaches 1 dance each month so that participants are able to learn each individual dance each month
Full details of classes can be found on Victoria's Page on the Chasamba Fitness website Chasamba is another arm to Victoria's Dance Company where she teaches PARTNER FREE Ballroom & Latin Dance Fitness in Woking as well as Ballroom & Latin for couples in Pyrford, Woking on a Saturday morning.
Social Media
You can also follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ballroomwithvictoria & Twitter - https://twitter.com/chasambafitness/status/665066142608850944 .


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Call us at 203-354-9370
Training Programs
The Belles Raise The Bar!
Our 8th Annual Battle of the Belles brings out the best, and benefits Stamford's Bennett Cancer Center
AUTUMN 2017. What better way to honor Breast Cancer Awareness month than by demonstrating the strength of women, mentally, emotionally, and physically? Our North American Strongman, Inc.-sanctioned event at Cranbury Park in Norwalk attracted 60+ competitors from around the tri-state area, and more than 300 spectators of all ages (some with four legs) came out to cheer them on.
Of course, the Punch Kettlebell Gym Belles did themselves (and us all) proud: Lillian Tropea, Lorraine LoRusso, Isabella Rincon, Kerry Gilbertson, Mabel Prada, Meredith Coogan, Carly Litweiler, and Elisa Carvahlo all made strong showings, exceeding many personal records. And we even had some place in the various events among impressive competitors, including Carly placing 3rd in the Middle Weight Open Division and Elisa placing 2nd in the Middle Weight Open Division.
Our Belles didn't just show up — their training leading up to the event was a 12-week commitment, including learning new moves and new lifts, improving their cardio, and managing their time and nutrition to ensure their best respective performances. They trained, they focused, and they brought their best to the competition.
And let's not forget the sponsors and volunteers who make this happen — truly a team effort! It begins months in advance, from soliciting sponsors and donors, gaining permits and insurance, coordinating with authorities to ensure a safe day, setting up and breaking down the event, helping our competitors and supporters every step of the way, and of course providing the dollars to make the event happen as well as ensure it all ultimately helps the Bennett Cancer Center with all they do, and those they serve.
A special shout out goes to the members of the event staff: Jessica Edwards, Todd Giorgi, Kevin Cronin, Matt Mills, Justin Czaplicki, Justin Fisher, Cait Dunn, April Fraleigh, Abby Fraleigh, Owen Fraleigh, Joe Tropea, Elise Brzoska, Cheryl Gall, Laura Moughty, Sade Bernadel, Kathleen Whelen, Brendan Wahl, Jon Ranola, and Aaron Gerard, and to our sponsors, Rye Ridge Deli, BJ Ryan's, Untangled, Grooming by Gabe, Fashion Nails & Spa, Lewis School of Driving, Salon Etre, NY Strong, Island Park Auto Body, and Luciano Paving. And also to Marie DeMasi, Linden Yard Fabrications, MBelleish Jewelry, and Gaetano's Deli for donating items for the raffle. Be sure to support their businesses as they support our community.
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, we scheduled the event October 1st, and the weather couldn't have been nicer — a far cry from events from other years where contestants and supporters needed jackets and hats to keep warm.
But it was the fight in every competitor that warms our hearts. To see everyone give their all, family and friends experience the competition (often seeing such a competition for the first time), and knowing communal effort makes a difference for a wonderful cause, wraps the battle into a blessing. This annual event is at the heart of all we do at Punch Gym — building strength — and so we look forward to many more years of competitions that do good.
Punch Kettlebell Gym of Norwalk
345 Main Ave.
Norwalk, CT 06851


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The MONON Business Car "The Lynne"
The Story Of The Car And The Move.
Getting it ready
Parts is parts?
Before the car could be moved, the entire brake system needed to be inspected and upgraded. Pete Pedigo and others worked on this. These photos, provided by Pete, show the parts that needed to be rebuilt and returned to the Monon before any movement was possible.
That's the sound of the men, working on the Monon.
Mark Majors of Sea Island Passenger Car Service from Bellevue, Ohio Worked on the car for 4 days, removal of parts for overhaul and 3 days reinstalling.
Some Touch Up Work.
Touching up the Monon before the Monon is moved.
Baby Steps.
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