text:
Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Saudi Arabia)
|الرئاسة العامة للأمر بالمعروف و النهي عن المنكر
Seal of the Committee
|Agency overview
|Agency executive
|This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Saudi Arabia
|Basic Law
|Foreign relations
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (abbreviated CPVPV; Arabic: هيئة الأمر بالمعروف و النهي عن المنكر ), also informally referred to as Hai'a, is the Saudi Arabian government agency employing "religious police" or Mutaween (مطوعين), to enforce Sharia Law within that Islamic nation.
The number of police is estimated at 3,500-4,000.[2][3] Members patrol the streets enforcing dress codes, strict separation of men and women, salat prayer by Muslims during prayer times, and other behavior it believes to be commanded by Islam. They are known for having full beards (sometimes henna-dyed) and for wearing their headscarves (ghutrah or shemagh) loose without an agal—they often wear a besht as well—and for often coming from Saudi Arabia's lower classes.[4] They are empowered to detain and berate offenders and shut down businesses. Prior to the reforms of 2007 they were armed with thin wooden canes to strike miscreants.[3]
The police were formerly called the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Elimination of Sin, also CAVES or CPVPV. They are also known locally as Hai'a (literally "committee",[5] also transliterated as Haia[6] or Hayaa[7]), or mutawiyin (literally "the pious").[8] (See Mutaween for a list of variant spellings and an extended description of Islamic religious police.)
Structure & History
In the 1980s, the Saudi king issued a royal decree formally creating the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. The head of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, as well as all of the Committee's employees serve at the pleasure of the king, presently King Salman.
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is charged with ensuring that Saudis and foreign residents respect traditional Islamic morality, as defined by the Saudi government.
Employees of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice are no longer supposed to arrest people on their own. This came about as part of a series of reforms that were initiated after members of the Committee prevented schoolgirls from being rescued from their school, which was on fire. However, Committee employees are free to entrap people, collect evidence, and can travel with members of the police.
In January 2012, Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh was appointed head of the mutaween.[8] He "holds the rank of cabinet minister and reports directly to the king". His agency employs more than 4,000 "field officers" and reportedly has another 10,000 administrative personnel. Its 2013 budget was the equivalent of $390 USD million.[2]
In 2009, the CPVPV created and formalized a special "Anti-Witchcraft Unit" to "educate the public about the evils of sorcery, investigate alleged witches, neutralize their cursed paraphernalia, and disarm their spells". The unit also had a hotline on the CPVPV website for Saudis to report any magic to local officials.[9]
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice enforces traditional Islamic morality by arresting or helping to secure the arrest of people who engage in conduct that violates Islamic principles and values. They are tasked with enforcing Sharia as defined in Saudi Arabia. In addition to having the power to arrest anyone engaged in homosexual acts, prostitution, fornication, or, they can also arrest unrelated males and females caught socializing, enforce Islamic dress-codes, (such as the prohibition from eating pork) and store closures during the prayer time. They prohibit the consumption or sale of alcoholic beverages and seize banned consumer products and media regarded contrary to Islamic morals. They also actively prevent the religious practices of other religions within Saudi Arabia.[10][11]
Upon being appointed head of the CPVPV, Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh identified "five areas the religious police should focus on": preserving Islam, preventing blackmail, combating sorcery, fighting human trafficking, and ensuring that no one disobeys the country's rulers.[2]
Saudi mutaween are often accompanied by the regular police, but also patrol without police escort. They recently launched a website on which un-Islamic behavior can be reported.[12][13]
While on patrol, the duties of the mutaween include, but are not restricted to:
- ensuring that drugs including alcohol are not being traded.[14]
- checking that women wear the abaya, a traditional all-enveloping black cloak.[citation needed]
- making sure that men and women who are spotted together in public are related.[14]
- ensuring women do not smoke in public.[citation needed]
- formerly, enforcing the ban on camera phones. This ban was enacted out of a fear that men would use them to secretly photograph women and publish them on the Internet without the consent of the subjects. The ban was enacted in April 2004 but was overturned in December that same year.[15]
- preventing the population from engaging in "frivolous"[16] Western customs such as Valentine's Day.[17]
The punishment for such offenses is severe, often involving beatings and humiliation, and foreigners are not excluded from arrest.[18] The mutaween encourage people to inform on others they know who are suspected of acting unvirtuously, and to punish such activities.
In 2010, a 27-year-old Saudi man was sentenced to five years in prison, 500 lashes of the whip, and a SR50,000 fine after appearing in an amateur gay video online allegedly taken inside a Jeddah prison. According to an unnamed government source, "The District Court sentenced the accused in a homosexuality case that was referred to it by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai'a) in Jeddah before he was tried for impersonating a security man and behaving shamefully and with conduct violating the Islamic teachings." The case started when the Hai'a's staff arrested the man under charges of practicing homosexuality. He was referred to the Bureau for Investigation and Prosecution, which referred him to the District Court.[19]
Among the Western practices suppressed by the Mutaween is the celebration of Valentine's Day. Condemning the festivities as a "pagan feast", Mutaween inspect hotels, restaurants, coffeehouses, and gift shops on 14 February to prevent Muslim couples from giving each other Valentines or other presents. The sale of red roses, red stuffed animals, red greeting cards and other red gift items is banned, according to store owners. These items are confiscated, and those selling them subject to prosecution.[20][21]
The children's game Pokémon was banned in 2001.[22] The sale of the fashion doll Barbie was banned as a consumer product for posing a moral threat to Islam,[23] stating: "Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful."[24] Fulla dolls were designed and approved as more acceptable.
In 2006 the police issued a decree banning the sale of dogs and cats, also seen as a sign of Western influence. The decree which applies to the Red Sea port city of Jeddah and the holy city of Mecca bans the sale of cats and dogs because "some youths have been buying them and parading them in public," according to a memo from the municipal affairs ministry to Jeddah's city government.[25] In 2013 two Saudi men were arrested for giving "free hugs to passersby".[26]
In December 2010 it was reported by Arab News that the Hai'a had launched a massive campaign against "sorcery" or "black magic" in the Kingdom.[27] The prohibition includes "fortune tellers or faith healers".[28] (Some people executed for sorcery following the announcement include a man from Najran province in June 2012, a Saudi woman in the province of Jawf, in December 2011, and a Sudanese man executed on September 2011. a Lebanese television presenter of a popular fortune-telling programme was arrested while on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and sentenced to death, though after pressure from the Lebanese government and human rights groups, he was freed by the Saudi Supreme Court.[28])
In May 2012, the head of the mutaween, Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, stated that anyone using social media sites, such as Twitter, "has lost this world and his afterlife".[29]
According to authors Harvey Tripp and Peter North, mutaween became involved in the city planning of the Eastern Province industrial city of Jubail sometime in the 1980s and 1990s. Halfway through the construction of that city the mutaween visited the engineering drawing office several times, first to insist that all planning maps included the direction of Mecca. On their second visit they ordered that city sewage lines (already built) not flow in the direction of Mecca. After being convinced that the curvature of the earth prevented this, the mutaween returned to insist that the drainage pipes of toilets inside the city's buildings also not violate this principle. The mutaween's demands came despite the fact that no Saudi building code mentioned their requirement and no other Saudi cities met it. While a good deal of the planners' and engineers' time was spent responding to the mutaween's concerns, the mutaween never returned to approve the contractor's solution and no pipes ended up having to be unearthed and redirected, leaving Tripp and North to conclude that mutaween's "point" was not to protect Mecca but to demonstrate the supremacy of religion in Saudi to foreign builders.[30]
The offices of Saudi Aramco, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and foreign embassies are off limits to mutaween.[31] Not off limits are personnel of Saudi government agencies. Haia have been known to detain government officials, (A male government employee minder of American journalist Karen Elliott House was detained for mixing of the sexes, causing her to wonder that "a government employee following the instructions of his ministry runs afoul of that same government's religious police."[32])
Alleged abuses
One of the most widely criticized examples of mutaween enforcement of Sharia law came in March 2002, when 15 young girls died of burns or smoke asphyxiation by an accidental fire that engulfed their public school in Mecca. According to two newspapers, the religious police forcibly prevented girls from escaping the burning school by locking the doors of the school from the outside, and barring firemen from entering the school to save the girls, beating some of the girls and civil defense personnel in the process. Mutaween would not allow the girls to escape or to be saved because they were 'not properly covered', and the mutaween did not want physical contact to take place between the girls and the civil defense forces for fear of sexual enticement.[33] The CPVPV denied the charges of beating or locking the gates, but the incident and the accounts of witnesses were reported in Saudi newspapers such as the Saudi Gazette and Al-Iqtisaddiyya. The result was a very rare public criticism of the group.[34]
In May 2003, Al-Watan, a Saudi reform newspaper published several reports of people being mistreated by the police force, including the story of one woman from a remote southern town who had been beaten and held in solitary confinement for riding alone in the back of a taxi.[citation needed]
In May 2007, a man alleged to have alcohol in his home (Salman Al-Huraisi) was reported by Arab News to have been arrested and beaten to death in his own home by CPVPV members in the Al Oraija district of Riyadh. "The father of the deceased said that commission members continued to beat his handcuffed son, even though he was already covered in blood, until he died" at the Oraija CPVPV center in Riyadh.[35] Another man who died while in custody of the CPVPV was Ahmed Al-Bulawi. He was a driver for a woman with whom he was accused of being in a state of seclusion (when a man and an unrelated woman are together) and died after being taken to a CPVPV center in Tabuk in June 2007.[36] According to Irfan Al-Alawi, "in both cases, the families of the victims took the mutawiyin to court, and in both instances (as in others) charges against the mutawiyin were postponed indefinitely or dropped."[8]
A case of "sorcery" that led to a sentence of death which was overturned was that of Ali Hussain Sibat, the Lebanese host of the popular TV call-in show aired on satellite TV across the Middle East. Sibat was arrested in Medina by the CPVPV in May 2008, while visiting Saudi Arabia to perform the Umra pilgrimage.[37] Sibat was charged with "sorcery" for making predictions and giving advice to the audience on his show. On 9 November 2009, after court hearings not open to the public or a defense lawyer Sibat was sentenced to death.[38] The case was upheld on appeal but after an international outcry was overturned by the Supreme Court on November 11, 2010.[39] The case was controversial in part because neither the defendant or "victims" were Saudis, and the"crime" was not committed in Saudi Arabia.[40]
Mutaween suppression of religious activity by non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia is also controversial. Asia News alleges that "at least one million" Roman Catholics in the kingdom are being "denied pastoral care ... none of them can participate in mass while they are in Saudi Arabia .... Catechism for their children – nearly 100,000 – is banned." It reports the arrest of a Catholic priest for saying mass. On 5 April 2006 a Catholic priest, "Fr. George [Joshua] had just celebrated mass in a private house when seven religious policemen (muttawa) broke into the house together with two ordinary policemen. The police arrested the priest and another person."[41]
In August 2008, a young Saudi woman who had converted to Christianity was reportedly burnt to death after having her tongue cut out by her father, a member of the Committee, though it was not an officially sanctioned act of punishment.[42]
In January 2013, the CPVPV marched into an educational exhibit of dinosaurs at a shopping center, "turned off the lights and ordered everyone out, frightening children and alarming their parents". It was not clear why the exhibit—which had been "featured at shopping centres across the Gulf for decades"—was closed, and Saudis speculated irreverently as to the reason on Twitter.[7]
In September 2013 the entrance of a Saudi religious police building "was intentionally set on fire by assailants", according to the Haia. No one was hurt and no further information was provided by the police.[43] In early 2014, the head of Haia, Sheikh Abdul Latif al-Sheikh was quoted in the Okaz daily newspaper as saying that "there are advocates of sedition within the Commission" for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and promised to remove them.[44][45]
Internal dispute
In 2009, the head of the Hai'a in Mecca, Sheikh Ahmad Qasim al Ghamdi, stated that there was nothing wrong with men and women mixing in public places, and instructed his mutawa'a to not interfere with mixing.[46] However religious conservatives pressured the national head of the Hai'a to fire him. "Within hours of the firing of the Sheikh Al Ghamdi, the Hai'a issued an embarrassing retraction: `The information sent out today concerning administrative changes at some Hai'a offices, particularly those concerning Mecca and Hail, was inaccurate and the administration has requested editors not to publish it.`" However the firing and the retraction of the firing became "major news". "Outraged conservatives went to Sheiksh Al Ghamdi's home, demanding to `mix` with his females. .. still other outraged opponents scrawled graffiti on his home," according to journalist Karen House.[47]
Involvement in politics
Other accusations leveled at the CPVPV include that some of its members have been involved in political subversion, and/or are ex-convicts/prisoners who became Hafiz (i.e. memorized the Quran) to reduce their prison sentences. Author Lawrence Wright has written of a conflict between the Mutaween and at least one allied imam and Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, the head of the Presidency of General Intelligence (Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah) between 1977 and 2001. After an imam denounced a female charitable organizations run by some of Turki's sisters and accused them of being "whores" during a Friday sermon, Turki demanded and received an apology. He then "secretly began monitoring members of the muttawa. He learned that many of them were ex-convicts whose only job qualification was that they had memorized the Quran in order to reduce their sentences." But Turki believed they had become "so powerful" they "threatened to overthrow the government."[48]
Another instance when the CPVPV has opposed the Saudi government came in 2005 when the Minister of Labor announced a policy of staffing lingerie shops with women.[3] The policy was intended to give employment to some of the millions of adult Saudi women unhappily stuck at home (only 14.6% of Saudi women work in the public and private sectors in the Kingdom[49]), and to prevent mixing of the sexes in public (ikhtilat), between male clerks and women customers. Conservative Saudis opposed the policy maintaining that for a woman to work outside the house was against her fitrah (natural state).[50] The few shops that employed women were "quickly closed" by the Hai'i who supported the conservative position.[3][50]
However, in 2011, during the Arab Spring, King Abdullah issued another decree giving lingerie shops—and then shops and shop departments specializing in other products for women, such as cosmetics, abayas and wedding dresses—one year to replace men workers with women.[3] Further clashes followed between conservatives and Hai'a men on the one hand, and the ministry, women customers and employees at female-staffed stores on the other. In 2013, the Ministry and the Hai'a leadership met to negotiate new terms. In November 2013, 200 religious police signed a letter stating that female employment was causing such a drastic increase in instances of ikhtilat, that "their job was becoming impossible."[3]
Political use
According to one journalist with many years of experience in Saudi Arabia (Karen Elliott House), the Hai'a are sometimes used to balance the policies of the government, specifically a loose rein on the Hai'a acts to calm the displeasure of the strong religious conservative forces in Saudi society. When the king dismissed a member of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars in 2009 for condemning gender mixing at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, he compensated for it by doing "nothing to curb the country's religious police from roaming the kingdom's streets and harassing ordinary Saudis mixing with anyone of the opposite genders".[51]
According to the US Library of Congress Country Studies, mutawwiin
"have been integral to the Wahhabi movement since its inception. Mutawwiin have served as missionaries, as enforcers of public morals, and as `public ministers of the religion` who preach in the Friday mosque. Pursuing their duties in Jiddah in 1806, the mutawwiin were observed to be `constables for the punctuality of prayers ... with an enormous staff in their hand, [who] were ordered to shout, to scold and to drag people by the shoulders to force them to take part in public prayers, five times a day.`"[52]
Robert Lacey describes them as "vigilantes". "The righteous of every neighbourhood [that] banded themselves together into societies for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice."[53]
According to a study by Michael Cook,[54] based on "Wahhabi writings and rulers' decrees" the role of commanding good and forbidding wrong, developed a prominent place during the second Saudi emirate, and first "documented instance of a formal committee to enforces the duty dates to 1926", when the official Saudi newspaper in Mecca published the news of its establishment.[55] In 1976, the Al al-Sheikh director of the Committee gained a seat on the Saudi cabinet, strengthening its prestige.[56]
Following the November–December 1979 Grand Mosque Seizure, when religion became more conservative in Saudi Arabia,
"people noticed that imams and religious folk seemed to have more money to spend ... with the religious police benefiting most obviously from government injections of cash. They started to appear in imposing new GMC vans, with their once humble local committees of mutawwa ... taking on the grander, `Big Brother` aura of their original, collective name -- Al Hayah, `the Commission`. They developed attitude to match."[57]
They were still, however, "essentially volunteers engaged in their own variety of social work."[53]
The deaths of 15 young girls in 2002 in Mecca from the Mutaween's refusal to let them leave a burning school was widely publicized and damaged the Mutaween's image.[58]
In May 2006 it was announced that the committee would no longer be allowed to interrogate those it arrests for behavior deemed un-Islamic. Prior to this, commission members enjoyed almost total power to arrest, detain, and interrogate those suspected of violating the Sharia.[59][60]
In June 2007 the Saudi Mutaween announced "the creation of a 'department of rules and regulations' to ensure the activities of commission members comply with the law, after coming under heavy pressure for the death of two people in its custody in less than two weeks".[61] The governmental National Society for Human Rights criticised the behaviour of the religious police in May 2007 in its first report since its establishment in March 2004. In May 2006 the Interior Ministry issued a decree stating that "the role of the commission will end after it arrests the culprit or culprits and hands them over to police, who will then decide whether to refer them to the public prosecutor."
Time magazine ran a report about the Mutaween in August 2007. It noted that "a campaign using text messages sent to mobile phones is calling on a million Saudis to declare that '2007 is the year of liberation.'" Despite statements of reform, the Mutaween turned down Time's request for interviews.[62]
At the beginning of October 2012, during the Arab Spring, Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh announced that the powers of the mutawiyin would be significantly restricted. According to Irfan Al-Alawi,
They will be barred from making arrests, conducting interrogations, or carrying out searches without a warrant from the local governor. They will no longer stand at the entrances of shopping malls to keep women out who do not adhere to the Wahhabi dress code or who are not accompanied by "approved" men—husbands, siblings, or parents.[8]
"Community volunteers" who were the original Mutaween, were forbidden from joining Hai'a men on their rounds and pursuing, chastising, and interrogating miscreants, as "a religious duty".[2] Field officers were also ordered to "approach people with a smile," and forbidden from using their "private e-mails, cellphones, or social media accounts to receive and act on anonymous tips."[2]
Other similar groups
Outside Saudi Arabia, the Taliban regime, or Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also had a "Ministry of the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice" with a very similar religious policing function. The Taliban are thought to have borrowed the Saudi policing policy not only because they also had a strict Sharia law policy, but because of alleged financial and diplomatic support from Saudi Arabia.[63] According to a Pakistani journalist who spent much time among the Taliban, the Taliban who had been to Saudi Arabia before taking power in Afghanistan "were terribly impressed by the religious police and tried to copy that system to the letter". [64]
See also
- Sharia
- Honour killing
- Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Afghanistan)
- Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Gaza Strip)
- New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
- Secret police
- Wahhabi movement
- ↑ [1] CV of the new Agency Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Alsanad. 31 January 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lief, Louise (May 23, 2013). "With youth pounding at kingdom's gates, Saudi Arabia begins religious police reform". CS Monitor. Retrieved 19 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Zoepf, Katherine (December 23, 2013). "Letter from Riyadh. Shopgirls (behind paywall)". New Yorker. Retrieved 18 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Bradley, John R. (2005). Saudi Arabia Exposed. Macmillan. p. 10.
... religious police, which is feared and reviled both because of its wide reach and because its members are drawn from the lower classes. Their resentment of the rich, combined with their freedom of action, results in a dangerous combination and adds to the hardline religious social atmosphere sanctioned by Wahhabi doctine, which is spread by clerics in the mosques and teachers in the schools, and which guides the verdicts handed down by Wahhabi `justice` in the courts.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Hilleary, Cecily (27 March 2013). "Saudi Religious Police Work to Improve Image". VOA. Retrieved 22 November 2013.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ [2] Arab News
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Forced into extinction". The Economist. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 AL-ALAWI, IRFAN; STEPHEN SCHWARTZ. "Saudi Arabia's 'Religious Police' Reforms". October 9, 2012. Weekly Standard. Retrieved 19 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ MILLER, DAVID E. (2011-07-20). "Saudi Arabia's 'Anti-Witchcraft Unit' breaks another spell". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Catholic priest arrested and expelled from Riyadh Asia News
- ↑ "Saudi minister rebukes religious police". BBC News. 4 November 2002.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Judicial flogging in Saudi Arabia at World Corporal Punishment Research.
- ↑ Saudi Arabia: Gross human rights abuses against women, Amnesty International.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Saudi Arabia's religious police 'contains extremists'". BBC News. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2015.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Abeer Mishkas (17 December 2004). "Saudi Arabia to Overturn Ban on Camera Phones". Arab News. Retrieved 24 July 2011.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Al-Bishr, Mohammed. Religious Police in Saudi Arabia (PDF). Ghainaa Publications. p. 135.
Undoubtedly, one of the major factors that can spoil the happiness of the two sexes is the straying of man or woman from the right path and trying to satisfy those instincts through all kinds of frivolous behavior which puts modesty to shame, .... Since Saudi Arabia is an Islamic country which has been established according to Islamic rules and principles ... pursuing the principle of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong becomes one of its most salient features. ... Therefore, it was necessary to institute the system of the religious police which derives from the texts of Sharia ...<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Saudi religious police see red over Valentine's Day". 12 February 2010. Syney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Each year, the religious police mobilise ahead of 14 February and descend on gift and flower shops, confiscating all red items, including flowers.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Tripp, Harvey; North, Peter (2009). CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Saudi Arabia (3rd ed.). Marshall Cavendish. p. 99.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Man gets prison, lashes for gay video| Adnan Al Shabrawi| Saudi Gazette| 22 November 2013.
- ↑ Stephen Schwartz and Irfan Al Alawi, "Valentine's Day in Saudi Arabia: Portents of change from the desert kingdom", The Weekly Standard, Washington DC, 5 March 2007.
- ↑ "200 Arrested in Mina for Celebrating Valentine's Day", Arab News, Jeddah/Riyadh, 18 February 2004.
- ↑ Tripp, Harvey; North, Peter (2009). CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Saudi Arabia (3rd ed.). Marshall Cavendish. p. 180.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Saudi Religious Police Say Barbie Is a Moral Threat
- ↑ ""Jewish" Barbie Dolls Denounced in Saudi Arabia". ADL. Retrieved 23 May 2011.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Cats and dogs banned by Saudi religious police", MSNBC, 18 December 2006.
- ↑ "Saudi men arrested for offering free hugs in Riyadh". BBC News. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
"After seeing the Free Hugs Campaign in many different countries, I decided to do it in my own country," Mr Swed told al-Arabiya news. ... Britain's Independent newspaper reports that his video inspired two more young Saudis, Abdulrahman al-Khayyal and a friend. They offered hugs, advertised on a placard, ... They were subsequently arrested by the kingdom's religious police, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which is charged with ensuring that sharia law is strictly adhered to. The two were required to sign a pledge that they would not offer hugs again, reports say.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Lawyers Say No To Sorcery Suits" Arab News.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Saudi man executed for 'witchcraft and sorcery'". 19 June 2012. BBC News. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Saudi religious police boss condemns Twitter users". BBC News. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Tripp, Harvey; North, Peter (2003). Culture Shock, Saudi Arabia. A Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Singapore; Portland, Oregon: Times Media Private Limited. pp. 61–2.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ House, Karen Elliott (2012). On Saudi Arabia : Its People, past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future. Knopf. p. 155.
offices of multinational firms ... even at these offices there are occasional raids by religious police. The one institution exempt from all these conventions and restrictions is Saudi ARAMCO, which since its founding has operated as an innovative and international island in the largely stagnant Saudi sea. KAUST is now a second island. The government has made it clear that these islands -- like foreign embassies in Saudi Arabia -- are off limits to the religious police.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ House, Karen Elliott (2012). On Saudi Arabia : Its People, past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future. Knopf. p. 78.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Saudi police 'stopped' fire rescue", BBC News Online, London, 15 March 2002.
- ↑ Khaled Abou el Fadl, The great theft: Wrestling Islam from the extremists, Harper San Francisco, 2005, pp. 250-2. ISBN 0-06-056339-7
- ↑ Raid Qusti, "Commission Members Probed for Forced Entry and Murder", Arab News, Jeddah/Riyadh, 27 May 2007.
- ↑ Qusti, Raid. "Virtue Commission Men Go on Trial in Bulawi's Death". 2 July 2007. Arab News. Retrieved 19 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ James Hider (2 April 2010). "Lebanese TV host Ali Hussain Sibat faces execution in Saudi Arabia for sorcery". The Times. London.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Death sentences over Saudi 'sorcery' claims". Amnesty International. 10 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2010.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Saudi Supreme court rejects Sabat death sentence". November 11, 2010. yalibnan.com. Retrieved 19 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Lutz, Meris. "SAUDI ARABIA: Factional politics may be at heart of legal dispute over psychic's fate". April 2, 2010. LA TImes. Retrieved 19 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Catholic priest arrested and expelled from Riyadh", Asia News, Italy, 10 April 2006.
- ↑ Mariam Al Hakeem (12 August 2008). "Saudi man kills daughter for converting to Christianity". Gulf News. Retrieved 8 September 2010.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Attackers torch Saudi religious police building". Reuters. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Saudi Arabia's religious police 'contains extremists'". 4 February 2014. BBC News. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Saudi religious police chief vows crackdown on extremists". February 4, 2014. AFP. Retrieved February 4, 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Saudi cleric says nothing wrong with genders mixing, listening to music". 23 January 2012. Al Arabiya. Retrieved 19 April 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ House, Karen Elliott (2012). On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines—and Future. Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 45–6. ISBN 978-0-307-27216-4. ISBN 978-0-307-47328-8.
...the head of the Hai'a .... in ... Mecca, Sheikh Ahmad Qasim al Ghamdi, not only supported men and women mixing in public places but also said he instructed his mutawa'a, or religious police, not to interfere with such mixing. ... Under pressure from religious conservatives, the head of the Hai'a in Riyadh fired his chief in Mecca late one Sunday night. ... Within hours of the firing of the Sheikh Al Ghamdi, the Hai'a issued an embarrassing retraction: `The information sent out today concerning administrative changes at some Hai'a offices, particularly those concerning Mecca and Hail, was inaccurate and the administration has requested editors not to publish it.` It was too late. Both the firing and the retraction had become major news. ... Outraged conservatives went to Sheiksh Al Ghamdi's home, demanding to `mix` with his females. ... still other outraged opponents scrawled graffiti on his home.line feed character in
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- ↑ Lawrence Wright, The looming tower: Al Qaeda and the road to 9/11, Knopf, New York, 2006, p.149. ISBN 0-375-41486-X
- ↑ "KSA female employment rate among lowest in MENA region". 25 March 2013. Arab News. Retrieved 19 February 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 "Public Debate in Saudi Arabia on Employment Opportunities for Women". The Middle East Research Unit. 17 November 2006.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ House, Karen Elliott (2012). On Saudi Arabia : Its People, past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future. Knopf. p. 23.
When one of the senior religious ulama had the temerity to criticize [gender mixing at KAUST that the king gave his approval to] ... the mild-mannered king promptly fired him ... the sacking of this sheikh had the desired effect of prompting supportive statements on KAUST from other tame religious leaders, but it angered religious conservatives ... Always careful to balance, the king, who had secured ulama approval for fender mixing at this elite university, did nothing to curb the country's religious police from roaming the kingdom's streets and harassing ordinary Saudis mixing with anyone of the opposite genders.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Saudi Arabia. Wahhabi Theology". December 1992. Library of Congress Country Studies. Retrieved 17 March 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 53.0 53.1 Lacey, Robert (1981). The Kingdom. New York and London: Harcourt Brace Javonoich. p. 178.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Cook, Michael (2001). Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong in Islamic Thought. Cambridge University Press.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Commins, David (2009). The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia. I.B.Tauris. p. 95.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Commins, David (2009). The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia. I.B.Tauris. p. 113.
Thus, the street enforcers of Wahhabi norms rose in standing in 1976, when the Al al-Sheikh director of the Committee for Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong gained a seat on the cabinet.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Lacey, Robert (1981). The Kingdom. New York and London: Harcourt Brace Javonoich. p. 52.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Lacey, Robert. Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle ... Penguin.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Reduced Powers for Morality Police", Arab Reform Bulletin, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 2006.
- ↑ "Virtue Squads Toning Down Shows of Power in Saudi Arabia" Rob L. Wagner, The Media Line, 23 May 2010
- ↑ "Morality Police under Pressure", Arab Reform Bulletin, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, June 2007.
- ↑ Scott Macleod,"Vice Squad", Time, New York, 26 July 2007.
- ↑ Ahmed Rashid, Taliban: Islam, oil and the new great game in Central Asia, Yale University Press, 2000, p. 201. ISBN 1-86064-417-1
- ↑ Lacey, Robert (2009). Inside the Kingdom : Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia. Viking. pp. 200–1.
`I remember` says Ahmed Rashid, `that all the Taliban who had worked or done hajj in Saudi Arabia were terribly impressed by the religious police and tried to copy that system to the letter. The money for their training and salaries came partly from Saudi Arabia.` Ahmed Rashid took the trouble to collect and document the Taliban's medieval flailings against the modern West, and a few months later he stumbled on a spectacle that they were organizing for popular entertainment. Wondering why ten thousand men and children were gathering so eagerly in the Kandahar football stadium one Thursday afternoon, he went inside to discover a convicted murderer being led between the goalposts to be executed by a member of the victim's family.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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text:
Support staff from SJU/OSB recognized for years of employment and retirement
May 30, 2014
Support staff from Saint John's University and the Order of Saint Benedict were recognized for their years of employment and retirement at the Employee Recognition Luncheon May 29 at Sexton Commons, SJU.
Those honored included:
Five years
SJU - Lloyd Juel, physical plant; Eve Justin, dining services; Joe Kobylinski, custodial services; Jennifer Kutter, Saint John's Outdoor; Stacy Penk, McCarthy Center; Joan Stangler, custodial services; Martie Thomes, dining services; Bryce Welle, dining services.
Saint John's Abbey - Tammy Huston, physical plant.
Liturgical Press - Stephanie Nix, production.
10 years
SJU - Nancy Beutz, custodial services; Pamela Broughton, dining services; Steve Gradin, IT Services; Ryan Kutter, pottery studio; Cindy Maile, campus ministry; Gail Schneider, natural science; Pam Wilder, custodial services.
Saint John's Abbey - Russell Kilanowski, physical plant; Katherine Wagner, Saint Raphael Retirement Center.
15 years
SJU - Laurie Birr, IT Services; Eileen Daniels, dining services; Gail Studniski, dining services; Lisa Weyer, dining services.
Saint John's Abbey - Ralph Petersen, physical plant.
20 years
SJU - Ginger Hoffman, dining services; Mary Kron, bookstore; Vivian Krueger, communications and marketing.
Saint John's Abbey - Bonita Heinen, abbey laundry; Gerard Huhne, physical plant.
25 years
SJU - Norma Koetter, history; Mo Laube, registrar's office; Diane Majchrzak, dining services; Don Renshaw, library; Ralph Shay, custodial services.
Saint John's Abbey - Janet Merdan, abbey tailor shop; Nancy Mitchell, Saint Raphael Retirement Center.
30 years
SJU - Debra Baggenstoss, admission.
Liturgical Press - Jill Flicker, accounts receivable.
35 years
SJU - David Philippi, dining services; Pamela Reding, Academic Affairs; Susan Zimmer, accounting and finance, economics and global business leadership.
Saint John's Abbey - Gary Braun, physical plant; Ann Sand, Saint Raphael Retirement Center.
Liturgical Press - Betty Marquette, customer service.
55 years
SJU - Fr. J.P. Earls, OSB, Great Hall information desk.
Saint John's Abbey - Fr. Thomas Gillespie, OSB, signage.
SJU - Louis Himsl, physical plant; Pamela Reding, Academic Affairs.
Saint John's Abbey - Glen Breth, power house; Mary Klug, Saint Raphael Retirement Center; Dianne Rademacher, Saint Raphael Retirement Center; Ursula Robertson, Saint Raphael Retirement Center.
See a photo gallery from the event.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of Ruarc's tapping foot reverberated around the square in which he stood. It wasn't because he was waiting, or because he was annoyed, it was in fact due to him feeling incredibly nervous. For one, he was practically wearing a suit, at least by his standards it was a suit, and constricting clothing always made the Irishman feel claustrophobic. The main reason though was that he was expecting Raiko to arrive any minute for the date that he had invited her on, and by some odd logic decided to be one hour early and to arrive separately. It also did not help that it was Christmas Eve, couples were everywhere, and he felt a lot of pressure in making sure this was a night Raiko would remember. He wanted to prove to her, or maybe more to himself, that he was not just a simple country boy, and he could stand by Raiko without feeling out of place. Adjusting the collar on his button up shirt, Ruarc felt somewhat warm despite the brisk winter air and the jacket he wore.
"Any minute now," Ruarc said to himself as he braced his back against a light pole. "Gotta do this right."
Despite Ruarc's long wait, Raiko ended up arriving about ten minutes before their designated meeting time. The familiar black Limousine with its still somehow mysterious driver pulled up to the square's curb, and the Shrinemaiden exited the vehicle, wearing a rather nice Kimono, which was red with white and green accents, with small, multicolored sparkles on it to emulate the lights of a Christmas tree. The fabric itself had a bit of shimmer, and it shone in the bright city lights. Raiko was wearing simple make-up, and had her hair tied up in a neat bun at the back of her head.
As the Limousine drove off, Raiko began to look around for Ruarc, figuring he had arrived early, considering just how long ago he had left his cottage.
Having a good view of most of the square, and knowing the general direction Raiko would be coming from, Ruarc easily saw as her limo pulled up and dropped her off. Butterflies instantly began fluttering in the Irishman's stomach, but taking a deep breath he settled himself and reformed his posture as he pushed himself away from the pole he was leaning against before making his way over to the shrinemaiden.
"Raiko! Uh, glad you could make it," Ruarc called to her as he got close. Once he was close enough to hug her, he was able to fully appreciate how she looked. She was absolutely beautiful, even more so than normal, and he felt as though he should have dressed up more. Recovering from his brief stupified state, he reached out and gave her a hug. "You look amazing Raiko."
Raiko smiled as Ruarc hugged her, to his eyes, she would be absolutely glowing. "I'm glad you're here already, it might have been a bit odd for me to stand around for a while dressed like this!' she joked, taking Ruarc's hand. She seemed to notice both his discomfort at wearing the semi-formal clothes, as well as his nervousness at not quite looking up to snuff with his date.
"You know, I think it would be nice if we could get you some traditional Druid dress robes for occasions like this. Sound good to you?" Raiko looked up at the bespectacled druid, seeking his answer.
Giving his own smile in return, Ruarc gently held her hand in his; his hands giving off a comforting warmth in the cold air. "Of course I am here, I would never leave you just standing around," he said in return before contemplating her suggestion. Formal druid robes were an interesting thing indeed with a lot more ornate edging and folds than basic robes, but even among high ranking members of the Order it was rare to see the robes being worn outside of functions hosted by one of the Order's branches. To that end, Ruarc could not really see himself walking around wearing one, although the more he thought about it the more he could see similarities between the formal robes and a Japanese yukata.
"Well, I suppose I am not entirely against the idea, though formal clothing and me have never really gone together," Ruarc replied as he began to walk, leading his girlfriend along a predetermined path he had set earlier. "Though I suppose I'd feel a bit more comfortable in a set of robes than in a button up."
Raiko pulled herself closer in to Ruarc's arm, laughing softly at Ruarc's remark about not getting along with formal clothing. "Well, I think you would look fabulous, and, it would show off your heritage," She commented, winking at the Irishman. She then looked ahead, trying to discern where they were going. "So, what Restaurant were you taking me to again? or is it something else?"
Grinning, Ruarc may have been feeling nervous earlier, but he was plenty confident in his planning. He did in fact have a restaurant in mind, one that required him to make his reservation a week in advance, and one that would likely eat up a fair amount of what he had been paid in the past two months. It was ritzy, it was extravagant, supposedly the food was top notch, and Ruarc was certain that he would get major boyfriend points for setting it up.
"I do have a little place in mind," Ruarc told Raiko. After a little more walking, the couple arrived at a high rise building covered in mirrored windows, and with a confident stride he led his date through the front doors and up an elevator that let out on a floor designed like a Japanese garden. With tori gates and koi ponds and tables dispersed among the splendor.
As they arrived at their destination, Raiko was awed by the splendour. It was quite a restaurant, which looked like one of the nicest gardens she'd been to. Everything was perfect, and pristine, all taken care of and placed perfectly so that it held its maximum beauty potential. "It certainly reminds me of the shrine, though I don't think the Shrine ever looked this perfect..." She observed.
Ruarc's chin was held high and his chest puffed out as he could tell that Raiko was surprised and impressed. So far, so good. Approaching the hostess, the Irishman went to claim his reservation and a table for two, but when he made the claim he could feel as the woman looked him over with a judgmental eye. "There it is again," Ruarc thought as some of his posture faded.
"I am sorry, Sir, but I do not see your reservation on the list," the woman said as she scanned her appointment book.
"What?! That can't be right, I called in a week ago!" Ruarc exclaimed in response. "Did I make it under Flynn instead of Ruarc?" The hostess checked again, but once more she shook her head. "Well are there any tables I could claim anyway?"
"I am sorry, Sir, but our tables book weeks in advance. Especially around Christmas," she told him.
"I know they do! That is why I booked one a week ago!" Ruarc said, his voice beginning to rise as he felt irritated and panicked.
"I am sorry, Sir, but there is nothing else I can do for you."
With that, Ruarc walked away from the reservation desk and scratched his head in frustraion, no sure what to tell Raiko.
Raiko could see Ruarc's confised, defeated posture as he returned to her, having been unable to get them a table. "Well, you can't win every time" She said, in an attempt to console him. "Hey, why don't I pick somewhere instead! I know just the place, and I'm sure you'll like it. Besides, it was nice just to come up here and see tha garden, but I think we could have more fun somewhere else, no?"
Knowing she was trying to help didn't make the feeling of Ruarc's defeat any less embarrassing to him. All his work and preparation was all for nothing it seemed. Taking a deep breath, Ruarc caught himself and repsyched himself up. The night was still young, and it did not need to end in failure. Even if it killed him, the Irishman wanted to make sure Raiko enjoyed herself.
"You're right, Raiko! The garden was the main reason I definitely made a reservation here, so now that we have seen it the food is a moot point," Ruarc said as he set himself back up, and taking her hand once more. "So where is this other place? I'll follow you."
Raiko didn't waste time talking, and dragged Ruarc past the elevator, and down the stairs. despite her outfit, and composure, and the fact that she was wearing those odd wooden platform shoes, she managed to pull the irishman down the stairs at quite a clip, without slipping or falling. Soon, they had arrived on the ground floor, through the lobby, and onto the street, and Raiko, though panting slightly, was giggling, seeming to enjoy the bit of a run and the look of confusion on her Boyfriend's face.
She continued along the street, this time at a slower pace, until she found an intersection that seemed to be her goal, and they crossed the street at the light, stopping next to... A traditional ramen cart, with a built in bar and stools, and one of those short curtains that gave patrons a bit of privacy. They seemed to be in luck, as two seats next to one another were available. "Ahh~Ha! This is the one, definitely it. The best cart in all of Japan. And you can trust me on this one." Raiko winked again, and then pulled the Irishman under the curtain, and set herself up on a stool. "Two please!" she asked a disinterested looking cook, who immediately began to make up the meals.
Ruarc was not quite sure how to feel. The cart was definitely more the style he would naturally prefer to eat at, but it was a long shot from the grandiose plans that he had originally intended. Dejected but determined, Ruarc joined Raiko at the bar and waited for his food.
"I'm sorry," Ruarc said after a few moments of silence.
"For what?" Raiko asked, seeming confused. She looked at the Dejected druid as the familiar dull clank of ramen bowls hitting a wooden counter could be heard, with the delivery of their meals.
"I had a whole plan set up for tonight," Ruarc started as he looked down at his food. "But it kinda fell through I guess. Heh, so much for impressing you tonight."
Raiko chuckled, seeming amused by Ruarc. "Honey, you don't have to do anything to impress me. You don't have to take me to fancy places, or buy me expensive things, or any of that." She leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. "All you need is to be you. I've had everything else, all the money and clothes and fancy restaurants and everything else in the world, and I don't care what I do, so long as it's with you. Got it?"
"Yeah, but that's just it. You are so well off, and I am just a guy from a farming town in rural Ireland. I am nothing to write home about, and yet somehow I managed to attract your interest. I suppose I am just scared of losing it is all," Ruarc replied, taking comfort in the kiss she had given him. "I guess I just worry that I am boring, so I tried to be more interesting."
Ruarc heard a snap as Raiko pulled her Chopsticks apart, saying a small blessing to herself before looking back at the irishman. "Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't have bothered if you were boring!" she joked, smiling at him again. "I like you for you. You're genuine. You aren't trying to be someone else. You know who you are and how to be you. That's what I like." She looked down at her bowl of ramen, seeming lost in throught, or perhaps just smelling the wonderful aroma that was wafting from the ceramic container's contents. Ruarc could smell it too, and he could tell it was more than just your normal Ramen, better than anything he had ever smelled before.
Accepting what was said, Ruarc began to dig in to his bowl of ramen as he thought about everything, and thankfully the delicious ramen helped lighten his mood and make him feel better. Then, once the end of the bowl was in sight, the Irishman figured he had every thought in place. Finishing off the bowl, he pushed it back on the counter, he relaxed in his stool and gave a sigh. "Thanks Raiko."
She smiled softly in return, sighing contentedly. "It's my pleasure" she replied, still working on her bowl of Ramen. She ate in silence for a moment, seeming to relish in the flavor of the soup which Ruarc had just wolfed down. "Sometimes, just getting to basics, can be the best of things. And finding some place that does the basics better than anyone else? well... That's rare."
"Hey Raiko," Ruarc said as he called her attention over to him.
He caught her mid-slurp, but she quickly downed the offending noodle, and swallowed, dabbing her chin and lips with a napkin. "Yes?" she asked, looking Ruarc in the eyes.
Leaning over, Ruarc gave Raiko a kiss on the lips. After lingering for a few moments, he sat back. "Like I said, thanks." Then, reaching in to the pockets of his coat he pulled out a small, rectangular box wrapped in simple red paper and sat it by Raiko on the bar top.
Raiko's eyes widened a bit in surprise at the kiss, but they slowly closed themselves as Ruarc lingered, relishing in the sensation of his lips on hers. When he pulled away, she was mildly surprised yet again as he pulled out a small red box for her. "You're... quite welcome..." she responded, blinking a couple of times as she took the box and inspected it. "I can open it?" she asked, curious.
"Of course ya can," Ruarc said, his voice was warm as he rested his arms on the bar. Inside of the box, Raiko would find a charm necklace unlike one she would find anywhere in Japan, and the reason for this was that it was made in Ireland by one of the men who lived in the same town Ruarc did. It was crafted out of silver mined locally, and it was crafted in the shape of an eight point star and set into the center was an Irish emerald. With a curious look, Ruarc wondered what Raiko would think of it.
The Japanese girl picked up the necklace and held it up, spreading the chain out in her fingers. She examined the emerald, and the fine craftsmanship of the star charm as well as the handmade chain. it was quite beautiful, and certainly not something one could find in any of Japan's shopping districts. "Why... It's beautiful..." she muttered, taking it in for a moment before slipping the chain around her neck. "I love it." she told Ruarc, slipping her arms around his neck and bringing him close for a squeezing hug and another kiss.
Touching his forehead to hers after the kiss, he smiled once more. "Glad you like it, and ya know, I didn't spend a dime on it."
She burst into laughter, at that. pulling back and starting into a fit of laughter, Raiko probably completely and utterly confused the already partially bewildered irishman. after a few moments of regaining herself, she responded to him, fighting through more giggles. "ahaha... Yes, that is indeed the way to a girl's heart, telling them how much of a cheapskate you are!" she laughed a few more times, giving Ruarc another kiss afterward. She shook her head a few times, wiping a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye.
"Oh, Ruarc, I hope you always stay you. I wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled, and from her robes she also produced something. It was an oddly shaped bundle, the wrappings made from old, dyed newspaper, and it was tied up with simple bow. she held it up for the irishman to take. "This is for you. Or, well, it's really for Laoise, but I think you'll appreciate it, nonetheless. For you alone, I have something else in mind."
Ruarc's mouth moved as he tried to form words, but all that came out was stammering as he tried to figure out what he did. The best he could manage was to figure it having to do with Raiko poking fun, and simply shut his mouth. Then when Raiko produced her own gift for him, Ruarc set the matter aside. A hint of excitement crossed his face, which promptly faded when it was intended for Laoise, but then was back when she mentioned another gift.
"For Laoise, huh? I'm sure she really appreciate that," Ruarc said as he grabbed the gift and began to inspect it. "Though, what's this about something else for me?"
"Ah~! that's a secret. you'll find out later" Raiko teased, encouraging him to open the present she had given him right now. "I think you'll like it too, though I can never be sure. it's very special, as well, and took more than a little bit of bribing Mealla to acquire."
"Mealla, huh?" Ruarc repeated as he thought about Mealla and her love of meddling. Without pressing it further, the young man proceded to open the gift. It was a small amulet shaped like a convex shield, which was held on a string. It was odd, as the string was small, obviously sized for something roughly as large as a dove or pigeon. Ruarc's eye could, however, tell that it was inherently magical. It gave off an aura of change, but, for some reason, Ruarc didn't seem to be able to activate any of its properties if he tried.
Cocking his head slightly, Ruarc inspected the item but could only vaguely begin to discern its purpose. "So, uh, what's it do?"
"It allows your guide to experience humanity" Raiko answered, somewhat mystically. "That is, they can take on human form, so long as they have this amulet with them. And don't worry, it won't choke her, obviously. Though, I would suggest giving it to her and then leaving the room." Raiko smirked a bit. "I'll have to let her borrow some of my clothes, if she fits."
Showing a contemplative face as Raiko explained the purpose of the item, Ruarc accepted her words without question. "That's... interesting, I suppose. Definitely novel," he said as he looked at the amulet closer. "Hey Raiko, I never actually asked, but how the Hell do you know Mealla? And why are you on good enough terms with my boss to ask for something like this?"
"You'll have to take that up with the top" Raiko responded, grinning. "As for asking, didn't I tell you I had to bribe her?" She picked up the charm on her necklace again, examining it in the light. "There are many things you do not know, young Keeper. Some day, I'll be able to tell you. But, for now, let's just stick to you being you, and me being me, alright?"
"Heh, alright, fine by me," Ruarc said as he dismissed his question. "So, mind if I ask what you got for me again?"
Raiko stuffed a few bills of paper money onto the counter which Ruarc promptly replaced with his own money, and pulled Ruarc out from behind the cart's curtain. There, at the curb, was her Limousine, waiting for them. "Well, I really wanted you to be able to try it out immediately so we'll have to go back to the estate," she hinted, waiting for her gentleman to open the door for her.
Taking the hint, Ruarc opened the limo door and gestured for Raiko to enter, after whom he entered as well. Sitting down in his seat, he pouted slightly as he needed to wait longer for his own gift.
The ride thankfully wasn't long, as somehow the Limousine seemed to travel faster than Japan's rather promt light rail system. Soon, the overgrown walls could be seen and the gates were opening, and within moments, they had arrived at the top of the drive, and had extricated themselves from the car.
"I had intended to give it to you tomorrow..." Raiko began, pulling Ruarc toward the front door earnestly, "But I figure I might as well give it to you now, since you did give me this~" She brushed the necklace, which she apparently adored "And I figured I might as well."
"Well alright then," Ruarc said as he felt excited again. Sure it may have been selfish, but the way he saw it was that this night was for him to spend time with Raiko; so Laoise could wait until their night was finished. For a moment Ruarc's mind did wander into the gutter, but he quickly retrained his thoughts; knowing full well that Raiko was not like that. And that she was only sixteen.
When they went inside, Ruarc could see that the house was decorated in the traditional western style of Christmas decoration, tree and all, though Ruarc could not recall when the decorations had been hung, or when the tree had gotten there. Beneath the tree were a number of packages addressed to several people, which it was assumed would be distributed the next day. However, there were several bulging packages with Ruarc's name on them, all of which gave a bit when prodded, suggesting something soft was inside.
With a whistle of appreciation, Ruarc gazed around at the extravagant decorations adorning the mansion. While a bit more high brow than his Christmases in Ireland, it all felt comfortably familiar. Then upon inspecting the tree and its gifts he was surprised to find that he had garnered more than one, and he was rather confused when he picked one up to find that it compressed in his hands.
"So, uh, any particular one I should open?" Ruarc asked as he wasn't sure where to start.
"That one should be fine" Raiko confirmed, finding herself a seat and sitting down to watch Ruarc open his gifts.
The first package he opened contained a Kimono, which was sized perfectly for the tall druid. It was in a subdued green color, and made of silk, but instead of the more traditional Japanese floral patters, it was adorned with celtic runes, and depictions of Irish landscape. A second package produced a Yukata, similarly hued and adorned, for summer wear. The other packages included all the traditional undergarments, and even several pair of Tabi socks and a pair of Geta similar to those worn by Raiko, though instead of being painted red, they were left unpainted and stained a more natural tone.
Ruarc's mouth gaped slightly as he inspected his gifts. They were wonderfully crafted, and while being far from burlap or denim he felt an appreciation for the gifts and anticipated trying them on.
"Well, now instead of standing out next to you I can blend right in," Ruarc said with a smile. "I reckon we'll make quite the handsome couple with the both of us supped up in kimonos."
Raiko smiled, glad Ruarc liked her gifts. "Now!" she began, getting up from her chair, seeming excited, "I wanna see what you look like in the Kimono! You can use the powder room down the hallway to change. if you need any help, just call, and I'll come help if you're decent."
Agreeing, Ruarc made his way to the changing room and began the process. Almost immediately realizing he did not actually know quite what he was doing, like at all. Getting to the point of decency he went to the door to call out.
"Does wearing the undergarments count as being decent? Because they are about all I figured out on my own," Ruarc said as he asked for help.
Ruarc could hear giggling from down the hallway. "The robe part of it is like a big t-shirt. Just slip it over your head and stuff your arms through the sleeves. I can help you after that!" Raiko instructed from a safe distance. she seemed to be rather amused by the Druid's troubles. Following her instructions, Ruarc got to the point of wearing the robe, and the underwear was covered.
"Alright, Should be good now. So care to lend a hand Ms. Giggles?" Ruarc called out once more.
"Hehehe. Of course. I take full responsibility." Raiko soon arrived, tapping lightly on the door before coming in, and getting to work quite quickly. She wrapped her hands around Ruarc's midsection, folding the Kimono in the proper manner, before taking the sash and tying it around his waist. "Is this too tight, or is it good? she asked, tugging gently on the sash to make sure it was at a comfortable tension for the Irishman.
"Nah nah, feels just fine," Ruarc replied as he watched with a look of amazement as Raiko worked. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"Nonsense," she countered, turning the Druid to face her so she could inspect her handiwork. She took a few steps back and placed a thumb and forefinger on her chin, scrutinizing Ruarc's outfit. After a few moments, she seemed to decide that she was satisfied as she broke into a smile.
"You look great. I had thought something like this would be more fitting for you than the standard stuff, and, I was right." She approached him once more, spinning him around again to face the Mirror so he could see himself more clearly.
"You have a discerning eye, Raiko," Ruarc said as he adjusted his stance to change his view. "I look pretty good if I do say so myself." Striking a pose, he gave Raiko a cocky smile.
"So, I know this night didn't exactly start out the best," Ruarc said as he dropped his chin somewhat. "But I'd say it turned out pretty good. Wouldn't you?"
Raiko sighed, wrapping her arms around Ruarc in a warm embrace, as she poked her head out from behind his shoulders to look in the mirror as well. "Yes, I do believe it ended up nicely. I couldn't have asked for more."
[Aside] Christmas Eve
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If you are a veterinarian looking to break away from the traditional model of rushed, over-booked, one-size-fits-all appointments apply to All 4 Paws Animal Hospital today!
One of our veterinarian's has left the practice and we need to fill her full-time position at our established two-doctor practice. The position involves working four weekdays each week and the second Saturday of the month. Your schedule would be Mondays 8am-7pm, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 8:15am-6pm, and the second Saturday of the month from 9am-1pm with an hour lunch break all weekdays. I'm also willing to hire 2 part-time vets if that's what it takes to get the right fit for our culture. I strive for every team member to get a full hour lunch every day and leave on time - we are all about having a good work/life balance and not getting burned out. At our practice we never overbook and your average appointment time is 40 minutes so you have plenty of time to do a thorough job and still have time to finish your record before moving on to the next room. Primary responsibilities include compassionate care of our patients and exceptional client care. Applicants with excellent interpersonal communication skills required – we focus on quality, not quantity, so you will have longer appointment times than typical to spend with clients. Our ideal candidate has an upbeat and friendly attitude. Our team is driven by our mission to provide a level of care for the family pets in our community equal to the care our pets have for us! The core values vital to our success are: * We don't just HEAR, we LISTEN * We RISE by LIFTING OTHERS * We EMPOWER with EDUCATION * More KISSES, Less HISSES (create FUN every day!) To learn more about our hospital, just visit our website: www.ApexVetHospital.com.
Ideally, we would like to hire a veterinarian with at least 2 years' experience who treats small mammals (rats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc) in addition to canines and felines and is looking to make a career at our hospital. All candidates will be considered, however.
Full-time Benefits: • $3,000 in cash each year to cover cost of CE, veterinary licenses, liability insurance, uniforms, etc • VIN access • 3 paid days off for CE • 1 week of paid-time off to start along with paid holidays (including the week we are closed from Christmas to New Year's).
If you're looking for a slower paced clinic where you will have the time to foster a relationship with patients and clients and will actually love coming to work every day, then submit your resume AND cover letter (telling us why you would be a good fit for our culture) via email to Dr. Emily Dorsett at firstname.lastname@example.com. Resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.
Our hiring process involves 5 stages: cover letter and resume submission, All 4 Paws Veterinarian Employment Application completion (will be sent to applicable candidates via email), an in-person interview, a working interview, and a check of the applicant's references. The top candidates of each stage will be advanced to the next stage of the hiring process until the right vet for our hospital is found. Everyone will be informed of their status by email.
A background check, reference check of former employers and co-workers, and drug test are mandatory. You must be able to lift and carry fifty pounds of weight. You must have a license to practice veterinary medicine in the state of North Carolina.
Association of Avian Veterinarians
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E: firstname.lastname@example.com
Please note: AAV does NOT provide medical information to the public on this site or via phone, email or social media sites. Please visit the find a vet directory to locate a veterinarian in your community.


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• Eva Longoria and beau Eduardo Cruz dined with friends at West Hollywood's Chateau Marmont, and they were very affectionate. "She touched his face while introducing him to someone," says an onlooker. Cruz smiled as Longoria would feed him occasionally during the meal, and when she rose from the table at one point, he helped her out of her seat. Nearby, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt shared dessert and held hands across their table. They also sang along with Mischa Barton, who toasted a friend's birthday. Also there: Wilfred actress Fiona Gubelmann.
• Thor star Chris Hemsworth and girlfriend Elsa Pataky hit up M Street Kitchen for a bite with a friend. And the actor must have loved his food! He was back the following night with Pataky for cozy meal of turkey meatloaf and skirt steak al pastor on the restaurant's patio.
• Chelsea Handler was sipping frozen margaritas in the lounge at Café del Ray in Marina Del Ray, Calif., with a pal, and also enjoying some small plates. The TV personality and her friend were chatting and were in good spirits, an onlooker says.
• Sisters Venus and Serena Williams partied at Cathouse at Tru Hollywood to celebrate Serena's recent Best of the West Tournament victory. The sisters and a large group of friends enjoyed Belvedere cocktails and bottle service, and partied late into the night.
• By JENNIFER GARCIA and JESSICA WEDEMEYER
PEOPLE is now on Foursquare! Get tips on the latest celeb hot spots and unlock special badges.


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Ed note: We were planning on getting a podcast up for djy'all's enjoyment this week, but real life got in the way. Check out TSF early next week for a Roland Garros wrap-up and a look-ahead to The Championships, Wimbledon. -NM
In case you missed it in our last post, there is something called the World Cup going on in South Africa. It's the biggest athletic event of its kind on the globe, and will be happening for the next month (!) as 32 teams battle it out for the cup. The media has covered this event from every possible angle, and I wanted to share a couple of those with you faithful folk. The first is a bit historical and artsy: the history of the World Cup soccer ball (compiled by the NYT). The second is a bit of the shallow variety, but it's worth it.
While some people might not be very impressed with Maria Sharapova's Birmingham warm-up frocks (and we sort of agree), the Russian lady was out in the community supporting the game of tennis for youth and unveiling a mural put together by local artists. The WTA put together a video of the scene (linked above in the image, too).
One former player who knew how to paint the court with winners, Monica Seles, was featured on the WTA's web site last week. Can she joing the comeback train, too?! She's our second pick behind Mary, Our Lady of Roland Garrolupe. Seeing as though there are now two Italians in the WTA's top ten, it wouldn't be the craziest of things to happen.
Laura Robson was in a bit of hot water over the weekend for quotes that she provided to Vogue UK for an upcoming article in the British pub. From the looks of her Twitter account, Robson got the memo from her PR team to issue some sort of response (later a full press release was issued) and since then has been a rather silent Sally while winning four matches (three in qualifying) at Birmingham. Talk about adding to the pressure for this year's Championships.
After the cut: Shorter balls and a look at the second-ever outdoor WNBA game (along with the first!). (more…)


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patterns > Liz McQueen's Ravelry Store and 2 more...
> Houndstooth Beanie (Reversible) - Kids
Houndstooth Beanie (Reversible) - Kids
Houndstooth - a classic pattern made modern in a crocheted beanie.
I couldn't find a pattern like this so I made my own. It's the original Houndstooth Beanie. The best thing about it? It's reversible! So you really get 2 hats in one. Recently I updated my pattern and added an extra option for you to customize - Earflaps! They are also fully reversible and made in the houndstooth pattern.
I offer free e-mail customer service after every pattern purchase. If you have a question, I'm here to help you.
- BABY: 16½" - 17½" around
- TODDLERS: 17½" - 19" around
- KIDS: 20" - 22" around
Check out my ebook at the top of the page to get a deal on BOTH kids & adult sizes!
You have permission to sell finished items made from my patterns, but do not use my pictures. If you sell online, please link back to my shop:
Original Design by Liz from Playin' Hooky Designs
- Buy this pattern plus 2 more and you'll get a deal! Use the code Pick3 during checkout for $2 off your purchase of 3 patterns!
- If you're really in need of some great patterns, get $10 off when you buy 10 patterns with code Pick10.
Pattern is written in standard US crochet terms. I offer free customer help after every pattern purchase. Please email me or send me a message with your questions.
Don't be fooled by imitations. This is the original Houndstooth Beanie!
Thank you to Jess from JLight Photography!
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Shannon Craddock of Thomasville has been named chief of the Archdale Police Department.
ARCHDALE | Shannon Craddock of Thomasville has been named chief of the Archdale Police Department.
"It's a very humbling experience," the 43-year-old Craddock said of his promotion. "I have been here most of my career. I'm familiar with how business goes and the people who work here. It's an opportunity I look forward to."
Craddock has lived in Thomasville since he was 7 years old. He is a 1988 graduate of East Davidson High School and graduated from basic law enforcement training at Davidson County Community College in 1993. He obtained his associate's degree in criminal justice from DCCC in 1999.
Craddock started his career in law enforcement in 1996 with the Asheboro Police Department, where he was an officer for three-and-a-half years. He left Asheboro Police to join the Archdale Police Department as a patrol officer. He rose through the ranks, serving as a patrol sergeant and was promoted in 2009 to captain before his appointment as chief June 25 of this year. The Thomasville resident replaced Darrell Gibbs, who retired in February.
He has been an accomplished officer in Archdale as he was named the agency's Officer of the Year in 1998 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
While he has strong relationships with officials with agencies in Davidson County, Craddock says he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement in Randolph County because he wanted a new experience with new faces. Officers, the chief says, sometimes struggle with working for an agency in a jurisdiction in which they grew up because a family member or friend who have encounters with law enforcement may live there.
Craddock said he has good relationships with law enforcement officials, such as Davidson County Sheriff David Grice and Lexington Police Chief Tad Kepley. He said he and Kepley worked together on their four-year degrees at Western Carolina University at the same time. Craddock completed his bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Western Carolina in 2004.
"I think Chief Craddock is going to do a great job for the City of Archdale and the Archdale Police Department," Kepley said. "He represents what a professional law enforcement officer is all about. He has great character and integrity. I am looking forward in continuing our relationship with the Archdale Police Department in the future under his leadership."
Craddock said Grice has invited him to meetings with law enforcement officials in Davidson County. With the proximity of Archdale to Davidson County, Craddock wants to remain in contact with the agencies, such as the Lexington Police Department and Davidson County Sheriff's Office, to stay on top of criminal activities happening locally.
Grice said he taught Craddock at Davidson County Community College. He said Craddock was always a good student and "certainly deserves the job."
"He has always been a good stable influence at Archdale," the sheriff said. "He well deserves the appointment and will do an excellent job. He is a bridge builder. He builds bridges and makes connections with other agencies. We have always had excellent relationships with Archdale Police, and I'm sure it will continue."
Craddock, who is married and has one child, has many goals for the Archdale Police Department. He's tightened up the agency's policy regarding evidence and implemented quarterly management team meetings. Craddock supervises 25 full-time officers and one reserve officer.
"If he let's the people down in Archdale, it'll certainly surprise me," Grice said.
Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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5781 Victoria Ave., Niagara Falls, ON, Canada, L2G 3L6
Phone: (905) 356-2034 Fax: (905) 374-2866
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Exclusive flexible rate for Choice Privileges members when you book direct at ChoiceHotels.ca or through the Choice Hotels Mobile App. Valid at most International and U.S. Choice Hotels locations. Must be or become a Choice Privileges member prior to making the booking. Discount rate is non-transferable or redeemable for cash, cannot be used for future stays or existing reservations and may not be combined with other promotions, offers or discounts. Unless otherwise stated, quoted rates are per room, per night, based on single/double occupancy and do not include taxes, gratuities or incidental charges. Early departure fees, deposit and cancellation restrictions may apply and will vary by hotel. Not valid at vacation rental properties.
The Econo Lodge® By the Falls is ideally located near many popular attractions, including Niagara Falls, Clifton Hill, the Rainbow Bridge, Queen Victoria Park, the Skylon Tower and Konica Minolta Tower Centre.
Guests of this Niagara Falls hotel have so much entertainment to choose from, including the Maid of the Mist boat ride and the Great Gorge Adventure. Marineland Canada is another great nearby family destination. It's a short drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake, home of the Shaw Festival theaters and centre of the Niagara wine region. Niagara College is minutes away from the hotel.
Cable television is available in each room and non-smoking rooms can be requested. An indoor pool and sundeck are popular features with guests.
This Econo Lodge hotel features a convenient location, affordable rates and clean accommodations at the site of one of the world's great natural attractions.
Additional amenities of this Niagara Falls hotel include:
Check-In Time: 15:00 Check-Out Time: 11:00 Guest Rooms: 57


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Did you know that there are over 43,000 homeless Australians under the age of 25? That 10% percent of them are couch-surfing or living temporarily with other households and 3% of them are forced to live rough, on the streets?
I feel very passionately that all of these young people deserve our help. That is why I am participating in the 2019 Sleep Under the Stars event to help raise $400,000 to keep 13 youth accommodated with support so they can become independent and the very best they can be.
I encourage you to join me on the night by registering here. The reality is just a few hours of your time can make a lifetime of difference for a child or youth.
Or if you cannot join me then please dig deep and make a donation. Your support can make a real impact on an Aussie kid's life.
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Texas economy looks pretty good, so watch out
AUSTIN — The state economy is looking better. Keep worrying.
Despite the good news that Texas revenues are growing far faster than predicted by the state comptroller and the rainy day fund will have $8.1 billion at the end of the current two-year fiscal period, legislative leaders aren't exactly celebrating.
They cite bills coming home to roost, including billions of dollars in costs that were pushed off last year as lawmakers struggled to close a massive budget shortfall.
A $4.7 billion tab for Medicaid costs through the end of the current two-year fiscal period will come due early next year. Lawmakers pushed a $2 billion Foundation School Program payment into the next budget cycle, and they'll have to come up with another $2 billion if they want to cover school enrollment growth in the next two years.
That's before they even look at making up for last year's cutbacks to schools, which were shorted more than $5 billion compared to traditional formulas. School districts have sued over funding.
Not only that, state Comptroller Susan Combs' office warned the economic pace could cool next year due to the national economy and European fiscal problems.
Despite the financial challenges, some wonder if leaders are painting a particularly dim view to keep from fueling high hopes for an infusion of cash for programs like education.
Linda Bridges, president of the Texas affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, said legislative leaders met the favorable budget news delivered early this month with "maximum feasible gloom," speculating that they "didn't want to admit one implication of the updated revenue picture, which is that cuts they portrayed as a regrettable necessity last session were actually not necessary."
"The bottom line is that next session lawmakers will have the means — if they have the will — to reverse needless cuts enacted last year and restore funding for Texas schoolchildren," she said.
Eva DeLuna Castro of the Center for Public Policy Priorities said when this fiscal year ends Aug. 31, there could be $3 billion more in revenues than the comptroller initially predicted plus more as the fiscal cycle continues. Even if the state economy slows, as the comptroller's office said it might, Castro expects revenue growth in the following fiscal cycle.
"The money is going to be there," Castro said, but she added, "Having the money is one thing. Having the commitment to making those restorations is what we'll have to wait and see about."
If the state doesn't provide enough money, she noted, pressure on local taxes will increase.
"The property tax is the single largest way we pay for public services. If they aren't doing anything to reduce the pressure on that, most people aren't going to think the state cut taxes, even if the state has less tax revenue," she said.
Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, chalked up gloomy talk partly to House leaders' effort to assure GOP voters that "our state is growing, and if our budget grows, don't get mad at us. We're just trying to keep up with the pace of population growth."
Villarreal said that the numbers mean "we're going to have funds to cover payment delays in Medicaid and payment delays to our school districts and be in a position, if pro-education legislators are elected, to make strategic investments in areas that were cut like pre-K and Texas Grants (for higher education). Those are just two examples."
House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, said in an interview earlier this month that he expects the Legislature to "be sensitive" to public education while being fiscally prudent.
"I think you'll see the Legislature being responsible and doing everything it can ... to strengthen public education. It's not all about the money," he said, but added, "Money's important."
Cruz knife cuts both ways?
As Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Ted Cruz ("tea party darling" isn't actually part of his formal name) continues to attract the national spotlight, his November election is seemingly assured in this red state. But his Democratic opponent, former state lawmaker Paul Sadler told my colleague Mikaela Rodriguez, that Cruz's election also has stirred enthusiasm for his effort.
"The best thing that happened was the fact that Ted Cruz won. It has energized people all across the state to get to work." Sadler said, as Rodriguez reported on our Texas Politics blog. Sadler in a Friday interview said he's getting calls from Republicans indicating concern that Cruz is "radical," as well as from Democrats and independents.
"The message was first ... 'Thank God you're on the ballot,'" Sadler said.
Fishing but not for votes
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Florida Gov. Rick Scott are taking U.S. military veterans to a Destin, Fla., fishing derby MondayThe two Gov. Ricks have a continuing good-natured competition over jobs and tourism. Scott has told Perry that "I'm gonna kick your rear" in creating jobs, as reported by the Shark Tank political blog. On a television appearance, Scott suggested Texas has experienced its final year as Chief Executive magazine's best state to do business. Perry responded, "Dream on." Perry is taking as his guest former U.S. Marine Capt. Dan Moran, a Purple Heart recipient who campaigned for him when he ran for president and for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurt in his bid for U.S. Senate.
Twitter: @pfikac


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|Picnic chicken, prepared similar to our classic, southern fried chicken, is lightly dusted in a highly seasoned flour then oven fried in butter and set aside to cool completely, before packing for the picnic.
Picnic Oven Fried ChickenWhen you see recipes for oven fried chicken it's most often a low fat attempt to recreate deep fried chicken, often using cornflakes as a coating. This is not that.
When you see the term "picnic" fried chicken, it's generally referring to a fried chicken that has been prepped for skillet frying, but is done mostly, if not completely, in the oven. Left to cool, it's delicious at room temperature or straight from the fridge, making it the perfect picnic chicken. This is that.
Of course, like classic fried chicken, there are as many ways to make this one as there are folks to cook it. I've actually got a couple different recipes myself! Great for camping, a picnic on the beach, a take along for fishing, or just to eat for supper, it's a southern classic.
Sick of cold weather where you are? Why not throw a red and white checkered tablecloth on the floor, prepare some picnic chicken, make up some pasta salad, potato salad or coleslaw, maybe some marinated green beans, add some French bread and iced tea and have a picnic? Put on some beach music, build a fire in the fireplace and make S'mores for dessert. Summer breeze y'all!
Here's how to make that picnic chicken.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to a 9 x 13 inch glass baking pan and place into oven to melt, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, to 1 cup of all purpose flour, add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of a seasoning salt (like Lawry's), 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme and 1 tablespoon of dried parsley.
Whisk together the flour and seasonings.
Rinse the chicken pieces and dredge them in the flour. I catch family packs of drumsticks on sale all the time so I usually have a few packages in the freezer, and they are my favorite piece of fried chicken, so that's what I used this time. These are rather large drumsticks too, so the time factors in about the same as a whole chicken, which is more typical. Other pieces work fine too, so just use your favorites or whatever you have on hand in your freezer. If you've got much smaller pieces of chicken, you'll need to make some adjustments in your cooking times.
Toss all of the chicken in the flour.
Set them all aside on a plate until you've floured them all.
Get the hot baking dish out of the oven and place the chicken into the buttered pan all together skin side up; turn to coat. Bake skin side down at 425 degrees F for 35 minutes.
Remove, turn skin side up and place back into the oven to bake another 20 to 25 minutes. Total time will be dependent on the size of the pieces.
Cook until chicken is completely cooked through and juices run clear when chicken is pierced.
Place a rack on top of some paper towels and transfer the chicken to the rack to cool completely before storing. Wrap chicken loosely in a clean sackcloth towel or paper towels then place into a large storage bag or container. Refrigerate if not using right away.
For more of my favorite fried chicken recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!
If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!
Recipe: Picnic Oven Fried Chicken©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 1 hour | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt (like Lawry's)
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon of dried parsley
- 1 (3 to 4 pound) whole chicken, cut into serving pieces, or equivalent pieces
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Add butter to a 9 x 13 inch glass baking pan and place into oven just long enough to melt. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour with the seasonings. Rinse the chicken pieces and dredge in the flour; place into the baking pan skin side up, and turn to coat. Bake skin side down at 425 degrees F for 35 minutes, turn and bake skin side up another 20 to 25 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through.
Total time will depend on the size of pieces you use, but the internal temperature should reach about 175 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh, 165 in the breast. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before storing. Wrap loosely in a clean sackcloth towel or paper towels then place into a large storage bag or container; refrigerate if not using right away.
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
Requires Adobe Reader - download it free!©Deep South Dish
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Crunchy Saltine Chicken Tenders
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This indicates that a portion of the EVAP control system is no longer functioning properly. The EVAP system consists of components including (but not limited to) the gas cap, fuel lines, charcoal canister, purge valve, system pressure and flow sensors, electrical wiring and connectors, vacuum lines, the fuel tank, and fuel vapor hoses.
Variations in evaporative emission control system pressure or flow are received by the PCM in degrees of voltage. If the PCM detects a voltage reading that does not coincide with the manufacturer's reference voltage, a code will be stored and a malfunction indicator will be illuminated. Some models require multiple failure cycles for service engine soon lamp illumination but a code is normally stored on the first failure. Stored codes presented without malfunction indicator lamp illumination may be read as pending codes.
Normally, no symptoms other than a stored code and a service engine soon lamp will be exhibited. However, other evaporative emission control system codes are likely to be present.
These may include a faulty or improperly installed fuel cap, a faulty purge control solenoid, clogged or broken charcoal canister, broken or cracked vacuum or fuel vapor hoses, a faulty pressure or flow sensor, or a bad PCM. PCM failure is rare.
Evaporative emission control system components are often replaced in error when a vacuum leak is present or the fuel cap is not properly tightened.


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A sex tape reportedly featuring late rapper Nate Dogg has surfaced, nearly one year after his death.
The 41 year old passed away last March after a long battle with ill health and now explicit footage allegedly featuring the star engaging in sexual activity with an unidentified female is being shopped around.
According to TMZ.com, the owner is currently in talks with a number of pornography studios with plans to sell the video to the highest bidder.
Few details are known about the contents of the five-minute tape but it was reportedly filmed several years ago.
This isn't the first time adult entertainment executives have shown interest in the sex life of a tragic star – a sex tape purportedly featuring Tupac Shakur was sold off to a private collector last year.