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European Commission
Cecilia Malmström
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs
'Smart Borders': for an open and secure Europe
Press conference – Smart Borders package/Brussels
28 February 2013
In June 2011 the EU Heads of State and Government asked the European Commission to reinforce the management of external borders and guarantee the free movement of persons.
Answering their request I am presenting today a 'Smart Borders' package that will help facilitate a more open and secure Europe, relying on state-of-the-art technologies.
The EU has extensive borders with around 1.800 external border crossing points; the number of persons crossing those borders is substantial and is expected to increase even more in the future. In fact the number of arrivals by air alone is estimated to almost double by 2030 increasing from 400 to over 720 million.
Our proposals consist of a Registered Traveller Program (RTP) and an Entry/Exit System (EES) that will facilitate, speed-up and reinforce the border check procedures at EU's external borders for third country nationals.
Let me start by illustrating the Registered Traveller Program: Openness is the key word to make sure the EU remains an attractive destination. This is crucial if we want to reap the benefits travellers bring to our economy.
According to Eurostat, non-EU residents contributed €271 billion to the economy when travelling to the EU in 2011. So we have to make it as easy as possible for tourists, business travellers, researchers and students to come to the EU.
The new EU Registered Traveller Programme will facilitate border crossings, introducing a faster and simpler border check process thanks to automated border gates and a simplified border check for pre-screened frequent third country travellers.
Participation in the Programme will be entirely on a voluntary basis and both visa holders and non-visa holders from all third-countries are able to apply for it.
Upon their request, they will be vetted and pre-screened and if approved they will be given a token, probably in the form of a machine-readable card.
Successfully registered travellers would be able to use an automated gate whenever available at the Schengen external border. The gate would read the token, the travel document and their biometric data. If all checks are successful, the traveller is able to pass through the automated gate, and thus enter the Schengen area in a matter of seconds.
We all see the common interest that our border check procedures allow for quick processing and that we avoid long queues for the vast majority of travellers who are legitimate to enter and pose no threat to security.
But at the same time we also expect our border guards to prevent unauthorized persons from entering the Schengen area.
Although a very small percentage of total travellers, there are people who are not entitled to enter or who remain in the EU beyond their permitted stay.
This is why we are also presenting an Entry-Exit System that will help to ensure a sufficient level of security.
The current border control system needs to be updated to face the challenges arising from increasing number of people travelling to the EU.
The Schengen area has almost 42.000 km of maritime borders, more than 7700 km of land borders and 644 air border crossing points. Every year 200 million third country nationals cross these borders.
But in this ''digital era'' made of tablets, smartphones and high-tech devices, our border guards still use a manual system based essentially on stamps in the passports.
As a consequence, we don't have accurate data on travellers' identity, on travel flows and on the movement of third-country nationals within the Schengen area.
We don't have an overview of people entering the EU and it is difficult to detect those who abuse the system by staying beyond their visa expiry date.
With the Entry/Exit System we will introduce new technologies, allowing for an accurate and reliable calculation of the authorised period of stay, as well as the verification of the individual travel history for both visa holders and visa exempted travellers.
For the first time, it will be possible to have a real time picture of which third country nationals are present in the Schengen area, and verify their identity.
The system will automatically calculate the authorised stay and issue an alert to the competent national authorities when there is no exit record in due time.
The verification of identity could even be done if people were to travel without valid documents. It can happen that third country nationals lose their travel documents either accidentally or purposefully and it is very difficult and costly to identify them if they are not cooperative.
The EES has been designed in a way that limits its data protection impacts. For those who respect the rules, which are the vast majority, data will be erased after just six months.
For those who abuse the system and stay behind the expiry of their visa validity, we propose a longer data retention period (5 years).
Access will be granted only to authorities responsible for border control, issuing visas and authorities competent for verifying the identity of third country nationals within the territory of a Member State.
Developing the two systems will require substantial financial investments, and support by the EU budget will be needed. For the period between 2015 and 2020, the estimated costs for the development and operation are over € 500 million for the EES and almost € 600 million for the RTP. However using them together can reduce costs marginally.
But the costs must also be seen in conjunction with the savings that will follow more effective border checks. The new systems will boost the ability to handle growing number of travellers without having to increase the number of border guards.
The financial benefits of facilitating travel for tourists and business travellers coming to Europe also have to be taken into account.
I know that during periods of budgetary constraint, this represents an important financial effort but I truly believe that having a modern management of our external borders is worth the investment.
It will now be up to the Member States and the European Parliament to deal with our proposals.
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The Healing of the Woman with an Infirmity of Eighteen Years on the Sabbath Day
Hypocrisy. Three parts to an Orthodox Feast:Preparation, Celebration, Apodosis
27th Sunday after Pentecost. Luke 13:10-17
In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen [1]
Today is the Twenty Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and also the apodosis of the Entry of the All Holy Theotokos into the temple. The Apodosis is the last day in which we sing hymns for the feast.
All feasts in the Orthodox Church have three parts to them.
The first part is preparation. We sometimes prepare by fasting as we are doing for the Nativity. And we always have preparatory hymns beforehand, especially in the Katavasia of the canon, which are hymns that are said at the end of each ode of the canon in the All Night Vigil for Matins. There are other hymns we also sing. Sometimes we even have entire services that are just before the great feast itself, like for instance we'll have vespral divine liturgy for the pre-festival of Holy Nativity of the Lord the day before the Nativity.
So we prepare for the outpouring of grace that God will give us on a particular feast day. Without this preparation and expectation, we will surely not be able to accept and understand much of what God wants to impart to us on the day of the feast, and those days immediately following.
Then of course there is the feast day itself when we sing hymns and commemorate that specific occurrence, that specific saint especially. After this there is the post-festal period, the time in which we still sing hymns about the feast and we remember it and we, like the Theotokos, "treasure these things in our hearts" [2], as is said of her by the Evangelist concerning all the things that she saw in her life that Christ did and said. She treasured them all up in her heart.
We should be like that, too. We should not be so quick to let go. When God gives us grace don't let go so fast. Don't immediately forget and go out into the world and just forget what happened the past week, the past Sunday, yesterday. We must take time to think about these things and muse over them and pray about them.
And then on the last day, if it's an especially great feast of the Lord or of the Theotokos, we almost reprise the feast. We sing the same hymns – not all of them, but many of them that we sang on the feast day itself. So for instance today we had the troparion and kontakion for the Theotokos' Entry. We also sang the exact same Epistle and the exact same Gospel that was said on Wednesday morning when we had the Divine Liturgy.
We also commemorate the Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome today. And in the primary reading for today we hear about the healing of the woman who had an infirmity of eighteen years, and she was healed on the Sabbath day.
As is usual, in the readings of the Gospel, there is an inner and an outer meaning. The outer meaning is pretty clear to see, when Jesus Christ rebukes this synagogue leader. It is very clear how foolish his words were. So we know the outer meaning that there is no time prescribed especially for mercy. All time is for mercy. God implants in us an understanding of things, and we have to be able to judge rightly. And we know when we should show mercy. There is no time when man should put some law ahead of showing mercy.
There is an inner meaning, too, because this woman was all bent together. She could not straighten up. She could in no wise lift herself up. There is a great meaning to that infirmity that she had, and our Lord's healing her on the Sabbath day.
Our Lord was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, and this was a habit of His. This is a very Jewish habit to speak all day in the synagogue on the Sabbath. And we try to emulate that in a poor way, unfortunately like the apostles did it, because of our sins and laziness. Not like the early Christians did it, who had so much zeal. But we serve the All Night Vigil and we serve the Divine Liturgy and we preach at the Liturgy and I often preach at the Vigil as well because we need to know as many holy things as we can.
We need to continually be feeding ourselves with holiness, because we're so continually, unfortunately, imbibing the bitter dregs of the world. So we must do something to dilute that and to eventually cast it out. And if you do not meditate upon holy things, you won't become holy. It's too bad that we don't spend all day speaking of holy things. It would be good if we did.
The purpose of our gathering together on Saturday and Sunday is to worship, to expect God to do something to us by partaking of His mysteries to be sure, to have enlightenment, the medicine of immortality within us. But also, to taste something of the sweetness of the Church's theology. It's God-breathed, you know. The services are inspired by the Holy Spirit and they breathe as the Holy Spirit breathes. And if you listen and if you pray, you can hear it. You can hear God in His services.
Saturday and Sunday are consecrated to our remembrance of God. Unfortunately we do not Him remember every day. Unfortunately, we fall into grievous sin. We get distracted. But if we can struggle to pay attention on Saturday and Sunday, whatever our position (I struggle to pay attention, too) – God will enlighten us. Of course, we will break bread together, most of us, and be able to taste of the heavenly bread.
But I tell you, if you don't come here with an expectation that God will teach you and enlighten you and make you straighten up, as one who cannot lift yourself up, and if you do not struggle, then you will come away today poor and wretched and unenlightened. You might commune but you won't have received any benefit from this heavenly food because you won't have struggled.
So you must struggle. Struggle by coming to the vigil and having expectation that God will teach you, listening as well as you can. And when you fall away from listening, pull yourself back. I don't know any other way to do it. I don't know any other way to explain it. You just struggle and struggle and struggle. And eventually God will indeed make us capable of those things that we are struggling to do. He will help us.
"And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." [3]
The God-man can just say, "Thou art loosed.", and she was loosed from her infirmity of eighteen years, long standing pain and sadness over her infirmity. It was a long time, and the fathers say that this was mentioned so that we could know, this was God's work. This is in God's territory. God can heal a man. No man can heal another man. And this is a very simple miracle. There is not much fanfare to it. There is not much of a lead up to it, such as in the miracle of Jairus' daughter [4], where there is a whole procession that occurs. And that has something to each us.
But here, Jesus Christ, matter of factly, as the God-man, as the one who created us, cast out Satan with only a word. "Thou art loosed," by the authority of the God-man. Now man cannot do this. This woman was bent. She was crooked. Solomon says, "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered." [5]
"Thou art loosed." Our Lord tells her, 'Thou cannot help Thyself, but I, the God-man can. And I have come to help, and I will. Thou art loosed from thy sins, from thy passions.'
And why do I say that? Because crookedness is a metaphor for sin and for tempestuousness, for being lost in the vanity of the world. 'I am the healer. I came to heal thee. I came to make thee able to see me. You cannot see me when you are bent down. You can only see the ground. But I will straighten you up, and then you will see Me, as I am.'
Why was this woman oppressed? I told you before, again, I say it was her sins that oppressed her. This is a great mystery. We don't always know why a person suffers. Sometimes they suffer because of their sins, sometimes not. But that is God's territory. We cannot delve into these matters. We must only speak of them with fear and trembling, so as not to offend the Divine Majesty.
Some people grow old and fat and they are wicked. Some people are young and they die in virtue. Some people struggle and never seem to be able to get around the problems of life. Other people have a relatively easy time of it. God knows for each man what his position in life should be for the best possibility for his salvation, and we don't know. But this woman was bent and crooked, so the crookedness indicates that she was suffering because of her sins. And she suffered manfully. She suffered for eighteen years. And she came to the temple, and she was hoping to be cured.
There is another incident where Christ cures someone. I can be so bold and say that this woman had sins is because of this incident. "And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. " [6]
What an odd thing that must have been to hear. Here a person comes laid out, unable to move their limbs, and Jesus Christ says, "Thy sins be forgiven thee." Some of these people must have thought, "Well, yes, but don't you see what's wrong with the man?" And then others thought, "He blasphemes." But this man was sick because of his sins, and this woman was crippled because of her sins. And God enlightened both of them. He healed them of their sins first. He loosed this woman of her infirmity so that she could look up at the God-man, and then she could commence to live a Christian life.
Our Lord came indeed to straighten out crookedness. The Baptizer says – this is quoted from Isaiah, which is a prophecy about the Baptizer-
"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:" [7]
The baptizer only announced that this would occur, and the God-man made it so. Our Lord directly promises through the mouth of the God-inspired Isaiah
"And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." [8]
Only God can make that which is crooked straight. And so what happened when this woman was loosed from her infirmity? You would think that everyone would have been in awe before God and they would have fallen on their faces saying, "Lord have mercy." But what happened?
"And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." [9]
What amazing words. What amazing stupidity. This man was filled with envy and jealousy, and that's what clouded his mind. His anger made him crazy to say such insane things. What kind of beast would liken mercy on the Sabbath day to common labor in the field?
Isn't the Sabbath a day of rest, though? He's right about that. The ruler of the synagogue is saying a partial truth you know. The Sabbath day is a day of rest according to the Jewish law. And our Sabbath, our day of rest, today, is the same, where we should rest in Christ and meditate on holy things. But is not Christ giving this woman rest? Is He not fulfilling the Sabbath day? Indeed. This woman had eighteen years of no rest, of sleeplessness, and of hunger, and of pain, and of despondency. And our Lord, on the Sabbath, the day of rest, gave this woman rest. And this synagogue leader was too stupid, too full of pride, too full of arrogance to see this.
Notice how he addresses this question that he brings up. He does not say anything to Christ directly. He doesn't have the guts to do it. But he is aiming for the glory of men, for the honor of men. So what does he do? He says this out to the congregation, so as to get partners in crime with him, so as to feel emboldened by other people being full of sin. But the Lord answered him very simply and plainly. And he said a word that does not occur very often in the scriptures, by the way. And when it occurs, you should be terrified, concerning what a hypocrite is.
"The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him." [10]
This man, this sinner, this prideful and arrogant person looking for the glory of men, would not address the Lord directly, but our Lord indeed directly talked to him and to all of the pharisees and the other fellow sinners who wanted the glory of men, and gave up mercy for their pride. Why is this man a hypocrite? He's putting on airs. He cares nothing for mercy, but only for show. "An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered." [11] So it says, the holy Solomon says, in his proverbs. And then, our Lord says, concerning the scribes, the pharisees, the synagogue leaders, and all those others who are hypocrites,
"Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." [12]
This principle that Christ gives about food and about true defilement is the same principle about whether or not one should heal on the Sabbath day. Of course one should heal on the Sabbath day!. One should heal on any day. One should show mercy on any day, in any circumstance. And to even ask the question shows the abysmal ignorance of the interrogator. "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" , you people who question in silly and obtuse ways the mercy of God, "for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." [13]
To be called a hypocrite is indeed a terrible thing. And hypocrisy is something that is probably present in each one of us. It is a sin. We must confess it. We must root it out.
Our whole society is full of hypocrisy. Our whole society runs on hypocrisy. It is a lie. It is trying to look like something we are not. It is not being genuine. It's making false promises. It's not showing mercy when we proclaim ourselves to be Christians. It's not praying for our brother when we see he has a need because we have some other task that troubles us. It's not living the Christian life when we have made that promise in our baptism.
Oh yes, hypocrisy is a great sin. And if a man looks inside himself, he should say, "Thou hypocrite." And the moment he says those words he should think about what our Lord says about hypocrites and he should fall on his face and be like the publican who said, "God, be merciful unto me a sinner." [14]
Now this woman was called a daughter of Abraham. And why? On account of her faith. "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." [15] This woman was not dead. This woman was alive in faith. She had faith, and therefore she was considered a daughter of Abraham.
And Jesus said in another place to a man, who had also been healed of his infirmity, having nothing wrong with him physically but being filled with the sin of lust for wealth, that is Zacchaeus: " This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." [16] So indeed he is a son of Abraham, and this woman is a son of Abraham, and not because of her virtue but because of her belief, and because of her desire to live virtuously.
But He wouldn't say such a thing about the ruler of the synagogue now, would he? He called him a hypocrite. Here is what Jesus has to say about the hypocrites. In another context, it was written that, "They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." [17] So this is why I tell you that this woman was a daughter of Abraham on account of her faith. You can see that to be called a son of Abraham or a daughter of Abraham means that you believe and act according to your belief. And even though this woman had some sins that had bound her, God released her. And now she was able to live virtuously.
There is a practicality that I think we should inculcate in ourselves, that we can learn from this particular passage of scripture. It's easy to see that one should show mercy on any day. And yet this man, this synagogue leader, this sinner, didn't see that, because he was so concerned about other extraneous details, and concerned about the boastful pride of life, and the honor of men. But if we're guided by the Holy Spirit, we can discern rightly. We can discern truly. We can see what is right and what is false. We can understand. We can know that the body is not for meat. Meats are for the body [18], and if one has a need according to the body, one eats according to one's need. We understand that principle in fasting. It is because the Holy Spirit inspires us, and makes us know. Makes us understand that only if we have humility, only if we expect and hope that God will fill us with His grace. And then of course we have to act upon His grace, and we have to root out this sin of hypocrisy that is being shown.
A hypocrite will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. And I also tell you that the vast majority of people in this life are hypocrites. It is true. It is very true. That is why there is so little piety in our day – because people give lip service. These people, their heart is far from me. [19] Their lips speak about me but their heart is far from me, the Lord says. And that is what our day is like.
Root out from yourselves hypocrisy, brothers and sisters. If there is anything in you that puts on airs, if there is anything in you that forgets to show mercy, if there is anything in you that looks for the honor of men, if there is anything in you that is lazy and does not wish to worship God at the appointed times, then you have something to repent from: your hypocrisy. Because you made promises, as I made as well. It's true, I suppose on a small level, moment by moment we fall into moments of hypocrisy.
That is why God will loose us – He is there to loose us -from our infirmity. If we struggle against such things, God will indeed loose us. But if we do not, then we will fall into the depths of hell, maybe not even knowing it. Maybe we'll be very surprised on Judgment Day when our Lord says, "I don't know you" [20]. 'I don't know you because you are a hypocrite. And I have no concourse with hypocrites. I told you everything you needed to know. I gave you everything you needed. And I had children that were suffering, lack of bread and jail and derision for my sake and they still prayed with fervor. And you lived without care and without thought. You lived as a hypocrite. You are no better than the ruler of the synagogue, and you can go join him.'
Let us not be hypocrites. Let us ask God to enlighten us. And in any sin that we have, whether it be hypocrisy or any other sin, let us fall down before Christ. Let us ask Him to forgive us. And then we have to seal our part of the bargain. We have to make an effort to live according to His commandments. May God help us in all things. Amen.
Old Believer Sermon for the 27th Sunday after Pentecost (unpublished)
"Drops From the Living Water", Bishop Augustinos
"Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke", St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria.
Priest Seraphim Holland 2009. St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas
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[1] This homily was transcribed from one given On November 25, 1996 according to the church calendar, being the Twenty Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, and Apodosis of the Entry of the All Holy Theotokos into the Temple.
Apodosis means "leave-taking", and is the day in which the major aspects of a feast are revisited in the church's hymnology, and is the third "part" of the proper way in which a Great Feast is celebrated, these being:
· Preparation
· Hymns are sung sometimes weeks in advance of the feast, especially the Katavasia at the canon.
· In the case of especially solemn and important feasts, fasting in enjoined (such as before the Lord's Nativity, Pascha, the Dormition of the Theotokos, and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul).
· There are often pre-festal services in the immediate day or days before the feast. An example of this would be the true Vespral liturgy (this is NEVER substituted for Vigil and liturgy on the day of the feast itself) that the Typicon directs to be served the day before Theophany and Nativity. The entire week before Pascha, "Holy Week" is considered a "pre-festal" period! If you miss even one of those services without due cause, you are cheating yourself out of a full understanding of the feast, and a full measure of the outpouring of God's grace upon you.
· The Day of the Feast
· The Feast itself is always served with Vigil with Divine Liturgy the following day. If vigil is not served, great vespers with a FULL matins (otherwise the essence of the feast is lost) and Divine liturgy is served the next day.
· The Post-festal period and Apodosis
· In the days following the feast, sometimes up to a week, or in the case of Pascha, even until The Ascension, forty days later, the feast is continually remembered with hymns.
· On the last day of the feast, it is recalled again with many of the hymns that were sung on the feast day itself.
The Orthodox way of celebrating a feast, unfortunately forgotten or ignored in our day, is very "Jewish". For example, Pentecost was a three day feast for the Jews.
This day was also the commemoration of Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome The Epistle reading appointed is Ephesians 6:10-17, and the Gospel is 13:10-17.
There are some stylistic changes and minor corrections made and several footnotes have been added, but otherwise, it is essentially in a colloquial, "spoken" style. It is hoped that something in these words will help and edify the reader, but a sermon read from a page cannot enlighten a soul as much as attendance and reverent worship at the Vigil service, which prepares the soul for the Holy Liturgy, and the hearing of the scriptures and the preaching of them in the context of the Holy Divine Liturgy. In such circumstances the soul is enlightened much more than when words are read on a page.
[2] Cf. Luke 2:18-19 "And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."
[3] Luke 13:11-13
[4] Cf. Mark 5:22-42 and Luke 8:41-56, where the raising of Jairus' daughter, and the healing of the woman with an issue of blood is recounted in powerful detail.
[5] Ecclesiastes 1:14-15
[6] Matthew 9:2
[7] Isaiah 39:3-4
[8] Isaiah 42:16
[9] Luke 13:14
[10] Luke 13:14-17
[11] Proverbs 11:9
[12] Matthew:15:7-11
[13] Matthew 23:13
[14] Cf. Luke 18:13-14, "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
[15] Matthew 22:32
[16] Luke 19:9-10
[17] John 8:39
[18] Cf. ! Cor 6:13
[19] Cf. Matthew 15:8, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." and Mark 7:6, "Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." See also Isaiah 29:13, which the Lord quotes.
[20] Cf. Luke 13:25, "When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are".

subset: commoncrawl


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Obama delivers on clean energy
With the State of the Union address coming up on Tuesday, liberals are wondering how President Barack Obama will set the tone for major progressive priorities in his second term. By giving climate change a prominent mention in his second inaugural address last month, Obama has raised expectations of delivering on a green agenda over the next four years. Nevertheless, many environmentalists remain deeply disappointed over the failure of cap-and-trade legislation and the president's hedging on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. They are as skeptical that he has the conviction to lead a fight against climate as they are of his willingness to battle intransigent Republicans in Congress.
What the criticism from the president's green flank obscures, however, is the fact that he has been the pragmatic, pro-innovation and pro-technology climate champion we have needed all along.
Story Continued Below
Obama has passed massive policy initiatives to deploy clean energy technologies like renewables and nuclear, reduce dangerous pollutants and invest heavily in long-term clean energy innovation. The president's first piece of major legislation, the 2009 stimulus, was also the largest clean energy spending bill in American history. Moreover, the administration has enacted the largest CAFE standard improvements since the 1970s and delivered on the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act mandate to regulate air pollution from power plants.
Obama's environmentalist critics almost always fail to mention that carbon emissions have fallen steeply since he took office — and not just due to the economic downturn. The United States is exceeding emissions reduction targets established by the nonbinding Copenhagen accord and the failed carbon pricing legislation. According to data from the Energy Information Administration, it is quite likely that U.S. emissions peaked in 2007, and that the nation will look back on Obama's tenure as the beginning of a long-term downward trend in carbon pollution.


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Tags: fun
This entry was posted on Friday, July 6th, 2012 at 9:49 am and is filed under Fun Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Tags: fun
That makes perfect sens–
Oh crap. Who pissed off the robots?


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Noisettes of Lamb with Crimini Mushroom Sauce
- Serves 4
- Brian Streeter
- Pairs well with:
- Vine Hill Ranch, Cabernet Sauvignon
A tasty lamb dish in a rich crimini mushroom sauce from Chef Brian Streeter. Pairs well with our Cakebread Cellars Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon.
2 lamb loins
salt & pepper
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 pt. beef stock
2 T. sour cream
2 T. dijon mustard
2 T. grapeseed oil
1 lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 T. shallots, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 lb. egg noodles
Cut the lamb loins into 1 inch round pieces. Lay them flat on a cutting board, cover with a piece of plastic wrap, and pound them flat with a meat mallet. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for a minute stirring constantly. Slowly add the beef stock, whisking continually. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Whisk in sour cream and Dijon mustard. Cover and remove from the heat.
Heat grapeseed oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, sear the lamb noisettes, browning them quickly and evenly on both sides. Remove the lamb from the pan and place on a resting rack. In the same pan, add the mushrooms and sauté over high heat. If necessary add a teaspoon more of oil for cooking the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are soft and brown on the edges, add the shallots and cook for a minute more. Deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce by half. Add the reserved sauce, stir well and bring to a simmer. Place the lamb noissettes in with the mushroom sauce, and add the cornichons, thyme and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cover.
Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the instructions on the package. Strain and toss with butter while still hot.
To serve, divide the noodles among four plates, top with lamb and sauce.


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Lomaiviti Group
Lomaiviti Group
While some of the inner islands in the Lomaiviti Group are well-developed for tourism, others provide a glimpse of pure, untouched Fiji, and they all offer enchanting island experiences.
A selection of lodges, hotels, home-stays and resorts are scattered throughout the Lomaiviti Group, with several concentrated on Ovalau Island. No matter where you stay, you'll be charmed by the warmth of genuine Fijian hospitality.All accommodation in Lomaiviti Group
The pristine marine environment of the Lomaiviti Group makes diving, snorkelling and yachting popular activities, but with booming fish stocks, the islands have earned the reputation of being the 'big fish' capital of Fiji. Try your hand off the barrier reefs at Gau, Batiki and Nairai and you may be lucky enough to hook a whopper – Trevally are known to grow up to 50kg.
To get a taste of authentic Fiji, there are tours available through some of the local villages but you can't go past a visit to Levuka to experience the rich and colourful history of colonial Fiji.
Getting to the Lomaiviti Group
Travel between the islands of the Lomaiviti Group is, of course, by boat, but on Ovalau Island, there is a taxi service and also a shuttle that travels between Levuka and Bureta.Transport in Lomaiviti Group
Dining in the Lomaiviti Group
Most accommodation providers in the Lomaiviti Group include on-site restaurants or offer delicious home-cooked meals. Levuka, on Ovalau Island also has a selection of casual eateries serving pizza, curries, European and Asian fare.Dining in Lomaiviti Group


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Wine Tasting Essex & Wine Courses Essex at Essex Wine School
A very warm welcome to Essex Wine School. We are a local, independent wine education company which specialises in hosting Essex wine tastings and wine courses throughout Essex. Our courses are open to everyone and anyone; no previous wine tasting experience is necessary. Our private tastings can be held in your own home or office!
- taste and learn in a relaxed setting
- improve your confidence in buying wine
- make new discoveries
Wine Tasting Gift Vouchers make ideal presents for, Birthdays, Anniversaries and any Special occasion - Buy an open gift voucher and your recipient can choose any date!
I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas. Thank-you to everyone who supported me during 2018. May I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2019 and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
If you were lucky enough to receive one of our lovely Gift vouchers, don't forget to book onto one of our tastings soon. Even though they last for two yars, some of our evening evening events are getting booked up already!
Take a look at all that we have planned here. Some of our most popular evenings are Gin tastings, Whisky tastings, Cheese and Wine , Spanish wine and Tapas, Sparkling Wine and Fish & Chips and Beer & Cheese tastings. They make a great Gift!
Our flagship evening courses, the 4 and 8-part World of Wine Tour, involves loads of fun learning new stuff about wine. Plus it's flexible (if you need to skip an evening you can pick it up again later)! Click Here to find out more about the 8 week course and how to get ONE WEEK FREE!
If you have been lucky enough to receive one of gift vouchers don't forget to use it! You view all of our events for 2019 here.
Our Gift Vouchers last for two years and any left over value can be carried over to another tasting.
You can book online by clicking the links OR you are welcome to give Neil a call on 01371 267260 and he can take the booking over the 'phone.
Here is a taste of what we do; use the links to the left of this page to find out more:
- Saturday wine tastings - incl. a two course lunch and Champagne.
- One Evening wine tastings.
- Food and wine matching experiences.
- Spirit tastings.
- Corporate wine tastings, client entertainment and team building events in Essex - We can help you find a venue
- At home, private wine tasting events throughout Essex- no wine purchases at the end
- What about a Hen party in Essex?- we can help you find a venue
- Accredited wine and spirit qualifications (from WSET)
Have a look at our listings page to see all of our events.
Keep up to date with our latest Wine Tasting events by signing up for our monthly newsletter just click here
== We are proud winners of the TripAdvisor Certficate of Excellence 'for consistently great reviews'
Here's what people have been saying about us on Tripadvisor ===
"An excellent 2 hour wine tasting evening"
An excellent evening hosted by Neil, which consisted of tasting 6 sparkling & fortified wines and port. Neil gives an excellent overview of the region of each wine; how the grapes are grown, growing conditions, how grapes are pressed and the different words & terms used in the wine industry. I'm a complete novice and not once did I feel overwhelmed by the information; it was just the right amount. Nibbles were provided which weren't to fill you up, but to assist you in understanding how wine can compliment food. A thoroughly enjoyable 2 hours which went too fast, but making me thirsty for more knowledge. Visited April 2017
We've just finished a 4 week new world wine course with Neil in Chelmsford. It was absolutely brilliant. We have learnt so much and enjoyed it immensely. We are looking to book on other events & have recommended Neil to everyone we know. Thank you so much! Visited March 2017
A really interesting, value for money evening. We had champagne, white wine, red wine and port all perfectly paired with delicious cheeses. Neil had lots of interesting things to say on the wines and cheese and why certain pairings work well.
Very impressed and definitely booking up some future events as gifts! Laura January 2016
My wife bought me a home wine tasting event for a surprise birthday party. All our guests and I had an amazing time. Neil was first class. Gin Tasting come summer! Tony M January 20
Read our latest Trip Advisor reviews for wine tastings in Essex
The right wine tasting for you.... Our wine tastings in Essex are for all levels of experience and focus on enjoying wine and learning in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
Gift vouchers - from £25 - Our tastings make the perfect gift, and we offer gift vouchers for all of our events.
One evening tastings, Colchester or Chelmsford from - £25 - An opportunity to broaden your awareness of particular regions on our country specific evenings.
4 Week Courses - from £65 - Allows you to gain a deeper insight into wine tasting. Each 4 week wine course will focus on a different subject.
Saturday courses - £85 - One of our most popular courses! Champagne, 12 other wines and a delicious two course lunch. A great day out and it makes a fantastic present.
Cheese and wine tastings - from £32.50 - We look at some of the classic combinations as well as a few new ideas.
Beer and Cheese Tastings- £32.50 - For something a bit different how about a beer tasting? We will taste a selection of quality beers from each of three main beer group styles.
Spirit tastings - from £32.50 - Gin and Whisky tastings. The huge surge in popularity for Gin and Whisky has led to these special evening events and give you the chance to try something a bit different
Corporate Wine Events - perfect for entertaining clients, rewarding staff, networking or team building at your office or ask us to find a venue for you.
Hen Parties, Stag Do's or Private Wine Tasting Events - A great idea for hen and stag parties, a girls or guys night in, birthday, anniversaries or family celebrations across Essex
Fancy a professional wine qualification? We also run Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses across Essex. WSET is the internationally recognised awarding body for the wine trade, however anyone with an interest in wine tasting can use these qualifications to expand their knowledge in a more formal way.
Level 1 Award in Wines
Level 2 Certificate in Wines and Spirits
Level 3 Certificate in Wines and Spriits
- Perhaps you are looking for someone else? Our wine courses and wine tastings are suitable for everyone. They make a unique wine gift and wine present. We run many wine courses from one evening wine tastings to 8 week wine courses as well as our popular Saturday courses. Take a look at our Gift Vouchers, which come in a variety of values.
We also run fabulous courses at other locations across the UK -click here to learn more...
Venues and Times
Essex Wine School uses two venues in the heart of both Chelmsford and Colchester, both easy to reach by public transport.
We can also come to you, and if you are organising an event, we can add wine tasting at the venue you have already arranged for your meal. We can also help you select the perfect local Venue. For further details - see our Private and Corporate Events
CHELMSFORD Venue
Our Evening Wine Tastings in Chelmsford will be held in the wonderful Malt Room at The Two Brewers, Springfiled Road, Chelmsford. Just a short walk from John Lewis and Bond Street
The venue is easily accessible from Chelmsford Station.
COLCHESTER Venue
The Blue Ivy Hotel is a beautiful Georgian building on historic North Hill. Walking through the doors is like stepping back in time. The vintage decor and elegant surroundings provide a unique experience.
Need Help?
Not sure which course to select? Feel free to call Neil on 01371 267260or 07443 897562; we'd be delighted to guide you through the courses and help you make the right selection.
Or send us a note via the Contact Us page.
Neil Bull
Other Wine Schools
We are proud to be part of the Local Wine School network - the only UK-wide network of independent wine schools. All our centres offer fun wine tastings and courses to suit everyone from absolute beginner to the serious enthusiast.
All our tastings can also be purchased as great gifts that can be redeemed at any of our wine schools across the UK. All our Gift Vouchers have FREE DELIVERY and are VALID for 2 YEARS. Check out our National website for further details - www.localwineschool.com
- Wine Tasting London-West & Wine Courses London-West
- Wine Tasting London-East & Wine Courses London-East
- Wine Tasting London-South & Wine Courses London-South
- Wine Tasting London-North & Wine Courses London-North
- Wine Tasting Edinburgh & Wine Courses Edinburgh
- Wine Tasting Glasgow & Wine Courses Glasgow
- Wine Tasting Manchester & Wine Courses Manchester
- Wine Tasting Liverpool/Chester & Wine Courses Liverpool/Chester
- Wine Tasting Birmingham & Wine Courses Birmingham
- Wine Tasting Leeds/York & Wine Courses Leeds/York
- Wine Tasting Bristol/Bath & Wine Courses Bristol/Bath
- Wine Tasting Newcastle upon Tyne & Wine Courses Newcastle upon Tyne
- Wine Tasting Nottingham & Derby & Wine Courses Nottingham & Derby
- Wine Tasting Brighton/Sussex & Wine Courses Brighton/Sussex
- Wine Tasting Kent/Tunbridge Wells & Wine Courses Kent/Tunbridge Wells
- Wine Tasting Cambridge & Wine Courses Cambridge
- Wine Tasting Norwich & Norfolk & Wine Courses Norwich & Norfolk
- Wine Tasting Essex & Wine Courses Essex
- Wine Tasting Oxford/Cheltenham & Wine Courses Oxford/Cheltenham
- Wine Tasting Shropshire & Wine Courses Shropshire
- Wine Tasting Hertfordshire & Wine Courses Hertfordshire
- Wine Tasting Reading/Windsor/Berkshire & Wine Courses Reading/Berks
- Wine Tasting Lancashire & Wine Courses Lancashire
- Wine Tasting Milton Keynes & Wine Courses Milton Keynes
- Wine Tasting Hampshire - Wine Courses Southampton/Winchester
- Wine Tasting Surrey - Wine Courses & Wine Tastings in Guildford
- Wine Tasting Belfast/N Ireland & Wine Courses Belfast/N Ireland
All our Wine Schools are specialists in Wine Education with a wide selection of Wine Tasting Courses
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Genealogy Workshops Offered in Memphis
Prepare for your summer family reunion and impress your relatives researching your family history. Learn from experts how to trace your lineage at the Library during the month of May. At 7 p.m., on Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20, and 27, at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, a series of no-cost, two-hour programs, will explore different aspects of genealogy research. Beginners are welcomed and experienced genealogists can get a refresher.
To register or for more information, call 415-2742.
To register or for more information, call 415-2742.
Tuesday, May 6
Genealogy Workshop Schedule
Genealogy Workshop Schedule
7 p.m. Introduction to Genealogy
8 p.m. Immigration and Naturalization Records
Tuesday, May 13
7 p.m. Vital Records
8 p.m. United States Census Records
Tuesday, May 20
7 p.m. African American Genealogy
8 p.m. Native American (Cherokee) Genealogy
Tuesday, May 27
7 p.m. Using Original Records to Join a Heredity Society
8 p.m. Military Records
About Memphis Public Library & Information Center's Genealogy Department
The microfilm and print genealogy materials available at the Memphis Public Library & Information Center enable individuals to research family history, and trace the movements of relatives, especially in the southeastern United States. The collection includes more than 20,000 genealogy books. The History Department staff, with assistance from local volunteers, has collected and indexed Shelby county marriage, death, probate, church, cemetery, and funeral home records to aide research.


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SAP CEO: Big-Deal Era Is OverBy Tom Steinert-Threlkeld | Posted 2003-07-17 Print
Baseline exclusive: Henning Kagermann says monolithic IS deployments are a thing of the past: "We really have no big deals any longer."NEW YORK—The big deal is dead.
Large corporations are not interested any longer in sweeping, long-term, hundred-million or billion-dollar information system deployments, said Henning Kagermann, CEO of SAP AG, the company that dominates the supply of integrated software to enterprises.
Kagermann said there has been "a fundamental transformation" in the past two- to three years of how companies are approaching the signing of software and systems contracts. Now, small is good. Pieces are good.
"We really have no big deals any longer," said Kagermann. "It's not that the big deals are now signed in phases. There are no big deals.''
In June 2000, Frankfurt, Germany-based SAP signed a $200 million agreement with food giant Nestle to supply Web versions of its enterprise software to 230,000 employees of the Swiss manufacturer, around the world. It was the largest Internet application deal in SAP's history; and the kind of deal enterprise software suppliers dream about.
Now, the deals are far smaller. In the second quarter of this year, only 27% percent of the deals SAP signed exceeded $3.45 million. A year ago, 42% percent exceeded that size. Now, 44% are at or under $1 million.
In the United States, the split is even more pronounced. SAP America President Willliam McDermott said Thursday that 77% of deals in this country are below half-a-million dollars.
Added on top of that is continued dramatic shrinkage of the enterprise software market. McDermott said the market SAP plays in was 38 percent smaller in the first half of 2003, than in the first half of 2002. He did not give the company's assessment of the size of the market in dollars.
But the company says it has been able to keep growing its revenue anyway, taking business away from rivals such as Oracle and Siebel Systems. After allowing for the sliding value of the dollar, SAP said its revenue in the U.S. in the second quarter was up 6 percent. It was the second straight quarterly gain for its U.S. business.
IT Solutions Builder TOP IT RESOURCES TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD
Which topic are you interested in?
Data Storage
IT Management
What is your company size?
What is your job title?
What is your job function?
Searching our resource database to find your matches...


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He was in LA already, so on Friday Gov. Jerry Brown decided to pay a visit to the headquarters of California's largest public school district.
We can only assume the talk with Superintendent John Deasy was about budgets, but it's likely Miramonte Elementary School also came up.
The sex abuse scandal at this school south of downtown LA has become national news.
Brian Williams led with it last week, with ABC and CBS not far behind.
The scandal is significant enough that the district decided to temporarily replace the entire faculty and staff of the school.
At the moment the investigation is limited to two teachers, but there have been rumors of an impending third arrest.
As with the analogous abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church parish by parish, some worry this could metastasize to other schools (it was announced last week that a third grade teacher in Pacoima was arrested for molesting four students).
All this represents a horror for children with the possibility of political consequences as well.
Take for example the arguments that are being honed for the November ballot measure fight over tax hikes.
It is looking like three different proposals will go before voters that will raise taxes.
Each is being marketed as a way to restore badly needed funding for k-through-12 education.
But when raising the issue of budgets and tax dollars there is always the fear someone will bring up the dicey issue of how all that money will be spent.
That's where Miramonte comes in.
As soon as law enforcement told the district that third grade teacher Mark Berndt was under investigation for child molestation, and showed them some of the pictures he had taken with his students, they took him out of school.
But firing Berndt would be another matter.
"We don't fire teachers" the Superintendent declared the other day. "We can move them out of the classroom but we could end up paying them for years."
Deasy was referring to the fact that any dismissed teacher can appeal to a three-person panel-- all of them teachers-- who ultimately decide the matter.
One of the three teachers on the "Commission for Professional Competency" is selected by the teachers' union, another by the district and a third at random.
A review by the Los Angeles Times in 2009 indicated that in over half of the appeals the teachers were returned to their jobs with back pay.
Mark Berndt was fired, but he appealed.
His hearing was to take place months before the criminal investigation was to conclude and the district was kept in the dark on the principle evidence in the case.
Deasy says he feared that if Berndt won his appeal, which he says was likely, he would have been back in the classroom.
With that in mind they offered a deal, $40,000 in back pay in exchange for Berndt's resignation. Berndt agreed and signed the documents in June, apparently so he would complete another academic year to add to his pension.
Oh and yeah, there's the pension.
Berndt could end up behind bars for molesting children in his class and still be able to collect tens of thousands of dollars each year. It's the law.
On Tuesday the United Teachers of Los Angeles will conduct a protest rally over potential layoffs of teachers for the fourth year in a row.
They have a legitimate gripe.
So too though does the district and taxpayers over the amount of money wasted on teachers who don't teach and even those suspected of molesting students.
Governor Brown long ago acknowledged the "disconnect" the public has with its institutions.
Back then he was referreing to the pension and salary scandal in the city of Bell. Mr. Brown knows this could be far worse, which may be why he spent part of his morning Friday on Beaudry street.
Let us know what you think. Comment below, send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


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Posts TaggedADN
Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware of Twitter's new restrictions on third-party developers. If so, you're probably also aware of other actions Twitter has been taking which put the users on the losing end, such as shutting down the "find my friends" API for Instagram and Tumblr. Consequently, technologically-inclined users have been increasingly vocal about their disapproval of the microblogging company.
As a general result of this, App.net (ADN) was formed. Led by Dalton Caldwell, ADN offers something Twitter isn't: to let the user be the customer, not the product. This is based on a simple principle: users and developers pay ADN to use the service, and ADN does its best to serve their interests, not those of advertisers. I believed in the cause and contributed $50 to the Kickstarter-esque project early on.
App.net's funding was successful. It's taken weeks of using it before I've really started to follow my Timeline, all thanks to Netbot's defibrillate shock that revitalized ADN. However, I'm started to have second thoughts as to whether the service is a good idea after all.
And just in time, another option came along: Tent.io.


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Mineral Fusion Review, Pop-Up Shop & Tweet for Currency Campaign
Mineral Fusion fanatics and newbs, I've got some exciting news! Mineral Fusion has been hosting a pop-up shop at the Franklin Whole Foods Market in San Francisco that runs until Sunday, May 11th, and they're offering insanely good deals—40% off of all Mineral Fusion's skin, hair, body, nail care and cosmetics) and complimentary makeup applications from passionate and experienced makeup artists in the natural cosmetics industry.
And there's more! Mineral Fusion will be hosting a Tweet For Currency campaign during the event on May 7 from 3-7pm, where you can score FREE ISH! 🙂
Here's how it works: Just tweet about the event with the hashtags, (#wfmbeauty and #mineralfusion) and show your tweet at the counter to win one of Mineral Fusion's most celebrated nail polishes – Trinket or Treasure (first and fourth polish from the left, respectively, in the pic below).
Mineral Fusion will also be offering a chance for one lucky winner (out of those first 100 participants) to receive a spring cosmetic kit that includes the following:
- Mineral Fusion Blonzer – Yes, blonzer (not a typo)! It's a velvety blush/bronzer duo infused with age-defying antioxidants and skin soothing botanicals, to give you the perfect sun-kissed glow.
- Sheer Moisture Lip Tint in Glisten* – This super hydrating, long-lasting, subtle hint of color is perfect for effortless on-the-go application.
- Glow & Go Mineral Fusion Mascara in Jet* – If you have sensitive eyes, this mascara might be perfect for you! It's has a gentle, non-irritating formula that applies easily, without clumping, flaking or smudging. Its full-bristle brush effortlessly coats lashes and makes them look thicker, fuller, and va-va-voomier!.
- Mineral Fusion Hydration Mist – I'm a mineral makeup junkie and this refreshing mist sets my powder foundation in place for all-day wear. Age-defying Shea Butter and Hyaluronic Acid, Chamomile, White Tea, Burdock Root, and Sea Kelp soothe and nourish while defending skin against free radical damage. This is one of my favorite Mineral Fusion products to date!
Mineral Fusion products are always free of gluten, parabens, artificial colors, fragrances, and talc. They're also hypo-allergenic and never tested on animals. Man, if I were in SF right now (currently on vacay on the other coast), I'd be stalking their Whole Foods road show event and loading up on all of my favorite all-natural MF goodies. If you're in the Bay Area this week, def go check this event out! 🙂 xx
*non-vegan items in the giveaway package
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at email@example.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.
Filed in: Vegan Beauty • vegan makeup
Comments (3)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
Sun-Dog, word on the street is that MF mascara isn't vegan!! OH NO!
Does anyone know the name of the blue shade of polish in the photo? It's gorgeous!!
Mineral Fusion is the bomb and their mascara is the best on the market. Sunny, it would be great on both of your lashes.


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Chronic panic, phobia, and similar anxiety disorders may contribute to premature aging by shortening telomeres, an observational study suggested.
Women with the most severe phobic anxiety had telomere length 0.09 standardized units below average (P=0.02 versus less phobic women), Olivia I. Okereke, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard in Boston, and colleagues reported online in PLoS ONE.
"The magnitude of this difference was comparable to that for women 6 years apart in age," they noted.
Action Points
- Chronic panic, phobia, and similar anxiety disorders may contribute to premature aging by shortening telomeres.
- Point out that for women with the most severe phobia, the magnitude of the difference in telomere length was comparable to that for women 6 years apart in age.
While lesser degrees of chronic anxiety showed a trend for shorter telomeres as well, the researchers called it primarily a threshold effect.
Shortening of telomeres -- a gradual process of loss of the repetitive DNA sequences capping off chromosomes that occurs when cells divide -- isn't reversible.
Prior studies have suggested that oxidative stress and inflammation accelerates the process, leading to DNA damage linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and dementia.
However, "phobic anxiety is treatable; thus, any potential impacts on telomere shortening may be amenable to prevention through early identification and treatment," the researchers explained.
They used phobic anxiety as a typically chronic form of anxiety to look for correlation with telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes among 5,243 women from the Nurses' Health Study, controls in prior case-control studies of telomeres and disease, and a random group of healthy women in a cognitive function sub-study.
Higher levels of long-term general anxiety as measured on the Crown-Crisp phobic index, which focuses on 'fear' disorders like panic and agoraphobia, showed a trend for lower age-adjusted relative telomere length z-scores (P=0.09).
But the more anxious women tended to be less healthy on a wide range of characteristics. After adjustment for significant factors -- paternal age at birth, smoking, body mass index, and physical activity -- the trend was further attenuated (P=0.15).
Women with a high anxiety score of 6 points or greater (range up to 16) appeared to account for the effect.
Whereas women with scores under 6 had an adjusted mean telomere length z-score of 0.02 standard units, the mean was -0.09 for women with higher scores, yielding a significant 0.10 standard-unit difference between groups (P=0.02).
By comparison, 1 additional year of age was associated with a -0.015 lower mean relative telomere length z-score.
The impact of high chronic anxiety levels appeared to be particularly strong among nonsmokers, which the researchers called counterintuitive, although smokers had shorter telomeres to start with.
The difference in telomere length among nonsmokers with a score of 6 or more versus 5 or less was -0.25 standard units (P<0.001).
Excluding women with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or obstructive airway diseases -- "chronic diseases that may act as intermediates ... and also may be associated with telomere shortening" -- attenuated the difference for high anxiety levels to a nonsignificant trend, at a mean of -0.07 standard units (P=0.12).
This finding suggested that the "findings may be partly explained by influences of phobic anxiety on risk of development of serious chronic diseases," Okereke's group noted.
They cautioned that women in the highest phobic symptom category that was linked to telomere shortening wouldn't necessarily meet diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder, "although this appears plausible."
Another limitation was that the study design didn't allow for determining whether the phobic anxiety predated the telomere shortening.
Causality is possible in either direction, the group pointed out.
Lack of data on anxiety duration and treatments, depression, or other residual confounders as well as the predominantly white population studied were also limitations.
The study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants.
The researchers reported having no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Primary Source
PLoS ONE
Source Reference: Okereke OI, et al "High phobic anxiety is related to lower leukocyte telomere length in women" PLoS ONE 2012;7: DOI: 0.1371/journal.pone.0040516.


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The student will take four courses in each of two culture/language areas. At least one area must be from a non-English speaking tradition. The student should attempt in so far as possible to enroll in parallel courses in the different areas (i.e., courses that cover the same time period or that have a similar thematic focus). Of the four courses in a non-English area, one can be a course taught in translation. All courses, whether in English or the target language, must cover literary and/or intellectual traditions; upper division language courses (such as Composition and Discussion) will not satisfy the culture/language area requirement.
The student will take four electives, related somehow to either the culture/language areas, or the time period or theme of specialization. These electives will include the history courses most appropriate to the areas.
No more than five courses in the major should be below the 300 level.


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She quoted one of her favorite passages in Scripture – where it says in the Epistle of James that "faith without works is dead." She spoke of "the sustaining power of prayer," and how her own faith journey is approaching the half-century mark. She applauded the work of churches in ministering to the sick, as Jesus did.
"For many of us the golden rule calls on us to act," she said.
And when Hillary Rodham Clinton had finished her address to the annual Global Summit on AIDS, the full house of 1,700 people at Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif., rose in a standing ovation.
In the course of the New York senator's 11-month-old presidential campaign, her appearance last month at the Rev. Rick "Purpose Driven Life" Warren's megachurch represented a rare, bold foray into the predominantly conservative world of evangelical Christianity. Whether the warm reception translates into votes remains to be seen, but at the very least, Ms. Clinton signaled that she's not writing anybody off. Nor is she ceding any religious turf to her chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who addressed the AIDS summit at Saddleback last year.
While the former first lady has said that speaking publicly about her Methodist faith does not come naturally to her, the language of religion has in fact become a key element of her campaign. Typically, she has chosen like-minded audiences – from First Baptist Church in Selma, Ala., for a major civil rights commemoration last March, to a faith forum organized by the progressive group Sojourners last June, to countless other church appearances and meetings (and sometimes prayers) with religious leaders.
In South Carolina, which holds the crucial first Southern primary, her faith and values outreach program – called "For Such a Time as This," after a verse from the Book of Esther – is virtually synonymous with her overall campaign there. And in a state where half the Democratic primary electorate is African-American, reaching out to the black churches is a given. Late last month, she scored a coup in her competition with Senator Obama for black and religious voters, when 60 African-American ministers appeared on stage with her in Spartanburg, S.C., with another 20 in the audience.
"The senator's faith is something that's very personal and dear to her, but it's reflected in all things she does and all aspects of life, so it's a natural part of the campaign," says Zac Wright, spokesman for Clinton's South Carolina campaign.
It's also a highly organized part of the campaign. Right after the 2004 elections, Clinton telegraphed her robust effort to reach values voters as a presidential candidate. Speaking at Tufts University outside Boston, she called it "a mistake for the Democrats not to engage evangelical Christians on their own turf – essentially ceding the vote to President Bush." A year ago, Clinton hired Burns Strider, an evangelical Christian from Mississippi who ran faith outreach for the House Democratic Caucus, to organize her faith outreach.
In the broader national campaign, God talk does not infuse her every political activity. On issues, she may weigh in on what she sees as a "moral crisis" – as she has referred to the millions of children lacking health insurance – but rarely does she overtly invoke her Methodist faith or the Bible in pushing a political point. An exception is her discussion of immigration reform, in which she has declared that tough anti-illegal-immigrant legislation would "criminalize the good Samaritan ... and even Jesus himself."
To some Christian conservatives, Clinton's religious talk is yet another reason to look askance at her. After The New York Times published an interview with Clinton last July about her faith, conservative columnist Cal Thomas wrote: "This is a politician speaking, not a person who believes in the central tenets of Christianity."
But there are some on the right who take Clinton's faith at face value. Richard Land, head of public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention, has met both Clinton and Obama, and concluded that religion is an important part of their lives.
"My impression is that Clinton and Obama both come out of a social gospel kind of background, which is a long-standing tradition in our country, and that it's authentic with both of them," he says.
A link to methodist founder
Clinton traces her Methodist roots back several generations, perhaps even to John Wesley himself, the founder of the Methodist Church in the 18th century. In her memoirs, "Living History," she writes that her father's parents claimed they became Methodists because their great-grandparents were converted by Wesley in the coal-mining villages around Newcastle in northern England and in South Wales.
Clinton's mother, Dorothy Rodham, was not raised in any religion, but she adopted her husband's faith and taught Sunday school at First United Methodist Church in their hometown of Park Ridge, Ill. Clinton's father, Hugh Rodham, did not attend church, but he prayed by his bed every night, Clinton writes.
"Prayer became a source of solace and guidance for me even as a child," she writes.
She attended Bible school, Sunday school, and youth group, and helped prepare the altar for Sunday's services. In the sixth grade, she was confirmed in her church, and by her freshman year in high school in the fall of 1961, was ready for the "University of Life" – the youth fellowship program. All the while, she says, she sought to balance her conservative father's focus on self-reliance with her mother's interest in social justice.
Then along came the Rev. Don Jones, a charismatic youth minister fresh out of seminary and the Navy.
"He was filled with the teachings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Reinhold Niebuhr," Clinton writes. "Bonhoeffer stressed that the role of a Christian was a moral one of total engagement in the world with the promotion of human development. Niebuhr struck a persuasive balance between a clear-eyed realism about human nature and an unrelenting passion for justice and social reform." Clinton says she had never met anyone like him. He was struck by her as well.
"What I [saw] in her was clearly a very good searching and clear mind," Mr. Jones says in an interview. "She was already a little brain child, a budding intellectual, I would say. So her interest in my ministry and my version of the gospel and the Christian faith was to some extent intellectual. She would come up after one of our sessions and talk to me about a fine point about something I had said."
Jones used art and literature to show his students a world beyond their "Happy Days" life. He introduced them to the writings of e.e. cummings and T.S. Eliot, to the paintings of Pablo Picasso – most memorably, his depiction of war in "Guernica" – and to important films of the day, such as Rod Serling's "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and François Truffaut's "The 400 Blows." Each served as a springboard for church-basement discussions on spirituality, grace, and redemption.
From faith to action
Clinton was also drawn to the Methodist tradition of putting faith into action, to what Jones calls her "practical search for the relevance of Christianity." At age 15, with help from her mother and from Jones, Clinton organized babysitting brigades for the children of migrant workers who labored in the fields not far from Park Ridge. Clinton and her friends brought Kool-Aid, games, and materials for arts and crafts projects.
Jones also took the students to meet with youth groups from black and Hispanic churches in the city. Once, he brought them into Chicago to hear the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speak at Orchestra Hall, and arranged for the students to meet the civil rights leader afterward.
"Until then, I had been dimly aware of the social revolution occurring in our country, but Dr. King's words illuminated the struggle taking place and challenged our indifference," writes Clinton.
Though Clinton remained a Republican into her college days at Wellesley, what she calls the "liberalizing" experiences that Jones provided during his two years in Park Ridge clearly made a deep impression and catalyzed her transformation into a Democrat and an activist.
To this day, Jones – now a retired professor of social ethics at Drew University in Madison, N.J. – and some of the students from the youth group remain cherished friends. One of those fellow students, Ernie Ricketts, whom she has known since kindergarten, calls Clinton "a very good friend, a very loyal friend."
"She called me on my 60th birthday – two days after she declared she was going to run for president," says Mr. Ricketts. "That's pretty thoughtful."
Lewinsky scandal
In Clinton's memoirs, it is Jones whom she singles out by name for his help in getting her through the crisis in her marriage when her husband, former President Bill Clinton, admitted to her in August 1998 that he had been unfaithful to her with intern Monica Lewinsky. "This was the most devastating, shocking, and hurtful experience of my life," she writes.
Clinton had not asked for Jones's counsel. Rather, he took it upon himself to send a letter to her with a sermon on sin and grace by theologian Paul Tillich called "You Are Accepted," which he had read all those years ago to the youth group in Park Ridge.
"[The sermon's] premise is how sin and grace exist through life in constant interplay; neither is possible without the other. The mystery of grace is that you cannot look for it," Clinton writes.
Then she quotes from the Tillich sermon: "Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It happens; or it does not happen."
Five days after he sent the letter, Jones says he received a handwritten reply from Bill Clinton saying, "Thank you, Don, for sending Hillary that wonderful sermon by Paul Tillich," and then, "Thank you for being her friend."
"That's exactly what I intended to have happen," Jones says, "because I sent it really for Bill, more than for Hillary."
But Jones's missive clearly had cut to Hillary Clinton's core as well.
"Grace happens," she wrote in her memoirs, following on the Tillich quote. "Until it did, my main job was to put one foot in front of the other and get through another day."
Confronting skeptics
Skepticism over the sincerity of Hillary Clinton's faith began long before she stepped onto the national stage. As first lady of Arkansas, she sought to put the questions to rest by touring the state with a speech called "Why I Am a Methodist." But the skepticism has persisted, just as some on the left have suggested that she's gone to the dark side in her blending of faith and politics.
The read-in to a recent article on Clinton in Mother Jones magazine warns ominously: "For 15 years, Hillary Clinton has been part of a secretive religious group that seeks to bring Jesus back to Capitol Hill. Is she triangulating – or living her faith?"
The article details her membership in Washington prayer groups, first during her years as first lady, in a bipartisan women's group that included the wives of Washington power brokers and then, after her election to the Senate in 2000, her participation in the weekly Senate prayer group.
To most outsiders, these groups would seem harmless, and at times beneficial to their members. For Clinton, the women's prayer group became an invaluable support network, especially during the Lewinsky scandal. Holly Leachman, the head of the women's group whom Clinton calls "a spiritual spark plug," faxed her a daily Scripture reading or faith message through Clinton's years as first lady. The women in the group also presented Clinton with a handmade book filled with messages, quotes, and Scripture – one of Clinton's favorite gifts of all the thousands she received as first lady, she says, and one she used often.
In the Senate, Clinton's involvement in the weekly prayer group has allowed her to form across-the-aisle bonds that have insulated her at times from Washington's ultra-partisan atmosphere.
But to those who believe that the intersection of faith and politics has already gone far over the line – especially with the religious left now engaging on turf that used to be dominated by the religious right – Clinton's own words can be a source of alarm. At the Sojourners faith forum last June, she referred to how she and the other two Democratic presidential candidates invited to speak – Obama and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina – are trying "to inject faith into policy." In an address to the United Methodist General Conference in 1996, Clinton laid out how her faith informs her politics.
"For me, the Social Principles of the Methodist Church have been as much a description of our history as a prod to my future actions," she said. "We can find direction, if we look to the church's call to strengthen families and renew our schools and encourage policies that enable each child to have a chance to fulfill his or her God-given potential."
Death penalty stand
The only area where Clinton runs afoul of Methodist doctrine is over the death penalty, which the church opposes. According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Clinton is a longtime advocate of the death penalty. She cosponsored legislation in 2003 to establish a process for DNA testing for people sentenced to the death penalty under federal law. As first lady, she lobbied for her husband's crime bill, which added to the list of offenses eligible for the federal death penalty. Clinton was unavailable for questions on this and other faith-related matters.
It is no doubt a sign of the times that the top Democratic presidential candidates, especially Clinton and Obama, have a significant faith component to their campaign. Those on the secular left who would rather skip the God talk are left with the longer-shot candidates. But by following her approach to faith and politics, Clinton probably stands to gain more in the center than she would lose on the left, analysts say.
"There's a particular way in which Americans want their presidents as head of state to kind of show some religious leg," says Mark Silk, head of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.
The challenge for Clinton, when she does engage in faith talk, is to do so in a way that appeals to voters. Mr. Silk suggests that her "Sunday School teacher" tone may not be as effective as her husband's or Obama's more preacherly style.
If Clinton's enthusiastic reception at Saddleback Church on Nov. 29 is any indication, she may be getting the knack of reaching out, through her faith, to audiences that normally would not have given her the time of day. But that, too, may be a sign of how the religious right is changing, as new leaders like Mr. Warren open up their pulpits to politicians with whom they can agree to disagree on some issues, while exploring common ground on others.


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I had decided I wanted my nipples pierced a couple months back. My boyfriend currently lives 2000 miles away and we only see each other once a month so we figured me getting them done after a visit would be best (for healing purposes). There's only one piercer in my area I am comfortable with so I drove the hour and fifteen minutes to the shop she works (Blue Flame Tattoo in Raleigh) to get them done.
This was not my first piercing. My current piercings consist of a VCH and a belly button ring. My retired piercings consist of a tongue ring (done twice), industrial, and a nose ring (done twice). I also have 6 tattoos. That being said I think it is important to note I am a BABY when it comes to needles, I HATE them. I attempted to convince myself that if I could get the VCH then I could do this. As I pulled into the parking lot of Blue Flame I knew there was no backing out!
My piercer (Ashley) is very reassuring and professional. She took a look at my nipples, decided on the best bar and prepared the room for my piercing. When the room was prepped she had me come back in and remove my shirt and bra. She began by rubbing a cold sanitizing wipe on my nipples. I then was told to stand up with my arms by my side as she drew the dots of where the needle would go in. After she was satisfied with the markings location, she had me lie down and relax (as if relaxing is possible at that point).
I lied back and she started with my left side. I am the type who does not like to watch the piercing process so I kept my head up but she explained what she was doing. She did not use clamps but instead pinched the tissue and pulled it up in the way a clamp would. She had me breathe in, then breathe out. I waited for the needle but she had me breathe in and out again and then needle goes in. Oh my Lord. That was definitely not painless. I flinched hard and I believe I yelled s**t. I must have tough nipples or something because it definitely seemed like a struggle for the needle to go in. As she screwed in my jewelry, I tried to calm down. I apologized for my reaction and Ashley said it was normal. I had a slight thought where I considered not getting my second nipple pierced that day. I knew if I backed out then I would probably never go back for it. She asked if I wanted to take a few minutes break to recoup between piercings. I said no and that I was ready for number two. I did not see a point in waiting, let's just get it over with.
I could feel my adrenaline was definitely pumping after the first nipple was done. I just wanted this done! I have read in the past that people think the second nipple is the worst so my nerves were definitely going at the idea of number two.
She lined up next to my right breast and pinched the tissue in the same manner as the left nipple. I began my breathing and on the second breath out she stuck the needle through. When the needle went in I just kept thinking I was glad this was over. I wouldn't say the second nipple hurt worst or any better. I felt relief that I was done. She screwed in my jewelry and I sat up, so glad that this was done. I was excited to see them!
I stood up and looked in the mirror. They looked awesome, I was so happy with them! My boobs are naturally small so this definitely makes them appear more appealing. The day I was pierced, I had been wearing a sports bra, so I gently put my sports bra on. My nipples were sore but it was not excruciating. The sports bra offered a good sense of stability to keep them in place.
The first night there was soreness, but I gently cleaned it with a q-tip. The next morning my soreness was minimal and they looked great. Very little (if any) swelling, very little initial bleeding and easy to clean.
With any piercing, great aftercare is definitely an important factor. Q-tips do make it easy to clean the piercing and the bar. Complete healing time takes about six months, but with proper care you will reduce soreness and swelling quickly.
Out of all the piercings I have and have had this was the most painful however I definitely recommend it. If you are considering it I say just do it! Piercing lovers all know to expect a little pain or discomfort so just go for it if it is what you want!
submitted by: Anonymous
on: 09 June 2012


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When I replied to Hamira Khan's defence of racial profiling of Asians at Glasgow Airport, both in the online Herald and in by blog, Racial profiling and Hamira Khan on the 15th of July, I gave as the example, to highlight the logical contradiction of racial profiling, of a crime committed by a red-haired man. When the horrific news of the Utoeya massacre and the Oslo bomb broke, the usual anti-Muslim commentators immediately tried to lay it at Al Quaeda's door, without a scrap of evidence, and then had to swallow some very sour grapes when the terrorist was revealed to be a tall, blonde, blue-eyed native of Norway with a far-right, anti-Muslim agenda.
My red-haired man had become a blonde, but we can safely assume that tall, blonde, blue-eyed men of Nordic appearance will not be subject to stop and search and general harassment by the authorities.
(Do I think Al Quaeda capable of such an atrocity? Of course, I do - the terrorist mindset crosses political, racial, national, religious and ideological boundaries.)
In the frenzy of analysis, recrimination and comment that followed, the sound of stable doors being shut after the horses had bolted were deafening. We have the same kind of thing after every outrage, with the same fruitless results, all avoiding the inevitable conclusion that there is no defence against random acts of terror, any more than there is against a lightning strike, that is to say, there is no defence that does not involve an attack on fundamental democratic freedoms that effectively increases the likelihood of terrorism. (For example, do we imprison people for what they might do, rather than what they actually do? The answer has notoriously been yes in some instances.)
The increase in the number of terrorist attacks post 9/11 was a direct result of the invasion of Afghanistan, and subsequently the war crime of Iraq. We owe 7/7, the Glasgow airport incident, and other acts of terror, to the profoundly misconceived actions of Tony Blair and George W. Bush, among others.
After my blog, but before Utoeya and Oslo, I received an email from an American reader, and I now have his/her permission to reproduce it , which I have edited to protect his/her identity.
Edited extract
Thought you might be interested in an experience I had over profiling. Was racial? I don't know - mostly the motivation seemed to be to present a soft target to show the American taxpayer where their tax dollars were going I think.
I do a lot of international travelling mostly from (American city) in (American state). For a period of time a few years back, the airport security lot had a great wheeze. After checking passports, they'd pull someone out 'at random' from the screening queue to go through special screening. That person was reduced to stocking soles, with pockets turned out (literally), carry-on bags completely emptied, stuff minutely checked, and laid out for the display to the other passengers arrayed in a semi-circular queue (easily up to 100 persons) around the hapless soul who was picked.
After five nabs on the trot at 'random' I opined that clearly I must fit the profile, to which the officer (in those days always very polite and affable) said with all sincerity that I was mistaken. I pointed out some basic maths to her and explained if the pick and choose was random then I should play the lottery that day 'cause the odds were shorter that I would win a chunk of change before being picked at 'random' that day - again.
My profile:
In those days I had a work visa (H1b) which could be rescinded at the stroke of a bureaucrat's pen. I am a citizen of a friendly (i.e. sycophantic) nation whose consulate was unlikely to do anything if I complained to them. I did not have a senator nor congressman to take my case on - in short, I was a foreigner.
I did point out, however, that I had an immigration lawyer, who was an American citizen, who did have both a congressman and a senator, and who would take my observation forward at my insistence. I asked the security lady to take note of my name and tell her supervisor what I had said. After that, I had no more random stop and searches. Funny that, I thought.
A question of de jure vs de facto? - if I've got my Latin tags right …
Anyway, all that said, don't get me wrong, USA's been very good to me and mine.
However, I do believe that all the searching and herding that goes on in airports really is more to do with trying to give folk the feeling that the authorities know what they are about and they are weeding out dangerous people from the traveling public.
(A commercial pilot of my acquaintance pointed out to me that they get even stricter screening when they turn up for work. How dopey is that? )
The answer to all this is twofold: firstly, like the war on drugs, the airport security is now a big business industry and will never go away no matter how ineffective it is - just like the war on drugs.
Secondly, I'm sure the most effective screening is in intelligence gathering and analysis. I'd rather have the resources from the first diverted into the second but only if we want to be serious about safe travel.
My thanks to my anonymous correspondent. His/her account has the unmistakable ring of authenticity and real experience, and his/her analysis is spot on. I still entertain the probably vain hope that our intelligence services, police and politicians will learn something from these and similar experiences. We can certainly learn from them in Scotland, because we are not yet consumed by the blind paranoia and hatred of the other that characterises the war states of the US and the UK, and we have demonstrated our compassion, spectacularly and controversially, in the Megrahi release.


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There were 30 seconds left to play and the United States team was beating Portugal 2 to 1. The majority pro-American crowd of more than 40,000 at last night's World Cup game in Brazil were ready to party, but it wasn't to be.
Portugal scored with less than half a minute to go, and now the U.S. looks ahead to Thursday evening's game against Germany to determine its World Cup future.
Doug Tribou of NPR's Only a Game joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson to explain how the U.S. can remain in the World Cup after Thursday's game, regardless of the outcome.
- Doug Tribou, reporter and producer for NPR's Only a Game. He tweets @DougTribou.
It's HERE AND NOW. And the U.S. men's soccer team is getting ready for Thursday, when they will face Germany in the World Cup. That's after last night's roller coaster of a game when, with just seconds left to play, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo made a pass to allow his teammate to score a goal to tie the game. Doug Tribou of NPR's Only A Game joins us to talk about this. And, Doug, we said a tie there, but it did sort of feel like last night's game was a loss for the U.S.
DOUG TRIBOU, BYLINE: It really did. If that goal had come five minutes earlier, maybe it wouldn't. But they were seconds away from their second straight win. It would've been the first time since 1930 that the U.S. opened the World Cup with two wins. Instead, they get a tie. It just makes it feel worse than it is. A loss obviously would have been worse, but the tie really feels sort of heartbreaking at that point.
HOBSON: And that's because if they had won, they would have advanced for sure. Now they have to beat Germany?
TRIBOU: There's a complicated formula here, this being international soccer. So you've got a number of ways the U.S. can get in. And there's still a lot of good opportunities here. They can beat Germany, and they advance. They can tie Germany, and they can advance. Or Ghana and Portugal can tie, and the U.S. can lose, and they can still advance. And there are other scenarios where they lose and, depending on the number of goals scored by one of the teams or the total number of goals scored and the differential - it gets complicated - but they still can lose and advance. So it's a good scenario for the U.S. If we had said three weeks ago, hey, they're going to open the tournament with a win and a tie, a lot of fans would have been happy with that.
HOBSON: Well, so what do you see happening now?
TRIBOU: I think they've got a very good chance against Germany. Germany has not been dominant in this World Cup as they often are. And I think the U.S. also has a sort of X-factor here. Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. coach, is German. In elite soccer there is often the backdoor agreement that allows things to happen. So if you see the game tied late in the game, it might just cruise to a tie because in that scenario, Germany and the U.S. both advance.
HOBSON: Well - but do you think that the fact that there's a German coach would give the U.S. some kind of an edge over Germany? Because maybe he knows what their strategy would be?
TRIBOU: He defiantly could have an advantage because Klinsmann was a coach in the 2006 world cup and the German coach was his assistant. So, theres's a lot of, sort of back and forth but that could be a two way street.
HOBSON: Doug while this game was going on, I was watching it, you know, my Facebook feed was blowing up, my twitter feed was blowing up. People are - they've got their faces painted with the American fly. Their using that phrase, I believe we can win. It's Quite a lot of excitement in the U.S. over the World Cup.
TRIBOU: Only seems to be growing. Every four years the interest seems higher, the access - with the Internet and with satellite television, just better and better. It's easier to follow every year. I think soccer's just getting more popular to be honest.
HOBSON: Well, and a winning team does help.
TRIBOU: Yes, winning does go a long way.
HOBSON: Doug Tribou with NPR's Only a Game. Thanks so much.
TRIBOU: Thanks, Jeremy. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.