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God and Truth. Time Magazine Sees Connection (Sort Of).
TIME magazine is running out of things to declare dead. But their latest obituary is a worldview lesson on a silver platter.
You may have seen the bumper sticker that says "Know God, know peace," (both with a "K") and then, "No God, no peace," (with just an "N"). This kind of pun usually draws a groan from the kids these days, but it really is accurate. And it remains accurate if we replace "peace" with "truth."
In 2017, our world is a living demonstration of the fact that no accurate understanding of reality can prevail when God is thought of as irrelevant.
In 1966, the cover of TIME magazine asked in giant red letters: "Is God Dead?" Evoking the famous quote by German atheist Friedrich Nietzsche, the accompanying article discussed the way science, technology, modern philosophy, and even some theologians had rendered God more or less obsolete.
Well, fifty-one years later to the week, TIME mirrored that cover except for one word, and many Christians are struggling to not say, "We told you so."
The latest issue, using the same bold, red letters, asks, "Is Truth Dead?". The article, written by Michael Scherer, is far more narrow, aimed specifically at President Trump and what one of his GOP primary opponents called his "tenuous relationship with reality."
Scherer hits the president for his "alternative facts" about the inauguration crowd size, his accusation that President Obama wiretapped him during the campaign, and his claim that three million illegal immigrants voted.
"Trump," he writes, "has discovered something about epistemology in the 21st century. The truth may be real, but falsehood often works better."
Now of course, there is a direct connection between God's existence and truth. And perhaps I should be grateful that TIME is seeing the connection between God and truth at all. But the irony of reading an elegy for truth in a Magazine that last month featured a second transgender individual on its cover is almost too much.
"Beyond he or she," read the teaser, "How a new generation is redefining the meaning of gender."
It should be blindingly obvious to anyone with two eyes that TIME, itself, has a tenuous relationship with reality. The idea that a man can dye his hair, put on lipstick, and somehow become a woman by sheer will is a much more obvious falsehood than anything the president has claimed thus far. Of course, no falsehood is okay. But for TIME to bemoan the demise of truth mere days after claiming male and female are concepts up for redefinition is unbelievable.
But they're not alone. As I explained recently on my other daily commentary, The Point, National Geographic has launched a social media campaign calling potential subscribers to — and I quote — "Stand behind the facts. Stand with science. Stand for the planet." Once again, the irony was somehow lost on this magazine, which just a few weeks prior ran a cover story featuring a nine-year-old boy with dyed pink hair and leopard print tights declaring, "The best thing about being a girl is that I don't have to pretend to be a boy."
Look, we often say it here on BreakPoint that ideas have consequences. And bad ideas have victims. Without God, we have no grounding for truth. And without God, we lose sight of what it really means to be human. For more details, see Psalm 135: 15-18.
But let's be clear about this: When TIME asked half a century ago whether God was dead, the answer then was a resounding "no." And the answer to the question they asked last week about the truth is the same. Though decades ago certain quarters of our culture gave up on God and then truth and then a coherent sense of the human person, the attempt to replace reality with sheer will and feelings is futile.
Like God's existence, the truth about the world and humanity is not subject to our feelings or our opinions; nor is it changed by academic or political fashions. God is. Reality is. Truth is. Amen.
Originally posted at breakpoint.org.


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Communicable Disease
Questions about Ebola
For the most up-to-date Ebola information, please visit the Centers for Disease Control.
What is Ebola?
Ebola is a disease caused by the Ebola virus. It affects many of the body's organ systems and often causes severe illness. Symptoms of Ebola most commonly start 8-10 days after coming into contact with Ebola virus but can occur as early as 2 days to up to 21 days after exposure. Ebola is a serious disease with a high fatality rate. Unfortunately, there are no available medications to cure Ebola and there is currently no vaccine or medicine to prevent Ebola.
Symptoms of the Ebola virus include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Joint and muscle aches
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Abnormal bleeding with no apparent cause
What is the current status of Ebola virus in Wisconsin?
- There are no Ebola cases in Wisconsin. However, there is an Ebola outbreak occurring in West Africa.
- No one has contracted Ebola disease in Wisconsin.
- Please note: Ebola is not spread through food, water, or the air. It is only spread through direct contact with blood or body fluid of a person with symptoms of Ebola or who has died from Ebola.
Who is at risk?
- The risk of catching Ebola for the general public is extremely low in the United States except for health care workers who can become infected while providing care for an Ebola patient.
- Persons who have had direct contact with someone who has traveled to countries in West Africa where Ebola outbreaks are occurring.
- Health care providers or family members caring for a person with Ebola are at highest risk because they may come in contact with blood or body fluids.
How is Ebola spread?
- Ebola is spread by direct contact with blood or other body fluids (such as: vomit, diarrhea, urine, breast milk, sweat, semen) of an infected person who is sick with Ebola or who has recently died from Ebola.
- It can also be spread on objects or surfaces contaminated by body fluids of an infected person, for example clothing or bedding of an ill person that have not been cleaned.
- Ebola can only be spread from one person to another when someone has symptoms.
- In some circumstances, Ebola may also be spread from sick or dead wild animals. It is not known for sure which wild animals carry Ebola, but it has been found in bats, monkeys, and apes.
- In countries where Ebola is occurring, avoid contact with sick or dead wild animals. Do not eat wild animals or bush meat.
- Ebola is not spread through food, water, or the air.
Who can spread Ebola to others?
For a person to spread Ebola to others, they must have:
- Been in an area where Ebola disease is occurring within the last 21 days AND
- Been in contact with the blood or body fluids (such as: vomit, diarrhea, urine, breast milk, sweat, semen) of a person with Ebola or who has died from Ebola AND
- are sick with Ebola.


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New Concept: Topman General Store
Topman's latest concept, the Topman General Store, opened today over two discreet floors on Commercial Street in the heart of Shoreditch. Curated by Gordon Richardson, Design Director of Topman and Matthew Murphy Creative Director of b store London; this intimate space will feature an edited selection of core Topman pieces, Topman Design, Topman Limited and seasonal project collaborations alongside a carefully selected range of key branded items, limited edition artworks and books exclusive to this store.
Exclusives for the launch include T and F Slack Shoes who have designed three derby shoes exclusive for General Store as well as Swear who have produced two pairs of footwear (one shoe and one boot). Surface to Air jewellery will be available as well as a limited edition t-shirt exclusively for the launch. Rite in the Rain General Store notebooks have also been produced as a limited edition run.
General store will house a selection of limited ODR books from Paris and edited collections from Casio watches, Pendleton, Norsea Industries and Percival with more collaborations and link ups to come.
A contrast from what you'd normally come to expect from Topman, The General Store features very minimal signage and branding with all the fixtures and furniture being bought from vintage fairs. Furnished throughout with personal finds and custom built displays, with temporary art installations, frequent fashion updates and in-store events; the store, staffed by knowledgeable lovers of all things contemporary, will act as both a social hub and fashion destination in the heart of the local community.


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Bluetooth keyboard Case for Tablet PC carrying case 10.1-detachable Bluetooth keyboard Slim, durable high grain leather like cover that protects your Tab in style.Adjustable stand securely holds your Tab in landscape mode.Removable Bluetooth keyboard integrates seamlessly with your Tab and other Bluetooth enabled devices.Provides full access to all Tablet controls and contains.Rubberized keys are spill-proof and also protect Tablet screen from scratching when closed.Bluetooth keyboard:Compatibility: designed for Tablet with 9-10 inch. DisplayVoltage: 3.7V.Power charge connector.Input: micro USB charge 5V.Keyboard and leather case weight: 590g.Standby time: 130 days approx.Continual working time: 120h.Charging time: 2.5h~3h.Working distance: 10 meters. Keybaord: QWERTZ German LayoutTablet PC is not includet! Scope of delivery:Bluetooth Keyboard with Case from Ledeli, USB Cable, English, German Manual.
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Barely Spring in Quebec City
We have heard of so many good things about Quebec City. If I will be conservative with our schedules, I'd say we've been meaning to visit Quebec City at least within this lifetime. Turns out, the only thing that will bring us there will be a short notice visit from a friend. We didn't get to do that though because of some unforeseen circumstances from our end…but given the hotel reservation cannot be cancelled, we opted to visit in the spring…or at least what we thought would have already been spring.
Quebec City is our 5-hr trip to Europe. It boasts of castle-like infrastructures, narrow cobble paths and alleys are reminiscent of a different era…or century even. Rich heritage and character adorned the whole city. The weekend day trip was definitely worth it. Unfortunately it wasn't spring enough to see some foliage on the photos…just a bunch of naked twigs and leftover pile of snow waiting for sunshine just like the rest of us. It doesn't matter though, as it doesn't change the fact that Quebec City is absolutely gorgeous. It's definitely worth visiting again.
Toronto and Niagara Falls Landscape Pictures
A Toronto trip is a must every year. My sister who lives in a suburb nearby is my closest family we have in bloodline and logistically. A trip to Toronto is always refreshing aside from the fun get together with family. Besides, it's a beautiful, diverse young city bustling with activity.


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Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi bag Worst Actors Award
The Golden Kela awards, felicitating the worst of of the year in Bollywood, had the usual suspects singled out in its fifth edition, held over the weekend.
Ajay Devgn, who stars in Sajid Khan's latest offering Himmatwala, was crowned the Worst Actor for Ashwini Dhir's Son Of Sardaar and Rohit Shetty's Bol Bachchan.
Here's a look at other winners.
Image: Ajay Devgn in Son Of Sardaar
Sonakshi Sinha -- Worst Actress
Sonakshi Sinha was awarded the Worst Actress, gong for 'Everything she did in 2012.'
And that included Dabangg 2, Rowdy Rathore, Son Of Sardaar, Joker and OMG (Oh My God).
Image: Sonakshi SInha in Dabangg 2
Worst Film -- Joker
Shirish Kunder's sci-fi film Joker, which had Sonakshi opposite Akshay Kumar, was awarded the Worst Film of the Year.
Image: Movie poster of Joker
Worst director -- Shirish Kunder
Shirish Kunder was adjudged the Worst Director for his film that met with a disastrous fate at the box office.
Image: A scene from Joker, inset: Shirish Kunder
Most atrocious lyrics -- Ishq wala love
After spawning hilarious internet memes and parodies, Ishq wala love -- a romantic song from Karan Johar's Student Of The Year -- won the award for the Worst Lyrics for lyricist Anwita Dutt.
Image: Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan in Student Of The Year
Most irritating song -- Chinta ta chita chita
Akshay Kumar's quirky jig in Prabhu Deva's Rowdy Rathore may have been a hit with his die-hard fans but found few favours elsewhere.
The gibberish song won the Most Irritating Number award.
Image: Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in Rowdy Rathore
The Bawra ho gaya hai ke award
Owing to their increasingly weird and seemingly unevolved taste in films -- Rowdy Rathore, Singham and Dabangg have been some of the biggest hits in the recent past -- the Indian moviegoing audience won itself this rare honour.
Image: Indian movie-goers at an urban multiplex
Photographs: Arko Datta/Reuters
Worst sequel -- Dabangg 2
Quite understandably, Salman Khan's return as the crusader cop Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg 2 was less than appreciated with this award's jury.
The film was named the Worst Sequel of 2012.
Image: Movie poster of Dabangg 2
The 'Why are you still trying' award
Son of producer Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani -- whose latest film Rangrezz failed to impress audiences -- is yet to find a foothold in the film industry despite his father's earnest attempts.
Hence, the award.
Image: Jackky Bhagnani
Superhit of the year
A newly-inducted award -- Superhit -- was given to Shah Rukh Khan for the now infamous slap he planted on Shirish Kunder's face at a party after the filmmaker made snide remarks about Ra.One.
Image: Shirish Kunder and Shah Rukh Khan
Beta tumse na ho payega award
Kunder won quite a few bit at the Golden Kela awards this year.
He got the Beta tumse na ho payega award, as he is yet to deliver a hit after directing flops like Jaaneman, Tees Maar Khan and Joker.
Image: Shirish Kunder
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar
Bas kijiye bahot ho gaya award
The Bhatts, known for making commercially viable films that mostly don't qualify for awards, were given the Bas kijiye bahot ho gaya award.
Image: Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt


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Apple is adding several new features to its App Store designed to help people more easily find the apps they want.
Announced Monday at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, one new feature will bring a new Explore tab to help people find specific apps. Another feature called "trending searches" will allow users to follow and tap into the most common app searches. Users will also see related searches and be able to more easily view the latest search results through a continuous scrolling list.
Apple itself will try to better highlight what it considers the best apps by tagging them with an Editors' Choice logo.
Developers and users alike will benefit from other App Store enhancements.
Developers will be able to create app bundles so that users can buy multiple apps in one shot. With app preview, developers will be able to show short videos of the features in their apps so that users can better judge if an app is worth downloading and buying. And through a beta program called TestFlight, developers can invite select users to test their apps.
The new and improved App Store features will appear this fall.


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Stereo Session 36
This week I finally found an hour to mix up Stereo Session 36! The set is a short hour long (or almost an hour) mix of a few tracks I selected (of about 90 in all) from the past few months.
Learn How to Install Bluestacks App Player for Windows PC/Laptop to Download Android Apps/Games on your windows PC/laptop. Free BlueStacks for your PC Windows XP/7/8.1/8/10 computer Laptop. Download Latest version of BlueStacks.exe Full Offline Installer from here.
I usually try to mix the newest, hottest tracks but I've taken the past few months off to concentrate on my media design firm here in Montreal.


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Hi, I want to begin a year of backpacking in early July. As I'm in Aus, I thought a good cheap to start would be SE Asia (only a short flight from Aus). I am concious, however, that there is monsoons and the weather can be really uncomfortable this time of year. Does anyone have any suggestions as to were I should start (i.e. somewhere that won;t be to uncomfortable). I really want to begin somewhere cheap, as I am worried that in the first month I will be blow a fair bit of cash (until learn the tricks of the trade and find my feet in backpacker land).
I thought of starting in Thailand as its so cheap and supposably a good place for first time backpackers. I've heard the monsoon is different for each side of Thailand, and that in July, there is no monsoon on the East coast (just the west). Is this true or is it still to uncomfortably humid and hot all over Thailand in July?
Another possiblity I heard of is Nepal, again not to expensive and above the monsoon rains. Does anyone recomend starting in Nepal?
I also really wanted to see Angkor before I moved to another continent. How long would I need to hang around SE Asia before Angkor became accesable and the weather bearable?
There anre many other options, of course, like Indonesia, India, China (and probably others I haven;t thought of) or even another continent to begin with.
Thoughts, comments, suggestions; all are welcome from this excited yet innexpreienced traveller.


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This is the amplicon context sequence in accordance with the minimum information for the publication of real-time quantitative PCR experiements (MIQE) guidelines. For more details, please refer to the following publication, "Primer Sequence Disclosure: A Clarification of the MIQE Guidelines."
ddPCR™ probe assay designed for gene expression analysis. Probe assays consist of unlabeled PCR primers and a dual labeled fluorescent probe.
Info: FAM; Same primer pair and probe as used in qPCR assay qHsaCEP0049738; exonic
Assay Information
Gene Information
The protein encoded by this gene is an adapter for the FYN protein and LCP2 signaling cascades in T-cells. The encoded protein is involved in platelet activation and controls the expression of interleukin-2. Three transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq Jul 2011]


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- Home
- Facilities
View all facilitiesGo to Calendar
Providing hands-on interactive exhibits.
Science Museum of Western Virginia
|Other Link
|Science Museum of Western Virginia
To make science and technology accessible to all people by being an outstanding regional institution that ignites and nurtures life-long learning.
We fulfill our mission by:
Providing hands-on interactive exhibits.
Offering a variety of innovation programs, both on-site and in the community.
Preserving our collections and using them to enhance learning.
Creating a welcoming atmosphere that stimulates curiosity and wonder.


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Trend Watch: Modern Silhouettes
Silhouette portraiture has been around since the late 18th century and still holds its old world charm today. This art-form has gone from the tradition of black paper cut out portraits to being created in every color, pattern and shape you can imagine.
Adding silhouettes to your home instantly gives an old-timey elegance to the room. We find it being grouped in framed portraits, on plates and pillows, and silkscreened on furniture. Now don't think you have to stop at people portraiture; you can have fun silhouetting any animal or object whose shape tickles your fancy. Here are some modern twists on an old-school art that has been trending for the past few years and will no doubt hold true for many more to come.
Top Row
1. Benign Objects
2. Design Public
3. DIY Ideas
5. Decor Pad via Lonny Mag
Bottom Row
1. Vintage Renewal
2. Paper Cuts by Joe
3. DIY Silhouette Shams from Apartment Therapy
4. Inhabit
5. Oh, So Darling
Images: As linked above.


text: Wow are these to apps awesome. I have really been questioning how much i like my DX, coming from a jail broken iphone. Tonight i stumbled on these two apps and wow am i freaking happy. Handcent: i can now actually read text message threads. The bubble style and not showing the name and callback number is priceless. After coming from an iphone i hated how i couldn't see enough of the texts at one time, especially when typing a text message. Plus the user heading, call, custom settings is so user friendly. Plus the popup quick replay UI is very sweet. LaunchPro: where to begin...like i said i had a jailbroken iphone and i liked customizing my icons and layouts. LauncherPro does this with many more options. For instance i put my company pop3 email account on the bottom launcher and replaced it with our company's product icon(we sell a high end engineering software). The ability to remove the text below icons(maybe you can do this with DX but i haven't stumbled on it). Im sure i will find out a lot more, but 2 hrs with these two apps and.im so happy. Once i start learning android programming, im picking up htc_ime keyboard(open source) and fixing this layout. The keyboard is laid out for athestics, not for functionaility. Its way to easy to hit period when going for the spacebar. Getting more excited everyday


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Obama Administration Building New Drone Bases in Horn of Africa, Arabian Peninsula
The Obama administration is expanding its drone program far beyond Pakistan, building secret bases in the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula in a move to target dangerous al Qaeda affiliates.
A senior U.S. military official with knowledge of the program told Fox News that the expansion has been underway for over a year. It started with a base in Seychelles, an archipelago northeast of Madagascar. Officials have been eyeing Ethiopia, described as the "basing location of choice," but so far have only been able to fly surveillance drones from Ethiopian bases. Armed drones, though, are being flown out of the small African country of Djibouti.
The locations were first reported by The Washington Post. The drone program has ramped up significantly in recent years under the Obama administration, being used primarily to take out top terror leaders in the vast tribal areas of Pakistan.
Drone attacks have also been reported in Libya, Somalia and Yemen, as well as the two more formal war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. U.S. officials had confirmed to Fox News earlier this year that the CIA would mount an operation in Yemen with drone strikes, virtually identical to the mission in Pakistan.
The expanding operation would likely be aimed at terror groups in both Yemen and Somalia. It reflects increasing concern among officials that as U.S. and Pakistani forces put pressure on the al Qaeda core in Pakistan, affiliate groups -- particularly Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- are posing a bigger threat.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and newly appointed CIA Director David Petraeus made this point in a recent congressional hearing.
As part of the expanded program, the senior U.S. military official said the United States got permission to fly armed drones from Djibouti, and confirmed the construction of a new airstrip in the Arabian Peninsula.
The official said that was the "only new expansion to this plan.
"The rest has been working for over a year when we long ago realized danger from AQAP," the official said, describing the process as a "long-term deliberate effort where we used what we could (until) we got the locations we wanted."
The Washington Post based some of its reporting on cables released by WikiLeaks.
In the case of the Seychelles base, officials previously claimed that drones were being used to track pirates. But, according to the Post, the cables showed they've conducted missions over Somalia hundreds of miles away.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.


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KENNETT, MO (KFVS) - A dog that was rescued by a Kennett boy in September will now be taken to a handicapped animal facility for further treatment.
According to Tina Petix, Kennett Humane Officer, arrangements have been made for the dog to be picked up at the police department Monday at Noon and transported to the rescue.
Petix says "Slicer" ended up having genetic problems where she had no kneecaps and deformed bones.
She also says that surgery for Slicer would be very expensive.
But, after many tries officers found "Secondhand Snoots" in Gurnee, Illinois, that deals with handicapped animals.
Third grader Hayden Sando found the dog in September when he was on his way to the Slicer Street Church of Christ. Hence, called the puppy was called Slicer.
Hayden says the dog, a Great Pyrenees, looked like it had been hit by a car.
Hayden and his mother went to get an off duty police officer to help get the dog to the vet.
It turned out Slicer had a broken leg.
Hayden emptied out his piggy bank, went to the KenMo Veterinary Clinic and donated around $20 to help treat the dog.
Anyone who wants to donate can send money to the KenMo Veterinary Clinic at 807 Homecrest or the Kennett Veterinary Clinic on 1704 St. Francis St. both in Kennett.
Copyright 2013 KFVS. All rights reserved.
Related story


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Daily Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of the Federal Government
The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel will hold its Quarterly Meeting. This discussion is pursuant to carrying out its statutory duties for which the Panel reviews, identifies, evaluates, and advises on those program activities, systems, procedures, and management activities that can contribute to program risk. Priority is given to those programs that involve the safety of human flight. The agenda will include Constellation Safety and Mission Assurance, Constellation/Shuttle Transition planning, Technical Governance, and Safety Culture and Leadership.The meeting will be open to the public up to the seating capacity of the room (40). Seating will be on a first-come basis. Please contact Ms. Susan Burch on (202) 358-0914 at least 48 hours in advance to reserve a seat. Visitors will be requested to sign a visitor's register and asked to comply with NASA security requirements, including the presentation of a valid picture ID before receiving an access badge. ForeignNationals attending this meeting will be required to provide the following information: Full name; gender; date/place of birth; citizenship; Green card/visa information (number, type, expiration date); passport information (number, country, expiration date); employer/affiliation information (name of institution, address, country, phone); and title/position of visitor. To expedite admittance, attendees can provide identifying information in advance by contacting Ms. Susan Burch via e-mail at
Photographs will only be permitted during the first 10 minutes of the meeting. During the first 30 minutes of the meeting, members of the public may make a 5-minute verbal presentation to the Panel on the subject of safety in NASA. To do so, please contact Ms. Susan Burch on (202) 358-0914 at least 48 hours in advance. Any member of the public is permitted to file a written statement with the Panel at the time of the meeting. Verbal presentations and written comments should be limited to the subject of safety in NASA.


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Canada's "Secret" Contribution to the War in Iraq
By Richard Sanders
The breaking story today (March 27, 2003) was that a few Canadian troops
were fighting on the ground in Iraq. This, however, is only the tip of the
iceberg. The truth is that Canada stands as the third strongest contributor
to US forces in the Iraq war, after Britain and Australia.
Isn't it amazing how Canada can contribute so much to this war without even
being involved?
On March 25, the US Ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, told the Economic
Club in Toronto that he was "disappointed" that Canada failed to join in
the US-led war against Iraq. His was one of a huge chorus of voices
critiquing Canada for refusing to participate in the "Coalition of the
Willing." (This was not the first time a US Ambassador to Canada meddled in
our affairs. See the note at the end of this email about the US-backed
regime change in Canada 40 years ago.)
The most significant statement in Ambassador Cellucci's speech was his
observation that Canada is currently giving more military support to the US
for its war against Iraq than most of the nations that are officially
supporting the war!
He said: "Ironically, the Canadians indirectly provide more support for us
in Iraq than most of those 46 countries that are fully supporting us. It's
kind of an odd situation."
Yes, Paul, it is a kind of odd isn't it? Ironic indeed! Or is it? Perhaps
this is exactly what we should always expect from the Liberal
government. After all, the Liberals have always done as much as they
possibly can to promote war and profit from it, while simultaneously
working to create the appearance that they stand for peace.
In the House of Commons on March 21, the Bloc and the NDP once again did an
excellent job of condemning the Liberals in very loud and very strong
terms. They denounced the government for allowing Canada's multibillion
dollar warships to protect US aircraft carriers in the Gulf. Canada's help
is ensuring that these US aircraft carriers can "safely" launch hundreds of
aerial bombing missions against the people of Iraq. Protecting US
warplanes so they can carry out their missions is one of Canada's biggest
roles in this particular war. Make no mistake, this is a VERY important
military role. Please be aware... Canada IS involved. We are very involved.
In response to the strong NDP and Bloc criticism, the minister responsible
for war, John McCallum, expressed his pride that Canada is "leading" (yes,
"leading"!) the multinational naval task force currently in the Persian
Gulf. Canada is commanding the task force of naval forces that are charged
with the crucial responsibility of protecting US aircraft carriers from
"terrorist" attacks! This was also Canada's role in 1999 when we "led"
NATO's naval force during the war against Yugoslavia. Back in 1991, when
Canadian warplanes took part in a few token bombing attacks against Iraqi
targets, our airforce had an even more important function. Canadian CF-18s
were "escorting" US fighter and bomber aircraft on their sorties, to
protect them from enemy fire so that they could carry out the wholesale
destruction of Iraq's civilian infrastructure, particularly electrical
plants, and water and sewage treatement facilities. (This was the
beginning of the end for hundreds of thousands of children who died from
epidemics that then spread across Iraq.)
Thanks to the mainstream media, the lie that Canada is NOT involved in this
war has spread like wildfire through Canada. It has also spread through the
US as well, at least as much as any information about Canada can permeate
into American consciousness.
This is yet another example of a successful media campaign conducted by the
Canadian government to perpetuate the underlying myth that Canada is a
world-class peacemaker. Chrétien kept Canadians on the edge of their seats
for months. Everyone was wondering whether the Liberals would support the
war or not? The litmus test used to determine the answer to this question
was rigged. It was made to look as if the question of Canada's support was
hinged on whether we'd send land troops and warplanes into this war. When
Canada didn't contribute in those two particular ways, it was broadcast
wide and far across the nation and the world that Canada didn't endorse the
war. Brilliant!!!
The fact, of course, is that Canada IS aiding and abetting this criminal
war, albeit not in the specific ways that the litmus test was designed to
detect. Canada IS very deeply complicit, and -- as confirmed by Paul
Cellucci this week Canada is MORE complicit most. Compared to most others
in the gang that have gathered around the US bully, Canada is acting above
and beyond the call of duty. The only condition of our participation is
that the US plays along with Canada's desire to keep our role very
hush-hush. While publicly, the Canadian government is pretending to have
taken the moral high ground by opposing this war, simultaneously -- behind
the scenes -- it is doing everything it possibly can to give as much
support as possible to aid and abet this illegal US war.
Canada's Support for the War
Canada is by far the leading member of that group of nations that secretly
support the "Coalition of the Willing" but who wish to remain nameless.
Here are a few examples of Canada's role in this unsanctioned war:
Providing War Planners:
Canadian military "war planners" have been working with US Central Command
for months. Canada had planners working with US Central Command when it
was located at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. USCENTCOM is
masterminding the entire war against Iraq. Then, on February 11, 2003,
Canada disclosed that it had transferred about 25 of our "military
planners" from MacDill to the U.S. military's forward command post in
Qatar, in the Persian Gulf. This is now the "command-and-control
headquarters" for the war. Having Canadian war planners helping to set up,
prepare and organize this war for months leading up to its launch is a far
more significant role than having a few soldiers fighting on the
ground. Canada has helped to determine the whole strategy for fighting
this war. We are continuing to help run this war from the inside. Canada
is part of the brains behind the whole operation. It is unlikely that very
many of the nations that are officially recognized as part of the
"Coalition of the Willing" are part of the strategic and logistical
planning effort coordinated by CENTCOM that has created the schedule for
this war and is now pulling all the strings from behind the scenes.
Commanding the Multinational Naval Force:
Canada is leading a multinational naval taskforce in the Persian Gulf. We
currently have about 1300 troops on three frigates that are protecting US
aircraft carriers. These Canadian frigates have accompanied US warships
through the Persian Gulf right up to Kuwait. From there, these warships
are serving as "platforms" from which to launch the air war against Iraq.
This is all part of Operation Apollo, which originally began as Canada's
contribution to the war in Afghanistan, but which has now conveniently
mutated into a major Canadian contribution to the US War against Iraq.
Exchange Troops:
Canada admits having 31 "exchange troops" engaged in the war against
Iraq. Although Chrétien has denied that any are engaged in fighting on the
ground in Iraq, Daniel Leblanc says that "Six Canadian Forces members on
exchange programs with coalition troops are serving in battle zones in
Iraq, despite Ottawa's official policy of staying out of the war" (Globe
and Mail, March 27, 2003). "At least
one of the Canadians.is with the British 7th Armoured Brigade, a unit now
taking part in heavy fighting near Basra" (David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen,
March 27, 2003).
These Canadian "exchange troops" under the command of US and British armed
forces are serving with combat troops on the ground in Iraq. This "exchange
program" with the US and UK has been going on for many decades. It has
allowed Canadian navy, air force and army personnel to engage in foreign
wars that are not officially sanctioned by the Canadian government. It has
also ensured that when Canadian troops are officially at war, they have the
guidance and support of US troops in their midst.
Airborne Warning and Control System:
Canadian Forces members are also part of crews on Airborne Warning and
Control System (AWACS) aircraft. These state of the art aircraft are
essential to modern air war battles. They are the nerve centres that
"safely" guide fighter jets and bombers into battle so that they can
"deliver" their destructive "payloads." Chrétien rationalized that the
Canadians are on AWACS that oversee more than just Iraq or any single
country. "The people who are involved in flying in AWACS claim they are
covering many countries in their surveillance, not only one country." he
said. (Daniel Leblanc, March 27, 2003)
Freeing Up US Troops in Afghanistan:
In an article in the the Globe and Mail on February 5, 2003, Brian Tobin
urged Canada to fulfill its obligations to the UN and to the US. He stated
"The U.S. needs to free up key logistical and military assets on the ground
in Afghanistan for the coming campaign in Iraq. Canada can, and should,
offer to fill the gap." This is exactly what Canada did when it announced a
week later that a "sizeable contribution" of Canadian troops (between 1000
and 2000) would free up US troops in Afghanistan., making them available
for fighting in Iraq.
Providing Billions in Weapons and Military Equipment:
Canada is selling billions of dollars worth of military equipment to the
US. US orders for Canadian military equipment are guaranteed to increase
because of the war. Knowing, as we do, that the US is Canada's biggest
military customer and that Canadian military production is thoroughly
integrated into the US war machine, we can assume that virtually every
major US weapons system, and weapons delivery system, includes at least
some Canadian components. Many major components, like aircraft engines for
warplanes, are made in Canada. Although Canada claims to have one of the
world's strictest sets of guidelines to stop the export of our military
goods, Canada has absolutely no restrictions whatsoever on any of our
military exports to the US. No Canadian government permits are
required. Canada's guidelines state that military exports to countries at
war, or preparing for war, are "closely controlled." However, in the case
of the US-led war against Iraq, Canada's military exports will show a
"closely controlled" increase. No doubt, officials in Industry Canada, the
Department of Foreign Affiars and International Trade, the Canadian
Commercial Corporation and Export development Canada will be working
overtime these days to help Canadian military-related corporations keep up
with the increased demand for products that are required for this war..
As Prime Minister Chrétien appears to waffle between opposition and
encouragement for the war, he periodically makes very strong statements
that lend strong diplomatic support for the US campaign against Iraq. On
March 20, in his first public statement after the air war officially began,
Chrétien said in the House of Commons that:
(1) "It was the Americans' privilege and right to make the decision that
they made. We respect that. Of course, I hope that the Americans will do as
well as possible."
(2) "At this point, I think there is no use debating the reasons why some
people think war is necessary and some people think it is not. We should
not say anything that would comfort Saddam Hussein." (Since Chrétien is
against debating the war, imagine how opposed he must be to those who
actually hit the street to protest against it!)
Overflights of US Air Force:
Many US warplanes enroute to Iraq are flying through Canadian air
space. This may not seem significant but its is one of the things that the
US has specifically requested from members to be counted among the
"Coalition of the Willing." Some countries have gained entry into the gang
merely for letting the US to fly over.
Refueling US Military Aircraft:
US aircraft carrying many thousands troops to Iraq are being allowed to
stop in St. John's and Stephenville, Newfoundland for refueling and crew
changes. "In recent weeks, as the U.S. has used Newfoundland as a refueling
stop for military flights en route to the Middle East. 'We've been getting
roughly 2 or 3 U.S. flights a day, with probably 1000 troops coming through
each day,' said Gary Vey, CEO of the Gander Airport Authority" (Ottawa
Citizen, March 22).
These are just nine of the many concrete ways that Canada is currently
supporting the US war against Iraq. There are many other more systemic,
practical means by which the Canadian government constantly proves its
allegiance to US militarism. Just to cite a few of many examples, our
government continues to:
* Let US warplanes to test their weapons in Canadian air space,
* Let US pilots to train in Canadian air space,
* Let US submarines to test their torpedoes in Canadian waters,
* Let the Canadian Pension Plan to continue to pour our hard earned dollars
into Canadian, US and overseas military companies,
* Gives billions in loans, subsidies and other forms of welfare in Canada's
top military exporters,
* Gives money to encourage military R&D efforts that directly benefit the
war industry.
On the other side of the coin, the Liberal Party continues to accept large
donations from Canada's war industries. If they really had even a thread
of any moral fibre within them wouldn't they refuse to accept such blood
money into their war chest?
On the Praising of Liberal Hypocrisy
How are those who want to promote the truth about this war, and Canada's
role in it, supposed to deal with this troubling situation? There are many
Canadians, including some peace activists, who now feel that we should
praise and congratulate our government for not committing troops. They
quickly add that we should follow our tribute to the Liberals with comments
about how the government should go even further to support peace. Their
approach is to say that the government should take some additional steps
along the path of not cooperating with the US war.
However, we have to worry that this approach will feed into the prevailing
myth and give comfort and support to Chrétien and his party. The problem
is NOT that our government is proceeding with baby steps towards peace and
that we need only encourage them to keep going in that basic direction and
to perhaps take some bigger steps. The reality is that the direction in
which our government is heading is towards supporting the war while
pretending to stand for peace. It's not that the government just needs to
tweak its policy a bit and to therefore improve an already existing peace
policy that is generally aligned to our way of thinking. What our
government really needs is to do is to take an about-face turn away from
their almost full-fledged (albeit, still largely hidden) support for US
I think that if we are going to congratulate Chrétien and the Liberals for
anything having to do with this war, we should be recognize them for the
absolutely fantastic propaganda campaign that they've carried out. They
have miraculously managed to con the majority of Canadians into thinking
that this country is NOT involved in the US war against Iraq when, as we've
seen, Canada IS very deeply involved, more involved in fact than most of
America's "Coalition of the Willing."
Much of the thanks for this con job must go to the mainstream media. It is
doing a fine job of perpetuating the lie that the Canadian government is
not involved. They surely don't need any additional help from the peace
movement in promoting this deception. Surely, the peace movement should
not do anything at all to assist the media or the government in spreading
the myth even further that Canada has taken a stand for peace against this
war. This now-prevailing myth can be heard on the lips of radio and TV
anchors, hosts and interviewers. It is now the commonly accepted reality.
It is rapidly becoming entrenched in the Canadian pysche. This chapter in
the "Canada is a Peacemaker" myth, will go down in our history as one of
the most dazzling examples of hypocrisy. I fear that even years from now,
many Canadians will look back at this war and remember it as the one that
Canada didn't participate in. The Canadian government is receiving kudos
from many peace-loving Canadians and organizations, as if it was some great
force for world peace, when the reality is that our government is once
again deeply complicit in an US-led, illegal war.
The question that faces us is this mess is: do we want to help the media,
the government, the military and various right-wing elements in this
country who are propagating the predominating mythology that Canada is not
involved in the war, or, do we want to try our best to expose this lie for
what it is?
First, let's be clear about our situation. A massive war crime is now
underway in Iraq. By aiding and abetting the US, Canada is a major
contributing partner in this array of international crimes. Perhaps that,
in part, is also why they are trying desperately to hide their complicity.
Canadians are being duped into believing that our government and military
are not involved in this crime.
Once we've seen through the government's public relations propaganda, one
thing that we can do is talk to our allies in the peace movement who seem
somehow to have fallen for the old Liberal scam. We can also express our
opposition to those in the mainstream media that are continuously repeating
phrases that reveal their underlying, naive assumption that Canada is not
involved in this war.
We can point out that the pretence of posing as peacemakers while profiting
from war is practically what defines classic, Liberal-style, peace
politics. Remember the old saying about the Liberals that they run their
campaigns from the left, but govern from the right? There is the same
dichotomy between what they say and what they do, i.e., they talk like
lefty humanitarians but rule like right-wing warmongers.
While on the subject of sayings, I am reminded of one of my favourite
"Bushisms." On September 17, 2002, while visiting Nashville, Tennessee,
"President" George Bush said: "There's an old saying in Tennessee I know
it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee that says, fool me once, shame
on shame on you. Fool me you can't get fooled again."
So, as we approach April Fools Day, we should recall that Liberal trickery
is not just evidenced in their approach to peace issues. It runs the whole
gamut of their political platform. The Liberals have viciously slashed
funding for housing, health, education, the environment and overseas
development, while at the same time they are always presenting themselves
as the righteous champions of all these programs. This is, after all,
really what defines the Liberal Party. This is what distinguishes them
from the openly, right-wing parties that more or less unashamedly crush
social programs on the basis that they are too expensive, or could be done
more efficiently if privatized, or simply because less government is
better, i.e., the "get the government off our backs" approach.
The power brokers within the Liberal Party -- the cabinet and the backroom
PR boys that manipulate the public's perception about what Liberals stand
for -- are essentially right-wingers who are smart enough to know that to
maintain votes they must appear to be opposed to blatant rightwing politics.
Should we praise them when they make proud statements extolling social
programs while at the same time they inflict death blows to the very
programs that they claim to protect? Should we praise them for peace
initiatives when they are meanwhile profiting from war?
To counteract the prevailing propaganda of this war, Canadian peace
activists need to point out however and wherever we can that applauding the
Canadian government for staying out of this war is not only inaccurate
(because Canada IS in fact supporting the war with troops, warships,
weapons, diplomatic support, etc.) but that it is also dangerous for our
movement in the long run because it will help to prolong the reign of the
Liberal Party.
If the Alliance Party was in power now are we so sure that Canada's actual,
concrete commitment to this war would be all that different from the way it
is? Perhaps under the reigns of the Alliance, Canada's commitment to this
war would have looked more like the 1991 Iraq war when the Conservative
Party was in power. They did contribute some warplanes in 1991. But
remember that eight years later, Canada's contribution -- under the Liberal
government -- to the US-led war against Yugoslavia, was much more vicious
thanour role in 1991. Canada was responsible for a large percentage of the
bombing sorties in Yugoslavia.
I would argue that if the Alliance was in power, Canada's contribution to
the war would not be very different from the current Liberal contribution,
at least in terms of the actual physical contribution to the fight. The
real big difference would be in all the Alliance verbiage about their
contribution to the fight. The Alliance would be much more up-front and
honest about their contribution. In fact, they would take the list of ways
that they were contributing (much the same list as what the Liberals are
contributing) and they would puff up the public appearance of each and
every item. The Alliance would have officially joined the "Coalition of
the Willing," not pretended that they weren't even involved. They would
have bragged about all of the many ways that they were supporting their
American friends in this war, not pretending to be opposed to it.
I'm not saying I'd prefer an Alliance government but I am saying that it
would be easier for us to oppose it. The Liberals create such a smoke
screen and dodge around so much, that their policy on this war has take on
the appearance of a neutron dancing around the nucleus of an atom. It is
impossible to know exactly where they stand. The Hiezenberg uncertainty
principal of atomic physics certainly applies to Liberal policies.
Depending on who these chameleons are talking to, the position of their
spots is sure to change.
Another thing that peace activists would be wise to consider in deciding
whether to heap praise on the Liberals for their thoroughly ambiguous war
policies, is the fact that public perception of the peace movement is
largely filtered through the mainstream media. The media always summarizes
and condenses our messages. It packages them into short sound bites and
images. Prefacing our statements about the war by lauding the government
runs the terrible risk that the media will present us as generally
supporting this warmongering government. Is that worth the risk? I think not.
We also have to remember that even if the media airs both our dual message
of praise and critique of the Liberal policy, then many within the audience
may only retain the former message. Our caveats about naval forces, the
international arms trade and other matters may dissipate into the media
whirl. The basic message that may get through is that the peace movement
has praised the government for not being involved in the war.
I think we have to be very careful to avoid presenting even the appearance
that we are going along with the Liberals. If we seem to be accepting the
charade that Canada isn't involved in this war, then the basic underlying
line of reasoning that we are getting across to the public is something
like this:
(1) the peace movement is praising the government's peace policy (with some
caveats), and
(2) the peace movement therefore generally supports the Liberal Party's
peace policy,
Many Canadians who are now opposed to this war (but who don't receive much
information beyond what they get from the mainstream media), will retain
only the underlying pro-Liberal message. It will become implanted along
with all of the other messages that reinforce the idea that the Liberals
stand for peace, and that Canada is not involved in this war. When the
next election rolls around these people will be operating under the basic
assumption that "Liberals = Peace." Because these Canadians generally
believe in peace they will reason that if they want to achieve peace it
will be safe for them to vote Liberal. They will fall for the ruse that the
Liberal Party can be trusted, in the end, albeit after much discussion and
debate, to finally come around to taking a pro-peace/anti-war stance.
Another related danger of the "praising the government for peace" line of
approach is that some Canadians will now become complacent. Now that people
are starting to absorb the mistaken idea that we have won the struggle,
this will undermine the incredible strides that we have taken in building
such strong opposition to the war. The lie that is now spreading across
Canada that our government is not really involved means that we may now see
people sliding away from participation in protests. The number of
participants at Canadian protests will likely now diminish. Many feel that
a major function of these events is to send a message to our own
government. Now that the Canadian government has supposedly decided to
embrace peace, it will seem as if there is no longer such a pressing need
to join anti-war protests.
Therefore, in the protests that do occur, and in the publicity and public
education work that will continue during and after this war peace activists
will need to work very hard to draw people's attention toward the many
examples of our government's involvement in this war. We cannot generally
rely upon the mainstream media to promote that information. Some reporters
will pursue that story but most air time will studiously ignore the
subject, and in effect cover up information that conflicts with the
prevailing myth that Canada is a global peacemaker.
Exposing the Peace Charlatan's Pys Ops
How does one expose such deeply rooted myths that are so deeply ingrained
in our cultural consciousness that they are completely
invisible? Sometimes it is useful to take the underlying principle that
ones opponent espouses and then point to some acknowledged fact that
directly contradicts the myth. For instance, if someone says "Canada is not
involved in this war," one can reply with information that shows our strong
Another approach is to ask those who think it appropriate to praise the
Liberals, whether they think it would be appropriate for the US peace
movement to praise the Republicans because they have NOT used nuclear
weapons against Iraq? Should US peace activists preface statements against
US foreign policy by first expressing their thanks and appreciation to the
Republicans for demonstrating the restraint and humanitarianism of holding
back on the use of nuclear weapons? Should peace activists say that the
non-use of nuclear weapons proves that the Republicans are basically on the
right track toward a peaceful solution in Iraq and that they just need to
work a bit on changing some of their other secondary policies regarding the
little matter of using conventional weapons?
This is of course ludicrous. One does not extol the virtues of a violent
bully just because he has used a small club instead of a large club to
commit murder. Nor should one congratulate the members of a bully's gang
just because they didn't join in the actual beating. If a gang member
serves the bully by supplying clubs used in the fight, standing around
cheering as the bully crushes his opponent, protects the bully on his way
to the fight from those who would try to stop him, cover for him after the
fight, take a share from the bully in the fight's spoils, say that the
bully had a right to do what he did and tell the other kids not to even
question the bully's actions, then, are we to pay tribute to that gang
member? Are we supposed to eulogize them with praise? Are we to try to
take credit for having influenced them for doing the right thing? Do we
reward the gang member by publicly commending their actions? Do we stand
there and say "We are very proud of you, son, for not smashing the skull of
that little girl?" "We commend you for doing all you possibly could to
ensure the beating was a great success while still maintaining the
appearance of a nice, polite boy with hands left unbloodied by in the
actual beating."
There is always a wide range of actions that any government can take to
wage a war. To be successful, warmongers do not have to engage in ALL of
the choices of weapons that are available to them. Bush has in this case
held back on use of the most extreme weaponry that is available to him.
Bush did not use his nuclear and biological weapons. However, it's worth
remembering that Bush does not HAVE to use every weapon available in order
to win the war. In fact, although dropping a few mini-nukes on Iraq might
help the US military to win the war, by doing so, they would lose the
larger diplomatic war. And, such extreme action would make it even harder
for them to get support the next time they want to wage an unjust war. The
world's population, already largely opposed to this war, would become even
more enraged at the US. Bush would lose even more of his tenuous support.
The US war planners know this know this and they act accordingly.
It's exactly the same sort of situation with Canada's role in this
war. Canada has a range of options available expressing our
involvement. The Liberals ended up choosing to participate in a wide
variety of ways but they decided not to partake in some of the most extreme
forms of participation, i.e., dropping Canadian bombs or having Canadian
armoured divisions racing toward Baghdad in tanks. The Liberals know that
the Canadian public would not support that position. They therefore have
chosen to be involved in a large number of less visible ways. They are
doing their best to hide this involvement.
Perhaps a lot of this debate comes down to whether we trust the Liberal
Party. Are they what they say they are? Are they an ally of the peace
movement or an adversary? An examination of history will show quite clearly
that the Liberals have never really been an ally of the peace movement,
although they have tried to paint themselves into this role on some occasions.
Yes, they have taken some steps to oppose the proliferation of nuclear
weapons and anti-personnel landmines. Unfortunately, however, when one
looks at the larger picture, i.e., at the whole range and context of their
policies, programs and practices with regards to all of the other weapons
systems that they help Canadian companies to produce and export, one sees
that major contradictions always exist in their approach to war and peace.
The basic repeated pattern that emerges time and time again is that the
Liberals are experts at embracing very high profile, very public positions
on single, isolated policies that, when taken completely out of context,
seem to be very commendable. For instance, by denouncing specific types of
weapons, they appear to be standing up against that which we believe
weapons symbolize, i.e., war and militarism. However, it's all a shell
game. By taking such high profile symbolic actions, the Liberals create an
aura around themselves that gives them the superficial appearance of a hero
standing up in a principled way for peace. However, behind all this
elaborately constructed media façade they continue to help in every way
possible to encourage Canadian companies to produce and export the broadest
range of weapons and military equipment possible. They help these
companies to specifically target the world's biggest warmongers and human
rights violators as potential markets for these deadly products.
Such psychological operations (psy ops) have two basic components:
(1) With their left hand the Liberals use the media, and unwitting NGOs, to
grab hold of some particular little glittering jewel of a limited peace
policy/campaign. They then hold that precious prize up into the air as
high as possible for all to see and they wave it around with great flourish
while humbly praising themselves and encouraging everyone to cheer them
on. Their goal in this operation is to gain widespread public attention
and to focus it on one thing that makes them look good to the voters.
(2) Then they use their right hand, which is completely hidden from public
view, to carry on covert activities in alliance with the business community
that runs totally counter to the image that they have created with their
public, left hand. In the case of the classic Liberal "peace sting"
operation, the Liberals rely on the mainstream media to help them to shroud
their behind-the-scenes, right-wing, war-promoting activities by a thick
This is the kind of elaborate ploy that has been used by the Liberals to
mislead the Canadian public for many decades. Many Canadians unfortunately
fall for all the pizzazz, like the unsuspecting audience watching the
magician do card tricks. But at least with magic shows, the crowd knows
that they have been tricked by some illusion, they just don't know how the
showman pulled it off. So, when speaking of such Liberal acts of
deception, we are being charitable in using the metaphor of a magician. It
is much more accurate to compare them to con man who makes his living by
cheating at cards.
The public is repeatedly scammed into supporting the shameless trickster.
Do we never learn? We get caught by the same swindler again and
again. The specifics of the charlatan's game may change, but the basic
pattern of his fraud is repeated. This allows the peace huckster to
continue their career without ever being held accountable for their long
string of crimes.
We cannot afford to continue falling for the same old tricks.
No doubt we will be arguing about this matter for a long time to come. It
is one of those ongoing arguments that has been discussed by progressive
movements for thousands of years.
By writing this article, I hope to inspire people, especially peace
activists to think about these issues and to help get this debate out into
the open.
We ignore this debate at our peril because it is deals with a constantly
recurring problem, one that returns to haunt us again and again ... year
after year ... war after war after war.
Richard Sanders is the editor of Press for Conversion! magazine.


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American astronaut Sunita Williams will return home from her mission to the International Space Station (ISS) a bit early this summer due to delays associated with NASA's next shuttle flight, the space agency announced Thursday.
Williams, an ISS Expedition 15 flight engineer, is now set to return to Earth in June aboard the space shuttle Atlantis following an 11-day assembly mission by the orbiter's STS-117 astronaut crew. Her replacement, NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, will join the STS-117 crew roster as a late addition, NASA officials said.
"Since an earlier crew rotation was possible, NASA managers decided it would be prudent to return Williams and deliver Anderson sooner rather than later," the space agency said Thursday.
Williams, 41, first arrived at the ISS in December 2006 during its then-Expedition 14 mission and stayed on this month for the beginning of Expedition 15. She and Anderson were initially expected to swap places during NASA's STS-118 shuttle flight aboard the shuttle Endeavour in late June.
But that mission was rescheduled to no earlier than Aug. 9 following a string of delays caused by hail-spawned fuel tank damage that prevented an initial March 15 launch of Atlantis' STS-117 mission. Atlantis is now set to launch towards the ISS no earlier than June 8.
A U.S. Navy commander making her first spaceflight, Williams has repeatedly said that she was prepared to return home early or late depending on what ISS mission managers saw as the best move for the station. Earlier today, she told reporters that she and her family had weathered similar experiences during her long deployments abroad with the Navy.
"It comes with the job, you just need to be flexible," Williams told USA Today Thursday in a space-to-ground video link. "It's an operational ship, and an operational station and we just need to take care of it the right way and do the right things for the program."
While Williams is returning to Earth on an earlier shuttle flight, she will be spending about the same amount of time in space - just over six months - as originally planned, NASA spokesperson Kylie Clem told SPACE.com Thursday.
Mission tweaking
Returning Williams to Earth in June does add some additional complexity to an already tricky space station construction flight.
Commanded by veteran NASA shuttle flyer Rick Sturckow, Atlantis' now seven-astronaut STS-117 crew will deliver a 17.5-ton pair of new starboard trusses and solar arrays to the ISS. The mission was delayed to June 8 after a freak storm over Atlantis' launch pad gouged thousands of dings into the orbiter's foam-covered external fuel tank in late February, prompting repairs.
Adding the ISS astronaut crew swap to the mission requires extra cargo - in the form of Anderson's supplies - and handover activities to an already busy flight.
"When you rotate a crewmember, there's a significant amount of upmass in addition to that particular crewmember," Kirk Shireman, NASA's deputy ISS program manager at the agency's Houston-based Johnson Space Center, said last month. "There's their equipment, their [spacesuit], they have to have a special seat to fly home on the Soyuz...adding that additional mass is a hit, and adding handover activities is a timeline hit."
But after a detailed review Thursday morning, ISS mission managers decided they could in fact include the Expedition 15 astronaut crew swap during the STS-117 mission with no impact to shuttle of station mission objectives, Clem said.
Clayton, a 48-year-old native of Omaha, Nebraska, will make his first spaceflight during Expedition 15 and was slated to participate in the spacewalks planned for the STS-118 mission.
"He will continue to train for that because he will still be on station," Clem said.
Female spaceflight records
Waiting until August's STS-118 mission would have extended Williams' spaceflight by at least one month and given her the U.S. record for longest continuous spaceflight, which is currently held by her former crewmate - Expedition commander Michael Lopez-Alegria - who spent 215 days in orbit before returning to Earth on April 21.
Instead, Williams will return to Earth no earlier than June 19 after turning her Expedition 15 duties over to Anderson. Anderson, in turn, will be replaced by NASA astronaut Daniel Tani during the planned STS-120 shuttle mission to launch no earlier than Oct. 20. She currently holds the title for most spacewalks and spacewalking time - 29 hours and 17 minutes over four excursions - for a female astronaut.
Clem said Williams is now expected to spend about 192 days in space by her mission's end, which would set a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a female astronaut.
The current single-mission record by a female spaceflyer is held by NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid, who spent 188 days in orbit during a 1996 mission to Russia's Space Station Mir.
- NASA Wrangles Plans for U.S. Astronaut's Earth Return
- STS-117 Power Play: Atlantis Shuttle Crew to Deliver ISS Solar Wings
- Complete International Space Station Mission Coverage


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This is a bit too long for a tweet, so I shall leave it here.
Lets get all those who insist Buddhism is a religion of peace. And all those who insist Islam is a religion of peace. Lets lock them all in a room together. And watch as they beat the shit out of each other.


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(Reported By PNW) One of the benefits of living in modern Israel is physically experiencing Biblical prophecy coming to life. Two families who moved to Israel's Upper Galilee town of Yavne'el from Canada daily witness Jacob's blessing to his son Naftali, one of the twelve Israelite tribes, coming to fruition right in their own backyards. "Yavne'el is in the portion of the Land of Israel which Jacob blessed to be fertile and for the fruit to ripen quickly," explained Rabbi Shmuel Veffer, owner of Galilee Green, a leading producer and exporter of high-quality extra virgin olive oil from Israel.
"When we and our business partners Nili and Arnie Abrahams experienced the blossoming of the region around us, we realized that we were watching the prophecy of Ezekiel 36:8 comes to life, 'But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come.'" The Veffer and Abrahams families recognized the unique blessing of the region when, several years ago, they joined the local community's olive harvest. READ MORE


text: Entrepreneur's Boot Camp Entrepreneur's Boot Camp Have you always dreamed of starting your own business? Wondered what it take to become an entrepreneur? The Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce wants to support you in achieving your goal. We are seeking residents of the City of Des Plaines who are interested in opening a business to participate in the Entrepreneur's Boot Camp. The purpose of the program is to ensure business success through education, mentoring and networking, all of which are features of the Entrepreneur's Boot Camp program. There will be 7 sessions of classes, starting April 13 and continuing each consecutive Wednesday from 7 to 9 pm at the Chamber Offices, located at 1401 E. Oakton Street. Classes will include: How to Write A Business Plan, Financing your Business, Legal Issues, Business Accounting, Insuring you Business, Marketing/Social Media, Municipal and State Forms and more! There is no charge for the program which is only open to residents of Des Plaines. The program is presented by the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Rivers Casino. For more information or to register for April/May session, contact the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce at 847-824-4200 or register on-line. Plan to attend and learn what it takes to make your dreams of business ownership come true! Back to news


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Karachi power breakdown: Electricity restored in 25% of the city's areas
Still, seventy-five percent of the city was still without electricity. According to sources, it was half of the city would receive electricity supply by the time Friday prayers are offered. Sources also claimed the 500 kV transmission line of WAPDA which supplied electricity to Karachi, was also restored.
Most areas have been restored, while complete normalisation is underway. #KarachiBlackout pic.twitter.com/27frDML9ZF
— KE (@KElectricPk) January 29, 2016
The city experienced yet another major power outage when a blast occurred inside a transmission near Super Highway. As a result of the blast, a major part of the city was suddenly steeped in darkness. Among the areas affected by the electricity breakdown were Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karsaz, North Karachi, Old City Area, Saddar, Kiamari, Lyari, Federal B. Area, Baldia Town, Clifton and Shireen Jinnah Colony. According to a tweet by K-Electric, WAPDA's 500 KV transmission line which supplies electricity to Karachi, tripped. As a result, eighty-percent of the city was without electricity. K-Electric's spokesperson said operations have begun to restore electricity to the city but a timeframe for when the issue could be totally resolved could not be provided.
Disruption at the 500kV EHT line has caused the #KarachiBlackout, teams working to restore power asap. pic.twitter.com/fCWL63ZFPD — KE (@KElectricPk) January 29, 2016


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Long before Albert Belle reached the Cleveland Indians, long before his conduct threatened the spot he has earned in the major leagues, his baseball coach at Louisiana State University had a rule for him.
Skip Bertman, the coach, made the rule a simple one as Belle's spectacular college career reached its junior year in 1987. If Belle threw a helmet, if he abused an umpire, if he cursed on his way to first base, Jack Voigt, a reserve outfielder, would run to replace him in right field at the earliest opportunity.
"Which he did do, many times, through Albert's sophomore and junior years," the coach remembered Tuesday in an interview by telephone from Baton Rouge, La.


text: Susi, It is interesting to know that agar-agar can be used for making veg. cheese. I shall be grateful if you can send me some details on how it is done since the book is not available here. Dhariwal You wrote: >There is a wonderful book called "The Uncheese Book" , a vegan >book which makes mock cheese with this vegetable. Yum! >Light, Peace, Love >Susy ------------------------------


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After you have cut down a tree, you are left with the stump and roots. If you had a small tree, you may be able to dig the roots out, but that is a lot of unnecessary work if you have or can rent a tree root grinder. Learn how to grind a stump the easy way with a tree root grinder and you will have the stump and roots gone in no time without any digging.
Rent a stump grinder if you do not have access to one. You will need a car or truck to haul the trailer that the grinder comes on if the rental place supplies the trailer, otherwise you will need a trailer as well. The gas-powered walk-behind machine is suitable for a non-professional to use.
Wear goggles to protect your eyes from flying debris and gloves to protect your hands from injury, especially from blisters if you are not used to this type of work.
Use a shovel to clear any dirt and rocks from around the tree stump. You must make sure that there are no obstructions around the stump that could damage the grinder wheel.
Use a chain saw to get the stump as low to the ground as possible. This will reduce the time that you spend grinding.
Position the cutting wheel over the stump. Start the wheel spinning and drop it unto the stump. Use the hydraulic lever to move the grinder from side to side to grind away at the stump. After you have one area done, reposition the grinder on the next area of the stump and repeat. The wood will start chipping into small pieces. Continue this process until you have ground the stump and the roots. You should have a four-inch deep hole when you are done, but this will depend on the size of the tree and the roots.
Remove some of the chipped wood with a shovel and dispose of at the dump. Fill the hole with clean topsoil and plant your grass seed.


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So we began the steep trek upwards in what felt like t-shirt weather. On route we visited my 'accident spot' from last season where I had a bath in the burn. (I have regular nightmares)
We made reasonable time, 1hr30 to the basin, only to find black buttresses (not surprised in the slightest), so we did what most were doing an aiming for a gully. Concerned about the consistency of the ice ramp on SC Gully, we went for Twisting Gully III,4. As a 3 star route, how could it be bad?!
|Much blackness....
|Better stop taking photos now.
Seconding was interesting as everything kept ripping out. Some decent hooks saw us through it.
|Too close for comfort
|Climbing Ninja looking for his camera


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Months before I celebrated my birthday (which I celebrated last week), I had started reflecting on what lessons I had learnt in the last ...Read More
Home / Archive for September 2016
My Most Memorable Purchase
I'm a confessed thrift-a-holic (is that a word?). Apart from the huge chunk of change that I get to save when I thrift shop, I love th...Read More
My Style: Unlikely Wedding Guest Outfit
I attended a wedding towards the end of last month and I wasn't feeling too good which meant I didn't feel like dressing up. In t...Read More
It's My Birthday!
Happy birthday to me! Getting a year older has me so excited this time round. Don't get me wrong I am always excited when September ro...Read More
Plus-Size Fashion: Wearing Prints
When it comes to wearing prints, I know some of our curvier sisters feel shy and think that wearing prints, especially those of the h...Read More
My Style: Mad About Denim
I feel like I have put up soo many denim-related outfits of late but that's because I live in jeans. I can't help it. Let's t...Read More
How To: Get Out of a Creative Rut & Feel Inspired Again
I love my How To posts. I always feel so nice sharing tips and tricks that I have learnt in the course of time. Today's post tackles ...Read More
My Style: Side-Slit + Shoulder Cut-Outs
Do you have that one garment (or maybe there are several) that you didn't love when you first bought but in time you fell in love ...Read More
Blogiversary: 5 Years of i2s
Hi loves, Can you believe it has been 5 years since I started this blog? I can hardly believe it. It seems like just the other day I sa...Read More
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Crisis prevention & recovery
Supporting communities affected by nearly three decades of conflict as they gradually move from relief to recovery and development is a key focus of our work. In doing so, we support efforts aimed at enabling internally displaced people to return safely to their communities, creating sustainable livelihoods and addressing their most pressing justice and human rights concerns. In addition, assisting in efforts to manage disaster risks is also a core part of our work. With Sri Lanka becoming increasing vulnerable to natural disasters, our work includes promoting disaster risk reduction and resilience.
Our Goals
We support formerly conflict-affected communities to migrate from subsistence to market livelihoods and build linkages between them and the private sector so they can access new markets and financial services. We will continue to bring together different communities kept apart by conflict, and provide support for vulnerable people to obtain vital documentation that would give them greater access to justice. Furthermore, in mitigating natural disasters, we will help develop national capacities to respond to disasters and mitigate the risk they pose.more
Bridging divides
Nearly three-decades of war in Sri Lanka have fragmented relationships between the country's Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities. UNDP will also continue using its recovery work as entry points for peacebuilding between communities kept apart by war, and scale-up select initiatives such as the schools twinning. more
Our Stories
Projects and Initiatives
EU Support to District Development Programme
The European Union Support to District Development Programme (EU-SDDP) funded by the European Union is a 60-month Programme aimed at assisting Sri Lanka to make a transition from post-conflict assistance to reconstruction and development.more


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Here is the place of how my heart feels and what my mind thinks... Welcome to my home.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Busy with guests
I was very busy with my guests for 9 days. My sister-in-law with her husband came to Malaysia and we spent a happy week together... since they wanted to stay with us for only 9days we had to go out to visit everywhere in the city very quickly and it made us tired ... we went to the beach" Port Dikson" and spent a beautiful day together...Also we went to the Genting Highlands it was very fun...the most of our time passed in the shopping malls. Because Malaysia is hot and staying out for long time is impossible...we also went bowling it turned out to be a good luck for me because I won my husband for the first time... now I am getting ready for the rest of my thesis writing and editing...after having one week full of fun I am full of energy to start all over again everything...
Posted by Zahra at 12:32 PM 2 comments Links to this post
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Yes, Randy Johnson still plans on returning for the 2008 Arizona Diamondbacks season. I know. He's older than dirt.
But apparently the 44-year-old veteran lefty has "the arm of a 25-year-old"... or so claims his skipper, Bob Melvin.
After undergoing surgery on his back this past July, it seems Johnson has recovered nicely. He's been playing catch lately and is expected to throw from a mound shortly before pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 15th.
Following a slow start to his 2007 season, the Big Unit had a sweet stretch from May 15th to June 10th, going 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA, fanning 42 batters and walking just four. However, he was limited to just 56.2 innings before his mid-season operation. That Big Unit would be a pretty huge asset to the D'Backs rotation next year.
Strikeout artist Brandon Webb will kick things off on Opening Day, and if Johnson is healthy enough, Melvin may slide him into the #2 spot, followed by newly-acquired right-hander Dan Haren, lefty Doug Davis and 25-year-old righty Micah Owings.
[MLB.com] | [] | [Beyond the Box Score]
Melvin Optimistic on Big Unit's Return
Yes, Randy Johnson still plans on returning for the 2008 Arizona Diamondbacks season. I know. He's older than dirt.
Posted by Sooze
Tags: Old People
3 Comments:
- Bassmaster said...
That was a great episode...
- Saturday, January 26, 2008
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It sounds like a scene from "The Wire," but with palm trees and swimming pools: Gangs run prostitution rings and criminals hide dead bodies in vacant houses. The illegal activities spill over into the rest of the neighborhood, leading to an overall increase in violent crime and stretching police officers and firefighters thin. Property values plummet, creating a vicious circle: Cities have fewer resources to combat these crimes, at the exact time when they need more.
The city of Miami was unwilling just to chalk up these problems to the global economic crisis. Instead, it believed that the root cause of the problems was both closer to home and more pernicious. Banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America, it believed, were discriminating against African Americans and Latinos when issuing them mortgages, by making predatory loans that were more likely to lead to foreclosures. In 2013, the city went to federal court. It alleged that the banks had violated the Fair Housing Act, a 1968 civil rights law that bars discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing. And in doing so, Miami contended, the banks caused the city to lose money.
A federal trial court dismissed the city's lawsuit, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reversed and reinstated the case. Next week the Supreme Court will hear oral argument on a question that all sides agree is important: whether the Fair Housing Act allows lawsuits like the city's, or whether – as the banks contend – Miami's lawsuit instead goes far beyond what Congress intended when it enacted the FHA.


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Have you ever sat through a class or seminar and wondered if there was a practical application to what was being taught? Or attended lectures that felt more like endurance tests in note-taking than actual learning experiences?
We've all been there because we've all experienced, at some point in our lives, a teacher standing at the head of the class talking at us.
Thankfully, this style of teaching has no place in a thriving language-learning environment. Instead, a modern language lesson is an interactive process that requires experimentation, a willingness to make mistakes, immersion into real-life situations, a genuine need to use language and a great deal of student talking (instead of time spent listening to the teacher).
For one, you will not find clearly delineated rows of silent students writing in notebooks and looking at their teacher, the only speaker in the room.
Instead, the TESOL classroom has students with moveable desks facing each other, or groups of students moving around the classroom with a paper and pen in hand talking to other students while consulting the whiteboard for a word they might need, or grabbing the teacher to ask a question.
You may see a teacher milling around the classroom ducking into groups of students to listen and take notes. The teacher may move quietly from group to group without interfering until suddenly they signal an end to that phase by directing the students' attention towards a language point or vocabulary word on the board.
Yes, there will be times when students are sitting quietly, writing in their notebooks. After all, there are vocabulary words to be recorded, grammar examples to be written down and sometimes there are writing exercises to be executed. But more often than not, a good TESOL classroom will be alive with students' voices as they verbally play with the language they're learning. The teacher in these scenarios is very much a resource and a facilitator. They control when one activity ends and another begins and they insert language and meaning when students are struggling to find the language they need to express themselves. This is what active learning looks like.
For reasons of demonstration and because the process of learning is active rather than passive, your Course Sessions on language teaching will look very similar to the kinds of language classes you will be teaching.
You will not be lectured at or expected to memorize tomes of information. You will, however, learn teaching methodology through the same techniques we're encouraging you to use in your own classroom. The process shouldn't be silent, and it should be fun.
Your tutors will teach you about how to effectively teach grammar, for example, by demonstrating techniques on you and asking you to work in groups or pairs to analyze and discuss the tools used and how these could apply to your own TESOL classroom. Though the idea of teaching grammar often evokes fear in the hearts of first-time teachers, your trainers will demonstrate how a grammar lesson may start with something as simple as a game.
There will be no grammar trees and no lectures using sentence diagrams. The key is engagement and practical application.
You'll also attend a TESOL Session on how to create your own authentic materials for the classroom (which is also an assignment you'll complete on the course). Your tutor isn't going to lecture you on the different types of authentic lessons available, expecting you to take notes and understand the theory without the practice. They're going to engage you in learning from an authentic materials lesson they've created. And as you're doing the exercises as a student, you'll also be exposed to the methods used and asked to analyze in groups and pairs the different types of techniques you found effective for learning.
You're in the hands of experts now. And CELTA trainers are not lecturers. They are expert educators. They have had years of experience with language learners and in training teachers; they know how to engage you in the process of becoming experts in your own right.
Here are some of the topics that your sessions cover. All sessions are practical in nature, with some foundation in theory, and demonstrate techniques that you can use immediately in the language lessons you teach.
The following areas are among those that will be covered:
• How to teach grammar and vocabulary effectively
• How to motivate your students
• How to help your students get the most out of a reading text
• How to order the stages of a lesson
• How to influence the dynamics of a classroom for the best results
• How to use teaching books and materials effectively
• How to bring authentic materials – articles, songs, stories – into the classroom
There are also sessions on a range of topics to help you find the best teaching jobs at the best schools.
These sessions include:
• Where to find the best TESOL jobs
• How to write an effective resume and cover letter
• What kinds of questions to expect in an interview
• What to expect from a TESOL contract (including housing, flights and medical care)
Are you interested in experiencing an active learning experience like this? Apply for the CELTA course or contact us today to find out what availability we have on upcoming courses.
If you'd like to find out more about the evaluation on a CELTA course, read about our continuous assessment.


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|Cash Balls
|Wire systems
|Pneumatic systems
The pneumatic tube was introduced into department stores in the 1880 by John Wanamaker, the Philadelphia retail magnate (Golden book of the Wanamaker stores, 1911, p.68). He had previously installed such a system in the US Post Office while he was postmaster general. The Manufacturer and Builder (Jan. 1881) states that there were two tubes to each counter - one for each direction. Each carrier was of the exact diameter of a silver dollar and could hold 30 such coins (so the tubes must have been quite narrow compared with later systems). "By means of steam engine and exhaust pump in the cellar, with proper attachments leading therefrom, the air is being constantly exhausted at the cashier's end of the tube and the counter end of the tube of each pair." The system ws also claimed to improve the ventilation of the building.
An article in the Dundee Advertiser, 2 November 1880, described the use of a pneumatic tube system in large American "drapery and similar stores" though without mentioning names. "A steam-engine in the cellar keeps up a constant pressure of air by exhausting the tubes... The plan is said to be economical, but at any rate it avoids the noise and bustle of the old system of 'cashiers' or 'cash here!'"
Pneumatic tubes had already been used for other purposes for many years. John Griffiths credits the invention of pneumatic message systems to William Murdoch, 1754-1839.
The vacuum plant usually consisted of a large fan, driven by an electric motor or other power unit. The fan took the form of a large disc with a number of vanes radiating from its centre. This was enclosed in a casing with an inlet pipe at the centre and an outlet pipe on the circumference. When the rotor was revovled the air was flung outwards by centrifugal force into the exhaust pipe. Air was drawn in to replace it, so causing a vacuum in the inlet pipe, which was used to draw the carriers through the transmission tubes. Small systems might be powered by a set of bellows in a cabinet, operated by a foot pedal. The air from the bellows blew the carrier through the tube. Such systems were "in great demand for service between floors or rooms" Story of a service idea
As with wire systems, Lamsons dominated the market and took over many of their competitors. Their Bulletin Q-1 (ca. 1912) stated that a tube system costs more but does more than any other. Tubes are concealed, silent, automatic, and five times speedier than any other carriers. Nearly 50,000 stations were in daily service in "the best known and most progressive retail stores of the world". The cost of operation had been reduced by 60-90% by Lamson Power Control devices.
The standard tubes in shops are 2 1/4 inches in diameter. (This is the same diameter as used by the Electric Telegraph Company for their second tube in London in 1858. By 1870, 3 inch tubes were the norm for telegraph companies.) Bends can be as small as 12 inches radius, but such tight curves cause a drag on the system and special inspection covers should be fitted. Radii of 2 - 3 feet are generally desirable if the system is to be efficient and cheap Westwood and Westwood. "Judging from the systems used by Macy's, Gimbels and Altman's in the early twentieth century, a good-sized store needed from sixteen to eighteen miles of tubing." Whitaker.
The "independent system" employed two tubes to serve each station. This allowed sending and receiving at the same time, giving a faster service. Carriers could be sent at intervals of a few seconds and several could be in transit simultaneously. Memo from Lamson Engineering, 17 March 1953
Carriers | Early Terminals | Pneu-Art terminals | Cash desks
Lamsons Dart Cash Sturtevants British Cash and Parcel Conveyors Modern systems
Two pneumatic tube stations in the drapery department of a store. Modern draper (London: Caxton, 1924)
Despatch operator in Marshall Field, Chicago, 1947. Chuckman's Photos on Wordpress