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It's Not Normal!
In November of 2001, soon after two airliners were flown into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in New York, I attended a lecture called "War on Terrorism and Homeland Security" at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
I was working at that time as a research assistant for the renown scholar, Benzion Netanyahu, who had remarked to me a few weeks earlier that the terrorist problem needed to be addressed immediately because five years from then would be "too late". His son, Benjamin Netanyahu, was the main speaker at the event. He thought along similar lines. He posed four simple questions about terrorism to his audience, Who's doing it? Why are they doing it? What do we do about it? and What do we do to defeat them?
Addressing the first question, he said that "there is no international terrorism, none whatsoever, without the support of sovereign states" and that "it is simply impossible to sustain an effective terrorist attack for months or years without the support of the terror regimes that stand behind them," referring at that time to Afghanistan, "Arafat's dictatorship," the Sudan, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
Netanyahu remarked that internal strife among these "states" was superceded by their primary goal. He believed that "though they're fighting and though they have their own separate agendas, at the heart of this terror network is a military Islam that seeks, that is guided, that is fueled by the very powerful anti-western mentality and behavior….When you hear that the militant Islamists hate the West because of Israel, they actually have it the other way around. They hate Israel because of the West. They hate Israel because it represents an island of Western values, of liberties, in a sea of what otherwise would be a completely unified Muslim-Arab sea."
Netanyahu affirmed President George Bush's modus operandi which was to make no distinction between the terrorist organizations and the regimes that harbor them. This was the Bush Doctrine, a term first coined by Charles Krauthammer to describe unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, and which came to include the philosophy of preventive war by pre-emptive action. This included attacks on states which sponsored terrorism. Netanyahu remarked in his lecture, "You can hit the terrorists again and again and again. It won't stop them," referring to the fact that action needed to be taken at the source rather than the periphery.
He warned: "You can only win internationally if you have moral fiber, because what the terrorists do, and the terrorist regimes behind them try to do, is to create a moral confusion. What terrorism does is to deliberately and systematically attack civilians to gain political ends. In this, terrorism is very different from the unintentional killing of civilians that very often accompanies legitimate acts. What terrorism does is obliterate the line drawn by humanity in the last 150 years in various conventions."
Netanyahu presented two action scenarios: either providing "our governments the necessary moral backing to pursue this war against all the slings of criticism and opposition. Or, we can push the collective snooze button and go to sleep. If we do, we incur our common disaster."
Five months after this address, on Monday, April 15, 2002, I spoke to his father, Benzion Netanyahu, following the National Solidarity Rally With Israel, held in Washington, DC., a four day event attended by an estimated 200,000 supporters. Benzion was anxious to know what his son had said in his speech and asked if he had spoken against the proposed conference of Ariel Sharon regarding "disengagement", the euphemism for the plan that eventually resulted in the forced expulsion of 21 Jewish communities, approximately 10,000 Jewish citizens, which outraged a large segment of the Israeli population who believed Sharon did not have a mandate to take this action.
Netanyahu announced, at that time, that he would vote in favor of the plan only if Sharon promised to hold a national referendum to determine the fate of the Gaza Strip and the so-called "West Bank". Such a referendum never materialized and Netanyahu, after voting with the government, pending a stipulation that a public referendum be held within fourteen days, resigned shortly before the Israeli cabinet approved the initial phase of withdrawal. I told Benzion that I hadn't heard his son mention the Sharon conference but that he had spoken out strongly against the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat.
This pro-Israel rally at the Capitol included a 17 minute speech by Benjamin Netanyahu in which he once again commended President George Bush for his support of Israel and discussed the unified effort of the United States and Israel to fight the war on terror, saying, "Like the United States, Israel did not seek this war. It was forced on us by a savage enemy that glorifies in a culture of death, a culture where murderers are called martyrs and where suicide is sanctified," a culture which forces war upon others by their relentless and unscrupulous forward march. As Golda Meir famously put it, " I will never forgive the Arabs for forcing us to kill them.". Netanyahu affirmed that there was no placating terror, no partnership for peace with such people, no negotiations and no concession to terror.
"My friends, an enemy that sends children to die and to kill other children is an enemy that cannot be placated. An enemy that openly preaches the destruction of our state is not a partner for peace. With such evil, there can be no negotiations and no concessions because the only way to confront, to fight, such evil is to confront it. The only way to defeat it is to destroy it. And once terror is defeated, I believe other Palestinians will come to the fore with whom we will forge a genuine and lasting peace."
He spoke against apologists for terror and equated terrorism to totalitarianism, mentioning in contrast, the successful non-violent movements of Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, stating,
"So now we must ask ourselves, why did all these people pursue their cause without resorting to terror? Because they believed in the sanctity of each human life, because they were committed to the ideals of liberty, because they championed the values of democracy; simply put, because they were democrats, not terrorists. That's why.
But, you see, those who practice terrorism do not believe in these ideals. In fact, they believe the very opposite. They believe that the cause they espouse is so all-encompassing, so total, that it justifies anything and everything. They believe that it allows them to break any law, to discard any moral code, to trample all human rights into the dust. They believe that their cause permits them to indiscriminately murder and maim innocent men and women. They believe that it lets them blow up a bus full of babies."
Netanyahu stressed the idea that those who target the innocent will never protect freedom and human rights.
Honing in on Arafat, Netanyahu stated that the means and goals of the PLO leader were illigitimate and would achieve politicide by suicide, contrasting Arafat's heinous methods to those of his more successful counterpart, Anwar Sadat, who signed a peace treaty with Menachem Begin at Camp David in September of 1978.
Netanyahu highlighted his vision of what a true peace partner looks like, pointing as an example, to King Hussein of Jordan, (father of the current king) who had not only spoken of peace but had backed up those words with actions by taking a bold and personally dangerous stand when he visited the bereaved Jewish familes of seven girls who had been murdered by a Jordanian soldier while they were on a field trip to the "Island of Peace."
Referring to this incident, the Israeli Prime Minister said:
"Now, let me show you the difference between one leader and another. Until the day I die, I will not forget the day that King Hussein came with me to visit the bereaved families of seven young Israeli school girls, 12 years old, gunned down by a deranged Jordanian soldier. He knelt before the families, before the mothers and fathers. He was weeping. There were tears streaming down his eyes and he said, "Please, please forgive me. Please forgive me."
King Hussein asked the families for forgiveness in the name of his country – an act of humility and courage- in an effort to maintain peace and goodwill with Israel. This example of compassion contrasted diametrically with the harsh actions of Arafat's PLO and their affiliates (PFLP, DFLP, Black September, Fatah, etc.) who were responsible for scores of terror attacks, including airplane hijackings, bus bombings, the Munich massacre, Ma'alot, and the murder of wheelchair bound Leon Klinghoffer, who was shot in the head and chest before being thrown over the rails of the hijacked Achille Lauro.
Netanyahu used Arafat as an example of the true terrorist, a prototype of what was to follow:
"And indeed, Yasser Arafat is the quintessential terrorist. Both his means and his goals are illegitimate. Arafat pursues a goal of policide, the destruction of a state, by employing the means of suicide, suicide and mass terror. Arafat does not want a Palestinian state next to Israel. He wants a Palestinian state instead of Israel. Do you know what he does? He glorifies these mass killers. He calls public squares after them. He names buildings, streets in their honor. He has suicide kindergarten camps. He has suicide universities. He has suicide museums. For God's sake, this is the man who pays the checks. He signs the checks for the explosives of the suicides. He is a terrorist, if there ever was one."
In addition to a ceaseless onslaught of terror, Israel's enemies have effectively pursued a parallel diplomatic track while generating a barrage of media propaganda which has been disseminated worldwide, thereby, exerting the maximum pressure possible on Israel to make concessions. The demand that land be exchanged for peace became the primary focal point of these efforts.
This is an idea that Benzion Netanyahu, opposed. We spoke of it in the historical context, particularly regarding the earliest partition plans, and about the accusation by Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Abba Eban, who blamed Zionist freedom fighters for obstructing a potential partition plan in 1944. Netanyahu mocked the idea.
Saidel: May I ask you a question?
Netanyahu: Go ahead.
Saidel: I think I mentioned to you that I had spoken to Abba Eban and that he had told me that because of Lehi and because of the murder of Lord Moyne, that a partition plan that was supposed to come forth in the British cabinet in December, on December 21, 1944, there was supposed to be a partition plan…
Netanyahu: Yes
Saidel:… and he said that because of the murder of Moyne, that plan was stopped.
Netanyahu: This man, I don't attribute any value to his statements. He is… he is a … he is a worthless thinker… but… I could express myself much stronger. I am controlling my words. What I want to say is, what kind of partition plan? You know that his colleagues on the left accepted a Jewish State around Acre and Haifa and that was enough for them. Half of the Galilee and a little piece going along the shore. I mean who knows what plan they would suggest or whether they would suggest… they suggested that plan after the Peel Commission recommended the establishment of a Jewish state. They suggested that ridiculous plan and he considered it was fine and good, you know.
Netanyahu: So they may have had such another plan in mind but nobody knows about it. And certainly the British would not come out in the middle of the war with a new plan of a Jewish state, particularly while catering for the Arabs. If not for Lord Moyne! He knows the reasons of the British Empire. He knows the British ticket they are holding and their concentration. He is really an irresponsible person – but I don't want to go into that. It's not worthwhile even considering.
At this point he became rather angry and added:
Netanyahu: It's worthless! I mean it's nothing! British plan of partition! And who said partition is good! Who says that? You can see now (1997) that Israel is all in an uproar about this plan which its own government, the leftist government, is planning partition… ..and so let's not talk about it.
In 1997, there was talk of the revival of Security Council Resolution 181, commonly known as the 1947 Partition Plan. Our conversation about this topic led him to comment that the increasing strength of the Palestinian movement worldwide had emboldened them to make demands which might be equated to near political extortion.
Netanyahu: Well, they are trying, they are trying, they demand everything because they feel that they have support, strong support in America. And strong support of all the Arab countries, strong support in Russia, in Europe. So they want to go ahead. The main thing is they feel that they now have a government that wants to make peace with them at all costs. Whether it is at all costs or not we'll see.
He felt that the media has been bias in its reporting.
Netanyahu: It's a fact that many, many newspapermen who serve the American press are hostile to the real interests of Zionism. The leftists were all the time for the maximum concessions for the Arabs and so on. They believe they will buy peace. They will buy nothing of course. But that's what they believe.
During a telephone conversation on Feb 18, 2006, Benzion seemed tired. After all, he was approaching 100 years of age. He said, "I am longing for a rest". He wanted to go to Italy for this rest but said that he could not because the situation in the country was so bad and he had so much to do. He felt that Israel had never been in a worse state than it was at that time. When asked what the solution was, Netanyahu stated that "what fixes things is history – whether or not a country can withstand certain events… Israel always has an enemy, that is nothing new."
In August, 2006, we discussed land for peace and the long-term results of the Camp David Accords, whereby, Menachem Begin, who had risen from the ranks of the Irgun to become the Prime Minister of Israel, signed a peace treaty with Egypt wherein Israel gave up the Sinai peninsula, and set the stage for more land for peace swaps.
Netanyahu: I think he gave up a lot without getting anything… because the Egyptians didn't turn into real (partners). They didn't provide the peace which they had promised. They didn't provide anything! Their attitude remained as hostile as ever – especially after the death of Sadat. They are Arafat's close advisers and so on and so forth. And they do not… they keep the so called peace not only on cold temperature but on freezing temperature. So, they support everything, in every possible way, in the mouth of Arafat. So what kind of allies are they? What kind of friends are they?!
Netanyahu believed that this action of Prime Minister Begin was futile.
Netanyahu: Alright, so this is where he made his big mistake. He gave away the Sinai, which was a huge treasure, for nothing! Because he got nothing!
Despite this condemnation, Netanyahu attempted to give Begin the benefit of the doubt for making an effort toward peace.
Netanyahu: He was trying even to defend the peace, in some ways, but there's nothing to defend there. It's an ice cold, it's a refrigerator peace, you know. But I don't want to say that he changed his mind about the peace. Maybe he still considered it an important thing that he got the kind of paper from the Egyptians – that they are on terms of peace with Israel, not on terms of war. But of course Egypt was, thanks to this peace, drawn into the American circle to receive tremendous support both in weaponry and military training on the one hand and also financially on the other while Israel got nothing out of it.
Netanyahu saw the Camp David Accords as not only a loss for Israel but a gain for the Arab world and particularly Egypt. A new, more unified, anti-Israel policy emerged and solidified which was based upon the foundation that if they did not flinch, if they made an international uproar and utilized their oil leverage, while continuously demonizing Israel and using propaganda to educate their children and incite the masses, simultaneously demanding more and more land, they could, thereby, keep the ideals of the supposedly defunct PLO platform firmly in place in the hearts and minds of Israel's enemies.
Netanyahu commented further on the result of Menachem Begin's agreement:
Netanyahu: Also in that peace it's written that the Palestinian problem has to be solved. With the interference of Jordan they have also to be involved in Egypt and so on, and, in other words, it's used as the rights of the… of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. Later Begin tried to save himself from this trap by saying that he didn't mean by legitimate rights of the Palestinian people what the Arabs mean but actually it's not only what the Arabs mean it's also what the Americans meant, what everyone meant. The terror was very miserable terror. He yielded to it when he signed the agreement.
I asked Benzion Netanyahu whether he believed that globalization and materialism were a factor in the decline of fervent Zionism among the post statehood generations of Israelis – basically if they were getting soft.
Netanyahu: Is that what you call materialization, the age of materialism? This is true. I understand what you mean. That this affects a large part of mankind today there is no doubt about it. I don't think that this is has anything to do with the situation of Zionism because Zionism faced an uncompromising enemy in the Arabs from the beginning until this day. In this respect nothing has changed, whether it is materialization or spiritualization. This is the factor which Zionism has to contend with. Unfortunately, the Americans who, in my opinion, mistake here their own interests, feel that they can support the Arabs and believe that they can buy this with their compromising Zionism, they can buy our affection. In my opinion they can buy nothing!
I countered these comments by suggesting to Netanyahu that, in the opinion of many, Zionism was dead, especially among a vast segment of American Jews.
Netanyahu: Zionism is not dead! Zionism is dead among those who, among those who never, who were never attracted to it. It may be, may be, may be, more… more …I don't know how to put it…. maybe more, more, alienated, or let's say, it may be more distanced, they become more distanced from American Jews, than it was before. That's possible because there was, since the Jewish State was created, there was no Zionist education in America…. and American Jewry is moving toward assimilation. Very strong, at a very rapid pace. So assimilation and Zionism don't go together.
Netanyahu was joined in his opposition to land for peace by another Zionist, former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who was quite clear about his feeling when I spoke to him about the subject.
Shamir: For Jabotinsky and for the Revisionist movement, the main principle was that the Zionist movement is the tool that the target of it is to create the Jewish State in Eretz Israel, in the land of Israel, and according to the opinions, to the views of this movement, the borders of the land of Israel have to be the historical borders of Eretz Israel, the land of Israel, as it is, as we can understand it in the Bible.
Saidel: The "Greater Israel"?
Shamir: The "Greater Israel"?…..I don't like… nobody spoke about, the "Greater Israel".… because Israel is a very small country and I think it is a lie!….. And nobody can express it, has a right to express it, about a "Greater Israel"! What is the "Greater Israel"? Israel is a little country! Even according to the views of the Revisionist movement. But the frontiers of this country, according to Jabotinsky and the Revisionist movement, have been, in the beginning until the World War, the land that is on both sides of the River of Jordan… the Yarden, the Jarden. And after the creation of the State of Israel, it was after the death of Jabotinsky, it was that the frontiers have to be from the Jordan, the Jordan River, until the Mediterranean. Because it will be a nonsense now to proclaim a war against the existing Jordanian Kingdom! Therefore, you can understand it without any doubt… that Israel is entitled to have, to create, this State of Israel and the borders between the River and the Sea. That's it!
Saidel: And the borders north and south would be what?
Shamir: Well in the north it's clear, the north… there are some historical views…. after the war of six days something changed, you know, about the Golan – but it's clear from this approach that the Golan is also, the Golan Heights are a part of Israel… and there are no differences about it, no internal differences in the Zionist movement. Some people think that it's permitted to give up the Gaza District but, according to the Revisionism, Gaza is a part of the land of Israel.
Saidel: Do you think someday it will extend to the River Euphrates?
Shamir: Please?
Saidel: Do you think that some day the border will extend north to the Euphrates as it says in the Bible?
Shamir: No. I believe that the existing borders of today, of the land of Israel, not of the State of Israel, will be the borders of the State of Israel. It means, in the north the Golan Heights will be part of Israel and in the Sud the Gaza, all the district of Gaza, will also be included in the State of Israel.
Four years after this discussion, on June 13, 1997, I spoke once again with Yitzhak Shamir and asked him what he thought about Menachem Begin's attempt to make peace by giving the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. His response was dismay.
Yitzhak Shamir: Well. It was a pity! It was a pity. I don't think that it was absolutely necessary for him to give up some land. You know, I don't understand people like the Jewish people, who have so little land and are talking and thinking all the time to give up or not to give up. I don't understand ….because people who have such a land, such a small land, couldn't think about giving up this little land that they have! I don't understand this people! It's a nonsense! A nonsense! Why to give up?!
Like Benzion Netanyahu and so many other Zionists, including the fighters for freedom who gave their lives in defense of the land, Yitzhak Shamir was an unflinching defender of Israeli territory. The idea of transferring lands which were wrested from enemy hands after attacks on the Jewish State, lands which were part of the ancient Biblical promise to the Jewish people, were incredulous to his thinking. Were he alive today, I believe that he would still plead his case, as would Benzion Netanyahu, against land for peace. Peace requires peace. Violence begets violence. There is no getting around it. Genuine peace partners are not hard to recognize.
Yitzhak Shamir: It's not understandable to see Jewish people who are very poor from the territorial point of view and they are asking all the time themselves what to give up more, how to give up more. And having need, such a need to give up, I don't understand it! And you have to explain to people you don't have to do it! It's not normal! It's not normal. We have to be normal people!


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19 Feb2017
Sydney Man Charged with Robbery, Assault
Regional Police say a Sydney man has been charged after a robbery at the Sobey's Fuels gas station on Prince Street in Sydney early yesterday morning.
20-year-old Tre Damian Timmons has been charged with robbery, wearing a disguise with intent, dangerous use of a weapon, uttering threats and assault with a weapon.
Police say the incident took place at around 6:45 am yesterday morning.
Police go on to say a large knife and a cash register were found close to the scene.
Timmons is on remand at the Corrections Centre and will appear in Sydney Provincial Court on Tuesday, February 21.

subset: commoncrawl


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Happy Fall!!!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Chalkboard Subway Art
I have been seeing subway art all over the blog world and I LOVE it! I haven't had the time to make some of my own yet so I decided to use an existing chalkboard I have hanging in the breakfast area to create subway art with chalk pens! Check it out! I love it! The picture isn't the best because I took it with my blackberry but you get the idea.
Posted by Ocean at 9/25/2010 06:55:00 PM
1 comment:
- Summer said...
Thanks for linking up! I'll be featuring your idea on my blog on Saturday!
- September 28, 2010 at 9:59 PM
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Subscribe To America's Got Talent Results: Quarterfinal #5 - YouTube Updates
I've already subscribed
Last week, Team iLuminate gave the kind of performance that wins a million dollars and a show in Vegas. I'm almost ready to call it now, but we've still got six more episodes to get through, so I'm willing to play it out. Acrobats Zuma Zuma and dance crew Fatally Unique also turned in performances good enough to make it through, and comedienne Melissa Villasenor got through on the judges' good will.
Last year, 10-year-old operatic phenom Jackie Evancho came out of nowhere, from a YouTube audition, to within a hair's-breadth of winning the whole damn show. After that, you'd better believe that the show's producers are going back to the YouTube well once again. The judges, having sifted through thousands of ninety-seconds-or-less videos, have chosen twelve of their favorites to vie for four spots in the semifinals. None of these acts appeared live, none of them went to Vegas, and so no one knew anything about them going in.
Here is a synopsis of how it went on Tuesday night:
TNC Elite - Two years ago, five sisters from Utah called the Fab Five clog-danced their way right into my heart. It's because of them that I probably like this group, which is much larger and includes dancers of both sexes, a fairer chance. They were quite good, dressed in their colorful Glee-ish outfits, they were in sync, and they were quite enjoyable. And trust me, folks, clog dancing WELL is really hard. Piers gave it a passable thumbs-up, however, and Sharon wasn't sold on the idea of mixing clogging with contemporary music. Howie wasn't wild about it either.
Brett Daniels - He's an illusionist, he's 50 years old, and if magic doesn't work out, he looks like he could be cast in the next horrible Punisher movie. (Just sayin'.) I happened to love his video, so I was rooting for him going in. His trick tonight was a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, and the parts of the routine that involved having his "Marilyn" model appear and disappear were great. Unfortunately, the rest of the time he was just leading her around the stage doing little dramatic flourishes, and that caused it to drag a bit (and Piers to buzz him). This just HASN'T been the season for magicians, has it?
Gabe Rocks - I won't waste words here, because I can't believe that this act made the cut out of thousands. Gabe, you see, is a bulldog… that can ride a skateboard. He can also ride a hobby-horse and flush a toilet, and get this… he can fetch. What a talent for a dog to have! In all seriousness, it's something to show off to your neighbors, but America? Not on your life. Piers buzzed him, and I wish I could have too. The one redeeming feature was when Gabe peed on a three-foot-high likeness of Piers, which I have to believe is something Howie and Sharon encouraged his owner to train Gabe to do.
Aeon - Do you know what parkour is? If you don't, look it up, because that's what this quintet of youngsters does. It's usually the kind of thing that requires a lot of wide-open space and doesn't lend itself well to a small stage. The act involved a lot of somersaults and flipping (not impressive) and one guy spinning around inside a person-sized hula hoop (not bad). The whole thing was very chaotic, with too much going on at once, and Piers buzzed them as well. Don't blame him.
Breena Bell - Breena is an eight-year-old girl whose chosen talent is dancing and contortionism. Like many girls her age, she's very limber, so much so that she can twist herself so that her heels can rest atop her head. She's adorable, of course, dancing around in her little yellow tutu, and I won't make light of her ability, but after all the little-kiddie acts we've already had this season, the "awww" factor is about gone for me. And for Piers, too, who used his buzzer for the fourth consecutive time. Yikes. The whole thing just screamed, "Look at ME, America!" That's not a good thing.
Kevin Colis - Knew there had to be one solo singer on this program, and Kevin is it. From his video, I could see that he was older and more seasoned than teenagers Dylan Andre and Taylor Davis. He's actually a few years older than last season's winner Michael Grimm, and I was hoping he would be able to be even half as good, and he was. Half as good, that is. He wasn't horrible, and he got one big glory note at the end, which was enough to get a good ovation. The judges loved him, which surprised me, because he's really not that special.
Beth Ann Robinson - Beth Ann's act is very similar to Breena's, except that 14-year-old Beth Ann leans more heavily toward the dancing and less contortionism. Give her another three years, and she could shine on So You Think You Can Dance. Right now, she's amazing. Doing a mix of ballet and contemporary, she totally owned the stage, which is tough for a solo dancer to do, EVER. Major props to her.
Gymkana - Lots of gymnastic-involved acts tonight! Despite not being professionals, this group of collegians have crafted a neat spectacle. Tonight they showcased their abilities by using their bodies to make symmetric shapes on a pair of twenty-foot ladders, while others did flips and somersaults around them. It was a little impressive, but there is a lot of room for an act like this to stretch itself (no pun intended).
Kalani Basketball Freestyle - Like the yo-yo, or the Frisbee, or the baton, the basketball is not really the kind of object you can build a Vegas act around unless you're the Globetrotters. Kalani is a Hawaiian who can juggle and spin several b-balls at once, and I think you'll agree, that's a good halftime show but not much more. Plus, nerves got the better of him, it seemed, and a couple of dropped balls got him Piers' fifth buzz of the night.
West Springfield Dance Team - Many dance crews try to be badass but fail. The WSDT succeeds, however, because of their edgy style, cool wardrobe and funky zombie-like contact lenses. (Think The Matrix filtered through Thriller.) They've got a hook that a lot of the other dance crews don't have, and that might be enough to take them far. They need a cooler name for the group, regardless.
Matt Wilhelm - Matt got more votes/views from his video than any other YouTube act, and it's not hard to see why. What he does is mix the bicycle stunts of last season's Jeremy Vanschoonhoven with the glow-in-the-dark coolness of Fighting Gravity. Clad in a funky glowy outfit and spinning his bike around in the dark is a very cool effect, and it's just the kind of thing that audiences love. My biggest question is: what ELSE can he do? It's great the first time you see it, but there needs to be more, because when you stack Matt against Team iLuminate, it's just no contest.
Powerhouse - Just in time for the release of the Glee 3D Concert Movie comes this act, a choir that claims to have been one of the inspirations for the hit TV show. And they were pretty good (if you're into that sort of thing), performing a cheesy-as-all-get-out rendition of Katy Perry's "Firework". It's not something that really works for me, and Howie echoes my sentiments, giving them his only X of the night.
So, in a nutshell, it's patently obvious that there are really no acts on the level of Jackie Evancho this season. Matt Wilhelm is really the only act I saw that has a reasonable shot at Top 10, and even that may be an uphill battle given the level of competition. I expected Matt and Beth Ann to cruise through on votes. The other two are tougher to guess, but I figured it would be Gymkana and WDST, with Powerhouse possibly sneaking in, and Kevin Colis an outside shot.
Matt Wilhelm, unsurprisingly, breezed through to the semis, as did Gymkana. I was quite shocked that Kevin Colis did too. The judges' choice came down to a choice between graceful solo dancer Beth Ann Robinson and the edgy stylings of the West Springfield Dance Team. In the end, it was Beth Ann that moved on, winning the vote by a 2-1 margin. The good news for WDST, however, was that Sharon immediately informed them that they were her Wild Card pick, and will be performing again next week.
Next week: the Wild Card show. Twelve acts that fell by the wayside somewhere along the line this season, being given another chance to redeem past mistakes and make it to the semifinals.


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About Roy Masters
More than a talk host, Roy Masters is also a listen host. From coast to coast his show has touched and brought life-changing courage to millions, including such diversely famous fans as the late John Wayne and Internet journalist Matt Drudge.
Roy speaks with the enchanting accent of his British boyhood, and with the crystal clarity and flashing brilliance of the diamonds he polished as a young craftsman.
His show helps people understand and reclaim control over their own lives. Millions more have seen or heard Roy Masters on shows such as CNN's "Crossfire," "Sally Jesse Raphael," Fox News Channel's "Drudge Report", Sean Hannity's WABC Show, and CNN's 'Larry King Live." Many others have found their lives changed by reading one or more of his 15 best-selling books, which include How Your Mind Can Keep You Well?, Surviving the Comfort Zone, The Secret Power of Words, and How to Conquer Negative Emotions.
America's most beloved radio referee in the battle of the sexes, Roy attracts both men and women with his incisive understanding, clear advice, charming humor, deep passion, bedrock values, and sometimes-shocking honesty and frankness. He has a magnetic gift for attracting and holding listener attention.
Roy is also Director and Founder of the Foundation of Human Understanding. For over 45 years the guiding force behind the FHU and its mission to provide support to anyone searching for personal and spiritual guidance.


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WASA Inc. provides customers with a wealth of experience, hands-on service, competitive pricing and the utmost integrity.
After years of learning the trade at some of the best known air structure companies, Robert Jessome and Emily Cameron were excited to form WASA Inc. in February of 2008. Bob and Emily have a combined thirty years experience in air structures, ranging from production and manufacturing to the installation and service of some of the largest air structures in the world.
Unlike other companies, WASA Inc.'s sole purpose is to provide customers with the service they need. Since there is nothing manufactured, there is nothing for sale except excellent service!


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Cultivating Gratitude
Everyone has something to be thankful for. I don't think there is a person alive who would disagree with that statement. We can be grateful for the big things and the small things, in the good times and in the bad times, for past blessings and for future opportunities. Everyone has something to be thankful for. If this is true, then why do we struggle sometimes to be thankful? Why are we so good at finding the one negative in all the positive. Why are we so good at seeing the dot on the paper, but missing all the white space?
The Bible is so clear in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." It is actually part of God's plan for our life to be thankful. Wow! Think about that! No matter what unique plan God has for your life, a part of that plan is to be thankful. Gratitude is an action. It is something we do, it is something we develop.
A way to develop gratitude in your life is to take 30 seconds each day to look around you and ask yourself, "What do I have to be thankful for right now?" I would challenge you to to set a time each day and stop for 30 seconds, look around, and find one thing to be be thankful for. Do it for seven days in a row and see how it helps you cultivate gratitude.


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Four members of a drugs gang have been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison after police seized £140,000 worth of cocaine.
Officers stopped a vehicle on Harehills Lane in Leeds on September 16 last year, and found 1kg of the Class A drug inside.
Nathaniel Wisdom, 26, from Broadlea Avenue, Leeds, and Anton Brown, 19, from Stainbeck Road, Leeds were in the car.
And enquiries led police to two more people - Joshua Pyke, 28, from Clough Street, Morley, and Kane Dacosta, 24, from The Lane, Richmond Hill, Leeds.
Dacosta was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and money laundering and sentenced to eight years and six months in prison, at Leeds Crown Court today.
Pyke and Brown were found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and sentenced to seven years and three years and six months respectively.
Wisdom admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and was sent to prison for five years and eight months.
Detective Inspector Mark Long, of the Protective Services (Crime) team at West Yorkshire Police, said: "These sentences send out a strong message that this sort of criminal activity will not be tolerated in West Yorkshire.
"These four individuals were involved in a serious criminal enterprise and I am delighted that they are no longer able to ply their evil trade."


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About J.L. Kelly
J.L. Kelly is an American speaker, Bible teacher & author of Christian novels that combine compelling story worlds with unforgettable characters in tremendously moving novels. Her writing is dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ in thanksgiving for the many relationships that have inspired, redeemed, sustained, challenged, encouraged and transformed the life God has invited her to humbly fulfill for His honor and glory.
She believes words are powerful. "Writing is a great privilege and carries a responsibility with its creative expression. I pray for inspiration and the right amount of balance in creating deep and compelling characters in a story world that is authentic and yet hopeful. My books are founded on relationships—spiritual, friendships, and family and forged through the real and raw stories that take place as sinners are saved by grace and sanctified through the Word of truth."
J.L Kelly's characters are connected from one book to the next. Ones you love will show up again in another story and like old friends, she hopes you're glad to see them. Ones you don't like might catch you judging them. Every good story needs an antagonist and we've all been that from time to time. We need grace for the proud and the hurting. She hopes you're open to changing your opinion of some of her 'bad guys' as they are transformed. We should never assume the arm of the Lord is too short to save any character. After all, we were all at one time that "character".
Her mission is to share the Truth in love. Reviewers agree that J.L. Kelly books are sometimes intense and might not be for readers who are looking for the classic sweet Christian story where characters do everything right. Unapologetically her style is to write it real—meaning what real life looks like, tackling issues with universal importance in a God honoring way. Her characters will never be perfect but they will proclaim to you the love, grace and mercy of a perfect God.
If you want to know more about J.L Kelly, read on...
On the young side of fifty, I thought I'd be farther along by now in my sanctification, but I'm not. The more I learn, the more I know that I'm a great sinner saved by a greater Grace. Yet I introduce myself to you first as a student of the Word, God's Word, the Bible. As Brennan Manning defined so well my "Theology, faith seeking understanding and Spirituality, the faith-experience of what we understand intellectually," were cultivated in me by loving Christian parents.
I was an only child in a middle class family and that beginning has beset me. The lonely one is often a dreamer. The storyteller is a schemer. And the spoiled one is rotten with her entitled self. So I have spent most of my adult life learning to share, serve, and surrender as that living sacrifice we're to offer that is holy and pleasing to God.
God's Truth never changes but how we understand God changes--matures with our experiences of Him and our surrender of self. God is impossible to fully understand and His ways are beyond us which makes us seek and struggle and want to sit and discuss Him and His living Word with other seekers. This process of Bible study, discussion, and teaching was cultivated in me through Bible Study Fellowship International and has spiritually developed me through its training using accountability and application in disciplined daily study.
This wanting to know God and understand Him intimately produced an equipped prayer wrestler. Sometimes I just didn't get it-what God was saying or what God did historically in the Bible or what He was telling me not to do that I really wanted to do--so I wrestled it out with him in prayer. God pens quite a story through my journal. My story of surrender. A life of triumph and traumas. Sky and shadow. Death and life. Failure and faith. His story, a Love story. Furious and frightening. Passionate and powerful. Redemptive and forgiving. Mysterious and offending. Faithful. His Story written through my story. Strategic sanctification of a great sinner saved by a greater grace.
As a teenager I experienced the grief of losing a mother to the brutality of cancer. As a young adult I lost my mother-in-law to the evil of murder. For more than 25 years I have fought the good and sometimes ugly fight to stay married and lovingly call my husband a refining fire because marriage is about holiness not just happiness. I am a mother who really 'began to walk with God' after the birth of her beloved sons and now has watched with honor as they are shot like arrows into the world as godly young men. I've been abundantly loved and yet at times Love's fury made me furious. I've been offended by a sovereign God yet had no where to turn. To whom shall we go when we believe He is the Holy One with the words of eternal life? The lamenting 'why?' echoes in every heart at sometime in life and God faithfully answered the why question. And so I penned a story... People watching is a past time of mine. Understanding people-how we change and transform and the varied complexity of personalities was fascinating to me. I am a type 4
personality on the Enneagram- the Romantic Individualist. As Don Riso and Russ Hudson explain, "The Enneagram maps out the 9 fundamental personality types of human nature and their complex interrelationships." Understanding the 9 personality types-the Reformer, Helper, Achiever, Individualist, Investigator, Loyalist, Enthusiast, Challenger, and Peacemaker- has given my characters a depth I could never pen without this growing awareness of how God created personality. The Enneagram helps us understand there are 9 different points of view, distinct sets of values, different communication styles, ways of solving problems, with external behaviors, underlying attitudes, emotional reactions, defense mechanisms, spiritual barriers and potentials and much, much more. I agree with the Enneagram teaching that self-knowledge is an invaluable guardian against self-deception. Exploring the awareness of knowing who we are, practicing observing our own behavior to own the truth of who we are really acting out, then understanding or interpreting what that behavior information really means lined up against the Word of God is the basis of transformation work. We must know the truth about ourselves-we're sinners--confess and agree with God about falling short to meet his standards and repent, 'think differently' as Bob Hamp teaches and set our mind against these false identity patterns and turn back to identify with Christ and through the Holy Spirit live Him out. And so I penned a story about a girl who is a four that meets a boy who is an eight...
I've mixed up wants and needs most of my life. Seduced by this world's pretty things, I lust and covet and own too many shoes--too many of a lot of things. I want. My root sin is envy—it's not that I don't want you to have nice things, I do, I just want the great thing that I see in you that's missing in me, and that tells me envy's counterpart is greed. I just keep wanting more but we all know the 'more' is never enough. The more in my hand (an idol) is a lie because it never satisfies me because I keep replacing it. All I need is Christ to be fulfilled and satisfied. And so I penned a story...
A Christian once told me I needed to learn to properly fear God so I would obey His laws, citing, "Be holy for God is holy." I spent a season studying God's holiness and fearfully trying to "do" holy. It didn't work. We are to "be" holy. God's holiness is terrifying and awe inducing and 'the fear of God' is the beginning of wisdom. I am in awe of God because He loves me. God means what He said about Sin- it's wages are death and He will ultimately judge and remove/separate all sin/sinners from His presence which is why Jesus came. I found loving God with heart, soul, strength and mind results in 'be holy' and resolves the tension in my soul because holy is not all that God is, He is so much more. There is no fear in Love. And God is Love. I am loved by ABBA. And love is the very best motivation toward holiness not fear. So I confess this application that I have a reverent respect that God is awesome in His holiness – transcendent and yet He is near, relational and personal in His love for us. I love the Lord Jesus so much that it breaks my heart when I sin and violate God's will so I want to obey. And so I penned a story...
I'm proud of the fact that one of the things I hate is people who judge. Funny how pride makes us say ridiculous things. And judging makes us point our finger. And pointing our finger at someone points four fingers back at us. All this pointing makes us forget that it is the law that points out our need for a savior and we were never commanded to judge, or point out sin, but we are commanded to love. So proud judging people are a necessary evil maybe to remind us how unloving judging looks. I strive to point out a sin by showing you its destructive result and showcase God's amazing grace in repentance and forgiveness and transforming power. And so I penned a story...
Prose too titillating for you? I don't write unrealistic sweet stories and will make no excuse only give an account. We learn through experiences and stories help us experience truth. Think of Christ's parables--was the prodigal son or the good Samaritan sweet? The ending was but the stories were about real life. I try to be authentic and make characters that are struggling with current real universal issues. The saints in the Bible were all sinners save One. And the One, Jesus of Nazareth made it a habit to hang out with harlots and drunks and the greedy and the lowly because they knew they were hell bent sick sinners who needed a savior. He came to save sinners not the righteous. Although my stories are fiction, they are not sweet, pure and modest for the self righteous. They are raw and real and redemptive tales about sinners saved by grace. My writing has a warning label--I write it real. There will be a tension to my writing. A story world that is hostile to a Biblical worldview with characters learning how to live in it and not be of it. Themes are contextualized for the current culture and its hot topics. And if my prose are too titillating, if they stimulate an emotional response of tears, or anger, or outrage, bafflement or even lust then you're experiencing the lesson of the truth as it comes to you in its most understood form, story. This is why I pen raw, real, redemptive stories; they change us.
I follow the footsteps of the ragamuffins before me, apologetically in pretty shoes. My most common title for God will always be Love and for sinners, the loved. You are loved by a God who says He is Love. Amazing. Amen. Love saw us while we were yet sinners, smiled and spoke softly in our ear to tell us His Love story. God did that for me and now I hold the pen to write His Story in my story. The Kingdom of God is like . . . And so I penned a story.


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This summer six celebrities will be on the market and off the shelf, as they seek a soulmate in a new E4 dating show!
Celebs Go Dating will follow the nightly dates a number of TV, music and online stars as they try to find a non-celebrity love match.
MORE: Big Brother 2016: Andy, Jason, Jackson, and Laura face final eviction of the series
After failing to find love in their celebrity circles Charlotte Crosby, Joey Essex, Stephanie Pratt, Tyger Drew-Honey, You Tube's Jack Jones, and Tattoo Fixers' Paisley will all be matched and date ordinary people in the hope that they will have more success in matters of the heart.
E4 viewers who take a shine to our celebrities can apply to take part before the show starts by emailing email@example.com but will only get selected for a date night if the expert's think they have a real chance of being compatible.
Dating agency owner Eden Blackman and matchmaker Nadia Essex will be looking to pair our single celebrities with prospective partners.
The ultimate goal is that these talented bachelors and bachelorettes find a true love- at the end of the three weeks.
MORE: Jessie J will not return to The Voice as she focuses on her music
Cameras will capture all the action – making sure that any outrageous flirting awkward silences, lover's tiffs and first kisses are caught on camera for viewers to see.
There will be pre, during and post chemistry analysis of the date by the date making team, as well as the viewers at home.
The dates will be followed from start to finish – from making sure outfits are on point, last minute blind date nerves, through to postdate reactions and revelations.
It's a once in a life opportunity to be wined and dined by some of the UK's hottest, single celebs.
Channel 4 Head of Formats Dom Bird said: "If there's one thing we can't bear to see at E4, it's a celebrity who's unlucky in love. That's why we've created our own celebrity dating agency, whose sole aim is to find true romance for famous singletons.
Celebs Go Dating will find real people and match them up with famous faces, all in the name of love."
Celebs Go Dating will air nightly over three weeks.


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Experience first-hand French life, living near the center of Northwest France's major metropolis
The Summer Academy in Nantes is housed at the Blanche de Castille, a day and boarding school located a short bus ride from the bustling city center. The campus is completely enclosed and the buildings center around a quiet campus green. You'd never guess that it is so close to the heart of the city!
Academy students will live and take all their classes on-campus. Part of the college prep experience you'll have at the Academy is living in a dorm. Rooms are comfy and recently renovated. You'll live in a single room (and all rooms have private en suite bathrooms), and will be on a floor with other students close to you in age. Together, you'll be part of a Living Group -- a sort of a home base for you over the course of the Academy. Each Living Group is overseen by an RE of the same gender, and every evening, you'll meet to chat about the day, describing triumphs and challenges you may have faced, and wind down before bed. You'll do other activities by Living Group, as well, both in the dorm and out.
Meals will be served cafeteria-style on-campus at Blanche de Castille. The cafeteria staff has lots of experience in planning menus for students, and can accommodate students with food allergies or other dietary restrictions. Please contact MIL to discuss your particular situation.
During your free time, you'll be able to enjoy the facilities on campus or go in small groups into the neighborhood. On-campus, there is a piano available for practicing; there is also a large gym where you can join friends for soccer, badminton, or basketball. For a more serious workout, drop by the fitness center and use the weights and machines. The campus also boasts a running trail.


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Purvi Vegetarian Egg-Less Noodles
Available In 250g
Cooking Instructions: Put the noodles in a pan of boiling water for about 2 minutes. Stir tenderly until the noodles loosens. Drain the hot water and soak them thoroughly in clear cold water. Add a knob of butter, if preferred, and serve according to your preference.
Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Water, Salt, Raising Agent E500.
Allergy Advice: For allergens, including gluten, see ingredients in Bold.
Storage: Store in a cool dry place.
Country Of Origin: Product Of Malaysia
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