A long dirt drive leads to the Edwin Way Teale home in Hampton.
A long dirt drive to the Edwin Way Teale house, in Hampton, is just as it was in 1959 when the naturalist writer and his wife, Nellie, bought the place.
The 1806 cape is a modest home. The first floor is mostly living room with stone hearth where a wood stove now sits. A study in the northeast corner remains as it was when Teale was alive. Artwork celebrating nature hangs on the walls. There is a picture of the Teale’s only son, David, who was killed in WWII. A big desk – the site of Teale’s work – occupies a central spot. He wrote 30 books, 10 at Trail Wood.
Wandering Through Winter won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction in 1966.
Bookshelves line the walls. There are nature and reference guides, identification books for mammals, birds, insects, trees and flowers. Teale was consumed with writing about the natural world. And while he wrote in the study, his real office was outdoors. The farmhouse sat on 130 acres and the Teales spent most of their time walking the land. They noted the passing of the seasons, the migrations of the birds, the habits of the beaver and fox and coyote.
The Teales donated the property to the Connecticut Audubon Society and the nonprofit took ownership in 1993 after Nellie’s death. The original 130 acres became 158 acres with an additional donation. And now Connecticut Audubon is in the process of restoring the home. The work is being done in a manner consistent with the maintenance of a state historic landmark, which the property is. The Connecticut Audubon Society is grateful for the support of the 1772 Foundation and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, and the grant funds that jump started the work.
The 1:1 matching grant of $15,000 has put a new roof on the house. The exterior received a new coat of paint thanks to volunteers. After raising donations from the community, windows are being stripped, glazed, primed and painted. Rodent resistant insulation is being put in the walls and ceilings. The chimney was repointed. Plans are also in the works to get an energy efficient heating and cooling system installed.
The 1772 Foundation and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation are supporting work on the Edwin Way Teale home in Hampton.
Volunteers Barry Davis and Jack Camp scraped, primed and painted the exterior of the Teale home this past summer.
And it will ensure the Teale’s legacy of environmental appreciation and protection continues. The home has played host to more than 30 artists during a summer artist-in-residence program that began in 2012. Writers, poets, photographers and painters have used the home to work on projects that celebrate the natural world.
Which is another reason for keeping the home as it was when the Teales lived there.
For more information on Trail Wood go to www.ctaudubon.org/trailwood-wood-home. Applications for the artist-in-residence program can be found there. The deadline for submission is March 15.


SEW INSPIRING: Elyse Maguire in her Cape Cod design studio, draws inspiration from life on the Cape in her line of chic scarves.
Classic New England style has a definite appeal, but Cape Cod designer Elyse Maguire is all about creating a collection with edge.
“Cape Cod only gets represented in this one very traditional, preppy way and there was a different take that I wanted to bring to life,” Maguire told the Herald.
The 45-year-old splits her time between her Brooklyn home and Chatham design studio, and will officially launch a line of chic scarves this August. They are available for pre-order online now. Maguire — an advertising professional-turned-designer — is Boston-born, Midwest-bred and spent summers on the Cape with family.
The colors used to create her signature fringed scarves are inspired by things like beach roads, gray cottages, the Cape’s stunning landscape and sea glass. They’re also about wearability.
While the collection is designed and hand-fringed in Chatham, some pieces ($120 retail) are made in New York, Peru and eventually beyond.
The Parsons School of Design grad and Altuzarra and Rosie Assoulin alum is also working on a home fragrance line of candles (inspired by the Cape, of course) that is slated to launch in October.


By CORRESPONDENT, BUNGOMA, Kenya, Mar 3 – Headteachers have been urged to give their best in their institutions to make Bungoma the centre of academic excellence in Kenya.
Speaking in Nakuru Thursday in the ongoing Bungoma County Secondary School Heads Association Conference, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka observed that Kenya has a young and energetic population, which has the potential to transform the country’s economic fortunes.
But to achieve this transformation, the County Boss observed, there is need to improve the quality of the skills young learners possess when entering the labour market.
“This calls for perpetual improvements in the education system at all levels,” he said.
He cited the boosting of morale of teachers and instilling good behavior to students as the key ingredients to making Bungoma a top performing county in education in the country.
The County Government of Bungoma has been at the forefront in boosting access to education through the construction of more than 135 modern ECDE classrooms, translating to three in every ward.
It has also implemented the nutrition programme in 200 ECDE schools, recruited and deployed of more than 2000 teachers besides awarding bursaries and scholarships to deserving students in all of its 45 wards.
The headteachers called on the county government to intensify its efforts in boosting enrollment, particularly the early levels of education through the allocation of more resources to ECDE.
“So far, the progress has been impressive. We appreciate that one of our own was picked to be the deputy governor. We will continue working closely with the county to ensure school enrollment hits more than 95 per cent,” said Richard Sabwami, the association head and principal of Sikusi Boys High School.
“We have parents, our students and members with us. We will market you (Lusaka) as a serious brand worth our community,” noted Sabwami.


Kanye West tweeted a photo on Wednesday night that appears to show him singing karaoke with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as well as an entourage.
West says that they sang "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys.
It's not clear when the photo was taken.
Earlier on Wednesday, the New York Times published a bombshell report that detailed the response of Zuckerberg and other top execs to the string of crises that has consumed Facebook — including word that the social network had considered banning Donald Trump in 2015.
West was a vocal Trump supporter until he decided to step back from politics.
Back in 2016, Kanye asked Zuckerberg for $1 billion to pursue his art.


According to a recovering “wealth addict” in a column in the Sunday NY Times — he's a young man who at 25 was making a few million a year (but it wasn’t nearly enough) — the mania to accumulate more and more wealth beyond what anyone could possibly need or spend is a disease the very rich fall prey to. They might suffer some psychological trauma, poor babies, but it’s everyone else who pays, literally, for their drug of choice.
The growing accumulation of wealth in a few hands bends economic and political power in the direction of the rich, as the column makes clear. Income inequality is about concentration of wealth in the hands of a few people and the growing number of others living at or near the poverty level, but it also poses a serious threat to the health of our democracy.
Back to the NY Times column in a minute. First, some stats.
Four hundred billionaires have a net worth equal to that of the country’s 14 million-plus African Americans. So writes Bob Lord on my old home at Blog for Arizona in a chillling Martin Luther King Day note.
The net worth of just 400 billionaires, a group that could fit into a high school gym, is on par with the collective wealth of our more than 14 million African- American households. Both groups possess some $2 trillion, about three percent of our national net worth of $77 trillion.
Today’s Star has a McClatchy article with a similar statistic, this time on a global scale.
The world’s richest 85 people control the same amount of wealth as half the world’s population, according to a report issued Monday by the British-based anti-poverty charity Oxfam.
Who benefited most from the 2008 housing bust and worldwide financial downturn according to the article? No surprise here.
The report also said that while the recent financial crisis was an enormous burden on the world’s poor, it ended up being a huge benefit to the rich elite. The very wealthiest people on Earth collected 95 percent of the post-crisis growth, the report said.
Back to the NY Times “wealth addiction” column. The writer described his ascent on the hedge fund ladder and his descent into a downward spiral of greed, craving more and more money.
Now, working elbow to elbow with billionaires, I was a giant fireball of greed. . . . I wanted a billion dollars. It’s staggering to think that in the course of five years, I’d gone from being thrilled at my first bonus — $40,000 — to being disappointed when, my second year at the hedge fund, I was paid “only” $1.5 million.
In his college days, he was a serious drinker and drug user. He kicked those habits, but he understood the nature of addiction, so he recognized what he saw around him for what it was.
I noticed the vitriol that traders directed at the government for limiting bonuses after the crash. I heard the fury in their voices at the mention of higher taxes. These traders despised anything or anyone that threatened their bonuses. Ever see what a drug addict is like when he’s used up his junk? He’ll do anything — walk 20 miles in the snow, rob a grandma — to get a fix. Wall Street was like that. In the months before bonuses were handed out, the trading floor started to feel like a neighborhood in “The Wire” when the heroin runs out.
Ever wonder why ridiculously wealthy people work so hard against tax increases and government regulations even though they have enough money to last a dozen generations? This is a big part of the answer.
The current conservative defense against the growing Democratic push to curb income inequality is to say it doesn’t matter how much money the top one percent has. It’s all about helping the Job Creators create Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, and about getting all those lazy bastards at the low end of the economic spectrum off their asses and working instead of living off the government dole. They're wrong. The accumulation of wealth at the top echelons creates huge economic and political distortions which, unchecked, grow in a self-perpetuating spiral.
About the "wealth addict" who wrote the column. He left the hedge fund and experienced what he describes as withdrawal. But he's happy with his decision.
In the three years since I left, I’ve married, spoken in jails and juvenile detention centers about getting sober, taught a writing class to girls in the foster system, and started a nonprofit called Groceryships to help poor families struggling with obesity and food addiction. I am much happier. I feel as if I’m making a real contribution.


'We have a duty to prepare for the worst': Peter King warns Iran has 'hundreds' of Hezbollah agents in the U.S.
Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah may have hundreds of operatives based in the United States, and Hezbollah - not al-Qaida - poses the greatest terrorist threat to Americans, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Peter King, said today.
Since September 11 2001, America’s counter-terror officials have focussed on al-Qaida and home-grown radicalised American extremists, said the New York representative at a hearing of his committee. But, now, the terrorist threat to the United States is shifting.
‘As Iran moves closer to nuclear weapons and there is increasing concern over war between Iran and Israel, we must also focus on Iran's secret operatives and their number one terrorist proxy force, Hezbollah, which we know is in America. That’s right, we know Hezbollah operatives are here.
‘The question is whether these Hezbollah operatives have the capacity to carry out attacks on the homeland and how quickly they can become fully operational,’ King said.
Opening the hearing, King said, ‘we have a duty to prepare for the worst’, and referred to the 20 Hezbollah-related prosecutions that have taken place in the United States since 9/11.
He also referred to a murder plot allegedly directed by the Iranian government to kill the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. last year as a further warning sign of the potential threat that the country poses to Americans.
‘Several of their comrades, of these UN mission types in New York, were removed from the mission and sent back to Iran after the NYPD caught them photographing the city’s rail system in the years since 9/11,’ he said.
Mitchell Silber, the NYPD's director of intelligence analysis and one of the witnesses to the panel, confirmed that said since 2005, New York law enforcement officers have interviewed at least 13 people with ties to Iran's government who were seen taking pictures of New York City landmarks. Police considered the activity to be pre-operational surveillance.
He added that New York's international significance as a terror target and its large Jewish population make the city a likely place for Iran and Hezbollah to strike.
In May 2005, Silber said, tips led the NYPD to six people on a sight-seeing cruise who were taking pictures and movies of city landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge. In September 2008, police interviewed three people taking pictures of railroad tracks. And in September 2010, federal air marshals saw four people taking pictures and videos at a New York heliport.
Interviews with law enforcement revealed that all were associated with the Iranian government, but they were ultimately released and never charged, Silber said.
'We have a duty to prepare for the worst': Peter King says Iran has hundreds of Hezbollah agents in the U.S.


President Trump's tariffs are not a simple job-preservation measure, writes Leo W. Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers.
The Trump administration’s steel tariffs are intended to staunch the flow of rust from closed American steel mills. The aluminum tariffs are designed to halt the rapid shuttering of American aluminum smelters.
Tens of thousands of steel and aluminum workers have lost their jobs over the past five years as subsidized metal from China glutted the world market, artificially forcing down prices.
The tariffs are not, however, a simple job-preservation measure. President Trump levied them to try to secure sufficient domestic production capacity of these vital metals for defense — for planes and tanks and for critical infrastructure.
Not every slab of steel or ingot of aluminum produced in the United States is necessary for munitions. But as the Commerce Department’s Section 232 investigations under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 showed, it is possible that so many steel and aluminum mills would be forced to shut down that the United States could not supply its own defense needs.
The United Steelworkers union and American metals companies have in recent years paid millions to file trade cases documenting Chinese violations. The USW and U.S. firms almost always win. But then the Chinese mills switch to a different product, and the wrangling in trade court, which may take a year to resolve, begins again.
China also circumvents penalties by trans-shipping, or sending the metals to a third country where nothing is changed but the origin labels. And now China is building, buying and subsidizing mills all over the world. Metal marked “Made in Serbia” or “Made in Indonesia” escapes penalties on the metal made in China, even when it was produced with the same market-distorting Chinese subsidies. The Trump administration’s blanket tariffs address this whack-a-mole problem.
Canada, a close U.S. ally and economic doppelganger, should be exempt from the tariffs. But more generally, the Trump administration is right that they are crucial to security.
Leo W. Gerard is international president of the United Steelworkers.


Canadian eBook seller and eReader-maker Kobo has four new slates to show off to the public, part of a renewed push to target a wider market while also catering to faithful fans of the brand.
The Kobo Arc 10 HD tablet.
The hero of the new line-up is the $499.95 Kobo Arc 10 HD, a 10-inch tablet competing with the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and Nexus 10. It’s largely similar to its contemporaries, but is unique in offering both a standard Android tablet menu — complete with all the apps, notifications and distractions you’d expect — and a pared-down, reading-focused interface, which disables all distractions and offers access to Kobo’s growing library of graphic novels and interactive kids’ books alongside classic eBook fare.
A $249.95 16GB and $299.95 32GB 7-inch version of the Arc HD will also be available when the tablet line-up is released, as will a $199.95 8GB non-HD variant. All will use the same dual-mode interface. All Kobo’s Arc devices are designed to retain the entire feature-set of an Android tablet, with unrestricted access to the Google Play store and plenty of processing power, but the company is banking on its history as a book-seller to appeal to parents and occasional readers.
The Kobo Arc 7 and 7 HD tablets.
Part of this appeal is a move to offer more immersive and interactive content through the Kobo eBook store — including children’s literature like the Hairy Maclary series, and to further increase the appeal of its eBook library with curated, Pinterest-esque ‘Collections’ of related content, including author interviews, soundtracks, videos and audio tied in with traditional eBook titles.
The Kobo Aura 6-inch eReader.
Far from switching its attention entirely to multimedia tablets, though, Kobo also has a new eReader in the Aura. With the Aura HD remaining popular, the Aura is a pared-down version of the existing flagship, transferring the HD’s 1GHz processor and 4GB of storage into a slightly smaller 6-inch eReader with a 212ppi Pearl eInk screen, with a Comfortlight screen light also built in. The Kobo Aura will be $189.95, $40 cheaper than the Aura HD’s recommended retail price.


Indulge me, if you will, as I attempt to plant a seed or two.
What is love, anyway? Specifically, what is “old love?” As we age, we can look back on the many loving relationships in our lives. Maybe we vividly call up passion-filled romantic trysts and smile at ourselves in the remembering. But what is love defined and held close for someone in the final decades of life?
I will start at the beginning. Did you know there are three kinds of love? Eros is desire-filled, sometimes breathless love. There’s a lot of that when we’re young and hopefully some of it as we grow older. Although, the “breathless” part of that definition may require a different kind of execution as one ages.
Philia is affectionate love as well as friendship and shared good will. Older adults need a lot of that.
There are actually more kinds of love — maybe as many as eight, according to the ancient Greeks. There is stroge love, which is described as “familiar” or “kinship” love. Although if I told my husband, “I have stroge for you today,” he would probably think I wanted him to take out the garbage. “Playful” love is ludas. I consider that the exuberant hug from a grandchild. Enduring love is pragma. It might be the best kind of love as we age, but I’m still gathering evidence.
The kind of love to worry about is philautia or “self-love, selfishness.” Too much of that in its extreme form, and the other kinds of love that people may have for you erode, maybe even disappear altogether. If you do a lot of that kind of narcissistic loving and living in your life, you end up old and unloved by almost everyone.
There is also mania or “obsessive love.” It is thought by some to be an imbalance between eros and ludus. That too should be avoided if possible. Or at least get it out of your system early on.
I came upon a fascinating online document that is helping me with all this. It’s titled “Famous Definitions from 400 Years of Literary History” compiled by Maria Popova. It is pure delight — full of humor and whimsy — and illustrated with partially clad, winged cupids cavorting in fields of heart-shaped vegetation.
The “evidence” that somebody loves you is taken from the tidbits of any given day, the revelation that your inside feelings come from the outside things that back up your experiences — a mother’s touch, a tender look, a returned favor. Love for the ages.


Spacious 3 bedroom and 2.5 bathroom City of Newburgh home near restaurants, schools and transportation. Great commuter location! Close to I 84, the NYS Thruway, and the Newburgh Ferry to the Beacon MTA. Recently renovated in 2015, this single family home contains 1,795 sq ft with a large Living Room area, Kitchen and Dining area, walk-in closets, hardwood floors, fireplace and more! A must see!


UTEP sophomore Emmanuel Korir begins his first full pro season by becoming third-fastest indoor 800-meter runner.
UTEP student Emmanuel Korir knew he was in a good place — good in training, in fitness and in life in general.
He headied into his first race in his first full season as a pro track athlete at the Millrose Games in New York City Feb. 3 in that good place.
For the most part, he's done surprising himself just one year after his stunning ascendancy from unknown to track superstar. But there's still room to be pleasantly pleased as he balances his new life as a pro with being a college sophomore.
That was the case when Korir opened his indoor season with an 800 meter time of 1 minute, 44.21 seconds that made the Nike athlete the third fastest indoor 800 runner ever and the fastest in 17 years.
The 22-year-old beat a field loaded with fellow pros, as the second- and third-place finishers, Donavan Brazier (1:45.35) and Drew Windle (1:45.53) ran the second- and third-fastest times ever by Americans. They had no answer when Korir unleashed his typically devastating kick with half a lap to go.
"I knew there was something, I knew we were in a good pace, we had a pacesetter," Korir said Wednesday after returning from a short trip to Kenya to attend a family member's funeral. "I was thinking we could run maybe 1:45 ... But that's not a big deal, there's a long ways to go."
The world indoor competition coming up in Birmingham, Ala., Korir said he'll kick it up a notch.
"I going to look for a little faster. But I won't be after time, I'll be after a medal," he said. "Maybe after that I'll look for a good time."
His coach Paul Ereng said he thought Korir would run a 1:45 because of how UTEP sophomore Michael Saruni is running.
"You see those two train together, so when I saw Michael break the 600 world record and came back and ran 1:45.15, I knew right there," he said.
"I got a call from the people at the Millrose Games asking what kind of shape (Korir) was in. I said he was in good shape," Ereng said. " 'What do you think he's going to run?' I said, 'I don't know, but he's going to win the race for sure and he's going to run fast. I don't know how fast, but very.' Michael had run 1:45, the leading time in a while; 1:44.21 is a time that has not been run in the last 17 years. It's impressive."
So far, everything about Korir's transition from college to pro has been smooth. He's taking a light load of four courses this spring (two online), and works with his professors for things like a week-long trip to Kenya.
"It's not that tough," Korir said. "I set my classes so I can run my races. I organize my training around that, my professors consider it."
"I'm happy right now, I'm happy training with those guys, Saruni and Jonah (Koech)," Korir said. "Sometimes I train on my own because of class, but I'm used to training alone, too. I'm doing well right now."
He's also finding that he has more time as a pro than as a collegian when there is a meet on the schedule almost every week from January through June.
"I had to do a lot of running," Korir said about last year. "Now I can decide what races I want to run. In the NCAA I had to run a lot."
This is also a good year to be making a transition to the professional ranks.
Other than the comparatively low-key World Indoors in two weeks, there are no outdoor World Championships or Olympics this year. There is the Commonwealth Games that are open to Kenyans (and every country in the British Commonwealth), but they are in Australia in the middle of UTEP's spring semester so those are out.
"He has some time to figure things out," Ereng said. "Last year he didn't compete internationally, he had no experience in international running (going into the World Championships, where he was eliminated in the semifinals). This gives him more time to figure out what works."
Ereng can already see a difference in Korir.
"He's more mature, he can execute a race better," Ereng said. "Last year he was ready to run fast, but a couple of times he had injuries, that made us cautious. Now he knows how to navigate and execute. He's more mature."
That sets Korir up for big things. Last year he ran a 1:43.10 — the fastest in the world in 2017.
"Now my goal is 1:42, maybe 1:41," said Korir, and it's worth noting the world record is 1:40.91. "I'm working for that. I'll be ready."
He's off to a good start.
Ran meet record 1:44.21 in 800 meters to win Millrose Games, the fourth-fastest indoor 800 time ever, making him the third fastest individual in world history.
Ran world-leading 1:43.10 last year, his freshman season at UTEP.
Won NCAA championship in 800 both indoors and outdoors in 2017.
Won Kenyan world championship trials.


Group shot of the band from the band's website.
Odin's Court is an up and coming band from southern Maryland.
From the band's website: "Odin’s Court is a Maryland, USA band that was initially formed by Matt Brookins in 2001. For the first 2 years the band struggled to find their sound, playing covers and originals ranging from classic rock to modern metal and everything in between. It was during this time that John Abella joined the group. By 2003 a stable lineup and vision were in place, and Odin’s Court released the self financed album Driven By Fate. Over the next 3 years the band would go through 3 more lineup changes, eventually releasing another CD and a DVD (both self financed) and concurrently establishing a stable, cohesive unit that has been maintained to this day."
Deathanity How the band describes the album: "Deathanity is an ambitious concept album dealing with the effects mankind’s actions are having on the planet. Alternate views are offered through the use of instrumentation, lyrics, sound effects, and various vocal clips. Ambience, dynamics, and soul are combined with complexity, groove, and energy in a song oriented structure, to create a unique, surreal landscape. Each song, dealing with a different theme, is accompanied by a newly created word and definition in the album art. Special guest vocalists include Tom Englund (Evergrey) and Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica)."
This page was last edited on 29 November 2008, at 00:21.


A BRITISH AIRWAYS flight from London Heathrow to Gibraltar has been diverted to Malaga-Costa del Sol airport in Spain after being hit by strong winds on approach to the Rock.
The frightening video of the approach and aborted landing of BA492 (below), credited to Rock Radio, has since gone viral on social media with more than 42,000 views in two hours.
Gibraltar Airport often wrongly described as one of the most dangerous airports in the world. It is unusual, though, as the runway is dissected by a road that is closed as aircraft land and take off.
If aircraft encounter low visibility or crosswinds on the approach they are routinely diverted to Malaga Airport and passengers are transferred to Gibraltar Airport by coach.


David and Louise Turpin ran a sickening school in Perris, California.
It had just six students, all of them children of the school's sole teacher (Louise) and its principal (David), and all of them held against their will — shackled, tortured, and horribly malnourished in their putrid family home, which doubled as their school and which they shared with seven former students, older offspring of the same couple, who were treated in the same appalling way.
Now obviously, this is an exceptional case. The vast majority of parents who home-school — most of whom are conservative or fundamentalist Protestants — do not abuse their children. Most standardized forms of assessment show that, on average, home-schooled kids acquire the same cognitive skills and learn much the same basic information as those who attend school outside the home. Indeed, home-schoolers tend to score at or slightly above the national average on the SAT and similar tests.
Yet it is also the case that home-schooling sometimes serves as an easy cover for stomach-churning cases of cruelty and mistreatment — some of them much worse than what took place in the Turpins' torture-chamber of a home. From 2000 to 2017, there have been more than 100 non-accidental fatalities of children in home-school settings. We have reason to believe that the lion's share of those deaths were at least partially a function of the almost complete lack of regulatory oversight of their education.
As I explained in my book The Religious Test and as historian Jeremy Young noted in an important tweetstorm inspired by news of the Turpin family abuses, home-schooling was once almost universally prohibited. When the movement began in the 1970s, nearly every state expected children to attend school outside the home, sometimes explicitly, through mandatory attendance laws, and sometimes by implication, through teacher-certification requirements.
By 1992, the Home School Legal Defense Fund and its lobbying arm (the Congressional Action Program) had persuaded 25 states to change these laws. The following year brought an even bigger victory, with the Michigan Supreme Court recognizing a right to home-school under the First Amendment, definitively knocking down teacher-certification requirements. Today there are effectively no legal obstacles to home-schooling anywhere in the United States.
From the beginning, liberal politics has swung between opposing extremes — sometimes aiming to protect individuals and groups from injustice perpetrated by government, and at others working to protect individuals from injustice perpetrated by other individuals and groups. In recent decades, the right has emphasized the first form of government-initiated injustice while the left has emphasized the second. It was a concern with the supposed persecution of religious conservatives and fundamentalists by the "secular liberalism" of government-run public schools that led Republicans to champion home-schooling in the first place.
They had a point — and they still do. Public schools shouldn't be in the business of using a comprehensive secular ideology to stamp out all vestiges of traditionalist religious belief in their students' minds. As long as that's what's happening in public schools, such believers will have a compelling case in favor of home-schooling.
But that doesn't mean that such schooling should be completely unregulated. There can and should be greater oversight. As Young suggests, annual checks by a state government employee, empowered to look for signs of abuse and evidence that kids are actually being educated, would seem to be a minimum required by a commonsense concern for the well-being of the children involved. Sure, the home-school lobbyists will object. But then they will find themselves in the awkward position of defending the right of the Turpins to torture their kids undetected.
I suspect that this may be a bit much for most Americans, even in an age when regulation has become a dirty word.


MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A woman was charged after police say she purposefully crashed her car into another driver in Cordova after getting mad at another woman.
Deputies said Jennifer Forrester and the woman had been out drinking at TJ Mulligans late Monday evening when an argument broke out over a text message.
As the women were driving home along Cordova Road, Forrester became “irate” and said she was going “kill them both by wrecking into the car in front of them,” the victim said.
Forrester then proceeded to run into the Toyota in front of them when it was stopped at a stop sign. Deputies didn’t say if that driver was hurt during the crash.
Forrester was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a BAC test.


North Korea's state-run news agency announced on Wednesday that its mysterious American captive, Kenneth Bae, has begun his 15-year sentence at a "special prison," which has Korea watchers scratching their heads. And if Pyongyang is trying to parlay Bae's imprisonment into political gain after all, it's a pretty spectacular move.
That's the whole thing. Earlier reports had suggested that Bae, a Christian American citizen who was using his China-based tour agency as a front for missionary work in North Korea, was headed for one the country's infamous labor camps. There was no mention of any "special prison" at the time. But then last we found out Bae was suspected in a conspiracy known as "Operation Jericho," and it appears the game has changed. Or at least the appearance of the game has changed. He arrived at "special prison" — whatever that is — on Tuesday.
A North Korean academic, using information provided by the government, told The Associated Press earlier this week that Bae had told his family in a phone call that he couldn’t appeal his April 30 sentence and that they should urge Washington to push for his amnesty.
If North Korea is true to its word about not wanting to bargain, then why allow Bae a phone call? Why not just send him to another one of those labor camps without any contact at all? North Korea makes its own rules, doesn't it?
Which brings us to the idea of a "special prison." It could mean that Bae is now an inmate at an even more brutal gulag. It could mean that he is merely in a prison specifically for foreign prisoners rising up against the regime. It could also mean that Bae is at a less severe establishment. Or it could mean that North Korea is bluffing about Bae's status and everything will be fine.
Whatever the case, North Korea, by way of its propaganda arm, very much wants us to know that this guy is being imprisoned somewhere of note. And this is in no way accidental. "Analysts and several defectors who have worked in the North Korean media say any message published by the agency is part of an elaborately coordinated effort that requires much the same work as a screenplay," The Washington Post's Chico Harlan reported last month, referring to the escalating tensions in the region and several threats of war published by KCNA. "[T]hose familiar with the North’s media say the messages come from a slow-grinding process involving dozens of meetings and thousands of people — strategists, storytellers, ideological advisers and journalists," Harlan added.
So Bae's "special prison" message could just be the latest in a series of veiled threats meant to confuse the world and boost North Korean pride as part of a carefully orchestrated plan. For all we know, Bae could just be sitting in a tiny room in Kim Jong-un's secret lair. (That's unlikely.) But the behind-the-scenes grasping for answers, from such a sparse piece of propaganda, makes you want to conjure every scenario. And that might be exactly what North Korea wants you to do.


In his last major speech before the election, the Taoiseach urged the public to re-elect the government.
ADDRESSING THE ELECTORATE during his Ard Fheis speech this evening, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said voters are facing “only one question” in the upcoming election.
That question he says is, ‘who will keep the recovery going?’.
The final four words of that question are set to be Fine Gael’s election slogan and Kenny repeated them nine times during the course of his speech.
To the main hall at Citywest in Dublin, Kenny did not give a date for the election, saying only that it would be “in a few short weeks”.
In contrast to last night’s introductory address, Kenny did not dwell for long in attacking Fianna Fáil, mentioning Micheál Martin’s only when criticising the party’s cut in the minimum wage and the introduction of the Universal Social Charge (USC).
Kenny described the USC as a “penal tax” and said Fine Gael would abolish it if it is re-elected.
“If we are re-elected by the people, just as we said goodbye to the Troika, we will say goodbye to the USC,” he pledged to applause from delegates.
Over the next five years, the USC will be abolished – with measures to limit the benefits for high earners.
A strong economy. Because a strong economy delivers jobs. A strong economy delivers work that pays. A strong economy delivers the services we depend on and need in our day-to-day lives.
Repeatedly using the word “recovery” throughout his speech, Kenny said that this was not “a political prize, or a global headline”.
The speech also spoke directly to potential voters who Kenny said, “do not yet feel, the benefits of a recovering economy”.
I know that, for many people watching tonight, economic statistics mean very little. Too many families and older people are still struggling to make ends meet. Too many families are still missing a son or daughter who has had to leave Ireland to find a job.
“That’s why the job is not yet complete,” he said.
Earlier, on the second day of the party’s Ard Fheis, Kenny said if re-elected he would serve a full second term.
Seeking to become the first Fine Gael leader to be re-elected, he says that he has been humbled to serve as Taoiseach since 2011.
Personally and politically, I have always tried to do my best for you and for Ireland. I am humbled, touched, and deeply privileged to be your Taoiseach.
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This Friday at 7 PM, Northwestern University’s Block Cinema will host one of the major cinematic events of the year with the local premiere of The Arboretum Cycle (2017), a collection of seven interconnected short works by veteran avant-garde filmmaker Nathaniel Dorsky. One of the country's most important living film artists, Dorsky has been making meditative, generally rapturous movies since the early 1960s. He has described his practice as "devotional cinema" (he also wrote a book with that title in 2003), referring to the potential of movies to engender spiritual experiences. The Arboretum Cycle is doubtless one such experience. Shot in the San Francisco Arboretum over the course of a year, the work consists of silent shots of plant life, skies, and other natural phenomena. Dorsky's compositions are consistently inspired; eschewing wide shots, he forces viewers to lose themselves in minutiae. Last week I telephoned the filmmaker (who will attend Friday’s screening) to discuss the cycle. Our far-ranging conversation came to touch upon spirituality, the ethics of editing, and what it’s like to be a plant.
I'm not a religious person, but I often find spiritual experiences through art. For that reason, I admire your concept of devotional cinema—it speaks to the transcendent feelings I’ve had when engaging with meditative or ecstatic filmmaking. Could you discuss how you developed this concept over the years and how it informs your filmmaking?
The name "devotional cinema" came from walking around the Art Institute of Chicago. I was showing films in Chicago some years ago, and I noticed in the museum that they called various works devotional works. Usually they were altarpieces of some kind. Like, they had this collection of Italian tavolas, these little triptychs that folded out—they were portable shrines that you could get during the Renaissance and carry under your arm. And these altarpieces were in themselves sublime and contemplative. If I were an artist at that time, that's what I would be making, probably.
Since the very beginning of my being involved in the American experimental film world in the early 60s, there was always some sense of [cinema] being like a church. There was this whole idea of wanting, on the Lower East Side, to find some church or old synagogue and turn it into a theater, with the screen being the altar. So that was all there, when I came into that world. . . . Also, when I was in my early 20s and smoked a lot of weed and watched and loved and respected the screen, I saw what different people could do with projectors and a screen to affect the spirit or the mind directly—not through narrative content, but through the actual kinesthetic qualities of cinema.
The way [the concept] came about, I was asked to teach a semester-long course at UC Berkeley—the generic "Avant-garde 101" course that all the students would take even if they weren’t interested in film because it sounded like an easy course. I had never taught a semester—I had done an hour or two in somebody's classroom—and I began to prepare the class over the summer by walking around. I knew that Emerson—whose essays we all love and admire—had his notebooks, which had the stuff he'd write down daily and which would eventually develop into the essays that are so famous now. So I had a notebook and I just thought about things. And the basic structure of the class became the structure of the book.
I think that course was called "Film in Search of a Language," because I said that the most interesting thing to me about experimental film was the search for an intrinsic film language. I wasn’t so interested in the "naughty" films or the extremist films. I was interested in ones that actually began to find some union between the essence of cinema and the ability to express something with that essence that wasn’t based on theater or poetry. . . . Later, I got a chance to give a lecture at Stanford, just in a classroom, and I gave a talked that condensed [my course] into an hour-and-a-half-long talk. I called it "Montage and the Human Spirit," because it was an editing class that I was speaking in front of.
Then I was asked to give the keynote speech at this film and religion conference they were having at Princeton. I never really went to college—I mean, I went for a couple of semesters—so I didn’t really know what a keynote speaker was. But I warped that same lecture, and that time I called it devotional cinema, after those things I saw in Chicago.
To go further into the relationship between montage and the human spirit, how do you go about editing a work like The Arboretum Cycle? The work, like many of your films, is soothing and meditative, but it doesn’t rely on long takes the way some experimental films do. How do you decide on the length of your shots and when you choose to cut from one shot to another?
You see, I have actually been a meditation student, but I'm a sloppy meditator. I've studied with some very marvelous Tibetan teachers since the early ‘70s and . . . Well, to back up a little, I think duration in cinema is not necessarily contemplative. It gets labeled as contemplative because shots are held for long, but that isn't necessarily contemplative at all. That can just be sadistic at worst or, at best, it can be a pose of some sort. I also notice that [filmmakers] use duration in combination with montage, and I personally find that form to be not full-hearted. Because at a certain point you're just waiting for the cut. Then the cut happens finally, and you go, "Oh, now I’m going to be here for 20 minutes."
For my own sense of timing, I'm limited on a practical level by the length of a Bolex [16-millimeter camera] wind, which is about 25 to 30 seconds. Of course, I could put a motor on my camera [to extend the length of the wind], but that’s not quite who I am. I like to wind up. So, first of all, there’s that built-in limitation. But, really, what it comes down to is holding a shot to the point where it ripens. Sometimes, in the montage, you want a shot to go a little bit beyond this point of ripening, because if the next shot has a lot of activity to it—say it’s a moving shot of some sort—you might want to hold it a little longer to build up just a little bit of anticipation. Then the release of energy into the next shot is alive and manifest. If you hold a shot for too long after it ripens, then it begins to create discursive thought on the viewer's part. If you’re going beyond the ripeness, the viewer thinks, "How long is this shot going to be?" And that isn’t contemplative.
Cutting a film is very much like being a good lover or a good host. You offer something—not too much, not too little—and you’re aware of what's going on in [the viewer's] mind. Sometimes after a preview screening, I'll trim some shots by, like, four frames, because I realize [the film] is just starting to get self-conscious. I'm beginning to go from the present moment into a secondary analysis moment. So I like to try to cut before the mind begins to decay into self-consciousness. . . . The montage should come out of the inner necessities of the work itself.
Film is often quite shallow, and in experimental film, the shallowness is often because the films are never responding to themselves. There's always an external hand or voice making the next move. So, in a way, the film never deepens; it's always in the same place. It should be a very organic response to reality, like when you know whether you’re full or hungry.
Can you give an example of when you were making The Arboretum Cycle and the work responded to itself?
That happened all the time. The cycle started out as only the first film, Elohim. That’s what it was going to be. And after I sent Elohim off to the negative cutter, I went out to the garden again. It was three weeks later. [I shot Elohim] in early spring; now we were in full spring. I got inspired, and I shot Abaton. And then I finished that and sent that off the lab; now I thought it was going to be a two-part film. Then I said, "Oh no, there's still a bit of late, late spring and early summer. There’s this other kind of lightness." So I shot a coda, which I called Coda. Then I didn’t stop. I went for 12 months. It was not planned that way. So in that way, the whole work was a response to itself—it came spontaneously through the year. It just flowed out of me and through me.
As for the editing within the films, there was no way I could have any idea about this movie. The only idea I had about the movie was that each section would be representative of the time of year [when it was shot]. And that wasn’t really an idea; it was what the garden was, or is. But within the cutting, I had no plan but to choose the first shot and then see what was interesting after that first shot, what kind of energy would be most elevating or enlightening or invigorating.
Can you talk about the significance of these titles, Elohim and Abaton?
First of all, you must realize that the titles are just titles. They have to have a name like your dog has to have a name, right? You don’t really question if your dog’s name is Bipsy. What does Bipsy mean? It’s Bipsy. So, on a certain level, they're handles, the titles. But they have to have some resonance for me. "Elohim" is Hebrew for "divine beings." It’s actually a pre-Judaic word. In the Hebrew Bible, in Genesis, God is referred to as Elohim, but Elohim is a plural, and this has driven religious scholars nuts. . . . I thought, the first film [depicts] early spring, which is kind of the awakening, looking around at the energy and so forth, and that’s how it became Elohim.
Then the next film came along and I needed a title, and an abaton is a dormitory for sacred sleep in Greek healing centers. The most famous one was in Epidaurus, which I wrote about in Devotional Cinema. And the abaton was a safe place where you had this drug-induced sleep—maybe after some mushrooms and wine—and you cured yourself through dream revelation. So I just called [the film] Abaton. I couldn't defend the decision in court, though.
You mention these drug-induced or heightened experiences. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 20 years old, and around that time, I looked back on my adolescence and started to realize how the disease had manifested itself before I was aware that I had it. I realized that the beginning of spring would always trigger a manic phase in me—I think it had to do with the increased daylight. I would have this preternatural surge of energy.
I understand. And did the greenery seem exquisite?
I just want to interject—and then you can go on with your story, please—but there had been a drought in California for five years [before I shot The Arboretum Cycle]. It only rains in the winter here, and if it doesn't rain in the winter, it's terrible. Because there’s no snowpack. . . . So, it rained a lot starting in November, which is very early here. It just poured and poured. So that following spring released, like, five years of held-back energy. It was the most gorgeous spring. The earth was so alive, the plants . . . everything was going wild. And I got intoxicated by it, just drunk on how gorgeous the plant world was and the sky and the blowing clouds. Anyway, go on.
What you're describing is exactly what I experienced every spring when I was a teenager. When the plants were starting to bloom and the sunlight was hitting them in such a way, it was like being intoxicated. I’ve taken medication for 15 years now, and so I haven’t experienced that mania in quite a while. In fact, I hadn’t even thought about it for years. But when I was watching The Arboretum Cycle the other day and I saw the shots you captured of sunlight intensifying on leaves and flowers, I was taken back immediately. I've got to say, it felt good to experience that euphoria within this safe context of art, rather than have it erupt unexpectedly within me. What I'd like to know is, how did you capture light changing ever so gradually? It must have been fortuitous.
Let me tell what I was inspired by, and then I'll answer your question. San Francisco is often foggy, especially in the summertime. But where I live, near the Arboretum, which is not that far from the ocean . . . there are often days when the sun is dodging and ducking in and out of the fog. So things are getting lighter and darker all the time. I used to try to shoot that, because it’s such a phenomenon here. There are times in the film when [the light effects] are actual, but the other times I did them myself, with the aperture of the lens. I got very deeply into it, very in the zone, so I would feel when the breeze was beginning and when I wanted to open up the light. I became a plant, in short, and joined the other plants in the reverie of the light.
Had you shot work in the San Francisco Arboretum before?
Oh yes. I have many films that have images from there. It's in walking distance from my apartment. It's a lovely place to hang out—it's like a sanctuary. You feel safe there. Like, you can leave your camera on a tripod, walk 20 feet away and look at something and know that nobody's going to run off with it. It's a wonderful place to have a toke, you know. There are benches. . . . You can have the freedom to stand and stare at a plant for a few minutes without feeling strange or like you're outside of the social order.
Was anyone else at the preview screening besides you?
So you had a private screening! That's great. You're very, very lucky. I've seen it myself in private screenings with, like, two or three people. That’s the best. There’s nothing better than that.
I'm sure you also like it when the theater is full of people who want to see your work, right?
My vanity does, of course. But in reality, I don't know if that's best for the audience. I think five people at a time would be best. That way, you don't have other people’s discursive rustling taking you out [of the film]. My films are very loved in New York, and we had three nights in a row of The Arboretum Cycle at the Anthology [Film Archives]; it was full every night. I wondered, "Are these New Yorkers going to want to see a whole film about a garden, flowers, leaves, and light?" But people were into it. It was quiet—you could tell it was happening. I was very fortunate with this film, because, in a way, the three graces came together on it: the grace of light, the grace of plants, and the grace of cinema. They all became sisters in union.
This came out of years and years of experience of shooting with a Bolex. It was made by someone who’s been shooting with a Bolex for 50 years, although I kept it casual—I didn’t make it too pristine or too precise. I wanted a little sense of relaxation, as if you were actually seeing camera footage. So I left in flash frames and stuff, which I thought were duly expressive. I wanted to give the audience some of the pleasure of what it’s like to see camera footage transformed into sublime montage.
Speaking of quiet, silence is an essential part of your films. . . .
Have you ever made films with a soundtrack?
I made three sound films when I was 20, but then the group of filmmakers I hung out with in New York—we admired the silent filmmakers. We thought they were more serious. Not that there aren't great sound films, but we thought that a lot of time, the silent films had this rigor of speaking with the film. . . . You know, a sound film is a double-sense medium. It speaks to your ear and eye. And the ear and the eye together produce a more socialized reality. A sound film is like your social sense of yourself, whereas I think a silent film is like your more intimate, vulnerable, private sense of yourself. It seems extraordinary that with film you can actually share silence with someone else—and not in a passive way, but in an active way, where the silence is palpable. It’s an offer of tenderness and love to the audience.


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 26, 2019 /Christian Newswire/ -- Over the past several decades, belief in the Bible has steadily declined. In 2017, Gallup found that only 24 percent believe the Bible is the literal word of God, the lowest in a 40-year trend. Even among Christians, engagement with the Bible is waning. Eighty-two percent of Christians only read their Bibles in church.
In A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible, releasing today from Zondervan, authors Tim Challies and Josh Byers use illustrations and infographics to show how the Bible is put together, why each book was written and why the Bible can be trusted.
"With the rise of the digital age, our culture has become increasingly visual," said Challies. "In A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible, we wanted to present these important biblical concepts in a format that is accessible to everyone."
A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible is a sequel to the best-selling guide to the Christian life, Visual Theology. In this new installment, Challies and Byers clarify difficult passages and draw connections between ideas, characters and key concepts of the Bible. Additionally, they answer key criticisms of the Bible to prove the Bible is not only accurate, but divinely inspired.
"In today's post-enlightment society, many are skeptical of the Bible's veracity," said Byers. "We set out to show visually not only that the Bible is accurately translated, but that it is inspired. When you see all the evidence for the Bible laid out in infographic format, it's very compelling."
Whether a reader is familiar with or brand new to the Bible, A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible is a useful tool for strengthening one's understanding of Scripture and deepening appreciation of God's Word.
"The Bible continues to be transformative in millions of lives world over. We want to help readers understand what a miracle it truly is, not just in its accuracy through the centuries, but also in its relevance in every culture and every time," said Challies. "We hope A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible will inspire readers to approach the Scriptures with fresh eyes and allow for complex concepts to come alive for them in new ways."
For more information on A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible, please visit www.zondervan.com/9780310577966/visual-theology-guide-to-the-bible/.


GYMPIE was hit with the coldest August morning in five years today as the temperature swung sharply below zero, delivering a 'feels like' temperature of -1.7C as frost and fog blanketed the region.
The temperature officailly dropped to -0.3C at 6.20am; which is not only 7C degrees below the average for this time of year, but 15C colder than yesterday morning.
The combination of north-westerly winds and a warm atmosphere yesterday and Monday delivered much-higher than average minimum temperatures, before a south-westerly change moved in, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Adam Blazak.
Mr Blazak said while a 15C fluctuation is fairly large, it is not uncommon to see two or three cool changes in each winter month.
Tomorrow morning is still expected to be "fairly fresh" the forecaster said, with an expected two degree increase in the minimum, but by the weekend moisture returning to the air will bring temperatures back to the average.


Governments throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are working feverishly to provide relief to millions of people affected by cyclone Idai, a category three-to-four storm which has severely impacted three states, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with some damage extending as far away as South Africa and Madagascar.
During the early morning hours of March 14 storms and subsequent flooding destroyed homes, crops, businesses and public institutions bringing normal life to a halt while local and international rescue operations scrambled to provide temporary housing and medical assistance to the communities directly hit by the cyclone.
In the strategic port city of Biera in central Mozambique’s Sofala Province, it has been estimated that 90 percent of the infrastructure of the municipality was been destroyed. Although the port itself, a lifeline for the landlocked states of Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe, remains largely intact, with such destruction of surrounding areas, it is expected that the recovery process will take years.
Biera has experienced exponential growth over the last two decades. The population more than doubled since 1997 and the prospects for economic development were enhanced due to the discovery of vast amounts of natural gas resources off shore in the Indian Ocean.
The cyclone winds prompted continuous rains resulting in the overflowing of rivers causing flooding which wiped away everything in its path. Official accounts of the number of deaths stands at the time of this writing at approximately 750.
However, in Biera, hundreds of bodies were lying along the roads in a gruesome scene. The number of corpses poses challenges for identification, storage and burials. With the widespread flooding, returning the deceased to surviving relatives for burials will be almost impossible.
Due to the massive dislocation, injuries and deaths, it is not surprising that cases of the water borne disease cholera have surfaced. In Mozambique there were 139 confirmed cases as of March 29 with many more being anticipated. Nearly a million doses of the cholera vaccine are being rushed into the region through the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) to avoid deaths which could extend into the thousands.
Cholera is contracted through contaminated water sources and if not treated could kill its victims within a matter of hours. In light of the conditions prevailing in the makeshift internally displaced persons camps, the disease could rapidly spread causing further social problems for Mozambique and the other affected SADC countries.
In neighboring Zimbabwe, the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has taken a leading role in mobilizing aid to the damaged regions of the country. Most of the damage has taken place in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces with the towns of Chimanimani, Chipenge and Bikita bearing the brunt of the storm.
There have been over 100 people killed in the disaster in Zimbabwe while some 200,000 have been in the direct line of cyclone Idai on the border with Mozambique. The government in Harare reported on March 28 that $100 million is being allocated for aid and reconstruction of the damaged areas.
A former Portuguese colony for five centuries, the people could only obtain their national independence through an armed struggle which lasted for a decade. In 1975, the oppressed nation gained its freedom under the leadership of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), which remains in power today.
The country then served as a rear-base and frontline state supporting the liberation movements in contiguous Zimbabwe and South Africa. As a result, the FRELIMO government was targeted for regime-change where the settler-colony of Rhodesia and South Africa, both backed by imperialism, funded counter-revolutionary groups to undermine the independence and nation-building efforts beginning in the late 1970s.
Since the end of the imperialist-engineered civil war in the early 1990s, Mozambique has been emerging as a developing state. With the energy resource findings of recent years the hopes for an economic take off was promising. However, the decline in commodity prices since 2014, coupled with western-backed loans and other financial obligations, has slowed growth. Other challenges include the emergence last year of an “Islamist” armed group in the north which has engaged in infrastructural sabotage and murder against civilians. Consequently, the FRELIMO government must focus much-needed resources on defense and security concerns to repel the violent threats.
Zimbabwe, also won its independence by waging an armed revolutionary war from the mid-1960s until 1979, when a negotiated settlement with the European-settler regime, led to multi-party, non-racial elections in which the Zimbabwe African National Union, Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) became the dominant party in 1980, extending its rule now for nearly 40 years. After a radical land redistribution program transferred land from the British commercial farmers to millions of Africans in 2000, Britain, the European Union (EU) and the United States have maintained sanctions against the ZANU-PF party and government creating tremendous economic problems.
Malawi, which gained its independence by way of political mobilization from Britain in 1964, is one of the world’s poorest states largely dependent upon agricultural production of tobacco, tea and sugar for export. More than half the population lives below the poverty line. As a result of its dependency on external trade, the country has run large deficits hampering its capacity for long term social and economic planning.
The warming of the planet including ocean waters is often blamed for the worsening impact of cyclones and other weather-related issues. In Mozambique, Biera, the fourth largest city, had taken precautions to guard against floods stemming from heavy rains.
Therefore, continuing economic dependency and rapid climate change must be addressed as foreign policy issues which threaten the future development of Southern African states. This imperative requires continental collaboration between all African Union (AU) member-states along with mass organizations, religious institutions, trade unions and youth. These issues are political in that they require immediate attention and correction to insure that Africa reaches its full potential which will result in genuine independence and sustainability.


Krispy Kreme is offering a dozen donuts for $1 on Wednesday.
Krispy Kreme is offering a sweet deal on doughnuts Wednesday.
Krispy Kreme customers who buy a dozen doughnuts will have the option to buy a dozen more original glazed doughnuts for $1, according to a recent Krispy Kreme tweet.
The offer is not valid in all stores, however it is offered at both Orlando locations: 1031 S. Orlando Ave. and 4080 Millenia Ave.
To find other locations visit Krispy Kreme.


As anguished families wait, a Washington Post review finds the average civil rights case takes three years for a ruling.
It was July 2014 when Eric Garner died after a violent struggle with New York City police on a Staten Island street, an encounter captured on video and replayed worldwide. When a local grand jury declined to indict any police officers, federal authorities announced in December 2014 that they would launch their own civil rights investigation.
In November 2017, Bijan Ghaisar died after being shot by two U.S. Park Police officers in Fairfax County, Va., an episode also captured on video. The FBI and the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department took over the case within three days. As the first anniversary of that killing approaches, the names of the officers and an explanation of their actions have been withheld by federal authorities. The Ghaisar family has not been told where the investigation stands.
“To wait like this is like being underwater and not being able to breathe,” said Kelly Ghaisar, Bijan Ghaisar’s mother. The family has pleaded with the Park Police and the Justice Department, held public demonstrations, and finally filed a lawsuit in search of answers to why Ghaisar, 25, was shot repeatedly in the head as he slowly steered his Jeep Grand Cherokee away from two officers. His family said he was not armed, and Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. confirmed this at a recent police chiefs' conference in Orlando.
The anguish of the Garner and Ghaisar families over what they see as needlessly drawn-out investigations is common for those who think they or their families have been the victim of police brutality or other misconduct.
Those are only the cases with charges filed. A study of more than 13,000 misconduct cases submitted to the Justice Department over 20 years, conducted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in 2016, found that no charges were filed in 96 percent of them.
A cumbersome process within the Justice Department for seeking charges and the high legal standard for prosecuting law enforcement officers contribute to the slow pace. In addition, law enforcement officers are sometimes reluctant to testify against colleagues, and jurors can be reluctant to convict them.
But many experts said another key factor is that no one is demanding the Justice Department move more quickly in civil rights cases to resolve the tensions of a community and the miseries of a family.
A number of police chiefs at the Orlando conference made a similar point, noting that leaders of federal agencies don’t have constituents who confront them at community meetings or barrage them with angry emails. Local political leaders can hold police chiefs accountable, but federal investigators do not face that pressure.
In the Garner case, The Post reported in April that prosecutors in the Civil Rights Division have recommended charges against the officers involved, but they haven’t been able to get approval from the top levels of the Justice Department, including Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. So the case languishes.
Garner’s case is not an exception. In Louisiana, a group of sheriff’s deputies who brutally beat an inmate weren’t charged for nearly five years. In Florida, a police chief who allegedly ordered people to be falsely arrested wasn’t charged for more than four years, by which time one of the suspects had been wrongfully imprisoned and deported. In Kansas, a highway patrol trooper who beat an arrestee was only charged after four years.
There haven’t been any definitive studies done on the delays in federal civil rights cases, according to Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor and director of the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project. But he and other experts said the federal statute — which requires prosecutors to show that a law enforcement officer intentionally deprived someone of their rights — creates a high bar for charging.
Those investigations involve layers of bureaucracy. When the Civil Rights Division in Washington steps into a case, the line prosecutor must write a detailed memo seeking authorization to call witnesses before a grand jury, Austin said. That memo must be approved by the prosecutor’s supervisor, and then by the chief of the section, and then by a deputy assistant attorney general and finally an assistant attorney general, approvals which can take time, Austin said.
The Civil Rights Division insists on bringing all witnesses before a grand jury to lock in their sworn testimony, Austin said. But the scheduling of those grand jury hearings depends on when the civil rights prosecutor from Washington can travel to the jurisdiction, and fitting those witnesses in among other cases being pursued by local prosecutors. The local jurisdiction is not always particularly friendly to the out-of-town prosecutor seeking to indict a local cop, Austin noted, which can cause scheduling delays.
If, after presenting the witnesses to a grand jury, a prosecutor wants to seek an indictment, another series of memos and approvals is required, Austin said. Sometimes the Justice Department also creates an “indictment review committee” of seasoned prosecutors to take an additional look, he said.
That’s sometimes true. In Hickory, N.C., Sgt. Robert George allegedly pulled a female motorist out of her car in November 2013 and slammed her face first to the ground; she suffered injuries, which required oral surgery. Local prosecutors charged George in March 2014 but never took the case to trial. In April of 2018, the federal civil rights division obtained an indictment against George for violating the woman’s civil rights by excessive force. The case is pending.
In March, state prosecutors in Minneapolis filed a murder charge against the officer who shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk Damond eight months earlier. But the city’s top prosecutor said uncooperative officers had slowed down the investigation.
Many of the hurdles in other federal cases aren’t present in the Ghaisar case, which began when he drove away from a minor fender bender in which he had been struck from behind by another car. The two Park Police officers soon located him and pulled him over, but Ghaisar drove off when officers approached him with guns drawn. Shortly after, Ghaisar stopped and then drove off again. When he stopped for a third time, and then tried to maneuver around the Park Police cruiser, both officers opened fire.
The entire incident was captured by a Fairfax County officer’s in-car camera as he followed the pursuit. Rather than wait for local prosecutors to rule, the Justice Department took over the case almost immediately because federal officers were involved, unlike most cases. Over the Justice Department’s objections, Roessler released the video of the shooting in January. There appear to be no other witnesses to the shooting, on a dark residential street, besides the Fairfax officer and his video camera. The case is being handled by the U.S. attorney in Washington, for undisclosed reasons.


SOUTH BERWICK, Maine � The Town Council approved a municipal budget of $7,055,014 for fiscal year 2019-2020 at its April 9 meeting.
The budget represents a 5.23 percent increase, or $384,592, over the current fiscal year, but a significant portion of the increase represents an additional $100,000 in state revenue sharing and $183,000 in projected town revenues.
To meet its goal of no increase in municipal tax rates, the budget calls for a limited uptick in operations by $106,000, or 1.5 percent.
The budget will be submitted to the town�s annual meeting for approval by voters May 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.
Several line items have major increases. In particular, the town�s Police Department would receive a boost of $165,032 to fund costs associated with the new station such as water, sewer and internet. The station on Route 236 near Academy Street was formerly on the lower level of Town Hall.
Town employee benefits would increase by $59,634 to meet increased costs associated with health insurance, retirement, workers� compensation and similar expenses. Debt payments will rise by $266,755, in part, to meet the bond payment for the police station, which will be $278,000 for the upcoming fiscal year.
Decreases in the recommended budget include a $5,179 reduction for the planning department, realized partly from charging housing subdivision planning to owners of such developments. There would be a $3,650 decrease in town administration since facility services will no longer be shared with the Police Department.
Many other categories in the budget such as emergency and rescue, the Conservation Commission, street lights and water assessment will be level funded.
The only change to the proposed budget came after South Berwick Cemetery Association members objected to a $2,000 decrease in the budget�s social/civic contributions category. Members voiced concerns that a decrease would impair maintenance of several municipal cemeteries. In response, the council approved nearly $2,500 from its LD 1 cap to ensure adequate care of the cemeteries.


The annual World Gyoza Eating Championship descends upon Little Tokyo this Saturday, August 20th, an event in which tiny 100-pound Sonya Thomas, a.k.a. the Black Widow, and others will attempt to eat as many gyoza as inhumanely possible in 10 minutes. As the eaters are no doubt too intimately aware, gyoza are Japanese-style dumplings, usually stuffed with a mixture of pork and vegetables. The competition record is 231 of these delicate purses eaten within a sixth of an hour; tellingly, the competition gyoza are boiled, not pan-fried, for reasons we imagine have to do with slipperiness and ease of eating. For our non-eating competition situations - that is to say, for all of our eating situations - we're partial to the pan-fried gyoza, even if, or maybe because, the crispiness of the skin forces you to pause for a moment to appreciate such a simple food for which most every Japanese household has its own unique recipe.
In honor of the World Gyoza Eating Championship, we set out to see whether Daikokuya's gyoza -- which we named the Best of 2010 -- match up with those at nearby mom and pop shop Tokyo Cafe.
The original Daikokuya in Little Tokyo is perpetually crowded (for the introverted and crowd-adverse, the locations outside of Los Angeles proper are far less crowded). It's crushingly busy in part because it is quite small (think homey post-war Japanese diner bathed in Post-It yellow lights) and, as you probably already know, in larger part because everyone in the city, plus the tourists, is here for the ramen. Based on a glance at the dishes on the tables, however, there are a good number of people who also are here for the gyoza.
There are five gyoza to an order, and they come out quickly, alongside a sweet dipping sauce. The most striking thing is the shape of the dumpling: where most look like overstuffed hobo bags, Daikokuya's version channels the clutch bag. These are rectangular, flat packets, neatly stuffed with a slightly salty, very meaty, very delicious mix of pork and vegetables. The skin is thick, crispy, chewy; a generous shower of green onions provide excellent added texture. If we didn't have our entrees coming, we would have asked for another five. And maybe five more after that. Two hundred thirty-one suddenly didn't look so hard.
Right around the corner from Daikokuya is Tokyo Cafe. Like Daikokuya, this mom-and-pop shop is small. Unlike Daikokuya, however, it is almost never perpetually crowded, and it feels less retro diner and more your grandmother's sparse living room. Open only for lunch, the little restaurant is a family-run operation with a history that goes back to just around the war. An older, disarmingly charming Japanese women seated us, and, in sentences full of Japanese words and phrases but still somehow completely understandable to our English-only ears, explained that the restaurant has existed in some incarnation or another, in various locations throughout Little Tokyo, for the last few decades. The gyoza recipe is a family one that has survived each move.
The gyoza, ordered as an entree, comes with a bowl of miso and salad topped with a few stalks of broccoli, both of which come out first. They are quickly followed by a small bowl of rice and large dinner plate with six gyoza. These look remarkably like Daikokuya's: if fashion follows the shadow of their gyoza, the clutch bag will never go out of style. The primary difference here is the skin. Tokyo Cafe's gyoza have a thinner wrapper than Daikokuya's, so they pull apart easily. The gyoza here are naked on the plate, unadorned with any toppings like Daikokuya's blanket of sliced green onions. The filling has a slight crunch, however, giving it the bite it needs. Overall, Tokyo Cafe hits a perfect ratio between the skin and the meat. These, too, are absolutely delicious.
The fight here is incredibly close. Both gyoza represented are remarkably similar, in shape, taste, and crispiness. At the end of the bout, though, we give the edge to Tokyo Cafe for achieving just the right balance between the wrapper and its stuffing. The zero wait time and grandmotherly presence don't hurt either: While standing outside Daikokuya with a crush of people paying mind to neighboring stores' handwritten requests to Please Do Not Lean on the Window, Arigato!, sometimes we just want to sit down with family and feel well cared for.
Case in point: when we finished our gyoza at Tokyo Cafe, we were asked if we needed more rice. When we said we were full, our newly adopted grandmother nodded approvingly. "Good! Good!" Wonderful.


Chinese Aggression Against the U.S.A.
Far more than trade is involved.
My previous article for FrontPage Magazine focused on specific threats to the United States that were linked to border security issues raised in the January 29, 2019 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Worldwide Threats that was itself predicated on the Intelligence Community’s just-released World-Wide Threat Assessment.
I used the information disclosed at the hearing and contained in that threat assessment report about the dangers to America created by transnational criminal organizations and translational gangs such as MS-13 and the drug cartels in Mexico, as well as the crimes and activities of human traffickers that support the Trump administration’s demands for a border wall, a wall that unbelievably, the leaders of the Democratic Party adamantly oppose.
However, the report included much more material about other global threats that confront the United States and its interests. Simply stated, the world is a dangerous place.
Among the other threats addressed in the report were those posed by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Today we will take a hard look at China and how its aggressive and relentless pursuit of global dominance threatens America.
Before we go any further, we must remember that China is led by a totalitarian Communist regime that is not an ally but rather a serious adversary of the United States.
President Trump is the first American President in decades to take a strong position against Chinese transgressions against the United States where trade, currency manipulation and espionage are concerned.
China has moved swiftly to consolidate its stranglehold on its own citizens by politically eliminating presidential term limits and exploiting ever more sophisticated technological tools such as social media, facial recognition technology, and other such hi-tech means.
On January 13, 2019 CBS News’ 60 Minutes aired a report on the developments in artificial intelligence (AI) brought about by venture capitalist Kai-Fu Lee’s investments and China's effort to dominate the AI field.
There is no shortage of specific examples of Chinese espionage committed against the United States and U.S. companies. Such espionage has become so routine and commonplace that the U.S intelligence services have come to refer to this as “Chinese Take-Out"!
Frequently Chinese citizens who acquire lawful immigrant status and United States citizenship use that status to facilitate espionage against America and American companies.
Hongjin Tan, a 35 year old Chinese national and U.S. legal permanent resident, was arrested on Dec. 20 and charged with theft of trade secrets. Tan is alleged to have stolen the trade secrets from his employer, a U.S. petroleum company.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Trent Shores for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and Special Agent in Charge Kathryn Peterson of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office.
On January 28, 2019 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a press release, Chinese telecommunications conglomerate Huawei and Huawei CFO Wanzhou Meng charged with financial fraud.
On that same day, January 28th, the Justice Department issued a press release about the same investigation, Chinese Telecommunications Device Manufacturer and its U.S. Affiliate Indicted for Theft of Trade Secrets, Wire Fraud, and Obstruction Of Justice /Huawei Corporate Entities Conspired to Steal Trade Secret Technology and Offered Bonus to Workers who Stole Confidential Information from Companies Around the World.
The DOJ press release also included a link to the ten count indictment.
Besides imposing tariffs against Chinese imports, President Trump has also imposed restrictions on Chinese students who are studying in the United States. This was the focus of my article, "Trump Administration Restricts Chinese Students - Finally, America confronts a massive espionage operation."
This is a welcome change by the administration to protect America and Americans. I have written several articles about Chinese espionage and belligerence and how, for decades, our universities have been training foreign students who seek to exploit our educational system to further the goals and agendas of America’s adversaries, including hundreds of thousands of Chinese STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students who, as they acquire first-rate education in the United States, have been able to work for American companies under the auspices of Optional Practical Training that enables foreign students to apply their training and education in real world jobs for American companies in the United States. This program has facilitated Chinese espionage against American companies including ones that have military contracts.
These long-overdue efforts of the Trump administration should be cheered and supported by all Americans and even American allies around the world who should take similar actions.
Chinese Citizen Arrested By FBI For Spying On U.S. - A case that highlights the nexus between immigration and espionage.
China Ratchets Up Its U.S. Spying Programs: American Universities and financial institutions are at risk.
Educating America’s Adversaries: China’s engineers are building China’s military. Who taught them?
When American companies, in a quest for cheap labor and reduced regulation, have set up factories in China, China has seized the opportunity to engage in industrial espionage against those companies proving that sometimes short-term savings cost more, often much more, in the end.
In some instances, American companies have voluntarily cooperated with China’s totalitarian regime. For example, Google has been enlisted by the Chinese government to help crack down on civil liberties in China against its own citizens even as Google actively and aggressively opposes any efforts by the U.S. government to protect America and Americans from the threat of international terrorists.
Eager to do lucrative business in China, Google was willing to “go along to get along” while its dealing with the U.S. government went in precisely the opposite direction.
A September 21, 2018, Newsweek article, “Google Brainstormed Ways To Combat Trump's Travel Ban By Leveraging Search Results For Pro-Immigration Causes,” included the following excerpt: "Google, along with Apple, Facebook and other technology companies, filed a joint amicus brief challenging the travel ban, stating that it “inflicts significant harm on American business, innovation and growth."
China is deepening its authoritarian turn under President Xi Jinping, and the resulting hardening of Chinese politics and governance probably will make it more difficult for the leadership to recognize and correct policy errors, including in relations with the United States and our allies and partners.
President Xi removed one of the few remaining checks on his authority when he eliminated presidential term limits in March 2018, and the Chinese Communist Party has reasserted control over the economy and society, tightened legal and media controls, marginalized independent voices, and intensified repression of Chinese Muslims, Christians, and other religious minorities.
The Chinese Government also is harnessing technology, including facial recognition, biometrics, and vehicle GPS tracking, to bolster its apparatus of domestic monitoring and control.
Beijing’s increasing restrictions on scholars’ and researchers’ freedom of movement and communication with US counterparts may increase the prospects for misunderstanding and misinterpretation of US policies.
Remarkably, even as Antifa thugs and university administrations seek to block American conservatives from providing their perspectives on college campuses across the United States, Communist China’s outrageous propaganda is embraced and welcomed on American college campuses.
Lenin has been quoted as saying, “The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.” Today there is a fire sale on rope in America and it must end. The sooner the better!


A minor earthquake near Swansea which could be felt across parts of the UK was "frightening", residents in Wales have said.
The quake at Cwmllynfell was of 4.4 magnitude and tremors were reported across Wales, in south west England and the Midlands at about 14:30 GMT.
The British Geological Survey said the epicentre was near Cwmllynfell in Swansea Valley and at a depth of 7.4km.
Many people took to Twitter to ask "what was that?"
Seismologist Richard Luckett, of the British Geological Survey, said the earthquake was the largest in mainland UK since the 5.2 magnitude Market Rasen earthquake in 2008, and was felt across a large area of Wales and England with the reports from Birmingham and Devon.
There have been no reports of injuries or serious damage but South Wales Police said it received 205 calls in the 15 minutes after the earthquake happened.
A Welsh Football League match at Port Talbot Town against Taff's Well was called to a brief halt by the tremor about half way through the game.
Mountain Ash Golf Club reported a trophy was dislodged from its cabinet.
"The whole building just rocked," said a tweet from the club in Rhondda Cynon Taff.
Bryan Jones, 72, of Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taff, said: "It was like a tremor but it was quite frightening for my granddaughter - she swore a little bit and my wife got up asking 'What was that?'"
Steven Clathworthy, from Blackmill, near Bridgend, said: "I heard a bang and felt a tremor and the settee moved.
"I looked out the window to see if it was wind after hearing a noise and a shudder. It wasn't like you see on TV. It was like 'Ooh, what was that?'"
Anne Jones, near Builth Wells, Powys, said the tremor "felt like a bomb had gone off, the whole house shook", while Barbara Watkin described a "rumbling noise" in Ceredigion.
There were also reports in north Wales, with some claiming they felt the tremor in Broughton, Flintshire, and Llangollen, Denbighshire.
Louise Craig, from Connah's Quay, Deeside, said it was "the most excitement I've had on a Saturday afternoon for a while".
Neath Port Talbot councillor John Warman said he had received a large number of calls from Cimla residents about the earth tremor.
"It was quite frightening and a number of people went out of their homes to investigate," he said.
"The ground moved quite alarmingly and, at first, it was not clear exactly what it was and inquiries were made with the emergency services to check if there had been a gas explosion or water burst underground."
Gareth Rhys, who was in Cardiff when the earthquake hit, said the "whole room shook".
"My desk was moving independently of itself and there was a low rumble. It didn't last more than about 10 seconds but it was the strangest sensation I've ever experienced."
But not everyone felt the earth move, with others complaining they had missed it.


Buses, trains and automobiles will be the focus of MSPs attention this week as Holyrood when they debate the Transport Bill.
And it all ties in with that other B-word - Budget, not Brexit.
In order to strike a Budget deal with the Greens back in February, the Scottish government agreed to a workplace parking levy.
This is the piece of legislation which could see councils empowered to adopt that new tax.
Importantly the levy is not included in the bill just yet, but the Greens will table an amendment at stage 2.
The other opposition parties are less convinced of its merits.
They says an underfunding of local government will force councils to burden their communities without proper economic assessment.
The Scottish government said no impact assessment has been undertaken on the parking levy - instead they have insisted this would be for councils to undertake should they wish to make use of the powers.
Will you have to pay to park at work?
The Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee endorsed the Transport Bill at the start of March, but urged the government to ensure enough time was given at stage 2 to properly scrutinise the parking plan.
Basically, as the bill is stands it is fairly uncontroversial. But a storm might be brewing.
What else is happening at the Scottish Parliament this week?
The bulk of Tuesday afternoon will be spent on the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill.
The Scottish government is under pressure to strengthen the legislation, which currently proposes to cut emissions by 90% by 2050 and set a net-zero target when a "clear pathway" exists to achieve it.
Campaigners have called for the net-zero target to have a firm date attached to it.
Ministers have insisted on waiting for for fresh advice from the independent Committee on Climate Change before doing so.
That advice is due in May.
The debate is particularly timely as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meets in Edinburgh this week.
The evening member's debate will be led by SNP MSP Rona Mackay to highlight Stalking Awareness Week, which takes place next week.
Last November, Ms Mackay pledged to take forward a members bill to create stalking protection orders - first proposed by colleague Mairi Gougeon before being appointed a minister.
In the morning, the economy committee continues its inquiry into the construction sector, this time hearing from the Construction Scotland Industry Leadership Group.
Brexit comes to Holyrood on Wednesday morning when the constitution committee takes evidence from Brexit Secretary Mike Russell.
This session was scheduled last week but was postponed due to the uncertainty at Westminster.
On Monday, MPs will take part in a second round of votes on alternative Brexit proposals.
It is understood SNP MPs could support the 'Common Market 2.0' motion, which would mean joining the European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area.
Mr Russell will provide an update on the Scottish government's position, which has been to remain in the single market and customs union. The Common Market 2.0 motion backs staying in the former but not necessarily the latter.
In the afternoon, the Scottish Tories have the floor after portfolio questions on the environment and rural economy.
The party plan to bring forward debates on two separate areas of health policy - the precise topics are yet to be confirmed.
Ending the day will be SNP MSP Sandra White highlighting the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign.
First minister's questions takes place as usual from noon, after general questions.
Then Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton leads a member's debate on declining salmon stocks. She will urge the Scottish government to take "urgent action" on conservation and management.
The Transport (Scotland) Bill debate will be preceded by transport portfolio questions.
Full committee listings are yet to be published, but the Social Security Committee is continuing its inquiry into welfare and housing.
This session will focus on social sector tenants, with evidence being taken from housing associations and local authorities.


1 BR condo conveniently located-walk to NY trans, Clifton Commons w/shopping, restaurants & movie complex & EZ access Rts. 21, 3, GSP & NJTrnpk. Unit with balcony & laundry, pool & parking at complex.


NBC announced Monday evening that Miranda and the new touring cast will appear in the episode Jan. 15. The telecast will focus on Puerto Rico's recovery efforts to rebuild and raise awareness after Hurricane Maria massively struck the island in 2017.
"It's going to be a very special episode," Fallon said during Monday night's episode of the "Tonight Show," where Miranda was a guest.
"It's going to be a celebration of the life, the light, the spirit of Puerto Rico and its people and its culture," he added. "Puerto Rico is back and open for business and we're going to show you a taste of how beautiful and fun Puerto Rico can be."
The episode will also delve into how the deadly hurricane devastated Puerto Rico through widespread damage.
Miranda will reprise his lead role in "Hamilton" at the University of Puerto Rico from Jan. 8 to 27. The performances look to raise money for the Flamboyan Arts Fund to benefit the art, artists and arts institutions.


ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. - Sgt. Henrique "Mag" Magalhaes, chaplain's assistant, U.S. Army Sustainment Command, competed in U.S. Army Materiel Command's Best Warrior Competition, Camp Atterbury Indiana, July 7 - 9.
Magalhaes, who at the previously held ASC Best Warrior Competition said "my faith shall not be broken," was selected with 11 others from a pool of thousands of Soldiers in AMC.
Soldiers from U.S. Army Sustainment Command; U.S. Army Security Assistance Command; Communications-Electronics Command; U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command; U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command; U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command; and U.S. Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command converged at Camp Atterbury to begin the competition on July 7.
In the competition's opening speech, Command Sgt. Maj. James Sims compared the four-star level competition to the Super Bowl, the World Series and the Olympics, and asked competitors to compete against themselves, not each other.
"What I expect of you all for the next few days is for you to be the very best Soldier and non-commissioned officer you can be. You are not to compete against each other, you are to compete against yourself," Sims said.
"We want our Soldiers in AMC to have the confidence to survive anywhere, anytime, as required," Sims said.
"I'm ready to face whatever challenge they put forward, ready to take it head-on," Magalhaes said.
Unlike the four-day long ASC Best Warrior Competition, the AMC competition was condensed into a non-stop, action-packed series of back-to-back challenges spanning a grueling and intense 48-hour period.
In the first 24 hours of the competition, Magalhaes successfully completed a physical training test, map reading and written tests, a land navigation course, marched 18 miles in full gear with a 35-pound rucksack.
The next morning he qualified on the M2 .50-caliber machine gun, M240(b) machine gun, M249 squad assault rifle, M4 carbine, and M9mm pistol.
The 12 Soldiers had no information on the timeline of events or missions, operated on very little sleep, and ate on the go amid high temperatures, humidity, and a heavy thunderstorm.
"What we're looking for is their ability to think fast, think on their feet, and then handle the situation that they're in," said Sgt. Maj. Todd Vance, Army Materiel Command.
The following and final day's events included a 12-mile forced march with a 70-pound rucksack, gas chamber station, improvised explosive device lane, a "mystery event" that required competitors to reassemble three weapons systems from a mixed box of stripped components, and a six-station obstacle course which included an Army combatives skills evaluation.
"We don't know who we're going to fight tomorrow. We don't know when we're going to fight, but the intent is to ensure our Soldiers have the confidence so when that time comes, and they get the phone call from their chain of command; they're ready," Sims said.
"The competition is 40 percent physical and 60 percent mental," he said. "My faith carried my body through the competition," Magalhaes said.
The winner of the AMC Best Warrior Competition will be announced at an upcoming Redstone Arsenal event, and the winner will then advance to the Army Best Warrior Competition, Fort A.P. Hill Virginia, Sept. 26 - Oct. 3.