Arab Spring, Winter for Christians?
by Gary Jason | Posted April 05, 2012
In a recent piece, I suggested that the fall of a number of Middle Eastern dictators — most notably Hosni Mubarak of Egypt — actively pushed by the Obama administration, and collectively dubbed “the Arab Spring,” has shown a remarkably ugly side.
One of the ugly features I noted was the removal, in the case of Egypt, of a regime that had been actively fighting the practice of female genital mutilation (the removal of most or all of the clitoris from adolescent girls). Some of our readers were offended by my piece, either thinking, somehow, that I advocated going to war with Egypt, or else shocked that I would dare to criticize the practice at all.
Of course, I was merely commenting on a dubious Obama foreign policy initiative — replacing a disreputable US ally by an unknown force, and hoping for the best.
Well, the situation has developed a more ominous aspect. The Arab Spring is turning out to be not only a winter for women, but also a winter for Christians. Several recent stories bring this to light.
Let’s begin by reviewing the results of the first round of elections for Egypt’s parliament. In a turn eerily reminiscent of what happened in Iran decades ago — when Jimmy Carter, a president as feckless as Obama, withdrew support from the Shah so that “democratic forces” could take over — the resulting elections were victories for hardcore Islamist parties. Once the Islamists consolidated their power, they created a state far more repressive and authoritarian than the Shah could ever have imagined. The consequence was the mass murder of political dissidents, people deemed “deviant,” and worshipers of religions other than Islam (Baha’is, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians). It also created a state quite supportive of terrorism abroad.
Once the Islamists consolidated their power, they created a state far more repressive and authoritarian than the Shah could ever have imagined.
In the recent Egyptian elections, Islamists won two-thirds of the seats. And by “Islamist” I am not exaggerating. The Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme organization, from which sprang Al Qaeda, won about 39% of the seats. But the even more extreme Salafists won an astounding 29%. Together, the two liberal parties (the Wafd Party and the Egyptian Bloc) won a pathetic 17% total of the vote.
So much for the idea that waves of freedom and modernization are sweeping over the largest Arab country.
This should have come as no surprise, since earlier elections in Tunisia and Morocco saw Islamist parties win by large majorities. The results for Christians are ominous. The largest group of Christians in the Arab world — the Coptic Orthodox Church — resides in Egypt, where it constitutes 10% of the population. Mubarak, dictatorial bastard that he was, provided protection for them. He is now gone, and the Copts are at the mercy of the Islamists. Mercy, indeed!
Already reports have come in of the killing of Copts, such as the slaughter of 25 or more during a protest they staged in downtown Cairo recently.
The Copts are now deeply demoralized. If they do as the Muslim Brotherhood does — load supporters on buses and drive them to the polls to vote en masse (Chicago-style voting — maybe that’s why Obama supports the Brotherhood!) — they risk civil war. But if they do nothing, the Islamists will target them and slowly turn up the heat. As an American-based Coptic Christian put it, “They [the Copts] are a cowed population in terms of politics. They are afraid and marginalized.”
This is such a familiar pattern. The Islamists kill off or expel the Jews (if any are left by the time the Islamists take over); then they target other religious minorities (Bahai’s, Zoroastrians, pagans, or whatever). The pressure then mounts on Christians.
This is no less than religious ethnic cleansing.
The Egyptian government has recently taken the necessary first step in setting up the apparatus to carry out religious cleansing. It has raided 17 nongovernmental agencies, including three American agencies that are supposed to monitor the “progress” of “democracy” in Egypt — specifically, Freedom House, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute. One witness to the raid on the Future House for Legal Studies said that a policeman taking part in it held up an Arabic-Hebrew dictionary he found and said it proved the organization was engaged in sabotage against Egypt.
One predictable result of the Egyptian war against minorities is happening already: an exodus of Copts to America. One story reports that thousands of Copts have come to America since Obama’s chosen “democracy” swept Egypt. The emigrants report growing levels of overt persecution and violence. One recent émigré, Kirola Andraws, fled to America on a tourist visa and applied for asylum. He was an engineer, but now works as a cook and a deliveryman in Queens. His story, unfortunately, is likely to prove typical.
The report also notes that already this year a number of Coptic churches have been burned down. Islamist-spawned mobs have rampaged against Coptic homes, stores, and church schools. Think of it as the Muslim Brotherhood’s take on Kristallnacht. Yet the US Commission on International Religious Freedom was recently rebuffed by the Obama administration’s State Department when it asked State to put Egypt on its list of countries that violate religious freedom.
This is only the beginning. Right now, the Muslim Brotherhood only controls the legislature, and it is still held in check by the military. But a very recent article reports that the Brotherhood is planning to run some of its chosen “leaders” for the presidency — something it had earlier promised to do. Should the Islamists take over the executive branch, the military’s influence will rapidly wane, and Egypt will likely go the way of Iran.
The report observes that the military and the Muslim Brotherhood have been in a struggle for 60 years, with the military coming out on top, until now. The military controls about a third of the manufacturing industry in Egypt, for example, so is not likely to surrender power easily. The Egyptian liberals, now seen to be a small minority, seem to be rethinking whether the military is at this point the main threat to them.
Think of it as the Muslim Brotherhood’s take on Kristallnacht.
Whether the military will back down and let the Brotherhood take control is unclear. If the military reacts by dismissing the legislature, Egypt could be in for a protracted and internecine civil war. In either case, however, Christians can expect to be demonized and targeted by the Islamists.
Christians are also being targeted by Islamists in other countries besides Egypt. Nigeria — to cite one such place — recently experienced a wave of terror attacks against Christians, with at least 39 killed. Most of them died when Muslim radicals blew up St. Theresa Catholic Church last Christmas. Shortly thereafter a Protestant church was bombed as well.
Christians in Iraq and Syria have been fleeing, as violence directed at them increases. Since the US toppled Saddam in 2003, 54 Christian churches have been bombed in Iraq, and over 8,900 Christians have been murdered. The number of Christians remaining has of course dwindled, down to 500,000 from 800,000 to perhaps 1.4 million in 2003. With American troops now gone, one suspects that this trend will dramatically increase. In an interesting twist, Christians are fleeing other areas of Iraq and moving to the Kurdish-controlled region, because the Kurds have offered them protection. Yet there are Islamists even among the generally pro-Western Kurds, and Christians have faced some attacks in their territory.
There is in the end the law of unintended consequences, in foreign policy no less than in domestic policy. Progressive liberals — and even conservatives — should start paying attention to it. It is all well and good to desire an “outbreak of freedom,” but one ought to be careful about what one desires, as he might just get it. Many on the Left and the Right welcomed the “Arab Spring,” but it may not turn out to be an explosion of tolerant democracy, as it first seemed to them.
Lest any reader mistake this story for some kind of call to arms, let me make my view explicit: I do not advocate going to war against anyone. But should the Muslim Brotherhood complete its takeover of Egypt and continue its vicious religious persecution of the Copts, our high level of foreign aid to Egypt — $1.3 billion in military aid alone — should certainly be stopped. And this should be made clear to the Egyptians in advance.
Gary Jason is a lecturer in Philosophy and a senior editor at Liberty. His books can be found on Amazon.com.
Mr. Jason writes "because of repeated attacks by Islamists on American soil..."
How many is that? 6 or 7 over the last 20 years? Only 2 or 3 serious attempts. I guarantee you I can come up with 6 or 7 attempts by Christians to kill Muslims in that same time frame.
Mr. Jason is the one who is over-estimating the animosity of Muslims towards Christians. In a very irresponsible way, I might add. I wonder if he ever bothers to question why those few attacks were made on the US, and not say, Switzerland. A much more Christian country? Could it possibly have nothing to do with religion at all?
Van Brunt
Just what "freedoms" have Egyptians gained by overthrowing Mubarak? It appears that Muslim apologists seldom criticize the religious repression in the Muslim world. The fact is that while there is hatred and prejudice in the United States, we do not tolerate it, and we rigorously prosecute those who harm the innocent. It's not enough to have a revolution to overthrow the bad guy if what follows is just as bad or worse. The author of this article is free -- in the US -- to write a criticism of Egypt. I hope there are numerous newspapers in Egypt doing the same but I sincerely doubt that is the case.


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Urban Lens 2018
About IIHS
Squeeze Lime in Your Eye
Avijit Mukul Kishore
Kausik Mukhopadhyay’s art objects lie on the peculiar intersection of toy, machine and organism. Made out of discarded household gadgets, they have distinct personalities and quirks. They are noisy, humorous and sometimes break down. They invite the viewer to engage and complete the narratives embedded within them. These narratives contain signifiers of political, personal and art history. There is much beauty and poignancy in Mukhopadhyay’s fragile art works. This film takes an intimate look at Mukhopadhyay’s journey as an artist and teacher.
Director’s Bio
Avijit Mukul Kishore is a film-maker and cinematographer. He studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and has a bachelors degree in history from Hindu College, Delhi. He works in different genres of film making with special interest in the documentary and inter-disciplinary moving-image practice. He is actively involved in cinema pedagogy and works as a curator of film programmes. His films as director include Nostalgia for the Future, Electric Shadows, Vertical City, Certified Universal and Snapshots from a Family Album.
Run Time 57 mins
Language Hindi | English
Copyright © 2018 - Indian Institute for Human Settlements. All rights reserved | Terms of Use
Anica Mann-Kapur
Anica Mann-Kapur is a consultant with Tata Trusts and the India Country Team Lead for Global Xplorer. She was a 2017 YES Global Institute Fellow, and as a cultural practitioner who engages in antiquities through art history, she was also an Art Advisor for Delhi Art Gallery in 2016. In addition to writing extensively about arts and culture, she was a research associate at Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities as well as a researcher at Kyoto University.
Parmesh Shahani
Parmesh Shahani is the head of the award winning Godrej India Culture Lab, and the author of the book Gay Bombay: Globalization, Love and (Be)Longing in Contemporary India (Sage Publications, 2008). He is a TED Senior Fellow, a Yale World Fellow, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
Jasmine Lovely George
Jasmine Lovely George is a Tedx speaker, lawyer, and a sexual and reproductive health advocate from India. She has founded Hidden Pockets, a community interest startup working on access to sexual and reproductive health in cities. She is passionate about changing technology spaces and making them more inclusive for people of all genders. She is also the member of RESURJ – a transnational feminist collective.
Aromar Revi
Aromar Revi is the founding Director of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, a global expert on Sustainable Development; and Co-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, from where he helped lead a successful campaign for an urban Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 11) as part of the UN’s 2030 development agenda. He is also member of the Managing Board of Cities Alliance the global partnership for sustainable cities and urban poverty reduction and UNISDR’ Global Assessment of Risk. Aromar is one of the world’s leading experts on global environmental change, especially climate change. He is a Coordinating Lead Author of the 2018 IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C that assesses the feasibility of mitigation and adaptation options and defines potential implementation pathways and investment needs to implement the Paris Climate Agreement.
Sudharak Olwe
Sudharak Olwe has been a Mumbai based photojournalist since 1988 and has worked as a press photographer with some of the leading newspapers in India. His photography captures resilience, courage and change in both rural and urban communities across the country. His work has been exhibited in Mumbai, Delhi, Malmo (Sweden), Lisbon, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Washington and Dhaka. Apart from photographs, Olwe has also received the Padma Shri in 2016 for his documentaries on maternal and child mortality. Currently, he is the Photo Editor for the country’s most widely read Marathi newspaper, Lokmat. (http://www.sudharakolwe.com/)
Rajula Shah
Rajula Shah is a Visual artist, Poet and Filmmaker. After dropping out from the Fine Arts faculty Baroda, and completing a Masters in English Literature, she studied filmmaking at FTII, Pune specializing in Film Direction. Her work is located in the interstice of Poetry, Cinema and Anthropology. A keen interest in the indigenous knowledge systems, its practitioners and the changing practices thereof form the core of her study; her practice emerges through a close collaboration with people, their histories and environments.
She has been producing/ directing / writing/ editing & photographing films for well over a decade and continues to explore boundaries of fiction/non-fiction, photography, video essay, digital art and multi media installation. With her recent work, Pilgrimage in Nomad’s land she explores the emergent domain of Interactive Trans-media. It can be watched online @ www.nomadsfilmschool.com
Sameera Jain
Sameera Jain is a filmmaker and editor, and has worked for over 30 years in the arena of film and video. Sameera has edited several award-winning documentaries and some fiction feature films. Her directorial ventures “Portraits of Belonging”, “Born at Home” and “Mera Apna Sheher (My Own City)” have been acknowledged for cinematic excellence at national and international festivals. Sameera has been on film juries and participated in curriculum formulation at various institutions. She has been mentoring film students and filmmakers at diverse platforms and has been invited to teach filmmaking at many places, including her alma mater FTII. She has conceptualized, and is Course Director of the Creative Documentary course at SACAC (Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication) in New Delhi.
Ranjani Mazumdar
Ranjani Mazumdar is Professor of Cinema Studies at the School of Arts & Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her publications focus on urban cultures, popular cinema, gender and the cinematic city. She is the author of Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City (2007) and co-editor with Neepa Majumdar of the forthcoming Wiley Blackwell Companion to Indian Cinema. She has also worked as a documentary filmmaker and her productions include Delhi Diary 2001 and The Power of the Image (Co-Directed). Her current research focuses on globalisation and film culture, and the intersection of technology, travel, design and colour in 1960s Bombay Cinema.
Ritesh Uttamchandani
Ritesh began his journey as a photographer watching his elder sister take photos of his family but sadly, he didn’t register it back then and began his journey as a professional in 2004 as an intern at the Indian Express. Inspired by the work of Reza Deghati, David Alan Harvey and of course, the usual suspects, Henri Cartier Bresson, Eugene Smith etc, he moved over to the Hindustan times and finally the OPEN Magazine where he worked for seven years before stepping into the fascinating and often scary world of freelance.
In his decade-long experience as a photojournalist, he has reported and documented some of the major events of national and international importance in the Indian subcontinent and has recently self-published his first photo book, The Red Cat and Other Stories, which looks at the city of Bombay through the lens of a fable his mother used to narrate to him when he was a child. The book, equal parts travelogue and journalism, is a tribute to the beauty in the mundane.
Ratheesh Radhakrishnan
Ratheesh Radhakrishnan teaches at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay, Mumbai. He completed his PhD from the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (Bangalore), and was a Post-Doctoral Fellow with the Chao Centre for Asian Studies, Rice University (Houston, USA). While at Rice University, he founded and curated TITLES: A Festival of Experimental Films from India (2011- 2014). He is currently part of the India programming team of MAMI – Mumbai Film Festival. His research on Malayalam cinema has appeared in a variety of journals and other publications, both in English and in Malayalam.
Jabeen Merchant
Jabeen Merchant is a film practitioner with a wide and varied experience within the independent filmmaking community as well as the mainstream film industry. She is well known for her work editing and co-scripting a number of internationally celebrated documentaries in collaboration with some of India’s best filmmakers. Side by side, she has edited a range of fiction feature films, including the critically acclaimed ‘Anaarkali of Aarah’; commercially successful thrillers like ‘NH10’ and ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’; the off-beat comedy ‘The President Is Coming’; art-house films such as ‘Kadvi Hawa’ and the soon to be released ‘The Sweet Requiem’. Apart from editing films, she teaches, consults on scripts and occasionally writes on cinema.
Swati Dandekar
Swati Dandekar is a film practitioner with a special interest in creating visual narratives of the living history around her; of people, places, ideas, traditions and practices. Her most recent work is “Neeli Raag”, a feature length documentary on the natural dye indigo, and the few remaining craftsmen who still work with it.
Her earlier work includes a series of essay films that look at urban India, in particular at the changes taking place in small towns and cities, and explore the relationship between land, people, resources and the institutions that govern them. She was also closely involved in documenting best practices in elementary education, as well as designing and making radio and video programmes for rural school children. As part of Vikalp, Swati has been involved in screening documentary films in the city for over 10 years.
Swati teaches film at the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore.
Amit Mahanti
Amit Mahanti is a filmmaker, cameraperson and editor, who has worked on films and video installations that explore questions of ecological transformation, culture and politics. His films include ML 05 B 6055 (2008), Malegaon Times (2012), Every Time You Tell A Story (2015) and Scratches on Stone (2017).
He has also been selected for art/film residency programs at Khoj Studios, New Delhi; Parco Arte Vivente Experimental Centre of Contemporary Art, Turin; Kran Film, Brussels and Centre for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski, Warsaw. He was also a recipient of the Charles Wallace India Trust Short-term Fellowship, 2016.
Sushma Veerappa
After a Post-graduate diploma in Social Communications Media from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, Sushma joined the CIEDS Collective Here, she conceived and executed a film education programme for school children. Post this experience, she worked as Assistant Director and Scriptwriter with filmmaker M.S.Sathyu for 4 years. She began making documentaries in 1998.
As Producer / Director, her focus has been on documenting the work of grass root organizations working in Karnataka’s remote villages. Her films have been used as communication tools by these organizations to further engage with the people they work with. Her work encompasses a wide spectrum – about people’s co-operatives, leadership imaging as participatory research tool, training modules for blue collar workers, issues relating to water, women and violence.
Her concerns with the city in transition led her to produce and direct her first independent documentary WHEN SHANKAR NAG COMES ASKING. Her last short film SHEELA GOWDA AT BATTARAHALLI CORNER was screened at the 13th IAWRT (International Association of Women in Film and Television) Festival. Along with 4 other filmmakers, Sushma is part of Vikalp Bengaluru, a group which has been screening documentaries in the city since 2005.
Sabari Pandian
Sabari Pandian works as an assistant director in documentary films. Some of the films that he has assisted on are ‘Nostalgia for the future’ and ‘Electric Shadows: Journeys In Image-making’. Based in Bombay he also loves to travel and take photographs. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Mumbai University. An avid film buff, Sabari loves being part of film festivals and has provided technical support for film festivals such as Urban Lens Film Festival (2016) and the IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival (2017).
Kunal Deshpande
Kunal Deshpande is an alumnus of the Srishti School of Art Design and Technology, Bangalore. His diploma film, Daryache Raje (Kings of the Sea) was selected and screened at the 6th Kirloskar Vasundhara Environmental Film Festival.
He has since worked as a cinematographer, director and editor on projects ranging from documentaries on the water resources and climate adaptation practices in the north-east, to lifestyle exploration films in Kutch, and people-oriented films. He has worked on feature films like Ferrari Ki Sawaari, on television shows and various other projects.
Kunal also worked at the IIHS where he was part of the Media Lab, creating a variety of audio visual outputs for teams and projects. He worked on videos on the process of campus development, on climate change adaptation, and on festivals such as the Urban Lens film festival and Cityscripts. He is now engaged with IIHS in the capacity of an External Consultant.
He is currently producing and directing SupperClub India, a food and travel web series, as well as producing videos for several corporate clients and brands.
TejInder Singh
TejInder, is an independent photographer and researcher. He is also senior urban fellow at Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore. He has had a range of work experiences from that of a trainee architect to managing electoral campaigns, participating in Model UN conferences, and documenting and archiving contemporary issues. He has photo documented Gaurav Gagoi’s campaign for Assam assembly elections, Occupy UGC movement, Swaraj Abhiyaan’s Jai Kisan Andolon, City Scripts – The IIHS Urban Writing Festival, 2017 IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Word to Screen Bootcamp and many more conferences and events across India. His work on Ennore Creek Power Plant has been published by Scroll.in and Urbanisation – a SAGE journal.


JulyJul 9, 1986
JulyJul 9, 1986 (age 33)
First Name Antoine#31
Cornerback who made his NFL debut in 2008 for the San Diego Chargers, after being selected in the first round of that year's draft.
He played college football at the University of Arizona, where he was an All-American in both football and track and field.
After five years with the Chargers, he joined the Arizona Cardinals for 2013, and the Carolina Panthers for 2014.
His father, Wendell Cason, also played in the NFL.
His first NFL interception came against quarterback Jay Cutler.
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Tag Archive: Oversight Committee
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Sunlight's eagle-eyed developer, Luigi Montanez, took the above screenshot of the official video feed from the House Oversight Committee. It raises the question, who is watching the watchers watching Fresh Prince?
Testifying Before House Committee on Clearspending
by Ellen Miller Mar 11, 2011 11:28 am
This morning I testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Technology and Information Policy about... View Article
Organizations Responding to Oversight Chairman Include Major Lobbies, Big Contributors
by Paul Blumenthal Feb 3, 2011 2:59 pm
In December Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa sent letters to 142 organizations soliciting suggestions for regulations that were cumbersome and... View Article
Get Offline Tonight
by Ellen Miller Feb 1, 2008 11:24 am
Instead of spending another Friday night surfing the Web for your news, here's some television you should watch tonight. Bill Moyers Journal will give you the best arguments you'll ever need to explain why it's so important for our government to do its work in the open. They have prepared an extensive report on government waste and abuse of power.
Specifically Moyers is going to look at some of the unsolved mysteries under investigation by Congress's Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman. The program profiles the Committee's work, including its investigations of the mercenary army of Blackwater; Lurita Doan, who remains head of the GSA despite allegations of questionable no-bid contracts; and Condoleezza Rice's State Department, which is plagued by fraud and abuse. Waxman's Committee's Web site is a treasure trove of information and documents on these issues. (In fact, Sunlight regards it as a model site itself when it comes to revealing the details of the work of a committee of Congress.)
And we're pleased that their Web page will highlight many of Sunlight's insanely useful Web sites for people are seeking more information.


Phi Beta Kappa Member and UNH Trustee Donates $8 Million to UNH
Judith “Jude” Blake ’77 has pledged $8 million of her estate to UNH to support students in the business college as well as to enable more students to participate in the university’s Northeast Passage program and the Shoals Marine Laboratory.
Most of the bequest will provide scholarships for students in the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and address needs that directly benefit business students.
“Jude is one of the university’s most passionate supporters and her commitment to our students is inspiring,” said UNH President Mark Huddleston. “Jude’s generosity will ensure future generations of students have access to a world-class education as well as unique opportunities with Northeast Passage and the Shoals Marine Lab. We are grateful for her support and incredible generosity.” Huddleston also noted that Blake’s gift made it possible for the university to feel confident in setting its record-breaking $275 million campaign goal.
Blake, a retired marketing executive and resident of Portsmouth, said she was pleased to learn her gift could advance the university’s fundraising goals.
“I believe that in a state like New Hampshire one person really can make a difference and that if you have the capability to give back you should,” Blake said. “There are so many ways to give back -- time, talent and treasure – and they are all important.”
Blake does it all at UNH. She has served or is serving on the University System of New Hampshire board of trustees, the UNH Foundation board of directors, the UNH Alumni Association board of directors and the Paul College advisory board. She mentors students and teaches beverage management classes. Her bequest builds on the endowed scholarship she created for business students more than a decade ago.
“Higher education is so very important,” she added. “It’s the path to success in life, and making an outstanding UNH education more accessible and affordable for students is what drives me. It was important for me to make this gift now to recognize what Mark Huddleston has accomplished at UNH. It is because of his leadership that we are in the incredibly strong position we are in now.”
In 2016 UNH launched the largest fundraising campaign in its history to provide critical support for students, faculty, infrastructure and programs. Learn more about CELEBRATE 150: The Campaign for UNH and how you can help reach the $275 million goal.
June 11, 2018 | College of Liberal Arts
Phi Beta Kappan Sasa Tang Back in Wildcat Country
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Don Bolognese
CITY OF BIRTH
STATE/PROVIDENCE OF BIRTH
New York / Landgrove, VT
CURRENT STATE/PROVIDENCE
A graduate of New York City's prestigious Cooper Union Art School, accomplished artist and calligrapher Don Bolognese went on to teach art there and at New York University, the Pratt Institute, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's medieval museum, the Cloisters. He has illustrated more than 90 books for children, many of which he wrote himself; on many others, he has collaborated with his wife, the author and illustrator Elaine Raphael.
One way in which Bolognese has been able to connect teaching and illustration is through his many “how-to” books for children, which range from relatively simple exercises in drawing skills to more complex lessons in art techniques. Bolognese himself has illustrated a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction works, and his attention to detail and vivid presentation have earned him critical acclaim and numerous awards. A native of New York City, Bolognese now lives in New York and Vermont.


'They've almost thrown tradition out of the window'
Last updated : 06 October 2012 By Michael Morris
Ipswich manager Paul Jewell.
“We’ve just got to make sure we’re brave and we play to the best of our ability. If Cardiff come and play well and we play well and they beat us, there’s not much we can do.
“We know that they’ll come full of confidence. I know our record against Cardiff before someone tells me, and I’d say that we had a bad record against Watford.
“We’ve played them three times since I’ve been here and we’ve beaten them twice and we’ve drawn with them once.
“It’s always a hard game, they’ve got some quality players, they’ve spent a lot of money on trying to get in the Premier League, they’ve even changed the kit. I’m not sure what our fans would do if played in yellow!
“They’ve almost thrown tradition out of the window and gone down the road of trying to get promotion through the owners from Malaysia.”
Malky Mackay
"I see it as a tough, tough game. They have brought in a couple of loan players in the last day or so.
"I've never had an easy game at Ipswich since I've been in England.
"Any away game in this country is difficult.
"So we go there making sure we have got to give everything we can otherwise it's going to be a tough game.
"It's a strange league and it's a tough league and it's very uncompromising. Teams are confident in their home environment."
"Results breed confidence obviously, but performances breed confidence," he continued.
"To go and play against two tough teams [Blackpool and Birmingham City] and come away with six points in a real tough week is impressive."


Category: Legal News
Are Magic Mushrooms Next On The List Of Legalized Drugs?
Citing the benefits of widespread marijuana reform throughout the United States, a handful of activists are now mounting a campaign to push for the legalization of psychedelic mushrooms.
As reported by The Guardian:
Kevin Saunders, a mayoral candidate for the city of Marina, just south of the San Francisco Bay, has filed a proposal that would exempt adults over the age of 21 from any penalties over possessing, growing, selling or transporting psychedelic psilocybin mushrooms.
If he can get 365,880 voter signatures by the end of April 2018, the California Psilocybin Legalization Initiative will be placed on the statewide ballot.
A profound magic mushroom experience helped Saunders get over a “debilitating five-year heroin addiction” in 2003 when he was 32. “I got to the root of why I made a conscious decision to become a heroin addict; I’ve been clean almost 15 years.”
The study has since been verified by sufferers all over the country who tell their stories on Web forums. The Atlantic reports that one contributor wrote that he has been taking a preventative dose every 60 days for more than four years now, and he’s spent “the vast majority of the last four years completely pain-free.”
Read more at PersonalLiberty
Illegal Opium Trade Thrives Across Arunachal Pradesh
Guwahati: The flourishing illegal opium cultivation in eastern Arunachal Pradesh has become a major area of concern for security agencies, with the state government miserably failing to tackle this menace. The drug mafia, with some help from Naga rebels, continues to call the shots in the frontier state, where people are reluctant to give up the practice of poppy farming in absence of any alternative for their economic survival.
It is significant than that Arunachal Pradesh tops the list of states with illegal poppy cultivation.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in its last report of 2015 claims to have destroyed poppy fields spread over 399 acres in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
But as per NGOs, the state still has around 10,000 hectares of opium fields and the annual yield of opium is around 100 tonnes, an average of 10 kg a hectare.
For NCB, opium cultivation in eastern Arunachal Pradesh has become an eyesore. Despite the regular destruction of poppy fields by the authorities, a large section of people is still not ready to give up the practice. This is a huge challenge in the fight against drug smuggling.
According to the bureau officials, apart from Lohit and Anjaw districts, which share borders with Myanmar and China, there are reports of poppy cultivation from Changlang, Longding, Upper Siang and Tirap districts too.
Read more at The Asian Age
Use of CBD Oil Has Doubled in the UK in One Year
A trade organization in the United Kingdom that oversees the rapidly expanding cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp market, has published a study that shows the use of CBD oil in the U.K. has doubled in a single year.
The Cannabis Trades Association U.K.’s (CTAUK) figures reveal 250,000 people are now using CBD oil to treat their health conditions. CTAUK added that the number of users is up from 125,000 last year, with approximately 1,000 new users each month.
In October 2016, the U.K. government recognized the medicinal value of CBD, stating the cannabinoid has “restoring, correcting, or modifying” properties. This admission has allowed suppliers to sell CBD by obtaining a medicinal license, which is a lengthy and strict process. Many retailers have been able to circumvent the process by selling CBD products as food supplements.
Most recently, the public debate around medical cannabis in the U.K. has seen a lot of attention, with a bill to legalize going through its first parliamentary reading Oct. 10 unopposed. That same day, a protest incited by a member of parliament and cannabis activist Paul Flynn took place in front of the Parliament building in London.
More of this news at Marijuana.com
First Big Ayahuasca Study Shows Promising Early Results
Ayahuasca is a potent psychedelic that’s recently come into vogue among hipsters backpacking around South America.
The Nature journal Scientific Reports has just published a new piece of research on ayahuasca, making it the largest and most authoritative scientific study on the matter to date. The findings suggest this Amazonian “Shaman’s Brew” might be linked to improved everyday well-being, and potentially offer a treatment for alcoholism and depression.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) and the University of Exeter in the UK sifted through the Global Drug Survey data of over 96,000 people worldwide and found 527 ayahuasca users. This group reported higher general well-being, along with less problematic alcohol and drug use, over the previous 12 months than other respondents in the survey.
“Recent research has demonstrated ayahuasca’s potential as a psychiatric medicine, and our current study provides further evidence that it may be a safe and promising treatment.”
Read more at IFL Science
Police: Zombie Drug’ Flakka May Have Hit Winnipeg Streets
A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Police Service says officers are “very aware” of the drug and have made what could be their first seizure of the synthetic stimulant. Testing is pending.
Flakka, which resembles finely ground glass, is chemically similar to “bath salts,” a term used to describe a number of recreational designer drugs (the name derives from instances in which the drugs were sold disguised as true bath salts).
It is most commonly snorted or injected, according to Dr. Marc Myer, medical director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Minnesota.
“It gives an effect that includes euphoria and stimulation that usually lasts for one to two hours,” Myer said. “It can also cause undue side effects like psychosis, homicidal behavior, suicidal behavior, and that makes it difficult to treat these patients.”
Flakka emerged in the southern United States in 2013 and has been making its way into more mainstream drug use, Myer says. Florida has seen a significant surge in the drug’s popularity in recent years.
Read more on CBC News
Posted on October 31, 2017 November 2, 2017
Is Marijuana In Candy A Real Concern This Halloween?
Before you send your kids out for Halloween, warn them about the dangers they could encounter. Wear reflective clothing, carry a flashlight, look both ways before crossing the street and it is never a good idea to go into someone’s house.
The other concern this year is to be on the lookout for people slipping kids marijuana-laced candy. It is always a good idea to remind your kids to have an adult inspect all candy before eating it.
“You probably can’t tell the difference between medicated gummy bears and the regular ones if you put them side by side,” said Encanto Greens owner Bill Brothers.
All the edibles sold at his store are manufactured someone else and sold locally. The packaging does list marijuana on it but it is often small and the box or wrapping looks like a candy wrapper.
“I think there is an opportunity to improve the labeling of medical marijuana, especially in edibles,” said Brothers.
But is there a significant physical danger if your child were to ingest marijuana found in cookies or gummy bears?
Experts warn parents and kids to never accept treats that don’t come in the original wrapping and always wait to get home and inspect the candy or sweets before eating it.
Full article at 10 News
How Coca Leaf Became Colombia’s New Superfood
No other plant in human history has been as demonized as coca.
In 1961, it was placed on the Schedule I list at the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which stated that “The Parties shall so far as possible enforce the uprooting of all coca bushes which grow wild. They shall destroy the coca bushes if illegally cultivated.” The plant has been public enemy number one in the worldwide War on Drugs for decades.
But when the World Health Organization announced last year that the Monsanto-made pesticide, glyphosate, was actually highly carcinogenic, Colombia’s days of kissing America’s ass came to a screeching halt. In an abrupt turnaround, Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos is now challenging the War on Drugs in its entirety; this a reflection of the national psyche of a country that has borne the brunt of failed policies for far too long and is ready for real change.
“We are trying to promote the proper use of this plant, as it has been perverted for centuries, and show how it is actually used as indigenous tradition,” says Ximena Robayo, who runs the restaurant/café/health food store in the heart of the city’s bohemian La Candelaria district.
Besides chewing the leaves of coca, or brewing them into a tea, a wide variety of cooked and baked goods and dishes can be made with coca by grinding the leaves into a flour, called harina. This harina can also be stirred into juices, blended in smoothies, and used to make green drinks of all types.
Read the full article at Q Costa Rica
Maine Lawmakers To Debate Sale Of Marijuana
AUGUSTA (WGME) – Maine voters approved recreational marijuana nearly a year ago, but there is still no market set up in the state.
The marijuana debate has yet to happen in the house or senate, but what we do know is Governor LePage and House Republicans seem to be ready to delay the sale of recreational marijuana in Maine.
Portland Senator Mark Dion says the marijuana legalization implementation committee he serves on worked for eight months on a bill that allows for the safe, regulated, taxed and legal sale of marijuana in Maine, which Maine voters approved.
But House Republican Leader Ken Fredette says the bill passed out of committee is far from ready. That’s why he is presenting a governor’s bill to delay the regulated sale of marijuana in Maine.
“There needs to be rulemaking done as part of passing this bill,” Fredette said. “And that rulemaking, in my opinion, is not going to be done anywhere near Feb. 1, 2018.”
The Republican chair of the Marijuana Legalization Committee says there is no need for a delay.
Read more at WGME
Warn Experts: E-Cigarettes Being Adapted To Smoke Illegal Drugs!
Electronic cigarettes are being used to vape illegal substances like cannabis, crack cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin as part of a disturbing new drugs culture.
A study by public health experts has revealed alarming numbers of e-cigarette users are modifying their vaping devices so they can inhale vapor from banned drugs.
The research found 39 percent of people with electronic vaping devices admit to using them to take illegal drugs or former ‘legal highs’ such as mephedrone.
The researchers who led the study warned too little is known about the risks of taking drugs in this way and that it could easily lead to overdoses among other problems.
Read the full article in Daily Mail UK
Los Angeles County Issues Its First Cannabis License
Yvonne Delarosa Green was awarded the first cannabis business license for Los Angeles County for her dispensary 99 High Tide Collective in Malibu. The city and county of Los Angeles are expected to become the capital of cannabis once the state of California’s regulated adult-use market is up and running.
There is a great deal of confusion over the cannabis licenses in the city versus the county. Los Angeles, the city, hasn’t issued any licenses, and it is rumored that existing dispensaries will have to close until they receive the new 2018 license under the new regulations.
Keith Knox, chief deputy treasurer and tax collector for the county, confirmed that Los Angeles County administers some functions like business permits for three cities and Malibu is one of those three. However, Los Angeles County is banning marijuana for now, which makes the licensing in Malibu even more unique.
The mayor’s office in Malibu said in a statement:
“The City of Malibu’s Municipal Code allows for two medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within City limits. Two medical marijuana dispensaries have been in operation in the City for several years. Los Angeles County issues business licenses on behalf of the City of Malibu, and approved a business license for one of the two existing medical marijuana dispensaries today.”
Read the full article at Forbes
Home Brewed Death Tea
Poppy seed tea has potentially lethal consequences according to a new paper published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. Researchers at Sam Houston State University decided to look into home-brewed poppy seed tea and its lethality.
Deaths attributable to opioids have quadrupled since 1999 and account for the six out of every ten overdose deaths. Whereas heroin and opiate-containing medications have been the primary source of addictions and deaths, it seems that brewing tea from unwashed poppy seeds can also kill.
The opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum) has been cultivated for centuries as a source of opium. Poppy seeds produced from the poppy plant produce a milky sap containing opiates. Poppy seed tea is made by washing or soaking the seeds in water. Opium is contained within the seed capsule and also contains a variable mixture of alkaloids, including roughly ten percent morphine, 6 percent noscapine, one percent papaverine, 0.5 percent codeine and 0.2 percent thebaine.
How lethal ingestion of opiates can depend on individual tolerance which develops rapidly with long-term use. As the authors of the study point out, “The level of information that is shared online contributes to the facilitation of drug abuse practices such as extracting opium alkaloids by brewing poppy seed tea,” and they add, “However, this practice can have fatal consequences.”
Professor Madeleine Swortwood, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University, was contacted by the parent of a young man who died after drinking home-brewed PST.
Read more at American Council on Science and Health
Opium Tincture Market Plan, Supply and Revenue to 2020
A tincture is an alcoholic extract of plant or animal material or solution of such low volatility substance. Tincture of opium which is also known as laudanum is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight.
Opium is a highly narcotic drug acquired as dried latex that contains approximately 12% of the analgesic alkaloid morphine. Opium is processed chemically to produce heroin and other synthetic opioids for medicinal use and other uses. Opium tincture is reddish brown in color and bitter in taste.
Opium tincture contains morphine and codeine and it is primarily used as an analgesic and cough suppressant. Opium tincture enhances the tone in the long segments of the longitudinal muscle and inhibits propulsive contraction of circular and longitudinal muscles.
Opium tincture remains in the British Pharmacoepia, where it is referred to as Tincture of Opium, B.P., Laudanum, Thebaic Tincture, or Tinctura Thebaica.
Major methods of preparation of opium include processing it into regular opium tincture (tinctura opii).
Read the full article at Miltech
Why Is Weed Getting More Potent?
The feds began monitoring the potency of the nation’s pot supply in the ‘70s by drawing samples from stashes seized by law enforcement, and boy was it schwag. The percentage of THC—the main psychoactive component in cannabis—averaged from less than 1% in 1975 to just under 3% a decade later, according to the data.
These notoriously low levels reflected the times, as the weed subculture in America was just starting to take root and could help explain why some of the most memorable old school brands have names like Acapulco Gold, Panama Red, Afghani, Thai stick, and Jamaican sensi; they were all originally cultivated outside of the country.
Now, as some critics have pointed out, it’s impossible to empirically confirm how strong domestically grown pot was back in the day due to inferior testing and sampling methods, however, there does seem to be enough prevailing research, firsthand testimony, and common sense to show that the illicit reefer from decades ago wasn’t nearly as powerful as today’s.
A recent federal study found that “the potency of illicit cannabis plant material has consistently risen over time since 1995 from approximately 4% in 1995 to approximately 12% in 2014.” This marked increase represents a shift when smokers began to pivot from dirt to mid-grade and hydro. In one standout bust from 2009, the DEA nabbed some sticky-icky that scored an impressive 33.12%, the highest concentration of THC the agency has ever seen in a domestic sample of weed.
Continue Reading at Gizmodo
CDC Launches Campaign To Fight Opioid Crisis In US
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a national campaign to help fight the prescription opioid crisis in this country.
The campaign will use online advertising, billboards, newspapers and radio/TV ads to increase awareness about the risks of opioids.
“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is committed to using evidence-based methods to communicate targeted messages about the opioid crisis and prevent addiction and misuse in every way we can,” said HHS Secretary Tom Price, M.D.
He added, “Prevention is a key piece of the five-point strategy HHS unveiled under the Trump Administration for combating this crisis, which has left no corner of America untouched.”
WSB Radio
WING Officials Report Increase In Heroin Usage
GERING — Scotts Bluff County Sheriff Mark Overman refers to Colorado as the area’s “canary in the coal mine” because law enforcement and drug problems experienced in northern Colorado soon spread to the Nebraska Panhandle.
Use of the powerful painkillers, both prescription and non-prescription, has been rapidly increasing in both the U.S. and Canada since about 2010. By 2015, overdose deaths from opioids surpassed deaths from both car accidents and guns.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, overdose deaths, especially from prescription opioids and heroin, have reached epidemic levels.
Nebraska State Patrol Sgt. Brian Eads serves as the WING Drug Task Force commander. He said the area has been dealing with opioids, particularly prescription drugs, for some time. But now heroin is starting to make more of an appearance in even smaller towns in the Panhandle.
Much of the heroin they’re seeing is cut with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid painkiller that has a rapid onset and short duration of action. It’s 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
Eads said DEA statistics show a large majority of seized heroin has been cut with fentanyl, which is considerably stronger than the heroin itself.
Read more at Starherald
Posted on September 17, 2017 October 11, 2017
Opioid Addiction: Humanizing A Crisis
Serious, chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, represent just a few of the staple diagnoses in developed countries, but few are as stigmatized as addiction. The opioid epidemic is at the forefront of public health issues capturing national attention in the United States, affecting communities from Hollywood to small town USA.
The term opiate is a classification for a drug that contains the highly addictive drug opium, a narcotic derived from the Papaver somniferum poppy plant. Opioids are appealing because the user feels a great sense of euphoria, followed by both decreased pain and increased drowsiness.
Adding to the complexity of this epidemic is the availability of similar, and often illicit, drugs that produce the same euphoric feelings of prescription pain medications. The abuse of, and addiction to, illicit versions of opiates, such as heroin, is growing as regulations and costs make it more difficult to obtain legally prescribed opiates.
It makes sense, then, that the United States consumes 80% of the global opioid supply. Individuals hit hardest by this epidemic are between the ages of 25 to 54, with higher overdose rates seen in non-Hispanic whites and Native Americans or Alaskan Natives. Men die from overdoses at higher rates than women, but that gap is said to be closing.
Continue Reading at Crixeo
Big Weed Will Capitalize On Cannabis At Any Cost To Society
Cigarettes are good for your health. There’s no such thing as global warming, so keep on burning coal. Benzodiazepines like Valium are a godsend — “mother’s little helper.” “Anything’s possible when you learn to handle Smirnoff.” These are some of the vintage ads and canards that we look back upon today with wonder.
What’s stupid is our collective amnesia about what happens in a democracy when a forbidden fruit hits the market: namely, capitalism at its worst. The response of capitalism to legalized cannabis will be to capitalize, as is its nature. To imagine that there will be no Big Weed akin to Big Tobacco is stupid. Consolidation is assured, and Big Weed will be run by executives from the other Big Bad Wolves.
The health benefits of “medical marijuana” will one day be equated with the disservice done by a generation of doctors who overprescribed opiates and benzos, the previous generation of doctors being suckered into smoking and recommending Camel cigarettes as good for you.
Read more at The Star
Posted on September 11, 2017 December 14, 2017
Scientists Want to Synthesize Salvia’s Hallucinogenic Molecule
You’re probably familiar with Salvia divinorum, the hallucinogenic plant used for religious purposes in some indigenous cultures, and for watching celebrities giggle in some decaying cultures.
A team of scientists is now reporting that they’ve found an easier way create a slightly-altered version of the chemical responsible for salvia’s hallucinogenic effects, Salvinorin A. They’re not doing it so that you can continue having wild trips with your high school friends, though. Instead, these researchers are looking for a painkiller with opiate-like effects, but with a lower potential to abuse.
“Drug overdose has become the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, driven largely by abuse of opioids,” the authors report in their paper published recently on the new preprint server, ChemRxiv. “To counter this epidemic, replacement of abused opioids with alternate pain therapeutics has emerged as an increasingly sensible goal.”
The authors write that Salvinorin A is unstable, making it difficult to alter. Others have been able to produce the chemical in the lab and change its structure somewhat, but some complexities have limited the options available to alter the molecule and change the effects it might have on the nervous system.
The final molecule, called 20-nor-Salvinorin A, differs just slightly from Salvinorin A. One single piece of the large molecule, a dangling carbon atom with three hydrogen atoms attached, is replaced by a hydrogen atom.
Why Michigan’s Marijuana Regulators Want to Shut the Pot Industry Down
Michigan’s medical marijuana industry has had a licensing authority—in this case, the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board—for less than three months. It took two meetings before the licensing board, in charge of overseeing and regulating the state’s cannabis landscape, suggested shutting it all down.
Medical marijuana has been legal in Michigan since 2008. Under state law, a caregiver is allowed to cultivate up to 72 marijuana plants—no more than 12 plants for no more than six patients.
Retail outlets offering cannabis in Michigan are technically illegal—and will be until the state starts issuing licenses, a development expected to come as soon as later this year—yet dispensaries have been operating with varying levels of transparency in select cities for years.
In Detroit, there are more than 70 dispensaries offering marijuana for sale that has completed or at least started the city licensing process, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“Every dispensary out there is open in violation of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act,” Bailey said during a recent board meeting, according to the Detroit Free Press. “It’s a felony for every sale that occurs from a dispensary.”
Continue Reading at High Times
Posted on August 29, 2017 September 7, 2017
Californians Might Vote on ‘Magic Mushroom’ Legalization in 2018
Californians might vote on whether to decriminalize the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms as early as 2018, under a newly proposed ballot measure.
The measure — which was filed on Friday (Aug. 25) with the state Attorney General’s office — would exempt people ages 21 and over from criminal penalties for using, possessing, selling, transporting or cultivating psilocybin, a hallucinogenic compound found in certain mushroom species.
The measure is not currently on the ballot — supporters need to get at least 365,880 signatures to qualify for the 2018 ballot, according to the Sacramento Bee, a newspaper in Northern California.
Continue reading at LiveScience
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By Josie Morss in Opinion July 11, 2019
Every year the LGBTQ+ community awaits the month of June: Pride month. Today, Pride go-ers are guaranteed celebrations accessorized with rainbow flags, celebrity appearances, and parade floats. However, fifty years ago, Pride was without the fame, floats, and flags. Instead the event was solemn, quiet, and conformed to a sexist society. Over the years, Pride has frequently been interjected by trial and error which ultimately created the current, and the most familiar, Pride Parade.
The 1970’s became the ultimate time to utilize activism and drive change especially to promote LGBTQ+ rights and universal awareness. Annual Reminder, the first LGBTQ+ rights rally, was the first step towards today’s Pride Parade.
(Image: CNN)
The Annual Reminder acted as a silent rally where lesbians and gays picketed Liberty Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Compared to today’s Pride, this rally was anything but the ‘Come as you are’ mantra. Instead, men and women were expected to wear gender normative clothes. Women wore dresses and men wore suits and ties. Nowadays, Pride encourages decorated drag ensembles, “Gay Pride” shirts, and personally comfortable clothing.
Although Annual Reminder stood for LGBTQ+ rights, it was quiet, and the men and women involved were unable to be their authentic selves in the public eye. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. People were tired of waiting for a big, bold, brazen gay pride event and partners Craig Rodwell and Fred Sargeant were tired of waiting for someone to step up. No one took charge and people were waiting, so they finally took matters into their own hands.
After months of planning alongside LGBTQ+ activist groups, Pride debuted with five thousand people within the New York streets, five times more than expected. After Pride tore up the town in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles soon adopted their own Pride Parades.
Politics and pride: two unique worlds that constantly clash and converge have instead created a foundation of the original purpose of Pride. During the first Pride, one year after the Stonewall riots, where the LGBTQ+ community fought violently against police raiders who frequently visited in order to shaken morale, harass, and even arrest gays. People chanted, “Say it clear, say it loud. Gay is good, gay is proud.” The chant acted as a beacon of hope for the LGBTQ+ community of receiving decent human rights.
(Image: World Pride NYC)
A powerful chant proved to be necessary after spending years being discriminated against in all realms of life: relationships, career, and unique family dynamics with same sex couples, adopted children, or IVF babies. The chant lifted people’s spirits into believing that the LGBTQ+ commuity is powerful, and that it’s okay to be gay.
The chant, although meaningful, was somber. It was a political stance to create waves in the media. Today, Pride is famous for housing an atmosphere of chaotic liveliness. Even though most LGBTQ+ members are engaged in politics, protest, and vote for the most inclusive candidates, chants are no longer necessary to be politically aware.
Pride fifty years ago compared to Pride 2019 is nearly unrecognizable. However, the week long events have stayed consistent since the beginning. “The Mother of Pride,” Brenda Howard organized a whole week to feature dance and drag competitions, which still run to this day. Even the day of the parade has stayed the same since the 70’s. Every parade falls on the last Sunday of June to commemorate not only the Stonewall Riots but recent community advancements and a renewed sense of self acceptance and most importantly the acceptance of others.
Since the late 60’s the LGBTQ+ community have consistently fought for rights in various aspects of life. Even though every decade’s cause changes, there’s always a new issue to fight for. In the 80’s it was the HIV/AIDS crisis and in the 90’s it was deep rooted homophobia within the workforce. Most recently, marriage and family laws have been at risk. These generational dilemmas share an unspoken bond with the first Pride Parade in 1970. Even though it’s a different time with different issues, it’s the same community celebrating and advocating at the same place: Pride.


Aladdin Will Fly the Magic Carpet Across the U.S. in 2017 National Tour
January 26th, 2016 | By Ryan Gilbert
With new horizons to pursue, the hit Disney musical Aladdin will launch a national tour in April 2017, beginning at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre. Casting for the touring production, as well as future engagements, will be announced at a later date.
“We have had the great privilege of entertaining more than one million people in New York City with Casey Nicholaw’s glorious production,” said Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Productions, in a statement. “I am delighted that audiences in Chicago and throughout North America will soon have the opportunity to experience Aladdin in their own backyards.”
Adapted from the 1992 Disney animated film, Aladdin is the story of a street urchin who uses the help of a magic Genie to win the heart of Princess Jasmine. Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, the production features a book by Chad Beguelin, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice, Beguelin and the late Howard Ashman.
Aladdin is currently running on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The production officially opened on March 20, 2014, starring Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Courtney Reed as Jasmine, Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart as the Genie and Jonathan Freeman as Jafar.


Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan Confirmed as New ‘American Idol’ Judges
Rick Diamond, Getty Images
Katy Perry's American Idol judging panel just got bigger.
ABC confirmed Friday (September 29) that Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will join the "Swish Swish" singer as judges on the network's reboot of American Idol, Entertainment Weekly reports. The duo had been linked to the show for weeks.
The series is set to premiere in January.
“I am very excited to be joining Katy, Luke, and Ryan on American Idol,” Richie said in a statement. “As a singer, songwriter, and producer, I feel I can bring a great deal of experience to the table. It’s going to be so much fun!”
Bryan echoed the sentiment: “I’m excited at the chance to help some deserving artists reach their dreams," he said. "To be in a position in my career to help facilitate this along with the other judges is just a complete honor. It’s gonna be a blast!”
Richie and Bryan wasted no time spreading the news.
Perry, Bryan and Richie will all appear together for the first time on Good Morning America on Monday (October 4). Original host Ryan Seacrest will also return to the series.
Say Goodbye to American Idol With These Rare Season 1 Photos:
Next: 5 DRASTIC CHANGES WE HOPE TO SEE ON THE NEW ‘AMERICAN IDOL’
Source: Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan Confirmed as New ‘American Idol’ Judges


Donald Hank
Just invert the compass, Part II
By Donald Hank
The goal of worldly "leaders" is not to engage the opponent but to annihilate him by any means possible. Fairness is not an issue. The mob rules.
In Philadelphia, eleven Christians were arrested and charged with the "hate crime" of peacefully reaching a group of homosexuals with the gospel.
Pastor Ake Green of Sweden was arrested and charged for a "hate crime" for preaching from a part of the Bible now banned from public discourse.
The Bible is officially a dangerous book in Sweden, but child pornographers sell their wares virtually unhindered there, while Imams freely preach wife abuse, based on Koran passages.
Likewise, an arrest warrant has recently been issued against a Brazilian youth leader who had the cheek to minister to homosexuals desirous of leaving their dangerous, spiritually empty lifestyle. Such Christian outreach ministries are now banned in Brazil and parts of Europe, where homosexuals are regarded as a "victim" group and are "protected" by legislators, presidents and other chief executives, courts and a willing propaganda machine — the perverse media — all of whom have converged against humble defenseless Bible-believing Christians, as if these meek followers of Christ were armed foreign invaders and not the last remnant of faithful spiritual descendants of the god fearing stalwarts who dominated these regions since the founding of these civilizations, bringing prosperity and stability.
As a result, pastors have been arrested (as mentioned above), and Christian homeschoolers have been arrested, fined, sometimes jailed, and often deprived of the custody of their children (Germany and Sweden), who have been ruthlessly ripped from the comfort, love, and security of homes with natural parents and subjected to the cruelest imaginable mental and spiritual torture — forced to live in foster homes together with juvenile delinquents, drug addicts, sex addicts and the like. Children typically with IQs far beyond their chronological age (having been taught by caring parents unfettered by leftist ideology and biased textbooks, and with that powerful secret ingredient of faith) are traumatized by "legal" kidnapping, snatched without warning by police or social workers, and then slowly brainwashed and taught to hate what they loved and love what they hated — socialized to believe that faith in Christ is morally equivalent to faith in Mohammed and morally inferior to Marx.
Considering the tiny percentage of true believers in Christ and their modest resources vs the almost limitless resources of the adversary — governments that can marshal trillions of dollars for their cause — it is like using an industrial press to swat a fly!
Two questions beg an answer:
1 — How can a people growing up in a "democracy," who are taught to empathize with the poor and downtrodden, to care for the environment, and to do what is best for the collective, allow such cruelty to defenseless people of faith to occur under such an absurd and flimsy pretext as "protecting" homosexuals, particularly when such "protection" usually implies denying them vital information about the hazards of their lifestyle?
2 — What is it about this gentle man Jesus Christ, who gave his life for humanity, that makes them hate Him so much?
The answer is out of reach for the human mind, but crystal clear to the spiritually discerning.
In fact, there can be only one answer to both questions, and therein lies not only the key to understanding our world but also a note of greatest encouragement to those suffering under the ubiquitous assault on faith in our Western world.
As absurd as it may seem to the spiritually dead, the answer is that Jesus really is who He said he was, the Christ and Savior, and Satan is His adversary.
In a world that were indifferent to Christ, one might suppose that the Bible is a book of myths.
I once thought it was, having made the decision to be an atheist, giving up my Christian beliefs under the influence of a "humanities" education.
But then an odd thing happened: as a language student, I took a study tour to the USSR in the early 70s.
On the way in across the Finnish border, a Russian border guard boarded our vehicle and started asking each passenger to open their carry-on luggage. I turned around and asked one of our chaperones — a Russian émigré who taught at the University of Michigan — "what is he looking for?"
"Bibles," she replied with a wry smile.
"Wait a minute," I thought. "The Soviet system banned religion over 50 years ago. People here must all know that the Bible is a book of myths. How could there be a real threat from the Bible now that Christianity is expunged, unless the authorities themselves don't really believe that the Bible is just a book of myths?"
The question contained its own answer.
Since then I have learned, in every encounter with the Left, that these people have no fear of myths. They fear only one thing: the truth.
Philosopher Olavo de Carvalho wrote an article on the Left titled "The Stucture of the Revolutionary Mind," in which he shows that the revolutionary mind inverts everything — truth inverts to the lie and vice-versa.
You know how they say if you want to know what a corrupt politician is up to, follow the money trail?
Well, in the case of the Left, pay attention to what they say and then invert that. The result will normally be very close to the unvarnished truth.
What I am saying is very good news, my Friend.
It means that, while Biblical truth is often hard to prove, and doubts assail the Christian walk daily, we can sometimes be more sure of the truth simply by listening to the enemies of Christ and inverting their code than, say, by looking for clues in the physical world that affirm the veracity of the scriptures. If they say A, you can be sure the truth is somewhere around B, and vice-versa.
I know that I am failing to express this as well as I would like. What I have experienced in the 40 odd years since my stay in the USSR — experience piled upon experience, upon experience — is almost impossible to analyze here. Words are at best a clumsy vehicle for spiritual truth. I beg your forgiveness for my own clumsiness on top of this fact.
But I would ask you to pray for spiritual discernment.
I have heard pastors say that Christ's truth is so simple most people miss it. They are exactly right. The world is full of rocket scientists, who have seized control of every facet of our lives, asserting without evidence that the truth is so complex and nebulous that ordinary people need them to sort things out for us — for a fee.
Paul said that the preaching of Christians in his day sounded like the ranting of madmen to the listeners.
To someone brought up in our inverted world (inverted by the Left in schools, the media, academe, professions, the DNC and GOP (they're the same, you know)), the truth cannot but sound like ranting. Good cannot help but sound like evil and vice-versa in a world where murder of the unborn is a "right," where politicians can "legally" steal trillions and give them to their rich banker friends, and where children imbibe Marxist impulses with their mothers' milk.
Yet as Paul also points out, the heathen (lost) have a built-in detector for good vs evil. Something inside us tells us there is a God, there is right and wrong. Our compass points to Christ. It is only through a very major constant effort and highly structured organization (cf. "community organization") that the adversary can keep the hand of the compass pointing south.
Remember my analogy of the anti-sun propaganda? More than anything, the constant drone of voices declaring there is no God suggests very strongly that He must be real.
So go ahead and listen to Richard Dawkins ranting against God. But don't forget to remind yourself that Richard doth protest too much — way too much.
Listen with spiritually enlightened ears, and you will hear the inversion of his words. The West has a broken compass that points consistently south, but you can find your way with a little trick:
Just read the compass backwards.
© Donald Hank
Until July of 2009, Don Hank was operating a technical translation agency out of his home in Wrightsville, PA. He is now retired and residing in Panama with his wife and daughter.
A former language teacher, he holds an undergraduate degree in French and German from Millersville State University (PA), a Master's degree in Russian language and literature from Kutztown State College (also in PA), has studied Chinese for 3 years in Taiwan at the Mandarin Training Center, and is self-taught in other languages, having logged a total of 8 years abroad in total immersion situations.
He is also the founder of Lancaster-York Non-Custodial Parents, a volunteer organization that provides Christian counseling for non-custodial parents.
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