http://fna.ir/dapsz2
Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:34
1st Debate: Democrats Criticize Trump for Withdrawing US from Iran's Deal as Root Cause of Crisis in ME
TEHRAN (FNA)- Almost all democratic candidates in the scheduled debates on Wednesday blamed President Donald Trump for withdrawing Washington from the nuclear deal with Tehran, stating that the move has led to escalating tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro (D), former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) kicked off their widely anticipated first debate of the 2020 campaign season on Wednesday evening as a crowded field of White House hopefuls compete to take on Trump.
When the debate was drawn to Iran, all candidates criticized Trump for withdrawing the United States from the Barack Obama-era nuclear agreement between Tehran and the six major world powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council - Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China - and Germany).
While others raised their hand to say they would rejoin the pact, Booker declined to commit to rejoin the nuclear deal which Trump withdrew the US from last year.
“We need to renegotiate and get back into a deal, but I’m not going to have a primary platform to say unilaterally I’m going to rejoin that deal, because when I’m president of the United States I’m going to do the best I can to secure this country and that region and make sure that if I have the opportunity to leverage a better deal, I’m going to do it,” he said.
Booker slammed Trump for withdrawing from the deal, saying it has led to a recent spike in tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Klobuchar, in response to a question about heightened tensions with Iran, said Trump is “10 minutes” and “one tweet” away from getting the United States involved in a war, adding, “I don’t think we should be conducting foreign policy in our bathrobe at 5 in the morning.”
Klobuchar stated that she would renegotiate the 2015 agreement if she were elected president, describing the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a good but “imperfect” agreement.
Klobuchar asserted that Trump “has made us less safe than we were when he became president”, referencing recent comments by Iranian officials that Tehran will soon surpass the caps on uranium put in place under the agreement.
Iraq War veteran Gabbard stated that Trump’s “chickenhawk Cabinet” has led the United States “to the brink of war with Iran”, urging an end to escalating tensions and a return to the agreement.
“Donald Trump and his cabinet, [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo, [National Security Adviser] John Bolton and others are creating a situation that just a spark would light off a war with Iran which is incredibly dangerous,” she said, adding that “the American people need to understand that this war with Iran would be far more devastating, far more costly than anything that we ever saw in Iraq".
“It would take many more lives, it would exacerbate the refugee crisis, and it wouldn’t be just contained in Iran, this would turn into regional war,” Gabbard stressed, noting that the nuclear deal was “an imperfect agreement”, but can be negotiated “to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and preventing us from going to war”.
Asked about her red line, Gabbard answered that if there was an attack against American troops “then there would have to be a response”.
Tensions around Iran have been rising since Trump torpedoed the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed sweeping sanctions targeting large swathes of Iran’s economy. Recently, Washington raised the stakes in the standoff, sending additional military assets – including a carrier strike group, a bomber task force, and Patriot missiles – to countries bordering Iran. The latest conflict between the US and Iran started after an intruding American spy drone was shot down in Iranian sky last Thursday.
Ten other Democrats will take the stage on Thursday night, including former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Deaths, Displacement as Heavy Rain, Floods Hit Northeastern India
TEHRAN (FNA)- More than a million people have been displaced in Northeastern India after days of torrential rain. Flash floods in the region have killed 10 people while farmlands and residential areas have been submerged after rivers burst their banks. [VIDEO]


children's literature	9 months ago
civil rights	22 months ago
Martin Luther King	33 months ago
MLK	103 months ago
racial segregation	14 months ago
segregation	26 months ago
Revisiting the Civil Rights movement through multicultural children’s books
Tina Lin | January 26, 2011
Topics: Books
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day recently past, I thought it was quite fitting that I came upon two picture books, Freedom on the Menu: the Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford (Call no. PZ7.W3535 Fr 2005) and Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles (Call no. PZ7.W6474 Fr 2001, both of which are beautifully illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. Freedom on the Menu, set in 1960, shares the experience of segregation and the onset of gradual change as everyday people “st[and] up [against racial injustice] by sitting down” from the perspective of Connie, a girl who has always wanted to but has never had a banana split at the counter because the counter only serves white people. Four of her brother’s college friends sitting at counters in protest of racial segregation laws mark the beginning of a wave of protests that spreads, and finally change is slowly ushered in. Blacks begin to be served at the counter and Connie finally gets to enjoy the long-awaited banana split there. But in the process she has come to realize that more than getting the actual food item, it is the equality behind being able to sit freely at a counter that is ultimately the most desirable.
Freedom Summer tells the story of two boys’ deepening understanding of racism and the need to take courage to counter it the summer after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While John Henry’s mom works for Joe’s mom, the two are best friends and do everything together except swim in the town pool and go into stores to buy ice pops, since John Henry “isn’t allowed.” So instead, they swim in the creek and John Henry waits outside while Joe gets ice pops for the both of them. Told through Joe’s voice, the two of them excitedly race to the pool after the the Civil Rights Acts gets passed – only to find that county dump trucks have filled up the pool with asphalt. This slap of disappointment marks the first time the two boys talk about racism explicitly as they realize the depth of racial injustice that exists and the long road that must still be undertaken to bridge the disjunction between law and reality. John Henry says, “White folks don’t want colored folks in their pools” and Joe knows he’s right. And as the two of them go to get ice pops, this time they make a point of going in together and John Henry insists that he buys his own.
While these two stories are told from the viewpoint of children and may seem a little simplistic at times, they are good starting points for discussions about racism and social justice with children. Because of how the stories are built around small everyday experiences of children, e.g. longing for dessert or wanting to go swimming with a friend, children may find it easier to relate to characters in the books. At the same time, my concern is that the stories, especially Freedom on the Menu, make the struggle for equality seem much simpler and smoother than it really was, since they do not delve very deeply into acts of discrimination, injustice, and atrocity that took place but provide a rather sanitized version of reality. I suppose that comes down to what one’s idea of what/how much children should or should not be exposed to is though. As it is, the books can serve as a launching point into exploring racism, segregation, and the Civil Rights movement, and it is up to one’s discretion to supplement the books with other sources (newspaper clippings, photos, primary documents, other books, etc.) and discussions that will appropriately build up one’s particular group of children’s awareness of and concern for issues of racial inequality and the power of taking a stand.
Brian Hughes says:
It’s great to think about using these books in classrooms. Thanks for your thoughtful write-up.


DIAMOND V-The Shade of J. Ballantine Hannay.
By Emily Hahn
The New Yorker, May 26, 1956 P. 102
REPORTER AT LARGE about industrial diamonds, which account for 80% of the diamond trade in terms of bulk and 25% in terms of profit. In Feb., 1955, General Electric Research Laboratory, in Schenectady, announced that they had succeeded in producing man-made diamonds for industrial use. This is of interest to De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., who control practically the entire world trade in uncut diamonds. At the moment, though, it is no threat to them since it costs about twice as much to produce man-made diamonds as to mine them, and bulk production has not yet been achieved. De Beers markets their industrial stones thru Industrial Distributors, a subsidiary company, and 9 yrs. ago, they set up the Diamond Research Laboratory to conduct research into the properties & uses of diamonds. Industrials are small, drab stones. Being nature's hardest substance they are used in all sorts of cutting, grinding and boring tools. They are almost indispensable to some industries. The U.S. has been stockpiling them for the last ten years. Writer describes a visit to the Diamond Research Laboratory, where she talked with Dr. J.F.H. Custers, and learned a little about their research. Also tells about other attempts to produce man-made diamonds, including one hoax.
What HBO’s “Chernobyl” Got Right, and What It Got Terribly Wrong
By Masha Gessen
The show’s creators imagine confrontation where it was unthinkable—and, in doing so, they cross the line from conjuring a fiction to creating a lie.


Fun for Free: Children’s Museum celebrates 35th anniversary
September 19, 2018 September 19, 2018 Seacoast Roaming Reporter
Thirty-five years ago one of the first children’s museums in the country opened its doors in Portsmouth. In 2008 the museum was relocated to Dover to a facility that more than quadrupled the size of the original. The museum, formerly known as the Children’s Museum of Portsmouth, was renamed the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in an effort to better serve children and families throughout the Granite State, according to Jane Bard, the president of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire.
“We were able to add not only more exhibit experiences but also classroom spaces. We also expanded our efforts to reach out to communities that were not able to visit us by taking the museum on the road through outreach programs to libraries and schools,” she said.
In celebration of the changes and evolutions of the museum throughout its 35-year history, the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire will host a free family fun day Saturday, Sept. 22.
“We will be bringing back some of our favorite activities,” said Bard. “We have a miniature version of that. We will be bringing back some of our favorite hands-on activities in the STEAM lab, and we will be bringing Books Alive character Curious George to the museum for meet-and-greet times throughout the day.”
The event will serve as the maiden voyage for a new exhibit, “One World,” which brings three popular immigrant cultures from around New Hampshire to the forefront of hands-on education.
“It will focus on the cultures from Indonesia, India and Mexico. Children will be able to shop for food in the market and bring it to the cafe to prepare and serve. They’ll be able to choose musical instruments, masks, clothing, and bring it to a festival in celebration of those three areas of the world. It’s really an immersive sensory experience,” said Bard.
The free celebration, Bard said, is one way of giving back to a community that has supported the museum’s efforts over the past 35 years.
“Thirty percent of our visitors do come for free or reduced admission, but we have never hosted an outright free day for everyone in the community,” she said. “We feel that it is really important to open our doors to welcome and celebrate the past 35 years and highlight all of the exciting changes that we have and will continue to make to the museum over the coming years.”
Bard hopes that the event will attract families who have never had the opportunity to spend a day at the museum, as well as families who have explored the different exhibits.
“As children grow and change, the way that they experience the museum and exhibits grows and changes as well,” she said.
FREE FAMILY FUN DAY SCHEDULE
On Saturday, Sept. 22, bring the whole family to the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover for a day full of free fun. Here’s a look at the day’s schedule. Visit childrens-museum.org or call 603-742-2002 for more information.
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Floating Boats outside the museum in upper Henry Law Park
Make aluminum foil boats and test them out in our kiddie pool with representatives from SEED (Seacoast Education Endowment of Dover).
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Special visit from York Center for Wildlife & their Animal Ambassadors
Outside the museum in upper Henry Law Park
10:30 a.m.: Mini Wee Ones Class inside the Museum’s Deep Sea Classroom
Join CMNH Education Director Xanthi Gray for a mini version of our popular Wee Ones Wednesdays class, complete with storytime, crafts, music and games.
Noon and 3:30 p.m.: Meet-and-greet with Curious George at the upper Henry Law Park Rotary Pavilion Stage. Say hello to the museum’s most popular Books Alive costumed character, Curious George. He will pose for pictures and offer high fives and hugs. Curious George will also be roaming around the museum and park from 1:30 to 2 p.m.
11 a.m.: Magic Fred Show at the upper Henry Law Park Rotary Pavilion Stage. Join Magic Fred for an interactive high-quality magic show full of illusions and music.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Guacamole, Chips & Salsa with Tendercrop Farm outside the museum in upper Henry Law Park. To help celebrate the opening of the museum’s “One World” exhibits, Tendercrop Farms will be handing out fresh samples of guacamole, chips and salsa!
1 p.m.: Dover Ducky Derby. Watch the ducks launch behind the museum, along the river fence.
The Dover Ducky Derby is a joint fundraiser between the Museum and SEED (Seacoast Education Endowment of Dover). Adopted rubber ducks will launch from Washington Street bridge. Prizes will be awarded to the first five ducks that finish the race. Ducks can be adopted for the race at the museum or online at www.childrens-museum.org: $5 for one duck, $50 for a gaggle of 12 ducks, or $100 for a flock of 50 ducks.
2 p.m.: Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals at the upper Henry Law Park Rotary Pavilion Stage.
Join Lindsay Aucella and her menagerie of puppet friends for a high-energy, silly and interactive performance full of thoughtful storytelling that will inspire young audience members to explore creative play, self-confidence and empathy. Lindsay was mentored by Martha Dana, frequent performer and longtime friend of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, back when the museum was in Portsmouth. Martha gifted Lindsay her beloved puppet family when she retired, so you may recognize some old friends during Lindsay’s performance!
2 to 4 p.m.: Catapults & Rollercoaster Making inside the Museum’s STEAM Innovation Lab and classroom. Join museum educators inside the museum to create catapults and rollercoasters.
2 to 4 p.m.: Straws & Connectors inside the Museum’s Colorful Classroom
Play, construct and build with the museum’s popular set of straws and connectors.
2:30 p.m.: Birthday cake cutting at the upper Henry Law Park Rotary Pavilion Stage
No birthday is complete without a cake! Join us for a special treat, while cake lasts. Thanks to Duston’s Bakery for their birthday cake donation.
3 p.m.: Anyone Can Grow Food in the museum’s garden located in the Dover Adventure Playground. Visit the museum’s gardens in the Dover Adventure Playground and learn all about the plants growing there. Visitors may even get to try some vegetables fresh from the garden.
Ongoing throughout the day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Shake Your Sillies Out
CMNH Anniversary temporary tattoo station
Story Walk with “Do Like a Duck Does”
Collaborative Art Activity
*Featured photo: Lindsay Aucella and her Puppet Pals will be just one of the many special guests and activities offered at the Children’s Museum of NH’s Free Family Fun Day on Saturday, Sept. 22. Courtesy photo.
More than a Beach Town: Hampton Shows off its artistic side
4 Shore Things: September 27-October 3


TAU research cause of Alzheimer’s disease
The study has just been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience and received a 2 million euro grant.
Dr. Ina Slutsky 370. (photo credit: courtesy)
A new research study at Tel Aviv University hypothesizes that interference with brain activity at high frequency is liable to be the main cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study has just been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience and received a 2 million euro grant from the European Research Council.
There is as yet no cure for Alzheimer’s, which affects an estimated 100,000 Israelis. For over a decade, all attempts to develop drugs for preventing the decline of memory loss have failed, said Dr. Ina Slutsky, head of the research group on synaptic plasticity at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience.
“The field is surely ripe for new research directions, and I believe that the answers will be found in basic processes that occur in the brain,” she said.
Slutsky’s lab deals with basic science, meaning research that is far from being implemented into practical use. Three years ago, she discovered the physiological function of the amyloidbeta protein, which is the main component in the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. More recently, the group exposed the physiological processes that regulate the composition of the protein. The researchers believe these new findings will make it possible to identify – many years before the symptoms appear – what initially goes wrong in the brains of people who will develop this type of dementia.
The research, supervised by Slutsky, was led by post-doctoral student Yiftah Dolev and research student Hila Fogel.
Until now, Alzheimer’s researchers around the world focused on a rare genetic condition that occurs already in patients’ 40s rather than in their older years.
They managed to discover 150 genetic mutations that cause the disease, most of which involve two proteins – amyloid precursor protein (APP), from which amyloid-beta is made, and presenilin, which is involved in the final “cut” of the APP before amyloid-beta is produced.
The search for a medication dealt mainly with ways to minimize toxic forms of amyloid, but it did not succeed.
Unlike the early-onset, familial Alzheimer’s that most researchers studied, the common form is sporadic Alzheimer’s, which appears in the last decades of life and causes dementia in 99 percent of sufferers in the world.
Slutsky, aiming at finding the cause of the sporadic type, decided to study the connection between the activity of nerve networks in the brain and the components of amyloid-beta created in brain cells.
The amyloid-beta molecules that form in the brain come in a number of sizes, from 39 to 43 amino acids, Slutsky said. The shorter ones are more common than the longer ones, which produce the plaques. About 100 mutations connected to familial Alzheimer’s disrupt the balance between the two types of amyloid and cause the longer type to be the majority. This is the beginning of the disease. The question was what causes the disruption in the sporadic form of the disease in which people don’t carry familial mutations.
The researchers studied the question by giving electric stimulation to the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in forming memories, in healthy rats and found that high-frequency “bursts” caused the production of shorter molecules.
They managed to show that a non-genetic factor affects the structure of the presenilin and the formation of amyloid-beta.
This was significant, Slutsky explained, as it is a major step in identifying factors that cause the sporadic type that affects million of people around the world.
The research, she said, is likely in the future to lead to a breakthrough in practical research aimed at finding ways to diagnose, prevent and cure the disease.
Weizmann scientists bring nature back to artificially selected lab mice
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Looking young in old age
Medical Corps training, improved technologies saved lives in Gaza
German ‘reneges’ on optional fluoridation of drinking water


Diplomats Aim for Successful Finish
Final (13)
Franklin & Marshall (16-20-1, 7-10-1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 9 2
Swarthmore (22-17-1, 6-11-1) 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 9 2
Haverford (22-12, 11-5) 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 8 1
Franklin & Marshall (15-20, 6-10) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 12 1
Franklin & Marshall (16-20, 7-10) 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 5 15 3
Swarthmore (22-17, 6-11) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 4 6 3
2B: Roy Walker; Jaron Shrock
2B: Ben Verducci; Spencer Sohmer; Nick Ott; Sam Partee
2B: Matt Mezansky; David Iacobucci
3B: Jimmy Whelan
2B: Roy Walker
F&M vs. Haverford | Caplan Field | 3:30 PM
F&M at Swarthmore | Swarthmore | 12:30/3:30 PM
Series History: F&M closes out its regular season this week with a trio of games including its final home tilt against Haverford on Friday. The Fords earned a 6-4 win against the Diplomats on Monday afternoon but F&M owns the all-time series at 51-32-1 dating back to 1916.
A doubleheader on the road against Swarthmore follows on Saturday, a team the Diplomats swept last season. F&M has won three straight against the Garnet and lead the all-time series at 53-42-2.
Last Week: The conference schedule was particularly unkind to the Diplomats last week as F&M went 1-3 with a heartbreaking 7-6 loss (10 innings) against Washington on Tuesday, a 13-2 defeat from the Shoremen at Clipper Magazine Stadium on Thursday and a series split with Dickinson on Saturday (14-8 win in game one, 6-4 loss in game two).
On Tuesday against the Shoremen, F&M carried a 5-1 lead into the sixth inning before Washington began mounting a comeback. Clinging to the narrow advantage in the eighth, the Diplomats allowed a two-out, bases loaded single through the right side that evened the score.
The Shoremen led off the bottom of the 10th with a single to right field, before a sacrifice bunt put a runner at second with one out. Washington followed by scoring the tying run on an error at second base before Bryan Baquer's triple reached the right field fence for the game-winner.
To read the full recap, click here.
The series continued on Friday at Clipper Magazine Stadium, home of the Lancaster Barnstormers. David Iacobucci led off with a solo homer to right field in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit to four. However, that was all the closer the Diplomats would get as Washington followed with a run in the fourth, three in fifth and three in the seventh to close out the contest
To read the full recap, click here and to view photos from the game, click here.
Game one on Saturday saw F&M surrender three runs in the bottom of the first before exploding for six runs on seven hits in the second inning that included five consecutive singles to open the frame. The Diplomats tacked on with a five-run frame in the top of the third after receiving RBI singles from Christopher Vincent, Tyler Daley, and Luke Seib, followed by a two-RBI double from Iacobucci to put F&M in front at 11-3. Another three Diplomat runs in the fifth firmly put the game out of reach for good.
Seib had a career day going 3-for-6 with three runs scored and five RBIs. Iacobucci also tallied a 3-for-6 line to go along with one run scored and a pair drove in while Vincent went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and Brett Poniros tallied a 3-for-4 line with three runs scored as the designated hitter. The Diplomats registered five extra-base hits and 19 total in the game.
In game two, the Diplomats battled back from being down three in the fifth with three runs to knot the contest at 4-4, taking advantage of a pair of Dickinson errors in the frame. However, the lead only held until the seventh when the Red Devils tallied a pair, including a two-out RBI single to left field to go ahead for good.
To read the full recap from Saturday, click here.
Playoff Picture: With Monday's narrow 6-4 loss against Haverford, F&M is officially eliminated from CC Playoff contention.
Mezansky Milestone Watch: With just three games remaining in senior third baseman Matt Mezansky's career, several program records, and statistical milestones remain within his grasp. His 168 career hits are good for third all-time and are just five short of tying the program record held by Gary Kruger '06 and J.T. Triantos '12. He is also just one run shy of 100, and along with the 101 RBIs he has accumulated in his career, Mezansky is closing in on joining Will Benenson ' 14 as the second player in history to reach the plateau in both categories.
Mezansky is also second in games played at 153, just two short of Corey Carthers' record on 155. His 15 games started is also second only to Caruthers '06, who holds the record with 155. Mezansky has tallied 35 doubles in his career, a mark that is just three shy of second place.
Other Milestones to Watch: With six saves on the season, closer Andrew Mascis continues to solidify himself atop the program's leaderboard with 15 in his career. Dan Tischler '08 holds the previous mark with 10.
Iacobucci cracked the top 10 for home runs and now stands in a three-way tie for sixth with eight in his career. Scott Haft '05 holds the program record with 14.
Gareth Fancher continues his ascent up the career appearances chart as the senior reliever is tied for fourth with 48. Chris Mathewson '15 holds the record with 64.
In the season-record book, Daley's .508 on-base percentage is the eighth highest all-time. Dennis Dowd '82 leads the program at .581.
Top of the CC Class: As of Tuesday, Daley's .364 batting average on the season is the 12th-best in the CC. Iacobucci is close behind in 14th with a .363 clip. Mezansky is seventh in doubles with 12 and 12th in RBIs with 28.
On the mound, Mike Androconis' four wins are good for ninth while Mascis leads the conference with six saves.


Latvia100
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Patriots Week
November is one of the darkest and gloomiest months of the year. However, for Latvia and its people, it is the time of remembrance and cheerful celebration. Riga and Latvia shines along with its people and the thousands of candles lit by them, for it is the time of our Patriots Week.
The Patriot Ribbon
Lāčplēsis Day or how the Latvian heroes were born
Identity as the source of strength
November 18 quotes from Latvian presidents
Preparing for Latvia’s Centennial
This will be the tenth year since Latvians have been celebrating their Patriot Week, starting with Lāčplēsis Day on November 11, and culminating in a magnificent celebration of the state’s anniversary on November 18. To pay their respect to Latvia’s freedom fighters and express their love for the country, hundreds of thousands of Latvians wear a small carmine-white-carmine ribbon, in the colours of the flag of Latvia, pinned to the coat close to one’s heart. This symbol bears the message: „Latvia is in my heart no matter where I go!”
The tradition of Patriot Week with carmine-white-carmine ribbons was started in 2007 by the Independent Television of Latvia (LNT) to foster patriotism and knowledge of the history of Latvia among the youth. One example of misconception among younger citizens is the Lāčplēsis Day, which, as it turns out, is not a birthday celebration of the mythical hero Lāčplēsis (or Bear-slayer). It is the anniversary of the final victory of heroic Latvian soldiers over Bermondt’s army on November 11, 1919.
Today, the idea of Patriot Week has become an important national tradition after being recognised and taken over by the Latvian Ministry of Defence and the National Armed Forces, providing miles of carmine-white-carmine ribbon for the pins each year. Events of collective ribbon folding are held all across Latvia and joined by more and more people – from children to seniors and from museum staff members to business people. Since the beginning of this tradition, more than 50 kilometres of ribbon have been folded into pins – more than 40 thousand ribbon pins being distributed to people in Riga each year.
People often ask about the ‘correct’ way to fold and wear the carmine-white-carmine ribbon. It is worn with loose ends heading upwards, forming the shape of the letter “V” – an international symbol for “Victory”. An alternate way of folding the ribbon is in the shape of the number 11 to represent the date of the most important victory for Latvia.
The ribbons are worn until the Independence Day, the 18th of November, but most people acquire them a week before, making sure they have some spare ribbons for their families, friends or any fellow compatriots met along the festivities. It is a great way to honour the state of Latvia and its people, no matter where in the world one finds oneself this special time, and an opportunity to remember and share the story of our beautiful land, its history, culture and heroes.
We welcome you to get your own carmine-white-carmine Patriot Ribbon and join the celebration!
Printing material in PDF.
The Patriot Week in Latvia begins with commemoration events of Lāčplēsis Day and culminates with a cheerful celebration of state anniversary. First we pay tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom of Latvia, and then it is time to celebrate the foundation of our country. The historical events that took place almost a century ago happened in a reverse order, perhaps to remind us that we must stay vigilant and protect our country’s independence every day.
Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia on November 18, 1918, took place at the current National Theatre of Latvia in an elated and festive atmosphere. The ceremony commenced with a collective singing of the national anthem “God, Bless Latvia“ (Dievs, svētī Latviju), followed by speeches from statesmen Gustavs Zemgals and Kārlis Ulmanis who talked about the bright future of the independent state of Latvia and its people.
Though highly optimistic and idealistic, the well-educated leaders of Latvia knew that hard battles are still ahead of the newly formed state to secure its independence. And, indeed, there were. The freedom fights of Latvia lasted for almost two years, starting with proclamation of the state on November 18, 1918, and ending by signing of the peace treaty with Russia on August 11, 1920.
During Latvia’s fight for freedom, there was one battle that gained eternal glory, and the Latvian soldiers who took part in that battle will always be praised as the first heroes of the independent Latvia. It happened on November 11, 1919, when the newly formed Latvian Army, with 15-year-old boys fighting alongside experienced men, defeated the Russian-German troops led by Pavel Bermondt-Avalov, an army three times the size of the Latvian forces.
To honour this historical victory, November 11 was immediately declared a national day of remembrance and named after Lāčplēsis, the strongest heroic character of Latvian folklore. The Lāčplēsis War Medal, awarded to freedom fighters for their extraordinary bravery, became the highest military award of the first state of Latvia. Between 1920 and 1940, the medal was awarded to 2146 national heroes.
Every year on Lāčplēsis Day we honour our heroes by placing lit candles in the windows of our homes or at the November 11 Embankment in Riga, named after the historic victory over the Bermondt army. Other traditional Lāčplēsis Day activities involve a Torchlight Procession though Old Riga, the honorary change of guard at the Freedom Monument, oecumenical services in the churches throughout Latvia as well as reconstructions of freedom battles across the country.
Lāčplēsis Day serves as a reminder to every citizen that one is not born as a hero, one becomes a hero, and courage is a conscious decision. Thus November 11 provides a good opportunity for everyone to look into one’s own heart and ask oneself – what can I do for my family, my people and our country.
Awaken the hero within you!
Infographic: What is Lāčplēša Day?
“Identity is the basis for creativity and productivity. There is not a single person without a spark of creativity.” These were the words of the ex-president of Latvia, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, who spent more than 50 years of her life in six different countries on three different continents.
How do we answer the question of who we are? What is this special characteristic, which makes us, individuals, and Latvians as a nation, different from billions of others living in this world? Profound understanding of our own identity makes us special and interesting to others.
In the age of globalisation many young people consider themselves citizens of the world, thus the nationality as a part of own identity plays a diminishing role. However, the national identity – connection to a place of birth or where the roots of our parents are – goes beyond speaking a particular language or carrying a passport. Our system of values, way of thinking and models of behaviour, as well as sense of humour, is rooted in our belonging to a particular culture and traditions. For example, in which other country in Europe the knowledge on edible mushrooms or characteristics of medicinal herbs is retained, where else the daily life goes in accordance with the Moon calendar and know-how of ancestors are applied? The ancient Latvian respect and love of nature has transformed into innovative ideas in design, architecture, business and science.
Identity is like a human DNA, which we cannot change as easily as a name in the passport. Maybe we fully understand it only when we experience other cultures and countries, gaining understanding of how different, or similar we are. Latvian people not only possess their unique taste, favourite smells and flavours, but also a special regard for one’s family and loyalty to friends. Even gardening chores are planned according to ancestors’ know-how rather than contemporary Roman calendar.
We can try to become British, French or Scandinavian, or we can also choose a different path – remain being Latvian, carrying our belonging to this country with pride wherever our fate may bring us. As is with trees, strong roots allow us to grow strong and respected by others. Let us be proud of ourselves, of the achievements of our compatriots and our country, Latvia, wherever and whenever possible!
Since the foundation of the country in 1918, Latvia has had nine presidents, whose official celebratory addresses on November 18 have become an indispensable part of the festive tradition. On Latvia’s 98th birthday let us remember their words which paint the history and challenges of our country for almost a century.
President Raimonds Vējonis
In 1919, the first President of Latvia, Jānis Čakste said: “This day is the birthday of Latvia. We have a reason to celebrate now, a reason to cheer and reason to express our happiness in all forms outward. [..] This day will remain such until Latvia remains, but today we withhold from loud celebrations.”
Gustavs Zemgals in 1931, during the cornerstone celebration of the Monument of Freedom: “To state to our next generations about how important freedom is to this nation, how costly it was bought by the lives of heroes and how highly held and regarded it should be by the next generations, which will inherit this holy gift to be never let out of their hands.”
Alberts Kviesis, on November 18, 1935, during the unveiling ceremony of the Monument of Freedom: “People have not only material cares and worries, but the monument attests to our ability to care for spiritual values, and the peak of this monument, it tends towards the sun, stars and skies – let it remind us of the need of our people to always remember about needs of our soul, the spiritual food, which is needed both for an individual and the people.”
Kārlis Ulmanis, November 18 celebration ceremony: “Let us take home a firm belief to provide, as much as each of us is able, that after 20 years we would gather here again as we stand here today, and for those who we have raised to be as passionate patriots of Latvia as we are today.”
Guntis Ulmanis, November 18, 1997: “And if Latvia is a pearl on the coast of the Baltic Sea, as was said by Pope John Paul II, this pearl must shine brightly amidst the community of European countries of the future.”
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, November 18, 1999, the Dome Square in Riga: “I believe in future Latvia. I believe in the people of Latvia. In particular, I believe in you who is listening to this and hearing my voice. It is you whom Latvia needs. Latvia awaits you.”
Valdis Zatlers in 2010: “National celebrations are the time when we feel particularly patriotic. Once I asked a Latvian soldier: “What gives you strength during the hard and dangerous moments during the missions?” He said: “If you are a patriot of your own country everything is easy because you clearly see the meaning of your work and life.”
Andris Bērziņš in 2011: “Let us not seek enemies! Let us seek kindred spirits! Let us support one another! Help those who are yet unable or no more able to help themselves! Our fate and fate of Latvia is only in our own hands.”
Raimonds Vējonis in 2015: “You are the heroes, who make our country stronger and safer every day – you are Latvia! We are Latvia! Let us thank each other and say it loud in our hearts. Let us celebrate this day with gratefulness, happiness and love for each other and our homeland!”
What shall we wish ourselves, our people and our country this year?
This year, we celebrate Latvia’s 98th birthday, already thinking of its upcoming centennial on November 18, 2018. While preparing for the grand celebration, it is time to define new goals for ourselves and agree on those values we wish to take with us for the upcoming hundred years.
On November 18, 1918, during the ceremony of proclamation of Latvia 38 members of People’s Council understood it was only a beginning and the future would bring difficult tasks. Just like at school when each year of studies is more complex than the previous one. However, the happiness for one’s own country was greater than the fear of future difficulties.
And indeed, until 1940 Latvia blossomed, and the national self-esteem of the Latvian people become stronger. But the period of independence was followed by Soviet occupation, during which the nation lost its brightest and most talented minds, the economy built during the independence was destroyed, and the Soviet power attempted to crush the self-esteem and the free will of the people.
But the idea of a free and independent Latvia was not to be crushed. In 1980s, the individual creative protest manifestations of brave young artists, writers, poets and other activists gradually turned into a national movement of protest. On August 23, 1989, during the Baltic Way manifestation, two million people in all three Baltic countries joined hands to testify their wish to be free again. This 600 km long human chain which started in Tallinn, Estonia and led through Latvia all the way to Vilnius, Lithuania, was the grandest flash-mob in the modern history that inspired people all across the world. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence on May 4, 1990, the country of Latvia, in which we currently live, was reborn.
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, President of Latvia, said in her public address on July 29, 2001: “We are a rich nation because we have inherited a lot. We are a beautiful nation because our heritage has been sifted and tested through centuries. We only have what was recognized as good. [..] We have been given our history so that we could choose how to handle it, how to accept it and make it ours.”
The human history has seen the rise and fall of many nations and countries. Today, 7 billion people live in 200 countries, and 0.029% of them live in Latvia. Our country is so small that its existence is a miracle, to be protected and cherished. The world is open, and information technologies allow us to be a part of the Latvian information space regardless of our physical location. But the Latvian state cannot exist without our physical participation – or the name “Latvia” might become nothing more than just a domain in the virtual space, and its land turn into an anonymous point of destination in the global movement of goods. Only our willingness to be a part of this land and people, readiness to act together, will provide a meaning to Latvia, to exist and develop for the next hundred years.
Thousands of years ago Aristotle defined that the supreme meaning for founding a state: “A state is founded not for us to survive in it, but mostly – for us to live happily in it.” The state of Latvia was born in difficult times, and during its first hundred years, its existence has been a story of survival and self-preservation. So let us unite our common efforts and positive thinking to live a happy and prosperous life from now on.
© The Latvian Institute 2016; Photos: Kaspars Stūrītis; NBS; Ilmārs Znotiņš; Valsts Kanceleja; Latvijas Valsts prezidenta kanceleja; Edijs Pālens/LETA; Aivars Liepiņš
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How LinkedIn Impacts The Attention Economy
Theo Miller Contributor
Covering product marketing and design
LinkedIn hurts their user experience by notifying users of nonevents. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A tiny red badge can make you feel great. It can mean something wonderful has happened. It can also mean something horrible has happened. The one rule when it comes to notifications is something has to have happened.
Like the boy who cried wolf, LinkedIn has betrayed my trust one too many times. From random work anniversaries to irrelevant birthdays, I've learned to ignore their pings.
Notifications must be essential, or people stop paying attention. It's the same reason why no one puts lawn furniture on a fire escape — it's critical to keep some pathways clear.
An interview request is a great example of a true event on LinkedIn. It's something you want to know about. That needs to be the baseline standard for what qualifies as a notification.
Otherwise it’s like talking to a friend that brags about something that never happened. It creates distance in the relationship. You can't put your guard down because you have to second-guess everything they say.
There's a popular concept called the Attention Economy. Everyone knows there's been an uptick in the amount of information there is to consume. Due to this increase, attention is in high demand. Every app on every device is after your eyeballs and the result is a competitive marketplace.
If you accept this premise, it's as though LinkedIn is selling subprime mortgages. One notification can't wreck the Attention Economy, but a surge of them could do some damage.
That's why it's important for tech giants to be careful with notifications. It's their responsibility to set an example for all the other apps out there.
At least Twitter and Facebook have pages where you can set granular preferences. LinkedIn has a settings page for communications, but there isn't one for notifications.
That's too obvious of an oversight to be a mistake. Their product team made a strategic decision. You can filter their notifications out one by one, but that’s not the same thing.
In defense of LinkedIn, they are still one of the biggest social networks around. Along with Facebook and Twitter, they are a pillar of the modern social media landscape. Within that elite group, LinkedIn stands alone as the professional network.
It doesn't provide fun photos from parties, or breaking news about politics. Even amongst new apps like Instagram or Snapchat, LinkedIn is the professional one.
So it makes sense that their notifications are boring. That's why LinkedIn has to work so hard to manufacture excitement around nonevents. Next to nothing is worth a notification on LinkedIn.
Same with Quora — the educated elite’s response to Yahoo Answers. Quora notifies me every time someone answers a question that’s tagged as an interest. Never mind that I selected that "interest" to speed up my onboarding back in 2009. I swear, every 9 months when I log onto Quora, there’s a backlog of notifications about Barack Obama.
There's a reason why LinkedIn abuses their notification system. It makes their product sticky. A sticky product is one that compels users to log in everyday. This strategy informs product roadmaps throughout the tech industry.
This is because the leading business model in Silicon Valley is Software as a Service. SaaS only works if subscribers log in and engage often. It’s unlikely users would pay a recurring fee for a service they don't use on a regular basis.
When subscriptions plummet, venture capital ceases to flow. That's why it's so important for pre-revenue (yes, pre-revenue) startups to be sticky. It's impossible to monetize a product if it doesn't attract a large number of daily active users.
Even a company like LinkedIn cares about how many daily active users it has. It's an expression of their popularity. It represents the vitality of their platform.
There are great notification systems out there. Apple does a fantastic job with iOS. They list every installed app and provide notification preferences for each. It's an essential part of any modern operating system.
Although it's shady how every mobile developer assumes you want their app to be central to your life. As soon as you sign up, you have to adjust your notifications to make sure they won't wake you up in the middle of the night.
As wearables become mainstream, it's important to recognize how consequential notifications can be. They might crowd our contact lenses in the crosswalk or overheat our glasses on the train. For everyone's safety, let's hope app developers don't abuse notifications in the future.
Theo Miller
Theo Miller is a storyteller and former product person. He joined Carta prelaunch as a designer and marketer in 2013. After leaving in 2018, Carta commissioned Theo to m...


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How the moral lessons of To Kill a Mockingbird endure today
How the moral lessons of To Kill a Mockingbird endure today.
Aug 17 2018 - Anne Maxwell
MercatorNet
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the classics of American literature. Never out of print, the novel has sold over 40 million copies since it was first published in 1960. It has been a staple of high school syllabuses, including in Australia, for several decades, and is often deemed the archetypal race and coming-of-age novel. For many of us, it is a formative read of our youth.
The story is set in the sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb in 1936 - 40 years after the Supreme Court’s notorious declaration of the races as being “separate but equal”, and 28 years before the enactment of the Civil Rights Act. Our narrator is nine-year-old tomboy, Scout Finch, who relays her observations of her family’s struggle to deal with the class and racial prejudice shown towards the local African American community.
At the centre of the family and the novel stands the highly principled lawyer Atticus Finch. A widower, he teaches Scout, her older brother Jem, and their imaginative friend Dill, how to live and behave honourably. In this he is aided by the family’s hardworking and sensible black housekeeper Calpurnia, and their kind and generous neighbour, Miss Maudie.
It is Miss Maudie, for example, who explains to Scout why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.”
Throughout the novel, the children grow more aware of the community’s attitudes. When the book begins they are preoccupied with catching sight of the mysterious and much feared Boo Radley, who in his youth stabbed his father with a pair of scissors and who has never come out of the family house since. And when Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman, they too become the target of hatred.
A morality tale for modern America
Click here to read the article online (be sure that you do): MercatorNet
Back to the future… or the end of the road?
Neo-Marxist ideology has Christianity in its sights.
Aug 17 2017 - Michael Kirke
How bad can it get? The Mad-Hatter's Tea Party
A British Conservative government minister, Justine Greening, says that gender is virtually meaningless by proposing to let adults come in off the street and change it at will. “Pronoun Committees” on campus warn, “If you fail to respect someone else’s gender identity, it is not only disrespectful and hurtful, but also oppressive.” Does anyone hear an echo, “Committee of Public Safety”?
From there it was but a short step to the guillotine. Mozzilla’s CEO was removed from the company he founded because he privately supported traditional marriage – and that was also disrespectful, hurtful and oppressive. It certainly was for him – but that didn’t matter. A Google engineer is the latest casualty of the thought police because he expressed an opinion of doubtful orthodoxy.
This is just a very small sample from a long catalogue of seemingly mad events which are taking place around us. But they are not mad. They are the result of a cold, calculated dogma that has pervaded our culture.
We are, in truth, not a million miles, not even a few hundred miles from the nightmare of Stalinist Russia, where to write an opera (Prokofiev), compose a symphony (Shostakovich) or pen a novel (Pasternak) which was out of synch with the ideology of the State would reduce your career to ashes and even endanger your very life.
Is there anyone out there prepared to defend mankind from this self-destructive ideology? Yes there is, perhaps too timidly yet, but the principles are sound and if this onslaught of injustice persists then surely the perennial voice of reason will be heard loud and clear.
For seventy-plus years Marxism was a political force in the Soviet Union, backed up by a lethal totalitarian state. In that time the one enemy which it constantly singled out for annihilation was the Christian religion. Wherever Christians were found the grotesque regime’s apparatus first sought to corrupt them. Failing that it sought to crush them.
After soviet Russia led the way a handful of Eastern European followed under its tutelage – or its tanks. China and some Asian countries then joined the monstrous regiment and in the fifties and sixties of the last century the ideology made a largely unsuccessful attempt to subvert Latin America.
Eventually, bearing within itself the seeds of its own destruction, the states which embraced it began to crumble and fall. But to the very end Christianity remained its perpetual enemy and number one target for persecution and extermination. Even in the last decade of its hegemony it sought to assassinate – and almost succeeded – the Vicar of Christ on Earth.
Why was this so? Why should the followers of a peace-loving prophet from 2000 years ago be such a threat to what at first sight might be described as just one more attempt to solve the problems mankind faces in organising this world to meet the daily needs of its inhabitants?
It was so because the vision of humanity held by the followers of Jesus Christ, based on the belief and understanding that this God-man in fact created the world and all that is in it, is radically at odds with that of Karl Marx, his antecedents and his disciples. The essential contradictions inherent in the Marxist vision of man, its utterly flawed anthropology, eventually killed it – but not before it left tens of millions dead in its wake.
Michael Kirke writes from Dublin. He blogs at Garvan Hill, where this article first appeared. Republished with permission.
Click here to read the article online, be sure that you do: MercatorNet
A visit to a baby market in Brussels
A donor-conceived Belgian woman visits a fair for same-sex couples who want to be dads
Oct. 4, 2016 - Stephanie Raeymaekers
BRUSSELS -- For the second time around a surrogacy fair organised by the American company Men Having Babies landed on Belgian soil. This time it took place in a slightly more upscale venue. The ground floor at The Brussels Hilton became a stage where 220 potential customers from 12 European countries were welcomed.
Like last year, I was present. Me: the first in our generation to provide adults with a semi-biological child. It was the start of a lucrative business when fertility doctors discovered that the techniques used on a pig farm could also be useful for infertile heterosexual couples.
From the 1950s Belgian wombs were being filled with the sperm of unknown men. Fertility techniques improved and not much later they tapped into new target groups: single women and lesbian couples.
Branding unwanted childlessness as discrimination and injustice, several branches of the LGBT community are lobbying for gay men and transgender women to have biological children of their own.
Last Sunday almost everything was on offer: interpreters, gadgets, price lists, different formulas, the dos and the don’ts… But most of all, straight-to-your-heart-and-into-our-wallet sales pitches from companies which are able to connect anyone directly with eggs, surrogacy agencies and lawyers to make “a dream come true”. Lawyers handed out the metaphorical road map with instructions on how to by-pass laws to get your purchased child(ren) “legally” in your own country.
Towards an ethical framework...
Transgender madness is sweeping our schools
Parents, protect your children
There are many pressing issues that have come to the forefront over the last two decades as the new post-Christian consensus crowds into spaces once dominated by those who took Judeo-Christian values for granted. “The illusion of a Christian majority is now gone,” Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention noted, “and churches are going to have to articulate things they used to assume.”
This is going to be more difficult than it sounds. The first and most important challenge is for parents, who must devise ways of ensuring that they pass their beliefs and values on to their children. Gone are the days when the culture’s residual reliance on Judeo-Christian assumptions could reinforce what was heard in church and at home. Gone, in fact, are thousands of the churches. Instead, parents are faced with the task of teaching their children beliefs and values that run counter to virtually every cultural influence faced by children today: Hollywood films, the music industry, television shows, the state school system, and in many cases, even the government promote values that run directly contrary to the Christian worldview.
What is more dangerous still is the fact that the state is making an active attempt to stand between parents and children, utilizing the public school system not simply to teach, but to pass on a new set of values, values rooted not in Christian tradition but in the Sexual Revolution. That is why battles over sex education in Ontario, much to the confusion of the enlightened cosmopolitans in the chattering classes, provoked such a heated confrontation between the government and communities of traditionalists of all faiths: because each side was claiming the right to pass on values to the children. The state is insisting that their educational arm should teach children about sexuality, from their own perspective, with no right to “opt out.” Parents recognize that they are fighting for the religious and cultural identity of their children, and are insisting that the state stay out.
The state has no intention of doing so, of course. One particularly stark example is a letter published by Alberta’s Education Minister on August 16, titled “An open letter to Alberta’s students,” which was then posted to Facebook:
Click here for entire article: LifeSiteNews
'Angels' Block Protestors at Orlando Funeral
Denison Forum on Truth and Culture - Dr. Jim Denison
Christopher Andrew Leinonen was one of the victims of the Orlando massacre. As thousands gathered for his funeral last Saturday, a handful of protesters from Westboro Baptist Church arrived. The tiny church has made itself famous over the years by picketing the funerals of military personnel and anyone else with whom it disagrees.
But this time the protesters were met by a group of men and women dressed as angels. Their large wings formed a wall that shielded mourners from the picketers. The tactic worked: one attendee said, "We couldn't even hear WBC. All you could hear was peace and love."
As a theologian who is convinced that the Bible forbids same-sex activity, I am saddened by the success of LGBT advocates in promoting their unbiblical agenda in our culture. But as a Christian who is convinced that God loves us all, no matter our sexual orientation or lifestyle, I am also saddened by the response of some Christians to the Orlando tragedy. A pastor in Sacramento said in a sermon, "The tragedy is that more of them didn't die." A pastor in Arizona said of the massacre, "I'm not sad about it; I'm not going to cry about it."
God disagrees.
Read the entire article here: Denison Forum on Truth and Culture
‘To kill or not to kill, that is the question’
A new film about Jerome Lejeune shows the drama of his life after identifying the cause of Down syndrome.
(	Mercatornet) - Mary Le Rumeur
It is August 1969 in San Francisco and Professor Jerome Lejeune is addressing the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics.
Ten years earlier he had discovered the genetic cause of Down Syndrome, when he saw under his microscope in a Paris laboratory the third little mark on the 21st chromosome. In 1962 he received the Kennedy Award from the hands of President John F Kennedy for his work with handicapped children.
But the drama of his life was that his discovery of trisomy 21 would lead to a medical holocaust, national health systems giving huge funds to track down and eliminate these children before they could be born.
Invited to America to receive the highest distinction in genetics for his work, the William Allen Memorial Award, Lejeune decided to use this occasion to speak out in defence of "his patients" -- the children and their parents who already came from all over the world to seek his advice and help in Paris.
Click here for entire article: (Mercatornet)
The video has been ordered and will be available for showing, contact Ross Whitelaw
Medical experts rip Alberta’s ‘reckless’ and ‘dangerous’ transgender m
Friday, 29 April 2016 (LifeSiteNews) - Steve Weatherby
The Alberta government’s new guidelines promoting transgenderism in the province’s schools have not only sparked a parental revolt, they have triggered a stinging rebuke from two medical professors at the University of Alberta, who call the them “incredibly misguided,” “reckless,” and “dangerous” to the youth involved.
The two U of A professors are Dr. Blaine Achen, MD, FRCPS, FASE, associate clinical professor in Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, and Dr. Theodore K. Fenske, MD, FRCPC, FCCP, FACC, clinical professor of medicine, as well as staff cardiologist at the C.K. Hui Heart Centre.
In a paper published on the Alberta Parents for Choice in Education website, they dissect and eviscerate the New Democratic government’s recently released “Guidelines for Best Practices: Creating Learning Environments that respect Diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Gender Expressions” with surgical precision.
Donna Trimble, Parents for Choice in Education’s executive director, says the paper “expresses the views of many doctors, but these are the only two so far with enough courage to speak the truth and contradict political correctness.”
The guidelines in question ape ideologically-inspired policies enshrined in law in Ontario and California and other states and provinces. They not only unquestioningly endorse but enforce the gender-identity assertions of youth by allowing them to use the washrooms and school teams of their chosen “gender,” by affirming gender dysphoria in the curriculum and by keeping their cross-gender identification from their parents.
In their analysis, the two medical experts state, “This document is flawed both in the most basic assumptions it rests upon, and the conclusions thereby reached.” They implore Education Minister David Eggen “to reverse such an incredibly misguided and illogical statement and policy.” Apart from the governing NDP, the guidelines have been endorsed by the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives but not by the Wildrose Party.
The first premise the experts demolish is the assumption that a child’s so-called “self-identification” cannot be questioned but is the “sole measure of an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.”
On the contrary, explain the professors, gender is a social construct based on “subjective perceptions, relationships, and adverse experiences from infancy onward,” and as such is the rightful subject of psychotherapy and family therapy when it differs from biological reality.
Click here for entire article: (LifeSiteNews)
- See more at: http://www.smokylakebaptist.ca/index.php#sthash.0K9lmo8L.dpuf
The children of divorce: anything but resilient
WEDNESDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2016 (	MercatorNet) -
The News Story - Coping with a new home life
In Part I of a series called “Children of Divorce,” provided by New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the Lohud Journal News outlines some “strategies to help your child cope” with a parental divorce.
Among these strategies are “validate your child’s feelings,” “respect your partner’s rules,” and “make decisions based on what’s best for the child.” “Concerned parents,” according to the story, “have more power than they think when it comes to promoting their child’s resilience and facilitating the transition.”
But research suggests that, in spite of such parental palliatives, children’s “resilience” can only go so far, and a true decision “based on what’s best for the child” would be to stay married.
The New Research - The children of divorce: anything but resilient
When pressed to admit that the divorce revolution they led has hurt children, progressives invoke the myth of children’s resilience. Yes, they say, parental divorce does hurt children, but—not to worry—children are resilient: they bounce back in a year or two. The latest empirical insult to this myth comes from a study recently completed at Vanderbilt University, a study showing that more than four decades after parental divorce, the children affected still manifest the malign effects of that divorce upon their health.
This damning new evidence comes out of a sophisticated analysis of how “adverse social environments . . . become biologically embedded during the first years of life with potentially far-reaching implications for health across the life course.” As these researchers press their analysis of the linkages between social disadvantage in childhood and chronic health problems in adulthood, family disintegration emerges as a particularly important component of that social disadvantage—more important, in fact, than even low household income.
To analyze the relationship between social disadvantage in childhood and chronic health problems in adulthood, the researchers carefully examine data for 566 men and women born between 1959 and 1966, individuals for whom they have the social data necessary to formulate “an index that combine[s] information on adverse socioeconomic and family stability factors experienced between birth and age 7 years.” Drawing from data collected in 2005-2007 from these same individuals as adults, the researchers look for correlations between their index of childhood social disadvantage and adult health problems as measured in two ways: first, in cardiometabolic risk (CMR), determined by combining data from eight CMR biomarkers (including waist circumference, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels); second, in a composite index derived by assessing eight chronic diseases (including diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis). - See more at: http://www.mercatornet.com/family_edge/view/the-ch...
Read the entire article and it's conclusion on MercatorNet
Additional suggested reading:
The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25 Year Landmark Study by Judith S. Wallerstein
Dear Christians: It’s no longer enough to work hard, raise a family, and hope to be left alone
Jan. 4, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) - It’s a common complaint in pro-life circles: Why is it often so hard to get the churches involved in social causes? We know that Christians have abortions, too—so it is impacting us personally. We know that Christians are, for the most part, very anti-abortion—so it’s not as if they disagree with the pro-life movement. So what is holding so many people back from getting involved?
Apathy is part of it. Lack of awareness is part of it. But by and large, the real reason is an attitude that runs much deeper. The answer is simple: Church-going people are often traditional, conservative people. And here I don’t mean those terms in the way that political analysts might use them, to describe specific policy positions. I mean simply that they are people who want to work hard, raise their children, and be left alone.
“Have you ever met a parent of nine kids who was a Democratic activist?” Dennis Praeger once asked wryly. Everyone laughed. Perhaps not everyone even knew why it was so funny—it was just an absurd thought. Such a parent, everyone presumes, would have better things to do. People like my grandparents, who immigrated virtually penniless to Canada from the Netherlands in 1953, began working the land, and raised eleven children on a farm they built through blood, sweat, toil, and tears. They were too busy raising children and putting food on the table to trouble themselves with the screechings of Canadian feminists and other such activists.
Herein lies the problem the pro-life and pro-family movement has in recruiting conservative people to engage the culture to combat the social ills infecting our society: There is something fundamentally foreign about “activism.” Indeed, the term “conservative activist” itself seems to be something of a contradiction in terms. Small-c conservatives and traditionalists do not want to change the world. They want to live in it and not be bothered.
It’s in the very root of the word—“conserve.” It is markedly different in temperament from “liberal,” which denotes “liberalizing”—action. Thus, many suspicious church people even find that the word “activism” carries with it a whiff of liberalism. Ambrose Bierce brilliantly encapsulated the contrast between these two temperaments when he defined a conservative as, “A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the liberal who wishes to replace them with others.”
Which brings us to our present unpleasant realization that from a cultural perspective, the traditionalists and conservatives have been thoroughly beaten in the war for the culture. For the most part, we never even showed up. We raised families, built farms and businesses, and attended church functions while secular revolutionaries took over the entertainment industry, the media, academia—and finally, the public education system that now dutifully serves as a conduit for secular “values.” Prayer is out, queer theory is in, and many a middle-aged conservative has found occasion recently to splutter his coffee and gape at his newspaper: “How did things change so fast?”
Read the entire article and it's conclusion on LifeStieNews
Cecil The Lion Stirs More Outrage Than Abortion Mogul Cecile The Lyin’
By Ryan Scott Bomberger
Wedensday, July 29, 2015
The Radiance Foundation
Read the entire article -	click here.
Society has a funny way of deciding when to express outrage.
Millions of innocent humans (aka pregnancy tissue) are slaughtered and their fully intact body parts are sold. Crickets.
A single lion, which most have never heard of, gets hunted for sport. International drama.
I despise the thought of big game hunting, but it never ceases to amaze me how rhetorically violent animal rights activists become when these creatures are harmed or killed.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has called for the hunter involved, Dr. Walter Palmer, to be hanged. The puppy-killing, celebrity-studded, publicity-stunt-centered organization epitomizes the insanely hypocritical, progressive approach. The death threats through Yelp and Twitter are repugnant, but unsurprising given their disdain for human life.
Celebrities have tweeted their utter disgust for the wealthy dentist. Debra Messing (Will & Grace, Mysteries of Laura) says: “I want them to take his citizenship away.” Sharon Osbourne hopes that “#WalterPalmer loses his home, his practice & his money. He has already lost his soul…#WalterPalmer is Satan.” Piers Morgan, proving that being a news journalist was never his forte, tweets: “I’d love to go hunting for killer dentist Dr. Walter Palmer, so I can stuff and mount him for MY office wall.”
Jimmy Kimmel even nearly melted down talking about it on his show, having to pull himself together to make it through the segment.
Oh, and look…the Obama administration is now offering its help into the investigation of Palmer’s hunting escapade. According to The Hill: “The Service is deeply concerned about the recent killing of Cecil the Lion.” Wow. That was quick.
Planned Parenthood’s baby-parts-trafficking elicits nothing but support from the Obama administration. But kill a lion halfway across the world, in a nation riddled with grotesque human rights abuses, and the administration is on it! (Well, on the abuses to lions, not to Zimbabweans). Cecil the Lion’s death warrants outrage from the political left, but their darling abortion mogul–Cecile The Lyin’–can do no act heinous enough (like selling “unwanted” babies’ wanted organs), no Medicaid fraud egregious enough, no teen sex education misleading enough to stir a moment of discomfort for liberals.
What's Happening This Week
The sermon from July 07, 2019 is posted. This and previous sermons can be played back from the Website. .
Today – Sunday School classes for ages 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Today all the classes will meet downstairs. The Nursery is available for children aged two and under.
Today – All the ladies are asked to remain in the sanctuary after Worship Service for an important planning meeting.
Midweek Summer Schedule – In July and August the church will be open each Wednesday for prayer. Fasting that day is also encouraged. Those who wish to host a Cottage Meeting on a Wednesday night are asked to contact Pastor Keith.
Please Also Note
Thank you for silencing your cell phone during Worship.
Offering envelopes are available at the back of the sanctuary.
Thank you to everyone who donated toward the portable storage cabinets. They have been ordered!
If you are interested in participating in a short-term mission to northern Canada with the ministry On Eagle’s Wings, see Dwight or Val.
The grass-cutting schedule beside the front door is available for your signature.
Pioneer Bible Camp at Hanmore Lake Celebrating 60 Years of Ministry
Junior Week Ages 10-12 July 14-19$275
Kids’ Camp Ages 7-9 July 21-25$250
Young Adult Ages 18+ July 26-28$50
Register online @ www.pioneerbiblecamp.ca
Volunteers are needed to share the church custodian duties during the month of August. Find a friend to help you and let Sharon know which week you are available. Men and women are equally welcome!
Do you have photos related to the history of our church, such as buildings, activities, special occasions, missions? If so, please submit them to Ross and Val Whitelaw with your name and details of the photo (date, place, people). You may also email them. Hard copies will be returned
Financial Report April-June 2019
Income $47,744
Less restricted funds* -2,088
Net for operating 45,656
Expenses -45,578
Surplus for April-June 2019 78
*Restricted Funds are offerings that are given for a specific ministry, such as the Building Fund, Eat to Heat, Missions. These funds cannot be used for operating expenses.
Church Services:
Wednesday Evenings - 7:00PM - Suspended during July and August
Sunday Mornings - 11:00AM
Children's Ministry - for ages 2-11 during service time. All children welcome to attend. The Nursery is available for children under two.
Saturday, July 27 – Men’s Breakfast, hosted by Lac La Biche Victory Church. Please notify Dwight if you plan to attend.
Sunday, August 4 – Our church will celebrate its 75th Anniversary and the 20th Anniversary of Pastor Keith and Helen’s ministry here. A special service and a meal are being planned.
Regularly Scheduled Worship Times:
Wednesday Evenings at 7:00 PM -
Sunday Morning at 11:00 AM, including Sunday School for the children
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Op-ed makes Trump even more paranoid and that's bad for all of us
What the writer of the piece in the Times describes and what the people in Bob Woodward's new book describe is, in fact, reality.
Op-ed makes Trump even more paranoid and that's bad for all of us What the writer of the piece in the Times describes and what the people in Bob Woodward's new book describe is, in fact, reality. Check out this story on clarionledger.com: https://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/columnists/2018/09/07/op-ed-makes-donald-trump-even-more-paranoid-and-thats-bad-all-us/1221819002/
Erick Erickson, Columnist Published 9:23 a.m. CT Sept. 7, 2018
At a rally in Montana, President Trump said that the anonymous New York Times op-ed criticizing him is "treason." Later, he went on to discuss Nike's ad campaign with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (Sept. 6) AP
Erick Erickson(Photo: Submitted photo)
On Wednesday, The New York Times released a piece by a "senior official" in the Trump White House. Do not let "senior" fool you. This could be a deputy-level staffer, an undersecretary or someone else at a lower level than chief of staff, vice president and Cabinet secretary. Many junior staffers have "senior" in their titles. This may be someone we have never heard of. It could be the chief of staff. None of us knows, though I suspect that this person will soon be revealed. In fact, the piece reads like the swan song of a burned-out politico ready to reveal and rehabilitate himself.
What this piece does not suggest is a constitutional crisis. The phrase is being thrown about a great deal, but this is not a constitutional crisis. Every president has people who steer him — albeit this president has to be steered more than most. Every president has the occasional bad impulse. This president just seems to have more than every other one combined.
The constitutional crisis would be if the Cabinet invoked the 25th Amendment and did not have two-thirds of Congress to go along with it. Then the president would see mass forced resignations from his Cabinet members and have a vice president he could not trust. There is your constitutional crisis. On top of that, to do this to a president who was elected according to the laws and conventions of the United States and its Constitution would be not just an affront to American democracy but, again, a constitutional crisis. The people who are screaming "constitutional crisis!" the loudest are the ones hellbent on causing a constitutional crisis.
The president's advisers all swore to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Throwing out the lawfully elected president would violate that oath. Working tirelessly to make sure the president does not stray from his own oath is keeping their oath.
There is, however, a point that must be made that may be unpleasant for some, and they will struggle mightily. What the writer of the piece in the Times describes and what the people in Bob Woodward's new book describe is, in fact, reality. You can pretend otherwise, but these stories have been consistent since before the president set foot in the White House. You can call these people disloyal or traitors, but the reality is the American people elected a walking temper tantrum in response to their outrage over a political class that had ignored them. This is the logical outcome of the voters' temper tantrum.
Before we stop there, let's also point out that neither the Republican nor the Democratic establishment could stop Donald Trump and the voter temper tantrum. Perhaps politicians should be a bit more introspective about why voters threw a temper tantrum in the first place. Screaming "they're racist" is baloney and does not even begin to address what really happened in 2016.
The Trump voter reaction to this is to think it is not true, wave it all away, decide they don't care or conclude there really is a deep-state coup against the president. I really do wonder whether the president's base would have treated this with a bit more credibility if the media had not been 100 percent hostile to the president from day one and so focused on scandal from day one. Many of the pundits and reporters screaming about a constitutional crisis have been screaming about a constitutional crisis since before the inauguration when they were trying to get the Electoral College to reject the will of the people. They have cried wolf so much that it is hard to get anyone to believe them now.
More: President Trump coming to Mississippi
More: Ideological narratives trump truth
There is a great deal unknown about this piece that sent Washington into a frenzy this past week, but there is one thing we can know. The president now has confirmation in multiple media outlets that there are those within his White House working to stop him. He is bound to grow more paranoid over this, and we will all be worse off because of it.
Erick Erickson is a nationally syndicated columnist and conservative commentator.
Read or Share this story: https://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/columnists/2018/09/07/op-ed-makes-donald-trump-even-more-paranoid-and-thats-bad-all-us/1221819002/
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US wins 4th World Cup title, 2nd in a row, beats Dutch 2-0
Posted: Jul 7, 2019 / 03:28 PM CDT / Updated: Jul 7, 2019 / 03:30 PM CDT
LYON, France (AP) — The United States women’s soccer team was as good as American players promised — maybe even better.
Especially Megan Rapinoe, the pink-haired captain who emerged with the Golden Ball as top player, the Golden Boot as top scorer and a world-wide stature as a champion for gender equity.
The U.S. won its record fourth Women’s World Cup title and second in a row, beating the Netherlands 2-0 Sunday night when Rapinoe converted a tiebreaking penalty kick in the second half and Rose Lavelle added a goal.
Rapinoe scored in the 61st minute after a video review determined Stefanie van der Gragt had fouled Alex Morgan with a kick to the shoulder in the penalty area.
Two days past her 34th birthday, Rapinoe slotted the ball past goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal for her sixth goal of the tournament. The oldest player to score in a Women’s World Cup final, she struck a familiar victorious pose with arms outstretched.
“It’s surreal. I don’t know how to feel like now. It’s ridiculous,” Rapinoe said. “We’re crazy and that’s what makes us so special. We just have no quit in us. We’re so tight, and we’ll do anything to win.”
Lavelle, at 24 the team’s up-and-coming star, added her third goal of the tournament on an 18-yard left-footed shot in the 69th after a solo run from the center circle.
“She’s superstar, not even in the making, she’s straight up superstar at this point,” Rapinoe said.
Fans, many dressed in red, white and blue, chanted “Equal Pay!” at the final whistle , a reminder players sued the U.S. Soccer Federation in March claiming gender discrimination.
Rapinoe drew the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump during the tournament by saying she and teammates would refuse to visit the White House, part of the team’s wider push for gender equity. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio needed just a few seconds after the final whistle to invite the team to a ticker-tape parade up the Canyon on Heroes in Manhattan on Wednesday.
The Americans never trailed in the tournament and set records with 26 goals and a 12-game World Cup winning streak dating to 2015. U.S. coach Jill Ellis became the first coach to lead a team to two Women’s World Cup titles, and the U.S. joined Germany in 2003 and 2007 as the only repeat champions.
“It’s just chemistry. They put their hearts and soul into this journey,” Ellis said. “They made history.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino handed over the trophy, a stark contrast to four years ago in Canada, when then-president Sepp Blatter was a no-show as U.S. prosecutors investigated corruption in soccer’s governing body. While the U.S. added fourth star to its jersey, Germany is the only nation that has even two.
With confidence and brashness that some called even arrogant — triggering a backlash that the angry response was sexist — this American team established a standard of excellence that exceeded the U.S. champions of 1991, 1999 and 2015, becoming a goal for all others to match. Former American players joined the current generation on the field for the postgame celebration.
Alyssa Naeher, the 31-year-old who succeeded Hope Solo in goal, faced repeated questions entering the tournament but allowed just three goals in the tournament and finished with her fourth shutout.
The U.S. had scored within the first 12 minutes of its previous six matches in the tournament but the European champions sat back to keep their defensive shape and kept the score 0-0 through the first half.
Video review, adopted by FIFA for the men’s World Cup last year, showed its impact when Stephanie Frappart, the first woman to referee a men’s Ligue 1 match, went to the screen at the side of the field and then signaled toward the spot.
Rapinoe, who missed Tuesday’s semifinal win over England with a hamstring injury, became the first woman to score on a penalty kick during a Women’s World Cup final, her 50th goal in 158 international appearances. She matched Morgan and England’s Ellen White for most goals in the tournament and won the Golden Ball based on fewer minutes.
Rapinoe was given a standing ovation by the crowd when she subbed out in the 79th minute. The crowd of 57,900 at Stade de Lyon for Le Grand Finale included French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Americans opened the tournament with a record 13-0 rout of lowly Thailand, triggering debate over whether the celebrations after each goal were excessive. Carli Lloyd responded the next match by following a goal with a polite golf clap. The Morgan stirred it up again when she scored against England with a tea sip, pinkie outstretched.
PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) — Authorities are investigating whether possibly the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history is behind the death of an Arkansas woman in 1994.
Police in Pine Bluff are reviewing the case of Jolanda Jones's death after Samuel Little confessed to her killing, which had been determined to be drug-related.


What is precocious puberty?
Puberty that happens early is called precocious puberty. This means a child's physical signs of sexual maturity develop too soon. This includes breast growth, pubic hair, and voice changes. These are known as secondary sexual characteristics. Precocious puberty happens before age 8 in girls, and before age 9 in boys. Most children with the disorder grow fast at first. But they also stop growing before reaching their full genetic height potential.
What causes precocious puberty?
It may be caused by tumors or growths on the ovaries, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, or brain. Other causes may include central nervous system problems, family history of the disease, or certain rare genetic syndromes. In many cases, no cause can be found for the disorder. There are two types of precocious puberty:
Gonadotropin-dependent. This is also known as central precocious puberty. This is the most common type of precocious puberty. Most girls and half of boys with precocious puberty have this type. The puberty is started by early secretion of hormones called gonadotropins. Gonadotropins include luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulation hormone (FSH). In girls, precocious puberty may be caused by the early maturity of the hypothalamus, pituitary glands, and ovaries. But in most cases, no cause can be found.
Gonadotropin-independent. This is a form of precocious puberty that is not started by the early release of gonadotropins. Instead it’s caused by early secretion of high levels of sex hormones. These include the male androgens and female estrogens.
Who is at risk for precocious puberty?
A child is at risk for precocious puberty if he or she has any of these:
Tumors or growths on the ovaries, testes, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, or brain
Central nervous system problems
Family history of the disease
A rare genetic syndrome
What are the symptoms of precocious puberty?
The signs are secondary sexual characteristics that happen early.
Common signs in girls can include:
Breast growth
Pubic and underarm hair
Common signs in boys can include:
Enlarging penis and testicles
Spontaneous erections
Production of sperm
Deepening of the voice
Other signs of the disorder include:
Increased aggression
Growing taller earlier than other classmates
The signs of precocious puberty can be like other health conditions. Make sure your child sees his or her healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
How is precocious puberty diagnosed?
The healthcare provider will ask about your child’s symptoms and health history. He or she may also ask about your family’s health history. He or she will give your child a physical exam.
Your child may have blood tests to measure levels of hormones such as:
Luteinizing hormone (LH)
Follicle stimulation hormone (FSH)
A form of estrogen called estradiol
Gonadotropin-stimulating hormone (GnRH) is made by the hypothalamus in the brain. It causes the pituitary gland to release gonadotropins. These then cause sex hormones to be made by the ovaries in girls, or the testes in boys. The GnRH blood test may show the type of precocious puberty.
Your child may also have tests such as:
X-ray. This test uses a small amount of radiation to make images of tissues inside the body. An X-ray may be done of the left hand and wrist. This can estimate your child's bone age. With precocious puberty, bone age is often older than calendar age.
Ultrasound (sonography). This test uses sound waves and a computer to create images of blood vessels, tissues, and organs. This may be done to look at the adrenal glands and ovaries or testes.
MRI. This test uses large magnets and a computer to make detailed images of tissues in the body.
How is precocious puberty treated?
The goal of treatment for is to stop the onset of early puberty signs. In some cases, the signs can be reversed. Treatment will depend on the type of precocious puberty and the cause.
Treatment may be done with synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormone. This can stop the sexual maturity process. It does this by stopping the pituitary gland from releasing the gonadotropin hormones.
What are possible complications of precocious puberty?
Early puberty will cause a child's body and moods to change much sooner than his or her friends and classmates. This may make a child feel self-conscious and embarrassed, or be teased by other children.
How to manage precocious puberty
You can help your child by treating your child like normal, boosting your child's self-esteem, and seeking a child counselor if more help is needed.
Call your child’s healthcare provider if you see signs of sexual development in a girl before age 8 or in a boy before age 9.
Key points about precocious puberty
Puberty that happens early is called precocious puberty. This means a child's physical signs of sexual maturity develop too soon. Precocious puberty happens before age 8 in girls, and before age 9 in boys.
Signs can include breast growth, pubic hair, and voice changes.
It may be caused by tumors or growths on the ovaries, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, or brain. In many cases, no cause can be found for the disorder.
Treatment may be done with synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormone. This can stop the sexual maturity process.
Early puberty may make a child feel self-conscious and embarrassed, or be teased by other children.
Online Medical Reviewer: Hurd, Robert, MD
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Latest Wyoming Whiskey Honors Iconic Wyomingite
Whiskey Review: Four Roses Small Batch Select
/ Booker’s Roundtable: What Exactly It Is
Booker’s Roundtable: What Exactly It Is
By Maggie Kimberl /	May 26, 2016
When Booker Noe first came up with the idea of Booker’s Bourbon, a barrel-strength non chill-filtered whiskey that harkened back to the days of taking your jug down to the tavern to fill up, he would select each batch with a group of friends around his kitchen table. Nowadays, the Booker’s Roundtable panel consists of many different whiskey experts who all take turns on a rotating basis selecting your next bottle of Booker’s.
The Whiskey Wash recently caught up with noted bourbon author Chuck Cowdery, who is regularly a member of this panel, to learn more about his experiences on it over the years:
Booker Noe and his Booker’s Bourbon (image via Beam-Suntory)
Booker’s was the first bourbon to be marketed as “small batch.” This term means different things to different people. What does it mean to Booker’s?
“Small Batch Bourbons Collection” was a name coined by Beam to describe Booker’s, Baker’s, Knob Creek, and Basil Hayden, although Booker’s had already been on the market for a year or two. Beam never really defined ‘small batch’ unless you asked. Then they said it meant a small (relative to Jim Beam white) selection of barrels dumped for a bottling run. The term became popular and other producers started to use it, along with their own definitions. Today a Booker’s ‘batch’ consists of 350 – 375 barrels and they do six batches per year.
You wrote back in 2014 the roundtables were being done over the phone. Are they still largely done this way? Have you ever done one in person?
I haven’t participated in all of them, but I have participated in two in-person, including [one recently]. The original plan was to do them over Skype but that technology failed. We’ve done several on conference call and that works pretty well, although it’s more fun in person.
How many samples do you typically go through and what are you looking for in each one?
It is always three samples. We’re looking for the one that tastes the most like Booker’s, i.e., the usual Booker’s flavor profile. It’s not unusual for one of us to say, “I like A better but B tastes more like Booker’s.”
What are some of the subtle or not-so-subtle differences in the samples?
More or less char, more or less vanilla, more or less sweetness. The amazing thing is that although they are all Booker’s, there are real differences.
Sometimes things in the whiskey business look more fun from the outside than they really are, but I can imagine the Booker’s Round Table is actually a lot of fun. Is it more laid back or is it all business?
It’s fun because it’s a fun group of people. That’s what makes it. There are always new people. And it’s pretty easy work.