user: Q:
Bolz-Weber’s liberal, foulmouthed articulation of Christianity speaks to fed-up believers
To Bolz-Weber’s bafflement, this is now her congregation: mainstream America.

These are the people who put her memoir near the top of the New York Times bestseller list the week it came out in September. They are the ones who follow her every tweet and Facebook post by the thousands, and who have made the Lutheran minister a budding star for the liberal Christian set.

And who, as Bolz-Weber has described it in her frequently profane dialect, “are [mess]ing up my weird.”

A quick tour through her 44 years doesn’t seem likely to wind up here. It includes teen rebellion against her family’s fundamentalist Christianity, a nose dive into drug and alcohol addiction, a lifestyle of sleeping around and a stint doing stand-up in a grungy Denver comedy club. She is part of society’s outsiders, she writes in her memoir, its “underside dwellers . . . cynics, alcoholics and queers.”

Which is where — strangely enough — the match with her fans makes sense. The type of social liberals who typically fill the pews of mainline churches sometimes feel like outsiders among fellow liberals in their lives if they are truly believing Christians; if they are people who really experience Jesus and his resurrection, even if they can’t explain it scientifically; if they are people who want to hear words from the Apostles in church, not Thich Nhat Hanh or Barack Obama.

In her body and her theology, Bolz-Weber represents a new, muscular form of liberal Christianity, one that merges the passion and life-changing fervor of evangelicalism with the commitment to inclusiveness and social justice of mainline Protestantism. She’s a tatted-up, foul-mouthed champion to people sick of being belittled as not Christian enough for the right or too Jesus-y for the left.

“You show us all your dirty laundry! It’s all out there!” the Rev. John Elford of the University United Methodist Church booms, as if he is introducing a rock star, leading the cheering crowd into an impassioned round of hymn-singing.

Bolz-Weber springs onstage to do a reading from her book, but first she addresses the language that’s about to be unleashed on the pulpit: “I don’t think church leaders should pretend to be something they’re not.”

The crowd erupts into applause.

Bolz-Weber pulls out a few kitschy items that she raffles off to raise money for a local charity. She waves a gift certificate for a free tattoo. Then she speaks to her new reality:

“You ladies over 70 dig deep, because you know you want it!”

Bolz-Weber’s appeal is unquestionably part packaging: dramatic back story, cool appearance, super-entertaining delivery. She launched a successful church for disaffected young people and has headlined youth gatherings tens of thousands strong. For a part of American religion that’s been in a long, slow institutional decline, this gives her major credibility.
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A:
Nadia Bolz-Weber, a tattooed, weight-lifting onetime comic, explains her new vision for liberal believers.
Q:
Tado wants to make your air conditioner smarter
German startup Tado has spent the last three years trying to make heating and cooling systems smarter and more efficient in countries across Europe. But on Thursday, the company debuted a device for the rest of the world including the United States.

Tados’ device lets homeowners automatically control the temperature in their house. Based on a cell phone app, it detects when the home owner leaves and returns, and adjusts the air conditioning accordingly. Tado says by turning off the air conditioning when the person leaves the house, energy use can be cut by 40%, helping to lower energy bills. Tado also pitches its device as a convenience and a way to make homes more comfortable.

The product works by wirelessly connecting the control gadget to a home’s air conditioning unit using the air conditioning unit’s remote control. The company is targeting one-room air conditioners like the ones used in windows, mounted on walls, or portable ones — these make up 85% of the world’s air conditioning.

Tado’s smart air conditioner is part of a broader push by companies to make the entire home digitally connected with sensors, wireless networks and smarter devices. Big and small companies alike are connecting fridges, ovens, entertainment systems, and lighting systems, and looking to sell consumers on the dream of an ultra convenient, sleek and techie home. The upside of some of these devices is that they can be more energy efficient.

Tado, which introduced the new product at an event in New York, voiced big goals for its new territory. Within the next year, it hopes that its device will be used in at least 100,000 air conditioning units in New York City alone.

The real differentiator with Tado is that it’s a pretty smart device for a decent price: $200. Nest, a smart home device maker owned by Google, sells its rival thermostat for $250.

Tado, sometimes referred to as the European Nest, has raised funding from Target Partners and Shortcut Ventures as well as a Kickstarter campaign.
What was this article about?
A:
A smarter air conditioning unit doesn't have to be fancy. Just ask German startup Tado.
Q:
MPs vote to renew Trident: Jeremy Corbyn suffers biggest rebellion of his leadership as Britain's nuclear deterrent backed by 472 to 117
He said the party had repeatedly won elections on its "explicitly anti-Trident manifesto".

"The people of Scotland have shown repeatedly, clearly and consistently that we are opposed to the renewal of nuclear weapons," Mr Robertson said.

"There is cross-party support, not just from the SNP, but from the Greens, from Scottish Labour, almost every single one of Scotland's MPs tonight will vote against Trident replacement."

"Only a few short weeks ago Scotland voted to remain within the European Union," he continued.

"If Scotland is a nation, and Scotland is a nation, it is not a normal situation for the state to totally disregard the wishes of the people, and this Government has a democratic deficit in Scotland, and with today's vote on Trident it's going to get worse, not better.

"It will be for the Scottish people to determine whether we are properly protected in Europe and better represented by a Government that we actually elect - at this rate, that day is fast approaching."

Mr Robertson repeatedly urged the Defence Secretary to explain what the ongoing operational costs of Trident would be, beyond the £31 billion renewal costs.

He described it as "frankly an absolute fortune (to spend) on something that can never be used and is not deterring the threats that we face today".

He added: "We have yet not had any confirmation on what this Government plans to spend on this, and you expect MPs on both the Labour benches and the Government benches to sign a blank cheque on this?

"We've asked again and again and again, and I'm looking at the Defence Secretary again, and you have the opportunity to intervene on me now, to tell the House, to tell Parliament, how much money his Government wishes to invest in the successive programme."
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A:


assistant: <ul>
	<li><strong>MPs vote to renew Trident 472 votes to 117</strong></li>
	<li><strong>Biggest rebellion of Mr Corbyn'