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What are focuses?

No Hate Speech Movement brings specific aspects or a target group of hate speech into the attention of the online public. This specific theme will also be the subject of an Action Day. During action day month the topic will be elaborated by involving organisations that are experts on the theme, the terms and expressions connected will be extended and reviewed, relevant reports will be collected and uploaded and specific actions will be organised to raise awareness and engage online public to improve understanding and show solidarity.
28 Results
20 October, 2016
0 Comments 15 Reports

In November  - connected to the Action Day countering Antisemitic Hate Speech - we invite you to flag antisemitic hate speech using  Hate Speech Watch. Through the Hate Speech Watch you can flag any online content (on social meda, websites, news sites, comments etc) that expresses hate speech against people and groups just because they are Jewish. When you submit a report, you can explain why that content should be challenged, and if you want provide your counter arguments. After submitting the report you can share  it on your social media to initiate discussion about the content, to express solidarity with the people targeted by the hate speech and spread counter arguments that promote human rights for example through online and offline actions. If you would like help identifying antisemitc hate speech and draft counter arguments take a look at the guide monitoring antisemitic hate speech by CEIJ. The resources of the ‘Get the Trolls Out’ project can also be useful to analyse and recognise antisemitic hate speech and provide some examples of counter actions using images video’s etc. View

16 May, 2016
0 Comments 20 Reports

LGBTQI Hate speech 2016

The Hate Speech Watch in May 2016 is focusing on hate speech against LGBTQI people. We invite you to report online hate speech that targets people’s gender identity and/or sexual orientation. The Internet is full of hatred and incitement towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex people. Research clearly shows hate speech against LGBTI people is a huge problem. A survey conducted by the Youth Department of the Council of Europe in 2012 shows that homophobic and transphobic hate speech is one of the most frequently encountered form of hate speech online. The EU Fundamental Rights found in 2013 that 19% of EU LGBT reported being harassed because they were LGBT.  Addressing such hate speech is a cause for action for all as it reaches a huge audience with todays open internet access and can have a harmful impact on individuals and society as a whole. For this reason protecting freedom of expression including of people with different sexual orientations and gender identities is of the utmost importance for all of us who consider Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law the basic principles of the peaceful life of humankind. View

10 February, 2016
0 Comments 18 Reports

Challenge sexism and counter sexist hate speech!

THE MOVEMENT CALLS FOR FLAGGING ONLINE SEXIST HATE SPEECH BY THE HATE SPEECH WATCH. In March the Hate Speech Watch is collecting examples of different online expressions of sexist hate speech with the purpose of raising awareness and support the education of young people. Discrimination, multiple discrimination and hate speech against women is a serious issue still in today’s Europe. Sexist hate speech builds on narratives reaffirming gender stereotypes which justify gender discrimination and sexism, thus it is very important to  challenge sexism and speak up for gender equality both online and offline.  View

31 January, 2015
0 Comments 16 Reports

Unite for Better Internet

The 7 February Action Day joins the global Safer Internet day call to ‘Be the change: United for a Better Internet!’ Making internet a safe and engaging space for children and youth has been a driving force behind the work of the many partners in the campaign, including Insafe and INHOPE networks and Safer Internet Centres. As we believe that the Internet will be a better and safer place for all if there is less hate speech, and hate speech is not ignored  and people speak up more for Human Rights online. The Movement invites YOU to flag online hate speech that endangers our safety online. Flag any online content that endangers safety of young people for it’s a content that spreads hatred against certain group of people, or because some young people are targets of such hate speech. Report incidents of cyberbullying that uses hate speech against certain young individuals. In your report you can also include arguments, recommendations and share your report on social media. View

safety cyberbullying
25 November, 2014
0 Comments 16 Reports

SAY NO! To hate speech against Women

Hate speech targetting women is often neglected, for is is so much present in every day life and it can be so subtle that people do not even recognise it. This is why it is even more dangerous. Such hate speech is proliferating, notably on the Internet, with daily calls for violence against women and threats of murder, sexual assault or rape. Initiated by the United Nateions from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.  The No Hate Speech Movement joins this global action and invites YOU to report hate speech targetting women on the Hate Speech Watch. The Movement will announce these reports on social media and will call for united counter actions online. View

24 November, 2014
0 Comments 27 Reports

HATE SPEECH IS A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. In December the Hate Speech Watch dedicates its activities to speaking up for Human Rights Online and we invite YOU to report any online Human Right violations on the Internet. The action day will have special attention to the issues around refugees and recent Human Rights violations in and around Europe. Our actions will reflect messages of solidarity towards refugees, will include counter narratives against hate speech towards them. Actions will also call for commemorating the victims of hate crimes that happened recently and our content will also express that no crime can justify hate speech against people who belong or seem to have similar identity with those who committed the violent act. See detailed content and concept of the Action Day here View

28 October, 2014
0 Comments 30 Reports

The Movement is organising a European Action Day against Fascism and Antisemtism on the 9th November 2014. In November we invite you to report antisemitic hate speech to the Hate Speech Watch. Report any online content (on social meda, websites, news sites, comments etc) that expresses hate speech against jewish people just for their identity, content that spreads fascistic ideas, or content that denies holocaust itself. The Movement is inviting you to express zero tolerance towards antisemitic hate speech and recommends that you speak up against antisemtism immediatelly when and where you read it. Ignorance can be interpreted as silent agreement, so it is very important that we counterargue in the moment it appears so other readers will see that it is not acceptable. If you fight ignorance you actually shiled out the spread of hatred. The Movement will organise different online actions around a selected number of hate speech reports. View

antisemitism fascism holocaust extremism
13 September, 2014
2 Comments 59 Reports

Countering hate speech against Muslim people

On 21 September 2017 the No Hate Speech Movement is countering hate speech targeting Muslims in support of the International day of Peace. We call for positive dialogue to decrease stereotyping and judgement, and strengthen counter and alternative narratives that debunk hate speech and its underlying xenophobic narrative effecting Muslims. In September the Hate Speech Watch will draw the attention to the amount and spread of online hate speech content targeting people with Muslim faith in Europe and beyond. For this the Hate Speech Watch will focus on collecting typical hate speech patterns and hate content against Muslim people in order to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, to provide indepth understanding and deconstruction of the oppresive and discriminative narratives and to allow the production of relevant counter narratives to debunk the simplistic, xenophobic and discriminative discourse.  View

25 July, 2014
0 Comments 8 Reports

2 August 2014 marks the 70th anniversary of the remembrance day of the Roma Genocide. On this action day the campaign aims to raise awareness about the Roma Genocide, and about antigypsyism, hate speech and hate crimes against Roma in the past and present. The initiative aims to advocate for a wider official recognition of the Roma Genocide in Europe and for the formal establishment of August 2nd as the memorial day of the Roma Genocide. The Hate Speech Watch invites you to report any online hate speech content that aims against Roma people or content that denies the Roma Genocide. View

roma genocide hatecrime
27 June, 2014
0 Comments 48 Reports

Hate Crimes: Consequences of hate speech.

The Hate Speech Watch is focusing on victims of hate crimes in July 2016. The followers of the Movement are invited to FLAG any online hate content that is targeting victims of hate crime, people who already suffered from severe consequences of hate speech or hate speech that may endanger people in real. FLAG hate content that reviles or blasphames victims of hate crimes in history, or victims who suffered and survived hate crimes recently. FLAG the denial of any genocide, or justification of any massacre. FLAG hate speech that encourages people to commit hate crimes and physically attack other people based on their different characteristics. The Movement is inviting YOU to remember all those victims of hate crimes all around Europe and express YOUR solidarity so that it cannot happen agan. Express your views and speak up for human rights for all. View


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Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween

Yesterday, kids in costumes went to school like our little neighbor girl, and also paraded around Regis University.  Doc came home early to avoid the chaos!

Friday, October 30, 2015

House Addition Plans

It's as lot of work, getting the permit, plans drafted and submitted to different folks, and finalizing preferences.  We started in July and still are in the planning stage.  Exciting!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Frost, Doll, Yarn

It's definitely chilly but snow has left the forecast for now.  Doll and yarn arrived today! Yeah! The best part of the day is that Doc could enjoy the xbox for the second consecutive day! Foot is healing, slowly but surely.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Doll Buckles Arrived

Some of the quantity was back ordered but yeah, I have enough of the silver overall hooks with buttons to get me through Christmas!

Monday, October 26, 2015

Fire, Food, Flowers and Yarn

Last night we also enjoyed the fire, burning bark, and I accidentally felted my favorite hat when I washed out the smoke! We had tilapia, and yes, I'm knitting.  Doc has the Ipad. Our normal!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Jack Frost Visited Last Night

Five Cutest Grandchildren

Sun and 57 Degrees

It's now fall! Our glorious sun appeared today and is trying to dry up all the puddles.  The low was 36 but no freeze here yet.  Our mountains are getting snow, above 9,000 feet.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

So Much Water

The air smells like worms!  Slugs and earthworms were along the sidewalk of the greenbelt.  Icky!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Wet Walk, Ugly Decoration

I saw this skeleton dog at Costco! Gross!!!!

Knitting In Front of Fireplace

It's finally "winter" here!  Doc took his boot just in case but wore his regular shoe.  Thank you for waiting to snow!!
 These are flip top mittens.
Chilly! Wet!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Balmy Before First Storm

 Michael and Sean are playing football this afternoon; still 72 degrees.
Flowers and yard are still happy and dry.  The storm should arrive this evening.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Sandwich, Progress of Foot

Doc used the drive through when his foot didn't bear weight.  When I picked up the sandwich on subsequent days, I used his cheat sheet.  He feared spit in his sandwich so he was super, super polite!
After x rays and blood work, no visible fracture, we went to buy a boot, approved by Dr. Hahn.  Crutches on day 6 could be worse!

Sunday, October 18, 2015

 It's day 5 on crutches and Doc is coping well, restless, wanting to enjoy this mild Autumn, but the foot says, "wait."  Good call on the tech, Sean!!!

Balmy Autumn

On the greenwalk, the northern catalpa has tons of been pods.  Two new trees planted themselves in our yard; they are now planted in Leo's backyard.

 Teeny new roses are still starting to bloom.

Our yard does NOT look like the usual October!

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Bibliofile - March

So we're back with the second edition of Bibliofile - an update of the books I've read in the previous month. Can you believe I read 18 books in March? Do you think I need a life...or a library card? I'm really on a jag of Private Detective novels, sometimes referred to as the hard-boiled genre. Ross Macdonald writes a series based on main character Lew Archer. Robert Crais's main character is Elvis Cole. Ken Bruen writes about Jack Taylor and Dennis Lehane's main protagonists are the investigative team of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.

I love them all but my favourite series has to be the one about Jack Taylor, a former Irish Guard member and alcoholic. The series is quite dark. You see almost anyone that gets close to him dies, either by Taylor's own hand or somebody else's. When I read the the first book - The Guards - I thought it was a little over the top. But I've read 6 of them now and I'm addicted to these books as much as Taylor's addicted to a pint of Guinness and a whiskey chaser.

I think one of the aspects that attracts me to Taylor is his love of reading and of music. Like me! Bruen, the author, is always citing other author's works as chapter dividers. And his main character is always sharing with the reader the books that are currently on his bookshelf. He described one so well - Satan Wants Me by Robert Irwin - I downloaded and read it.

Among other highlights this month were Things Go Wrong For Me by Rodney Lacroix, otherwise known as the blogger moooooog35. What can one say about moooooog? Nothing much becaue he usually leaves you speechless.

And I enjoyed 419 by Canadian author Will Ferguson who uses Nigerian e-mail scams as the basis for his plot line.

On the biography front I really enjoyed Kicking and Dreaming, the story of and by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. I read the book then ordered their CD box set Strange Euphoria. I know, I know, I'm a real sucker. And and iTunes can see me coming.

So here' March's list:

Monkey's Raincoat - Robert Crais
The Guards - Ken Bruen
The Killing of the Tinkers - Ken Bruen
Satan Wants Me - Robert Irwin
Stalking the Angel - Robert Crais
The Magdalen Martyrs - Ken Bruen
The Way Some People Die - Ross Macdonald
Lullaby Town - Robert Crais
Things Go Wrong For Me - Rodney Lacroix
The Dramatist - Ken Bruen
The Fourth Estate - Jeffrey Archer
Priest - Ken Bruen
419 - Will Ferguson
Free Fall - Robert Crais
Cross - Ken Bruen
Kicking and Dreaming - Ann and Nancy Wilson
The Ivory Grin - Ross Macdonald
A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane

What about you? What are you reading? Have you read any of the books I've been reading? What would you recommend?

Boom Boom Larew said…
The only one I've read is Rodney's book. Unfinished Bryan also mentioned Crais a couple of weeks ago ... perhaps there's a trend going.
nonamedufus said…
The Crais series is good. I think Bryan actually turned me on to him. The guy started out as a screenwriter for such shows as Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey and Miami Vice.
Cheryl said…
Crais is excellent. I started reading him years ago. You and @nonamedufus:disqus have GOT to read his books where he features Joe Pike as the protagonist.
Cheryl said…
I can't seem to get focused enough to read much these days. Actually, that started about a year ago and I haven't been able to get back on track. I loved reading Lehane until he retired Kenzie & Gennaro for awhile. I'm glad he 'unretired' them but I've only gotten around to reading the first book since he brought them back.

Have you read Lee Child's Jack Reacher series? If not, you owe it to yourself to give him a try. Reacher isn't a traditional hard-boiled detective (my favorite genre), but WOW! Child's grabs my attention in the first paragraph and never lets go.
nonamedufus said…
Is there another series with just Pike? In the one I'm reading Pike co-owns Elvis Cole's agency.
nonamedufus said…
I find I've been blogging less and reading more it seems. I'll look into the Reacher series. Thanks for the recommendation. Always on the look out for something new and interesting.
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Nicky said…
Wow, and I was all proud of myself for reading 2 books this month. Pretty impressive list, Dufus. I read Happiness by Will Ferguson and loved it, so I think I'll give 419 a try. Also, I find myself mysteriously drawn to the title Satan Wants Me. I don't know why.
nonamedufus said…
I've gone completely nuts when it comes to reading lately and I have the VISA bill to prove it.
Cheryl said…
Yessir, there is. The first was published in 2007. Here's the Good Read's list of all 4 (I've only read the first 2. The other 2 may not be as Pike-centric since they're listed with Cole & Pike as protagonists).
nonamedufus said…
Cool. I'll look into it. Pike's quite a character.
Cheryl said…
I've been blogging less, reading less, and working more. I'm teetering on the edge of a very slippery slope because I'm not enjoying any of it. We're heading down to Martinsville, VA for Sunday's NASCAR race then to Carolina Beach in southern NC for 5 days. I think I just need to get unplugged from the chaos of the internet and find some balance.

When you get around to giving Child's a go, I suggest you start with the first in the series. I think I read his 8th or 9th book first then went back and read them in order. While this isn't a traditional series and you won't miss much if you pick up any one of them, it's still a better ride if you start at the beginning.
nonamedufus said…
Sounds like it's time for a well deserved break, Cheryl. I hope you're able to re-energize.
meleahrebeccah said…
"Can you believe I read 18 books in March?" Holy crap! Wow.

"Among other highlights this month were Things Go Wrong For Me by Rodney Lacroix, otherwise known as the blogger moooooog35. What can one say about moooooog? Nothing much becaue he usually leaves you speechless." You got that right!!

Sadly, I haven't been reading very much at all.
meleahrebeccah said…
He is hilarious. And crazy!

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Comcast to buy Time Warner
  • Americans should get ready to get fucked.  The largest cable provider wants to buy its largest competitor.  Together they would have 57% of the market.  The next guy would have 8%.  Welcome to monopoly land.  The deal should not be allowed, but I figure it will be.  Now I could give a fuck about cable TV, but these are also the biggest internet providers.  There is already fuck all competition in high speed internet in the United States.  Where I live, it's Time Warner or go fuck yourself.  This means fifty dollars or more for 15mbps that really ends up being less than 15.  There are other parts of the country that are worse, or plain do not have high speed.  I imagine noobtoobers in elsewhere in the world would be appalled at more than three bucks per mbps.  Americans would be surprised that other areas have cheap 100mbps.

    One of the hundred and one crazy things about America is that we talk all the fucking time about competition, but hardcore capitalists will do anything to promote monopoly, because it is vastly more profitable.  We have shitty internet, and all signs point to that actually getting worse.  The companies that provide internet hate the idea of the internet cutting into TV for entertainment and phones for communication.  The internet is clearly the more efficient future, but more efficient means less profitable to them.  What little competition there is, appears to be getting stamped out.  Two companies which provide crucial modern services have the lowest customer ratings and are about to be combined.  They will have even less incentive to give a crap what you think or how you feel.  If America believed in modernizing it's infrastructure, or in an actually competitive market, this deal would be laughed out of existence; instead it will be lauded.
  • Wow, i am not really clued up on the cable/internet suppliers in US. From what you are saying this seems like it is going to become a difficult situation that harms the internet consumer :( . Is there an equivalent on a monopoly commission in the US? I assume there is, this sounds like the sort of merger/ buyout that should be blocked.

    From the description of the providers you have provided it doesn't sound like it is boding well for you. This appears like it would put the internet infrastructure of the whole country second to profits of large companies. I don't mean that as grandiosely as it sounds haha. Competition pushes forward improvements for services, you remove the competition it slows progression which is unfortunate.

    I get 60mb in the UK and I am really happy with the prices and the quality of service. There is a lot of cable politics that go on here, though i do feel the UK is moving in the right direction in terms of internet provision. Though the larger companies again have problems with customer service and monopolies etc. which is expected and sucks. Saying that i had my cable relayed (re-pulled) last week and they were mostly on the ball with getting that sorted reasonably quickly/efficiently. Although they could of coordinated it better. The main issue i have with my ISP are the fair usage / traffic management policies, and some confusing rules and pricing. They are slowly getting more lax on fair usage, hopefully improving and disappearing as the nationwide infrastructure improves.
  • I don't really find myself getting to fussed about it, to be honest. The vast majority of America is already divvied up into monopolised areas. I live in an area of 230,000 people and the only choice here was Charter, up until about 5-6 years ago when Comcast joined the fray. Most Americans live under a 1 or 2 provider choice anyways. So in that respect, this isn't really much different. There's almost no overlap in the coverage between the two, so it's not going to make that really much worse. We lost that battle a long, long time ago, when the FCC became overran with former telecom CEOs and checks from their friends.

    TV Networks deserve some the blame, too. Networks like Disney and TBS and all of them basically lock in 10% price raises annually, so they gouge the cable companies, who then turn around and gouge customers.

    It won't be long before they're all pretty much being buried by Google or Amazon or whatever other tech giant gets involved. What's really weird is that Internet service has far and away the best profit margins for these companies, and yet they still totally slack on it, while cable TV is bleeding customers. Why not update the infrastructure and try to fend off Google? Internet is going to be the basis of all media consumption in the future, why not invest in it? It makes no sense. They're all just using the strategy of trying to get every last penny they can get. All it'll do is speed the collapse. Put another stake in rational expectations and efficient markets. Not that we needed another.

  • Consolidating monopolized areas is heading the wrong way. Yes, things already suck, but this is headed towards greater monopoly. Google is not coming to save you. Kansas City and Austin are hobbies, are experiments.
  • It isn't capitalism, it's corporatism. The old champions of capitalism would be doing double somersaults and triple axels in their graves if they could see what passes today under the banner of capitalism. These people we deal with today are about as interested in free market capitalism as Stalin was.

    Don't expect anything to change. Bankers, big business and government don't even try to hide the fucking they are giving the people these days and the people, upon seeing these institutions loosening their belts yet again, do not get angry. They assume the position and accomodatingly spread their now far from virgin ass cheeks.

    I hear this Russell Brand guy has a revolution we can join. Gods help us all.

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AOV3 opening Saturday evening

We did a walk through of all the Art(ists) on the Verge projects this morning, and everything is looking good for the opening tomorrow at 7 pm at the Soap Factory. Above is a short vid of Caly McMorrow’s Status Update. Beautiful.

Great article in MN Daily about the show “Digital Immersion As Art.”

Tomorrow morning WCCO will do a couple of segments on AOV around 8 am and 8:30 am.

Patricia Briggs to write for Art(ists) On the Verge

Art(ists) On the Verge opens at The Soap Factory

Participating Artists: Drew Anderson, Michael Hoyt, Caly McMorrow, Anthony Tran, Aaron Westre

Northern presents the third edition of Art(ists) On the Verge (AOV3) at The Soap Factory. This exhibition features new work from five Minnesota-based artists. AOV3 is an intensive, year-long, mentor-based fellowship program for emerging artists working experimentally at the intersection of art, technology, and digital culture with a focus on network-based practices that are interactive and/or participatory. Previous exhibitions of work by AOV fellows have been at the Weisman Art Museum (2009) and the Spark Festival at the University of Minnesota (2010).

Feel your heart race as you pull the trigger of Drew Anderson’s “shotgun projector” illuminating the point of view of an animatronic hunter in the north woods of Minnesota. Zero in on Mike Hoyt’s video paintings of the Powderhorn neighborhood and join the online civic dialog. Get on the horn and leave a status update for Caly McMorrow’s sound and light installation. See yourself and the world around you differently in Anthony Tran’s hertzian funhouse mirror. Make your mark on the environment with Aaron Westre’s urban planning video game.

A related symposium on creative solutions for public discourse, “Discourse and Dischord: Architecture of Agonism from the Kitchen Table to the City Street,” will be co-presented with and at the Walker Art Center, April 12-14.

Northern is a collaborative, interactive media-oriented arts agency from the Twin Cities for the world. It presents innovative art in the public sphere, both physical and virtual, focusing on artists creatively using technology, both old and new, to engender new relations between audience and artwork and more broadly between citizenry and their built environment.

Art(ists) On the Verge is generously supported by the Jerome Foundation.


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September 7, 2008

Notes from the Aug. 24 NAWC Meeting

Northland Anti-War Coalition Meeting Notes

1. RNC PROTEST: NAWC is sending a bus to St. Paul for the anti-Republican Convention protest that'll be taking place on Labor Day. Peter Krause is the point person for this. Carl will make up a quarter sheet flier to give to folks who ride the bus with info about our upcoming Oct. 11 protest, NAWC meetings, etc.

2. OUTREACH: We talked about some outreach projects that NAWC can do for the fall. One outreach project we voted to do is to invite one of the organizations part of our coalition to give a brief presentation about themselves at the end of each NAWC meeting. Scot will arrange for the Network of Spiritual Progressives to give a presentation at our next meeting. Adam agreed to do a mailing to all of the organizations in NAWC to tell them about this new project, as well as to inform them about our upcoming Oct. 11 and Dec. 9-14 protests. We voted to re-organize our email lists, so that our mail list will be an announcement only list, and we'll set up a second list for those who want to be part of a discussion list. And finally, we voted to do a big fall mailing to the whole NAWC mailing list to plug the Oct. and Dec. protests. Adam will bring a draft letter and draft fliers for this fall meeting to the next meeting.

3. OCT. 11: NAWC is going to be hosting a protest against the war on Saturday, Oct. 11. We'll gather at noon at the Leif Erickson Park for a march to the MN Power Plaza. We discussed having some music at the Leif Erickson Park park for when folks arrive, and have 5 or so speakers at the MN Power Plaza. We set the goal of having all of our speakers be brand new folks who have never spoken before at a NAWC event. We also tentatively set as a theme something along the lines of "Missed Opportunites" and "Human Needs Not War".

4. NEXT MEETING: Sunday, Sept. 14, 2pm at the East Hillside Community Center [1406 E. 2nd St., Duluth].

*notes taken by Adam R.

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Saturday, April 28, 2012

Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons

Staff Review by Chris Saliba

Stella Gibbons’s collection of short stories, Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm, chooses as its subject matter London life in the 1930s. With a sharp eye for detail and a sympathy for the human predicament, this superb set of stories explores the complexity of relationships and the fraught emotions they engender, all written in a wonderfully open and clear style that is like a warm breeze on a spring day.

The title of this volume makes it sound like it’s a new Cold Comfort Farm novel. Obviously, the temptation to cash in on Cold Comfort Farm's huge success was irresistible (hence the opportunism of the title), yet only one story reprises the Cold Comfort Farm characters, albeit with a Christmas twist. The rest of the stories are stand alone gems that can be enjoyed at any time of the year, highlighting the author at her most charming and delightful.

Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm was published in 1940, and I presume most of the stories were written in the late 30s. Gibbons concentrates on writing about what she knows best, and all of the stories deal with London life, friends, marriages and the vicissitudes of human relationships. Gibbons has a sharp eye for detail and is a shrewd observer of complex relationships, and can describe difficult and fraught emotions in a wonderfully warm and clear style. The genuineness and honesty in these stories, combined with a great generosity of spirit, make them a true literary delight. I dreaded the end of this book.

It’s a mystery why Cold Comfort Farm has always been in print, and the rest of her books have gone missing in action. Cold Comfort Farm, to me, is inferior to every other Gibbons book I’ve read, yet it’s the perennial favourite. The stories in this collection have not dated one bit. At their heart they beat with a freshness and essential human vitality that ensures their longevity.

For those looking for an excellent introduction to Stella Gibbons, this is a good place to start.

Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons. Published by Vintage Classics. ISBN: 978009956597 RRP: $12.95


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Sunday, March 26, 2017

The Pledge, by Friedrich Durrenmatt

Staff review by Chris Saliba

Friedrich Durrenmatt's gripping 1958 thriller, The Pledge, will have you in its thrall, from first page to last.

In the opening pages of The Pledge the author describes meeting an old chief of police from Zurich, a Dr. H. The two sit in a bar having coffee and cream. The chief relates an old murder case:

It was in the Swiss mountain village of Magendorf that a terrible crime occurred. A little girl named Gritli Moser was  gruesomely murdered in the nearby woods, slashed with a razor. It was the third murder of a little girl in so many years, all executed in a similar manner and obviously the work of a serial killer. The prime suspect of the murder was a peddler named von Gunten who discovered the body. He was seen as guilty due to his history: he had a conviction for child molestation, of a 14-year-old girl. Von Gunten was taken in for questioning, but staunchly denied the charge. Under intense interrogation, the peddler finally admitted to the murder and then committed suicide.

It seemed a clear-cut case, but as inspector Matthai took over the investigation, he was not so sure. In fact, he became convinced that von Gunten did not commit the crime and that the real killer was still at large. He felt it his moral duty to find the real killer. His timing was bad, however, as he was due to take on an important overseas post. He turned his back on this new assignment, remained in the town of Magendorf and started a steady descent into madness and alcoholism. He never found the killer.

First published in 1958, Friedrich Durrenmatt's gripping crime novel reads like it was written only yesterday. It has a cleverly constructed design, that of a narrative within a narrative, that ticks like clockwork. It marries breathtaking suspense with realistic psychological portraits. The novel is also rich in atmospherics; it's air of suffocating menace and perversity haunts the reader throughout.

The novel has one big theme: it criticises the neat and contrived plots of regular crime novels. Durrenmatt says that life if often absurd and ridiculous. Our need for neat answers and tidy endings is not realistic. The author weaves this philosophical outlook into the plot by having Matthai become irrationally consumed by the case of Gritli Rosen, yet unable to solve her murder.

Intellectually fascinating, aesthetically satisfying, gripping from the first page to the last, The Pledge is a crime novel that you can't put down.

The Pledge, by Friedrich Durrenmatt. Translated by Joel Agee. Published by Pushkin. ISBN:  9781782273394  RRP: $19.99

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Multi-class Performance Measures

when we want to evaluate a set of predicted labels or performance of ML models we use different performance measures. Accuracy, Precision, Recall, F-beta(usually people use F-1) or etc. But none of the aforementioned methods except Accuracy work for Multi-class data where class labels tend to have more than two (binary) different values.   Why not Accuracy? Well, Accuracy is calculated as the portion of true labeled instances to total number of instances. The questions is what is wrong wit accuracy that we need

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Customizing Sublime for JS

like many other programmers, I have been using Sublime Text for while for programming in many languages. Especially, when I’m doing web applications. Its fast, simple and fast again. However, sometimes its wonderful simplicity becomes a weakness. There is nothing to use there. You may have to compile and run you JS program (for example) too many times and makes it cumbersome enough to rethink your use of text editor. However, in this post I will be introducing plugins and tricks to make Sublime more like an IDE for JS

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Customizing Sublime Shortcuts

If you want to know how good you have become with programming, count the number of times you take your hands of the keyboard when you work :D.  Though not serious, its still true that using mouse slows down programming and on the contrary, keyboard shortcuts are the saviors of a programmers time. Sublime provides numerous keyboard shortcuts for its users. They can be found using the following links: Keyboard shortcuts for OS X Keyboard shortcuts for Windows/Linux They can also be found in

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How to check android applications’ CPU usage

I’m currently working on a project for which I need to read the CPU usage by applications. There are question and answers on this topic but I could’t find any tutorials on it so I decided to write one. Basically, there are many things that you can’t do using the Java api, but, with a quick tweak you can. In order to read cpu usage of applications you will need to run a bash command on the device. Java Runtime class provides this feature

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A, B, C, C++ … Maybe its the turn for D now

Today, when I was randomly reading hacker news, I noticed an article that “Facebook is using D in production starting today“. Will, it seemed funny first, the idea that their coming up with a new programming languages in alphabet order. However, the fact that D has to have some sort of magic that a gigantic company such as Facebook that has just started using it, though, it might have enormous costs. So this actually, persuaded me to google it a

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The first post

The first post seems to pretty hard to do since I didn’t exactly how to start. But, I just came with the idea to start with what we always start a new thing with Hello World

Java Integer needs 128 bits

Recently, I found a Youtube video posted by Oracle Learning which discussed efficiency of Java heap memory. I found it significantly useful and really encourage you guys to take a look at the video. But, in order to give you guys an insight about what you will be expecting to find in this video read this post. Well, if you’re a Java programmer you have probably ran into memory problems so many times. Usually much before the time you expected.

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Where is Iran

Oh, well. let me see. You might think that Iran is the end of the world. So, another way to say that, you might think if earth was flat and you had 80 days to fly over it. There is a country at the end of it which doesn’t get enough of the suns light. No I don’t want to talk to much, just take a look at A Glance at Iran. A Facebook page that I started earlier which

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Saturday, December 21, 2013

when you're weary…

An Answer to a Friend

Michael Boldea, Jr.
Homeword Bound
15 December 2013

"We do what we do because we must. We do not do it for glory, or fame, or recognition, we do it out of obedience and because we were commanded to."

[Read more…]

Michael Boldea is the grandson of Dumitru Duduman, a Romanian pastor and prophet, who smuggled over 300,000 Bibles into Russia during the mid-twentieth century.

ducking insanity

Gay Group Calls For Re-Education of Phil Robertson

Paul Joseph Watson
21 December 2013

"“We believe the next step is to use this as an opportunity for Phil to sit down with gay families in Louisiana and learn about their lives and the values they share,” GLAAD’s vice president of communications Rich Ferraro told The Wrap

The group is also targeting companies who use Robertson as a spokesman, intimidating them into severing ties with the Duck Dynasty star."


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7 months jail for Ayrshire dog cruelty case: Five-year sentences can’t come soon enough

  • Posted on August 29, 2017

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is appealing to Scots today to back its call for tougher sentences for horrific cases of animal abuse and cruelty, after an Ayrshire dog home director is jailed for just seven months for what the Sheriff describes as offences of the “utmost gravity”.

Zara Brown’s sentence on 29 August comes after she admitted carrying out a catalogue of neglect and abuse against dogs in her care at the Ayrshire Ark rescue centre. Shockingly, this included the discovery of seven dead dogs and a dead cat, alongside other animals who had suffered unspeakable pain and squalor, languishing in their own waste.

The problem with the current Scottish legislation

The Sheriff’s verdict comes just 48 hours after we launched our campaign in Scotland calling for the nation’s inadequate 12-month maximum sentence for such cruelty to be raised to five years, in line with many other countries. Battersea Director Dee McIntosh said:

“Serious abuse cases like this in Ayrshire are so shocking and Battersea is horrified by the harrowing detail that has been released today. Rescue centres should exist to provide love, care, and hope to homeless and abandoned animals that find themselves in need of temporary shelter.

“Today’s seven-month prison sentence highlights the problem we have with the current Scottish legislation, as no Scottish court has the power to give out anything more than 12 months, which is appalling. Had this woman been convicted of fly tipping, she could have been jailed for up to five years. Instead, she has escaped with just a few months in prison.”

Make the punishment fit the crime

We revealed in our report that Scotland’s 12-month maximum sentence is one of the lowest in Europe. Dog law expert Trevor Cooper added:

“Animal cruelty doesn’t take any notice of national boundaries. Had this offender lived in Northern Ireland she could have faced up to five years in prison. We need to give the Scottish Courts the power to make the punishment fit the crime with a maximum prison sentence of up to five years.”

Battersea is appealing for animal-loving Scots to ask their MSPs to back their call for five-year maximum sentences. Dee McIntosh continued:

“Animals have no voice of their own, so we must all speak for them. Battersea hopes the Scottish public and MSPs of all political parties will get behind our campaign for much tougher sentences.”

Email your MSP today to ask them to support five-year sentences for animal cruelty.

Download our report on Sentencing for Animal Cruelty in Scotland.


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The Loom at Cotton Mill Place Wedding | Rebekah & Scott

We always love seeing family's from the past come back into our lives. We met Rebekah years ago at her brother's wedding and it was such an honor to be able to now capture her wedding!

Years ago these two met while attending college at the University of South Carolina. Their love of their school did not fade as the love these two share grew. (Sandstorm and Rag towels anyone?)

The Wedding Day from start to finish was incredible. Rebekah looked stunning in her dress and the fun and bright emotions of the bridal suite brought everyone so close together! And the adorable flower girl (Rebekah's darling niece Joanna) was perfect!

The ceremony was beautiful and it was such the perfect fit to have Scott's father preside over them and bring them together as husband and wife forever.

The reception celebration at The Loom in Simpsonville, SC was outstanding! The Party Machine kept the dance floor jumping all night long. And since these two were University of South Carolina alumni's you can imagine when custom game towels were handed out and Sandstorm started to play!

But all good things must come to end, and we bid them farewell as they exited The Loom with the perfect sparkler grand exit!

Give them some love in the comments below as well as the other vendors

Ceremony: Mauldin United Methodist Church

Reception: The Loom at Cotton Mill Place

Officiant: Scott Hill Sr.

Hair Stylist: Catie Brigman

Make Up Artist: Cotton Rouge

Wedding Dress Vendor: Carolina Traditions

DJ: The Party Machine

Event Coordinator: Jeannie Thrailkill

Caterer of Food: Reeves Catering

Noveli Wedding Photography | 743 Congaree Road, Greenville SC | info@noveliphotography.com

Noveli Wedding Photography was created by National Award Winning Wedding Photographer Summer & Stephen Gossett. Our passion, creativity, knowledge and experience in all things Wedding Photography have made us one of the most sought after wedding photographers in Greenville SC, Charleston SC and Destinations around the World.

We love every wedding, and are honored that so many beautiful couples have allowed us to be a part of the most important day of their lives!


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I Shall Seal the Heavens

I Shall Seal the Heavens Chapter 1397

Chapter 1397

Chapter 1397: I Shall Bestow You With Ultimate Good Fortune!

The Grand Aegis was so incredible that not even an 8-Essences Paragon would be able to break through it in a short period of time. Not the 8-Essences Paragon from the 33 Heavens, nor the other five 8-Essences Outsider Paragons, could do anything except be blocked outside.

As the battle commenced, a cold snort suddenly echoed out from the Immortal God Continent as a beautiful woman appeared. She seemed cold and detached, and wore a long violet robe. As she strode out, a young man could be seen following along beside her. Mixed emotions could be seen on his face as he looked silently at the Mountain and Sea Realm.

The woman immediately extended her right hand and shoved her palm out toward the Mountain and Sea Grand Aegis.

That gesture caused her face to redden slightly, but the massive force that erupted out shook the starry sky, and sent the minds of all cultivators eeling. Even the 8-Essences paragons were in awe of her aura.

Hers was the aura of… 9-Essences!!

9-Essences Paragon!!

A huge boom rang out as her attack slammed into the Grand Aegis, which instantly began to crumble. Normally speaking, the spell formation should not have been damaged so easily, but unfortunately… it was missing the power of one Sea.

That was something that Shui Dongliu hadn’t figured into his plans, and never had the time to compensate for. His original plan had called for the Grand Aegis to hold out until they reached the tunnel, or at least… until they got closer than they were now.

The most he could do now was make them pay a heavy price to break through the spell formation!

Even in the moment that it crumbled apart, a backlash force erupted out from it.

Shui Dongliu threw his head back and howled, "Mountain and Sea Seal!"

Instantly, the shattered remnants of the spell formation shot toward the female Paragon and began to form a seal around her.

Even as she frowned in response, another cold snort rang out that seemed filled with complete ancientness. Accompanying it was an ancient figure who emerged from within the Immortal God Continent.

It was an old man, wearing a white robe, with long white hair and eyebrows that made him seem extremely dignified. He held a string of prayer beads in his right hand, and as he strode out, his eyes shone like the Heavens.

Simultaneously, as the Mountain and Sea Grand Aegis shattered, the five 8-Essences Paragons instantly burst in, followed by countless other powerful experts.

"You people aren't going anywhere!"

Even as the hosts charged in to attack, the old man known as Daoist Immortal Ancient opened his eyes. His body seemed devoid of life force, and rife with an aura of death. However, his cloudy eyes suddenly began to glow brightly, and he took a step forward, completely ignoring the other 8-Essences Paragons to head directly toward the old man in the white robe and white eyebrows.

The two of them immediately began to exchange blows that rocked Heaven and Earth.

At the same time, the Three-eyed God roared and charged forth to block the path of an 8-Essences Paragon, standing firm to prevent him from even getting close to the butterfly!

A bizarrely Demonic glint appeared in Meng Hao's eyes as he took a step forward. No laughter or crying could be heard, but his eyes burned with crimson light, and he erupted with a shocking aura as he began to fight ruthlessly. Massive rumbling sounds echoed out as he licked his lips, the desire to consume the enemy growing stronger within him.

As of this moment, the Mountain and Sea Realm truly had reached the most critical of junctures!

Booms rang out across the battlefield. One billion flying swords turned into a rain of destruction. Tens of thousands of former Imperial Lords, the river of reincarnation, and 100,000 Devils fought like mad to defend the butterfly from the Immortal God Continent.

Meng Hao's eyes flashed with crimson light as he fought his way toward the nearest 8-Essences Paragon. As he closed in, his aura transformed until he was like a wild beast, oblivious to matters of life and death. That 8-Essences paragon was one of the suns of the Immortal God Continent, with an incredibly high position. However, he had never encountered a cultivator like Meng Hao before, and within a split second, Meng Hao had torn a huge chunk of flesh off of him. His rage erupted, and just when he was about to strike back, he found himself facing a shocking God-Slaying Fist!

Paragon Sea Dream started laughing, and a cold gleam appeared in her eyes. Without any hesitation, she began to burn what remained of her dwindling longevity in exchange for more cultivation base power, which she immediately unleashed in combat.

Fighting broke out everywhere, and off in the distance, even more cultivators were approaching from the direction of the Immortal God Continent.

Shui Dongliu roared, and his sleeves whipped about as he went up against the other 8-Essences Paragons. Protecting the butterfly as it continued to speed toward the tunnel was the most important thing.

Even as the butterfly's head began to enter the tunnel, the sealed female Paragon began to break free. Her bonds crumbled, and she took a step forward, entering the Mountain and Sea Realm and reaching out with her right hand to grab the butterfly.

"Get back here!"

Rumbling echoed out as a massive force surged toward the butterfly, which began to tremble. At the same time, the corpse of Daoist Immortal Ancient, who was fighting the white-robed old man, looked back at the butterfly, then unhesitatingly closed his eyes and self-detonated.

He moved with such decisiveness that the white-robed old man's eyes widened in shock. He tried to back up, but the power of the self-detonation swept over him like floodwaters, and began to spread out through the entire starry sky.

Wherever it passed, Outsiders and cultivators from the Immortal God Continent let out bloodcurdling screams as they were wiped out of existence. Then, the power began to wash over the Mountain and Sea Realm, although it did not harm any of the forces of the Mountains and Seas. Instead, it was targeted directly at the 9-Essences female Paragon!

Her face fell; even someone as powerful as herself had no choice but to evade. She immediately loosened her grip on the butterfly and fell back.

In that same instant, the power of self-detonation transformed into a propelling force which then shoved the butterfly toward the tunnel.

"Immortal Ancient!!" cried Shui Dongliu, grief filling his eyes. He knew that the Immortal Ancient which had appeared was already dead, and couldn't last in the fight for very long. The fact that he might choose to self-detonate at a critical juncture was something that Shui Dongliu had long since taken into consideration. In fact, he himself might do just that; in all the plans he made, the only true mistake came… from not predicting that the Ninth Sea would turn traitor.

In the past, he had taken into consideration the potential betrayal of cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm. However, he never thought that the Ninth Sea would actually make such a decision. It wasn't that he didn't know about the friction between Meng Hao and the Ninth Sea; he had taken that to be a small matter. Actually, from an objective standpoint, it seemed obvious that there was a more important reason for the Ninth Sea's betrayal.

"It wants to become an independent will…." Shui Dongliu thought bitterly. The Ninth Sea's betrayal became the flaw in the Mountain and Sea Grand Aegis, ensuring that it could only last for a short time before being destroyed.

The price to be paid to make up for that weakness, was a life. And unfortunately, the life of Daoist Immortal Ancient was not enough….

It was in this critical moment that beams of light filled the starry sky as the 8-Essences Paragons once again closed in. In addition, there were two 9-Essences Paragons from from the Immortal God Continent.

But the Three-eyed God threw his head back and laughed uproariously. Eyes gleaming with determination, he leaped forward unhesitatingly and chose to self-detonate. The blast surged out, propelling the butterfly further into the tunnel, until it was halfway inside.

Next, the war chariot exploded, then the ancient Imperial Lords. As of this moment, they all chose to self-detonate. The one billion flying swords, and the other forces which made up the backup reserves of the Mountains and Seas, all did the same thing.

The resulting explosion caused blinding light to spread out over the battlefield. At the same time, the nine Xuanwu turtles, as well as the Eight Seas, all added power to the butterfly's movement.

The incoming Paragons were swept over by the force of the self-detonation blasts, and at the same time, the butterfly was pushed all the way into the tunnel.

It seemed as if they were on the verge of escaping, as if within the space of a few breaths of time the Mountain and Sea Realm would be gone, as if the Immortal God Continent had absolutely no time with which to react.

However… it was within those few breaths of time that everything would be decided!

Hordes of cultivators charged forth from the Immortal God Continent. The tunnel was vibrating, as though the butterfly's escape was impossible to prevent.

In Shui Dongliu's plan, the next few breaths of time were supposed to be covered by the protection of the Grand Aegis. However, the betrayal of the Ninth Sea turned that plan into nothing more than a dream.

"Even the slightest mistake must be compensated with a massive price," Shui Dongliu said softly. "So many lives have already been sacrificed. Now, it's my turn." With that, he took a step forward, and suddenly, he seemed completely different than before.

In a mere instant, he was no longer an old man, but instead, young and strapping. He took a deep breath, then extended his hand toward the Mountain and Sea Realm.

"Shrink!" he said. That single word caused the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, all of the Nine Mountains and the Eight Seas, to shrink down into the form of a magical item which came to rest on Shui Dongliu's palm. Then, he tossed it away behind him, whereupon all the surrounding cultivators, including Meng Hao, Ksitigarbha, Paragon Sea Dream, and others, were all shoved toward the tunnel, along with the shrunken Mountains and Seas.

Struggling wasn’t even an option. Meng Hao and the others were flung toward the tunnel. As for the shrunken Mountain and Sea Realm, it headed toward Meng Hao, transforming into a shining seed which merged into his forehead.

Meng Hao's mind began to rumble as he looked out at Shui Dongliu, who hovered there in the starry sky, just outside the tunnel. Shui Dongliu was alone, preparing to block all oncomers, to buy the time for the butterfly which had been lost by the Ninth Sea!

Shui Dongliu's voice echoed with seemingly infinite power as he said, "Meng Hao, I owe the bloodline of the Fang Clan. Today, I will repay what I owe you!

"I’m giving you the Mountain and Sea Realm!

"Take it, and also take… my Beginning-Ending Hexing magic. This is… the League of Demon Sealers' First Generation Hex. Take my cultivation base, and take my Dao!

"This is the final phase of my plan. Use my cultivation base and my Dao for the sake of the Paragon Immortal Realm, to become… something that surpasses Nine Seals… surpasses Paragons… surpasses Immortals and Devils, and is above all else… the ultimate powerful expert!"

Chapter 1397: I Shall Bestow You With Ultimate Good Fortune!


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I Shall Seal the Heavens

I Shall Seal the Heavens Chapter 1422

Chapter 1422: Leave My Mark!

As soon as the Sixth Paragon spoke, coldness spread out in all directions. It wasn't frost, but rather was something that cut off the area from the outside. Beyond that barrier, Meng Hao's two subordinates, the 8-Essences Paragons, were shocked. Moments ago, they had been speeding forward, but now they were being pushed back.

It was as if some powerful repelling force had grabbed them, and even as they attempted to push forward, was pulling them backward. The result was that they felt like they were being ripped into pieces.

Their souls and their bodies seemed to be on the verge of separating, and the void around them looked as if it were about to be torn apart. Rumbling sounds filled the air, and blood sprayed out of their mouths. Xin Yue's eyes glittered coldly, and as for Su Yi, her expression was one of anger, and she let out a roar as she attempted to force her way forward.

These two were proud women, and to be disgraced in front of the Ninth Paragon was unacceptable. If Meng Hao himself did this to them, maybe they could accept it, but from anyone other than the Ninth Paragon, it was treatment they could never put up with.

"You think a bit too much of yourselves," the Sixth Paragon said with a cold snort, raising his right hand. However, in that very moment, an aura filled with infinitely colder killing intent exploded out from Meng Hao on the ninth altar.

"Those are my people," he said as he began to stride forward. Each step caused thunderous booms to ring out. At the same time, intense power erupted out from his head, transforming into a vortex that spread out rapidly. Colors flashed and the wind screamed, and in that same moment, he appeared in front of the Sixth Paragon and unleashed a fist strike.

He didn’t need any divine abilities to deal with this Sixth Paragon. He used his most direct method, punching. Everything shook as Meng Hao's fist rocketed out, seemingly a black hole that caused the starry sky inside of the half-planet to tremble, and the lands around them to quake. It was as if this fist strike were backed by the power of this starry sky itself.

The Sixth Paragon’s eyes widened, and he extended his right hand to meet the fist strike.

As the fist strike landed, Meng Hao touched down onto the sixth altar, where he stood completely unmoving. The Sixth Paragon looked like he was standing in the middle of a violent windstorm; his hair and clothing whipped about, and he was trembling visibly. All of his skin which was visible seemed to sink into itself.

As the boom continued to echo out, the Sixth Paragon coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered backward uncontrollably. When he came to a stop about thirty meters back, he forced himself to hold in the next mouthful of blood that he had been about to cough up, and then looked up, a vicious expression on his face. Roaring in anger, he spread his arms wide, and a massive eruption of Essence power occurred. An enormous, amorphous blade formed which seemed capable of slashing through anything and everything.

"Old Ninth," he yelled, "are you looking to die?" The other Paragons were simply watching the events unfold, strange gleams flickering in their eyes. Meng Hao’s fist strike just now had been shocking to behold, and yet none of them had done anything to interfere. As for the Sect Leader, he frowned and then looked over at the Sixth Paragon with an expression of displeasure.

Almost as soon as the Sixth Paragon spoke again, Meng Hao waved his right hand, causing a powerful force to explode out. A windstorm formed, which smashed a hole into the tunnel being created by the teleportation power. That in turn allowed his subordinates to enter.

His two subordinates looked very shaken, although Su Yi took everything in a bit easier. This was actually her second time seeing Meng Hao fight, as she had been observing when he dealt with the Black Dragon earlier.

As for Xin Yue, this was her first time seeing Meng Hao in action, and it caused waves of shock to pound at her heart. His shocking fist strike seemed capable of destroying an entire world, and left her panting.

As for the hole he had opened to let them in, it seemed to have been made in an almost casual fashion. Both of the women could only gasp in response. Without any hesitation, they flew into the area with the altars to appear standing next to Meng Hao.

"Greetings, Paragon, we arrived late," they said, clasped hands and bowing.

"I decide whether you're late or not…." he said coolly. Then he strode forward to once again stand directly in front of the Sixth Paragon. "It has absolutely nothing to do with you, Sixth Paragon. Do you think I need you punishing my subordinates? Do I look like I need your help? Who the hell do you think you are?! I think I need to leave my mark on you to help you remember what happened here today."

As Meng Hao spoke, the Sixth Paragon's eyes flickered with killing intent. He waved his arms, sending Essence power exploding out, which transformed into a huge pitch-black head.

Seeing that the two of them were about to start fighting, Shangguan Hong stepped forward. With him were three other Paragons, who stood between Meng Hao and the Sixth Paragon.

"Old Ninth, just forget about what happened."

"Old Sixth, you're in the wrong here."

"Just forget about all of this. We’re supposed to be on our way to the necropolis. Just cool down for now. If you really have so much energy to spare you can put it into getting into the necropolis."

A flicker of hatred passed through the Sixth Paragon's eyes, and despite the interference of the other Paragons, he pointed out with both fingers, causing the pitch-black head to roar as it closed in on Meng Hao.

Shangguan Hong and the others looked on with flickering expressions, but before they could do anything, Meng Hao suddenly stepped forward. In the blink of an eye, an azure roc appeared, which then slammed into the pitch-black head.

A boom rang out as the pitch black head of Essence collapsed. Meng Hao in azure roc-form then became a beam of azure light that shot directly toward the Sixth Paragon.

The Sixth Paragon's face fell, and he was just about to fall back when a fist shot out from the light and slammed into his chest.

The Sixth Paragon was knocked completely off of the altar, blood spraying out of his mouth the entire time. Before he could even react, green light flickered, and Meng Hao was on him again, unleashing another fist strike.

Then a third, a fourth, and a fifth!

Booms rang out as the Sixth Paragon was shoved backward over and over again. His chest was caving in, and he screamed miserably. His three 8-Essences Paragon subordinates hesitated, but realized that they had little choice other than to fly out to try to stop Meng Hao.

But then Su Yi and Xin Yue stepped forward to stop them.

"Scram!" Before the two groups could meet up, Meng Hao snorted coldly from within the azure light. He then appeared in bodily form and waved his sleeve, causing Divine Flame to blaze out toward the Sixth Paragon's three subordinates. Their faces fell, but they were incapable of evading, and were sent tumbling back 3,000 meters, blood spraying out of their mouths.

As for the Sixth Paragon, he was completely shaken. How could he ever have imagined that Meng Hao would be so incredibly powerful?

He was being attacked so viciously he could do nothing but retreat, and didn’t even have a chance to fight back. He didn't get the feeling he wasn't a match for Meng Hao, but rather that he had lost the initiative and had no chance to actually fight back.

By now, regret was building up in his heart, and he wished hadn’t made an attempt to test Meng Hao.

"Dammit!!" he roared as Meng Hao closed in again. Booming sounds rang out as he sent out divine abilities, only for them to be instantly destroyed. Next came some magical items. They didn't last any longer than the divine abilities.

The other Paragons watched what was happening with strange, thoughtful gleams in their eyes. As of this point, they were starting to gain an understanding of just how powerful Meng Hao was.

And that was exactly what Meng Hao wanted; to establish himself!

Coldness flickered in his eyes as he raised his right hand again. Shockingly, the power of space could be detected, slowly building up in power; it was none other that the Eighth Hex's Essence of space, of which he had gained enlightenment.

When the Sect Leader saw what was happening, his pupils constricted; he took a step forward and waved his sleeve.

"Enough! How far do you plan to take this fight?!"

The Sect Leader was at the peak of the 9-Essences level, so the wave of his arm caused an incredible force to build up between Meng Hao and the Sixth Paragon, shoving them apart.

The Sixth Paragon actually breathed a sigh of relief at being given a way out of the situation. He looked over at Meng Hao with killing intent flickering in his eyes.

Unfortunately for him, he was still underestimating Meng Hao!

"Like I said, I need to leave my mark on you." Even as his cold voice rang out, the Dao eye on his forehead opened up, and a boundless will erupted out. The entire starry sky shook, and all minds began to reel.

In that instant, the power of the Dao eye caused the divine ability just unleashed by the Sect Leader to be frozen in place in front of Meng Hao. Meng Hao then shot forward at a speed far surpassing anything from before.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the Sixth Paragon. The Sixth Paragon's mind was spinning, and wanted to fall back, but felt as if he were stuck in mud; he was simply too slow. His pupils constricted as astonishment filled his eyes.

The Sect Leader's face fell, and he bellowed, "Old Ninth, stay your hand!"

He took a step forward to appear next to Meng Hao, whereupon he flicked his sleeve. That motion blocked Meng Hao's hands and feet, and was just about to pull him away, when Meng Hao grinned. His aura changed, and a brutal air erupted out of him. Although his hands and feet had been immobilized, his head had not!

He stretched his head out and bit down viciously onto the Sixth Paragon's neck, ripping out a huge chunk of bloody flesh.

Blood sprayed out of the Sixth Paragon's neck, and he screamed. He clamped his hand down onto his neck and shot backward. By now, there was no killing intent in his eyes toward Meng Hao, only intense astonishment.

Of all the people he had fought in his life, this was the most brutal person he had ever encountered. He actually bit a chunk of flesh out of him! As far as he was concerned, this Ninth Paragon was completely mad.

Meng Hao calmly swallowed the chunk of flesh and then said, "That's my mark."

Then he wiped his mouth and walked back to the ninth altar. As he did, the surrounding cultivators watched him, their minds reeling. Even Su Yi and Xin Yue were left gasping.

They would never be able to forget the brutal display put on by Meng Hao this day.

"This guy… should never be provoked!"

"Crazy! He's completely insane…." The Paragons were left gasping, looks of intense vigilance on their faces.

The Sect Leader's face was extremely unsightly, and his mind was being battered by waves of shock. He stared at Meng Hao, and then looked over angrily at the Sixth Paragon. Finally, he headed back to the first altar, his face very grim.

The Sixth Paragon silently returned to his altar, his face pale, terror gleaming in his eyes as he looked over at Meng Hao.

He wasn't afraid of cultivators with a higher cultivation base, but rather those who were completely insane. And Meng Hao was the most insane person he had ever encountered among 9-Essences cultivators.

Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever as he stood there, hands clasped behind his back as if nothing had happened. Behind him, Su Yi and Xin Yue looked at him with awe in their eyes.

A moment later, the teleportation power was unleashed, and rumbling could be heard as a pillar of light rose into the air, and they all vanished.


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Happening Now Blog

Monday, December 28, 2009

Leadership Training January 9th

John Cross our partner with Kairos will be with us at SOV on Saturday, January 9, 2010 to provide a leadership training and stewardship session. This opportunity is open to everyone in the congregation with the session to be from 12:00 noon until 2:00 PM. A light snack will be provided therefore please RSVP prior to Tammy McDonald (secretarysov [at] gmail [dot] com) no later than January 6th, 2010.
On Wednesday January 27th a Healing Service will be held at 6:30 PM by the Capital Campaign Spiritual Team.
On Friday January 29th an all day Prayer Vigil will be held from 10:00 AM until 8:00 PM. The Health Team has volunteered to assist the Spirituality team in the implementation of these two Events!  We will be providing a comfortable setting and assistance during all hours of the Prayer Vigil!  Pastor Randy will be available.  There will be a spread sheet with ½ hour increments allowing everyone to sign up for a time convenient to them.
We are excited about celebrating the "New Beginnings" of our Capital Campaign and look forward to everyone's continued support of the Capital Campaign.
We continue to ask God for his guidance and remembering that all we do is to the Glory of His Holy Name. Thanks be to God.
Tammy McDonald
Bob McFall
Executive Directors


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A FOOD FOR THOUGHT - Hillary Clinton On Losing the 2016 Presidential Election & Her Marriage to Bill

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I was confident that Bill would be great at parenting. His father died before Bill was born; he knew how lucky he was to have this chance that his own father never had. Still, a lot of men are thrilled to be dads but not so thrilled about all the work that a child requires. The writer Katha Pollitt has observed how even the most egalitarian relationships can contort under the strain of child rearing, and all of a sudden the mom is expected to do everything, while the dad pitches in here and there. She calls it becoming “gender Republicans”—a nifty phrase, if perhaps a little unfair to all the feminist Republicans out there, who really do exist.
I knew that I had enough energy and devotion for two, if it turned out that Bill wasn’t a co-equal in the child-raising department. But I really hoped that wouldn’t happen. Our marriage had always been a true partnership. Though he was governor and then president—jobs that would seem to “beat” a lot of others, if you were the kind of person who ranked jobs like that—my career was important to me, too. So was my time and, more broadly, my identity. I couldn’t wait to become a mother, but I didn’t want to lose everything else about myself in the becoming. I was counting on my husband not just to respect that but also to join me in guarding against it.
So it was a wonderful thing when Chelsea arrived, and Bill dove into parenting with characteristic gusto. We went to the hospital with Bill clutching the materials from the Lamaze classes we had attended together. When it turned out that Chelsea was breech, he fought to be in the operating room with me and hold my hand during the C-section. Being governor came in handy when he asked to be the first father ever permitted by that hospital to do so. After we brought her home, he handled countless midnight feedings and diaper changes. We took turns making sure the parade of family and friends who wanted to spend time with Chelsea were looked after. As our daughter grew up, we both read her good-night stories. We both got to know her teachers and coaches. Even when Bill became president, he rearranged his schedule as much as he could to have dinner with us nearly every night that he was in Washington. And when he was somewhere else in the world, he’d call Chelsea to talk about her day and go over her homework with her.
Our daughter adored her father more and more. As she entered adolescence, I wondered if that would change at all. I remembered how my own dad and I grew somewhat distant from each other once I became a teenager. I provoked him with a lot of fiery political arguments. He was at a loss to navigate the occasionally stormy seas of teenage girlhood. Would that happen with Chelsea and Bill? As it turned out, no. He lived for their debates; the fiercer the better. He didn’t leave me to deal with the “girl stuff”: heartache, self-esteem, safety. He was right there with us.
Did I handle more of the family responsibilities, especially while Bill was president? Of course. This was something we’d talked through before he ran, and I was more than up for it. But I never felt like I was alone in the work of raising our wonderful daughter. And I know a lot of wives of busy men who would say otherwise. Bill wanted to be a great president, but that wouldn’t have mattered to him if he wasn’t also a great dad.
Every time I see the two of them laugh over some private joke that only they know . . . every time I overhear a conversation between them, two lightning-quick minds testing each other . . . every time I see him look at her with love and devotion . . . I’m reminded again that I chose exactly the right person to have a family with.
My marriage to Bill Clinton was the most consequential decision of my life. I said no the first two times he asked me. But the third time, I said yes. And I’d do it again.
I hesitated because I wasn’t quite prepared for marriage. I hadn’t figured out what I wanted my future to be yet. And I knew that by marrying Bill, I would be running straight into a future far more momentous than any other I’d likely know. He was the most intense, brilliant, charismatic person I had ever met. He dreamed big. I, on the other hand, was practical and cautious. I knew that marrying him would be like hitching a ride on a comet. It took me a little while to get brave enough to take the leap.
We’ve been married since 1975. We’ve had many, many more happy days than sad or angry ones. I know some people wonder why we’re still together. I heard it again in the 2016 campaign: that “we must have an arrangement” (we do; it’s called a marriage); that I helped him become president and then stayed so he could help me become president (no); that we lead completely separate lives, and it’s just a marriage on paper now (he is reading this over my shoulder in our kitchen with our dogs underfoot, and in a minute he will reorganize our bookshelves for the millionth time, which means I will not be able to find any of my books, and once I learn the new system, he’ll just redo it again, but I don’t mind because he really loves to organize those bookshelves).
I don’t believe our marriage is anyone’s business. Public people should be allowed to have private lives, too. But I know that a lot of people are genuinely interested. Maybe you’re flat-out perplexed. Maybe you want to know how this works because you are married and would like it to last 40 years or longer, and you’re looking for perspective. I certainly can’t fault you on that.
I don’t want to delve into all the details, because I really do want to hold on to what’s left of my privacy as much as I can. But I will say this: Bill has been an extraordinary father to our beloved daughter and an exuberant, hands-on grandfather to our two grandchildren. I look at Chelsea and Charlotte and Aidan and I think, We did this. That’s a big deal.
He has been my partner in life and my greatest champion. He never once asked me to put my career on hold for his. He never once suggested that maybe I shouldn’t compete for anything—in work or politics—because it would interfere with his life or ambitions. There were stretches of time in which my husband’s job was unquestionably more important than mine, and he still didn’t play that card. I have never felt like anything but an equal. Bill is completely unbothered by having an ambitious, opinionated, occasionally pushy wife. In fact, he loves me for it.
Long before I thought of running for public office, he was saying, “You should do it. You’d be great at it. I’d love to vote for you.” He helped me believe in this bigger version of myself. Bill was a devoted son-in-law and always made my parents feel welcome in our home. Toward the end of my mother’s life, when I wanted her to move into our house in Washington, he said yes without hesitation. Though I expected nothing less, this meant the world to me. I know so many women who are married to men who—though they have their good qualities—can be sullen, moody, irritated at small requests, and generally disappointed with everyone and everything. Bill Clinton is the opposite. He has a temper, but he’s never mean. And he’s funny, friendly, unflappable in the face of mishaps and inconveniences, and easily delighted by the world—remember those balloons at the convention? He is fabulous company.
We’ve certainly had dark days in our marriage. You know all about them—and please consider for a moment what it would be like for the whole world to know about the worst moments in your relationship. There were times that I was deeply unsure about whether our marriage could or should survive. But on those days, I asked myself the questions that mattered most to me: Do I still love him? And can I still be in this marriage without becoming unrecognizable to myself— twisted by anger, resentment, or remoteness? The answers were always yes. So I kept going.
On our first date, we went to the Yale University Art Gallery to see a Mark Rothko exhibit. The building was closed, but Bill talked our way in. When I think about that afternoon—seeing the art, hearing the stillness all around us, giddy about this person whom I had just met but somehow knew would change my life—it still feels magical, and I feel happy and lucky all over again.
I still think he’s one of the most handsome men I’ve ever known. I’m proud of him: proud of his vast intellect, his big heart, the contributions he has made to the world. I love him with my whole heart. That’s more than enough to build a life on.
The morning after the election, Bill and I both wore purple. It was a nod to bipartisanship (blue plus red equals purple). The night before, I had hoped to thank the country wearing white—the color of the suffragettes—while standing on a stage cut into the shape of the United States under a vast glass ceiling. Instead, the white suit stayed in the garment bag.
After I delivered my concession speech, I hugged as many people in the ballroom as possible—lots of old friends and devoted campaign staffers, many of their faces wet with tears. I was dry-eyed and felt calm and clear. My job was to smile, be strong for everyone, and show America that life went on and our republic would endure. A life spent in the public eye has given me lots of practice at that. I wear my composure like a suit of armor, for better or worse. In some ways, it felt like I had been training for this latest feat of self-control for decades.
After delivering hugs and smiling so long and hard that my face ached, I asked my senior team to go back to our headquarters in Brooklyn and make sure everyone was OK. One final wave to the crowd, and Bill and I got into the backseat of a Secret Service van and were driven away.
I could finally let my smile drain away. We were mostly quiet. Every few minutes, Bill would repeat what he had been saying all morning: “I’m so proud of you.” To that he now added, “That was a great speech. History will remember it.”
I loved him for saying it, but I didn’t have much to say in return. I felt completely and totally depleted. And I knew things would feel worse before they started feeling better.
It takes about an hour to drive from Manhattan to our home in Chappaqua. I absolutely love our old house. It’s cozy, colorful, full of art, and every surface is covered with photos of the people I love best in the world. That day, the sight of our front gate was pure relief to me. All I wanted to do was get inside, change into comfy clothes, and maybe not answer the phone ever again.
I’ll confess that I don’t remember much about the rest of that day. I put on yoga pants and a fleece. Our two sweet dogs followed me from room to room, and at one point, I took them outside and just breathed the cold, rainy air. The question blaring in my head was “How did this happen?” Fortunately, I had the good sense to realize that diving into a campaign postmortem right then would be about the worst thing I could do to myself.
Losing is hard for everyone, but losing a race you thought you would win is devastating. I remember when Bill lost his reelection as governor of Arkansas in 1980. He was so distraught at the outcome that I had to go to the hotel where the election-night party was held to speak to his supporters on his behalf. For a good while afterward, he was so depressed that he practically couldn’t get off the floor. That’s not me. I keep going. I also stew and ruminate. I run through the tape over and over, identifying every mistake—especially those made by me. When I feel wronged, I get mad, and then I think about how to fight back.
On that first day, I just felt tired and empty. The reckoning was still to come.
At some point, we ate dinner. We FaceTimed with our grandchildren, two-year-old Charlotte and her baby brother, Aidan, born in June 2016. I was reassured to see their mom. I knew Chelsea was hurting for me, which in turn hurt to think about, but those kids are an instant mood boost for all of us. We quietly drank them in, that day and every day after. After sleeping hardly at all the night before, I climbed into our bed at midday for a nice, long nap. I also went to bed early that night and slept in the next morning. I could finally do that.
I avoided the phone and email that first day. I suspected, correctly, that I was receiving a virtual avalanche of messages, and I couldn’t quite handle it—couldn’t handle everyone’s kindness and sorrow, their bewilderment and their theories for where and why we had fallen short. Eventually, I’d dive in. But for now, Bill and I kept the rest of the world out. I was grateful for the one billionth time that I had a husband who was good company not just in happy times but sad ones as well.

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