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February 16-18, 2023
San Antonio, TX
The last words I heard, before the sharp click on the other end of the phone, were "I'm going to sue you."
Although I've heard those words many times during my career as a school administrator, they still evoke feelings of trepidation and concern. Trepidation for yet another lawsuit and concern for the many wasted hours and dollars that will be spent on a frivolous lawsuit. As state and federal legislation continues to place greater academic expectations and unfunded mandates on public schools, we cannot afford to waste a single minute or another dollar to fight unwarranted litigation.
I've been in public education for more than 30 years and have watched our society became more litigious every year. I've heard parents shout "I'm calling my lawyer" when their children blatantly violated school policy and when new redistricting plans were introduced to balance student enrollments. And, of course, I've heard district employees utter the infamous threat when their pay increments were withheld despite documented poor performance.
Smartest ActionIn an age of immediate gratification, "I'm calling my lawyer" has become a mantra designed to calm and validate the person making the threat while intimidating the person at the receiving end of the comment. I've even been threatened with a lawsuit for closing (and for not closing) schools on a snow day. Fortunately most of these threats die a quick death upon the advice of an attorney who rationally advises the case has no merit. But what about the other cases — and the other lawyers who feel there's nothing to lose and perhaps a substantial monetary win to gain?
By the very nature of our business, public education is, without a doubt, vulnerable to legal attacks: Title VII, Title IX, claims under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, allegations of employee/student misconduct, bullying, discrimination, etc. The fear of being sued has forced public school teachers and administrators across the country to re-evaluate what they do and modify traditional curricular activities and co-curricular programs. It's simply easier and certainly less expensive to modify or eliminate programs than to have to deal with the worry of lengthy litigation.
When our district's legal expenses topped $500,000 during the 2003-2004 school year, Freehold Regional High School District administrators and board of education members agreed something had to be done. The number of lawsuits, the amount of administrative/staff time preparing for and appearing in the courtroom and subsequent expenses were unacceptable. These lawsuits were taking public money and valuable time away from our students. Thus began the development of a pro-active action plan that resulted in a significant reduction of new litigation and lowered our legal expenses by almost 40 percent after three years.
The first thing and probably the smartest thing we did was hire a school board attorney on a retainer arrangement to attend all board meetings and be on-call for questions and emergencies. Because our attorney is a partner in a large firm, we are able to receive legal advice and assistance even when our particular attorney is not available. Additionally, an attorney on retainer can aggressively respond to a potential claim at its initial stage and help to resolve the issue before it escalates into a lawsuit.
Previously the school district employed several law firms on an as-needed basis. One firm handled general legal issues, another firm dealt with personnel matters and negotiations, and a third was brought in for special cases. Having different attorneys and separate law firms assume responsibility for different types of issues prevented a thorough familiarity with the school district and often resulted in an inordinate amount of time reviewing district policies and procedures. There was a definite lack of continuity. Furthermore, by not having an attorney on retainer, we tended to wait until situations exploded and we were in the midst of a legal battle.
The attorney met with district administrators and board members to assiduously review the district's settled and pending lawsuits and their impact on the district budget. As a group, we reviewed the key issues surrounding each claim and preventive steps that could have minimized or eliminated the litigation.
An immediate offshoot of these meetings was a review and revision of the district's existing school policies and procedures. By examining each district policy we searched for loopholes that could weaken our legal position during litigation. We established a formal protocol of specific procedures to follow when investigating or dealing with existing or potential problems. This pro-active measure is instrumental in helping school administrators to deal with potential problems before they escalate into serious situations and litigation.
Helpful HandbooksTo minimize frivolous litigation against school districts, we have to understand what motivates people to sue in the first place. The most common motivators include one or more of these factors: failure to communicate; lack of understanding or knowledge; passion and emotions; stubbornness and pride; and greed.
The importance of a solid communications plan with networks connecting staff, parents, students and the community at large cannot be understated. Press releases explaining revised district policies were published in local newspapers and the school district newsletter. They also were posted on the school district website and included in the faculty manual and the student-parent handbook. We also introduced the Superintendent's Message, a monthly video posted on the website to discuss pertinent topics and policy updates. We knew that the more access the public had to our policies, the better our chances for compliance.
The student-parent handbook was expanded to include both district policy and disciplinary consequences for violations. We inserted a form at the beginning of each handbook requiring both the student and parent to sign and return the form indicating they received and reviewed the handbook. Having student and parent signatures verifying acknowledgement of the district's discipline code has played a pivotal role in reducing parent accusations of unknown policies or prejudicial treatment of their children. We experienced an immediate drop in disciplinary-related lawsuits once lawyers and/or judges learned the student and parent had signed a student-parent handbook acknowledgement form.
Student issues often escalate into expensive lawsuits because students and parents perceive teachers and administrators as being unreachable or insensitive. As emotions rise, so do the number of lawsuits. Professional development should include sensitivity training and procedures to deal with student issues in a timely and effective manner. Communication and empathy from teachers and administrators plays a significant role in minimizing potential lawsuits. Experience has shown that when a principal responds immediately to an unfortunate student injury by calling the parent, visiting the hospital and conducting follow-up visits to the home, parents are less likely to find fault with the school district and pursue legal action.
Developing a more pro-active role in the academic and disciplinary support process, I initiated a superintendent's disciplinary hearing for students who had serious behavior and/or attendance problems. By holding these hearings (comprised of the superintendent, student, parents, principal and appropriate teacher), we are able to address three things: (1) the unacceptability of the problem behavior; (2) the cause of the behavior; and (3) appropriate measures to remedy the problem. Each hearing concludes with the student signing a contract specifying expected behavior goals and specific graduated consequences for noncompliance. Rather than simply suspend a student for disciplinary violations, we have found that the coordinated effort and interest of administrators, staff and parents to work with the student to improve school performance is a positive motivator in reducing negative behavior.
These hearings also have helped reduce the number of student disciplinary problems. They enable school administrators to deal with minor problems before they escalate and become litigious.Another cost-effective measure undertaken by the district was to revise the student expulsion hearing process. Previously, the entire board sat on student expulsion hearings at the conclusion of the public board meeting (often after midnight). Tension, coupled with fatigue, resulted in heated discussions and subsequent lawsuits.
Today a board expulsion committee (composed of three school board members, the superintendent, an assistant superintendent and the principal) meets with students and parents after school. Improved communication between school officials and parents and the dissemination of district policies have significantly reduced legal costs for both the district and parents by eliminating the need for an attorney to be present at the hearings.
Personal InvolvementLegal challenges by parents and students have definitely affected the way teachers interact with students. Rather than face the threat of time-consuming, frivolous litigation, teachers often cave to parental demands. Too often teachers find the time and expense needed to defend grading an essay paper with a D compared to a C-minus is simply not worth it.
Additionally, many teachers avoid dealing with students in a one-on-one situation for fear it makes them vulnerable to accusations of inappropriate conduct. While colleges and universities prepare young teachers to teach their academic subject, these training programs fail to prepare them for essential non-academic issues, such as appropriate interactions with students and parents. Leaving nothing to chance, I personally conduct an annual workshop to ensure that our young teachers (some only four years older than many of our students) are familiar with school district policies and expectations and understand the fine line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior and communication between teachers and students. As an administrator, I have learned to take nothing for granted.
While it is important to establish procedures to investigate allegations, it is equally imperative that staff members be familiar with the proper procedures for investigating a potential problem or dealing with an existing matter. A small annual investment of time to review school district protocol with staff can result in large savings against charges of procedural inconsistencies.
Evaluating teacher performance is another area where administrators have become increasingly more cautious over the years. Internal challenges from staff often become more disruptive to the school environment and pose a greater threat of time and money than those from students and parents. Staff evaluations and corrective action plans often raise challenges from teachers. Once we were sued for changing an administrator's title, even though the salary and responsibilities remained the same.
Other legal challenges by staff included an administrator who claimed he should not have to conduct certain building-level administrative duties such as cafeteria duty and a staff member who felt he should not have to return parent phone calls within 24 hours.
School administrators across the country find themselves engaged similarly in costly lawsuits over staffing issues that could have been avoided by the implementation of pro-active district strategies.
Our school district's creation of a professional relations committee composed of central-office administrators (including the superintendent) and representatives of the teachers' association (including the association president) has proven to be highly effective in opening professional dialogue. The meetings provide a forum for staff and administration to discuss issues of concern on such matters as the need for procedural consistency among our six high schools, discipline procedures, the increasing use of technology and old policies that may need revamping. The meetings enable staff to review district procedures — for example, new grading programs, computer use policies and student testing procedures — and offer possible recommendations to strengthen and improve the policies or at least understand why the procedure exists.
A major outcome of these meetings has been an increase in staff requests for in-service training opportunities. This pro-active approach to open and honest dialogue with staff representatives has played a significant role in reducing contract violations and formal grievances that result in expensive legal fees.
Challenges from teachers can be greatly minimized by following four basic tenets: Maintain open communications; treat all staff fairly and respectfully; be consistent in policy and procedure; and maintain proper and thorough documentation.
Always VulnerableThe American legal system makes it easy to file a lawsuit regardless of the merit of the case. What we need is legislation that protects school districts from having to use public funds to fight frivolous lawsuits. The number of frivolous lawsuits would drop dramatically if the person filing the lawsuit was made responsible for the court costs, the district's attorney fees and substitute teacher costs if the plaintiff was unsuccessful.
Unfortunately, public schools always will be vulnerable to legal challenges by students, parents and staff. We can't eliminate all lawsuits, but we can and must make policy changes to minimize the filing of frivolous suits, in turn allowing educators to spend more time in the classroom and less time in the courtroom.
James Wasser is superintendent of the Freehold Regional High School District, 11 Pine St., Englishtown, NJ 07726. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
10 Steps for Minimizing Litigation
1. Hire an attorney on retainer to be present at all board of education meetings and to be available for questions as they arise.
2. Encourage a united front among school board members and the superintendent.
3. Ensure board policies and procedures are in place and up-to-date.
4. Incorporate preventive measures into daily practices.
5. Familiarize staff, students, parents and community members with school district policies and practices.6. Be clear about expectations of students and staff.
7. Be consistent in adhering to policy and procedures.
8. Treat people fairly and consistently.
9. Always maintain thorough documentation.
10. Strengthen communications among board, administration, staff, students and the community.— James Wasser
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The Sadie Dress | Nb-36 mo
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subset: commoncrawl


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My video essay is a montage of movie characters watching movies, exploring film's meta-relationship to itself. In other words, my video essay examines how cinema writes itself and imagines its spectators. In these clips, a film shows characters watching movies and being affected by them. I established several parameters for finding and choosing clips. First, I selected films that depicted its characters watching movies in the theatre space itself, not at home on the television. I did not want to show film characters watching television shows. Also, the characters are watching real films. A number of movies employ the device of characters watching a fictional movie, such as Inglorious Basterds or Last Action Hero. The Purple Rose of Cairo does use this as well, but I am showing the scene where she watches Fred Astaire's Top Hat. Establishing these limitations allowed me to specifically focus my video essay on certain aspects.
The first part of the montage is characterized by the theatre as a trapped, oppressive space. I use Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear, Taxi Driver and Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. Cape Fear and Taxi Driver share performances by Robert De Niro where his character attempts to keep the other characters within the uncomfortable theatrical space. In Taxi Driver, De Niro brings his date to a pornographic film. His, date , a straight-laced Republican is disgusted by these graphic depictions of group sex and leaves. In Cape Fear, a family outing is disrupted by Max Cady, the father's enemy. They are seeing John Ritter's Problem Child, a wholesome family comedy. Max infiltrates the nuclear family's innocent day out with his raucous laughter, intentionally ruining their day. They can either remain trapped or leave, letting Cady win. The pressure is too much, and the family soon walks out. Donnie Darko, on the other hand, presents The theatre becomes an otherworldly space in which his inner demons trap him. The cinema screen becomes a literal portal into another world, a symbolization of what many describe cinema as.
The second section shares characteristics of male and female spectators sharing the cinema space in romantic pursuit. In The Great Waldo Pepper, Diner, and The Outsiders the male spectators are distracted by the female spectators, who are enamored with and watching the film. Both Diner and The Outsiders depict teenage or young adulthood in the 1950s as uninterested spectators more interested in socializing. The male characters all try to push the romantic boundaries with their female dates. Clips from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Just Friends address the idea of female spectatorship. Within these romantic comedies, the gender binaries of film-going are made clear. In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days they are watching Sleepless in Seattle, and McConaughey says that it is his favorite film. Kate Hudson is perplexed by this, since Sleepless in Seattle has been designated as "chick flick," no real man would or could like this film. In Just Friends, they are seeing The Notebook, one of the most prevalent modern weepie. The joke in Just Friends is that the male Ryan Reynolds' character is competing for the affection of a girl with the kind of guy who can relate to a woman because he is sensitive enough to enjoy The Notebook. Both How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Just Friends perpetuate the ideal that male spectators should remain steadfast in their masculinity and remain unaffected by these "lesser" female sentimental melodramas.
The third section depicts cinematic affect at its most heightened and romantic. These are the cinephiles at their most enraptured, men and women of all ages. This is signaled formally through their framing. They are often alone, and even if they are next to someone their body fills the screen. Physically, their eyes are wide, fixed firmly on the screen, mouth agape. These spectators are in no way distracted. The sequence of The Green Mile demonstrates how films have personal meanings and are interwoven into time and personal history. Before he dies, this character wants to watch his favorite film one last time. The film is incredibly important to him and an experience he must have once more before his final hour. The framing of this scene, such as the light of the projection superimposed on his body, suggests this strong unity between person and filmic experience. The smoke rising and swirling within the projection's light gives off a heavenly glow, framing his head like a halo, romanticizing the film-going experience while signaling his impending death. The clip from Public Enemies depicts mimetic affectation as Johnny Depp's character, a gangster, looks to Rhett Butler as a model of his masculinity. In the subtlest of gestures, Depp tilts his head in tandem to Rhett Butler's on screen. Cinema Paradiso is a love letter to cinema, and perhaps the strongest and most memorable example of the love of cinema, or cinephilia. The film ends on a spectator weeping at cinema's exquisite beauty and its magical depiction of a simple kiss.
By joining a variety of films, which span across different genres, languages, and film eras through montage juxtapositions, I wish for the viewer experience the unity and the joy that the movie-going experience and cinephelia brings, especially demonstrated in the last sequence. The viewer, like the characters within the film who are enraptured by what is up on the screen, should mimic that sense of appreciation and wonder for the cinematic apparatus' power of expression. While I have offered my explanation for putting together the video montage, it is up to the viewer to interpret it for themselves. This is not a video essay in the sense that it uses voice over illustrates a piece of writing, it is more of a montage and a super-cut, albeit with a thesis behind it. I hope that others can view this and feel their love for cinema as much as I do.
By Caroline Madden
Caroline hails from the home state of her hero Bruce Springsteen. Some of her favorite films are Amadeus, King Kong, When Harry Met Sally, Raging Bull, The Godfather, Jaws, and An American Werewolf in London. Her absolute favorite will always be The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 70s/80s era Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are her faves. She blogs even more about her film obsession at cinematicvisions.wordpress.com.
Categories: Anything and Everything


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Video: Woman Pushes Man in Front of NYC Subway Train
A woman killed an ususpecting man by pushing him in front of a subway train Thursday night in Queens, New York. The incident marks the second fatal subway shove in the city this month (video below).
The woman had been following the man on a subway platform and mumbling to herself, according to witnesses.
The man had his back to her when she got up from a nearby bench and shoved him as the subway train pulled up to the platform, reports Fox News.
The unidentified man was pinned under the train as it pulled to a stop, according to police.
The woman was described as witnesses as Hispanic, in her 20s, heavy, wearing a blue, white and gray ski jacket and Nike sneakers.
A surveillance video, from a nearby intersection, shows a woman (possibly the suspect) dashing from a crosswalk and down a sidewalk.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared today on 'The John Gambling Show with Mayor Mike' on WOR-AM, where he recalled the release of many mentally ill people from psychiatric institutions over the past decades: "The courts or the law have changed and said, no, you can't do that unless they're a danger to society; our laws protect you. That's fair enough."


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Thu May 2, 2013, 08:17 PM
cleanhippie (19,705 posts)
Atheism to Defeat Religion By 2038 (photo update)
Last edited Sun May 5, 2013, 10:16 AM - Edit history (1)
Countries with the best standard of living are turning atheist. That shift offers a glimpse into the world's future.
Religious people are annoyed by claims that belief in God will go the way of horse transportation, and for much the same reason, specifically an improved standard of living.
The view that religious belief will give way to atheism is known as the secularization thesis. The specific version that I favor (1) is known as the existential security hypothesis. The basic idea is that as people become more affluent, they are less worried about lacking for basic necessities, or dying early from violence or disease. In other words they are secure in their own existence. They do not feel the need to appeal to supernatural entities to calm their fears and insecurities. The notion that improving living conditions are associated with a decline in religion is supported by a mountain of evidence (1,2,3).
That does not prevent some serious scholars, like political scientist Eric Kaufmann (4), from making the opposite case that religious fundamentalists will outbreed the rest of us. Yet, noisy as they can be, such groups are tiny minorities of the global population and they will become even more marginalized as global prosperity increases and standards of living improve. Moreover, as religious fundamentalists become economically integrated, young women go to work and produce smaller families, as is currently happening for Utah's Mormons.
Averaging across the two measures of atheism, the entire world population would cross the atheist threshold by about 2038 (average of 2035 for disbelief and 2041 for religiosity). Although 2038 may seem improbably fast, this requires only a shift of approximately 1 percent per year whether in religiosity or belief in God. Using the Human Development Index as a clock suggests an even earlier arrival for the atheist transition (1).
Is the loss of religious belief something fear? Contrary to the claims of religious leaders, Godless countries are highly moral nations with an unusual level of social trust, economic equality, low crime and a high level of civic engagement (5). We could do with some of that.
Not a fan of the framing, that atheism will defeat religion, but the premise seems solid.
On edit: I found this photo that seemed appropriate for the article. Enjoy!
49 replies, 6455 views
|49 replies
Atheism to Defeat Religion By 2038 (photo update) (Original post)
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Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:19 PM
rug (82,333 posts)
1. What month?
Response to rug (Reply #1)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:30 PM
DreamGypsy (2,252 posts)
3. Not January, March, or May. (nt)
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:29 PM
prole_for_peace (2,064 posts)
2. Not soon enough.
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:37 PM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
4. Yeah, I wouldn't say "defeat," nor would I use the word "replace."
Religion will continue to become less and less relevant in people's lives. They will be de facto atheists, probably thinking about the notion of gods as we do leprechauns or unicorns.
That is, if we survive the fundies from the various sects and denominations and the hopelessly clueless who defend their religion no matter how vile its actions and dogma are.
Response to trotsky (Reply #4)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:46 PM
rug (82,333 posts)
5. Lol.
These prophecies are amusing.
Response to rug (Reply #5)
Thu May 2, 2013, 09:37 PM
okasha (11,573 posts)
12. They're delusional.
They assume that in 25 years there will be no global or regional armed conflicts; that First World capitalist exploitation of the Third World will have ceased, leaving the rich poorer and the poor richer; that global warming will suddenly cool down, so that there is no competition for food, water or breathable air; that the worldwide generation now in diapers will all have a good, solid grounding in science and math and go on to create a sunny Utopia where they say it never rains till after sundown, by eight the morning fog must disappear. . . .
And pigs will fly.
Response to okasha (Reply #12)
Thu May 2, 2013, 09:40 PM
rug (82,333 posts)
13. Imagine the peace and harmony of our world if there was never religion.
Response to rug (Reply #13)
Thu May 2, 2013, 09:53 PM
okasha (11,573 posts)
14. We'd all be holding hands
and singing Kumbaya. The lyrics would have to be changed, though.
Response to okasha (Reply #12)
Thu May 2, 2013, 10:51 PM
Goblinmonger (22,340 posts)
17. Nice strawman
Let us know when you want to actually address what the arguments are.
Response to Goblinmonger (Reply #17)
Thu May 2, 2013, 11:27 PM
okasha (11,573 posts)
18. The fantasy is called the «existential security hypothesis.»
Existential security requires a reasonable certainty that one will not become a victim of violence. It also requires that one have sufficient economic resources to provide adequate food and shelter and that such life sustaining elements as air and water will be easily available.
Do you seriously believe that such conditions will prevail globally within the next 25 years? The resource wars are already underway. How are war, economic oppression and environmental disaster going to be reversed by 2038?
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:48 PM
ZombieHorde (29,047 posts)
6. I wonder how they count religious atheists, such as many Buddhists. nt
Response to ZombieHorde (Reply #6)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:56 PM
rug (82,333 posts)
9. Since he calls it "the existential security hypothesis", who the hell knows?
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:55 PM
goldent (1,582 posts)
7. Will Atheism force unconditional surrender?
Paybacks are hell (soon to be "Paybacks are a really bad place"
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:55 PM
Spartacus Maximus XL (83 posts)
8. the whole god delusion is foolish
people need to grow up and ditch the silly belief in imaginary beings
Response to Spartacus Maximus XL (Reply #8)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:56 PM
rug (82,333 posts)
10. Football first.
Response to rug (Reply #10)
Fri May 3, 2013, 01:43 PM
longship (40,416 posts)
26. Please, not Aussie Rules Football.
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 09:15 PM
dimbear (6,271 posts)
11. Make a list of countries where you feel you could live happily. Everyone here
of any persuasion is going to list mostly or perhaps entirely countries less religious than the United States or Canada.
That should be a lesson. Why isn't it?
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 10:18 PM
struggle4progress (114,590 posts)
15. That could be. But since human irrationality will never vanish,
we should hope that humans never forget that we are irrational creatures, because irrational humans who pretend to be entirely rational will be a sorely deluded lot
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Thu May 2, 2013, 10:29 PM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
16. This raises very interesting questions.
How would humanity have developed if it did not have religion or beliefs in the divine? What will humanity look like without religion from this point on?
I would say I have no idea. You can make all sort of arguments on these questions.
But I would hope that religion always has a place in this world. Religion has a lot to offer to people.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #16)
Fri May 3, 2013, 09:11 AM
cleanhippie (19,705 posts)
20. "Religion has a lot to offer to people. "
Perhaps, but it offers nothing that cannot be gotten elsewhere, and without all the supernatural baggage.
Response to cleanhippie (Reply #20)
Fri May 3, 2013, 09:46 AM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
21. You have a point, but it still has a lot to offer.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #21)
Fri May 3, 2013, 10:32 AM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
22. That could be said about a lot of otherwise harmful institutions.
And what makes religion unique is that it has no mechanism by which the wheat can be separated from the chaff. "I've interpreted the bible better than you have." "No you haven't, *I've* interpreted it correctly." "You're both wrong, god spoke to me last night and told me the truth!"
This basic problem is what leads to the massive amount of religion-based conflict. Always has, always will.
Response to trotsky (Reply #22)
Fri May 3, 2013, 10:37 AM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
23. We would have conflict even if we did not have religion.
Yes you are right that it is easy for religious people to say my interpretation is right and yours is wrong, but that has always been. I have and will continue to say our religions need modern day reformations.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #23)
Fri May 3, 2013, 10:53 AM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
24. I don't believe anyone said there wouldn't be conflict without religion.
But that's not the point. I'm glad you can acknowledge the most significant problem with religion, but I would say that by merely arguing for "reformations" you still aren't keying into the significance of that core problem. Anyone can oppose any attempt at reformation by insisting that god personally told them otherwise, and they are perfectly justified in doing so - because no one can prove them wrong, thanks to religious beliefs being declared as "outside" the realm of rational analysis, as "another way of knowing."
Response to trotsky (Reply #24)
Fri May 3, 2013, 01:44 PM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
27. All you really can do is try your best to isolate the fundamentalists.
How you effectively do that is the question.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #27)
Fri May 3, 2013, 01:54 PM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
28. Isolate them based on what?
Who gets to make the call on what a "fundamentalist" is?
If it's someone who takes ALL scripture literally, well, then no one is a fundamentalist, because even the Fred Phelpses of the world ignore a lot.
If it's someone who takes a good portion of scripture literally, well now who decides which portions are OK to take literally? Plenty of liberal Christians think that Jesus really did *literally* rise from the dead, give the sermon on the mount, yada yada. That makes them fundamentalists too.
In fact, I would imagine there is quite a bit of the bible you take literally. Could someone argue that you're a fundamentalist and should be isolated?
Response to trotsky (Reply #28)
Fri May 3, 2013, 01:57 PM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
29. Each religion would have to come up with that definition on their own.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #29)
Fri May 3, 2013, 02:35 PM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
32. But even within a religion there will be disagreement.
How much scripture can you take literally before you're a fundie?
Response to trotsky (Reply #32)
Fri May 3, 2013, 02:47 PM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
33. Well that is a hard question. There are parts I take literally like the ressurection.
But a bible reader must understand the time the particular book was written in.who wrote it and what style, what is the agenda of the writer, and does a particular bible passage means for our time. If a person does not ask these questions and think they are irrelevant than you likely have a fundy.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #33)
Fri May 3, 2013, 03:04 PM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
34. You're appealing to items that have yet to be established.
We don't even know who actually *wrote* most of the Christian bible, for instance. And then there's the issue of translation, editing, copying, etc., etc. And you will have those who claim quite confidently that god's word is eternal - you don't interpret it "for our time," it is forever and always the same. God doesn't change.
And of course you still haven't addressed the possibility, which you as a follower of a revealed religion such as Christianity MUST accept, of god directly speaking to someone and giving new information - that's how your religion allegedly got started, after all.
It's interesting how your broad general "just isolate the fundamentalists" solution suddenly gets impossible to accomplish once you start looking at the details.
The only solution, IMO, is to get religion (ALL religion) to the point where it's viewed the same as one's favorite story. Some people like Lord of the Rings, others like Star Wars, still others like Superman. But no one would ever be able to promote a policy or law based on what Frodo wants. They'd be laughed at. I hope someday we reach that point when someone suggests a law based on what god wants.
Response to trotsky (Reply #34)
Fri May 3, 2013, 03:09 PM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
35. I do not believe that God told the bible writters what to write.
I do believe that they were inspired by God but it is not from God word for word.
As I said each religion needs to address this and hopefully soon.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #35)
Sun May 5, 2013, 10:19 PM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
44. That's your belief.
Countless millions of Christians disagree with you.
And you can never prove them wrong.
Response to trotsky (Reply #44)
Sun May 5, 2013, 10:23 PM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
46. Of course i can not prove it. I know that. It is all a matter of opinion.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #46)
Sun May 5, 2013, 10:27 PM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
47. As is the definition of who's a "fundamentalist."
Thus we've come full circle. You have provided no answers.
Response to trotsky (Reply #47)
Sun May 5, 2013, 10:45 PM
hrmjustin (71,265 posts)
49. Sorry i could not be more helpful.
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #16)
Fri May 3, 2013, 01:33 PM
Jim__ (13,505 posts)
25. There is an interesing paper that touches on that topic.
The paper is more on the current and future prospects of religion; but it also discusses the history of religion. An overview of the paper, The Cultural Evolution of Religion, can be found here. An excerpt from the overview:
* After almost a century of dwelling in two non-overlapping magisteria, as Steven Jay Gould once put it, religion and science are coming together again. Long the exclusive province of the humanities and left outside of the mainstream of psychology and the behavioural sciences, religion is gaining scientific attention at a rapid pace.
* There is growing agreement that the suite of psychological tendencies that support and give rise to religious beliefs, have been shaped by the evolutionary forces that have constrained ordinary human social life throughout history.
* Once these beliefs were cognitively in place, their content was subjected to cultural selection, giving rise to belief in morally concerned policing agents who use these supernatural powers to observe, punish, and reward human social interactions. Hard-to-fake religious behavior, such as fasts, food taboos, and costly ritual performance, in turn reliably signaled the presence of devotion and therefore cooperative intention towards ingroup members, buffering religious groups from freeloaders and reinforcing cooperative norms. Religious prosociality, thus softened the genetic constraints inherent in kinship-based and (direct or indirect) reciprocity-based altruism which severely limit group size. In this way, religious prosociality facilitated the rise of stable, large, cooperative moral communities of genetically unrelated individuals.
* Worldwide sociological evidence shows that societies, as they experience economic growth and greater conditions of existential security, move towards more secularization; yet, because religiosity has a net positive effect on fertility rates, even after controlling for socioeconomic status, secular societies are shrinking, while religious ones are expanding. As a result, a larger proportion of the worlds population remains religious, and the world has more religious people than ever before.
The last point argues somewhat against the contention of the OP. The full paper can be read: here.
Response to Jim__ (Reply #25)
Fri May 3, 2013, 06:17 PM
dimbear (6,271 posts)
37. Note how that worked out in China. Secular forces finally stepped up
and took away control of reproduction, eliminating the competition between sects as to the most rapid rate of xeroxing believers.
That, my friends, should be the writing on the wall. Mene mene tekel upharsin.
Response to dimbear (Reply #37)
Fri May 3, 2013, 08:27 PM
Jim__ (13,505 posts)
38. Most people understand that the various 20th century totalitarianisms are not a solution to anything
As to secularism, I would consider Jeffersonian democracy a far superior model than Chinese communism.
Response to Jim__ (Reply #38)
Fri May 3, 2013, 08:44 PM
dimbear (6,271 posts)
39. You can look at it that way, take the Chinese action merely as a warning--
the writing on the wall was intended as a warning, (warning or prophecy) after all, -- or you can compare the outcome in China with the outcome of doing more or less nothing in India, and letting the religionists act unbraked. That would amount to a warning too, in my book.
I admire Jeffersonian democracy likewise, yet still the world is wide and other systems exist. We ought to keep them in view.
Response to dimbear (Reply #39)
Sat May 4, 2013, 11:42 AM
okasha (11,573 posts)
40. So China has a system
in which women's bodies are governed by old men in Mao jackets. How is this an improvement over women's bodies being ruled by old men in black robes?
China is headed for a major social crisis in the near future. Because of sex-selective abortion, approximately 20% of young Chinese men will not be able to marry. The traditional solution to the problem of excess young males is to send them to war to be killed off. It seems unlikely that this will end well.
Response to okasha (Reply #40)
Sat May 4, 2013, 06:22 PM
dimbear (6,271 posts)
41. There are people in China who would prefer war, peasants mostly.
I've heard them interviewed. But for the most part, the Chinese are happy to see the one child policy is being relaxed because the population is coming under control and now families opt to be small on their own. They have the freedom to opt for small because no religion is telling them that irresponsible reproduction is a "virtue."
When we consider the consequences of the population bomb, the places we should concentrate on are China and the subcontinent. Together they make up about a third of the world--they are the key. Each has more population than all of Africa. To simplify I give this hint: China=problematic success, subcontinent=failure. China's growth rate is about 1/3 of India's, India will replace China as the most populous nation soon. They pay a terrible price in terms of reduced living standards for their fertility. I doubt all their gods really make up for the missed meals.
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Fri May 3, 2013, 03:38 AM
LostOne4Ever (8,684 posts)
19. Wouldn't you include global inflation
The author of the article seems to be ignoring the time value of money. The buying power of $30k in 2004 is a very different value than it is in 2038. Doing a quick web search i found this:[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top:none; border-radius:0em 0em 0.4615em 0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]According to an index produced by Goldman Sachs, global inflation was 4.8% in the year to November, two percentage points up from the previous year (see chart). Prices accelerated in 80% of the countries that Goldman tracks.
[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#dcdcdc; padding-bottom:5px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom:none; border-radius:0.4615em 0.4615em 0em 0em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]http://www.economist.com/node/10534662 :
So going by this the global inflation rate exceeds the average rate of GDP growth (4.8% vs 3.3%). Unfortunately this means we will never reach the atheist threshold point
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Fri May 3, 2013, 02:04 PM
longship (40,416 posts)
30. I am not comfortable with extrapolations.
They tend to become a source of future embarrassment, special pleadings, or both.
Also, I don't for a second think that atheism will ever replace religion in this world. I think religion is so engrained in our culture (and possibly our genes) that the best one can hope for is for religion to become less intolerant and virulent.
That would be a giant step forward, one I would be happy with, even as an atheist.
Although I reject this guy's predictions, I certainly agree with his sentiments.
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Fri May 3, 2013, 02:31 PM
Meshuga (6,182 posts)
31. The issue with fundamentalism is not only with their high birth rate
But with the presence of poverty and despair.
In my opinion, as long as there is high rates of poverty, lack of education, and despair we will see religious fundamentalism thrive and I don't see atheism or religiosity winning when fundamentalism thrives.
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Fri May 3, 2013, 03:39 PM
zeeland (247 posts)
36. Advances in science will continue to
demystify what was thought to be miracles or the wrath of God.
So many maintain religious connections for reasons other than faith.
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Sun May 5, 2013, 10:17 AM
cleanhippie (19,705 posts)
42. Kick for the update
Response to cleanhippie (Reply #42)
Sun May 5, 2013, 04:05 PM
goldent (1,582 posts)
43. That family must not have watched Star Trek very closely...
Spock: [referring to Flavius] I wish we could've examined that belief of his more closely. It seems illogical for a sun worshiper to develop a philosophy of total brotherhood. Sun worship is usually a primitive superstition religion.
Uhura: I'm afraid you have it all wrong, Mister Spock, all of you. I've been monitoring some of their old-style radio waves, the empire spokesman trying to ridicule their religion. But he couldn't. Don't you understand? It's not the sun up in the sky. It's the Son of God.
Capt. Kirk: Caesar - and Christ. They had them both. And the word is spreading... only now.
Dr. McCoy: A philosophy of total love and total brotherhood.
Spock: It will replace their imperial Rome; but it will happen in their twentieth century.
Capt. Kirk: Wouldn't it be something to watch, to be a part of? To see it happen all over again? Mister Chekov, take us out of orbit. Ahead warp factor one.
Chekov: Aye, sir.
But I'll give the kid a break - that picture (haircuts in particular) was clearly 50's or early 60's, whereas Star Trek was mid-late 60's.
Response to goldent (Reply #43)
Sun May 5, 2013, 10:23 PM
trotsky (49,533 posts)
45. They just had to wait until TNG to get it stated more clearly:
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Dr. Barron, I cannot, I *will not* impose a set of commandments on these people. To do so violates the very essence of the Prime Directive!
Dr. Barron: Like it or not, we have rekindled the Mintakans' belief in the Overseer.
Commander William T. Riker: And are you saying that this belief will eventually become a religion?
Dr. Barron: It's inevitable. And without guidance, that religion could degenerate into inquisitions, holy wars, chaos.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Horrifying. Dr. Barron, your report describes how rational these people are. Millennia ago, they abandoned their belief in the supernatural. Now you are asking me to sabotage that achievement, to send them back into the dark ages of superstition and ignorance and fear? NO!
Response to goldent (Reply #43)
Sun May 5, 2013, 10:43 PM
okasha (11,573 posts)
48. And McCoy seemed to have a perpetual urge
to announce himself to indigenous peoples with «Behold! I am the Archangel Gabriel!»


text:
'He was trapped in prison of a broken mind:' Andy Gipson on his father's death
On behalf of the entire Gipson family, I first want to express our sincere thanks for your prayers, your kind words, and especially your presence here today. In the Bible, at the lowest point in his life, Job's friends came and sat down to mourn with him and to comfort him. Like them, you are truly our friends in this, our family's darkest moment. Thank you all so much.
My Daddy, Bro. Harry N. Gipson, was husband to my Mama, Glenda, for over 50 years. He was daddy to three boys, Scott, Andy, and Matt. He was father-in-law to our wives Leslie and Heather, and he was grandfather to eight wonderful grandchildren whom he dearly loved. He was a true friend to so many, but especially his best friend, David Luckett. He loved us all without limit, and without condition. We loved and do love him the same. That kind of love was made possible by the love God showed Daddy by saving him on a date now engraved on his tombstone, October 6, 1966. That was the day my Dad testified he was born again, receiving Jesus Christ as his personal, loving Savior and Lord.
The most important thing to my Daddy was his relationship with Jesus Christ. And he would want me to ask you right now, Do you know Jesus? John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And whoever you are, and whatever you've done, that "whosoever" can be you.
It is because of his faith that we know my dad, Harry Gipson is home with Jesus right now. He is walking the streets of glory, free from any pain, free from any physical sickness, and free from any sickness of the mind. He is home and he is whole, safe in the arms of Jesus. Knowing him, he is probably volunteering to help Jesus build some of those mansions in glory.
In his 70 years, Daddy loved and helped so many people, and led them to Christ. He was a pastor and evangelist, a successful businessman, a farmer, horse-rider, and mule-breaker. But to me and my brothers he was the best dad anyone could ever have. And he loved our Mama more than life itself.
But life wasn't always a bed of roses for my Daddy. In May of 1995, I watched as a mule ran away with our old fashioned wagon, hitting a tree, and catapulting him onto the ground. The fall broke his neck in three places, fractured his skull, and destroyed his voice box, not to mention puncturing one lung. The doctors said he would never work or preach again. He did both.
In the mid 2000's while he was building the Children's Ranch he climbed up on a forklift to get some material out of a building supply company's lumber bin, and his foot slipped. He fell about 20 feet onto the concrete below, and cracked his skull again. He preached the next Sunday on crutches.
But in 2012 he had the "motorcycle wreck," thankfully with a helmet. Still the damage was great. And over the next months he had to learn to count again, to bathe himself again, to button his shirt again. From that time he really struggled with physical and mental challenges. Still, like a Timex watch, Daddy took a licking and kept on ticking.
The last several years, his greatest source of discouragement was that he could no longer do the things he used to do. He couldn't seem to do the things he wanted to do, like operating Hilltop Memorial Children's Ranch, a faith-based outreach for children he built on our family farm. Daddy built the ranch including a full western town, a lake, a lodge and a chapel, and his greatest desire in life was to see children there, experiencing Mississippi farm life and the great outdoors, catching bass and hunting. His goal was to reach children with the Gospel in a safe, fun outdoor environment. But for years he struggled privately and sometimes publicly that he just could not do it anymore. Today our family will bury him this afternoon in the casket he made, near the Children's Church he built. And after he died, we as a family unanimously agreed we will honor his memory by carrying out his vision to reach children through the Children's Ranch, especially underprivileged children. I cannot overstate how much this meant to him, and he will be so pleased to see this come to fruition.
In recent years he struggled so much, at times with depression, other times with overactivity. He ultimately reached a point where he vacillated between wanting to live and wanting to die, and he told us, "Dying is easier and than living." But we all wanted him to live and to enjoy his remaining years. In fact, my family agrees the last two years were probably the best he had in a long time. We all as a family loved him and helped him as much as we could, taking him to the hospital and making sure he kept doctors appointments. I told my Mama yesterday, she is a true saint for her steadfast devotion and efforts for Daddy. But ultimately, all our efforts were not enough.
This past Thursday was a date of unspeakable tragedy, and words can never express our deep, deep sorrow. The only thing certain about the tragedy of Harry Gipson's death is, he was not himself that day. Had he been, he would never have wanted to die. Had he been, he would have listened to reason. But he was not himself. It was as if he was trapped in the prison of a broken mind, and he wanted to be free.
I want to say to all the officers involved, our family knows that you were only trying to help. You were trying to keep him from hurting himself, even though it seemed a point of no return had been reached. We as a family ascribe no blame to you, and we are praying for you and for your families who also mourn and grieve through this tragedy with us.
But we serve a God who has the power to bring triumph from the ashes of tragedy. The Cross is a reminder of that Christ has conquered death, replacing it with eternal life. Today, Bro. Harry Gipson breathes the freshest air of Heaven, and we know in Christ we will see him again.
I want to thank you all again for your care and your love for us during this time. Thank you to our many friends, fellow Believers, loved ones, and colleagues. Tomorrow we will pick up the pieces and move forward as best we can, trusting in the Lord. I will return to work as your Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, and I will continue to carry out all my responsibilities to the very best of my ability, just like my dad taught me to do.
But I will also return with a new personal mission: to serve as an advocate unafraid to speak out on behalf of the thousands of Mississippians who even today are silently suffering the pain of traumatic brain injury, depression or mental illness. If you are one of those Mississippians, I encourage you: Do not be afraid or embarrassed to seek help. These are illnesses that, the same as any physical illness, require treatment to gain relief. Let us as Mississippians join hearts and hands, and rise together to this challenge. Let us work and pray to see that a tragedy like this never again has to be repeated.
I close my thoughts today with the scripture from Hebrews 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith; who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down on the right hand of the throne of God."
Looking to Jesus, we know there is eternal joy on the other side of the cross. Bro. Harry Gipson is experiencing that joy with Jesus right now. "Jesus Christ: the same yesterday, today and forever."
The great and lasting legacy of Harry N. Gipson is to know that no matter what happens in this life, Jesus Christ is our Hope, our Future, our unmovable Rock. So we shall continue trusting and standing in Him until the day we see Him in glory, face to face. And on that same day we will once again see Mama's husband, our Daddy, our Pappaw, our Brother, our friend, Bro. Harry N. Gipson.
More:Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson's father killed by Simpson County deputy
More:Harry Gipson: Mississippi Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson's father killed. Who was he?
Andy Gipson is the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce.


text:
The Tea Party isn't known to reach across the aisle when it comes to politics, but opposition in Washington isn't entirely against their ideas. This morning on "NewsOne Now," Rep. Bobby Scott says the Tea Party is right about budget control, but wrong in how they want to make changes. Cutting social security and Medicare are not viable solutions for the nation's citizens.
"If the people were given a choice, would people like a $3.9 trillion tax cut and we're going to have to cut social security, $100 billion and Medicare $100 billion," said Scott, "or would you rather have a $3.7 trillion tax cut and leave social security and medicare alone? We went to $3.9 [trillion] without really giving people a choice. We haven't made those choices. We're talking about cutting food stamps, Head Start, delaying aircraft carriers on the military, the safety net unemployment compensation, but never having come to grips with the choices that are being made."
Take a look at the entire exchange below.
Do you agree with Rep. Scott?
Be sure to tune in to NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, weekdays at 7 a.m. EST.
Rep. Bobby Scott: The Tea Party Isn't Always Wrong was originally published on newsone.com


text:
Here's a collection of character work for TV Animation.
Rumblemania was a fun pitch project created under the Nickelodeon Summer Pitch Development program. I worked with wonderful people, Phil Cannon and Morgane Keesling, and created a super fun children's show about two aspiring pro wrestlers in a fighting-themed world.
Cook Quest was a personal IP that I eventually developed into a 3D Feature style. This was the first exploration on the story!


text:
Fresh off working with Sarah Jessica Parker in Italy—she's the "nicest celebrity ever," he swears—Kate's mane man dishes to ELLE.com about the ins and outs of backcombing and the hair products you need to throw in your suitcase.
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
Beauty Chat: James Brown on Rocking Kate Moss's Bedhead
If you're like us, your pre-getaway beauty prep almost always includes a quick trip to the salon for a blowout that, like your trip, is both breezy and carefully orchestrated. By the time you've checked out, however, that foxy 'do has most likely fallen flat and you've retreated to the safety of a basic ponytail. Well, it was fun while it lasted…
But if you've ever seen photos of Kate Moss sporting perfectly tousled locks as she suns herself on a yacht or tromps through the mud at Glastonbury, you know that hot holiday hair isn't exactly a myth. Hair pro James Brown has been doing the supermodel's mane for over 20 years (they both hail from Croydon, England), and fortunately for those who don't have a stylist on standby, he's happy to share the secrets to achieving—and maintaining—that sexy bedhead look throughout your weekend away. Put that sun hat away!
First, walk us through creating "The Kate" hairstyle.
Start by washing the hair with my James Brown London Volume Boost Shampoo and Conditioner. Squirt a quarter-sized amount of Volume Boost Mousse into your hand and work through the hair evenly before blow-drying with a big round brush. Use a smaller brush around the front to create a bit of a wave. Back-comb the hair at the crown and temples, then finish with Effortless Hold Hairspray.
Do you have a trick to backcombing the hair without it ending up a tangled, ratty mess the next day?
Backcombing with a brush is the best way. You pull hair in the opposite direction that you want it to go. So if it's on the crown, most people try to backcomb by pulling their hair backwards. But if you pull forwards towards the front of your face, and then backcomb at the roots, it happens a lot easier, and it's a lot better to get out. You've got a lot more control.
How do you keep the bedhead look from getting too messy?
The main thing is not overdoing it. People always forget to backcomb the temples. They always backcomb the top, but they always forget to do the temples, and the way to get that rock 'n' roll Brigitte Bardot look is to make sure you backcomb the temples.
Are there specific products we should us?
The best tip ever is to spray a little bit of hairspray on your fingertip and rub it into the roots to give it a stronger foundation. Instead of spraying tons all over the hair—that's when it starts to look crunchy. Then, it's hard to brush straight out the next day. Just use spray where you've backcombed, rubbing it in with the fingers, and do a very light spray from about 10 inches above your head. The hair should all move about, and bits should sort of fall and tousle.
What other products should we pack to maintain the hairstyle on vacation?
The best product you'll need to keep that shape is a really good hairbrush, like a Mason Pearson natural bristle brush. Also, dry shampoo is an absolute must. When your hair is backcombed at the roots, you can brush that out in the morning softly, redo the roots, and then spray again. So, a good brush, dry shampoo, and a hairspray.
Any other tips for keeping hair fresh the next day, or even two days later?
If you're doing that kind of look, the next day the hair will look even better. But a silk or satin pillowcase can protect the hair from rubbing and getting messed around in your sleep. Just be gentle with your hair. Don't expect too much from it. Be firm on the roots, but gentle on the ends.
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text:
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
Dyed in the wool
When I was young, and typically optimistic the world could be rapidly changed for the better if people just pushed hard enough, I fondly imagined prejudice against gays, or transgender people, or blacks, or foreigners, was a very temporary thing and would soon die away.
I was completely ignorant of how engrained these prejudices were, how reluctant people were to drop them, how much they passed from one generation to another, and how eagerly they were nurtured by politicians and the media.
I assumed other people were basically tolerant and open-minded and couldn't hold such prejudices for long without realising how damaging and inhumane they were. I assumed they were as fleeting as snow-storms or flash-floods.
Gradually it dawned on me that these prejudices were often rock-solid. You could argue against them till you were hoarse, but people still held them, utterly convinced of their soundness. The very idea of dropping them would seem like an act of madness.
I realised that although prejudice against certain groups had lessened, it had happened incredibly slowly and was still far from over. There's still strong opposition to gay marriage, to giving transgender people jobs, to promoting blacks, to treating foreigners fairly. In fact many people would like to turn the clock back and remove all the rights these groups have painfully and laboriously gained.
So nowadays, a great deal older and wiser, I assume that rather than demolishing prejudice, which seems near to impossible, the only realistic attitude is to work around it and try to chip away little bits here and there.
My optimistic younger self would be shocked at my new-found pragmatism.
39 comments:
- helen devries1 March 2017 at 19:34
I have always thought that if you had money you could be as black, gay or foreign as you pleased and you would sail through life, so to me the objective was to give all poor people the chance to succeed in life to achieve the same immunity as the rich.ReplyDelete
Helen: Good way of looking at it. Very true that the wealthy will always be treated with respect whatever their colour or background. And does prejudice increase alongside a general increase in financial inequality, I wonder? It certainly seems that way at the moment.ReplyDelete
I grew up so color blind that I embarrassed my self in my early twenties, telling my black friend to please look for an apartment by me; she would be welcome there; what did she mean she couldn't. I felt horrible about the attitude adjustment I had to make, and that I'd embarrassed my friend with my ignorance.ReplyDelete
Fear and ignorance are powerful forces. I agree - we have to keep chipping away a bit at a time.ReplyDelete
My family was extremely prejudiced and was really upset in high school when I had colored friends. So no youthful illusions here.ReplyDelete
My father has always been strongly prejudiced in many areas - gays, black people, immigrants etc. I suppose when I was young those opinions rubbed off on me too. It was only as I got older that I came to realise that they were completely unfounded and people are just... well... people.ReplyDelete
Joanne: I was pretty much colour blind as a kid too. My sister had two black dolls and I never thought twice about it. It was only later on that I realised being black was some kind of problem.ReplyDelete
Agent: Gradually chipping away seems to be the only practical step. And yes, fear and ignorance are the underlying causes.
Jean: As far as I remember, there weren't any black pupils in my schools. If there were, and I'd befriended them, I imagine my parents' reaction would have been much the same as yours.ReplyDelete
Dave: I don't know much about my father's attitudes (he died almost 30 years ago and we weren't on speaking terms for about 20 years before that). But my mother is very prejudiced against immigrants and foreigners and totally resistant to any kind of counter-argument.
I am pretty sure most of us, even the most wonderfully unprejudiced, will have a snippet of a prejudice lurking in our subconscious waiting to be given an airing. Can't think this moment which one might apply to me - though will admit that lesbians freak me out. Not that I know any - very much to some of my friends' amusement lesbians avoid me like the plague. Maybe it's a mutual understanding. Not, of course, that I'd ever say a word. Just - DON'T TOUCH ME.ReplyDelete
One of the funniest moments, and I may have well related this before, when a friend of my parents visited our house the first time. My sister and I were already in bed when my mother opened the door to introduce us. My little sister? She was about three or so and had never seen a black man before. Promptly burst into tears. Which made the black man's big smile even bigger.
Then, naturally, and this is not so long ago, I happened to mention my gollywog. He was very black, with very white teeth, and a blow up - size of one of my baby dolls. My father had given it to me - for which reason alone I loved my gollywog. As I hadn't expected all hell broke loose in the politically correct world of the internet when I, innocently, mentioned aforesaid gollywog.
Main thing to remember is that we are all humans. Even the monsters among us. And lesbians.
Ursula's right - there's always something tucked away that we can't get rid of. In my case it's pikeys.ReplyDeleteReplies
And orange people.Delete
I recall the culture shock I experienced years ago when we moved to a part of the U.S. where discrimination was overt - signs for separate water drinking fountains, bathrooms, waiting rooms, etc. Blacks had to sit at the back of the bus. Where I came from the kids all wanted to sit at the back of the bus. I was surprised and disappointed to learn years later discrimination was there, too, just covert. Am reminded of the lyrics of a song in a Broadway show that was a favorite of mine -- South Pacific's "You Have To Be Taught" -- "to love and hate, before you are six or seven or eight, to hate all the people you're relatives hate, you have to be carefully taught." Chipping away, generation by generation.ReplyDelete
This has been a language education with terms I've been unfamiliar -- the black dolls named when I first read here a term that has since disappeared from the page, then pikeys and orange people. Google search to my rescue to define terms. What about gingers -- cause I'm a redhead. ;-). Lesbians I've encountered when least expected years ago, when a married friend decided she was one. She proved to be harmless and made no attempt to seduce me. Interesting world in which we live.ReplyDelete
Ursula: Indeed, we all have a snippet of discrimination (or even a lot more than a snippet). I have to admit to a prejudice against fat people, however much I tell myself that I'm being disgustingly judgmental and unkind. But I adore lesbians and always have done.ReplyDelete
I'm hyper-aware of black people in Belfast, simply because there are so few of them and they're so instantly noticeable. I like to think I'm not prejudiced against them, but no doubt there are all sorts of subtle slights I'm overlooking.
It's interesting how gollywogs suddenly became shocking and unacceptable. Pleased to say I never had one when I was young.
Dave: I think you have to distinguish between simple prejudice against travellers, and valid criticism. I've heard so many people with direct experience of travellers saying very negative things about them. Stealing, leaving rubbish behind them etc. Have you had any direct experience yourself?ReplyDelete
Orange people - can't stand them myself.
Joared: I can't imagine what it was like to confront that sort of overt discrimination day in and day out. To anyone with a scrap of humanity it must have been quite sickening. Very true that we need to teach children to love and not hate.ReplyDelete
I've never understood the widespread prejudice against ginger hair. What the hell is wrong with it? I've known many lesbians, and the idea that they're somehow unnatural and threatening baffles me. Of course many heterosexual men see a woman who's totally uninterested in them as a huge blow to their monstrous egos.
Poignant example Dave puts on the page. I had to look up "pikeys", a term I hadn't come across before and now understand your reply's reference to travellers.ReplyDelete
Let's put the true and truly romantic spin on travellers and call them "gypsies". I love gypsies. There is something raw, colourful and basic about them. That they leave debris behind, as you pointed out, is only natural and to be expected. We all do. I only need to go downstairs and shake my head at overflowing bins, raided by our coast's massive seagulls (think Hitchcock), and wonder at the thoughtlessness of neighbours who don't understand what a beeping bin's lid is for.
Back to your original subject, namely prejudice, here we are - one of your readers (freely admitting and good on him to do so) of not liking gypsies and another, with a lesbian phobia (:)), romanticizing them. Definitely influenced by my mother who was always there for the underdog. But then, she knew what it was to be a "traveller" when her mother took her and three of her siblings (the elder brothers - though barely twenty - already fighting "the enemy") right across Europe, fleeing the Russian army's advance - by cattle train, on foot, depending on the kindness of strangers like farmers whose land they were passing through.
Interesting subject you raised, Nick. One that makes you go and search your own heart for holes.
Having been at the receiving end of prejudice and racism on a number of occasions overseas as well as in my own country, I think that your new found way is the best to live a comfortable life. You can surprise others expecting prejudice from you with none.ReplyDelete
Ursula: I think you're confusing two different things there - travellers who move around within one country and refugees who move from one country to another seeking sanctuary. I have every sympathy for refugees, who are simply looking for a better life after experiencing some desperate domestic crisis. "Searching your own heart for holes" - what a lovely way of putting it.ReplyDelete
Ramana: I'm sure you know everything there is to know about prejudice! Gradual chipping away seems to me now the only practical approach.ReplyDelete
I didn't understand transgendered people. It was very clear cut for me.ReplyDelete
Happily age and then meeting someone who was trans, made it clear what an absolute tit I was.
It's none of my business.
I try to take people for who they are.
I'm prejudiced against assholes and cruel, mean people. I'm okay with that.
Rose: I understand transgendered people 100 per cent. What really annoys me is the Germaine Greers of this world who instead of just admitting they don't understand it, produce all sorts of ludicrous and offensive rationalisations of something psychologically irreducible.ReplyDelete
Yep, me too. I'm outrageously prejudiced against assholes, bullies, bigots and hypocrites.
My high school was huge --- about 3600 kids, as I recall. I don't know if was the blacks or the whites who were in the minority.ReplyDelete
Jean: Wow, that's a big school. There must have been so many black kids, they didn't seem in any way unusual.ReplyDelete
Yes, prejudice is a devil of a thing and so ingrained. My daughter, who has an Indian father and has been educated all her life in India was shocked one day at her posh, convent school to be branded as a 'foreigner' by a fellow student and accused of 'insulting our country' (the country where she was born) because she had the audacity to suggest that other countries besides the one we were living in had something to offer the world culturally. A lot of proud people here (not all, thank God) tend to espouse the view that India is the only country which is rich in culture and that the western countries 'have no culture'. I kid you not.ReplyDelete
Maria: A lot of people in the UK are being accused of being "foreigners", simply because they happen to be speaking another language or wearing a hijab.ReplyDelete
I think a lot of Brits believe their culture is unique and other countries have no culture. Especially those Brits whose daily reading is The Sun or the Daily Mail, and whose favourite TV programmes are Eastenders and Coronation Street. They wouldn't know culture if it slapped them in the face.
I had to learn all the lines on the base of our statue of liberty. it's set to music you know. very stirring. we sang it in concert once when I was in school. it was hard for me to hold back the tears of pride.ReplyDelete
what hypocrisy! total hypocrisy.
heaven help you if you're a foreigner of any kind and want to relocate to America.
it was made hard for every single nationality who ever tried.
given enough time... years... you are FINALLY included and even welcomed.
as in today... everyone wants or claims to be irish now on st patty's day of course!
when they first came ... dogs were treated better.
even the american indian is now revered. after we so conveniently stole their land.
now in today's time period... it's the mexican people who are in the barrel. and of course all refugees. which is pitifully sad.
it's sacrilege really. all the great Christians with their special protection. scared to death anyway. good grief.
I love the song from south pacific that joared mentioned.
truer words were never sung!
Tammy: Every new generation seems to have its own disliked "outsiders", who are treated as second-class citizens. As you say, now in the USA it's the Mexicans (and also the Muslims). Here in the UK it's just about anyone who isn't visibly British. Unless they're prepared to accept a pittance to do some skilled work for you, in which case all of a sudden they're welcome.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous4 March 2017 at 08:53
For me persons are first persons no matter what they are. Black ,white, lesbians, gays why the hell should I care about this. And one eord about travellers....they payed a high tribute during the Nazi Regime and unfortunately are still ignored in many countries. What a shame. I have some travellers friends from Roumania. Believe me these people open their arms to welcome you. Discrimination is ugly .ReplyDelete
Mia More
Mia: I guess travellers may be very different in different countries. While some as you say are welcoming and cause no problems to anyone else, I've heard some very negative stories of travellers in the UK and Ireland.ReplyDelete
Indeed, everyone should get the same respect and courtesy, whatever their colour or background. Well, except serial killers and child-abusers....
An interesting debate....as a gay middle aged man...i have seen things change....they change by osmosis...ReplyDelete
The youth now are not only accepting of gayness but bisexuality seems now to be embraced and indeed celebrated.
The law means that i now can get married.....osmosis there too! Law forcing parity
Media........osmosis again.........remember the gay kiss furore in EASTENDERS in the eighties? Now.......DOESNT even raise a titter...
Things change
People change
John: Most young people seem to have no problem with gayness, and wonder what all the fuss is about. It looks as if gay marriage will finally be legalised in Northern Ireland very soon. But you may remember that in the early 70s, gay activists were staunchly opposed to marriage on the grounds that it was "aping heterosexuality". That attitude has changed a bit....ReplyDelete
I have a hard time not instantly dismissing anyone who looks like they've spent all day in hair and make-up, and people who drive gas guzzlers (which I think is often the male equivalent). No matter how often I'm dazzled by the quiet intelligence of women who are hiding under layers of perfumed paint I still expect them to be idiots, and have to mentally prepare myself to not be surprised should they turn out to be Wittgenstein scholars. I think that's my main prejudice, and I hate that part of myself, but I am working on it.ReplyDelete
Eryl: I also have an aversion to the heavily-made-up brigade. I don't assume they're dumb, but I do wonder why they have to cover up their natural face to conform to some fashionable female image. What a waste of time and money! And I have to say, there are plenty of make-up-free women who are somewhat mentally challenged.ReplyDelete
i think it is a natural thing to fear the "other", especially if at some point the "other" has made a negative impact.ReplyDelete
Having acknowledged that this is a universal reaction, doesn't mean it is excusable but something to be aware of and to actively break down in our own attitudes.
I also think that if we are aware of our own changing or changed attitudes, we need to be gracious and kind towards those who are slower to make changes than we are ourselves
Kylie: I have a lot of patience with those who find it hard to accept something they're not used to or don't understand. I know from my own experience that entrenched attitudes can take a while to crumble. I have less patience with those who cling to their engrained attitudes regardless of any counter-arguments, regardless of tangible reality, regardless of the harm they're doing to others.ReplyDelete
It helps to take the focus off ourselves as white people. I'm glad I live in Hawaii, where most people are not white. I don't associate with prejudiced white people and don't feel I need to understand them or accomodate them.ReplyDelete
My thoughts mirror yours exactly. I despair at how much ignorance and prejudice is still around in the 21st century and unfortunately I think will be around for some time to come.ReplyDelete
Hattie: It does make a huge difference whether you live somewhere with a large black population or not. I used to live in London where black faces were quite normal but here in Belfast they're unusual and very conspicuous.ReplyDelete
Polly: Unfortunately ignorance and prejudice seem to be an inevitable part of the human condition. The best we can do is nibble away at it here and there.


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Mozaik Software releases Version 7.0
Mozaik Software demonstrated the latest features of Version 7.0 at IWF 2018 in Atlanta.
"In addition to expanding the parametric capabilities of the software, a number of new features have been added and enhanced," the company explained in a statement. "A new link to ETemplates enables designs to be imported from the laser system including wall layouts, doors and windows, as well as the locations of plumbing and electrical.
"Door capabilities have been enhanced to include a WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) new design process enabling customers to design five-piece doors, miter-frame doors, as well as CNC MDF doors without the need to draw toolpaths or geometry. This revolutionary door sectioning capability also enables the user to section cabinet ends and cabinet backs on the fly, the parts are automatically updated on the job cutting lists and the geometry to machine the custom panels is also added to the parts automatically."
For more, visit www.mozaiksoftware.com.


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31 dead in Brussels explosions claimed by ISIS
BRUSSELS, Belgium (15th UPDATE) – A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS) group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday, March 22, killing 31 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe.
Two huge blasts, at least one of which prosecutors said was likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the check-in hall at Zaventem Airport, strewing the scene with blood and mangled bodies and sending hundreds of terrified travellers fleeing in terror.
The fact that extremists were able to hit high-profile targets in Brussels, Europe's symbolic capital, just months after ISIS killed 130 people in Paris, will raise fresh questions about the continent's ability to cope with the terror threat.
Around 270 people were wounded in Tuesday's bloodshed, which came just 4 days after the dramatic arrest in Brussels of Salah Abdeslam – the prime suspect in the Paris attacks – after 4 months on the run.
Belgian authorities had been on alert after Abdeslam, Europe's most wanted man, told investigators he had been planning an attack on Brussels.
An online news agency affiliated with IS said the group was behind the attacks.
"Islamic State fighters carried out a series of bombings with explosive belts and devices on Tuesday, targeting an airport and a central metro station in the centre of the Belgian capital Brussels, a country participating in the international coalition against the Islamic State," the Aamaq news agency said.
Hundreds of flights and trains were cancelled as security across Europe was tightened after the bombings, which Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel branded "blind, violent and cowardly".
"This is a day of tragedy, a black day," Michel said. His spokesman announced 3 days of national mourning.
Three suspects wanted
Shortly after the airport blasts hit at around 8 am (0700 GMT), a third explosion rocked Maalbeek metro station, in the heart of the city's EU quarter, as rush-hour commuters were making their way to work. (READ: On the scene: Blood, panic as Brussels comes under attack)
There are fears more suspects could still be at large in Brussels, home to the headquarters of both NATO and the European Union, Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders warned.
Belgian authorities published surveillance camera images showing 3 male suspects pushing trollies with suitcases past the check-in area. Two have dark hair and one is wearing a hat.
Witnesses described horrific scenes at the airport, with victims lying in pools of blood, their limbs blown off. There were chaotic scenes as passengers fled in panic, and plumes of dark smoke could be seen rising from holes punched through the roof of the building by the blasts.
"A man shouted a few words in Arabic and then I heard a huge blast," airport baggage security officer Alphonse Lyoura told AFP, his hands bloodied.
"A lot of people lost limbs. One man had lost both legs and there was a policeman with a totally mangled leg."
An army team later blew up a suspect package at the shuttered airport, with media reporting police had found an unexploded suicide vest.
Authorities later said a third bomb had failed to explode at the airport.
At Maalbeek station, paramedics tended to commuters with bloodied faces as the city's normally peaceful streets filled with the wailing of sirens.
Airports across Europe swiftly announced they were boosting security, while across the Atlantic, New York and Washington ordered security personnel to crowded areas and train stations.
'Whole of Europe hit'
Leaders across Europe reacted with outrage to the attack on the EU's institutional capital, urging closer counter-terror cooperation on a continent that has been on high alert for months.
"The whole of Europe has been hit," said French President Francois Hollande, whose country is still reeling from November's Paris attacks.
British Prime Minister David Cameron warned of the "very real" terrorist threat faced by countries across Europe, declaring: "We will never left these terrorists win."
US President Barack Obama said Washington stood with Belgium in the face of the "outrageous" attacks.
"We will do whatever is necessary to support our friend and ally Belgium in bringing to justice those who are responsible, and this is yet another reminder that the world must unite," Obama said.
Security was also beefed up at Belgium's nuclear plants and at EU buildings in the French city of Strasbourg, home to the European Parliament.
Interior Minister Jan Jambon announced that Belgium's terror threat had been raised to its highest level.
Messages of solidarity poured out on social media, with thousands of people sharing images of beloved Belgian cartoon character Tintin in tears.
It has been a week of drama and bloodshed in Brussels. Last Tuesday saw a shootout in the city's south that saw a Kalashnikov-wielding man killed and 4 police officers wounded.
Investigators believe key Paris suspect Abdeslam slipped out of the apartment as the gun battle broke out. He was arrested 3 days later in Brussels' gritty Molenbeek district – just around the corner from his family home.
Foreign Minister Reynders said at the weekend that Abdeslam – believed to have played a key logistical role in the Paris carnage – had told investigators he was planning some sort of new attack.
Shiraz Maher, a radicalization expert at Kings College London, said it was "very likely that this attack will have been planned and prepared well in advance of last week's arrest of Salah Abdeslam."
The bombings came at a time when the brutal jihadist group is under pressure and losing territory in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. – Lachlan Carmichael and Alex Pigman, AFP / Rappler.com


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Dara Gur means (in old Irish) "Warm nest, surrounded by oaks." Our oak-sheltered home is on a quiet street in the village close to the food co-op, bookstore, fire station and Positive Pi restaurant. Because we have a spacious living room, we invite the community into our home from time to time… to enjoy discussions, potlucks, workshops, house concerts and screenings. Please join us at these times.
Public sitting meditation and Buddhist practice will be regularly offered to the public through Salmon Falls Sangha, part of the Drikung Kagyu Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Because we care about adult learning, social engagement and spiritual inquiry we invite skilled teachers, filmmakers, artists, performers and progressive exemplars as our guests. Dara Gur public events are a project of 7 Generations Trust.
Whenever possible our hosted events will be free. If the performer or leader works for a fee, we request that you pay their suggested donation. Entry is guaranteed to all ticket holders and invited public, even those with limited financial means. (Wheelchair access is provided into and within the building.) Click below to find out to get tickets.


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One of our favorite restaurants in Chicago and Naperville is Catch 35. Over the years I've sat in on wine dinner menu planning sessions, tasted different wines for wine dinners, learned about responsible fishing, been educated about the differences between U.S. shrimp and Asian farm raised shrimp, heard stories about how Chef Eddie Sweeney spending time on fishing boats in New England, and have enjoyed lunch and dinner in both locations.
So, it's easy for me to talk about Catch 35 events like their May Ocean to Plate Tasting Event on 5/20 in Naperville and 5/22 in Chicago, especially since the cost of this event is so reasonable. Here are the menu details:
Scallop Ceviche-serrano chiles-cilantro-red onion-lime juice
A to Z, Unoaked Chardonnay, OR, 2017
Pan Seared Szechwan Scallops–scallions-bell pepper-shiitake mushrooms-chive potsticker
Paul Hobbs Crossbarn, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, CA, 2017
Scallop Surf & Turf-Georges Bank scallops-braised short rib & red potato hash-caper aioli
Pali, Riviera, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA, 2017
Chef Eddie Sweeney will show guests different cooking techniques, explain the flavors and how they pair with different foods and wine, and talk about how they are harvested and processed. I've heard him speak and his passion and friendly personality will make both events memorable occasions for all who attend.
Here are the event details:
Chicago Event Details
Location: 35 W. Wacker Drive, Chicago IL-312-346-3500
Date: Wednesday, May 22nd 2019, 6:30-8:30pm
$35 per person not including tax or gratuity
Phone reservations only-Call 312-346-3500/Chicago
Ask the host to secure your reservation under "Ocean to Plate event"
Naperville Event Details
Location: 35 S. WASHINGTON ST., NAPERVILLE, IL-630-717-3500
Date: Monday, May 20th 2019, 6:00-8:00pm
$35 per person not including tax or gratuity
Phone reservations only-Call 630-717-3500/Naperville
Ask the host to secure your reservation under "Ocean to Plate event"


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Feel free to download the FTW fanzine, and share with your friends! Link: https://www63.zippyshare.com/v/m61b0Byn/file.html
A huge thank you to Freddy who scanned his zine for us.
Freddy Alva: I was 16 when I did this zine, worked on it in '86 & came out in '87. It's full of grammatical errors, amateurish layout & questionable opinions; gotta start somewhere! Co-edited with Howard 'The Punk' Charcofsky in Jackson Heights, Queens. Cover drawn by ROTE 1 X-MEN.
"DYKHC: The graffiti and hardcore connection, these two distinct subcultures criss-crossed and fed off one another during the 1980s. You have always loved the visual side of tapes, records, fanzines like lyric sheets, inserts, fanzine covers. Please tell me something about the cover of FTW fanzine! Was it the first appearance of graffiti letters on the cover of a NYHC fanzine?
Freddy: The cover of my first zine (FTW) was done by someone I met my first day of High School, a Graffiti writer by the name of ROTE, when I started going to shows I met a lot of kids like me that came from a hip-hop background and a big part of that was Graffiti. My friend ROTE saw me as a full on b-boy freshman year and transition to hanging out with the skins/metalheads by the following school year. While he never got into the scene, his skills were off the chart and I wanted to bring that vibe and as far as I can tell it's the first instance of Graf letters on a NYHC fanzine.
DYKHC: The first interview you ever did was with Ray Cappo outside of the legendary Some Records in 1986 for your pre-New Breed fanzine called FTW. Hardcore is a very aggressive and combative style, and Ray brought a lot of intelligence to the genre with his extremely philosophical lyrics. He had an unusual talent to make changes in the scene. How was your first time meeting Youth Of Today, and why did you find it necessary to do an interview with YOT?
Freddy: YOT were amazing live in '86, don't think any of their records ever captured that and whether you were straight edge or not (I wasn't) they were undeniably influential at a crucial point during the second wave of NYHC that had kicked off by then. Ray was an extremely charismatic frontman that lived and breathed Hardcore and that a ripple effect on everyone that he came in contact with so I had to including him in the zine. I'd never done a live interview with anyone before but I decided to go for it; Ray was extreme cool about it, suggesting we do it outside Some Records minutes after I asked him if he'd ever be into answering some questions. One of the strongest memories I have is of various local scenesters passing by and commenting, in particular Jules from Side By Side, decked out in full boots & braces gear. I shouldn't have worried because I picked the best person interview, as soon as I turned the tape recorder on, Ray was off & running; the same relentless energy he exhibited on stage was present in person. Belated thanks to him for making my initial foray into zinedom a smooth one!"
You can read the full interview with Freddy Alva in the issue 3 of Do You Know Hardcore fanzine. Do You Know Hardcore? is a one-sheet fanzine. Free physical copies will be available via Quality Control Records (UK), Shining Life (USA), Gratitude fanzine (USA), Control Records (Belgium), Little Future distro (Germany), Gutter Groove (Denmark), Ugly And Proud (Bulgaria), World's Appreciated Kitsch (Greece).
If you need this fanzine I can send it to you in PDF format, just drop me an email at meheszattila(at)yahoo(dot)com.


text: The Men's Barbour Hereford Wax Jacket is perfect for adding a touch of country styling to your look this season. The Barbour Hereford features a Barbour waxed cotton outer, which gives you a touch of the classic Barbour styling we know and love. The heavy cord collar also helps to complete the classic Barbour look, while the leather trim detailing gives you a stylish twist you are sure to love. This stylish waxed jacket features the classic Barbour pocket set up with two lower patch pockets and two handwarmer pockets, the handwarmer pockets feature moleskin pocket bags for added warmth. The quilted lining is also ideal for keeping you warm on those colder days and the inner zip pocket is perfect for keeping those valuables safe and close to hand. The Barbour Hereford is perfect for completing your Barbour country look this season and beyond.


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18 Bar Rectangle Grid Bar Tray mold specifics:
Measures 13.5 in. X 10 in. X 1.5 in. deep. Makes 18 bars measuring 2 1/4 x 3 1/4. Each bar is approximately 4.2 ounces. This tray mold is ideal for volume production. The grid makes cutting a breeze and ensures bars are uniform in size. Pouring temperatures should not exceed 145 degrees F. Pouring above these temperatures may warp or damage the mold.
Why are the corners of this tray rounded?
This has to with design issues that can get pretty complicated for the average person. In a nutshell, the rounded corners create a stronger mold that last longer as webbing issues do not occur with this corner design. Webbing issues have to do with the way the plastic extrudes and thinning of plastic can occur creating weak spots in the design. The depth and size of the mold are key factors. With smaller areas (such a smaller tray molds) webbing issues and extrusion issues are not a problem. If the corners were perfectly square on these large slab trays, the mold would be weakened due to webbing and the corners would readily crack when soap is released. We extend the corners to allow the soap maker to trim the corner into rectangular shaped bars that are the same size as the rest of the bars. Honestly, it's a pretty clever way to make sure there is no waste and the mold remains strong.
Mold Market designs and manufactures high quality plastic soap molds for all occasions. Our multi cavity custom molds designs are suitable for hot and cold process soap making, melt & pour soap making, candle making, and ceramic crafts.
Natures Garden is a distributor of Mold Market Molds. In the good ole USA. Mold Market is committed to providing jobs for American workers and to supporting domestic manufacturers and suppliers. Our molds are American made and we are proud of this fact.
Mold Market molds are produced in United State factories. Many mold companies in the industry have moved production overseas to take advantage of low labor costs and generally cheaper production costs. We are saddened to find that some companies are advertising Made in the USA when this is not true. Mold Market elects to provide jobs to the U.S. workforce despite the competition from lower cost imports. We hope that you will support us in our effort to provide high quality designer molds for discriminating consumers desiring U.S products.
Mold size and pouring temperature of soap will determine set up time. It is imperative that you allow soap to cool completely before trying to remove from any mold. Depressions will occur in the top of mold if you try to release soap by force. Allow molded soaps to sit for at least 1 hour for best results. Gently pull the at the sides of the mold. This releases entrapped air between the mold and soap. Using firm, but gentle pressure, push on the top of mold until soap is released. If you are still having difficulty, place mold in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Mold Tips for CP (cold process) soapers: