text:
CARM (article 3)

Answering the critics: Examining Slick's Christadelphian Info

Christian Apologetics Research Ministry

First of all, let me say that the reason for posting this here is that I know of a number of people, whether they be Christadelphians, ex-Christadelphians, or potential Christadelphians who have come across a popular Christian website known as CARM - Christian Apologetics Research Ministry. Having reviewed the information on Christadelphians however, it is clear that Christadelphian beliefs and practices have been grossly misrepresented. This article seeks to correct the statements made there and give scriptural reasons for the beliefs what we as Christadelphians hold.

CARM is set up and run by a man named Matt J. Slick from the USA. He believes many mainstream Christian beliefs such as the Trinity, the Immortality of the Soul, the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the belief in a supernatural devil. He is also a Calvanist.

To understand what Christadelphians believe about these contentious issues and to understand why there are differences in belief between Christadelphians and Matt Slick, feel free to click the following links and have a browse of the many articles on numerous different subjects.

The nature of Christ - Christology
Prophecy - Eschatology
The Holy Spirit - Pneumatology
Salvation according to the scriptures - Soteriology
The Devil, Satan and Demons - Demonology

To go alongside this article, you will find 2 more threads on CARM which have been written by Evangelion [see here and here].

Matt Slick states that he does not believe that Christadelphians can legitimately be called Christians and provides scripture to back up his case. Evangelion has responded to this claim here and shows why the scriptures which have been put forward by Slick do say no such thing and shows Biblically why Christadelphians are legitimate Christians.

Matt Slick also set a challenge. He posted 28 questions on his website, questions which he believed would be impossible for Christadelphians to answer scripturally. Evangelion answers all 28 of them here.

Introduction to Christadelphians - Page 1
Lets examine the claims on the first page of the CARM website:

Christadelphianism is relatively new religious system.  It claims, like many other non-Christian cults, to be the authentic Christian Church with authentic Christian doctrines.

Correct. As linked to above, Evangelion has responded to the claim that Christadelphians are not Christians.

However, it denies the Trinity doctrine as well as the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

This is something which Christdelphians have no fear in admitting. We believe in one God - the Father and one Lord - Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 8v6), a man who was born of a woman by the working of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1v35), he was manifested in the flesh (i.e. the promised Messiah came in to being as promised throughout the Old Testament, he was justified of the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed to be the Son of God, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3v16)

Unlike Adam, he did not seek to be equal with God but rather made himself lowly, a humble servant, fully obedient to God. He was later exalted into heaven and now has a name which is above every name. (Philippians 2v6-9).

Christ is a man and is the mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2v5). He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet was without sin (Hebrews 4v15). He was one with God in will, not in essence. (John 17v20-23).

There are no passages to support the belief that either Jesus or the Holy Spirit are deity. However, there are differences in interpretation about passages such as John 1, Philppians 2 and Colossians 1 and if you click the link to Christology in the first post, you will be able to review the true meaning of these contentious passages.

In addition, it states that the Devil is not a real person but is, instead, our natural tendency to sin.

This is half accurate. Christadelphians believe that the devil and Satan are not generic terms for one single being. Rather, they believe that the words "devil" (literally - a 'false accuser') and "Satan" (literally - 'the Adversary') are words used to describe different people every time the words appear in scripture. For example, the devil in 1 Peter 5v8 is commonly believed by Christadelphians to be some kind of magistrate or ruling authority (i.e. the Roman authorities) and in Zechariah 3v2, Satan can be idenitified as being the oppressive nations mentioned in the parallel account in Ezra 4v2.

The identity of Satan and devil is to be determined at each occurence of the words and context needs to be relied upon heavily to help with this identification.

For more explanation and exploration of this subject, see the Demonology section of the Armoury linked to in my first post on this thread.

It also says that Jesus was a created being who had a fallen nature who himself needed to be redeemed.

The belief of Christadelphians is that Christ was a created being who had a nature like ours, and was tempted in all manners like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4v15). Note - Christadelphians do not believe in the doctrine of Original Sin, therefore we do not believe that Christ being a created man makes him a sinner by birth. We believe he did not sin during his life either, therefore, he was not a sinner.

For more on Original Sin, see here.

I say these things upfront as an introduction to Christadelphianism because we need to understand what the heart of this group is.

The heart of Christadelphians is the word of God. This is what teaches us everything we know about Christ and God and we fully rely on the scriptures to help form our beliefs.

Again, it is not Christian.

This claim is dealt with above.

There are, however, disagreements within the camp of Christadelphianism.  Several Christadelphians have pointed out to me that there are differences of opinion within their sect regarding the fallen nature of Christ.  Nevertheless, they all deny the deity of Christ and this is enough to put them outside the camp of Christianity.  A Jesus who is not divine, cannot save anyone -- especially one that needs to be redeemed himself.

The fact that there are small offshoots of Christadelphians such as the Dawn fellowship and Old Paths is irrelevant. Matt Slick himself disagrees with numerous popular Christian beliefs and churches. In fact, he is non-denominational and is therefore in no camp at all.

And as for the claim that "a Jesus who is not divine cannot save anyone", it is clear rather from the scriptures that a Jesus who is divine cannot save. A God-man cannot experience temptations like as we do, because he would have been fully under the control of God, it would be impossible for him to sin since God cannot sin.

In my opinion, Christadelphianism is a dangerous cult because it brings people to eternal damnation by teaching a false God and false gospel.  It deviates from the central doctrines of the Christian faith sufficiently to make them non-Christian.

This is just your opinion as you state. As already linked to above, the statement that Christadelphians are not Christians is unsupportable from scripture.

I would like to add that many years ago I had the opportunity to spend five months attending a Christadelphian Church during their midweek Bible studies.

This is true. It is interesting therefore that there are still misrepresentations in your presentation of Christadelphian beliefs.

The people there were very warm and friendly.  They freely allowed me to present the "opposing view" to their Bible study group on a regular basis.  I was impressed by this. I was impressed by this. They also were very knowledgeable about scripture and listened intently to what I had to say. I found them to be polite and well studied and I enjoyed my time with them. However, they still denied the essential doctrines of the faith even when I "stumped" them in doctrinal matters. Though I remember them with fondness, I am saddened to know that they have chosen to deny the true and living God.

You're very welcome. You will find that this is the case in any Christadelphian ecclesia you attend. You will be warmly welcomed and allowed to discuss your beliefs with members of the ecclesia. If you wish to find a local Christadelphian ecclesia in your area, then I'm quite happy to direct you to this

As for "stumping" Christadelphians you met, I'm interested to know what your response to this thread and the other 2 threads by Evangelion will be. Invites have been sent for your comments numerous times over the last few years, but as yet, there has been no response.

What Christadelphians Teach - Page 2
This section is mainly accurate, although there are some points which need clarifying. For a full statement of faith of the Christadelphians see here.

1. They believe the Bible is the infallible and inerrant word of God. (The Christadelphians: What They Believe and Preach, p. 82)
2. They teach there is only one God. (Isaiah 43-45)
3. They teach that Jesus had a sin nature (What They Believe, p. 74)
4. They teach that Jesus needed to save himself, before he could save us. (Christadelphian Answers, p. 24)
5. They teach that Jesus will return and set up his kingdom on earth. (What They Believe , p. 268)

This is accurate.

6. They believe that there has been an apostasy and that Christianity is a false religious system. (A tract titled “Christendom Astray Since the Apostolic Age, Detroit Christadelphian Book Supply)

This needs clarification. It is true that Christadelphians believe that the majority of Christianity is apostate and astray from the Bible. Christadelphians believe that there is a true form of Christianity but that the churches of Christendom do not accept it, as evidenced by the false beliefs which we believe many churches hold.

7. They believe annihilation of the wicked. (What They Believe, p. 187). 8. They believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. (What They Believe , p. 71,72, 207-210)
9. They believe that it is possible to lose one’s salvation. (What They Believe , p. 212)
10. They deny the doctrine of the Trinity. (What They Believe, p. 84-87)
11. They deny that Jesus is God in flesh. (Answers, p. 22)
12. They deny that Jesus existed prior to his incarnation. (What They Believe , p. 85,86)
13. They deny the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit. (What They Believe , p. 115)
14. They deny the substitutionary atonement of Christ. (Answers, p. 25; What They Believe, p. 71)
15. They deny salvation by grace through faith alone. (What they Believe, p. 204)
16. They deny immortality of the soul. (What They Believe , p. 17).
17. They deny that a person exists after death. (What They Believe, p. 17)

18. They deny the existence of hell and eternal punishment. (What They Believe, p. 188-189)

This is not quite accurate. Christadelphians do believe in hell, but that it refers to the grave - a place of unconciousness - rather than a fiery place of concious torment.

And Christadelphians do believe in eternal punishment - the irreversable punishment of complete cesation of existance which is given to all those who are not found to be worthy of salvation on the day of judgement. They do not believe that you will be conciouslly tormented for the rest of eternity. God is not this cruel and the Bible says nothing of this definition of "eternal punishment".

19. They deny the existence of the fallen angel Lucifer as the devil. (Answers, p. 100)

Correct. The context of Isaiah 14 shows that "Lucifer" is a name used to refer to the King of Babylon not "the devil". In fact the passage says nothing of the devil, Satan or angels. For more on this subject see here.

Like so many other cult groups that claim to be the restored truth, they have their own interpretations of the Bible that deviate greatly from orthodox Christianity.

Christadelphians in fact hold beliefs which can be shown verifiably to have been held by the earliest of Christians.

For Christian History, see here, for history of prophecy see here and for a history of the Trinity and Christology see here.

Acts 17v11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Christadelphian History - Page 3
I won't copy all of this as its generally an accurate acount copied from a Christadelphian book. However, just a few points to pick up on:

The Christadelphians do not believe in participating in war. So, when the Civil War broke out, they refused to go. In order to be recognized as a religious group that did not believe in fighting, they needed a name. Dr. Thomas gave them the name "Christadelphian" which, in Greek means "Brethren of Christ."

This implies we are pacifists. This is not true, we are disestablishmentarianists.

Click here for reasons behind this.

Thomas was a tireless worker who sought to study and discover God’s true meaning and doctrine of the Bible.

Correct. This comes back to Acts 17:11, quoted in the previous section.

Unfortunately, despising the counsel and wisdom of those more learned than himself, he sought to single-handedly "rediscover" the true gospel which, in his opinion, had been lost from the earth.

He realised that "those more learned than himself" were wrong and had a lot of "unlearning" to do. Believing what others do because they are in the majority or "going along with the crowd" is a fallacy known as Ad Popullum.

Like so many others in the 19th century, he began a religious movement that really is a development of his personal beliefs. Therefore, the Christadelphian religion, like Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christian Science, is merely another erring religious system begun by a single person who claimed to know more than anyone else about the Bible.

Not quite correct. John Thomas did not put forward "his personal beliefs" rather he set up a denomination which believes the things believed by those alive during the first century. See the links to history in my previous post for evidence of this.

Dr John Thomas also realised that there was much truth aswell as falsehood in the beliefs of the reformation and accepted beliefs which other reformers believed also.

It is also deeply ironic that Matt Slick here states that Christadelphians believe things taught by a single of person, since he believes in Calvanism which was developed by a single person - John Calvin.

Answering a Refutation of "Is Christadelphianism Christian?" - Page 4b
Before I start on this section, I have to admit that the Christadelphian who originally attempted to refute the CARM pages on Christadelphians did put forward a particularly weak argument, which was lacking in scripture. It is interesting also that the refutations of CARM produced by this website have not been refuted by Matt Slick despite the fact that they have been available on this website for around 2 and a half years now and despite the fact there have been numerous invites to do so.

    The C.A.R.M. has an interesting approach to the condemnation of various cults. A religious system is either 'Christian,' and therefore able to save despite minor errors, or 'non_Christian,' which cannot save because of major errors. The Christadelphians, they say, are non_Christian. The Christadelphian faith cannot save.Why not? The mind behind the C.A.R.M. has taken it upon himself to conjure up the 'Three Essential Doctrines' of Christianity. Any group which denies any one of these doctrines is non_Christian. These three doctrines are: Jesus is God, the physical resurrection, and salvation by grace through faith.

    My Response:
    No cult member considers himself to be false. But, Christianity by definition states Christadelphianism to be false. The Three Essential Doctrines that I have on my website are not "conjured up" by me or anyone else. These essentials are essentials proclaimed by the Bible. I have merely brought them to peoples' attention. For this Christadelphian author to state that I have conjured them up tells me that he did not read the article where I give ample biblical references establishing their essential nature.

The claims that Christadelphians are not Christian has been answered already by Evangelion. The link to this refutation is available in the first post on this page.

    Now where did the C.A.R.M. get the idea that these are the three essential doctrines of Christianity? Certainly not from the Bible. The Bible teaches that the gospel is 'the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ' (Acts 8:12).

    My Response:
    Again this person fails to cite the scriptures that I have listed in that article. Therefore, I will briefly list them here:

Jesus is God in flesh
1 John 4:2-3: "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
The above verse needs to be cross referenced with John 1:1,14 (also written by John) where he states that the Word was God and the Word became flesh. In 1 John 4:2-3, John is not simply stating that Jesus existed, for that would be too obvious. Rather, he is dealing with the issue of Jesus’ incarnation.

1 John 4v2 provides no problem for Christadelphians since they do believe Christ came in the flesh as a human being, whereas others at the time of Christ were saying that he came as a spirit and was not really human. The way that Matt Slick reads this passage here is "those who do not acknowledge that Christ was God come in the flesh". This is adding to the text.

The passage in John 1 speaks of something to different to 1 John 4v2 and the Trinitarian interpretation of John 1 is examined here.

Likewise, Jesus said in John 8:24: "I said, therefore, to you, that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins."
"I AM" is a phrase God used to describe Himself in Exodus 3:14.

"Ego eimi" is the Greek phrase for "I am" used here. It is not just used by Jesus, it is used by others in the New Testament as part of perfectly normal sentances. It literally means "I am he". It should also be noticed that Christ uses this phrases on numerous other occasions aswell and he was never once accused of claiming to be God. This shows that when the people at the time used the phrase "I am" they did not use it to refer to God, it was often used as part of normal sentances to simply mean "I am he".

So when Jesus said in John 8v24 he was not saying "unless you believe I am God you will die in your sins", rather he was saying "unless you believe I am he (i.e. the promised saviour) you will die in your sins".

See here for more on this passage and especially the last post on that page where the phrase "Ego eimi" is used as part of sentances by those other than Jesus.

Salvation by Grace
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9, NIV). "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace" (Gal. 5:4).

Baptism is an essential part of faith. It is not a law as in Galatians 5v4, it is an acting out of faith, it saves us and is the answer of a good conscience towards God (1 Peter 3v21 and Mark 16v16).

But its not a case of "I'm baptised therefore I'm saved", baptism is just the beginning of a life long dedication to serving God and it is by Gods grace that we are saved according to our works and by our faith.

For more on this matter, see here.

The Resurrection of Christ
"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1 Cor. 15:14). "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17).
To deny the physical resurrection of Jesus is to deny Jesus' work, sacrifice, and our future resurrection.
These verses clearly state that if you say that Jesus did not rise from the dead (in the same body He died in -- John 2:19-21), then your faith is useless.

This is not something which Christadelphians disagree with.

    The C.A.R.M. says that Christadelphians deny the essential doctrine that Jesus is God in flesh. Christadelphians believe that Jesus was made of the same fallen, no_good substance that composes the rest of humanity: sinful flesh. Because of this, they follow a false Jesus, and 'they are then damned' according to the C.A.R.M. However, never did Jesus preach that we have to believe he is God _ it is not an essential doctrine. In fact, it is not a doctrine at all. The Old Testament teaches One God and Father of all, not One God, a Father, a Son and a Holy Spirit. The New Testament must teach the same thing, since God does not change. I am aware that I am arguing without Biblical backup: this is because I do not want to repeat what is said in the Trinity section of this website. If you want to see proof that Jesus was made of sinful flesh, go there.

    My Response:
    The Bible does not teach that Jesus had a sinful nature. It teaches that Jesus was sinless (1 Pet. 2:22). He was both God and man at the same time. Col. 2:9 says, "for in Him dwells all the fullness of deity in the bodily form." John 1:1,14 says, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God... and the Word became flesh and dwelt to among us."

The comments on John 1 have been linked to above, Colossians 2v9 is commented on here.

Also, Hebrews 2v9&14, Hebrews 9v26 and Romans 6v23 show that Jesus did indeed have a nature which was capable of sinning - although of course, Jesus never did.

As far as Jesus not teaching that we needed to believe that He was God, we simply need to look at His own words in John 8:24 where Jesus said, "unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins." Again, Jesus uses the title "I am" in reference to Himself. Of course, many cultists state that Jesus was simply saying that He was the messiah. But, note that in John 8:58, Jesus said, "before Abraham was, I am." At this, the Pharisees picked up stones to kill Him, but Jesus fled. Then in John 10:30-33, they again picked up stones to kill Him and the reason they gave for trying to kill Him was because He being a man made himself out to be God (John 10:33). When Jesus said "I am" He was equating to Himself the very name of God found in Exodus 3:14 where God says to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’

The first verse quoted here has already been examined above and does not to be mentioned again.

John 8:58 is not talking about the "deity" of Christ... as shown above. I AM in this passage is not referring to the divine name given in Exodus. Neither is he showing his "pre-existance". All he is showing is that he was more important than Abraham and that he was promised before Abrahams time. This is why the people wanted to stone Jesus... because he was making out that he was more important than the Father of their faith who they had so much respect for.

In John 10, the people wanted to stone him because they thought he was making himself God. This was because he said "I and my Father are one". Jesus shows what he meant by the phrase "I and my Father are one" when he says in John 17:20-22 that we can also be one with him in the same way that he and the Father are one. For the Trinitarian argument to be consistant, it would need to be argued that we can be one with God in the same way - i.e. by becoming God incarnated in the flesh. But that is not what this passage means. It was a oneness of purpose, not a oneness of substance. Click here for more on John 10:30.

    The C.A.R.M. also speaks of one doctrine of Christadelphians as 'absolute heresy' and 'demonic doctrine.' This is the doctrine that Jesus Himself had to be saved. Why is this doctrine demonic? Jesus' mother required atonement for giving birth to him (Luke 2:24) which would not have been necessary unless she was bringing forth a fallen creature.

    My Response:
    The reason the Christadelphian doctrine is so bad is because it denies that Jesus Christ is God and states that Jesus was a sinner who needed salvation. That is blasphemy.

The part in bold above is one of the worst misrepresentations of Christadelphian beliefs made by Matt Slick. He knows that this is not true, because he contradicted himself by what he said about Christadelphian beliefs earlier. It is therefore obvious that this is a deliberate attempt to put Christadelphian beliefs in the wrong light.

This issue has been raised by Evangelion with Matt Slick personally, in which Evangelion proved conclusively that Matt Slick was wrong to say this. Slick however refused to change his statement about Christadelphians despite not being able to answer the charge of falsehood made against him. The discussion between Slick and Evangelion can be viewed here.

My Response:
    Baptism is a very important part of Christianity. All Christians should be baptized. But, baptism is not an essential requirement of salvation. We can see this when we look at the whole of scripture which tells us that we are justified (made righteous) by faith (Rom. 5:1), not faith and something we do (Rom. 4:5); that people are saved before baptism (Acts 10:44-48; that baptism is not part of the gospel which saves (1 Cor. 15:1-4); and that Paul came to preach the gospel and not to baptize (1 Cor. 1:17). For more on this please read "Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?"

A rebuttal of another critics work on this subject is available here. The salvic importance of baptism is discussed here.

    C.A.R.M.'s conclusion to this section is that Christadelphianism is a false religion. They are sincere, but "sincerity does not bridge the gap between God and man. Only the blood of the real Jesus does that." I agree, sincerity cannot save us. However, the C.A.R.M. has not shown us that Christadelphianism is a false religion.

My Response:
    The fact that Christadelphianism denies that Jesus is God in flesh is sufficient to make it a non-Christian cult. Faith is only as good as who you put it in. The Christadelphians have a "savior" with a sinful nature who himself needed to be saved. This sinful version of Jesus cannot save anyone.  The true Jesus needed no savior. The Christadelphians do not have the true Jesus and because of that their faith is misplaced and in vain.

Again, Matt Slick has failed to prove that belief in "the deity of Christ" is essential. A refutation of the trinitarian belief concerning Christ's atoning sacrifice can be found here. It is shown here that according to the scriptures the trinitarian Jesus can not save anyone.

"Cult" Comparison Chart

Christianity Whatever does this phrase mean? Which denomination? Catholic? Methodist? Anglican? Or Matt Slick's personal beliefs which includes Calvinism?

Founder: Jesus Christ. Or rather mortal men who invented the various doctrines such as Athanasius who established the definition of Trinity as we understand it now and also John Calvin who invented Calvinism - a belief which had not been held by any before his time.

The Gospel: That Jesus saves from sin.

Church: Those who are saved.

God: Trinity. God in three persons.

Jesus: God in flesh.

Salvation: by Grace According to your definition of Christian you also have to believe in the Trinity and believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

Jesus Resurrection: Jesus rose in the same body he died in.

Scripture and writings associated with the group: The Bible alone. The concept of the Trinity can not be lifted straight from the Bible, so you must have been told about it from somewhere. Also, often today, you usually hear appeals to "Holy Spirit enlightenment" on matters of doctrine, rather than consulting the scriptures.

Founder: John Thomas. Or rather Jesus - since the beliefs held are those taught by Jesus and believed by the earliest of Christians.

The Gospel: Faith in Christ and baptism. I would personally have described this as being "the things concerning the name of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God."

The Church: Members of their church. In the Bible, this phrase is used to describe the body of believers. Christadelphians have never said that their "body of believers" has been set up by divine authority and recognise they are just as prone to error in beliefs as any other church.

God: One God in one person.

Jesus: A created being. A man with a sin nature. Christ's nature was capable of sin, yet did not.

Salvation: Baptism is required. Correct, but you've missed one point out. Grace. You cant expect to be saved just by thinking nice thoughts about Christ. It is by baptism that we have salvation made possible for us by God. It is not the actual act of baptism that saves you. It's by faith and according to our works after you have been baptised that could result in you being saved on the day of Judgement. Also, you have to "know" the true God and Jesus Christ who he sent. (John 17:3) Plus, believing that Jesus rose from the dead. See here for more on baptism and its importance in the work of salvation.

Jesus Resurrection: Yes

The Bible is inspired. Elpis Israel, Eureka written by founder. This is another huge deliberate misrepresentation by Matt Slick, designed to put Christadelphians in a bad light. Christadelphians believe that the Bible ONLY is inspired. Eureka and Elpis Israel are expositions not sources of authority. This has been pointed out to Matt Slick personally more than once - each time he has said he would correct himself, but, 2 and a half years have now passed and he still has not corrected his misrepresentation.

We have seen that this "refutation" by Matt Slick is misrepresentative, inaccurate in parts and does not stand up to Bible teaching. If you have any comments on what has been written here, feel free to do so here or in any of the other debate sections of this website.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

WARC-Truncated: length

WARC-Type: response

text:
Patristic Text - Quotations on Theosis

St. Hilary of Poitiers [De Trinitate: Book IX, Paragraph 4]
It was God alone Who could become something other than before, and yet not cease to be what He had ever been; Who could shrink within the limits of womb, cradle, and infancy, yet not depart from the power of God. This is a mystery, not for Himself, but for us. The assumption of our nature was no advancement for God, but His willingness to lower Himself is our promotion, for He did not resign His divinity but conferred divinity on man.

St. Gregory Nazianzen [Oration XXX, section 14: The 4th Theological Oration]
Even now, as man, Christ makes intercession for my salvation, for He still possesses the body which He assumed in order to make me God by virtue of His Incarnation.

St. Justin Martyr [The First Apology, Chapter XXI]
And we have learned that those only are deified who have lived near to God in holiness and virtue; and we believe that those who live wickedly and do not repent are punished in everlasting fire.

St. Gregory Nazianzen [Oration XL, section 45: The Oration on Holy Baptism]
Believe that the Son of God, the Eternal Word, who was begotten of the Father before all time and without body, was in these latter days for your sake made also Son of Man, born of the Virgin Mary ineffably and stainlessly (for nothing can be stained where God is), and by which salvation comes, in His own Person at once perfect Man and perfect God, for the sake of the entire sufferer, that He may bestow salvation on your whole being, having destroyed the whole condemnation of your sins: impassible in His Godhead, passible in that which He assumed; as much Man for your sake as you are made God for His.

St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo [Psalm 50, sections 1-2]
For as he saith in this Psalm, not any man whatever nor any angel whatever, but, "The Lord, the God of gods, hath spoken" (ver. 1). But in speaking, He hath done what? "He hath called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down." He that "hath called the world from the rising of the sun unto the going down," is Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, "the Word made Flesh," in order that He might dwell in us. Our Lord Jesus Christ then is the "God of gods;" because by Himself were all things made, and without Himself was nothing made. The Word of God, if He is God, is truly the God of gods; but whether He be God the Gospel answereth, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And if all things were made by Himself, as He saith in the sequel, then if any were made gods, by Himself were they made. For the one God was not made, and He is Himself alone truly God. But Himself the only God, Father and Son and Holy Ghost, is one God.

But then who are those gods, or where are they, of whom God is the true God? Another Psalm saith, "God hath stood in the synagogue of gods, but in the midst He judgeth gods." As yet we know not whether perchance any gods be congregated in heaven, and in their congregation, for this is "in the synagogue," God hath stood to judge. See in the same Psalm those to whom he saith, "I have said, Ye are gods, and children of the Highest all; but ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes." It is evident then, that He hath called men gods, that are deified of His Grace, not born of His Substance. For He doth justify, who is just through His own self, and not of another; and He doth deify who is God through Himself, not by the partaking of another. But He that justifieth doth Himself deify, in that by justifying He doth make sons of God. "For He hath given them power to become the sons of God." If we have been made sons of God, we have also been made gods: but this is the effect of Grace adopting, not of nature generating. For the only Son of God, God, and one God with the Father, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, was in the beginning the Word, and the Word with God, the Word God. The rest that are made gods, are made by His own Grace, are not born of His Substance, that they should be the same as He, but that by favour they should come to Him, and be fellow-heirs with Christ. For so great is the love in Him the Heir, that He hath willed to have fellow-heirs.

St. Irenaeus [Adversus Haereses, Book III, Chapter 19:1 (circa AD 180)]
The Word says, mentioning His own gift of grace: "I said, You are all sons of the Highest, and gods; but you shall die like men." He speaks undoubtedly these words to those who have not received the gift of adoption, but who despise the incarnation of the pure generation of the Word of God, defraud human nature of promotion into God, and prove themselves ungrateful to the Word of God, who became flesh for them. For it was for this end that the Word of God was made man, and He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, that man, having been taken into the Word, and receiving the adoption, might become the son of God. For by no other means could we have attained to incorruptibility and immortality, unless we had been united to incorruptibility and immortality. But how could we be joined to incorruptibility and immortality, unless, first, incorruptibility and immortality had become that which we also are, so that the corruptible might be swallowed up by incorruptibility, and the mortal by immortality, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

St. Gregory of Nyssa [The Great Catechism, Chapter XXXVII (AD 385)]
Rightly, then, do we believe that now also the bread which is consecrated by the Word of God is changed into the Body of God the Word. For that Body was once, by implication, bread, but has been consecrated by the inhabitation of the Word that tabernacled in the flesh. Therefore, from the same cause as that by which the bread that was transformed in that Body was changed to a Divine potency, a similar result takes place now. For as in that case, too, the grace of the Word used to make holy the Body, the substance of which came of the bread, and in a manner was itself bread, so also in this case the bread, as says the Apostle, "is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer"; not that it advances by the process of eating to the stage of passing into the body of the Word, but it is at once changed into the body by means of the Word, as the Word itself said, "This is My Body." Seeing, too, that all flesh is nourished by what is moist (for without this combination our earthly part would not continue to live), just as we support by food which is firm and solid the solid part of our body, in like manner we supplement the moist part from the kindred element; and this, when within us, by its faculty of being transmitted, is changed to blood, and especially if through the wine it receives the faculty of being transmuted into heat. Since, then, that God-containing flesh partook for its substance and support of this particular nourishment also, and since the God who was manifested infused Himself into perishable humanity for this purpose, viz. that by this communion with Deity mankind might at the same time be deified, for this end it is that, by dispensation of His grace, He disseminates Himself in every believer through that flesh, whose substance comes from bread and wine, blending Himself with the bodies of believers, to secure that, by this union with the immortal, man, too, may be a sharer in incorruption. He gives these gifts by virtue of the benediction through which He transelements the natural quality of these visible things to that immortal thing.

St. Hilary of Poitiers [Homily on Psalm 91]
We are reconciled in the body of His flesh. Therefore by union with the flesh that He assumed, we are in Christ. This is God's mystery, hidden in God for ages and generations and now revealed to His saints, that in Christ we are coheirs, concorporate and comparticipants in the promise of God (Eph. 3:5 6). By union with His flesh, all enter into Christ. He will transform their baseness into the glory of His flesh, on condition that they resist their passions, purify themselves of their stains in the sacrament of the new birth, and remember that henceforth they bear not their own flesh, but Christ's.

St. Augustine [Sermon 71:4-5]
And how do they become the sons of God? "Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God." Having received power to become the sons of God, they are born of God. Mark then: They are born of God, "not of blood," like their first birth, like that wretched birth, issuing out of wretchedness. But they who are born of God, what were they? whereby were they first born? Of blood; of the joint blood of the male and female, of the carnal union of male and female, from this were they born. From whence now? They are born of God. The first birth of the male and female; the second birth of God and the Church.

Lo, they are born of God; whereby is it brought to pass that they should be born of God, who were first born of men? Whereby is it brought to pass, whereby? "And the Word was made Flesh, that It might dwell among us." Wondrous exchange; He made Flesh, they spirit. What is this? What condescension is here, my brethren! Lift up your minds to the hope and comprehension of better things. Give not yourselves up to worldly desires. "Ye have been bought with a Price; " for your sakes the Word was made Flesh; for your sakes He who was the Son of God, was made the Son of man: that ye who were the sons of men, might be made sons of God. What was He, what was He made? What were ye, what were ye made? He was the Son of God. What was He made? The Son of man. Ye were the sons of men. What were ye made? The sons of God. He shared with us our evil things, to give us His good things. But even in that He was made the Son of man, He is different much from us. We are the sons of men by the lust of the flesh; He the Son of man by the faith of a virgin. The mother of any other man whatever conceives by a carnal union; and every one is born of human parents, his father and his mother. But Christ was born of the Holy Ghost, and the Virgin Mary. He came to us, but from Himself departed not far; yea from Himself as God He departed never; but added what He was to our nature. For He came to that which He was not, He did not lose what He was. He was made the Son of man; but did not cease to be the Son of God. Hereby the Mediator, in the middle. What is, "in the middle "? Neither up above, nor down below. How neither up above, nor down below? Not above, since He is Flesh; not below, since He is not a sinner. But yet in so far as He is God, above always. For He did not so come to us, as to leave the Father. From us He went, and did not leave us; to us will He come again, and will not leave Him.

St. Athanasius [Orationes contra Arianos, Discourse III, Paragraph 34 (AD 356)]
As the Lord, putting on the body, became man, so we men are deified by the Word as being taken to Him through His flesh, and henceforward inherit life everlasting.

St. Basil the Great [On the Holy Spirit, Chapter 9]
From the Spirit comes foreknowledge of the future, understanding of the mysteries of faith, insight into the hidden meaning of Scripture, and other special gifts. Through the Spirit we become citizens of heaven, we are admitted to the company of the angels, we enter into eternal happiness, and abide in God. Through the Spirit we acquire a likeness to God; indeed, we attain what is beyond our most sublime aspirations -- we become God.

St. John of Damascus [De Fide Orthodoxa, Book II, Chapter 12]
God then made man without evil, upright, virtuous, free from pain and care, glorified with every virtue, adorned with all that is good, like a sort of second microcosm within the great world, another angel capable of worship, compound, surveying the visible creation and initiated into the mysteries of the realm of thought, king over the things of earth, but subject to a higher king, of the earth and of the heaven, temporal and eternal, belonging to the realm of sight and to the realm of thought, midway between greatness and lowliness, spirit and flesh: for he is spirit by grace, but flesh by overweening pride: spirit that he may abide and glorify his Benefactor, and flesh that he may suffer, and suffering may be admonished and disciplined when he prides himself in his greatness: here, that is, in the present life, his life is ordered as an animal's, but elsewhere, that is, in the age to come, he is changed and--to complete the mystery--becomes deified by merely inclining himself towards God; becoming deified, in the way of participating in the divine glory and not in that of a change into the divine being.

St. Augustine [Sermon 13]
Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Creator of all things, today became our Savior by being born of a mother. Of His own will He was born for us today, in time, so that He could lead us to His Father's eternity. God became man so that man might become God. The Lord of the angels became man today so that man could eat the bread of angels."

St. Hippolytus [On the Refutation of All Heresies]
When we have come to know the true God, both our bodies and our souls will be immortal and incorruptible. We shall enter the kingdom of heaven, because while we lived on earth we acknowledged heaven's King. Friends of God and coheirs with Christ, we shall be subject to no evil desires or inclinations, or to any affliction of body or soul, for we shall have become divine. It was because of our human condition that God allowed us to endure these things, but when we have been deified and made immortal, God has promised us a share in his own attributes.

St. John of Damascus [De Fide Orthodoxa, Book IV, Chapter 13]
Man, however, being endowed with reason and free will, received the power of continuous union with God through his own choice, if indeed he should abide in goodness, that is in obedience to his Maker. Since, however, he transgressed the command of his Creator and became liable to death and corruption, the Creator and Maker of our race, because of His bowels of compassion, took on our likeness, becoming man in all things but without sin, and was united to our nature. For since He bestowed on us His own image and His own spirit and we did not keep them safe, He took Himself a share in our poor and weak nature, in order that He might cleanse us and make us incorruptible, and establish us once more as partakers of His divinity.

For it was fitting that not only the first-fruits of our nature should partake in the higher good but every man who wished it, and that a second birth should take place and that the nourishment should be new and suitable to the birth and thus the measure of perfection be attained. Through His birth, that is, His incarnation, and baptism and passion and resurrection, He delivered our nature from the sin of our first parent and death and corruption, and became the first-fruits of the resurrection, and made Himself the way and image and pattern, in order that we, too, following in His footsteps, may become by adoption what He is Himself by nature, sons and heirs of God and joint heirs with Him. He gave us therefore, as I said, a second birth in order that, just as we who are born of Adam are in his image and are the heirs of the curse and corruption, so also being born of Him we may be in His likeness and heirs of His incorruption and blessing and glory.

St. Hilary of Poitiers [De Trinitate: Book IX, Paragraph 38]
The Incarnation is summed up in this, that the whole Son, that is, His manhood as well as His divinity, was permitted by the Father's gracious favor to continue in the unity of the Father's nature, and retained not only the powers of the divine nature, but also that nature's self. For the object to be gained was that man might become God.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-45-104-224.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-51
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for December 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Archive for the ‘Sitka Cyclists’ Category

The Sitka Police Department will hold a public bicycle auction at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Sitka Mini Storage Units, located at 310 Jarvis Street (above the U.S. Post Office on Sawmill Creek Road).

Other miscellaneous items may be for sale as well, including fishing poles, a Honda ATV, and a battery-operated child’s ATV.

The lost-and-found bicycles will be sold as is and with all sales being final. To claim a bicycle prior to the auction, you must contact the Sitka Police Department no later than 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7, with proof of ownership.

Read Full Post »

There are power poles in the middle of the sidewalk and shrubs from the yards of area houses creeping into the sidewalk on Sawmill Creek Road across from Baranof Elementary School and the Elks Lodge. Note the pedestrian under the speed limit sign to get a scale of how tight things are when you try to get by the poles.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will host an open house and accept public comments for the Sawmill Creek Road resurfacing and pedestrian improvements project between the roundabout and Jeff Davis Street.

The open house takes place from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Public comments will close on Jan. 30, 2018, and construction is expected to start in 2019.

This meeting will only deal with Option 2 from the two options the Alaska DOT&PF presented Sitka with in May. Option 2 was passed unanimously by the Sitka Parks and Recreation Commission in June, and it passed 5-1 (with one absent) during a September meeting of the Sitka Assembly. Option 2 narrows traffic lanes, removes parking on the south side of the street (the water side), and creates new bike lanes on both sides of Sawmill Creek Road. Option 1 kept the status quo (other than to widen the traffic lanes in a coupe of spots), which did not improve the safety for bikers and walkers.

“At this meeting, only Option 2 will be presented for public comment,” said Aurah Landau, a public information officer with the Alaska DOT&PF. “It is the preferred option, and Option 1 is off the table.”

The two options were first announced at a poorly advertised open house on Monday, May 8, at Harrigan Centennial Hall (there was no mention of the meeting in the Friday, May 5, edition of the Daily Sitka Sentinel), when DOT staff from Juneau showed maps and diagrams detailing the two options. The DOT staff was supposed to give a report at the Tuesday, May 9, meeting of the Sitka Assembly, but the report was tabled to a later meeting when the Assembly shrank the meeting agenda to time-sensitive items only following the weekend shooting death of a city employee by another city employee.

“We’re just looking for public input, what people like and what people don’t like,” Colleen Ivaniszek, a designer and engineering assistant with DOT told the Daily Sitka Sentinel in an article in the Wednesday, May 10, edition.

“I just looked at the Assembly agenda for tomorrow (Tuesday, May 9) night and it looks like DOT is presenting two options for the design of Sawmill Creek from the Roundabout to Jeff Davis,” Sitka Trail Works Director Lynne Brandon wrote in a May email shared with the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition. “It looks like they want the Assembly to choose the option. I don’t think there has been any other input from the community. This isn’t enough public process. It’s a report, so I don’t think the Assembly can make a decision at the meeting, but I think they should know that more public process is necessary and the bike-friendly option is the only way to go, not the share-road.”

The last major public meeting for this project was in December 2015 at the Sealing Cove Business Park.

This section of Sawmill Creek Road has narrow sidewalks blocked by power poles (see photo above), which prevent people in wheelchairs or using rolling walk-assist carts from being able to get by. Cyclists consider it the most dangerous section of major road in Sitka because it is the only stretch of major road without a designated bike lane or multi-use path from the ferry terminal at the end of Halibut Point Road to the industrial park at the end of Sawmill Creek Road. There also is motor vehicle parking along both sides of Sawmill Creek Road, which means cyclists have to worry about getting doored until they get past Jeff Davis Street.

“I’m really hopeful for the proposed changes to SMC Road between Baranof and Jeff Davis,” William The Giant said in a May Facebook post. “I’ve been bike commuting in Sitka for about eight years now, and this small chunk of road is easily one of the most dangerous stretches for a biker in town. It might seem like a lazy little street to a driver, but for a biker it’s a choice between being firmly in traffic, or riding along in the ‘door zone’ of all the parked vehicles. It’s a no-win situation either way, since a bike accident along this road is almost guaranteed to jam up some poor driver’s axle.

“I have a baby I’m now hauling around in a bike trailer almost daily, and I absolutely dread this section of road. Honestly, I’m really surprised we’ve been providing parking to a handful of residents at the cost of safety along a major road for so long. When I read we’d only give up parking along one side of the road to create two bike lanes it sounded like a dream come true to me. Especially, since the area is being improved one way or the other, it would be strange to ‘upgrade’ it to be a new version of the same terrible layout. I will be eternally thankful to those who have to walk across the street each morning to get to their cars to make our roads safer.”

Of the two options, Option One is closest to the unacceptable status quo. In fact, it widens the driving lanes from 12 feet to 13.5 feet (and wider lanes lead to higher road speeds, which lead to more serious injuries and fatalities). It keeps the current eight-foot parking lanes on both sides of the street, but it does relocate some power poles and makes some upgrades to the sidewalk and curb ramps. This option is not an improvement for the most dangerous stretch of road and sidewalk in Sitka.

Option Two is the safer option, as it shrinks the driving lanes from 12 feet to 11 feet, eliminates the parking lane on one side of the road, and creates five-foot bike lanes on both sides of the road. This is by far the better option of the two. You can learn more about both options in the link posted at the bottom of the article.

“I agree that Option Two is the best,” Sitka cyclist Dave Nuetzel wrote in a May email. “This removes parking on one side and adds two bike lanes. I also commented that bump-outs for crosswalks and a flashing crosswalk at Baranof Street are needed. … Option One with ‘shared’ lanes would basically be the same as it already is.  This stretch of highway is the only area in Sitka without a bike lane or wide shoulder. … Not sure how they plan to move cyclists from the multi-purpose path to the bike lane on the other side of the road. Currently no crosswalk at Jeff Davis.”

Girl Scout Troop 4140, which recently worked with the state and city to get a solar-powered flashing crosswalk sign for the Halibut Point Road-Peterson Street intersection, wants to see a similar flashing crosswalk sign on Sawmill Creek Road.

“Girl Scout Troop 4140 would like to have solar-powered crosswalk signs at SMC/Baranof Street (at the Baranof Elementary crosswalk) included in the design, but we need your help,” troop leader Retha Winger wrote in a May Facebook post encouraging people to contact DOT about the crosswalk. “DOT is currently accepting comments about their design changes and they are requesting comments from Sitkans. You can review the design changes here, http://dot.alaska.gov/sereg/projects/sitka_sawmill_rd/index.shtml. Please send comments to Chris.Schelb@alaska.gov. PLEASE EMAIL CHRIS AND LET HIM KNOW THAT WE WANT A SOLAR-POWERED CROSSWALK AT THE BARANOF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CROSSWALK! All comments are important and appreciated. They need to hear our collective concern for the safety of our children. Thank you!”

Both options will make the intersection of DeGroff Street and Sawmill Creek Road a 90-degree turn, which will reduce car speeds as drivers leave Sawmill Creek Road for the residential DeGroff Street. Another change will move the bike path that crosses Jeff Davis Street a bit closer to the highway, so it’s easier for drivers to see the cyclists. Another plan is to improve the sidewalks by Monastery Street.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is taking public comment on the two options for the next 30 days. You can email comments to Chris.Schelb@alaska.gov, or send them by regular mail to Sawmill Creek Road Resurfacing and Pedestrian Improvements, c/o Alaska DOT&PF, P.O. Box 112506, Juneau, Alaska, 99511-2506.

• Sawmill Creek Road Resurfacing and Pedestrian Improvements Options

Read Full Post »

The Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition will meet from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, at the North Sister Crepes and Juice Company (located on Seward Street next to Subway).

The monthly meeting is open to everyone interested in making Sitka an even better town for cyclists of all ages. Topics include planning a series of winter cycling workshops, a discussion of bike racks and bike infrastructure, and a conversation about our goals for the next six months.

For more information, call Doug Osborne at 747-0373.

Read Full Post »

Alaska was listed in 36th place when the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) released its 2017 Bicycle Friendly State rankings in mid-October.

The Bicycle Friendly State ranking provides a ranking for all 50 states based on four public data sources and a Bicycle Friendly State survey that is answered by each state’s Department of Transportation and/or a statewide bicycle advocacy organization. Each state is ranked in five categories — infrastructure and funding, education and encouragement, legislation and enforcement, policies and programs, and evaluation and planning.

The 2017 rank of 36th is within the normal range for Alaska, which typically ranks in the 30-40 range in this annual survey of bike advocates. In the last ranking in 2015 (there was no ranking in 2016), Alaska ranked 41st. Alaska’s top ranking was 29th in 2011 and its worst ranking was 47th in 2009. There have been several changes to the ranking system over the years, which caused some large rises and falls in the rankings.

The 2017 Bicycle Friendly State ranking includes a ranking of each state, but crucially also includes a report card summarizing the data analyzed for each state and giving comparisons and feedback meant to help states, citizens, and advocates better understand where each state can improve.

According to Alaska’s scorecard, “Alaska is a unique state, large and largely rural. Alaska typically has higher per capita transportation spending and their data on biking and walking reflects this as well, easily being the highest per capita spending figure in the United States, despite Alaska spending a smaller percentage of federal funds on biking and walking than average. Each category reflects that Alaska does not have much supportive policy infrastructure to ensure the safety and mobility of people who bike. This may reflect the uniqueness of Alaska, which may make it more difficult to adapt successful policies and practices from more urban or more compact states. However, the state would benefit from a plan for promoting the safety and mobility of people who bike in Alaska in a way that is geared towards the unique characteristics of Alaska and takes advantage of the tourism potential and already relatively high percentage of the population that bikes to work. The experiences of states like Vermont (#14) and Maine (#17) may be instructive.”

In the five categories, Alaska ranked 37th in infrastructure and funding and in evaluation and planning, 45th in policies and programs, 47th in education and encouragement, and 50th (last) in legislation and policies. Alaska was able to move up in the overall rankings because it ranked first in spending ($9.71 per capita in Federal Highway Authority spending on biking and walking), sixth in ridership (1.0 percent statewide commute to work by bike, 5.42 percent in Sitka), and 12th in safety (3.9 fatalities per 10,000 bike commuters).

The Bicycle Friendly State rankings are part of the Bicycle Friendly America program (click Alaska on map to see list of awards) from the League of American Bicyclists. Alaska has three official Bicycle Friendly Communities (Sitka at the Silver level, Anchorage at Silver, and Juneau at Bronze, plus Fairbanks is honorable mention). There are 10 Bicycle Friendly Businesses in Alaska ranking from Bronze to Gold level (nine are in Anchorage and the Bronze-level SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium-Sitka Campus is the only one outside Anchorage). The University of Alaska Fairbanks (Silver) is Alaska’s only Bicycle Friendly University.

• 2017 Bicycle Friendly State scorecard for Alaska

•Guide to the 2017 Bicycle Friendly State report card

Read Full Post »

Are you a cyclist who’s never tried bike commuting in the winter? Are you an experienced winter bike commuter looking for ways to make the ride better?

Join us for a free winter bike commuting workshop from 5:30-7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10, at the the Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop. Robert Hattle of the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition will lead this workshop, which includes tips on winter gear, studded tires, being visible to drivers, basic bike maintenance, and more. In addition, cyclists are welcome to share their winter biking stories, and Yellow Jersey will offer a special discount on winter clothing and equipment to workshop participants.

For more information, contact Robert Hattle at 738-2230. Also, the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition now has a Sitka Cycling page on Facebook. Please like our page.

Read Full Post »

Getting around Sitka on foot or bike is good for the environment and your health. It is important to make sure it’s done safely, especially while traveling at night.

Walkers — people who travel by foot, wheelchair or stroller — and bicyclists are among the most vulnerable users of our roads. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the next 24 hours, on average, 445 people in the U.S. will be treated in an emergency department for traffic-related pedestrian injuries.

Sitka can be dark, especially in the winter months, and many of the bicyclist and walker fatalities happen in low visibility. Drivers can only stop or swerve for the people they see. Lights, reflectors and high-visibility coats offer a level of protection.

Thanks to Grundens and Murray Pacific, Sitka Community Hospital will be raffling off high-visibility rain coats at various locations throughout Sitka. These raffles will take place at Sitka Public Library, Hames Center, Salvation Army Little Store, Tongass Threads, Sitka Tribe of Alaska Social Services, Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop, Swan Lake Senior Center, Sitka Public Health Center, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School, Blatchley Middle School and Sitka Community Hospital’s Oceanside Therapy Center.  The drawings will start as early as Oct. 30 and are open to all.

Having a coat that covers you and can be seen from all sides is a great way to stay safe and seen. For more information on the Safe and Seen in Sitka campaign, contact Sitka Community Hospital’s Director of Health Promotion Doug Osborne at 747-0373.

Read Full Post »

The Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition will meet from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, at the North Sister Crepes and Juice Company (located on Seward Street next to Subway).

The monthly meeting is open to everyone interested in making Sitka an even better town for cyclists of all ages. Topics include a review of the Kidical Mass family friendly bike ride held on Saturday, Sept. 16, a series of winter cycling workshops, a discussion of bike racks and bike infrastructure, and a conversation about our goals for the next six months.

For more information, call Doug Osborne at 747-0373.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »


text:
S.J.A.Turney's Books & More

Reviews, news and inside the world of books.

It’s me, only smugger!

leave a comment »

Just a brief entry to prove that I’m still alive. Let me see. It’s been far too long father since my last confession. What’s happened in the intervening time? In a word: Nothing. Nothing of serious humerous note at least.

Actually that’s not strictly true, but my memory remains as hazy as a rainy day in Norfolk.

Humourously, I had to have a lift back to Ripon from the village on sunday with a friend. She’s a bit loopy. Hell, she’s loopier than a coiled spring eating honey nut loops on a rollercoaster. Due to her rather outgoing and dippy personality, I had her pegged as a Formula One driver. Oh no. Not this one. The speed limit on the road is 60. People who are unfamiliar with the twining village roads probably do 50. She’s know this road for the best part of thirty years and so was quite capable of doing 25 mph all the way home! Except of course where she reached large puddles that stretched across the road, when she had to slow down to somewhere between 5 mph and backwards. It was actually physically painful. Then tonight I had a lift back into the village with my great aunt (who I believe is the person responsible for someone first coining the phrase ‘eccentric’.) In her case we did do 50 all the way. But in 1st gear. The poor car’s engine sounded like a swarm of hornets being slowly roasted.

And now here I am at the parents’ house, writing my diary to fill in some time while they get back from abroad. And while I write I am watched by my graduation photo. I have been informed on three seperate occasions that in said photo I look (a) smug (b) letcherous and (c) stoned. In my own always fair and balanced opinion, I look all three. And itchy. As a result of finally having passed my degree the hard way (through Open University while I toiled for the good of fat bastards who dine off gold plates and have midgets fight for their amusement and don’t realise that most working stiffs barely make enough to afford the pot to piss in… where am I? I got lost on a rant there. Ah yes. As a result, according to the literature they sent me I am now officially allowed to add to my name:

Moosehunter BA (Hons) Hum (Open)

The big problem with this is that you sound like a dickhead! Think I’ll stick with BA (Hons). I don’t really want to hum openly.

The demolition work at our office goes apace. Despite Moose T’s attempts to seduce every single builder that sets foot on the site, none of them have run smooching into the sunset with her, perhaps due to the fact that she won’t stop talking about ‘Darren’. If I haven’t mentioned that before it’s a story for another day. On Friday last I went into work in the morning and was convinced I was in some kind of sci-fi show. Mr Goboilyourhead was not there, nor was the Scatman (who are normally the first two in.) No sign of the builders (who seem to start work about 6 or 7. In fact: deserted. Now I used to always be the first in, so that’s not a problem. Went to the door and inserted key. Wouldn’t open. At this point I realised that was because it was already open. Hmmm. Unexpected. So I go in and the lights are on. I shout ‘hello’. No sound, just tumbleweeds blowing around the stairwell. I head upstairs and into the bit the builders are currently working on. ‘Hello?’ No answer. It was fully 10 minutes before another human being showed up. Who? Moose goddamn T. Anyway. Fingers are getting tired and can’t drink my whisky while typing so further update tomorrow.

(Listening to dark tranquility)

Written by SJAT

December 20, 2009 at 1:18 pm

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this:


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

text:
i needed a technician, but luckily i had God

THAT William Cowper hymn, “God Moves In a Mysterious Way, His wonders to perform” often plays in my mind at the end of my most random gallivanting sessions.

Saturday brought it to mind quite strangely, having left home on two precise missions that both departed from my usual schedule to the dismay of my real superiors.

Four minutes after driving out, my phone began to blink – rebooting itself every twenty seconds.

This was a problem. For both appointments I had the location was uncertain and arrangements had been made for me to confirm the final details by phone after getting to specific points in the city. So I had charged the phone to a comfortable 68% before setting off well in time for the first appointment, with a buffer for getting lost a little bit in between phonecalls.

The need to place a phonecall is for me, as you might know, a practice abhorrent and to be avoided. So I drove on with a resolute mind to make it to both appointments, phone be damned.

I bounced at the place where I thought the first one would be, and spent twenty minutes trying to make use of the twenty seconds up-time the phone permitted in between reboots.

The continuous failure made me realise I was also losing battery life very fast (39%), so I sped down to a gadget shop at the Lugogo Mall, for help.

“Hi,” I said brightly to the young lady who walked up to fill the empty space behind the counter, where the fellow that I know over there was conspicuously absent. Using that bright tone of voice is a good trick – it makes shop attendants pay better attention to you, and if they planned to be rude or sullen they sometimes change their attitude.

“I need help opening this phone to check why it keeps switching itself on and off,” I said, avoiding technical terms, since it was obvious she was non-technical – having observed her walking over from a totally unrelated counter and, as I mentioned, since I know the chaps there.

“Do you have a manual for this type of phone so I can check?” I concluded.

“You need a technician,” she replied.

I already suspected this, but had opted not to ask for a technician since it was Saturday afternoon, the shop was sparsely populated with just two other people at counters that made it clear that they were not technicians, and I really just wanted to first open the back cover to take the battery out for a little while – or to read the manual.

She reached out and took the phone out of my hand.

“Eh. Nga it’s very hot?” she said, being consistent to the trait of stating the unnecessarily obvious.

I took the phone back (32%) and asked again, “Do you sell this type of phone here so we can open a box and check the manual?”

“Ha. I don’t think…” she began, but luckily one of the fellows who should have been behind the counter returned, confirmed they didn’t have the manual, double-confirmed that the phone was hot, and even pointed out that the battery was running out pretty fast (27%).

“You need a technician,” he said.

I gave him that look and smile that conveyed deeply how disappointed I was that we had spent these precious minutes together only to arrive at a point we had more or less started at. My look most probably made it clear that if I hadn’t needed a technician I would have asked to buy a brand new mobile phone within seconds of arriving at that counter.

Contrite, he directed me to the very next shop to find ‘a technician’.

The chap was seated in the corner of a small, stuffy room. I could tell he was the one because of the ten or so people in the room, he was the only one who didn’t look frazzled, sweaty, anxious or worried.

Plus, he was the only one with a computer and twenty phones on the desk in front of him.

And, he was the only one who looked up and nodded a, “What do you want?” at me.

I couldn’t resist saying, as I held up my phone (20%): “I need a technician.”

It was an inside joke only I enjoyed, but I did not dare laugh in case I got thrown out of the shop. The second appointment was very important to me, and I did not have the phone number of the person in my head – it was on that phone (17%).

He took the phone and added it to the queue in front of him as I explained my problem quickly. Nobody complained those things of, “But we were here first!” as he flipped my phone over and over like a Ssenga inspecting a newborn child whose mother has never been fully accepted into the family.

When he spoke, he did not raise my need for a technician but pointed out that the phone was hot. I concurred, suspecting that I had about 10% battery life to go.

He then interviewed one of the other people in the room, and handed them back their phone as he made a phone call to another technician and explained my problem. They talked a bit, after which he hung up and addressed one of the other people in the room, and sent them on their way as well.

All this with the solemnity of a highly celebrated medical surgeon, or a judge of the higher courts somewhere in the mid-sixties.

Then he turned to me and gave his verdict.

“You might need to buy a new battery, since this one is heating so much. Or you need a software upgrade, but it will take some time. Maybe up to Monday. You have to leave the phone here…”

I could not.

First of all, I suspected that if I needed a software upgrade I could do one myself. Secondly, the conversation he had held with the other technician had dented my trust in him – I needed a technician who needed a technician?

No, thank you.

I maintained my bright tone of voice, took back my phone (10%) and left.

The second appointment was now a niggling problem in my mind so I tried a desperate move: as soon as the phone re-booted yet again, I re-dialled to get the number of my target, and when the network showed up I pressed the ‘Call’ button.

It went through!

In five seconds I said where I was and that my phone would cut off.

It did.

It re-booted again (7%), and I went through the same motions to say where I was, again, and that my target should find me there.

Miraculously, he confirmed having heard me and said he would be there in twenty minutes.

The phone didn’t cut off.

So I told him what I was wearing so he could recognise me (6%). He confirmed having heard that as well.

The phone didn’t cut off.

So I told him precisely where I would take a seat, on the verandah of Good African Coffee (5%). Yet again, he confirmed having heard that.

The phone didn’t cut off.

I began to suspect that we would develop trust issues if I continued talking yet I had said the phone was acting up and was bound to cut us off – so I signed off, and hung up. (5%).

But I couldn’t sit down at the coffee shop twiddling my thumbs. Strangely, I hadn’t carried a notebook and pen and didn’t have my laptop or tablet on me either.

I reserved my table and made my way to Game, hoping against hope that one of those second hand book sales was under way.

Five minutes later, William Cowper’s hymn started playing in my mind, because I fell upon this magnificent book at only Ushs4,500 yet I could easily have paid ten times that for the pleasure that it is giving me:

Glorious reading material – not to be put down!

And so I sat and consumed page after page, till my meeting happened, and went on after the meeting had ended, page after page. I was at peace, with the phone being off, until I realised that I had stopped paying attention to its screen flashing to indicate a re-boot.

The battery must have died, I thought to myself, turning a page before reaching out to check its temperature and finding it to be normal.

But in the process I touched the power button and caused the screen to light up again, which was surprising since it had been on 5% thirty minutes ago and should by rights have blacked out by now.

It hadn’t.

It was at 2%.

I hadn’t needed a technician after all. Two days down the road and I am still operating as normal – but giving the phone far less attention than this fantastic book.

“God Moves In a Mysterious Way, His wonders to perform”

#UgBlogWeek – customer service builds and defends brands more than talk and marketing

I had threatened to post something about MTN Uganda this week, then by sheer co-incidence this morning @jmakumbi tweeted about @albertmuc and @mtnug out of a totally unrelated incident to the one that stoked my ire last week.

@jmakumbi First Tweet

I am still not sure why @jmakumbi kicked this off, but the co-incidence drew my attention.

A few weeks ago I advised someone close to me to take up a specific product and service from MTN Uganda in the belief that it would be good for her business. After she had paid for the product and service, the set up process was a nightmare that made me regret having suggested it in the first place.

Within a couple of weeks after the eventual set up had been concluded, we were back at square one as the service had stopped for some reason we were not clear about.

By the time I sent @mtnug the tweet last night notifying them that they had presented me the opportunity to meet my daily #UgBlogWeek quota, I was smarting from a story that involved an MTN Uganda technician shouting down the phone at their (my) customer in full hearing of his supervisors…

See, as @jmakumbi suggested, people like @albertmuc will do anything to defend their brand – which is not just talking the talk, by my experience with him, yet their brand suffers greatly from characters such as that rude, inefficient technician and many other ‘Customer Service’ characters.

@skaheru First Tweet on @albertmuc

So in spite of the torrid experience my friend (and myself by extension because I had made the recommendation) had had with some of those staff of @mtnug these last couple of weeks, we appreciate the existence of people like @albertmuc and @stkirenga (who are consistently useful and helpful) and three other technicians and supervisors that we have interacted with during this period.

The issue with most companies – whether small companies like my own or the massive ones like MTN Uganda or every MTN operating company – is that they don’t have enough employees who care enough about the brand to defend and build it by focussing on pleasing the Customer.

The first technician who visited my friend’s office to do the set up was quite impatient and tut-tutting at the inconvenience he was undergoing by having to come out to do this installation. The lucky (because I was not physically present to witness his attitude and set him straight for life ever after) fellow even had the audacity to run a loud phone call with a friend about the inconvenience and bother he was suffering, sitting in that office to do the set up.

And he left without finishing it.

Another technician took money to fix the problem (presumably, we later worked out, by loading a data bundle) without explaining how he was going to do the fix – like those medical professionals who pull your trousers down and slam a needle into your bum without a word of courtesy.

Only one of the ten or so people we spoke to on the phone during the period told us their name – the rest simply did not, which was frustrating because we kept getting asked by subsequent callers who had NOT given us their own names, “What was the name of (the person who had called earlier)?”

At one point the comedy even appeared scripted, and my friend glanced up into corners to check whether there was a candid camera hidden there.

These days, this rarely happens with providers like @nwscug (National Water & Sewerage Corporation), who not only respond immediately to queries once they are raised, but actively work at resolving them – and in the process demonstrate quite vividly that they are doing so.

I suspect that the reason is because @nwscug has taken on more of the @albertmuc and @stkirenga types than @mtnug has, so it has more opportunities to present its brand positively than @mtnug does.

In the past I believed that numbers were a major factor – since @mtnug deals with millions of subscribers and @nwscug deals with (hundreds of thousands?) but over time I have had the opportunity to observe the quality of their handling and consider it differently.

Of the two providers, one would expect the Water guy to be a little more complacent than the Phone guy because there is basically one water service provider and if he isn’t meeting your needs as a customer you are screwed, whereas there are so many phone service providers that when your phone is down for a day you simply go out and buy another (as some provider close to me is going to realise shortly).

Surprisingly, we see the reverse at play and now hope that one day the opportunity will arise for the teams at NWSC to take over the MTN Customer Service department, just so we test the DNA of both organisations.

The most serious lesson to pick up, though, is that if you’re a business owner then place A LOT of focus on the people that deal directly with your customers and clients because THAT’S where the bottom line is.

Not on the marketing and public relations that so much effort goes into – because I don’t care how many concerts you sponsor, billboards you erect and colourful flyers get strewn across my path; the experiences I suffer (or enjoy) make a much stronger mark on me.

So in those very important jobs – Customer Service – hire people who are genuinely passionate about solving problems, serving people, representing and building a brand, adding value by their own presence, and protecting the business.

@jmakumbi's Last Tweet On @albertmuc


text:
Leo Romero Home Page: Letter of Discontent

leohomepageHaving neighbors can f—cking suck sometimes. Whether you couldn’t care less about what they do or you're the first person to leave a burning bag of poo on their doorstep, by the nature of space, someone’s bound to piss someone off. Vex the neighbor is what Leo Romero did when he first moved into his mock Spanish castle, ending with a letter full of scathing sarcasm, which he showed us in his Home Page in our May 2010 issue. Due to the same sort of space constrictions that lead to Burbs-type scenarios, we couldn't run it big enough to read, so here it is in full view, for anyone who wanted to see it in it's entirety…

“I got this note from my neighbor for being a dick when I first moved into my house. It was all sarcastic, like, ‘Buzz is someone here’s a skateboard champ. Really kool!!!” For the first two, three months, we’d party ’til five a.m., revving my bike late at night. I mean, we were being dicks. But the way they wrote the letter is hilarious.”—Leo Romero

See the rest in the May 2010 issue of TWS (the Daewon issue).


text:
Olympic bidders say the Turkish people “remain united” in the effort to hold the 2020 Summer Games in Istanbul despite fierce anti-government protests in recent days.

As riot police used tear gas against protesters Monday for a fourth straight day in Istanbul, two senior IOC officials said the unrest should not harm the bid.

The demonstrations grew out of anger over a violent police crackdown of a peaceful environmental protest at Istanbul’s Taksim Square and spread to other Turkish cities. The protests by mostly secular Turks have spiraled into Turkey’s biggest anti-government disturbances in years.

The protests are seen as a display of frustration with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who critics say has become increasingly authoritarian.

Istanbul bid organizers say they’re monitoring the demonstrations in Istanbul “very carefully.” While they’re buoyed by the “positive community spirit in helping to clean up and repair damage,” the situation remains fluid.

“Despite these recent events, all sections of Turkey remain united in our dream to host our nation’s first ever Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020,” Istanbul 2020 said in a statement. “The slogan for our Olympic bid is ‘Bridge Together’ and there is a common desire to unite in the Olympic spirit and show the world that we can work together for a better Turkey.”

Istanbul is vying with Madrid and Tokyo, with the International Olympic Committee to select the host city on Sept. 7 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Denis Oswald, a candidate to succeed IOC President Jacques Rogge in September, said Monday the protests shouldn’t threaten the bid — at least for now.

“It’s a beginning of a protest that can happen in any democratic country,” the Swiss IOC member and international rowing federation chief said. “For the time being we’ll see how it develops, how important this protest is. We have had that in many countries where we had Olympic Games.

“I don’t think it would necessarily affect the candidature. We are still three months away from the decision. It will depend if this continues and develops, but for the time being I don’t think it’s a real threat for the candidature.”

IOC Vice President Thomas Bach of Germany, another presidential candidate, also dismissed the protests as a factor in the bidding.

“It’s not going to have any influence on the decision of the IOC members,” he told German agency dpa. “All of them are experienced enough to realize that you are talking about a bid for the Olympic Games in seven years.”

All three bid teams made presentations to the SportAccord conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, last week — each claiming to be the safest and most financially secure choice. Istanbul is bidding for a fifth time.

“In the past, Turkey bid for the games as an emerging nation,” Istanbul bid leader Hasan Arat told the conference last week. “This time, Turkey is bidding as an emerged nation.”

The IOC evaluation commission will issue a report on June 25 assessing the three bids and the candidate cities will make presentations directly to IOC members in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 3.

Photo Credit: A demonstrator waves a Turkish flag with a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk during an anti-government protest at Taksim Square in central Istanbul June 2, 2013. Murad Sezer / Reuters


text:
Forever is a Distance [#11]

She was a teen, he was a young adult. There were times when she really missed him and just wanted to express her feelings, but looking back at the relationship with him, it was nothing. They were no longer together, she had no right to be jealous with whoever he hung out with, she had no right to say “I love you” nor “I miss you” anymore. Although they didn’t break up for the old, same reason but it was that they couldn’t be together. They were perfect for each other, their love was dreamy, they ended up parting ways for their age gap, however.

 17453740_623846054481204_330451042_oHe loved her and she loved him, but they remained as friends because they both had a fear of losing each other. Accidentally, they built up this wall of fears and insecurities. She knew for the best they wouldn’t last yet they both tried to tie it down any way possible. On those last days of their love, he took her to the beach, the worries, the dark thoughts, all got washed up by the shores.

Ever since that day, they were fond of each other, not a couple, but as brother and sister. His life, her life, no one knew much about it. They laid under the same stars but their heart ached for the cold, bitterness of the universe. She chose to pursue him in her dreams, it was a tough decision, for it to let him be her 3AM thoughts. She blindly devoted to her long-term, one-sided love despite how dreadful that was. She cried herself to sleep every night, she was pathetic, living her life as a chaotic, apologetic mess.

She couldn’t rebound to another love, her heart ached inside of her and she was sitting there cluelessly, didn’t know what to do with her life. She told him she didn’t want to be a sister anymore but truly a friend. Her words cut her heart, the wounds, dripping blood endlessly. Her own writing locked her up. She was ruining both hearts. She was afraid to face the destruction of reality.

She missed all the convos that she had, all the kisses, the hugs, the cuddles, the locks, every single thing. She missed both the memories and the person. For her, he wasn’t an ex, he was more than the universe, a person who she truly deeply loved and cared for. Sometimes it hit her out of nowhere. All of a sudden, this overwhelming sadness rushed it over her and she got discouraged, upset and hopeless, sad and hurt. Once again, she became numb to the world. She just wanted to go somewhere where nobody knew who she was and she wished he was there with her. But little did she know, he chased her through heaven and hell since the first day. They didn’t regret meeting one another, but for the time period that split the souls.

Credits: Anonymous Writer

Personal Experience: I grew older and maturer through love! [#10]

Today, I am here to tell you my own love story which is shameful of me to be involved but I hope at the end of this post, you will learn something meaningful. All races and genders don’t deserve this type of love.

About a year and a half ago, this end of stupidity and endless nightmares matured me into a love expert. That was when I grew my passion of becoming so deeply obsessed with what I am here today. I grew older and learned my lesson through my first step outside the world. I am truly glad now that I know what is like and what is love. That those two should never mix together like a bowl of flour and not everything is ingredients. Realizing your own feelings before moving further is the greatest weapon of not to get hurt painfully wounded and be tricked by the foolery of any kind of relationship. Define clearly what is the relation of the two and don’t just dismiss of what you don’t like to be heard about.

So me and this guy, T.V., were just friends, nothing more serious. Long story short, we liked each other but never became a couple. Although we did friend zoned each other, both were protective of one another during the whole month after we officially announced a serious and intense friendship. During that whole month of talking frequently and lovely, he kinda got bored of me and piled excuses after excuses and ranted how busy he was to the point that he couldn’t talk much to me those days. And this pattern lasted a couple more months until Christmas of that year when I found out that he married a girl exactly a month earlier. Obviously, I was already used to his attitudes and it wasn’t much of a surprise for me, but still it was a brutally shocking news. From that day on, we never talked again.

Real quick update about him, he is currently married and still works as a product manager at Tiki in Vietnam. Before when it was still pink, he was as charismatic as a celebrity. Black, short and very tailored-look hair combs backwards nicely under the glossy locks of gel. His golden smile generally brings out the smooth, clear complexion and high cheekbones of him. His full, flat, and blunted tails of brows add more luxurious sparks to his nice and broad smile. I was blindly head over heals in love with him.

The most heard saying that he ever said to me was excuses of his work. He blamed me for not being a patient and understanding companion like I said in the beginning. Honestly, no one is busy 24/7, one way or another, everyone sure has a free time everyday. It’s just them who choose to use excuses instead of admitting to their faults. When the game goes downhill or over, everything is simply a justification for lies.

There’s a saying, “Once a cheater always a cheater.” Although T.V. didn’t physically and seriously cheated on his girlfriend or who now is his wife, his infidelity will always remain deep down his heart and the rivers of blood flowing. What I wish I could find out now about that person is that his true colors would be exposed coincidentally by his wife. My wish does seem selfish but the truth needs to stay real.

16930704_610919259107217_964937017_oNo one should ever deserved to be loved and treated this way. I didn’t feel offended nor hurt. I wasn’t overwhelmed by this but not all of us feel the same way. Love is blind and it can be foolish. But as long as you realize your own feelings right from the beginning, you won’t be deeply affected later if hope turns you down. For my story, I did predict the future somewhat similar to the outcome but after a while being surprised and shocked, I became strong-minded and fiercer like nothing ever happened. If you happen to be risky and playful, you gotta stay strong and stable until the end. What is not worth your time has already turn into the past for a reason. So if you know someone who is in the same situation as I was, spread the words.


text:
This Week: Mothers in Prison, Women & Economics, & more

New report on the treatment of mothers and pregnant women in U.S. prisons
Feministing: “According to the report, there are more women behind bars than ever before in U.S. history and, thanks to the mandatory sentencing laws of the war on drugs, the majority of those women are non-violent, first-time offenders. They are also mothers. Two-thirds of women in prison have at least one child under age 18.”

Rachel Maddow Breaks Down How the Racist Political Past is Present
Colorlines: “This election season we’ve seen political candidates drop offensive racially charged comments with such casual impunity that cataloguing them all, let alone mustering up the anger to react, has become a daunting task. But last night Rachel Maddow summarized this election cycle in a historical context that made for must-see TV.”

Americans Say Religious Messages Fuel Negative Views of Gays
Huffington Post: “Nearly three-quarters of Americans (72 percent) say religious messages about homosexuality contribute to “negative views” of gays and lesbians, and nearly two-thirds (65 percent) see a connection to higher rates of suicide among gay youths.”

White House Promotes Economic Efforts For Women
New York Times: “The report, whose tone was less partisan, noted that women were now 47 percent of all workers, 60 percent of part-time workers, 51 percent of managers and 57 percent of undergraduate students. But nearly a half-century after the Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963, women earn 77 cents for every dollar paid to men — a gap that has changed little over the past decade.”

Is The African American Woman’s Womb Dangerous?
Yeah She Said It: “They left it too open for assumption by stating that an African American woman’s womb is dangerous. In this regard they transcended discussing abortions and African Americans.  Instead they went straight into labeling African American mothers as ‘dangerous’ mothers.”

White House Reaches Out to Women Voters
Politico: “Women constitute a majority of the electorate, tend to vote Democratic and, according to recent polls, are much less enthusiastic about Election Day than Republican men are. The president’s latest campaign tour tacitly acknowledges that last fact: His schedule begins with a backyard chat with female voters in Washington state and ends with a rally for Democratic Sen. Patty Murray in Seattle.”

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s