#C Ordinary 31 Thursday

[badgemaid2]

Premier League Transfers: This Summer What Does Each Club Need?

Alternatively we concentrate on the environment saving trees and complain there isn't any service when walking right into box shop that acquire goods. It is possible to go to a behind-the-scenes excursion of the Padres home stadium, including a visit to the dugout along with a glimpse. I finally broke down and bought a box of webpages to put away my own 1948 Bowman into 1951 Topps set and save space. This week Vanessa was spotted using jet-black strands that matched her natural color and then cascaded down her spine. God Bless Alejandro Villanueva who would not ever turn his back on his country as an Army Combat Infantry Airborne Ranger graduate and officer of the institution on the planet. The Yankees beat the Giants for their 3rd consecutive World Series success following Bobby Thomson hit on that HR in a tie-breaker to get in the World Series from the Dodgers. This team has ever even hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since 1934, because of World War II with the exclusion of 1939-1944. The team with no coach scrambles to protect the group. Speak with your guidance counselors and your coach, and go over your plans to compete for a basketball scholarship. Torres managed to flourish despite Valencia falling from a year back into ninth in 2019/20, at a year including rumours of a mutiny after Marcelino 's sacking in September and three managers. Thursday, Warren County Judge Timothy Tepe given them a temporary injunction, meaning the country may 't apply orders. Cleveland had success selecting an Ohio State cornerback when they drafted Denzel Ward from the 2018 NFL Draft. On Saturdaythe Mid-American Conference became the first selection of FBS colleges to postpone into the spring semester, and that decision will force the other seminars to reevaluate their own seasons. Pac-12: The Pac-12 declared its full schedule on July 31 using the season for the conference set to start on Saturday, Sept.. Whether this doesn't stop, quit watching games, cease listening to MLB around SiriusXM, and I will probably have to cancel my season tickets to my sports team. Who was the first quarterback? I put the card that is newer first, If they are cards of each participant. Do you want you could jump higher to score on basketball? However Athletes B and C work at appreciably different anxiety levels- where every situation might be beneficial for performance anxiety levels do you think about sport? "Our student-athletes desire as ordinary of a situation we can possibly give them because of the atmosphere our lovers supply," Costello said. I know MLB will stay wealthy, but I will say I don't donate to it. You might come across a veteran here and there which will agree that they fought for every single American 's right to disrespect the flag, however I could 't picture you can find one (non-traitorous), which could say they were actually okay with it. Others afterwards jumped telling Brkic because brain injuries are not an infectious disease which can be sent to family and friends which CTE dangers can not be compared to coronavirus risks. That's when I noticed the statistics in the backs didn't return further that about 2012. I didn't enjoy the incomplete figures on the back of 2017 Topps anyways. The running back faces 1 count of destruction of property, three counts of battery and assault and one count of strangulation, which can be a felony in Virginia. I would like 't think that this set was being acknowledged by cost guides during my initial collecting years. I set all of the team leaders and checklists using the group places, leaving only the 4 World Series cards to be placed in the back of my binder (however I'm presuming to put those with the team places, meaning I will have to go back a couple of years and do the same). For example, the league pioneer cards signify so I set them. Since the season isn't over however, I set the team sets in sequence due to their winning percentage, and that until the season is finished I 'll continue to upgrade. For over a year now, the card was Jackie Robinson. I got through adding roughly half my group into pages, and required that binder to look at for a while. Folks driving on a military base in their cars are expected to stop their vehicle and get out and face the flag and salute while in uniform during retreat or reveille. An insult to the American flag, is an insult the American army directly. There's not any excuse for disrespecting National Anthem or the American Flag for that reason unless you're not an American, rather than living within this nation. Active duty service members invest so much time demonstrating reverence into the flag and the National Anthem during their professions, that many frequently shout or get shivers down their spine after their service when they see the flag exhibited in ceremony throughout during the national anthem--I know that I really do. This includes if the flag goes up in the daytime (reveille), and as soon as the flag goes down at night (escape ). When a flag passes during a parade by a uniformed service member, they're expected to stay at attention and salute. Active duty service members are expected to demonstrate reverence it is displayed.

[anastpaul]

One Minute Reflection - 31 October - "Do you not know that you are the temple of God .."

One Minute Reflection – 31 October – “Do you not know that you are the temple of God ..”

One Minute Reflection – 31 October – Thursday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time, Ywear C, Gospel: Luke 13:31–35 and The Memorial of St Wolfgang of Regensburg (c 934 –994)

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem” ... Luke 13:34

REFLECTION– “Believers are valued according to the merits of their faith and not the place they live in.   And God’s true worshippers have no need of Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim to…

[dailybiblelessons]

Thursday: Preparation for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Revised Common Lectionary Proper 26 Roman Catholic Proper 31

Complementary Hebrew Scripture from The Writings: Proverbs 15:8-11, 24-33

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,  but the prayer of the upright is his delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,  but he loves the one who pursues righteousness. There is severe discipline for one who forsakes the way,  but one who hates a rebuke will die. Sheol and Abaddon¹ lie open before the Lord,  how much more human hearts! For the wise the path of life leads upward,  in order to avoid Sheol below. The Lord tears down the house of the proud,  but maintains the widow's boundaries. Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,  but gracious words are pure. Those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble for their households,  but those who hate bribes will live. The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer,  but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil. The Lord is far from the wicked,  but he hears the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,  and good news refreshes the body. The ear that heeds wholesome admonition  will lodge among the wise. Those who ignore instruction despise themselves,  but those who heed admonition gain understanding. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,  and humility goes before honor.

¹Sheol is the realm of the dead. Abaddon is a bottomless pit along side it. More: Wikipedia Abaddon

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture from the Latter Prophets: Jeremiah 33:14-26

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to make grain offerings, and to make sacrifices for all time. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: Thus says the Lord: If any of you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night would not come at their appointed time, only then could my covenant with my servant David be broken, so that he would not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with my ministers the Levites. Just as the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will increase the offspring of my servant David, and the Levites who minister to me. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: Have you not observed how these people say, “The two families that the Lord chose have been rejected by him,” and how they hold my people in such contempt that they no longer regard them as a nation? Thus says the Lord: Only if I had not established my covenant with day and night and the ordinances of heaven and earth, would I reject the offspring of Jacob and of my servant David and not choose any of his descendants as rulers over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes, and will have mercy upon them.

Complementary Psalm 32:1-7

Happy are those whose disobedience is forgiven,  whose sin is pardoned. Happy are those to whose record God has cleared of guilt  and in whose spirit there is no deceit.¹

While I refused to confess my sin,  my body wasted away and I groaned all day long. For day and night your hand of discipline was heavy upon me;  my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin  and did not hide my wrong-doing; I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord,”  and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Therefore let the godly pray to you  while there is still time; the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me;  you preserve me from trouble;  you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.

¹Paul quotes these verses in Romans 4 when he holds up Abraham as an example of faith.

Semi-continuous Psalm 119:137-144

You are righteous, O Lord,  and your judgments are right. You have appointed your decrees in righteousness  and in all faithfulness. My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your words. Your promise is well tried,  and your servant loves it. I am small and despised,  yet I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,  and your law is the truth. Trouble and anguish have come upon me,  but your commandments are my delight. Your decrees are righteous forever;  give me understanding that I may live.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia:¹

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

¹There is a map of Achaia here.

Year C Ordinary 31, RCL Proper 26, Catholic Proper 31: Thursday

Bible verses from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright 1985 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Image Credit: Wordle created on Wordle.net October 21, 2016 by Michael Gilbertson. This image may be used under the Creative Commons 3.0 Share Alike license. Please credit The Lectionary Company.

[dr-archeville]

INDY Primer: In Harvey’s Wake, Trump Tax Cuts + Other Things You Need to Know Today [2017/08/31]

Happy Thursday, y’all.  Primer is jam-packed this morning.  Buckle up, here we go. —Jeffrey C. Billman

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1. HARVEY’S AFTERMATH.  

THE GIST: Houston is beginning to recover from Hurricane Harvey, but smaller towns are now struggling to cope with the flooding.

As The New York Times reports: “But as Houston, the urban behemoth that has so far been the focal point in the unfolding drama of Hurricane Harvey, began gingerly to assess the devastation, the storm marched on to conquer a vast new swath speckled with small towns that are home to millions of people who were shocked anew by Harvey’s tenaciously destructive power.  Officials faced a population in dire need, but far more difficult to reach.”

“‘The geographic scope of this event is probably what is going to make it one of the most costly flood disasters in U.S. history,’ said Samuel Brody, the director of the Center for Texas Beaches and Shores at Texas A&M University’s Galveston campus.  ‘I’ve seen heavy rain, I’ve seen 30, 40 inches, but not over such a large geographic area, impacting rich, poor, black, white, you name it.’”

The Associated Press has an aerial photo gallery showing the devastation in Houston.  It’s astounding.

If you have a few minutes, read this gripping account of the storm, from the Houston Press’s Meagan Flynn.

“And when Houstonians turned on their TVs to assess the wreckage, they found on the local news stations what seemed to be footage from a sci-fi movie, the kinds about apocalypses where strangers must band together to conquer disaster.  People were evacuating from areas that had never had a flooding problem before, and roughly 100,000 people lost power by Monday.  In less than 24 hours after Saturday night’s storm began, more than 56,000 people had called 911 and more than 6,000 requested high-water rescues. … By Sunday evening, Harvey had exceeded the rainfall and flooding caused by 2001’s Tropical Storm Allison in half the time.  By the end of the day Monday, Harvey had unleashed more than 15 trillion gallons of water on the greater Houston region (compared to 6.5 trillion during Hurricane Katrina), and more than 30 to 35 inches of rain — more than half the amount Houston generally receives all year, in less than a week.”

The Times has a cool web graphic showing rescue calls in Houston and other affected areas as the hours and days passed.  It’s worth checking out.

In Crosby, Texas, a chemical plant left without power had two explosions rock the facility; more explosions are expected.

Related: The House budget Republicans are crafting currently includes a $1 billion cut to disaster funds — like the kind that will pay to help with the Harvey recovery — to build President Trump’s wall.

“The pending reduction to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief account is part of a massive spending bill that the House is scheduled to consider next week when lawmakers return from their August recess.  The $876 million cut, which is included in the 1,305-page measure’s homeland security section, pays for roughly half the cost of Trump’s down payment on the U.S.-Mexico border wall that the president repeatedly promised Mexico would finance.  It seems sure that GOP leaders will move to reverse it next week as floodwaters cover Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, and tens of thousands of Texans have sought refuge in shelters.  There’s only $2.3 billion remaining in federal disaster coffers.”

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2. TRUMP PITCHES CORPORATE TAX CUTS.

THE GIST:  While Texas digs out from calamity, President Trump went to Missouri, where he pitched what the NYT calls a “sweeping tax overhaul,” including a large corporate tax cut.  As is his wont, there were few specifics.

“The president wrapped his message in the populist rhetoric that powered his presidential campaign.  But he described a plan that on its surface appears to offer relatively little to ordinary Americans, granting instead huge tax cuts — ‘the biggest ever,’ he said — to corporations and their shareholders.”

Many economists … argue that large corporate tax cuts would do relatively little — particularly in the near term — to boost wages or create jobs.  Instead, they would boost corporate profits and benefit the wealthiest Americans who own the most corporate stock.  There is little evidence that large tax cuts will prompt American corporations to invest more; they are already sitting on nearly $2 trillion in cash.”

“The politically difficult legislation has yet to be drafted despite months of private negotiations among members of the Trump administration and Republicans on Capitol Hill.  Time is running out for enactment of the bill before year’s end, and the White House is keenly aware that if Mr. Trump fails to deliver his promised tax cuts, he will emerge from his first year in office devoid of any major legislative accomplishments.”

“Many Republicans, even those broadly supportive of Mr. Trump’s plans, have scaled back their ambitions, conceding that the calendar makes a full-scale tax rewrite unlikely and resolving instead to push through the largest tax cut possible by New Year’s.”

As his also his wont, Trump’s speech in Missouri was full of misleading statements.

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3. ELSEWHERE IN TRUMPLAND.

THE GIST:  There’s a ton of national stories brewing.  Here’s a quick rundown:

Trump says “talking is not the answer!” to North Korea.  Experts hope he sticks to it.  “Some fear less that Mr. Trump is going to start a war with [Kim Jong-Un] than that he is going to stumble into a risky, unpredictable dialogue with him. … But a meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim, these experts said, could open the door to ratifying North Korea’s nuclear status or scaling back America’s joint military exercises with South Korea.  That could sunder American alliances with Japan and South Korea and play to the benefit of China, which has long advocated direct dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.” [NYT]

Hours after Trump tweeted his “no talking” declaration, Defense Secretary James Mattis subtly rebuked him: “We’re never out of diplomatic solutions.” [WP]

Education secretary Betsy DeVos hired a former dean of DeVry University — which last year reached a $100 million fraud settlement with the Federal Trade Commission — to head the Department of Education’s anti-fraud unit.  You read that right. [BuzzFeed]

A grand jury heard testimony from a Russian-American lobbyist who attended the June 2016 meeting with Trump’s son and campaign manager.  “The revelation is the clearest indication yet that Mueller and his team of investigators view the meeting, which came weeks after Trump had secured the Republican presidential nomination, as a relevant inquiry point in their broader probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.” [AP]

Special counsel Robert Mueller is also reportedly working with the New York attorney general in his probe of Paul Manafort, the former campaign manager who attended that Russia meeting.  This matters because, while Trump has broad pardon powers in federal cases, he does not in state cases; that fact could prompt Manafort’s cooperation. [Daily Beast]

A Marine veteran may be deported despite evidence that he’s a U.S. citizen. [Tucson Sentinel]

The White House has scrapped an Obama-era initiative aimed at assessing the gender pay gap, with the blessing of resident feminist Ivanka Trump. [HuffPo]

Prosecutors allege that New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez began taking bribes immediately after taking office in 2006.  Menendez’s corruption trial begins next week.  This is important because if Menendez, a Democrat, is convicted, he’ll face immediate pressure (though no legal requirement, while his appeals are pending) to resign.  If he does step down before January, while Chris Christie is still the Garden State’s governor, Christie could appoint a Republican replacement, who might then provide an extra vote for Trump’s agenda and once again threaten the Affordable Care Act. [Daily Beast]

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4. EIGHT LOCAL HEADLINES.

UNC’s chancellor turns down a speaking request from white nationalist Richard Spencer, out of “serious concerns about campus safety.” [INDY]

GOP lawmakers are poised to kill the Outer Banks’ plastic bag ban as part of a further-reaching environmental package that will also deal with GenX contamination. [N&O]

The legislature overrode Governor Cooper’s veto of a bill that allows companies issuing high-interest-rate consumer loans to tack on more additional charges.  Of Cooper’s eleven vetoes, seven have been overridden.  The others are waiting for the General Assembly to vote. [N&O]

The General Assembly gives final approval to the new legislative districts.  Next up, federal court. [INDY]

N.C. Baptists are split over the new evangelical anti-gay manifesto. [N&O]

You’ll be able to buy beer at the N.C. State Fair this year, though not very much. [INDY]

Durham’s All About Beer acquires DRAFT to become the biggest beer pub in the country. [INDY]

Ashley Christensen’s long-awaited pizza restaurant, Poole Side Pie, will open in downtown Raleigh in 2018. [Instagram]

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5. ODDS & ENDS.

You’ll log on to your next iPhone through facial recognition.

The New America Foundation, which has received more than $21 million from Google, fired a scholar who praised the European Union’s decision to fine Google over antitrust violations.

In a Fox News poll, 75 percent of Trump voters say the media is a bigger threat than white supremacists.

A federal judge has blocked Texas’s ban on sanctuary cities.

Here are fifty new TV shows to catch this fall, including the return of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Scientists say they found fifteen fast radio bursts from three billion light years away.

The average age for new fathers in the U.S. is thirty-one, up from twenty-seven in 1972.  New fathers with a college degree are, on average, thirty-three.

The Simpsons has fired its longtime composer after twenty-seven years, with the producers deciding they want a “different kind of music.”

Mostly cloudy today with a chance of rain and a high of 79.

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[crimson-moonlight-blog1]

Defense against the dark arts

Defence Against the Dark Arts Class information Professor Galatea Merrythought (Hogwarts, 1895 - 1945) Quirinus Quirrell (Hogwarts, 1991 - 1992) Gilderoy Lockhart (Hogwarts, 1992 - 1993) Remus Lupin (Hogwarts, 1993 - 1994) Bartemius Crouch Jr (Hogwarts, 1994 - 1995) Dolores Umbridge (Hogwarts, 1995 - 1996) Severus Snape (Hogwarts, 1996 - 1997) Amycus Carrow ( Hogwarts, 1997 - 1998) Unidentified ( Hogwarts, 1998 - ? ) Rionach Steward (Ilvermorny, 17th century) Classroom Class 31 Class 104 Classroom 3C Temporary Classroom Required textbooks The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble Gilderoy Lockhart's collected works Break with a Banshee Gadding with Ghouls Holidays with Hags Travels with Trolls Voyages with Vampires Wanderings with Werewolves Year with a Yeti Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard Dark Arts Defence: Basics for Beginners Confronting the Faceless Required equipment Wand Books Parchment Quill [Source] "Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. No cursing allowed." —Notice outside the classroom[src] Defence Against the Dark Arts (sometimes written as DADA) is a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this class students learn how to magically defend themselves against Dark Creatures, the Dark Arts, and other dark charms. Offensive magic is also taught in this class, such as how to duel, which requires the use of both offensive and defensive magic. The subject is core class at Hogwarts. The position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor here was once rumoured to be jinxed, as no teacher could hold the post for more than a year. Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort) jinxed the position because Dumbledore did not give him the job when he applied for it. The subject is also a class at Ilvermorny. It began teaching the subject in the 17th century. Defence Against the Dark Arts is a required subject from first year to fifth year. The curriculum of the class varies greatly depending on what the professor at the time deems appropriate. Due to the jinx on the teaching post that was present before Lord Voldemort died, many teachers have been appointed to this post. The lessons generally have a practical approach, with many of the teachers (except Dolores Umbridge) believing that when it comes to the Dark Arts a practical approach is the best way, with theoretical assignments given as homework. In the fifth year Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations are taken; as such, students are spent learning new topics and possibly revisiting the past four years of lessons (depending on the teacher). As part of their Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L., students must sit a written exam one of the questions asks to describe the five signs of a werewolf and after students must complete a practical exam of; counter-jinxes, defensive spells, Riddikulus, and the Patronus Charm (for bonus points). To advance to the N.E.W.T. class a student must first achieve a high O.W.L. score of either 'Outstanding' or 'Exceeds Expectations'; most teachers set the bar at 'Exceeds Expectations'. Also, due to the course being directly related to the Dark Arts itself, dark wizards who wish to teach would typically apply for this course, notably being Lord Voldemort and Severus Snape. Location and curriculum Classrooms Defence Against the Dark Arts classes take place on the first-floor, Class 104 in the North Tower and Classroom 3C on the third-floor. In Classroom 3C, an iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, as well as a dragon's skeleton. On one end of the classroom stands a projector that is activated by magic. Several desks and tables can be found in the classroom as well as some sets of large windows. Lesson times Year Day Period First Monday second Second fourth Thursday first Wednesday fourth Third Monday fifth Thursday fourth Friday third Fourth Thursday fourth/fifth Fifth Monday fifth/sixth Friday sixth Sixth Monday morning Seventh unknown unknown First year "The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defence Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke." —DADA lessons with Quirrell as the professor[src] Dark creatures Curing werewolf bites Gnomes Doxies Snails Imps Bowtruckles Ghosts Gargoyles Hags Fire Crabs Gytrashes Spells Curse of the Bogies (Mentioned) Knockback Jinx Vermillious Verdimillious Wand-Lighting Charm Smokescreen Spell Green Sparks Red Sparks Periculum Second year "It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind. You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm will befall you whilst I am here. I must ask you not to scream. It might provoke them!" —Lockhart introducing Cornish Pixies[src] Dark creatures Second year lesson on Cornish Pixies Cornish Pixies (Experienced first-hand) Various creatures, including Yeties Fire Crabs (Revision) Imps (Revision) Gargoyles (Revision) Spells Disarming Charm Tongue-Tying Curse Homorphus Charm Verdimillious Duo Vermillious Duo Tickling Charm Banishing Charm Petrificus Totalus Cushioning Charm Melofors Jinx Third year "Professor Lupin had complied the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun." —Third year exam in 1994[src] Dark Creatures Third year lesson on the werewolf Boggarts Grindylows Werewolves Hinkypunks Kappas Red Caps Vampires Salamander Spells Students practising the Riddikulus charm on a Boggart Riddikulus (Expelling boggarts) Seize and Pull Charm Freezing Spell Lumos Duo Charm Patronus Charm (Taught only to Harry Potter) Orbis Jinx Fourth year "When it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach. " —Barty Crouch Jr (disguised as Alastor Moody) on his approach of the subject [src] Dark creatures Erklings Red Caps (Revision) Dugbog Blast-Ended Skrewt Spells Fourth year lesson on the Imperius Curse Cruciatus Curse (Witnessed on spider) Hex-deflection Counter-curses Imperius Curse (Witnessed on spider, resisting) Killing Curse (Witnessed on spider) Freezing Spell (Revision) Aqua Eructo Fifth year "Your previous instruction in this subject has been, disturbingly, uneven. But you will be pleased to know, from now on, you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic." —Dolores Umbridge's excuse of depriving students of practical defence[src] Official curriculum Conflict avoidance Counter-jinxes and Defensive Charms (Discouraged) Fleeing Iguanas Vampire bats Theory Dumbledore's Army Harry instructs members of the D.A. in defencive magic Stunning Spell Patronus Charm Reductor Curse Diminuendo Tickling Charm Petrificus Totalus Disarming Charm Shield Charm Other jinxes and hexes Sixth year "You will now divide... into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on." —A N.E.W.T. lesson on nonverbal spells[src] Dark creatures Dementors Inferi Spells Nonverbal spells Resisting the Imperius Curse Levicorpus (Revision) Disarming Charm (Revision) Stunning Spell (Revision) Changes to curriculum "You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced." —Professor Snape on the curriculum's instability[src] "Moody" demonstrating the Killing Curse on a spider during a fourth year lesson Due to the constant changing of teachers, the curriculum of Defence Against the Dark Arts varies from year to year. Each teacher has his or her own priorities, and his or her respective efficiency proportional to his or her beliefs and methods, such as Quirinus Quirrell and Dolores Umbridge believing that theories are enough (which is, in fact, more hindering), while the more effective Remus Lupin, "Alastor Moody" and Severus Snape have a more balanced belief in theory and practical defence. Gilderoy Lockhart, fraudulent and incompetent, is one known teacher who taught nothing to the classes of his respective tenure, aside from nonsensical and unrelated materials, considering that he was hired solely for the purpose of ousting him as a fraud to the world. In the 1997-1998 school year, the class was changed to Dark Arts. During the 1995-1996 school year, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had gotten into his head that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was using the students to create a private army of young wizards to overthrow the Ministry. As such, he implanted Umbridge to become the teacher of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, which he believed to be the main source of training (e.g. defensive spells) for Dumbledore's would-be soldiers. Umbridge supplied a syllabus based entirely on theories on avoiding conflicts instead of facing them, all of which was simply reading out of the textbook, believing that this would be sufficient in passing the examinations. This misguided belief deprived the students on any useful lessons as even the theories are inaccurate, thus leading to the formation on Dumbledore's Army, which taught more practical defence that students from all grades found more useful. Umbridge would later claim that the spells Harry taught were deemed by the Ministry inappropriate for students at their ages. During the time between Voldemort's jinx started to take effect and broke there was at least one professor per year. Therefore, between c. 1965 and 1990 (the year before Harry began studying at Hogwarts) there could be around twenty-five different professors in the position. Severus Snape served as a substitute teacher during the 1993–1994 school year, when Remus Lupin was feeling ill. Unidentified Professor (1998–Unknown/Incumbent)

[mastcomm]

Fear of Virus Ruins the ‘Happiest Day’ for Millions of Chinese

WUHAN, China — The Lunar New Year festivities were just hours away, but instead of helping to prepare a joyous family banquet, Chen Yanming stood anxiously outside a hospital where her father was being tested for a dangerous new virus.

“Today should be the Chinese people’s happiest day,” Ms. Chen, 47, said here in Wuhan, the riverside city of 11 million in central China where the outbreak began. “But this sickness has destroyed that feeling. It came suddenly and unexpectedly. We should have been better prepared.”

The emergence of the mysterious coronavirus could hardly come at a worse time for China, turning its biggest holiday into a time of deepening fear, restrictions and frustration.

The pneumonia-like illness linked to the virus had, by official count, stricken nearly 900 people in mainland China by late Friday, killing at least 26. More than 20 other cases have been confirmed elsewhere, including five in Hong Kong, two in the United States and, on Friday, two in France.

Hundreds of millions of people in China travel during the holiday, increasing the risk of spreading the virus. For many migrant workers from the countryside, the Lunar New Year break is the only opportunity to spend extended time with their children. For growing numbers of Chinese people, it is a time for tourism to Beijing and other cities, or to foreign destinations.

But this year, desperate to contain the disease, the Chinese authorities have shut down transportation or imposed travel restrictions in 13 cities in Hubei, the province at the center of the outbreak, hemming in 35 million people.

The streets across Wuhan were eerily empty on Friday, except near hospitals. The city has been largely shut down: Departures are mostly barred, and subways, buses and ferries within Wuhan are suspended. Many residents lined up at hospitals to check for the illness or stayed indoors, rather than reuniting with family.

At the entrance to the hospital where Ms. Chen waited, cars and bicycles arrived with frail older people to be checked. Residents said it had become nearly impossible to find taxis following the ban on public transportation. Doctors and medical workers struggled to cope with the surge of people worried that they had symptoms of the virus.

At another hospital taking in possible cases of infection, an old man sat in a wheelchair outside the building. It was too crowded and unhealthy inside, he said. Another patient shuffled across the street, holding a drip in his arm and its stand, so he could stay away from the crowd inside the hospital.

“We won’t have a New Year celebration tonight. There’s no mood for it,” said Wu Qiang, a middle-aged Wuhan resident waiting outside a hospital for word about his son, who had a fever. “I think he’s O.K., but now even an ordinary sneeze makes you worry. You start to think every cough or sneeze might be the virus.”

For many families in Wuhan, the Lunar New Year holiday now promises to be a week of anxious waiting — for medical resources and clarity about when they will be free of the virus and able to travel.

“The government announced there were thousands of beds, but everywhere is crammed with people,” said Xiao Hongxia, a Wuhan resident who said that her father, Xiao Shibing, was not getting full care for what might be illness from the virus. At one hospital, she said, “the doctors were crying that they were helpless to do anything.”

Twenty-nine of China’s 31 provinces and regions have confirmed cases, and two deaths have occurred far from the outbreak’s epicenter, one of them nearly 1,500 miles away. Cases have also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Nepal and Taiwan.

Officials at Shanghai Disneyland, one of the biggest tourist attractions in China, and at the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China, a popular tourist destination north of Beijing, said they would temporarily close beginning Saturday.

Beijing canceled public events, including two popular temple fairs, and closed the Forbidden City, the capital’s most famous tourist attraction, until further notice. Many cities shuttered movie theaters, bars and cafes in an effort to limit the spread of the virus.

Dr. Gauden Galea, the representative of the World Health Organization in Beijing, said in an interview on Friday that thousands of people would likely be infected, and that the outbreak could be long.

“My own office is gearing up for a number of months,” Dr. Galea said. “We do not expect it to disappear in a number of days.”

Here in Wuhan, supermarkets seemed well stocked, but some residents said that prices had gone up or that fresh vegetables and fruit had become harder to buy because so many local markets had closed.

More pressing are shortages of protective gowns, masks, gloves and other equipment to keep medical workers as safe as possible. Supplies have grown scarce in Wuhan under the weight of the epidemic, hospital employees in Wuhan said.

Outside the No. 4 Hospital in Wuhan, two medical workers taking boxes of protective gowns from a truck said the gowns did not give maximum protection from the virus, but would have to do because better supplies were lacking. Some doctors and medical workers have bought their own maximum protection masks because hospitals were running short, one of them said.

“Shortage of medical supplies, request help!!!” the Wuhan Children’s Hospital said Thursday in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social network.

The Wuhan government on Friday ordered that a new hospital be constructed in a matter of days to treat the victims.

The hospital, modeled on one constructed in Beijing for the SARS epidemic in 2003, will have room for 1,000 beds and is expected to be finished by Feb. 3, according to a local media report posted to the Wuhan government’s website.

Dr. Galea, who visited Wuhan this week before the lockdown, defended how Chinese officials had handled the outbreak, saying they had been transparent in sharing data.

“With the number of cases,” he said, “one would expect health systems to be stretched.”

But online and in interviews, people around China have been unusually critical of their government, arguing that officials are reluctant to disclose bad news that might sully the Communist Party’s image of triumphant progress.

In posts on Chinese social media platforms, some users called for Wuhan leaders to be dismissed. Others mocked the failure of the Communist Party’s flagship media to treat the epidemic with front-page urgency. Most of those posts were quickly removed.

In a sign of how far the outbreak has scrambled the Communist Party’s messages, the annual Lunar New Year variety show on the main national broadcaster — which usually gives a cheerful face to the party’s themes — made nods to the crisis.

The show broadcast images of doctors and nurses treating patients, of trucks of supplies festooned with banners that said, roughly translated, “Go Wuhan!” The presenters declared that the fight against the coronavirus was open, transparent and a testament to the abilities of the Chinese government.

“For Wuhan people, tonight the table should be filled with dishes of fish and meat,” said Ms. Chen. “But with my father sick, we’ll have a few simple dishes.”

Reporting was contributed by Russell Goldman and Alexandra Stevenson from Hong Kong; Ray Zhong from Shanghai; Javier C. Hernández from Beijing, and Li Yuan from Yinchuan, China. Yiwei Wang, Amber Wang, Claire Fu and Lin Qiqing contributed research.

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[donfeaster46-blog]

‘ Donkey Kong Country.

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[hardtostudy]

ELECTIONS IN THE UK - 6 types of elections in the UK: —> to the House of Commons of the UK —> to devolved parliaments and assemblies —> to the European Parliament —> Local elections —> Mayoral elections —> Police and Crime Commission elections Within each category there may be general elections or by elections. - Elections in the UK are held on Election Day which by tradition is a Thursday - Under the Fixed - term Parliaments Act 2011, all future General Elect. shall take on the first Thursday in May every five years (unless the call for snap election has been made). - A snap election = an election called earlier than expected GENERAL EL. TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS - Every 5 years - Last regular ones = May 2015 - On a polling day voters go to polling stations where they are given a ballot paper - Constituency (650), each constituency returns an MP - A person may only cast a vote if he or she is on the Electoral Register ELECTORATE — England and Wales - anyone aged 18 or over on polling day and a national day of the UK, the Republic of Ireland, a Commonwealth country or a EU member state can apply to the Electoral Registration Office to be listed in ER. — Northern Ireland - a further criterion has to be fulfilled to quality for registration: a person has to be a resident in NI for at least three months prior to the date of application to Electoral Registration Office — Scotland - Those fulfilling the nationality requirements (as in E and U) aged 16 or over on polling day can register to vote, as the age for voting on Scottish Parliament and local el. is 16. However, voters in Scotland under 18 are not entitled to vote in European Parliament and UK general el. CONSTITUENCIES - There are currently: 533 constituencies in England 59 in Scotland 40 in Wales, and 18 in Northern Ireland - The typical size of constit. differs between parts of the UK as its size is based on number of eligible voters CURRENT SITUATION: - Conservative = 317 seats (-13) - Labour = 262 seats (+30) - SNP = 35 seats (-21) - Liberal Democrat = 12 seats (+4) - Democratic Unionist Party = 10 seats (+2) —> Resulted in hung parliament, DUP decided to support May’s government FIRST-PAST-THE-POST VOTING - voters indicate on a ballot the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives most votes wins. UK PARLIAMENT - The supreme legislative body - Bicameral = 2 houses - No individual may be a member of both Houses - Was formed in 1707 as the Parliament of Great Britain - The supremacy of the House of Commons was established in the early 20th century

GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT, ELECTIONS UK PARLIAMENT - Bicameral = 2 houses - House of Commons - House of Lords - The Queen - in - Parliament = 3rd component of the legislature W8 - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND LEGAL SYSTEM FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM - On diplomatic level, they are conducted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which is headed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS - normally referred to as the Foreign Secretary - a senior official position within the UK government and cabinet - responsibilities: relations with foreign countries, matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the Overseas Territories in addition to the promotion of British interests abroad - ministerial oversight for the Secret Intelligence Service (M16) the UK is: - a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council - a founding member of the G7, G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, Council of Europe, OSCE, and the Commonwealth of Nations - a member of the European Union (since 1973) - as the outcome of 2016 referendum, proceedings to withdraw from the EU began BREXIT - a word that has become used as a shorthand way of saying the UK leaving the EU - On 29. March 2017, the British government invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union - the UK is scheduled to depart on 29. March, 2019. - The UK and EU negotiating teams meet face to face for one week each month BILL - návrat zákona Talks are currently taking place on three aspects of how Brexit will work: — how much the UK owes the EU, — what happens to the Northern Ireland border — what happens to UK citizens living elsewhere in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK — A new government department, the Department for Exiting the European Union, was created in July 2016: David Davis - The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal Act 2017 (c.9) had to be passed.) COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS - is a legacy of the British Empire - is an intergovernmental organization of 53 member states that were mostly territories of the former British Empire - formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as ‘'free and equal’'. - The symbol is Queen Elizabeth II. who is the Head of the Commonwealth, however, this role does not carry any power with it. - When the monarch dies, the successor to the crown does not automatically become Head of the Commonwealth - Headquarters in Marlborough House, London - The Commonwealth covers 20% of the world’s land area - the Queen is also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth realms. - Other members of the Com. have different heads of state: 31 members are republics and 5 are monarchies with a different monarch - member states have no legal obligation to one another - They are united by language, history, culture, and their shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. - this is enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter - promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games (the third largest multi-sport event in the world), Glasgow 2014, Gold Coast 2018 LEGAL SYSTEM IN THE UK - 3 legal systems in one country: — English law (England + Wales) — Northern Ireland law — Scots law (Scotland)

SEMINAR W8: LAW, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BRITISH LEGAL SYSTEM - 3 legal systems in one country - since 2009 Supreme Court of the United Kingdom replaced House of Lords as the highest court for all civil and criminal cases in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and civil cases only in Scotland (občianske právo) ENGLAND AND WALES LEGAL SYSTEM - Courts divided by civil/criminal cases rather than by region - Main sources of E/W law: - Common law (zvykové právo - nedajú sa zrušiť) - customs of early settlers and invaders = PRECEDENTS (1. Rozhodnutie sudcu v danom prípade) - Statute law! = Acts of Parliament which create new law (štatút, zákon, kt. Bol schválený) - EU law - since 1973, take precedents over British law. tort - právny priestupok SUPREME COURT              | ____________________ |                                | Criminal                   Civil |                                | Court of Appeal       Court of Appeal |                                | Crown court             High court of Justice |                                   | Magistrates courts     Country courts CRIMINAL COURTS - Deal with criminal cases MAGISTRATES COURTS - Tries summary offenses = up to 6 months imprisonment and 5 000 £ fine. - Justices of Peace (JPs) = lay magistrates - Always odd number (usually starts at 3) - To illustrate that ordinary people are judged by other citizens CROWN COURTS - Around 92 locations in England and Wales - Try indictable offenses - Jury passes the decision on innocence or guilt - verdict (guilty / not guilty / not proven in Scotland) - Juror = a member of a jury - The right to a jury trial has been enshrined in English law since Magma Carta in 1215 - Judge passes a sentence (punishment - rozsudok) accused - obžalovaný defendant - odporca, prosecutorial - obžaloba, plaint - navrhovateľ CIVIL COURTS - Deal with civil disputes COUNTRY COURTS - Deal with 90% of civil cases - Judge sits alone - Family matters, divorce, property, money,.. HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE - Family division - Chancery Court division - deals with money - The Queen’s Bench division - contracts COURT OF APPEAL - odvolací súd - has 2 divisions, Criminal and Civil, led by the Lord Chief Justice and Master of the Rolls respectively - Criminal Division also hears af from the Crown Court - Civil Division hears appeals from the Country Courts and High Court of Justice BRITAIN VS SLOVAKIA MAJOR DIFFERENCES - Division of courts - Trial by jury - Justices of Peace - Solicitors (paperwork, solutions, koncipient) and Barristers (právny zástupca) W9: EDUCATION IN THE UK The 3 ‘Rs’: Reading, wRiting, aRithmetics

EDUCATION IN THE UK: - Divided into state and non-state schools - Compulsory from 5 to 18 (since 2015) - State schools are tuition-free & co-educational - Majority of students attend state schools - Small percentage of students go to public schools = private (also called independent) - Before 19th century, education was mainly private = through public schools & church - 1870 Elementary Education Act = introduced state primary education from 5 to 11 years; however secondary education remained private - 1902 Education Act  = introduced secondary state schools - 1944 Education Act = reorganized primary and secondary schools in England and Wales = education placed under Department of Education and Skills = administration of schools placed under Local Educational Authorities (LEA) = free education for 5 - 16 - 1988 Education Reform Act = introduced National Curriculum

- Core subjects of the curriculum: English language, Mathematics, Science - Foundation subjects: Technology, History, Geography, Music, Art, Physical Education, Modern foreign language NATIONAL CURRICULUM - introduced 4 Key Stages of education: Key Stage 1 – up to 7 years (infants) Key Stage 2 – 8 – 11 years (Juniors) Key Stage 3 – 12 – 14 years (pre GCSE) Key Stage 4 – 15 – 16years (preparation for GCSE)

- does not apply to independent schools, which may set their own curricula, but it ensures that state schools of all Local Education Authorities (LEA) have a common curriculum - was introduced to standardize the content taught across schools to enable assessment - 2008 Education and Skills Act = introduced mandatory education until 18 (applicable since 2015); updated Key Stages KEY STAGES (since 2005) Key Stage 1 = up to 7 years of age Key Stage 2 = 8 – 11 years Key Stage 3 = 12 – 14 years Key Stage 4 = 15 – 16 years Key Stage 5 = 17 – 18 years TYPES OF SCHOOLS State - Nursery - Primary School - Secondary School Non-state - Private Nursery - Preparatory - Public Schools + University TOP 10 UNIVERSITIES IN THE UK: 13/14 = University of Cambridge, College London, Imperial College London, U. of Oxford, U. of Edinburgh, King’s College London, University of Bristol, The University of Manchester, University of Glasgow, University of Birmingham SW9: EDUCATION BRITISH SYSTEM OF EDUCATION - is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments - In each country there are five stages of education: — early years, — Primary education, — Secondary education, — Further Education (FE) – not compulsory — and Higher Education (HE) - university - The law states that full time education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 (4 in Northern Ireland) and 16, the Compulsory School Age (CSA)

- BUT 2008 Education and Skills Act changes compulsory education until 18 (applicable since 2015) STATE SCHOOLS - 1944 Education Act introduced different types of schools for children of 11 – 15 years — Grammar Schools = ‘academically-oriented’; high quality schools, wide variety of subjects, qualify students for higher education — Secondary Modern School = ‘lower standard’; focus on practical abilities, qualify students for jobs in manufacturing & services; partially replaced by comprehensive schools — Comprehensive School = children in mixed-ability classes, does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, attended by 90 % of students INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS - fee-paying private schools - many also benefit from gifts and charitable endowments - governed by an elected board of governors - independent of many of the regulations and conditions  applicable to state-funded schools - do not have to follow the National Curriculum - around 2,500 independent schools in the UK — Prep (preparatory) schools = educate pupils up 13 years of age; ‘to prepare for public schools’

— Public schools = student selective, fee-paying independent (private) secondary schools,   = traditionally, they were all-male boarding schools = now most allow day pupils, and many have become either partially or fully co-educational = originally 7 = Charterhouse, Eton College, Harrow School, Rugby School, Shrewsbury School, Westminster School, and Winchester College ACADEMIC EXAMS — 11-plus exams = also called transfer test; taken at the age of 11-12 = exam administered in the last year of primary education = governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic selection

— GCSE = 15-16 years of age; uniform system of marks; — A-levels = at 18; only those who want to study at a university UNIVERSITIES - Admission through UCAS - Oxbridge - Old Scottish Universities - The early 19th century English Universities - ‘Redbrick’ Universities (older civic) - Campus Universities - Newer Civic Universities - Degrees: BA / BSc; MA / MSc; PhD. W10: RELIGION Religion in the UK - a complete religions freedom in Britain, no interference from the community or the State - the country is called a melting pot of religions - Several legal documents have granted relig. Tolerance - At present the number of regular church goers is decreasing HISTORY - Pre-Roman forms of religion in Britain included various forms of ancestor worship and paganism - Ireland converted to Christianity by St. Patrick in 432 AD - The Anglo-Saxon invasions briefly reintroduced paganism in the 5th and 6th centuries - AD 596 Anglo-Saxons in southern England converted to Christianity by St. Augustine. - AD 597 Canterbury founded as ecclesiastical capital - AD 664 Sword of Whitley (meeting) - resolved the disputes between Roman Christianity (southern Engl.) and Celtic Chris. (Ireland, Scotland, Wales). - all accepted Roman (Catholic) Christianity form of worship - At that time the church was already based on hierarchy and part of administration, government and law. - ROMAN CATHOLICISM remained the dominant form of Christ. Throughout the Middle Ages. - By 16th Cnt the relationship between England and Rome worsened - The break with Rome came when Pope Clement VII. refused, over a period of years, to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon - In 1534 the Act of Submission of the Clergy removed the right of all appeals to Rome, effectively ending the Pope’s influence - 1536 Act of Supremacy confirmed Henry by statue as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. - Consequently Henry VIII. dissolved many monasteries and confiscated church’s property - Despite separation from Rome, the Church of England under Henry VIII. Remained essentially Catholic rather than Protestant in nature - Under the rule of Edward VI. (1547 - 53) practices and beliefs became more Protestant (including translation and thorough revision of the liturgy along more Protestant lines) - Queen Mary, a Roman Catholic, re-established communion with Rome following her accession in 1553. - Elizabeth I. (1558) established Protestant status of the Church of England - The adherence to Rofnd would expand in Great Britain, partly due to Irish immigration in the 19th century. - from the mid 17th cnt, forms of Protestant nonconformity, including Congregationalists, Baptists, Quakers and, later, Methodists, grew outside of the established church. W10 S: RELIGION Religion in the UK - a majority of citizens identify as Christians - although regular church attendance has fallen dramatically since the middle of the 20th cnt. - immigration and demographic change have contributed to the growth of other faiths - Religions affiliations of UK citizens are recorded by regular surveys THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND - Established (national) state church in England - its most senior bishops and 2 archbishops sit in the national parliament (House of Lords) and the Queen is the governor of church (Supreme Governor of the Church of England) - separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 and became the established church, beginning a series of events known as the English Reformation - Professional head of the church is Archbishop of Canterbury - not founded by state - is also the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion - Lambeth Conference - 2 wings: 1. The High Church /Anglo-Catholic/ - 20% - stress on traditions and Roman Catholic origin 2. The Low Church /Evangelical/ - 80% - simplicity, literal translation of The Bible THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND - known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk - it is an established church in the sense that it is recognized as ‘'the Church’' in law BUT it is not a state church in the sense of being under the control of the state - 1560 John Knox = he considered that the Church of England had not moved sufficiently far from Roman Catholicism - Follows Calvinist tradition; Moderator (every single year there’s a new one) not influenced by politics FREE CHURCHES - Nonconformists Protestant churches which are not established like the Churches of England and Scotland - Sometimes called dissenters - No episcopal hierarchy - Include Methodists, Baptists, The Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventists, Quakers, United Reformed Church W11 L: MEDIA IN THE UK General division 1. The Press (Newspapers and Magazines) 2. Broadcasting (TV and Radio) 3. Internet NEWSPAPERS - the oldest continuously published newspaper in the UK, first published on 7 November 1665 as The Oxford Gazette (later The London Gazette) = newspaper of the Crown - 17th cnt = there were many kinds of publications that told both news and rumours (e.g. pamphlets, posters, ballads, news publications…) - The right to print was strictly controlled - 17th cnt newspapers = published at least once a week - The Civil War escalated the demand for news = many local / provincial newspapers established (1702 The London Courant - 1st London’s daily newspaper) - 18th cnt saw increased popularity and influence of newspapers = tax on newspapers imposed - Newspapers still mostly local, often short-lived and published mostly weekly = 1709 Tatler (journal published three times a week for two years) = 1711 The Spectator (daily publication, until 1712) - The News Letter is one of Northern Ireland’s main daily newspapers = the oldest English-language general daily newspaper still in publication in the world, first printed in 1737

- The Observer, first published in 1791, was the world’s first Sunday newspaper - 1821 The Sunday Times = mostly quality newspapers for small, educated market (upper and middle class) - Seren Gomer a Welsh language periodical founded in 1814, the first Welsh-language newspaper - 1855 The Daily telegraph - for middle class - 1896 Daily Mail - the first British paper to sell a million copies a day - 1903 Daily Mirror - for working class = 1st popular newspapers born for working class = inexpensive - 1911 Daily Herald - later The Sun - Nowadays = local and regional papers dominate the market (10 daily morning and 9 Sunday national papers) = Newspapers sales generally in decline POSSIBLE DIVISION OF NEWSPAPERS: - According to distribution: National / Local - According to content (topics covered): Quality / popular - to day they are published: Daily / Sunday / Evening - and possibly according to format: Broadsheet / Berliner / Compact MAGAZINES - Around 3 000 consumer magazines published in the UK - Best known Radio Times - Private Eye - satirical - Worldwide known weeklies include The Spectator, New Statesman, Economist or Hello! W11 S: MEDIA IN THE UK Quality papers (Broadsheets) - more credible - report political, financial and cultural national and international news - use more eloquent English, more written text than photos - more expensive - ‘’large-sheets'' OR Berliner format - E.g. The Times, The Guardian Popular papers (Tabloids) - less credible - report scandals, gossip - sensationalism - use large headlines, simple English, large photographs - cheaper - ‘’small-sheets'' - tabloid - e.g. The Sun, Daily Mirror OTHER DIVISIONS: - Local / Regional papers = circulate only in a region such as a city or a part of a large city - National papers = circulate throughout the whole country (The Times) - Daily papers = published Monday to Saturday, morning papers - Sunday papers = published only on Sundays, national, thicker (more sections, supplements), The Sunday Times - Evening papers TERMINOLOGY - Free newspapers - London Metro, financed by local advertising - License fee - payable by anyone who owns a TV set - PCC - The Press Complaints Commission - to guard the freedom and independence of the press, maintains the standards of journalism, judges complaints by the public - Spin doctor = media adviser (presents public image, mediálny poradca) - Sound bite = one liner = short, quotable statement well suited to a TV news program BROADCASTING RADIO - Dominated by the BBC - Many commercial local radio stations TELEVISION - 5 major national TV channels: BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 THE BBC - is a UK-based international public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London - the world’s oldest national broadcasting organization - the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees - established under a Royal Charter in 1922 - is funded by an annual television license fee - broadcasts in 28 languages

[anastpaul]

One Minute Reflection – 31 January – Thursday of the Third week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Gospel: Mark 4:21–25 and The Memorial of St John Bosco (1815-1888)

And he said to them, “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given, from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”…Mark 4:24–25

REFLECTION – “Brothers and sisters, the Lord’s scales are different from ours. He weighs people and their actions differently – God does not measure quantity but quality,   He examines the heart, He looks at the purity of intentions.   This means that our “giving” to God in prayer and to others in charity should always steer clear of ritualism and formalism, as well as of the logic of calculation and must be an expression of gratuity, as Jesus did with us – He saved us freely.   And we must do things as an expression of gratuity.”... Pope Francis – Angelus, 11 November 2018

PRAYER – We praise You, Lord, for calling St John Bosco to be a loving father and prudent guide of the young.   Give us his fervent zeal for souls and the graces You granted him, making him in a servant of all.   Enable us, O Lord, to live for You alone and to see in all, Your image.   For the more we give of ourselves in total love of You and Your children, the more You will shower down Your grace.   Grant we pray, that we may become a shining beacon of the salvation which comes to us in Christ.   Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever and ever, amen.

(via One Minute Reflection – 31 January - The measure with which you measure)

[dailybiblelessons]

Thursday: Preparation for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Roman Catholic Proper 27 Revised Common Lectionary Proper 22

Complementary Hebrew Scripture from the Former Prophets: 2 Kings 18:1-8, 28-36

There are parallel passages at 2 Chronicles 29:1-2, 2 Chronicles 31:1, 20-21, and 2 Chronicles 32:9-19.

In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the high places, broke down the pillars, and cut down the sacred pole. He broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it; it was called Nehushtan. He trusted in the Lord the God of Israel; so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following him but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; wherever he went, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He attacked the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree, and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey, that you may live and not die. Do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, The Lord will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered its land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.”

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture from the Latter Prophets: Jeremiah 52:1-11

There are parallel passages at 2 Kings 24:18-20, 25:1-21, 2 Chronicles 36:11-20, and Jeremiah 39:1-10.

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. Indeed, Jerusalem and Judah so angered the Lord that he expelled them from his presence.

Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and they laid siege to it; they built siegeworks against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine became so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city wall; and all the soldiers fled and went out from the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. They went in the direction of the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered, deserting him. Then they captured the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also killed all the officers of Judah at Riblah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.

Complementary Psalm 37:1-9

Do not fret because of the wicked;  do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass,  and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;  so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord,  and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;  trust in him, and he will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light,  and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;  do not fret over those who prosper in their way,  over those who carry out evil devices.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.  Do not fret—it leads only to evil. For the wicked shall be cut off,  but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Semi-continuous Canticle from The Writings: Lamentations 3:19-26

The thought of my affliction and my homelessness  is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it  and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind,  and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,  his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul.  “therefore I will hope in him.”

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,  to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly  for the salvation of the Lord.

New Testament Lesson: Revelation 2:8-11

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life:

“I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.¹”

¹In Matthew 20:18 Jesus warns that God can destroy both the body and the soul in hell. There is a vision in Revelation 20:12 that on the day of judgment all the dead will rise and evil ones will be thrown into a lake of fire to suffer a second death.

Year C Ordinary 27, Catholic Proper 27, RCL Proper 22: Thursday

Selections are from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Image Credit: The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer by Jean-Léon Gérôme via Wikimedia Commons. This is a public domain image.

[elizabethcariasa]

How the GOP tax reform plan could affect you (and me!)

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) get serious in discussing what Republicans say are the middle-class benefits in their latest proposal to rewrite the tax code. The most detailed plan yet was released Thursday, Nov. 2. (Screenshot of C-SPAN video; click image to watch clip.)

Remember that Capitol Hill adage that all politics is local? It can be easily shifted to tax reform.

Whether you're for or against a tax law change will depend in large part on how much it helps or hurt you. When it comes to the men and women who propose and/or make those changes, their votes will depend, in part, on how many of their voting constituents are helped or hurt. (And the K Street lobbyists' thoughts, but that's for another post.)

In announcing their bill today, a day later than they had planned, Republican leaders touted its savings for the mythical middle class.

The key number cited during the bill release press conference was $1,182. That's how much money average American families (again, whatever that is) will save under H.R. 1, which is officially titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Yes, they rejected Donald J. Trump's suggested Cut Cut Cut Act name. Sad.

Just how that $1,182 is achieved supposedly is detailed in the bill's 429 pages. Here are the highlights.

The current seven individual ordinary income tax brackets (10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent, 28 percent, 33 percent, 35 percent and 39.6 percent) are cut to four: 12 percent, 25 percent, 35 percent and 39.6 percent.

The GOP says an effective fifth bracket of 0 percent is created in the form of the enhanced standard deduction.

Those deductions, which now are based on which of the five filing statuses you fall into, would be increased to $24,000 for joint filers and surviving spouses and $12,000 for individual filers. Single filers with at least one qualifying child could claim a standard deduction of $18,000.

Yep, you read right. The bill collapses the current filing status choices for deduction purposes into basically two, with the head of household option notably gone.

Personal exemptions, which for 2017 is $4,050 per taxpayer, spouse and qualifying dependents would be eliminated. Don't freak, says the GOP. The personal exemption for the taxpayer and taxpayer's spouse is consolidated into the larger standard deduction, as is currently the case for 1040-EZ filers.

But what about the taxpayers' dependents and their exemptions? The current personal exemption for children and dependents are consolidated into an expanded child tax credit and a new family tax credit.

The child tax credit would go from the existing $1,000 per child younger than 17 to $1,600. H.R. 1 also calls for a tax credit of $300 for non-child dependents, such as an elderly parent who relies on the taxpayer's support.

In addition, a family flexibility credit of $300 would be allowed for each taxpayer (that includes each spouse who files a joint return) for a dependent who is neither a child nor a non-child dependent. This new family flexibility credit and the non-child dependent credit would be effective through 2022.

Most itemized and above-the-line deductions would be repealed. That means no more medical expenses or miscellaneous costs such as tax preparation fees or job hunting costs on Schedule A; gone as income adjustments are the student loan interest and moving expenses.

The deductions that would remain are:

Mortgage interest, but only for existing home loans. Home debt incurred after (for now) Nov. 2 would be allowed only for a principal residence loan of up to $500,000.

Property taxes paid on that home, but only up to $10,000 of the tax amount.

Charitable donations, which even will be enhanced. The mileage rate for charity-related driving, which has been set by law at 14 cents per mile, would be indexed for inflation.

Also gone are the credit for individuals older than 65 or who have retired on disability, the adoption credit, the tax credit associated with mortgage credit certificates, and the credit for plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.

And the dreaded Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) would be eliminated. This is one of the few provisions that's likely to have bipartisan support, as both Democratic and Republican members of Congress have hated this parallel income tax as much as individuals who must pay it.

The estate tax, usually referred to as the death tax by its opponents, would be gone by 2025. Until then, the exemption amount for estates will double to $11 million per person. That's almost double the current $5.49 million, which is slated due to inflation adjustments to go to $5.65 million in 2018.

Remaining untouched (for now) are workplace tax-deferred retirement plans, commonly known as 401(k) plans. This a relief to many of the account holders who were worried when lawmakers floated the idea of limiting 401(k) contributions or changing the tax-deferred plans to Roth accounts.

Also, Affordable Care Act taxes and enrollment/tax reporting/tax penalty requirements remain in place. Given the trouble the GOP-controlled House and Senate had in trying to repeal and replace Obamacare, there's no way they wanted to muck up tax reform with related health care provisions.

The application process for some refundable tax credits popular with middle- and lower-income taxpayer credits — refundable portion of the child tax credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) to help pay for college and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) — would be tightened in an effort to reduce the dreaded waste, fraud and abuse.

Timing tax break: Going back to our starting point of all taxes are personal, how much of these changes will affect you and to what extent.

I was relieved after glancing through the 429 pages of the bill and the accompanying section-by-section summary to see that most of the changes would not be retroactive. Most of them, per the legislative language, "shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017." 

That means we will close out 2017 under current tax law (and the tips I offered in yesterday's November Tax Moves item remain in place). I, my fellow taxpayers who've already made tax moves (and written blog posts) anticipating existing law to be in effect and the Internal Revenue Service thank you!

It also means that I'll get to use the medical expenses deduction and full value of my property and Texas state and local sales taxes before they possibly are cut from the Internal Revenue Code.

Compare and contrast: Then I pulled out my 2016 tax return. Judging from those numbers compared to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the hubby and I, who consider ourselves middle-class, will be paying more.

Last tax year, our effective tax rate was 21.75 percent. Under the Republican plan we'll be in the 25 percent tax bracket.

That will come down a bit once we calculate the taxes on income that's from capital gains, since those rates will remain at 15 percent for us and most other non-wealthy filers.

But the loss of state and local sales taxes and all our home's real estate taxes — yes, our property taxes in Texas are horrible, especially in urban areas where home values have grown, since we don't have a personal income tax — will cost us.

Right now, it looks like we won't pay a lot more, but contrary to White House and Republican leaders' promises, we consider ourselves middle class and we won't be seeing anywhere near that $1,182 in tax savings.

Of course, the plan released today could change yet again. But I suggest you pull out your most recent tax return, look at tax breaks you took then and see if they're in the proposed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Make your tax situation known: Then let your Representative and two Senators know what you think of it.

If you're unsure who that is or how to reach them, both chambers have online tools to help you. Check out House's Find Your Representative online tool and the Senate's directory that you can sort by state.

I've already sent messages to my members of Congress.

And in the coming days I'll be looking more closely at some of the key provisions in H.R. 1 as it wends its way through Congress.

You also might find these items of interest:

Getting personal with the GOP tax reform proposal

Tax reform is a top concern for small businesses

Expect tax reform fight to keep state and local deductions 

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[christophergill8]

How the GOP tax reform plan could affect you (and me!)

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) get serious in discussing what Republicans say are the middle-class benefits in their latest proposal to rewrite the tax code. The most detailed plan yet was released Thursday, Nov. 2. (Screenshot of C-SPAN video; click image to watch clip.)

Remember that Capitol Hill adage that all politics is local? It can be easily shifted to tax reform.

Whether you're for or against a tax law change will depend in large part on how much it helps or hurt you. When it comes to the men and women who propose and/or make those changes, their votes will depend, in part, on how many of their voting constituents are helped or hurt. (And the K Street lobbyists' thoughts, but that's for another post.)

In announcing their bill today, a day later than they had planned, Republican leaders touted its savings for the mythical middle class.

The key number cited during the bill release press conference was $1,182. That's how much money average American families (again, whatever that is) will save under H.R. 1, which is officially titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (yes, they rejected Donald J. Trump's suggested Cut Cut Cut Act name. Sad.).

Just how that $1,182 is achieved supposedly is detailed in the bill's 429 pages. Here are the highlights.

The current seven individual ordinary income tax brackets (10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent, 28 percent, 33 percent, 35 percent and 39.6 percent) are cut to four: 12 percent, 25 percent, 35 percent and 39.6 percent.

The GOP says an effective fifth bracket of 0 percent is created in the form of the enhanced standard deduction.

Those deductions, which now are based on which of the five filing statuses you fall into, would be increased to $24,000 for joint filers and surviving spouses and $12,000 for individual filers. Single filers with at least one qualifying child could claim a standard deduction of $18,000.

Yep, you read right. The bill collapses the current filing status choices for deduction purposes into basically two, with the head of household option notably gone.

Personal exemptions, which for 2017 is $4,050 per taxpayer, spouse and qualifying dependents would be eliminated. Don't freak, says the GOP. The personal exemption for the taxpayer and taxpayer's spouse is consolidated into the larger standard deduction, as is currently the case for 1040-EZ filers.

But what about the taxpayers' dependents and their exemptions? The current personal exemption for children and dependents are consolidated into an expanded child tax credit and a new family tax credit.

The child tax credit would go from the existing $1,000 per child younger than 17 to $1,600. H.R. 1 also calls for a tax credit of $300 for non-child dependents, such as an elderly parent who relies on the taxpayer's support.

In addition, a family flexibility credit of $300 would be allowed for each taxpayer (that includes each spouse who files a joint return) for a dependent who is neither a child nor a non-child dependent. This new family flexibility credit and the non-child dependent credit would be effective through 2022.

Most itemized and above-the-line deductions would be repealed. That means no more medical expenses or miscellaneous costs such as tax preparation fees or job hunting costs on Schedule A; gone as income adjustments are the student loan interest and moving expenses.

The deductions that would remain are:

Mortgage interest, but only for existing home loans. Home debt incurred after (for now) Nov. 2 would be allowed only for a principal residence loan of up to $500,000.

Property taxes paid on that home, but only up to $10,000 of the tax amount.

Charitable donations, which even will be enhanced. The mileage rate for charity-related driving, which has been set by law at 14 cents per mile, would be indexed for inflation.

Also gone are the credit for individuals older than 65 or who have retired on disability, the adoption credit, the tax credit associated with mortgage credit certificates, and the credit for plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.

And the dreaded Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) would be eliminated. This is one of the few provisions that's likely to have bipartisan support, as both Democratic and Republican members of Congress have hated this parallel income tax as much as individuals who must pay it.

The estate tax, usually referred to as the death tax by its opponents, would be gone by 2025. Until then, the exemption amount for estates will double to $11 million per person. That's almost double the current $5.49 million, which is slated due to inflation adjustments to go to $5.65 million in 2018.

Remaining untouched (for now) are workplace tax-deferred retirement plans, commonly known as 401(k) plans. This a relief to many of the account holders who were worried when lawmakers floated the idea of limiting 401(k) contributions or changing the tax-deferred plans to Roth accounts.

Also, Affordable Care Act taxes and enrollment/tax reporting/tax penalty requirements remain in place. Given the trouble the GOP-controlled House and Senate had in trying to repeal and replace Obamacare, there's no way they wanted to muck up tax reform with related health care provisions.

The application process for some refundable tax credits popular with middle- and lower-income taxpayer credits — refundable portion of the child tax credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) to help pay for college and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) — would be tightened in an effort to reduce the dreaded waste, fraud and abuse.

Timing tax break: Going back to our starting point of all taxes are personal, how much of these changes will affect you and to what extent.

I was relieved after glancing through the 429 pages of the bill and the accompanying section-by-section summary to see that most of the changes would not be retroactive. Most of them, per the legislative language, "shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017." 

That means we will close out 2017 under current tax law (and the tips I offered in yesterday's November Tax Moves item remain in place). I, my fellow taxpayers who've already made tax moves (and written blog posts) anticipating existing law to be in effect and the Internal Revenue Service thank you!

It also means that I'll get to use the medical expenses deduction and full value of my property and Texas state and local sales taxes before they possibly are cut from the Internal Revenue Code.

Compare and contrast: Then I pulled out my 2016 tax return. Judging from those numbers compared to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the hubby and I, who consider ourselves middle-class, will be paying more.

Last tax year, our effective tax rate was 21.75 percent. Under the Republican plan we'll be in the 25 percent tax bracket.

That will come down a bit once we calculate the taxes on income that's from capital gains, since those rates will remain at 15 percent for us and most other non-wealthy filers.

But the loss of state and local sales taxes and all our home's real estate taxes — yes, our property taxes in Texas are horrible, especially in urban areas where home values have grown, since we don't have a personal income tax — will cost us.

Right now, it looks like we won't pay a lot more, but contrary to White House and Republican leaders' promises, we consider ourselves middle class and we won't be seeing anywhere near that $1,182 in tax savings.

Of course, the plan released today could change yet again. But I suggest you pull out your most recent tax return, look at tax breaks you took then and see if they're in the proposed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Make your tax situation known: Then let your Representative and two Senators know what you think of it.

If you're unsure who that is or how to reach them, both chambers have online tools to help you. Check out House's Find Your Representative online tool and the Senate's directory that you can sort by state.

I've already sent messages to my members of Congress.

And in the coming days I'll be looking more closely at some of the key provisions in H.R. 1 as it wends its way through Congress.

You also might find these items of interest:

Getting personal with the GOP tax reform proposal

Tax reform is a top concern for small businesses

Expect tax reform fight to keep state and local deductions 

Advertisement // <![CDATA[ // &lt;![CDATA[ // &amp;lt;![CDATA[ // &amp;amp;lt;![CDATA[ // &amp;amp;amp;lt;![CDATA[ // &amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;![CDATA[ // &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;![CDATA[ // &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;![CDATA[ // &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;![CDATA[ (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); // ]]&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; // ]]&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; // ]]&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; // ]]&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; // ]]&amp;amp;amp;gt; // ]]&amp;amp;gt; // ]]&amp;gt; // ]]&gt; // ]]>

  from Tax News By Christopher http://www.dontmesswithtaxes.com/2017/11/how-the-gop-tax-reform-plan-could-affect-you-and-me.html

[anastpaul]

One Minute Reflection – 7 June – Thursday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Mark 12:28-34.

Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel!   The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.” …Mark 12:29-31

REFLECTION – “We cannot truly love God without loving our neighbour, nor can we truly love our neighbour, without loving God.   This is why… the Holy Spirit was given a second time to the disciples.   First it was given by the Lord, while He was still dwelling on earth and later, while He was watching over us in heaven (Jn 20:22; Acts 2).   He was given to us on earth, that we may love our neighbours, from heaven that we may love God.   Why first on earth and later from heaven, except for the reason, given us openly by John:  “How can anyone who does not love his brother whom he sees, love God whom he does not see?”   So let us love our neighbours, my friends, let us love the one who is near us, so that we may be able to attain the love of the one, who is above us.”…St Gregory the Great (c 540-604), Pope, Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel, no 30)

PRAYER – Lord Almighty God, You sanctify Your Church, by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Fulfil in us the words of Your Son that our love for You and Your children may be come to perfection.   Grant that by the prayers of St Anthony Mary Gianelli, who served You through his neighbour, with love and zeal, we too may attain our heavenly home. Through Christ our Lord, in union with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, amen.

(via One Minute Reflection – 7 June – Thursday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B)

[dailybiblelessons]

Thursday: Preparation for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Roman Catholic Proper 26 Revised Common Lectionary Proper 21

Complementary Hebrew Scripture from The Writings: Proverbs 22:2-16

The rich and the poor have this in common:  the Lord is the maker of them all. The clever see danger and hide;  but the simple go on, and suffer for it. The reward for humility and fear of the Lord  is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;  the cautious will keep far from them. Train children in the right way,  and when old, they will not stray. The rich rule over the poor,  and the borrower is the slave of the lender. Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,  and the rod of anger will fail. Those who are generous are blessed,  for they share their bread with the poor. Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out;  quarreling and abuse will cease. Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech  will have the king as a friend. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,  but he overthrows the words of the faithless. The lazy person says, “There is a lion outside!  I shall be killed in the streets!” The mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit;  he with whom the Lord is angry falls into it. Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy,  but the rod of discipline drives it far away. Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself,  and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture from the Latter Prophets: Jeremiah 23:9-22

Concerning the prophets: My heart is crushed within me,  all my bones shake; I have become like a drunkard,  like one overcome by wine, because of the Lord  and because of his holy words. For the land is full of adulterers;  because of the curse the land mourns,  and the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course has been evil,  and their might is not right. Both prophet and priest are ungodly;  even in my house I have found their wickedness,    says the Lord.

Therefore their way shall be to them  like slippery paths in the darkness,  into which they shall be driven and fall; for I will bring disaster upon them  in the year of their punishment,    says the Lord.

In the prophets of Samaria  I saw a disgusting thing: they prophesied by Baal  and led my people Israel astray.

But in the prophets of Jerusalem  I have seen a more shocking thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies;  they strengthen the hands of evildoers,  so that no one turns from wickedness; all of them have become like Sodom to me,  and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: “I am going to make them eat wormwood,  and give them poisoned water to drink; for from the prophets of Jerusalem  ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They keep saying to those who despise the word of the Lord, “It shall be well with you”; and to all who stubbornly follow their own stubborn hearts, they say, “No calamity shall come upon you.”

For who has stood in the council of the Lord  so as to see and to hear his word?  Who has given heed to his word so as to proclaim it? Look, the storm of the Lord!  Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest;  it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back  until he has executed and accomplished  the intents of his mind. In the latter days you will understand it clearly.

I did not send the prophets,  yet they ran; I did not speak to them,  yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council,  then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way,  and from the evil of their doings.

Complementary Psalm 146

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live;  I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

Do not put your trust in princes,  in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth;  on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,  whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth,  the sea, and all that is in them;¹ who keeps faith forever;  who executes justice for the oppressed;  who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;  the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;  the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers;  he upholds the orphan and the widow,  but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign forever,  your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!

¹This phrase is echoed in Acts 4:23-31, where the believers pray for boldness, in Acts 14:13-18, where Paul and Barnabas react to being worshipped, and in Revelation 10:1-7, which says the mystery of God will be revealed when the seventh angel blows his trumpet.

Semi-continuous Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,  who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;  my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler  and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions,  and under his wings you will find refuge;  his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night,  or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,  or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

Those who love me, I will deliver;  I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them;  I will be with them in trouble,  I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them,  and show them my salvation.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: 2 Corinthians 8:8-15

I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something—now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,

“The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.”¹

¹Exodus 16:18

Year C Ordinary 26, Catholic Proper 26, RCL Proper 21: Thursday

Selections are from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Image Credit: The Gathering of the Manna by James Tissot, via Wikimedia Commons. This is a public domain image.

[dailybiblelessons]

Thursday: Preparation for the Twenty-forth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Roman Catholic Proper 24 Revised Common Lectionary Proper 19

Complementary Hebrew Scripture from the Torah: Genesis 6:1-6

When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose. Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.

The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture from the Latter Prophets: Jeremiah 13:20-27

Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given you,  your beautiful flock? What will you say when they set as head over you  those whom you have trained to be your allies? Will not pangs take hold of you,  like those of a woman in labor? And if you say in your heart,  “Why have these things come upon me?” it is for the greatness of your iniquity  that your skirts are lifted up,  and you are violated. Can Ethiopians change their skin  or leopards their spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. I will scatter you like chaff  driven by the wind from the desert. This is your lot,  the portion I have measured out to you, says the Lord, because you have forgotten  me and trusted in lies. I myself will lift up your skirts over your face,  and your shame will be seen. I have seen your abominations,  your adulteries and neighings, your shameless prostitutions  on the hills of the countryside. Woe to you, O Jerusalem!  How long will it be  before you are made clean?

Complementary Psalm 51:1-10

Have mercy on me, O God,  according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy  blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,  and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,  and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned,  and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence  and blameless when you pass judgment.¹ Indeed, I was born guilty,  a sinner when my mother conceived me.

You desire truth in the inward being;  therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;  wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness;  let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins,  and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,  and put a new and right spirit within me.

¹This verse is quoted in Romans 3:4, a discussion about Jews and the Law.

Semi-continuous Psalm 14

Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;  there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind  to see if there are any who are wise,  who seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse;  there is no one who does good,  no, not one.¹ Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers  who eat up my people as they eat bread,  and do not call upon the Lord?

There they shall be in great terror,  for God is with the company of the righteous. You would confound the plans of the poor,  but the Lord is their refuge. O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!  When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,  Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.

¹This passage is quoted in Romans 3:10-12, where Paul argues that none is righteous.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: 1 Timothy 1:1-11

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy, my loyal child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach any different doctrine, and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith. But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions.

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. This means understanding that the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

Year C Ordinary 24, Catholic Proper 24, RCL Proper 19: Thursday

Selections are from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Footnotes in the Hebrew Scriptures that show where the passage is used in the Christian Scriptures are based on information from the The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) by David H. Stern, Copyright © 1998 and 2006 by David H. Stern, used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved worldwide. When text is taken from the CJB, the passage ends with (CJB) and this copyright notice applies. Image credit: 1 Timothy 1:5 text added by by Michael Gilbertson using Photoshop 31 August 2016 to a heart-shaped cloud image by Prof. Bizzaro, downloaded from Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0. The combined image may also be used under the CC 2.0 license; please credit The Lectionary Company.

[dailybiblelessons]

Thursday: Preparation for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Roman Catholic Proper 20 Revised Common Lectionary Proper 15

Complementary Hebrew Scripture from the Former Prophets: Joshua 7:1, 10-26

But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the devoted¹ things: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen upon your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I imposed on them. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their own belongings. Therefore the Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they turn their backs to their enemies, because they have become a thing devoted for destruction themselves. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. Proceed to sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “There are devoted things among you, O Israel; you will be unable to stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” In the morning therefore you shall come forward tribe by tribe. The tribe that the Lord takes shall come near by clans, the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households, and the household that the Lord takes shall come near one by one. And the one who is taken as having the devoted things shall be burned with fire, together with all that he has, for having transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and for having done an outrageous thing in Israel.’”

So Joshua rose early in the morning, and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken; and he brought near the clan of the Zerahites, family by family, and Zabdi was taken. And he brought near his household one by one, and Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” And Achan answered Joshua, “It is true; I am the one who sinned against the Lord God of Israel. This is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. They now lie hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. They took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites; and they spread them out before the Lord. Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, with the silver, the mantle, and the bar of gold, with his sons and daughters, with his oxen, donkeys, and sheep, and his tent and all that he had; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord is bringing trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him to death; they burned them with fire, cast stones on them, and raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore that place to this day is called the Valley of Achor.

1Devoted designates things separated and exclusively dedicated to God. The spoil of Jericho belonged solely to Yahweh. Israel met with defeat at Ai and thirty-six men were killed because Achan kept some of this spoil.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture Lesson from the Latter Prophets: Isaiah 2:5-11

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! For you have forsaken the ways of your people, O house of Jacob. Indeed they are full of diviners from the east and of soothsayers like the Philistines, and they clasp hands with foreigners. Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. And so people are humbled, and everyone is brought low— do not forgive them! Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty. The haughty eyes of people shall be brought low, and the pride of everyone shall be humbled; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Complementary Psalm 82

God has taken his place in the divine council;  in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly  and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the orphan;  maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy;  deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

They have neither knowledge nor understanding,  they walk around in darkness;  all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

I say, “You are gods,  children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,  and fall like any prince.”¹

Rise up, O God, judge the earth;  for all the nations belong to you!

¹Jesus quotes the first part of this verse in response to those who plan to stone him. The episode is in John 10:22-39.

Semi-continuous Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,  you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth  before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might,  and come to save us!

You brought a vine out of Egypt;  you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it;  it took deep root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shade,  the mighty cedars with its branches; it sent out its branches to the sea,  and its shoots to the River. Why then have you broken down its walls,  so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? The boar from the forest ravages it,  and all that move in the field feed on it.

Turn again, O God of hosts;  look down from heaven, and see;  have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted. They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down;  may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance. But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,  the one whom you made strong for yourself. Then we will never turn back from you; give us life,  and we will call on your name.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;  let your face shine, that we may be saved.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 10:26-31

For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy “on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”¹ And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”;² It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

¹Deuteronomy 32:35   ²Deuteronomy 32:36, Psalm 135:14

Year C Ordinary 20, Catholic Proper 20, RCL Proper 15, The Tenth Week After Pentecost: Thursday

Selections are from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Image Credit: Hebrews 10:31 created by Michael Gilbertson 3 August 2016 using Photoshop. Available under CC 2.5.