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monstrunderyourbed · 4 years

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Remembering

Today marks 19 years since a heinous act of hate performed in the name of a religion that preaches peace. It forever changed this country. In the wake of those horrible events, some people in the country rose to the occasion and showed the best American can be. Others showed the worst we could be. Unfortunately, the worst seems to come out in some people again and again and they use the memory of that trauma as an excuse. So, on this day of remembrance, I like to remember not just the tragedy and those that it spawned. Not just the act of terrorism and those of use who allowed the terrorists to win by sewing hate and distrust amongst ourselves. I like to remember the story of how a single act of grief and compassion 19 years ago, grew into something lasting and beautiful.

After the events of 9/11, the Reverend of my church (I wasn’t a member back then, but for simplicity sake I’ll call it my church) reached out to the local Mosque and asked if they’d be willing to join her congregation for a memorial service. They were very pleased to do it. The two communities came together to sing, weep, and pray. Together, they started to heal. Since that day, our church and the Mosque have maintained close ties. We have women’s and a men’s book clubs that meet together, women’s and girl’s basketball teams that play against each other, and once a year each hosts the other for a joint service in honor of love, hospitality, community, and acceptance.

After the 2016 elections, a Jewish temple in our community was badly vandalized. Their windows smashed, signs broken, and words and symbols of hate painted all over. Our church volunteered to help clean up and asked their friends at the Mosque if they’d be willing to help too. Of course, they said yes. Members from a Christian church in the area came too. A group of Unitarian Universalists (including Christians, Jews, Pagans, Humanists, Agnostics, Atheists, and whatnot; I know we’re a weird religion; just call us interfaith and go with it) joined together with Muslims, Christians, and Jews to clean up the aftermath of hate, to comfort and reassure each other. The Rabbi and the Minister of the Christian church found out about our church and the Mosque’s interfaith activities and decided they wanted a piece of that action. The Rabbi said the women of their community had an annual women’s retreat and perhaps the women from the Mosque and our church would like to join forces for that? The Minister said an interfaith girls basketball league was a great idea. Could they play too? The Christian church was mostly immigrants and first gen people. So much so, that their services are entirely in Spanish. They said hey, if you help teach some of our folks English, we’ll teach some of your folks Spanish. A year or so later, the four religious communities decided that they could do a charity effort together and began a “warm nights” program. During the winter, they take turns hosting local homeless folks who need shelter and a hot meal.

Two years ago, during service while Rev. Liz was hiving her sermon, someone walked in with a cellphone is his hand. To everyone’s surprise he walked straight up to Rev. Liz and interrupted her service to hand her the phone. She listened quietly for a moment, her face grave, and then said, “Tell me what you need.” Then after another moment, she nodded and said, “You got it. Hold tight.” Handing the phone back she stepped back up to the podium. Looking at her congregation she said, “ICE has camped out in front of the [Insert name of Christian Church]. They aren’t going into the church, but they’re waiting for service to end so they can arrest people as they come out. I’m going to end service now and ask any of you who are willing, to go over there with me. Bring your cell phones. Let’s make sure ICE knows that God, and the world, is watching them.” Just about the entire congregation went. Every hippie, Wiccan, Pagan, Ex-Catholic, and crunchie-granola mom said “not on my watch.” On the way they called their friends at the Temple and Mosque. They said that Allah and HaShem would be watching too. They would not stand by while their friends were frightened and trapped in their own house of worship. The UUs, the Muslims, and Jews descended on those ICE agents with cell phone cameras, congregants who were lawyers and social workers, decorated veterans, stern grandmothers, hijabis, wide-eyed children, trans, gay, straight, non-binary, and every color or type of human you can imagine.

These were our friends. They were part of our community. They belonged here.

Inside the church, people were in tears. Terrified. Outside their was a wall of people around the ICE agents. Not trapping them, but blocking their view of the doors and standing in between them and the path that most of the people would need to walk to get to their cars.

I am please to say that no one in that church was even questioned by ICE that day. They seemed to decide that it wasn’t worth the scene they’d make. After all, even their most conservative supporters might take issue with interfering with a church service.

This is what America should be. This is what it looks like to live up to the ideals we claim are ours. This is the America I want us to build. On the bedrock of grief and pain and hatred that terrorists put down in this country, I want to build a better America with healing and peace and love.

TLDR; After 9/11 a UU church, a Mosque, a Jewish Temple, and a Christian Church of primarily immigrants banded together to support eachother and their community. This is the opposite of what the terrorists wanted to have happen. So today, please don’t let the terrorists win again. Don’t let them make you spiteful and angry. Instead, remember that a tiny gesture of peace can help to build a bond that will change your community. It has in the past. It can again.

#9/11 #remember 9/11 #hope #Islam #Judaism #Christian #UU #unitarian universalists #ICE #immigration

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rotationalsymmetry · 4 years

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Hello! I hope you’re doing well. I saw your post about UUs and I myself am one as well! I was wondering if maybe you could explain some of the issues there are in UU congregations so I can better understand what’s going on. I can’t change much, but I’d like to know what can be improved and how I can better use my privilege. Thank you :)

Hi there. Thanks for reaching out. I think. Oof. Are you sure you want to ask this? I don’t have a really straightforward “here’s precisely what Unitarian Universalism needs to do to improve (broken down into concrete, realistic steps!)” I have a whole tangle of feelings and personal biases and incredibly subjective experiences. OK? All right. With that disclaimer out of the way. Eh, actually, more disclaimer: all institutions have problems. There are things that Unitarian Universalism does better than most other religious institutions. There’s a reason I was going off about what I like about UU before what I dislike. This is not saying that Unitarian Universalism is bad. OK?

Putting in a cut because this is long:

Unitarian Universalism has an ongoing, well-known problem around being kind of fuzzy around what it is and what it wants to be. Do we draw on multiple faiths, and if so what does that look like in practice? Are we Christianity lite? Are we basically a bunch of secular humanists who like to get together and sing sometimes? How far exactly does (or should) our tolerance stretch?

Unitarian Universalism has a whiteness issue and a class issue. Now, I’m white, so the race part isn’t mainly coming from my own experience. There’s something I’ve seen that sums it up well, but I can’t find it right now. Basically: there’s a bit of a tendency for UU’s to nominally want to more diverse congregations, but when a new person of color shows up, sometimes they get treated kind of...weirdly. Like they’re not one of us and not going to be.

a bit more on UU and race here: x

And, class wise, I was raised middle class, but I’ve been broke for an awful lot of my adulthood and a lot of the people I know in my generation (Millenials) are broke/struggling financially. So when the lead minister of my congregation made some random comment about having trouble attracting young people because church and brunch with friends are competing for the same time slot. I thought of a young adult in the congregation who was active in the youth group but couldn’t make it to Sunday worship because he had to work on Sundays. And the time one of my coworkers got a promotion at my workplace, and definitely she was competent and I don’t begrudge her getting it, but also she ended up working an awful lot of Sundays and that was very likely a factor in her getting the promotion. And I’d been trying to avoid pledge drive Sunday for years because it always, every time, made me feel like I wasn’t really welcome if I couldn’t contribute much financially, even when I was contributing a great deal of my time. This is subjective and it could mostly be an issue with my then congregation. But I don’t think it is.

While Unitarian Universalism likes to think of itself as trans friendly, and it’s certainly much friendlier than some denominations, sometimes it drops the ball. Here’s an apology for an article about trans people that centered a cis person’s perspective and had some other issues: x

Anecdotally, subjectively, etc: this is an issue across the board. Unitarian Universalism’ self-image and what the organization actually is has a substantial gap. I attended a few workshops at GA this year, and: on the surface, great! So many workshops on such great anti-oppressive topics! But...when I actually went to the workshops, it was unsatisfying. It felt very introduction-ish. Maybe that was on purpose. But...I was hoping for better.

Super anecdotally: UU’s tend to forget that disabled people exist. UU’s tend to not support disabled people and parents of disabled children.

Back to the “are we Christianity Lite?” thing. I dropped out of seminary. One part of thatwas this: x Another was that at the time (it’s apparently since changed) the MFC requirements (uh, this is getting a bit technical: congregations ordain ministers, but in practice fellowshipping is important as well, and that’s what the MFC does, basically it’s saying other UU ministers think you should be a UU minsiter) prioritized knowledge about Christianity and the Bible over knowledge of other religions, even though nominally Unitarian Universalism is not Christian and Christianity isn’t especially prioritized in our Six Sources. As someone who is not Christian and didn’t expect my future ministry to involve a lot of Bible talk and really didn’t think prioritizing knowledge of the Bible among our religious leaders was good for the denomination as a whole, this bothered me. A lot. (For what it’s worth, most Starr King classes were actually really good at not doing this.) (The classes that did, though, made me want to tear my hair out. And made me wonder if this denomination I was studying to be a minister in, was the same as the denomination I’d participated in as a lay person for years.)

This is hard to put into words. But: sometimes people will say they believe a thing, but their follow-through is bad. Or they say one thing but act another way -- not because they’re lying, but because what they believe on the surface hasn’t been fully internalized. This is, anecdotally etc, a really common issue in Unitarian Universalism.

More super anecdotal etc: UU’s need to break the habit of seeing RE as daycare, and worship services that involve kids as being about showing off the kids to the adults. I took a quick look at you and it says you’re 18, so if you grew up UU you probably have your own opinions on this. But...sometimes the adult congregation and the kids’/youth programs are entirely separate worlds, and that’s not healthy for congregations.

YMMV: I’m not a huge fan of approaches to worship that involve sitting passively for most of the service. If the worship is going to be the same whether you’re there or not, why bother showing up? (Obviously some congregations are more like this than others, and apparently some people like the “lecture and a concert” format?? I’m not one of them.)

Basically, I think UU’s need to work on connection more and mutual support of each other more. While I approve of the social justice focus of course, social justice starts at home. You need to support the people who are actually in your congregation. I moved a year and a half ago, and haven’t joined my local congregation. Why? Because my illness makes it almost impossible to go anywhere in the mornings, and while they livestreamed each worship service, before the pandemic (presumably it’s all zoom worship now), there was zero effort to actually include anyone watching the livestream. Not so much as a PDF of the order of service. No verbal acknowledgement that some people aren’t present in the room. Nothing. (Side note: I tried one worship service at a “normal” congregation after the pandemic started, and all the mourning of not being able to be together in person was extremely frustrating to me, since I hadn’t been able to attend in person worship before the pandemic either. No one was thinking of people like me, and it was really, really obvious. I’ve since joined Church of the Larger Fellowship.) You say you want to use your privilege. That’s great! Some thoughts.

Trans people: How’s your congregation on pronouns? If your congregation uses nametags, can you push to normalize people putting their pronouns on nametags? What’s the bathroom situation: is it clear that trans women (whether you currently have any trans women in your congregation or not) can use the women’s bathroom? Is there a unisex bathroom that non-binary people and binary people who don’t feel safe using “their” bathroom can use? Also: a lot of older people weren’t raised with this and never really caught up, (and tbf some young people are ignorant too) so there’s a need for some trans 101 education.

Disability: for zoom worship, is there closed captioning for people who have hearing impairments or language processing issues? For live worship, what’s being done to make sure deaf and hard of hearing people are included? What’s being done for blind people (eg, electronic copies of the order of service being available for people who are blind but have screen readers?) For people who just have a little trouble seeing, are there large-print orders of service? What about the agendas for committee meetings and so on? This doesn’t have a quick fix, but are there places in your congregation that can’t be reached in a wheelchair? What about the chancel? (ie that area that the minister and whoever else is leading worship is speaking from?) Is there a wheelchair-accessible entrance that’s open during worship but closed during other programming?

How’s ministry to people who are sick or injured or just too old to get out much? And: is that support available to newer or prospective members, or only people who contributed to the congregation first? How available is information on how to get that kind of support: is it a thing where only some people are in the know, or is there outreach?

Are there unspoken rules about who’s the “right kind” of person to be in the congregation and who isn’t?

Sexual harassment, abuse, etc: is there a clear way to report sexual harassment? Does everyone know what it is? Does the congregation have a policy for what happens if a congregant is accused of sexual abuse? If a minister is? What's the congregation’s child abuse prevention policy? Do the people who work/volunteer with kids know what to do if a child or teen reports abuse to them? Are they screened in any way?

What accommodations does RE make for special needs children? If a child needs one on one assistance, does the RE program force the parent to provide that assistance if the child is to be part of the program?

What’s the policy on support animals? (these days: what’s the policy on emotional support animals?) How are the needs of people with allergies or other issues with dogs etc, balanced with the needs of people who benefit from support animals? (This can be tricky, I’m not saying there’s a clear right/wrong here, but it’s something that can make a congregation inaccessible.)

I don’t know the details on this, but I know sensory issues can be a problem for some people, eg flickering overhead lights. Scents can be an issue for some people, one possible solution is to have part of the sanctuary marked scent-free, dunno how well that plays out in practice.)

Representation: who’s speaking up during worship, and what are they speaking about? Something to be aware of.

Us/Them language: especially relevant if you’re speaking to the congregation during worship, but important in casual coffee hour chat too: who’s “us” and who’s “them”? Do people in your congregation tend to talk about, say, people below the poverty line as “them”? Homeless people? Black people? Immigrants?

Finding ways of making small talk that aren’t “what do you do for a living?”

I haven’t said anything about racism yet; a lot of congregations have some sort of anti-racist discussion group or something? Those things are good; there’s only so much they do by themselves, but as part of a larger whole, they’re important. Also, presence at Black Lives Matter protests, putting up a Black Lives Matter banner or sign if your congregation hasn’t done that, stuff like that.

Oh, culture and music and stuff. What kind of music gets played. Congregations that have made a specific attempt to be multiracial often find it’s necessary to do a lot of hashing out of what the music is going to be like.

And there’s a representation aspect to who gets quoted.

Small Group Ministry/Covenant groups: my former congregation liked to ask what your demographic info is and then split things up for “diversity” purposes. This is actually a really bad idea. In a congregation that’s mostly white, it means that often the non-white people end up being the only non-white person in their groups. Great for white people who want to “experience diversity”, but not so great for actual poc. My congregation had enough queer people that it wasn’t one queer person per group, but I could see that maybe happening in other places. And I think it did tend to separate out trans people into separate groups.

Cultural appropriation/cultural misappropriation: uff. I think some people go off the deep end on this. But, some things to consider. If the congregation is doing something to celebrate a Jewish holiday, is it run by someone who is Jewish or is of Jewish heritage? Stuff like that. Sometimes Unitarian Universalists’ desire to be all multicultural and interfaith and stuff, leaves out important things like “is this part of the culture that it’s ok for outsiders to share?” and “are we actually in relationship with this group of people?” And “are we cherry picking messages from sacred texts that we like, and leaving out the stuff we don’t like, when it’s not our sacred text and we don’t have enough context to do that respectfully?” x for overview and in more detail x

Also RE: is this Native American story one that it’s actually OK for us to tell? I’m not necessarily suggesting you go over what other people are doing, but if you’re teaching RE yourself, you get a say in what you teach.

If you happen to be a UU pagan or there’s a CUUPS group at your congregation that you sometimes participate in, there’s kind of a ton of work about untangling cultural appropriation in specifically pagan spaces, honestly I don’t know where to start with that. Don’t put that on yourself if you’re not part of that kind of group though, focus on groups you are part of.

Land acknowledgements.

Oftentimes if someone brings up an issue that requires work to change it, especially a younger person, the people who get stuff done are going to be, “ok, that sounds like work, we’ve already got a ton on our plate so are you going to do it?” So, if you offer to do some of the work of running the congregation, you’ll be in a better place to implement these sorts of changes. (I know a lot of times older adults don’t want to trust young adults with responsibility, so it might take some time to earn trust.) But also some are things you can just do: like you can say your pronouns every time you introduce yourself or put your pronouns on disposable nametags, if you’re comfortable with it.

General advice: you don’t have to (and shouldn’t try to) change everything at once. Be aware of a lot of things and be willing to be a “follower” on a lot of things. Signing petitions, saying “yes, that sounds like a good idea,” stuff like that. Be a leader on a small, manageable number of things. Maybe see what other people in your congregation are already doing that seems like a step in the right direction, and see how you can support that. Some of what UU’s are already doing is already really good, and most likely there’s already people around you who want Unitarian Universalism to act in closer alignment with its ideals.

#long post #unitarian universalism #whining #bolding for readability #italics for emphasis #ask box

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britishhumanistassociation · 4 years

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In these unprecedented times, the values of humanism have never been more needed. This week, we've launched two initiatives in response to the current COVID-19 crisis: 'Humanists UK Community Response' and 'Humanism At Home'. Humanists UK Community Response represents our work to contribute to the national effort on coronavirus through our networks of volunteers, our members, and our pastoral carers and funeral celebrants (who have been designated key workers by the government). Through all our communications with members in this period, we'll be doing everything we can to direct humanists to national schemes like Age UK's befriending scheme, the Red Cross volunteer reserves, local COVID-19 Mutual Aid Groups, and important food and sanitary product donation schemes like those of Fareshare, Beauty Bank, and Little Village. #HumanistsHereToHelp https://ift.tt/2UFI4Np

#Humanism #humanist #atheism #atheist #BHA #British Humanist Association #agnosticism #secularism

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skyler10fic · 5 years

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Where to Meet Potential Friends

A week or so ago we made a list of places we could potentially meet new people who would possibly make good irl friends. Compiled from Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and personal research/experience, here is the final list. Not all of these work for all people (duh), just some ideas to get the ol’ brain working when you’re feeling lonely and need to get out of your home. These are sort of ranked in order of most to least obvious, but mostly just because I started with the first ones that came to me.

1. Bars, especially sports watching or trivia nights or mixer/networking events

2. Stores, though be careful because half of the respondents said they would love to strike up a conversation in line or in the aisles and the other half said no, that would be the wrong timing, so read social cues if you can.

3. Restaurants/cafes, even waiting for carryout in the same area

4. Sports/fitness classes

5. Community activities (check with your local FB pages and rec centers)

6. Comic cons

7. Concerts

8. Sporting events

9. Museums (especially events!)

10. Libraries (see above)

11. Open mic nights/karaoke

12. Language classes

13. Art classes

14. Any kind of class, really, but these can get expensive so pick one that fits your budget

15. Waiting rooms/lobbies for not serious things (probably not doctors or lawyers’ offices, but picking kids up from the YMCA or waiting on a tire to be changed or something would be good)

16. LGBT+ centers, queer meetup groups, Pride events

17. Online! I love all y’all.

18. Asking for help from people who are knowledgeable about that thing (directions, recommendations, how-tos)

19. Through other friends

20. Nature walks and trips through MeetUp groups or local parks or museums. Check with your local parks district or other nature organizations. Sometimes more involved hikes or trips or classes will be advertised through outdoors stores.

21. Medieval faires, LARPing, Dungeons and Dragons… whatever your interests are

22. Writing groups

23. Traveling

24. Nail salons, hair salons, spas

25. Book stores/comic book stores

26. MeetUp.com groups

27. Board game groups

28. Volunteering or joining a service organization

29. Knitting groups, scrapbooking, whatever your hobby is.

30. Religious organizations (even if you aren’t into a traditional-style service, there are small groups and dinner groups and activist meetings and mom clubs and singles nights and nonprofit work and many other styles of religiously affiliated involvement, including non-religious but broadly in the same category agnostic/atheist/humanist organizations)

31. Extensions, usually run out of a local ag program or land grant university in the US, with a focus on 4-H clubs, gardening, land management, etc.

32. Professional development workshops, conventions, and conferences

33. Animals, domestic: dog parks, walks around the neighborhood, cat cafes, volunteering at shelters, adoption drives

34. Animals, wild: visiting zoos, aquariums, and nature preserves, volunteering, bird watching groups

35. Activism and advocacy groups

Thank you to all who contributed and please reblog this and add more not already mentioned above.

#where to meet people #friends #friendship #please add more #the goal was 50 but I ran out of ideas

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illogicalword-blog · 6 years

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Religion and Secular Injustice

I've lived in the state of Arizona most of my life. Sometimes, I'm really proud of that. For instance, we just elected Kyrsten Sinema to the US Senate. Not only is she the first Democratic senator elected from Arizona since the eighties, she's the first openly bisexual member of Congress and the second LGBT member of Congress.

But last Monday, February 11, 2019, something happened in the Arizona state legislature that makes me ashamed of this state. Representative Athena Salman delivered the morning invocation that day. Representative Salman is nonreligious, and delivered a secular prayer inviting all present to ponder the "wonders of the universe" and the interdependence of the earth, how insignificant we are in the grandeur and size of that same universe. She asked, in a secular way, if we could fathom what it takes to support the many types of lifeforms on this little planet in this out-of-the-way corner of the galaxy.

There was a response to this invocation. Representative John Kavanagh has sixty-eight years to Representative Salman's twenty-nine or thirty, a booming voice, and a good ol' boy's mannerisms. He invited his "guest:" God. For God was in the gallery with them, "as he is everywhere." It was rude, it was snarky, it was demeaning. It sounded like it was meant to be.

But Representative Salman did not let it lie. The next day, with a group of supporters behind her, she quoted a number of ways Representative Kavanagh had displayed "behavior unbecoming of a member" of the House. That day, the reason, perhaps, that Salman was delivering the invocation, was Secular Day, and members of the Secular Coalition for Arizona were in the gallery. This was likely the reason for Kavanagh's rebuttal to the invocation devoid of a traditional deity. He sent an emailed response to the Phoenix New Times that expressed no regrets, calling what he said a "friendly counterpoint to Representative Salman's hijacking of the prayer." He added, "I felt it proper to restore God to the prayer, which is the purpose of the prayer."

I invite you to view Representative Salman's invocation, Kavanagh's "friendly counterpoint," and her rebuttal the following day on the YouTube channel secularcoalition. It was how this actually came to my attention, bad local politics follower that I am. Let me know how friendly you think Representative Kavanagh sounds.

I have to admit, I have a lot of admiration for open atheists and secularists like Athena Salman in politics. I've heard it said before that being an atheist in politics is committing career suicide, but she's been reelected more than once. This isn't the first controversy that's come up over her invocation, either. In 2017, the House took her to task for delivering one that wasn't religious enough. No, really.

I found an article about that on Arizona Central, and the House required by policy for the invocation to invoke a higher power. The House Majority Leader, John Allen, had suggested that if the lawmaker making the invocation had no interest in a higher power they should "ask the members to focus on theirs."

At this point you might be asking, as I was, why in the hell there's a prayer before a legislative meeting anyway? I've never watched one, I should point out. But apparently this is a common occurrence in every single state (at some point in the proceeding) and even at the federal level. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "The constitutionality of legislative prayer was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1983. In its decision on Marsh, Nebraska, State Treasurer, et al V. Chambers, the court ruled that Congress and state legislatures do not violate the U.S. Constitution's separation of church and state even when clergy are paid to lead devotionals." So apparently that case was more about the payment than the secularism, but Chief Justice Warren Burger went on to say that prayer during these legislative proceedings is not "an establishment of religion or a step toward establishment; it is simply a tolerable acknowledgment or beliefs." Again, no mention of lack of beliefs.

Evidently, this use is part of the pomp and circumstance of legislation, part of the ceremony of the proceedings, and while it may be unnecessary, it goes all the way back to the British Parliament, preceding the creation of the United States of America. I might point out that the British government is distinctly religious (in theory), with the monarch being the head of the Church of England, while the United States is designed to be the opposite. But perhaps I shall leave that for another day.

Representative Salman brought up several arguments for why Representative Kavanagh's behavior was unbecoming of a member of the House. Let's take a thorough look at each of those in turn.

First, she brought up the Arizona Constitution, Article Twenty, Section One. This reads, in full, "Perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured to every inhabitant of this state, and no inhabitant of this state shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship, or lack of the same." The Arizona Constitution was ratified in 1912, when Arizona became a state. Other subjects of section twenty include a banning of polygamy and a requirement of state officials to read, write and speak in English. It determined which lands were public lands, which were Native American lands, where the state capital was located, and which lands belonged to the state.

The point is, the very first section established not only religious freedom, but freedom for "the lack thereof." And yet Representative Salman was publicly shamed for offering a secular invocation on a secular day with a secular group in attendance.

The second point she offered was the Supreme Court ruling in 2014 of the Town of Greece vs. Galloway. This ruling involved a town that had similar invocations in their meetings, but the town was largely dominated by one religious denomination. The ruling determined that volunteer chaplains could open each session with a prayer. Now, Jewish and atheist women who had filed suit were disappointed by this ruling, as were secular groups. Ultimately, though, this comes down to what is a prayer? We already know what Arizona thinks a prayer is. Cough, cough, higher power, cough.

That being said, Representative Salman pointed out a passage in it that "prohibits the disparaging of other faiths or none." Moreover, one of the constitutional prescriptions for the prayer is that "The body may not dictate what is in the prayers and what may not be in the prayers." That kind of suggests Arizona can't say that it needs a higher power, though I'll admit the prescription goes on to say, "A prayer may invoke the deity or deities of a given faith, and need not embrace the beliefs of multiple or all faiths" and says nothing and a prayer invoking no deity at all.

Let us briefly consult our friends at Merriam-Webster, since I have no subscription to the Oxford dictionary. While the first definition of prayer is "(1) : an address (such as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought, (2) a set order of words used in praying," the second part of the definition is only "an earnest request or wish."

Representative Salman's next point turned to the Arizona Supreme Court of Appeals and Cochise County 1982. The court stated in that treatise "We cannot imagine that the Legislature would give preferential treatment to one religion over another because one is perhaps more established and thus more acceptable than another." For the record, this appeal had to do with a family of Christian Scientists whose children had been taken away after one had died due to not receiving necessary medical treatment. And in defense of my state, who it seems decided there was no abuse other than the lack of medical treatment and was awarding the children back to the parents, they also referenced the case of Prince vs. Massachusetts, stating, "Parents may be free to become martyrs themselves. But it does not follow they are free, in identical circumstances, to make martyrs of their children." This suggests they were still going to have people follow up on whether the children were receiving medical treatment if they were in need of it. I hope.

Arizona is a peculiar state. It leans conservative, despite being surrounded by liberal states. This is because the largest population center, the Phoenix metropolitan area, leans conservative while many of the other populations centers such as Tucson and Flagstaff lean liberal. And Sedona. Whacky, whacky Sedona. According to pewforum.org, Arizona is 67% Christian, with 21% Catholic, 26% Evangelical Protestant, and 5% Mormon. And yet 27% are Unaffiliated. Looking at the United States, 70.6% are Christian and 22.8% are Unaffiliated—with another 15.8% being nothing in particular. So by that logic, there should be 38 Senators who are not religious, and 165 members of the House of Representatives. Or at least who are nothing in particular. In reality? There is one. Representative Jared Huffman of California. In 2017, Representative Huffman gave an interview with the Washington Post didn't say he was an atheist, but did say he was a non-religious humanist. He is quoted as saying "I suppose you could say I don't believe in God."

He was reelected in 2018. Thank you, California. Few other states would have done it.

Even more interestingly, in seven states—eight, if you count an ambiguous line in Pennsylvania's state Constitution—it is still on the books that you must believe in a god to hold public office. This despite the 1961 Supreme Court ruling of Torcaso v. Watkins in which the Justices ruled unanimously that it was unconstitutional for the notary public in question, Roy Torcaso, to be submitted to any kind of religious test upon being appointed to office. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states, and has stated from the beginning, "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." This supersedes the line in the Constitution of Maryland—which, I might add, is still there today—where "a declaration of belief in the existence of God" is necessary for somebody to take public office. For the record, the next time a referendum can be held in Maryland to discuss modernizing their Constitution is 2020. People of Maryland, I urge you to let your voices be heard!

Religion is a divisive subject for people. I don't understand how people can be so offended when they feel their religion is being belittled, and yet treat people who profess to believe in no religion in the same way. For many, choosing not to believe in a god is a logical conclusion after study, questioning, and learning. It's not something we choose so Christians can mock us or preach to us—or both at the same time.

The original prayer that brought Representative Salman up in the news—you know, the one that wasn't religious enough—was as follows:

Take a moment to look around you at the people gathered here today. We come from a variety of backgrounds and interests, but the passion that ignites us; the fire that burns within us; is similar. We all seek to form "a more perfect union," creating change from an abiding passion to improve the lives of the humans of this city. There is wonder in that. More importantly, though, there is unity. In a nation often eager to be polarized in its views, allow us in this moment to recognize what we have in common: A deep-seated need to help create a more just and positive world. As we speak today, remember that commonality. Remember the humanity that resides within each and every person here, and each and every person in the city, and in all people in the nation and world as a whole. In the words of former President of Illinois Wesleyan University Minor Meyers, Jr., "Go forth and do well, but even more, go forth and do good."

But remember. Don't just take my word for it. Learn everything. Question everything.

#positive atheism #kyrsten sinema #congress #discrimination #humanism

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anurean99 · 3 years

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Americans Are Terrorists

I wish police could do their jobs. It would be nice to be home. However, the establishment has employed felons to sit on their asses and continue to consume our time and resources which could be better spent sending everyone home. When police are unable to finalize reports and speak to me: I do request authorities kill whomever is standing between myself and they. Especially when charges of treason and terrorism are at play. If police are the authority, than police are the authority.

I do insist of this actually.

I was kidnapped a decade ago.

I am not yet home. Random dipshits kicked out of the house by their mommies are illegally camping, smoking reefer & methamphetamines outside. They're forming gangs, erecting structures out of trash dug from the dumpsters, robbing houses, raping women, and being dickheads.

I prefer paliperidone, risperdol, cogentin, & lithium.

I prefer when the authority are called Gestapo.

I prefer a society that thinks as one as well as with a group mind.

I prefer a perfectly harmonious environment. When perfectly chaotic, I prefer cannibalism as the answer to all my social, civil, and legal problems if any.

I prefer a society that is perfectly Racist, Humanist, Nazi & Fascist.

I find Christian Services, Charity, Drugs, Social Services to be completely offensive, oppresive, and bad for society.

If Christianity is law, then it is law. However I prefer to continue praising Satan. By Satan I mean a tribe of Luciferian peoples known to cannibalize man and mankind and persons who eat pork. They're sort of like a Seik.

I need to remind my readers: they are disinvited from my life. I also have federal restraining orders against any fans I might develop. It comes with owning stock in BMG.

Ms. Mathews is my assigned manager. She's in prison for the bombing of Disneyland.

She purchased the nuclear warheads that demolished the place.

They opened fire because homosexuals where kidnapping people.

I will publicly endorse cannibalism and wanton murder before I will the consumption of pork or sodomy.

Cannibalism depletes many of the problems we have in society among liberal minded persons, repeat offenders, drug cases, prostitution rings, and gang units.

I understand one of the staff is a friend of the sodomous white trash bisexual pussy licking pork pushing felon known as Karen Björk/Bankenship.

So...

That's sort of 200 felonies that need slapped on the names of all the new recruits working as day staff. You know, the sodomous hookers who fancy themselves to be either government or authority. Since they condone sodomy: may we bend them over a toilet & spend a few hours with all the guys buttfucking them with the police?

Do remember, the ways in which we are all FTP is that we put out. Well, maybe that's just me.

My ex was Military Police, served in Kosovo.

I have most of my military exes drafted & stationed in the area. It pads their retirement.

I think it would build comradery between the street people and local authority to bend my social service employees & the random slobs wearing gang colors over a bathroom stall with all 50 of the bums and maybe 10 police.

When may my family from California visit? They're being scheduled for early release. A friend of a friend owns the lions share of Disney West. They seemed to have bombed Disneyland. It seems they need volunteers to paint the walls and such. If there's anyone on foodstamps who can help, they might let someone pitch a tent there. Here, its perfectly unwelcomed to pitch a tent, dig in the trash, and build the area into a toxic biological hazard zone. Its perfectly unacceptable to leave dead rats near the water or invite them to the space by bringing your pet rats to the house after your mom kicked your ass out of the house.

Me? I'm done with that scene.

I'm done with this one too.

I would rather go back to Portland and continue to mutate and/or testify against Karen Björk aka Karen Blankenship.

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bersonwriter · 6 years

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Uchideshi at Integral Dojo, in the city of Tel Aviv, Israel, Middle East. Month 1 of 2 / May-June 2018

I think it’s time to write again.

If any of you have been visiting this blog/site from time-to-time to see if I’d posted, and seen that I had not, I’m sorry about that. A lot has been happening and up until the last few days, I’ve had fairly low-energy and have been sort of exhausted, or at least fairly worn out, most of the time, In fact, I haven’t really felt that good for the most part the last couple of weeks. There’s a shift happening though in my time here for the better, and I’m starting to feel it again. And so, I thought I’d use this new energy and spirit to return to the internet and write my time here.

Being an “uchi deshi”, which like I said last time is a Japanese term for “ inside student,” or “live-in student,” is hard. The following is written about it on the website for the place I am living and studying in and through my time here.

“As an uchi deshi you are making a greater commitment to a developmental life through Aikido and related practices, in a full time, total emersion environment. This residential apprenticeship program is designed to develop your Aikido and deepen your understanding of the art.”

“If you think you are ready to immerse yourself in the art of Integral Aikido and walk the path of practice, embodiment, and meditation, then you are welcome to apply to our uchi deshi program, and come to train and live with us in the Integral Dojo, in Tel-Aviv.”

It is basically 2x a day classes 6 days a week, with one class only on Friday the exception, and no class on Saturdays. It’s hard. Sometimes it’s been amazing and focused and other times I’ve felt like resting or reading a book or taking a break. And to be straight, he has been open to me missing a class if something comes up or I need it, as long as I’m also communicating about it. There’s also the ongoing maintenance and cleaning of the dojo, somethings daily and others weekly. Like I said, it’s not easy. That being said, it is very, very much worth it. I still know I am exactly where I want to be right now in life.

Part of that has to do with the last few days and meeting some people and a local community space, that has group dinners and workshops and yoga classes and music events. And its not far from where I live, maybe 10-15 minute walk from here. I want to know some of the people more, I really like some of them. I’ve really liked the people I practice/train with here at dojo too, but I haven’t really spent time with them outside of that environment. These people are also committed to well-being, connection, and embodying a sort of humanistic and even loving intention (to try and use a few terms that might describe the sort of ethos or spirit of the people I seem to connect to most in a depth-way). And they’re almost all Israeli. And, on of them is a Scot.

That was fucking brilliant. I’ll write more about that later, but I met a guy from Glasgow, 35 and living here in Israel for a few years, a Jew but most definitely Scottish. I wasn’t expected that. I’m still trying to figure out how making it to the UK is going to work and what will happen there. It was sort of synchronicitious (word? of a synchronicistic quality) to meet a Scottish person here. And he’s a climber. And does yoga, too. And after a night learned about “Pele”, the community space and learning how to become a volunteer which I think I’ll do for the rest of my time here, I found out he used to do Aikido too. We’re exchanged contact information and he said when/if I make it to Scotland, I can stay with his “mum” (as they say in that part of the world) for dinner if want a place to go. I think we’ll be meeting up again soon... I’ve always wanted to know a Scot, and I’m looks like that is happening which is really something.

Okay, this isn’t going to be as uber-long as the last one. The frequency of these writings seem to not be happening as much as I thought, but I want to try and keep to the lengths. I know people are interested in following this, but I also want to make it work with people’s limited time, not against it. And so I’m going to take a minute to sit here in front of my laptop, close my eyes, breathe... and be with the where I’m at and how the last month has been here. Then I’m going to open them, and like I did last post/entry, start writing out some images and moments of the last 4 weeks in this city and what I’ve seen and experienced here. And then I’ll finish it off, and you can all go back to living your lives. Which, I hope, is going alright, wherever you are and whatever it is your experiencing. All of it.

Okay. I’ll start with what just happened, as it does about if not everyday in the mornings, and go from there:

A man yelling outside my window coming from the garage body shop down below, which seems to be happen at exactly 9am throughout the week, who’s words are still unintelligible to me. Something like “bira shratav hestratif! Behema destrev asafif!” Again, not that but maybe close to it. Its muffled and not that clear, but I can’t make out any Hebrew words I know. If anything it sounds more Arabic. Who knows.

Walking down through the neighborhoods of Montefiore, the area of Tel Aviv I live in here. Loud and noisy filled streets or honking and buses are not too far away to one side, the main Ayalon highway (route 20) a few streets to the other side, but here it’s relatively quiet and nice. Residential apartment buildings alongside with auto body shops, mechanic garages, an office building or two, an AM:PM (the 24 hr convenience store here, sort of like Israel’s 7-11 or C-Stop), a music store, synagogue, and some other corner stores, cafes, and food places.

Bus Stop at HaChashmonaim, Hamesger, and Derech Manachem Begin, always different people, a diversity I only somewhat expected to see here:

- Middle-eastern-looking young men of different build more often than not very fit and athletic looking, in T-shirts and jeans around my age, maybe sunglasses, very short hair maybe some facial hair, usually not a lot of it. Also more “white” looking men, that is more “Ashkenazik,” or Jews of European, as opposed to those more middle-eastern “tsefardi” or “yemenite” in background.

- Israeli women of all heights and ages, seemingly from my own, (20s) all the way through 30s and 40s, less commonly older, in anything from professional business clothes to light dresses to jeans and blouses and t shirts as well. And its hard not to walk the streets of Tel Aviv for more than a few minutes and not see an attractive woman somewhere around you.

- Occasionally a religious Jew, either wearing ordinary clothes with a kippa, maybe tzit tzit, and sometimes too dressed fully in black and white as is often the way of the very orthodox here and elsewhere in the world.

- To put it descriptively, “black people.” That’s the term an American would use, because that is who they most resemble from our own culture and country. That is, both men and women, usually young or middle-aged, who look very much of African descent because, well, they are. Though they are a wide range of black people here, from all different countries of origins and appearances too. Some are Ethiopian Jews who came here for refuge, though because I’m close to south Tel Aviv, which is very much an immigrant area, many came for jobs as migrant workers from places in Africa such as Eritrea, Somalia, and other places. Apparently their are some tensions with this minority and the the majority of the population of Israelis there.

- Bicycles, with any of the previous demographics, riding by all the time.

- And motor-scooters, too. So many damn motor-scooters. It’s very characteristic of Tel Aviv, I’ve seen. They’re everywhere. Its a little ridiculous. More so are the little scooters people ride around on everywhere, where upright handles and all, on the sidewalks. They’re like as common here as long boards in California.

All of those types of people could be seen at the closest bus stop 5 minute walk from the dojo where I live, where the main streets of Hamesger and HaChashmonaim and Derech Menachem Begin all converge in one place, a hub of sorts.

There’s so much else I could write, but it’d take hours. Pages and pages of descriptions, let alone if I want to write reflections on it. I can tell you about the night I walked down Meir Diezengoff street, full of its well-known Tel Aviv night life of cafes and bars and stores open until really late, maybe 2, 3am.

It was like 9, 10pm and I walked alone passed countless restaurants and food places packed with young Israeli’s crowded at outdoor tables watching the world cup and eating and drinking together, and then looking over and seeing a homeless man laying with his head away from people on the pavement behind a bus stop with a box in front of him for money. I remember looking at this and stopping myself to see it and feel it, because I realized that although I noticed and it did effect me, there was a thought of acknowledgement and empathy but not deeply felt compassion... which is what I think people like that need most... not the ignoring and not looking that most people do to have it not ruin their night out, but still not where I know I to be and exist from in this world.

I recall looking at him asleep there, and this beautiful girl walked by with a friend, and buses flew past, and the air had cooled off because it was evening and was full of activity and sound of people having a time, and there I was walking alone, so much where I wanted to be doing in my life, but also with a “hole in my soul” to quote that song, which I hope and believe soon will be finally taken care of as well. As I walked on I saw two religious Jews next to each other on a bench, intensely conversing, while girls overly dressed up to go partying walk by in tall heels, and others, others, so much stimulus, so much humanity, so much dichotomy of both the lively and exciting and sad and painful and for me, freedom and as some know its occasional companion, loneliness.. is there too.

All part of this existence on earth, now in the 21st century, as people in this world. It’s not all good. So much of it is, and I’m experiencing that more and more. And here in Tel Aviv, this urban center in the middle of the opposite side of the planet from home in the United States, I’m developing myself to really be able to sustainable and with centeredness and well-being navigate it all, right now and when I return home, into and through the future.

To finish off I’ll say this, somewhat in reference to my comment in the last paragraph; if things happen the way I hope, not only will I be cultivating the abilities I am here with being an Uchideshi of centeredness, focused mind, open and relaxed but alert body, and embodied awareness and intent, but also find someone and people to open my heart again. That’s the one thing that’s missing from this picture, and there are possibilities there. I sense it happening soon. Maybe. Possibly. For sure maybe.

Hope you all are having an okay time back home. My parents reminded me recently its the 4th next week there. I hope you find a way to not just have a great time but develop in someway, even work on as some of the language is the Sensei’s words here, “evolve”. The idea of really working with life, and conflict, our experiences good and bad and neutral, and ourselves.. and developing into better and better humans, both for our own well being and longevity, but for that of all people in our lives and the the ones we continuously encounter throughout our days and weeks through time.

Final note: I am immeasurably grateful and appreciate to have the opportunity to do this trip and experience what I am here. I am from time-to-time aware, as I focus on the intensity of my training and self-development, that most of the people in this world will never have an opportunity to do something like this, even if they really wanted to and it could be really something for them and their life, too. It’s either because of time, or money, or both. I think of all the people I pass on the streets, everyone going to work, here and back home. I think of people from all classes back in the States, both the 40 year old working class parents who work two jobs just to pay the rent, or the more middle-class and affluent ones like my own parents and background, who might live more comfortably but only at the cost of non-stop working, frequent stress, and not a lot of time for themselves. I think of all the people pursuing advance degrees and further education, from people my peers, millennial in and finishing graduate school, in academics or in trade schools trying to secure financial security and a reliable future.

I from the soldiers my own age on the streets everywhere here, in uniform and looked very much like ordinary kids- kids, listen to me. They’re younger than me, that’s clear. They’re very much not kids though. 18, 19, maybe 20. They’re my sister’s age, and very much young adults. They are committed to this duty, and some of them might never live to be my age and live the rest of their lives. Most will. There are no wars happening here, only ongoing tension and conflict on and off. Still.. I thought of this as I passed a cafe with a few eating together yesterday not far from here.

All of this again makes me so fucking appreciate to be here. To be focusing on my being. So much of it is really honing my consciousness, making my my body supple, flexible, and even powerful, and the idea is in this process, create a form that is me that can handle anything, throughout the rest of my life. It’ll be an ongoing process endlessly, of knowing myself and who I am, and the world and other people, but this existential effort... to know oneself, and hone oneself too... it’s all about being more “on point”, as I and others sometimes call it.

This and hopefully soon more fully opening my heart to the vast array of emotions and human feelings that are possible that even now are still not really a part of my experience of life... it’s like that overused mission statement used these days, from the Y to other business and non-profits and education and medicine, somewhat cliche but based in truth so its actually valuable “for the body, mind, and spirit”.

If body is our physical form and its external strength and flexibility as well as internal processes and wellness, and mind is cognition and emotion, identity and personal history/memory/life story, as well as thought... I think “spirit”, or maybe “soul”, is that “somethingness” that holds it all together. It’s the ethos and life-force, the sort of half consciousness, half heart, that love and truth and connection come from, both our awareness of ourselves, and that which we base our ethics, and therefore our choices, on each moment of our lives. The reflection I’ll leave you with is this; I’m not in graduate school, and I’m not working. I have 2 jobs back home, but no career. And yet, I have a vision. I really believe now that if you strive to optimize and enhance your being, your spirit/body/mind connection of who you are, things can and likely will fall into place. To be both fully in life, and in yourself, integrated and focused and open and with intent, is to be really alive and in touch with things. From there, each conversation is valuable, each time you’re with someone it has meaning, and each breath is “life-spirit” entering your lungs and blood and running through you with all the molecules of energy and sustenance from the environment and earth itself.

Alright, I’m really finishing now. Breath. It’s so important. Breath. Breathe. Inhale, exhale. “Life-spirit” might be a poetic term I just came up with in writing, but there is more truth to it that most realize. It is the difference between going through your days, and really living. Being. It nourishes your internal organs, and opens your body, if done right and full as often as possible. It can clear the mind and help navigate emotional states and feelings of all kind. It can return us to center.

It is the only link between the mind and body that is both voluntarily, and involuntarily controlled. It is the foundation of meditation practices, though you never to meditate to know its truth. If you can’t having a sitting practice or do yoga, or even if you do, make life your meditation.

Breathe. It’s the link. When you, I, we, are with it... we’re really there. Here.

Josh Berson, alonaryk.

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sandinz · 6 years

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The Home Brew Boat first began trading at canal-related festivals in Droitwich April 2014. Over the following three years the cruising plan was primarily based around planned events from April through to October. This year we decided to make considerable changes. We felt our floating lives were becoming ‘same old’, and we were at risk of going back down the negative (as we see it) spiral of a ‘work routine’. The very idea!

We did, however, decide we’d return to familiar, friendly and fun festivals in the month of September – for a variety of personal and business reasons, to trade Barry’s wares.

The Black Country Boating Festival (BCBF)

This iconic and incredibly well-supported-locally weekend at Netherton, near Dudley, is a favourite. It’s ably and efficiently organised annually by the Worcester, Birmingham and Droitwich Canals Society, as is St Richard’s in Droitwich, they also manage the Parkhead Festival every two years. The commitment and enthusiasm shown by the volunteers to produce these trading and networking opportunities is incredible, and we’re very grateful to their dedication.

Our trading spot, as we’re regulars, is next to Helen and Andy on the Jam Butty/Wandr’ing Bark, near the Bumble Hole Nature Reserve café. Due to our respective different journeys in 2018, it was the first time we’ve had opportunity to spend time with our dear friends this year. So we made the most of it! Of course the obligatory game of six-handed-rummy was enjoyed, and lots of catch up chatting.

We also met two new terrific traders who were the other side of our boat sandwich. Kath and Annamarie began living on their narrowboat in April of this year. We let them know about booking in, and the nearest supermarket (Aldi of course, our favourite), though they’d already sussed that one out. What we didn’t realise until well into the weekend was that we were in the company of two famous Vloggers. Not only is Annamarie an extraordinary artist, together they are Social Media Whiz-wives! Check out their website, Facebook pages, and Youtube Channels. They really do have all their bases cleverly covered.

As an extra added bonus, we’ve since found a few things in common and been able to share accumulated knowledge between us which has been brilliant. I have no doubt our paths will cross again in 2019.

Lots of interested passer-by

Our new ‘best friends forever’ aka BFF Kath and Annamarie of The Narrowboat Experience and Art by Annamarie

Barry works his magic

All set up ready for the inevitable crowds

With the CRT CEO Richard Parry

Barry and I took our new buddies to the beer tent on Friday night, for a boatman’s supper (maybe it should be boat ‘person’s’ supper?), and a pint or two. There was also a solo singer, delightful, and of course the Shady Band, a group of talented boaters. Most entertaining – despite an unexpected short break when the electrics blew a fuse!

The footfall at the BCBF weekend is always amazing – whatever the weather. We were happy to welcome Richard Parry, the CEO of the Canal and River Trust, who paid us a visit on the Saturday. We’ve missed seeing him, as it’s always a pleasure to us to talk with him and catch up on all manner of fascinating things.

One of the things I loved about this weekend was being able to wear my ‘Get Your Kit Off …’ t-shirts and sell alongside Barry on the Saturday. Most unusual for me, as I’m usually Facepainting elsewhere. Barry took the opportunity to sell-off a number of lines, in readiness for his new business venture. Which worked well at BCBF and the following two weekends. I shall say no more until he’s ready to share how he’s taking The Home Brew Boat forward …

Tipton Community and Canal Festival

This one’s a smaller event, though it doesn’t detract any from it’s niceness. It was Helen and Andy’s inaugural Tipton trading and I think they rather enjoyed it. We had our grandson on board over the weekend which curtailed me from being Barry’s side-kick. It did allow me to mingle much more with the traders in the park – and spend some of our takings supporting them!

Our corner mooring by the park

Barry shares his vast knowledge with customers

Tipton is a much-maligned town. Sadly there’s a number of local shops closed down, so it doesn’t look as though it’s prospering. There’s photos in The Fountain Inn (great pub!) showing what it looked in it’s heyday.

In between Tipton and Parkhead, 26th September, we happily remembered the ninth anniversary of our English wedding – a Humanist service held on the roof of our previous narrowboat Northern Pride. There’s sparse choice of eating establishments in the area – which mattered not a jot. As Eastern Spice Balti, round the corner from our mooring, was perfectly splendid. Fabulous service, delicious food, and incredibly reasonably priced.

Parkhead Canal Festival

This was our third bi-annual gathering here, along with Helen and Andy. This time however the trade boats were grouped in the side arm at the top of the locks, rather than on the canal heading towards Dudley Tunnel.

It was my 59th birthday on Friday 28th September, given a choice it’s unlikely Parkhead would feature on my favourite places to spend the anniversary of my birth! However … Helen and Andy treated us to a meal at Ma Pardoe’s, following which we partook of a drink or two in the beer tent. Certainly not a bad way to celebrate entering my 60th year.

Another new meeting of fellow traders occurred too. Barry had chatted to Paul and Dave on ‘The Pizza Boat’ aka ‘Baked on Board‘ at Tipton, but I’d been too busy with our grandson to do much socialising that weekend! We’re told by many they make mighty fine sourdough pizzas. Shamefully we never got to taste one. Next time we see them we most certainly shall …

Birthday meal at The Swan

Our trade mooring

Julie’s canal art and Kew

The boys in the beer tent Saturday night

We also took the opportunity to get a ‘head and shoulders’ shot of us both by Andy. I rarely wear make-up, or get ‘dressed-up’, so it seemed opportune. We rather like it – a couple of silver surfers!

Unfortunately the footfall over the weekend wasn’t brilliant on our final festival. Despite that the weekend was extremely enjoyable – I even got to experience a trip on the Dudley Tunnel experience and try out a spot of legging, as well as watching the infamous ‘Duck Race’ debacle between the locks. Smashing.

Dudley Canal Tunnel trip

Legging

The Duck race

A whirl-wind of fantastic festivals, family and friends for September.

Calendar Club UK

For the third year running our autumn/winter income earning opportunity is with the excellent company of Calendar Club UK. It’ll be our second season in the cathedral city of Lichfield. We’ve experienced a quite stressful few weeks while we’ve been searching and subsequently waiting for confirmation of a suitable a store, but it’s all coming to fruition this week.

Our Three Spires Calendar Club shop in 2017

We start to build our shop on Thursday 11th October, and if all goes smoothly we’ll open on Saturday 13th. It’s in a different location to last year’s Three Spires shop, and we’re confident this one will be in an even better place for people to pop on and buy their essential time-management-tools..

The next post will provide more details on this year’s venture, as it’s not completely signed, sealed and delivered yet. We’re hopeful of greeting and catching up with many readers in store over the coming months.

It’s exciting tinged with trepidation of the end of our ‘freedom’ as we know it for a few months …

Three Fabulous Festivals of 2018 The Home Brew Boat first began trading at canal-related festivals in Droitwich April 2014. Over the following three years the cruising plan was primarily based around planned events from April through to October.

#Art by Annamaire #Baked on Board #Black Country Boating Festival 2018 #Bumble Hole #Dudley Tunnel #Jam Butty #Narrowboat experience #Netherton #Parkhead Canal Festival 2018 #Richard Parry #Tipton Community and Canal Festival 2018 #Wild Side #Windmill End #Worcester Birmingham and Droitwich Canals Society

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

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If you’ve seen the reports of record rainfall and historic flooding hitting North Carolina and South Carolina from Hurricane Florence, you might be wondering what you can do to help.

One easy way to pitch in is to give money to one or more of the many charities involved with the response and recovery. Here are some suggestions and a little guidance if you’re not sure where to start.

This ProPublica article about giving after a disaster is worth reading in its entirety, but it makes a couple of key points to keep in mind:

Do your own research before giving to any group.

Groups with strong local ties to their community can sometimes be the best option.

You have a right to demand accountability of the groups you give to.

Vox’s Dylan Matthews also reviewed some good rules to follow whenever you’re giving to charity.

Now, if you’re looking for some groups to send money or other support to as they respond to Florence, here are some options. Where applicable, we’ve included a rating from Charity Navigator or Charity Watch, independent groups that evaluate how well organizations perform financially and how efficiently they use the donations they receive.

American Red Cross: Usually the first group people think of when giving after a disaster. It says it is providing shelters for those displaced by Harvey, and it has thousands of volunteers on the ground in the state. You can give here. (3/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

(A series of reports by ProPublica have raised questions as to how Red Cross uses its donations for emergency relief. You can find some of those stories here.)

All Hands and Hearts: This nonprofit, recommended to Vox by disaster expert Samantha Montano, puts staff on the ground and stays in contact with emergency management officials about assisting in the response and recovery. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Global Giving: A charity crowdfunding site that is attempting to raise $5 million to be used exclusively for local relief and recovery efforts. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Foundation Beyond Belief: A humanist group, also recommended by Montano. You can give here.

Salvation Army Carolinas: The Christian charity is emphasizing its intentions to help with long-term recovery in the area. You can give here.

Team Rubicon: A veterans group that sends volunteers to help with rescue operations. You can give here. (A- from Charity Watch)

Local food banks: There is Harvest Hope Food Bank, which has several locations in South Carolina. Cooperative Ministry, also in South Carolina. Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina is preparing to respond after the storm. It is recommended to contact a food bank directly about their need and what you can do.

Local humane societies. Here’s one in Wilmington. You could also give to the Human Society of South Carolina.

Blood donations: Check with the group AABB about giving blood for Florence victims.

Americares: The nonprofit focused on medicine and health provides emergency medical supplies and other basic resources to first responders and others. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Portlight: A disaster response group dedicated specifically to people with disabilities. It helps affected people with evacuation and finding shelter, any medical equipment needs they might have, and more. You can learn more about its efforts here.

SBP: The New Orleans-based organization sends Americorps volunteers, assists local leaders and nonprofits, and eventually helps rebuild damaged or destroyed homes. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Check out Charity Navigator’s Hurricane Florence page if you’d like to see more options.

Original Source -> Hurricane Florence: where you can donate to help with disaster relief and recovery

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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immigration-pols155-blog · 7 years

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Interview Reflections

Once we accumulated background research on our topics, it was our turn to use it-- we were to interview two separate political actors who were involved in our field. I picked two separate activists, one from a local on-campus club and the other a professor in Southern California who is dealing with a whole different set of immigration issues. Below is the full paper with citations.

I learned a lot from having to apply my knowledge in a practical fashion; it made me feel mature and accomplished, and I felt like I could do this again in the future more easily if I had to. It reminded me that the best way to change situations and to understand them is simply through communicating; talking brings the humanity back into situations that are innately human, but get so blown up and argued over that we often lose the main points.

My name is Clare Keech, and my policy area of interest is immigration. In the time I have spent this semester studying the topic, I have been closely following the history and impact of DACA; it has become apparent that our nation needs to introduce an immigration policy that not only seeks to replace DACA, but can provide a clear path to citizenship to put an end to renewals and constant states of limbo for undocumented students. During the course of my interviews, I changed my stance and learned even more. I now have a clearer goal to push for: the Clean Dream Act needs all the support it can get, and to do that information about it needs to be spread. In addition, allies need to be vocal for their undocumented neighbors, and if possible undocumented citizens need to share their stories in ways and places that make them feel most safe. My interviews led me to interview one student activist named Radhika Kataria on campus who works through SQE. I also travelled home to Orange County and interviewed a Political Science professor at my old college named Jodi Balma.

Radhika Kataria is a student at California State University, Chico. She is a Public Administration major, with a minor in Women’s Studies; she became a member of SQE after seeing hate, discrimination, and oppression on her own college campus (R. Kataria, personal correspondence, November 16, 2017). SQE uses the platform of creating a more equalized learning space to also push for de-privatizing the CSU system as a whole. As such, fighting for the rights of undocumented students is just one of many topics that this student-powered organization tackles. I wanted to interview one of my peers who was in my age group, is also a student, and can additionally be an active voice in more political circles. I think that all young adults should be active, in some way or another, in pushing for change to our political systems. This is what will shift politics to a more humanist, equal playing field and will hopefully bring an end to the major forms of oppression we have currently experienced as a nation.

Second, I interviewed Professor Jodi Balma, who teaches Political Science and coordinates the Honors department at my previous community college (Fullerton College). She has been teaching for twenty years, seventeen of which have been at Fullerton College; her primary focus is Californian politics, and she has been invested in the lives of undocumented students for the past sixteen years ever since her students began to share their stories (J. Balma, personal correspondence, November 20, 2017). When I first started college, I became involved with the Fullerton College Honors department and I met Professor Balma. I admired her for her passion within her field, and her passion for inspiring her students to become critical thinkers and active voices in their community. She has never been afraid to speak her mind, and I knew she would be a wise voice to reach out to. The point of view of an educator is one that I deeply value, and I trust her knowledge of this tumultuous political scene which we find ourselves living in.

The first important thing I learned about was the Clean Dream Act, which I learned about through my interview with Radhika (personal correspondence, November 16, 2017). She did not mention may details about it herself; however, she later mentioned the Dream Center we have on Chico State’s campus. They are a department on campus, and as such do not push anything too heavily political such as running tables that would directly support their position; but, I was able to gain some information on the Clean Dream Act from them. The Clean Dream Act is up for vote in March; it is an immigration policy which would cover those covered by DACA and allows a path to citizenship. Previously, those under DACA had to renew their status every few years, but under the Clean Dream Act no more renewals would be necessary. Radhika mentioned some events that SQE hosted, such as a large banner drop and public speakers. The goal of these events was to raise awareness of the plight of those who are affected by DACA, and what it means to have DACA repealed; they were seen as successes not only because they gained members for their organization, but also because they now have students who return to them for information about DACA and the current atmosphere surrounding immigration and Trump’s administration (personal correspondence, November 16, 2017). In addition, they are raising more awareness about the Clean Dream Act, and urging those able to vote or raise awareness themselves (personal correspondence, November 16, 2017). I also believe that the Clean Dream Act is a very important piece of legislation at this point in time.

When meeting with Jodi Balma, she had similar sentiments about spreading information. She discussed what Fullerton College has done in past years, and stressed that they have always been an ally and a resource for undocumented citizens, even so far as allowing them the comfort of taking the platform themselves (personal correspondence, November 20, 2017). This is rare in more rural areas, such as Chico, where the undocumented population feels much less secure and therefore has their voices stifled. Fullerton College has worked to keep students informed, and recently has provided legal assistance to make the process of renewing statuses or knowing where to go next to gain citizenship a much less confusing one (personal correspondence, November 20, 2017). She made an interesting comparison, as well, in order to highlight the importance of allowing undocumented persons to share their personal stories, rather than speaking as an ally. She discussed the parallel between this situation and the early climate of the LGBT community. It is important to humanize the very difficult choice to immigrate somewhere in a rush or without being able to go through long bureaucratic processes, and Harvey Milk had similar thoughts regarding the situation of many LGBT citizens: “...[O]nce and for all, break down the myths, break down the lies and distortions. For your sake. For their sake” (personal correspondence, November 20, 2017). Professor Balma empowers undocumented people, urging them to share their stories no matter how hard it may be to do so; only then will the cause be truly strengthened, because the more human side will no longer be deniable. It is important to note, as I did earlier, that this is a privilege of more heavily populated areas. But, Professor Balma has a more accessible track; spread the word, and encourage others to vote. Even if you are unable to do so, be vocal about the importance of voting. This is important with things such as the Clean Dream Act, but also with members of Congress and our State Representatives. This parallels Professor Morris’s encouragements in class to be informed not only about those up for election, but who is supporting them ad influencing their decisions.

I learned a lot more than I expected to during these interviews. There are many ways to be active and stay involved with immigration decisions, and I have changed my original goal posed in my Talking Points assignment. I realized that even that goal, to follow Xavier Baccera’s court case against the Trump administration, is too distant to really push. On campus, every day, students can share information; especially in an area like Chico, a smaller town, this is important because you cannot know how many undocumented citizens you can provide a voice for if you are able to. Students can also support organizations such as SQE and the Dream Center through volunteering or attending events. Closer to election dates, voting drives can be held; leading up to elections, it is important to get the campus informed on which acts are important for our undocumented peers, and why. These are all much more accessible acts for students to run and participate in, and can have a direct influence in our local and national political legislature.

Balma, J. (2017, November 20.) Email Interview.

Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). (2017) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Retrieved 11/11/17.

Kataria, R. (2017, November 16.) Email interview.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2017). Official Website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved 11/15/17.

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purplesharkllama-blog · 7 years

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What Is Psychology? What Are The Branches Of Psychology?

The faculty in the Department of Mindset are actively engaged within the multidisciplinary study associated with mind, brain, and behavior. To help finance the education, I took the part-time job in the child development research plan sponsored by the psychology division. Psychology support me read the mind regarding dobry psycholog warszawa individual and groups regarding people, psychology psychology is important as it helps me in understanding me personally better, it helps me to be able to perceive things positively in addition to it assists me in determining the things that will I enjoy doing the many in life. It should end up being noted that physiological mindset is related to 3 other fields: experimental mindset, psychobiology, and comparative psychology. Many graduate programs in forensic psychology look for a new high score on the particular GRE, a GPA regarding 3. 5 or larger, and volunteer or paid psychoterapia warszawa out experience in the field. Most scientific and counseling psychologists need a doctorate in psychology, an internship, at the very least one to two years of monitored professional experience, and in order to pass the Examination with regard to Professional Practice in Mindset. People with a bachelor's level degree are assistants in rehabilitation facilities, high school psychology educators, administrative support, public affairs, education, business, sales, support psycholog warszawa industries, health, biological sciences, computers, employment counselors, modification counselor trainees, interviewers, staff analysts, probation officers, in addition to writers. The "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Concise Regulations of APA Style, inch and "Mastering APA Design: Student's Workbook and Coaching Guide" help both undergrad and graduate students together leczenie depresji warszawa with their class papers and, for those who move on to graduate college, prepare these to submit posts to psychology journals. Around two thirds of psychology graduates have been in employment in the UK six months after graduating, while almost a quarter embark on further study or combine further study with job. In individuals cases, candidates must have got a doctoral degree in psychology, state license or leczenie depresji warszawa certification, and any additional criteria in the specialty field. Social Psychology Community and its partner internet sites are supported in component with the National Science Basis (grants #9950517, #0339002, #0843855, and #1456048). Neuropsychology: Study associated with the brain and nerves and their role in behavior and mental techniques. Students who intend to exercise only applied psychology rather than conduct research have got the option of getting a Psy. D. level psycholog warszawa, which differs in the particular limited emphasis which is put on research and a dissertation that does not really have to be dependent on an empirical study study. Counseling: Counseling psychology provides therapy to help clients overcome health-related, emotional, or social concerns. Psychologists specialising in particular areas, however, may use the dominant cognitive mindset only rarely if from all. Inside a 1989 study, Tracy B. http://www.psychoterapia-romaniuk.com Henley and his psychoterapia warszawa colleagues showed that inside the first third of the twentieth century psychology has been defined the majority associated with the time as including concepts of mind, awareness, or mental activity. Psychology (sy-kol-ŏji) and. the science concerned with typically the study of behaviour as well as related mental processes. So psychology was a natural choice for me personally. I studied clinical mindset in graduate school. Psychologists have a doctoral degree in an area associated dobry psycholog warszawa with psychology, the study of the mind and human being behavior. This specialty location is focused on research and treatment of a new variety of mental disorders and is linked to psychotherapy and clinical psychology. Crucial contributions were made within the physiological understanding regarding human psychology by French philosopher Condillac, F. J. Gall, the German originator of phrenology, and France surgeon Paul Broca, who localized speech centers in the psycholog warszawa brain. Treatment psychology is surely an applied clinical specialty in professional psychology concerned with the therapy and science of disabling in addition to chronic health condition. Fundamental research that integrates clinical and experimental approaches will be beginning to make essential contributions both to clinical practice and to the particular psycholog warszawa science of psychology. A movement toward humanistic psychology was caused by dissatisfaction with behaviorism's narrow methods as well as the psychoanalytic focus on childhood pathology.

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candy--heart · 7 years

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Hurricane Harvey: where you can donate to help with disaster relief and recovery

All Hands: This nonprofit recommended to Vox by disasterologist Samantha Montano has staff on the ground in Texas, and is in contact with emergency management officials about assisting in the response and recovery. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Global Giving: A charity crowdfunding site that is attempting to raise $2 million to be used exclusively for local relief and recovery efforts. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Foundation Beyond Belief: The humanist group, also recommended by Montano, is evaluating how best to use the funds it collects. You can give here.

Greater Houston Community Fund: A broad-based relief fund established by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. You can give here.

Local food banks: The Houston Press has compiled a list of food banks in the affected area, including Houston Food Bank, Galveston County Food Bank, Corpus Christi Food Bank, Southeast Texas Food Bank, and more. They recommend contacting a food bank directly about their need and what you can do.

Houston Humane Society: The group is helping marshal care and shelter for pets in the area. You can give here. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas is undertaking similar efforts. You can give here. The San Antonio Humane Society is doing the same. More here.

Blood donations: The Houston Chronicle noted that Carter BloodCare and the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center are accepting donations.

Americares: The nonprofit focused on medicine and health is seeking to provide emergency medical supplies and other basic resources to first responders and others in Texas. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Portlight: A disaster response group dedicated specifically to people with disabilities. It is seeking to help affected people with evacuation and finding shelter, any medical equipment needs they might have, and more. You can learn more about its efforts here.

SBP: The New Orleans-based organization is planning to send Americorps volunteers, assist local leaders and nonprofits, and eventually help rebuild damaged or destroyed homes. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Airbnb: The hospitality company is working to coordinate people in need of a place to stay with people willing to offer a free room. More information here.

Check out Charity Navigator’s Hurricane Harvey page if you’d like to see more options.

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https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/8/27/16211642/hurricane-harvey-donations-charities-disaster-relief

#vox #hurricane harvey

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contextreviews · 7 years

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Disgovernance and Resistance

Josh Cook on Jesse Ball’s The Curfew

When we read, we read with our memories. Jesse Ball was already an important author in my reading life by the time I read The Curfew, but whereas his earlier books explore more amorphous ideas like our relationship to imagination, the nature of storytelling, and the bounds of reality, The Curfew explores something more direct and tangible. It was like Ball shot an arrow into my memories of political activism and pinned a question that had dominated my thinking for years: how do we intentionally change the world for the better?

The rented yellow school bus was freezing. Frigid February air rushed in through popped interior rivets. I was on my way back to Burlington, VT from New York City where I had joined thousands of people on February 15, 2003 to protest the coming Iraq War. We were supposed to gather in a delineated zone—a cordoned-off area where our Constitutional right to peaceful assembly would not be superseded by the muscular application of local traffic, vagrancy, and other statutes—near the U.N. building where Colin Powell was giving his now infamous speech, but we never got there. Didn't get within five blocks. The streets were clogged with people, and not just in New York. Around the world millions of people were joined in one of the biggest moments of protest in decades all with one clear message: There is no justification for a war with Iraq. We and the people of Iraq will be recovering from that war for decades.

It wasn't my first protest. I'd been to D.C. to protest the exploitative policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. I'd been to the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia to protest United States interference in democratically elected governments. I'd stood with a dozen people at the top of Church St. to protest the war in Afghanistan because “terrorism” is a technique and you can't wage war on a technique. More generally, I wrote a political column in my college's newspaper, participated in the poli sci club, organized events, thought, talked, wrote, and voted.

After I graduated, the nature of my efforts to make the world a better place changed. I didn't have as much time or resources for organizing and protesting. Besides, I had begun to wonder whether our techniques for creating directed, intentional social change towards a more just and humanist society were working. Protests seemed to be more about emotional catharsis (which is not a bad thing) than about changing policy. Any progress seemed to be two steps forward, one and a half steps back.

But we did not stop trying. Social media arrived. The undercurrent of violent racism corroding our law enforcement and devastating the African-American community was finally brought to the attention of (some) white people with #BlackLivesMatter. Occupy Wall Street changed the conversation about income inequality in America and opened up new possibilities for protest and social change, from the flashy occupations, to the quiet but powerful Rolling Jubilee. We watched Republicans start to break our system of government because the nation had the audacity to elect a black man as President—twice!—and we watched that same black man, despite the malicious opposition of Republicans, stitch the economy back together, extract us from unwinnable wars, improve our national health care system, end don't ask don't tell, and lay the executive groundwork for major advances in economic, social, and environmental justice. Later, those on the left, the engine for so much of that change, found another piston in Bernie Sanders. By the Democratic National Convention, the Democratic party had adopted the most progressive platform since the New Deal. I started thinking about how we removed the ability of Republicans to obstruct progress and how to keep pressure on mainstream Democrats to make good on their progressive promises.

The problem of social change—of how to improve the world in the ways you want it to improve—might be intractable, and in the end, those who struggle for change might be left with vague adages like “Don't take anything off the table, do what sustains and energizes you, and try not to hurt anybody else, especially those weaker than you.” I've spent the bulk of my adult intellectual and political life thinking about the problem of social change. On November 9th, the problem changed from the intractability of social change to the necessity of resistance.

Books change with the world in which you read them, and images and ideas from The Curfew that once spoke to protesting for social change, now speak to resistance. William Drysdale, the protagonist of The Curfew, is a violin virtuoso who can no longer play. Instead, he finds work helping people compose epitaphs for their gravestones. An oppressive, coup-installed government has banned all performance, music, and dissent and enforces a vague but deadly nightly curfew. The government's will is imposed by secret police. Dissenters disappear in the night. William himself was left to care for his daughter alone when his wife is disappeared. It is a gray, dour, cowed world, but there is resistance. William's friend, Gerard, entices him to a meeting with the promise of information about William's wife, but the larger purpose of the meeting is to spread “the method of disgovernance.”

It's not a movement. It's barely a group. But it is a revolution.

There is tension at the meeting, an “enforced jocularity,” and some contraband, but there are no posters, no agendas, no manifestos, no mimeograph machines or photocopiers. There are no speeches, no exhortations to action, no exchanges of activist literature. No weapons. If the secret police burst in, they wouldn't find a revolutionary cell, but a tedious party. It's not a movement. It's barely a group. But it is a revolution.

Gerard explains the method of disgovernance to William: “It is simple enough to describe in a phrase or two the whole extent of it. Any member of the government, any member of the police, of the secret police are all targets. You live your life and do nothing out of the ordinary. But if at some moment, you find yourself in a position to harm one of these targets, you do. Then you continue as if nothing happened.”

There is no leader to hobble the movement with hubris. No message to be distorted by the mainstream media. No fashion to be co-opted by corporations. No entry point for lobbyists or FBI infiltrators. No one to pressure into erodible compromise. No legislators. No executives. No proposed legislation to be poisoned by riders and amendments or killed in committee before anyone is forced to expose their true allegiance in a public vote. No one to bribe. No one to corrupt. No one to imprison. No one to kill because you can't kill a technique.

Gerard continues his description: “You never go out of your way to make such an opportunity come to pass. Not even one step out of your way. And yet, without exception, the targets must each day place themselves in danger before the citizenry, and cause such opportunities to exist. One doesn't prepare oneself except mentally.” No plans. No materials. No literature. No manifestos. The method is invisible to power because all power can see are random acts of violence. And once the government recognizes the revolution, who can they attack? Everyone? As Gerard explains, it is a “...war with no participants.” In the end, no matter the salary, no matter the other inducements, no matter the promises of protection and the seduction of ultimate power, no one will join the secret police. Tyrants, even the most cunning and most violent, all have the same fundamental and inescapable weakness: Without volunteers, they are just one person.

Once we are introduced to the method of disgovernance we realize The Curfew is filled with revolution. An old woman is shot for pushing someone in front of a bus, someone is nearly hit by a car, another man is killed by a brick, and “[o]ne could assume, therefore, that if a building was on fire then it might well be a police station.”

By reducing revolution and resistance to a fundamental unit that does not have the flaws, seams, and weaknesses of other techniques for change listed above, the method of disgovernance, a technique of random acts of violence, is compelling. All the revolution needs to sustain itself and succeed is to spread the idea and either people have the will to enact it at a level that is effective or they won't. The burden on revolutionaries is reduced to their individual preparation to act, spreading the method, and convincing people to adopt it. Given the intractability of social change and our new urgency to act, the method of disgovernance or some form of it feels transferable to our world.

In most dystopian fiction, targets are relatively obvious. Whether orcs, stormtroopers, or soldiers, we know who the targets are by their uniforms. But in the world of The Curfew, the government uses secret police: plain-clothed officers disguised to observe unobserved, to inform without being identified, to act with impunity and anonymity. You couldn't spot one in a line-up and you certainly couldn't spot one in a crowded train station.

Gerard answers the problem of identification this way: “You err on the side of false positives. Everyone shifts their behavior to simple routines, and the secret police are forced to become visible, simply to do their work.” The secret police reveal themselves when they arrest people, or are out after curfew without fear, or ask questions whose answers would be useful to the government. Their uniforms are woven by their actions. For Gerard, it is better to risk harming an innocent than wait for absolute certainty, but this is just a technique. Anybody can establish their own rubric and make their own decision. Gerard might err on the side of false positives, but nobody else has to.

In America today, some of the “targets” are public figures, individuals who must put their faces and names on their actions, and, as in the world of The Curfew, our targets clothe themselves in their actions. They become targets when they ask for the names of people who worked on climate change for the Environmental Protection Agency or on women's issues in the State Department. They become targets when they assign executive power over departments to people specifically designed to destroy them, cover up potential crimes and collusion, celebrate in Trump what they condemn in Clinton, line up to catch the scraps of wealth from the coming kleptocracy, and take the moment of Trump's tainted, electoral college victory to spray paint swastikas on public spaces. We are awash in targets. Some of them will have security paid for by our own tax dollars between us and them, but some of them will be on our train or across from us at the dinner table.

But the concept of “harm” is trickier for us. In The Curfew, the secret police shoot people in the street, beat them to death, make them disappear. Since the secret police are murderers, most will accept the ethical validity of a wide range of harm. But, as yet, the violence of the Trumpocracy and the existing sources of injustice it will strengthen and maintain, are at one or two removes. It is unlikely that anyone in the Trumpocracy will order the assassination or jailing of an opponent, swing a club, or pull a trigger. Rather, their body count will come from people who lose access to health care and die of preventable diseases, women who are forced to perform unsafe abortions or carry dangerous pregnancies to term, African-Americans murdered by the police because of the absence of law enforcement reforms, immigrants deported back to lethal situations, people of color killed by mob violence and the Dylan Roots that will take making “America Great Again” into their own gun slathered hands, and, of course, the thousands—or perhaps millions—of people who will die from the effects of climate change. One of the primary motivations for organizing resistance to Trump is to prevent, as much as possible, the harm he can do. But how?

All works of art seek to establish some kind of applicability, whether it is as direct as we see in The Curfew, or more abstract, esoteric, dialectic, or self-referential. Literature argues for its own relevance. In The Curfew, Ball cultivates a comfort with death and violence before introducing the method of disgovernance, creating in the reader an atypical acceptance of random acts of deadly violence.

The novel opens with a violent and confusing scene, “There was a great deal of shouting and then a shot...An old woman was bleeding hunched over a bench. Two men were standing fifty feet away, one holding a gun. Some ten feet from the bench, a man was lying underneath the wheels of a truck, which seemed to have injured him, perhaps irreparably.” Despite the two dead bodies, this opening passage is disconcertingly passive. There was a “shot” and one man was “holding a gun,” but, in the prose, no one “shoots the old woman.” Furthermore, the other man wasn't “run over by a truck” but is simply “lying beneath the wheels” and he isn't mortally wounded or dead, he just “seemed” to be “injured...perhaps irreparably.” This first scene in the book is one of significant violence, but Ball uses a series of passive constructions to dim that violence, so the bloodshed does not feel as visceral as it should.

After this opening, we shadow William Drysdale on his work day. Violence follows him as he goes from assignment to assignment, including: “I was walking under the bridge on Seventh. There was a shout and she came down, hit not twenty feet in front of me.” Furthermore, as an epitaphorist, every job is an assertion of death. His first stone is for a man who died at 92, his second is for a nine-year-old girl who was beheaded by a slate tile thrown from the roof by the wind (or perhaps by a hand at a different target), and his third is for a butcher's father (a person whose day job is the parceling of corpses). He then meets with the parents and widow of a young man who “died in the night, two weeks ago...—There is no body. The body was taken—a political disappearance by the government. His final assignment for the day is with a fisherman who has chosen to compose his gravestone on what he considers his happiest day. It is the fisherman's third stone. Even the most directly affirmative moment in the book is affirmed by death.

In the world of The Curfew, violence is the fundamental unit of resistance, but the violence in our world is very different, especially when considered in light of likely targets and the persistence (at least at time of writing) of other norms, conventions, checks and balances, and laws that ostensibly prevent acts of violence on both sides of governing conflicts. Furthermore, American resistance, even revolution, has decided on a commitment to nonviolent actions, even when oppressors resort to violence. For a whole range of historic, moral, even practical reasons, causing “harm” does not seem like our fundamental unit of resistance. But, as the characters in The Curfew do, we should find a fundamental unit of resistance for our world and build from there.

Instead of harm, our unit of resistance should be refusal: the fundamental “no.” Our method of disgovernance under Trump could be: “Whenever a representative or surrogate of the Trump administration or the Republican Party it now leads asks you something, you refuse.” Don't perform at or attend his events, or serve in his administration, or vote for any of the policies offered by Republicans, or join him for a photo op. Refuse to let them speak at your college and if the administration invites them anyway refuse to attend. Refuse to let them eat at your restaurant or shop at your store. Refuse to let them hold rallies at your venues.

Part of the value of having a fundamental unit of resistance is that it allows us to, as thoughtfully as possible, respond to people who are comfortable acting thoughtlessly. The barrage of legislation and hearings and executive orders along with the constant stream of scandalous tweets and reports, combine to make it almost impossible to respond with any kind of thought to anything Trump and the Republicans are doing. I'm sure that is, at least in part, a tactic designed to overwhelm opposition and, in part, the hubris of believing without doubt or nuance in your own rightness. But, if our basic unit is refusal, we at least have something we can instantly respond with.

Obviously, those of us who are not members of Congress, business leaders, or celebrities in some field, will have few options for directly refusing the Trump administration, but, that to me is part of the strength of a fundamental unit of resistance. It is simply a base. Just like the characters in The Curfew, we are able to sculpt our own actions to our own circumstances.

Resistance is, in essence, a reaction, and one of the challenges we'll face—especially if one of the chambers of Congress is not flipped in 2018—is discovering and discerning what the fuck we should do on the fly. But even though resistance must always be flexible, must be new when the threat is new, must find ways to both respond and be one step ahead, a base is useful. I suspect, over the next months, as Trump establishes his patterns and as those who have studied resistance more than I begin and continue to lay out theory and ideas, this base will grow in sophistication, but we can start with responding to every request from the Trump administration with “I refuse.”

My desk is cluttered with books, unopened mail, receipts, scraps of paper I've written notes on, notebooks, and coffee mugs. My phone notifies me that I have a text from Daily Action or Planned Parenthood telling me who of my elected officials I should call today and why. From the text messages, Make 5 Calls, Flippable, Swing Left, the people I follow on Twitter, and the dozens of emails I get, I'll decide what small action in the resistance I will take today. Maybe it will be subscribing to one of the newspapers working to expose the corruption and malfeasance of the administration or a donation to one of the organizations mitigating its impact, like the ACLU or MIRA or the Southern Poverty Law Center, or I'll support one of the Democrats running for the House in a special election in some way, or I'll badger friends and family in Maine who are represented in Congress by Republicans to make calls, send emails, and visit offices. It may be taking care of myself with a day off social media and a long walk so I don't burn out. It may be working on this essay.

...the method of disgovernance is a lifestyle. Resistance must be as well.

Hiding behind the idea of “harm,” behind all the violence, perhaps even behind Ball's own lyricism, the method of disgovernance makes another powerful statement about resistance, one I was only able to hear after revisiting these ideas and after six months of thinking of myself as part of the resistance: the method of disgovernance is a lifestyle. Resistance must be as well. The term “lifestyle” can be intimidating, but resistance as a lifestyle doesn't mean giving your life to the resistance. We resist, in part, so we and other people can live around idiosyncratic sources of joy. Consider “reading as a lifestyle,” for example. As readers, we still go to work, have dinner, get drunk, binge watch TV, and fritter away our lives on social media. We still sleep, go out on dates, miss the train, forget our keys, and get a bagel in the afternoon after swearing that salad at lunch was enough. And yet, we make time to read, to visit the bookstore, talk to booksellers, rate books online, research reviews, and maybe even join a book club. We do other things during our day, but no day feels complete if we haven't done at least a little reading.

I don't know if we'll be able to prevent the rise of fascism in the United States and I have even less faith that we will be able to prevent Trump from doing irreparable harm to our world, but we must fight nonetheless. We must turn the world of our experience to the problem of resistance. For me, that world is quite often books, and from The Curfew I've built my fundamental refusal. And no day feels complete if I haven't done at least a little resisting.

Josh Cook is the author of the Kirkus-starred novel, AN EXAGGERATED MURDER, published by Melville House in March 2015. His fiction and other work has appeared in The Coe Review, Epicenter Magazine, The Owen Wister Review, Barge, Plume Poetry Anthology 2012 and 2013, and elsewhere. He was a finalist in the 2011 and 2012 Cupboard Fiction Contest. His criticism has appeared in the Huffington Post Books, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Fiction Advocate, Bookslut, The Millions, The Rumpus and elsewhere. He is a bookseller with Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA.

The Curfew by Jesse Ball • Vintage Contemporaries, 2011 • 194 pages

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