tagged w/ Arcticspirit's Darkside of LIfe
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by Laura Leonard
I wanted to love Not That Kind of Girl, a new memoir from “recovering evangelical”
Carlene Bauer.
On the surface, it was unclear just what, exactly, “recovering evangelical” meant. In the first chapter, Bauer describes her first encounter with the End Times, via a church basement screening of A Thief in the Night with her Christian classmates. At 8, her biggest fears suddenly included the government installing a bar code on her forehead or the back of her hand under a blood-red moon. She goes to bed at night earnestly whispering to God, “Could I live until I fell in love?”
This girl is me, I thought. I vividly remember telling my mom, myself at 8 years old, that I wanted to be excited for Jesus to come back, but if he could, it would be great if he could wait until I went to college, got married, and had a career and kids.
What critics are heralding as a “good-girl memoir” is actually a tragic story of faith, slowly and painfully lost. Bauer writes for a generation raised in the church of Dare to Discipline. For Bauer, faith comes easily at first, and even as she grows up and enters public school, she finds it easy to resist sex and alcohol.
But as her faith lingers during her college years at a Catholic university, belief in God feels like something she would shake off if she could only find the proper motive. Faith is a convenient foil to her introverted tendencies and dislike of the drunken parties and casual sex that consume her classmates. She secretly envies her friend Jane, who came to Christ in college, because it offers her a “platform for radical self-invention.”
Unfortunately, she can’t quite recapture this experience after graduating and moving to New York City. There she bounces from church to church, gradually letting go of her moral convictions in order to “experience life” in the way she’d desired at age 8, in whispered prayers.
What is ultimately missing from Bauer’s account is any sense of real community to support her amid her fleeting convictions. Roommates, friends, and love interests, Christian and non-Christian, come and go, and none is particularly memorable. Though Iris Murdoch's observation that “love is the extremely uncomfortable realization that something other than oneself is real” first led Bauer to the Catholic Church, we never see her live out the “uncomfortable” reality. “If I had to love someone the way I had to love God, I would have to leave,” she says, after she has already left God.
Bauer’s is a truly thoughtful de-conversion story, and that makes it particularly heartbreaking.
Unfortunately, hers is an all-too-common story: disaffected with the church, capital C, she gives up on God.
This book provided a reminder that we can never expect or ask anyone to singularly represent our faith. That’s something we must do every day, as persons who aspire to show not just what kind of girls we are, but also what kind of God we serve.
Question:
Have you been there?by Laura Leonard
I wanted to love Not That Kind of Girl, a new memoir from... more
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A related challenge to any relationship- is confidentiality—that is, how open can you be about someone else? These nine questions can help you decide whether what you know should be shared.
1. Am I telling this to someone who can do something about the problem by helping the person or offering discipline or correction?
2. If not, am I telling this to someone who is wise enough to help me sort out my feelings and courageous enough to make me do the right thing: to confront the person or to confess where I was at fault?
3. Is this news approved for sharing?
4. Am I breaking a confidence? If so, is it only because the person is endangering someone's life, including his or her own?
5. Am I willing to say from whom I got this information so the information can be checked for accuracy?
6. When I say this, does it break my heart?
7. Have I taken time to examine my life and confess to God how I also sin like that?
8. Am I praying for the person?
9. Would I feel comfortable if someone were saying this about me?
Taken from Confidentiality
Kevin Miller is author of Surviving Information Overload (Zondervan).
So what do you think? What are your personal rules for deciding what is gossip and what is fine to talk about?A related challenge to any relationship- is confidentiality—that is, how open can... more
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When it comes to sex, most married Christians just do what works for them. If they have been blessed enough to have discovered something that brings satisfaction, pleasure, closeness, and climax, they most likely will continue that practice. However, some are plagued with guilt because they wonder if what they're doing is sinful.
Marriage Partnership receives many, many questions from Christian couples who want to know what is and what is not okay to do sexually. Unfortunately, churches tend to ignore this issue, small groups usually don't talk about sex, and most Christian books deal with more "spiritual" ideas.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a list of sexual practices categorized by "sinful" or "okay"? Is there such a list? Would everyone agree with the list? Is there a solution to this dilemma?
We think the answers to those questions are: yes, no, no, and probably not—in that order. We'd really like to create such a list that could settle once and forever the niggling doubts about sexual practices. We do want to provide some guidelines that we hope will help you enjoy the gift of your sexuality to the fullest. That's what we're convinced God wants for each of his children.
We doubt that God's surprised by the intensity of our sexual desire or of its fulfillment. Seeing us enjoy the passion and pleasure seems to fit with his creative nature. There are some definite boundaries. These are established to protect and enhance the maximum enjoyment of the gift.
We want to emphasize again that there are some specific sexual behaviors that are forbidden in scriptures. Adultery, that is having sexual intercourse with another person's spouse or a partner other than your own spouse, is a sin. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, deepens the importance of marital faithfulness by extending the prohibition of infidelity to include a lustful thought life as well as the physical act of intercourse. Looking into our minds and hearts is an important principle for safeguarding the delights of intimacy.
(more at source)When it comes to sex, most married Christians just do what works for them. If they... more
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Obama and Duncan say kids in the United States need more school because kids in other nations have more school.
"Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here," Duncan told the AP. "I want to just level the playing field."
While it is true that kids in many other countries have more school days, it's not true they all spend more time in school.
Kids in the U.S. spend more hours in school (1,146 instructional hours per year) than do kids in the Asian countries that persistently outscore the U.S. on math and science tests -- Singapore (903), Taiwan (1,050), Japan (1,005) and Hong Kong (1,013). That is despite the fact that Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong have longer school years (190 to 201 days) than does the U.S. (180 days).
Regardless, they claim that there is a strong case for adding time to the school day.
Arcticspirit/
What do you think? Are they trying to make free daycare for parents? Or are they really trying to increase academic scores, and is this the way to bait students into doing their best?
Would it have helped you? What do you think? Is play time important? Down time important?Obama and Duncan say kids in the United States need more school because kids in other... more
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By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON - While President Barack Obama wrestles with the idea of committing more troops to Afghanistan, a counter proposal is also on the table -- trim American forces and focus narrowly on counter-terrorism.
It is an idea associated with Vice President Joe Biden.
More resources would go toward training Afghan forces to fight their own war, and U.S. troops would be withdrawn gradually from the firing line. Pilotless drones, already striking targets in Pakistan's tribal areas, would be increasingly relied upon to hit al Qaeda's leadership and keep them on the defensive.
As a plan, it has its appeal, but it has plenty of critics too.
"I don't think it works," said Michael O'Hanlon, a military expert from the Brookings Institution.
"If you try to do counter-terrorism from long range then you lose the intelligence you need to carry out any intelligent strikes, because you no longer can protect the people who you need to give the good information."
Drone attacks inevitably cause civilian deaths and tend to fuel radical anti-Americanism. In the long run, the United States could even lose the use of air bases in the region. (more)By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON - While President Barack Obama wrestles with the idea of... more
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WASHINGTON - Nearly one-in-five U.S. drivers surveyed have read or sent a text message while behind the wheel even though nearly all of the respondents in an AAA survey released on Friday considered it unacceptable.
"Enacting texting bans for drivers in all 50 states can halt the spread of this dangerous practice among motorists nationwide, and is a key legislative priority for AAA in state capitals," Darbelnet said. The group, which provides emergency road services to its members and lobbies on automobile issues, formerly was known as the American Automobile Association.
The random telephone survey questioned 2,500 U.S. residents 16 and older.
Although nearly all respondents considered the practice unacceptable, 18 percent said they had sent a text message while driving within a month of being surveyed.
About a dozen states have imposed prohibitions and proposals for a national ban have been introduced in Congress.
So have you been guilty of this? And often??? Should it be outlawed?WASHINGTON - Nearly one-in-five U.S. drivers surveyed have read or sent a text... more
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WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland on Friday approved a law making chemical castration mandatory for pedophiles in some cases, sparking criticism from human rights groups.
Under the law, sponsored by Poland's center-right government, pedophiles convicted of raping children under the age of 15 years or a close relative would have to undergo chemical therapy on their release from prison.
"The purpose of this action is to improve the mental health of the convict, to lower his libido and thereby to reduce the risk of another crime being committed by the same person," the government said in a statement.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said late last year he wanted obligatory castration for pedophiles, whom he branded 'degenerates'. Tusk said he did not believe "one can use the term 'human' for such individuals, such creatures."
"Therefore I don't think protection of human rights should refer to these kind of events," Tusk also said.
His remarks drew criticism from human rights groups but he never retracted them.
"Introducing any mandatory treatment raises doubts as such a requirement is never reasonable and life can always produce cases that lawmakers could never have even dreamt of," said Piotr Kladoczny from the Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights.
"If somebody is of sound mind, we punish him. If he is sick, we try to cure him -- that's how it works in Polish law. This bill introduces both approaches. As far as I know, this makes our law the strictest in Europe on this issue," Kladoczny said.
The bill, which also increases prison sentences for rape and incest, must still be approved by the upper chamber of parliament. This is seen as a formality as Tusk's Civic Platform party holds a majority of its 100 seats.
(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Louise Ireland)WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland on Friday approved a law making chemical castration... more
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SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - The original Oktoberfest is underway in Munich but beer lovers who can't make it to Germany don't necessarily need to miss the fun with a list of Oktoberfests now held in cities across the globe.
Travel website Travel and Leisure (www.travelandleisure.com) has come up with a list of alternative beer-fests, many of which were founded by German immigrants or their descendants. Reuters has not endorsed this list:
1. Philippines: Multiple cities, Sept 4 - Oct 9
Run in various locations across the Philippines, San Miguel Brewery has added a limited-edition Oktoberfest Beer to its menu this year as it hosts 30 street parties in key cities.
2. Blumenau, Brazil: October 1-18, 2009
This charming town full of Germanic architecture, founded by German immigrants in 1850, still has a sizeable number of German-speakers who cling to their Old World traditions. It even has a beer museum. The city's 26th annual Oktoberfest will be staged this year in a recreated German Village called the Vila Parque Germanica.
3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: October 6-11
What Ho Chi Minh City's Oktoberfest, celebrated since 1992, lacks in the way of lederhosen is made up for by its sheer energy. The Windsor Plaza's Jade Ballroom is the stand-in for Munich's Theresienwiese, the field where the beer tents are erected each year, and is filled with long wooden tables and benches as you would find in the beer halls of Germany.
4. Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: October 9-17
The German roots in these twin towns run deep with both boasting a number of German-speaking citizens, and Kitchener was formerly named Berlin. Oktoberfest here is one of the largest outside Germany, with more than 700,000 guests expected.
5. Lima, Peru: October 15-18
Launched in 2002, the Lima Oktoberfest takes place under a massive tent in the city's Videna sports complex. The stage will be rocking with oompah music, beer-drinking contests, schuhplattler dancing, and alpenhorn trios. The event has proved so popular that a sister beer fest has started up in Cuzco.
6. Bangalore, India: October 23-25
The organizers of the fifth Great Indian October Fest have promised "a safe environment for the entire family" with the event held on the grounds of Bangalore Palace. The festival features rock bands, flea markets, a car show, a beer tent, and food reflecting the traditions of both Bangalore and Bavaria.SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - The original Oktoberfest is underway in Munich but beer... more
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BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST, Uganda (Reuters Life!) - Lurking deep in the mist-glazed forests of east Africa, Uganda's mountain gorillas are preparing to "tweet" for their survival.
With the launch on Saturday of the "Friend a Gorilla" campaign, human fans will soon be able to follow the everyday drama of one of the few remaining 720 mountain gorillas online, far from the red ants, mud and tropical rain of their habitats. (more at source)BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST, Uganda (Reuters Life!) - Lurking deep in the mist-glazed... more
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I am posting this in honor of those who served because they wanted to...
ONE OF THE BEST EMAILS EVER
It is the
VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
(cont. below)I am posting this in honor of those who served because they wanted to...
ONE OF THE... more
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Normally I am attracted to guys who don't treat me well.
I had been dating this guy for few weeks and he was a real jerk I didn't want to be committed because my career wouldn't allow me to spend as much time as I want with him and I really wasn't ready to jump into a serious relationship. The guy went psycho and I decided I didn't want to date or meeting any other guys on this Internet anymore because it seemed like all I got was the weirdos.
It was about a week or so before my trip to New York to visit my relatives again and all these guys were IMing me and I just kept telling them I wasn't really in the mood for talking, then later that night around 12am my time I got an IM from this guy Brian asking "are you really the sweetest girl in the world?" because that's what my name had said, so I said yes I am and we began talking.
At this time I really didn't want to talk to him but I did for a few minutes. After about 30 minutes of internet talking I felt I needed to call him, so I asked him if I could. The rest is history...
*Missing someone gets easier every day because even though it is one day further from the last time you saw each other it is one day closer to the next time you will be together*
"Rachel"Normally I am attracted to guys who don't treat me well.
I had been dating this... more
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Dawn's Story:
I met a guy over the internet sometime ago.
I never asked or wanted to feel this way towards a person I've never seen face to face.
We started to desire to talk to one another constantly (at least I know I did). Our feelings grew extremely strong and it became obvious that we loved each other in many ways. I couldn't help this longing in my heart. In fact time after time I tried to dismiss the feelings but it only failed. Now we talk as much as possible. He tells me that someday in fact we will have each other to hold and delight in one another's arms. I wish for that night after night.
I have so many choices in many different guys, but none could ever drive me so crazy with passion like he does. I want him more than anything and no matter how much I try to express it nobody understands that my heart truly beats for this guy. They can't see the real need I possess for him. There are many times that I feel he's the only person I feel comfortable with telling even my deepest of secrets to. I can't even tell my best friend Jodie the things I tell him. People wonder how I can trust him so much and believe everything he tells me like I do. There is just this deep trust I hold here with my heart. I can't explain it but it's there. So what if he's an atheist and so what if he drinks. I'm opposed to those things, but with him nothing can matter.
Not even my faith in God has pulled me back from this need. What does it mean to need someone? When you can't or don't have them - doesn't that mean you'll have something awful or even death happen to you? I am sitting here so depressed and in pure misery because he's not here with me. I indeed need him. I need him so I can find happiness and peace, so I can have those things with him. Wouldn't it be awful if I were to spend my whole life in pain because I never took that extra step to make sure I'd be with him? I could even find death by my own hand in that. The pain to end all.
Each night when I lay my head down a terrible fear runs through my mind. What if he were to find somebody that he seems to love much more. Even worse, what if he just doesn't love me anymore. How would I be able to rise to the dawn each day knowing that the love of my life just doesn't need me anymore? I know all people think I'm foolish and this is a phase that fades away with the years, but I strongly know in my heart there is nothing nor another soul that could draw me from this desperate desire I have for Gregory...
"Dawn"Dawn's Story:
I met a guy over the internet sometime ago.
I never asked or... more
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This site offers detailed reviews on the most popular Dating Web Sites out there. With the Online Dating Services reviewed all in one spot it will be easier to see which site is more suited to you as a person. You will find out how each site works and how much it approximately costs. Most sites do offer free submitting of your dating profile and searching of matching profiles but to communicate with someone you will have to purchase a subscription or buy credits to that particular site. No popular dating site is completely free.
We have tried to make it easy for you to find Singles online by including different Online Personals Categories. These will allow you see at a glance which sites you should read the review on for example, if you are interested in meeting a mature older companion or maybe someone from the Christian Faith. Some of the categories include:
Award Winning Dating
Religious Dating Dating
Over 50 Ethnic Dating
Single Parents Dating
Million Plus Members
Mobile Phone Dating
Popular Match Systems
Australia Dating
Canadian Dating
UK Dating
Sexy Singles
Wealthy Singles Dating
Dating Sites are also referred to as Match Making or Web Personals on the internet. All three terms mean the same thing, a place to meet new people on-line whether it is as friends, casual acquaintances or someone for Marriage.
So what do you think? Can one find love??? or is it only a meat market?This site offers detailed reviews on the most popular Dating Web Sites out there. With... more
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Wow, now how cool is that? My inner Geek is all happy!
Here's the article...
THERE is a simple rule of computing that holds true even in the weird quantum world: increase the number of units of information available and you boost computing power. Raising the number of quantum bits, or qubits, carries an even greater reward – every additional qubit doubles the computing power.
But raising the number of qubits has proven tricky because of the difficulty of reliably producing entangled particles. Now a team has designed a system that should fire out barrages of entangled photons with machine-gun regularity.
Existing methods of producing entangled photons tend to spew out photons more or less randomly, says Terry Rudolph at Imperial College London. "People have produced six entangled photons but they come out at times we cannot control," he says. "Ultimately that isn't going to help us build a proper quantum computer."
Rudolph and Netanel Lindner at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa have designed the blueprint for a system that fires out large numbers of entangled photons on demand. They call it a "photonic machine gun" (Physical Review Letters, DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.103.113602).
At the heart of the gadget is a quantum dot - a nanoscale crystal within a semiconducting device - chilled to a low temperature. When a short, strong pulse of light hits the dot, one of the electrons inside is raised to an excited state. As it "relaxes" back to its resting energy state it throws out a photon.
"We can manipulate the electron in such a way that it is entangled with the photon," Rudolph says. Excite the same electron again and it spews out a second photon that is also entangled with the electron, and therefore with the first photon too. Repeat the process many times and a string of entangled photons emerges, ready to inject into a quantum computer.
They say that a practical version could be built within a few years. "It's only within the last year or so that the [nanofabrication] technology has made this feasible," Rudolph says.
The quantum machine-gun idea has generated a buzz among researchers. "It's a superb piece of work," says Andrew White at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. "I think this is one of the most exciting theoretical proposals I've read in five years - it will be a revolutionary advance for photonic quantum computing."
What do you think? happy to find quantum and computer in the same breath? Or not so much? lolWow, now how cool is that? My inner Geek is all happy!
Here's the article...... more
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I have actually had the pleasure of going to Otakon in Baltimore MD a few times, and the photo above, is a personal one from this year's Otakon 2009 "Who are ya gonna call?" (hint: not ghostbusters!). - arcticspirit
Here's the article:
The economy may be in the dumps, but with over 26,000 people having attending Otakon 2009 you sure wouldn’t know it. Granted, that’s roughly the same as 2008, but to just hold steady demonstrates that even though money is tight, people will still come out for the big show, and on the East Coast it’s the self-proclaimed “Convention for Otaku Generation.”
Otakon is so big that you have to book your hotel roughly a year in advance just to get a spot. Why, by the time you read this, the Days Inn is probably already booked solid! The downside to this is that you have to commit to attending the convention long before any guests, events, or programming schedules are confirmed. And unlike every other convention ever, you are not permitted to cancel your hotel room reservation up to 24 hours prior to check-in. So even though Otakon overall held roughly the same attendance, the addition of an entirely new hotel meant those same people were now spread out across more rooms. An awful lot of people ended up paying way, way more for their hotel rooms as they would have liked because of this.
Otakon2009-BigO-2-mA collective sigh was breathed mere weeks before, as it wasn’t until the deadline to cancel one’s hotel reservation had already passed that most of the major guest list was confirmed. Lots of fans turn out for the voice actor guests—Otakon has both English and Japanese ones—as well as the musical acts, but I didn’t bother to see a single one of these people.
Of all the non-musical act Japanese guests, the one most fans were likely to be interested in was Yutaka Yamamoto, the director of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Kannagi. I find it fascinating how he can so vociferously lament the state of anime and express such disdain for choreographed dance sequence OP/EDs when he himself is the one who conjured forth that beast. Does he not realize that was never a factor until HE made it one? That guy needs to take some responsibility for his crimes! Also, Kannagi is extremely average even by moe show standards, so we didn’t bother to interview him. Instead, look forward to our [brief] interview with the fascinating Fred Schodt (pronounced the same as “shot”), and perhaps the highlights of the group press conference with Masao Maruyama, Noboru Ishiguro, Yukio Kikukawa, and Hidenori Matsubara in the near future!
While many con guests tend to vanish from the grounds during the times they’re not scheduled to be doing something, Maruyama and Ishiguro were both quite content to just walk around the convention by themselves, without any special badges or security escort or anything. Hey, they’re old Japanese men. They know that fans won’t recognize them.
From Arcticspirit:
At-con registration will be available all three days of the convention. The price of a membership is $65 if purchased at the convention. A membership allows you to attend all convention functions from the time of purchase till the end of the convention.
In the past years, You could purchase membership online early in the year and get get a small discount. I didn't see info about that on their page today, as the con has just happened.I have actually had the pleasure of going to Otakon in Baltimore MD a few times, and... more
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Fujiko-chan is a four-member Japanese rock band formed and based in San Francisco, consisting of one female vocalist and three male musicians, two on guitar and one on drums. They incorporate a wide range of styles—punk, heavy metal, hard rock, and a form of Japanese pop called mudokayo (moody blues)—but have achieved a reputation based on their affinity for covers of anime theme songs. Their name comes from Fujiko, the comely, naughty, often duplicitous female lead from the Lupin the 3rd anime series. They’ve done songs from such anime as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nana, Death Note, Lupin the 3rd (of course), and the 2009 anime series, K-ON!, which happens to be about an all-girl Japanese high school rock band. Most of the vocals are in Japanese, yet the group has performed exclusively at conventions and events in California and Nevada, including Fanime in San Jose, ChibiFest in Las Vegas, and KinyobiCon in Hayward, and they hope to expand to any gathering on the anime circuit that will invite them.
Fujiko-chan at FanimeCon 2009 8-sI had the opportunity to watch Fujiko-chan perform as one of the intermission acts during the Masquerade Contest at this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles and then interview them the next morning. They put on a rousing 15-minute, four-song set that had the audience (restless from two-and-a-half hours of increasingly mind-numbing cosplay skits) jumping up from their seats and running up towards the stage to dance. Vocalist naoko Mine came out with splashes of red in her hair and sang in a driving, aggressive rock style, while lead guitarist Koichi, adorned in a green military-style overcoat and officer’s cap, with white face paint, wowed the crowed with his virtuoso guitar riffs. As vocalist naoko put it in the interview:Fujiko-chan is a four-member Japanese rock band formed and based in San Francisco,... more
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It always seems like the pets of our favorite anime/manga characters doesn’t quite get enough attention as their human counterparts. For me, the animals/demons are the first draw to a series. Yeah, they are adorable!
So lets everyone have fun sharing which pets are your favorite?
There are so many anime pets, from the exotic to the plain... From kittens that sit in girl's hair to a flying squirrel that hides in a Kimono... There is a dragon that turns into a Jeep... A flying demonic cat that has flames at her feet, and can change size at will... Huge wolves... and that only skims the top...
Post a picture and tell us what you love about your anime pet!
-Arcticspirit, who loves all anime pets!It always seems like the pets of our favorite anime/manga characters doesn’t quite... more
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Shin Dong Hyuk had just turned 14 when he was forced to watch the executions of his mother and older brother for trying to escape from North Korea's "total control" prison camp No. 14, a Stalinist gulag for political prisoners. His mother was hanged; his brother was shot nine times.
At the time, Shin, who was born and raised in the camp, felt no pity for them. Total control meant the political prisoners were in until they died.
"They tried to escape. Naturally, death was the price they had to pay," said Shin, who had absorbed the inhuman logic of the camp.
Now 25, Shin acknowledged to The Japan Times in late October that he has only recently begun to understand that this was an abnormal sentiment to harbor against one's kin.
"I suffered for their misdeeds, and I blamed them for bringing such pain upon me," Shin said through an interpreter, referring to the torture he suffered as retaliation for the failed escape attempt by his mother and brother. "But if I am ever reincarnated, I'd like to know what it feels like to be loved by your parents, and to love them back, like a normal person."
Shin is the sole known escapee born and raised in North Korea's prison camp No. 14.
Spending his first 22 years under intense persecution, working in factories, living on meager rations meted out by sadistic guards who would torture the captives at every possible excuse, Shin did not even consider bolting until he heard stories of the outside world from a new inmate brought to his section.
His curiosity aroused, Shin agreed to escape with him on Jan. 2, 2005. However, while Shin managed to get away, the man died stuck in the electrified perimeter fence.
Crossing into China a month later, Shin spent a year in hiding before being taken in by the South Korean Consulate in Shanghai. The mission arranged his defection to Seoul, where he lives today.
Speaking in late October during a weeklong tour of Tokyo, Shin said he feels it his duty to spread the word on the cruel realities the prisoners face.
"If talking about my experiences could hasten in any way the dismantling of the prison camps and the democratization of North Korea, I couldn't ask for more," Shin said.
A victim of the hermit state's guilt-by-association collective punishment of political criminals, Shin was born Nov. 18, 1982, in the camp situated near Kaechon, 75 km north of Pyongyang.
His father, a model prisoner the guards rewarded by granting him permission to marry, was initially captured and taken to camp No. 14 with his family in 1965 after officials discovered that two of his brothers had defected to the South during the Korean War — conduct that branded the entire family and descendants three generations down as "traitors of the country."
Born to work and die in the camp and considered unfit for any ideological training, Shin said he had not known who either Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Il were until after his escape.
"From what I've learned in the past few years, Kim and his regime seem to me like a giant fraud ring," Shin said.
Gruesome mementos of Shin's past are engraved across his body: his back is covered with scars of severe burns he was administered when he was 13 — in retaliation for the attempted escape of his mother and brother. His right middle finger was lopped off as punishment for accidentally dropping a sewing machine, and both his shins are badly scarred, wounded during his escape, when his feet were temporarily tangled while he crawled through the electric fence that killed his fellow escapee.
In 2007, Shin published an autobiography titled "Escape to the Outside World" in Korean and later in Japanese. It offers a detailed portrait of the system maintained in these camps, where children like Shin — prisoners from birth — are dehumanized and isolated from their families as slave laborers to toil away in various factShin Dong Hyuk had just turned 14 when he was forced to watch the executions of his... more
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Fox News sucks.
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samply
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added this
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3 months ago
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"Earlier this month, the Pew Research Center and the American Association for the Advancement of Science unveiled the latest embarrassing evidence of our nation’s scientific illiteracy. Only 52 percent of Americans in their survey knew why stem cells differ from other kinds of cells; just 46 percent knew that atoms are larger than electrons. On a highly contentious issue like global warming, meanwhile, the gap between scientists and the public was vast: 84 percent of scientists, but just 49 percent of Americans, think human emissions are causing global warming.
Scientists are fond of citing statistics such as these in explaining conflicts between the public and the scientific community. On politicized issues like climate change, embryonic stem cell research, the teaching of evolution, and the safety of vaccines, many Americans not only question scientific expertise but even feel entitled to discard it completely. The reason, many scientists infer, is that the public is just clueless; perhaps we wouldn’t have these problems if the average citizen were better educated, more knowledgeable, better informed.
Yet while scientific illiteracy is nothing to shrug at, the truth is that it’s only part of a broader problem for which scientists themselves must shoulder a significant portion of the responsibility. Decrying ignorance and scientific illiteracy, many scientists treat their fellow citizens as empty vessels waiting for an infusion of knowledge. That is exactly wrong, and exactly why so many people, in turn, see science and scientists as distant, inscrutable, aloof, arrogant. Rather than blaming, scientists ought to be engaging with the public, trying to personally make their knowledge hit home and to instill by example (rather than from a distance) the nature and virtues of the scientific mindset - while also encouraging average Americans to ask their own questions and have their say.
Ultimately, all of this could lead to nothing less than a substantial redefinition of the role of the scientist in public life. No longer merely a distant voice of authority, the scientist could also become an everyday guide and ally, a listener as much as a lecturer. There’s no doubt members of the public must become much more knowledgeable about science and its importance. But scientists must also become far more involved with - and knowledgeable about - the public."
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What role do people and scientists need to take in the public's scientific literacy?"Earlier this month, the Pew Research Center and the American Association for the... more
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