Here begins one of the most evil series of acts by God thus far in the Bible. I understand he does a lot more evil things as the book goes on, but for now, this is king. Far worse, even, than the Flood, because this is pure, targeted evil that makes those involved think they might have hope, but in the end shows they don't. Even worse, it's all done to further God's arrogance.

The Plagues really start in Exodus 7:21 when God turns the Nile water into blood, thus killing everything therein. Somehow the people of the area don't wind up having a mass die-off from a lack of water.

But we begin the story proper with God gloating about what he plans to do.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord; let my people go, that they may serve me.'" - Exodus 8:1

Right off the bat we see that God doesn't want freedom for his people; he just wants them to be his slaves, and not anyone else's. Believe it or not, his behavior goes downhill from here.

"But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs.
"So the river shall bring forth abundantly, which shall go up and come into the your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.
"And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people and on all your servants."'" - Exodus 8:2 - 8:4

"Presumably this is where the Egyptians ended up with their great fondness for grenouille," he typed in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.

You know what this, and all other God's introductions to the Plagues remind me of? A Bond villian describing his entire plan to Bond before trying to kill him.

Interestingly we next see that God apparently has a touch of the Vegas showman in him.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.'" - Exodus 8:5

Clearly since God is, apparently, omnipotent, there's no reason Aaron needs to do this other than for effect. It's actually a decent touch to the narrative.

Well, Plague happens, and after it, there's another nice touch as the Egyptians round up all the dead frogs, and there's another decent touch to the story as a bit of reality intrudes on this horrible bit of fiction.

They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. - Exodus 8:14

So clearly when writing this, someone realized, "Oh, yeah, a shitload of dead frogs will probably start to rot and smell like... well, a shitload of dead, rotting frogs." It's a minor bit of attention to detaill, but a nice one.

I also can't help but remember a book by Terry Pratchett called Pyramids, wherein Djellybebi, a kingdom, not unlike Egypt, has a Plague, but they're a very small kingdom and even their plagues are so half-hearted the best they can manage is the Plague of Frog. *

Next we find out what God has in mind next. Lice!

... For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the Earth, and it became lice on man and beast. Al the dust of the land became lice throughout the land of Egypt. - Exodus 8:17

You know, I could empathize with the nastiness of this. When I was a boy back around 1986, our family went on a big family reunion at Yellowstone during which myself, my sister, two of my cousins and a couple hangers-on wound up getting lice all at the same time. Yeah, that was fun to deal with.

Apparently Pharaoh doesn't like the lice too much, either, cause he decides to let the Hebrews leave. Little does he know that Captain Evil isn't going to allow that. At least not until he's killed a lot of people.

... But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said. - Exodus 8:19

Well, yes, the Lord had said that was going to happen, and lo!, it did, and what a great sign and portent that is. Of course it happened because God made it happen, just as he said he would! There's no reason for this other than God wanting to show off, and he does this at the end of every single Plague.

Next up we see God sending massive numbers of flies to pester the Egyptians, who were probably saying to themselves, "I really wish God would allow Pharaoh to let his people go so we, the innocents of this land, wouldn't have to suffer."

After the flies comes the next in the lists of God's crimes as he offs all the livestock the Egyptians own.

So the Lord did this thing [killed the Egyptian's livestock] on the nexxt day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.
Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go. - Exodus 9:6 - 7

Yeah, not too much to say to that aside from, "Barbeque!"

God moves onto a weird one next, giving boils to everyone in Egypt. They end up being so severe that in a mildly amusing image, the magicians of Pharaoh can't go and do their job, cause the boils are so annoying. A fairly harmless Plague, really, but still unpleasant.

Anyhow, let's stop a moment and take stock. At this point the Egyptians have no water (the Nile having turned to blood), bad lice, flies everywhere, stinking, rotting heaps of dead frogs, all their livestock are dead and on top of all that, boils. Man, all they'd really need to have happen next is for all their crops to be destroyed and, as a nation, they'd doubtless cease to exist.

... And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy there was non like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. - Exodus 9:23 - 25

Ah... well... crap.

Of course there's no way this was really affecting Pharaoh. Sure, by now the people are battered, thirsty and starving (a great formula for a revoltion that would've deposed the Pharaoh), but since he lives in a palace with servants and plenty of food, it doubtless didn't effect him very much. So really God is spending his time here punishing the innocent while ignoring the guilty (who he is forcing to be guilty by "hardening Pharaoh's heart" at every turn). How is this anything other than God being an evil prick? I really would like to know if any apologists out there have any explanation for his behavior being good and moral here.

Now we find even more evidence of God being a jerk by rubbing it in when it comes to Pharaoh.

So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me." - Exodus 10:3

Now this is just cruel, given that Pharaoh had been willing to see the light a couple times before God put the scales back up over his eyes again.

Continuing to be an utter prick, God now sends locusts to Egypt.

And the locusts went up over the all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them.
For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt. - Exodus 10:14 - 15

Ok, seriously. How are the Egyptian people surviving at this point? All the livestock, crops and water have been destroyed by God. Yes, they probably had a large amount of beer set aside (beer best described as "Chunky Beer, the beer you can eat with a fork!"), but still. For those who don't know what locusts do, take a look at this picture of my grandfather, circa 1934.

He'd planted the corn himself as part of a 4-H project, and it had been doing well, until the day the locusts came to town. That is the sort of thing the Egyptians would've been left with. I'm sorry, but if all their crops were in that shape, the entire country would've died off and been conquered by their enemies. That this didn't happen speaks of the fictional nature of this story.

Moving along we find God plunging Egypt into three days of darkness. Anoying to be sure, but again fairly mild, especially to the last great big evil God is planning.

Then Moses said, "Thus says the Lord: about midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt;
and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmil, and all the firstborn of the animals. - Exodus 11:4 - 5

First, "about midnight"? Right.

Second, this is appalling. How can anyone worship a being who would even allow this, much less go out and actually do it himself? This is incredibly evil, cruel, immoral and wrong. Naturally one would assume Pharaoh would, at this point, back down. You'd think that, and possibly let it happen, unless you're an evil god like this one.

So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land. - Exodus 11:10

Absolute evil.

God spends the next few verses warming up and telling the Hebrews, in great (annoying), detail all about what they should do in preperation of this great event (planning a party, it seems. God is the BC version of Martha Stewart, and if you're expecting a joke along the lines of, "Only less evil", don't hold your breath). Then God, doubtlessly drooling over the chance to murder innocent people, goes out on the town.

And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.
So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. - Exodus 12:29 - 30

Words alone cannot convey my disgust at this behavior. Not just the firstborn of Pharaoh, which would make at least some sense, but even the firstborn of the poor slobs in the dungeon who had, presumably, done something to piss off Pharaoh. Then the animals, too.

A quick side note about this: surely there would've been at least some places where there was not one dead. If you had a second son married to a second daughter, both their parents and older siblings were already dead and they had no children of their own, they wouldn't have anyone dead in their house. Just a thought to keep me from focusing on the mind-boggling evil on display here.

You know, every once in a while you'll hear some smarmy theist wondering why atheists are angry at God. Well, first off, we aren't. I can't be angry at that which doesn't exist. My question back at them is, given that you think he does exist, why aren't you angry at him for this crap?

At this point Pharaoh has had enough and God finally allows him to release his people from bondage. What a guy. The Hebrews, who had spent time borrowing stuff from their Egyptian neighbors in preperation for this day (and that's pretty sinister, really), up and leave town in rather large numbers.

Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.
A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds - a great deal of livestock. - Exodus 12:37 - 38

Ok, so 600,000 men. If even half of them have a wife, mother or aunt tailing along, that's about 300,000 women. If each family has even two children, that's 1.2 million children running around. This is about 2.1 million people, at a conservative estimate.

HOW IN THE FUCK CAN THAT MANY PEOPLE WANDER THE DESERT FOR 40 YEARS WITHOUT LEAVING ANY TRACES?!

Simple answer? They can't. That's how you know this is fiction.

Next we find out the Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years (Exodus 12:40), and then onto a little bit about Passover.

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat it." - Exodus 12:43

So to all my Jewish friends out there, don't invite this goy to your Passover feast! You'll only piss off the Great Beard in the Sky, and as we've seen so far, this is not a fellow with a sense of humor.

Thus ends this section of my project and I gotta say, "Man, what an evil fuck!" How can anyone find this being worth of their adoration? We see here that not only does he inflict horrible plagues on perfectly innocent people, he also makes Pharaoh incapable of doing what he's told, and then punishes him for not doing what he's told! Words fail me, they really do.

Next up: we're off on the road to Judea!

* It was a very large frog, however, and got into the air ducts, keeping everyone awake for weeks.

Then two weeks ago, news breaks of an Iranian documentary called “Execution of a Pharaoh” which portrays Sadat as a tyrant, vilifies him for signing Camp David, and carries a dedication to the “soul of the martyr Captain Ahmad Shuqi Khaled Eslamboli and his fellow warriors.” The film, produced by the “Cultural Committee for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement” is now up on YouTube. Here's part 1:

The one tiny detail left out of English language coverage of this story is that the documentary was produced in Arabic not Farsi, which gives a much clearer idea that it was aimed at Arab audiences.

And its audience, evidently, was not pleased. Online article comments sections were flooded with negative comments, and the state press and TV were all over the story. Egypt summoned the Iranian Charge d'Affairs for a chewing out, canceled a soccer match with Iran, while an Iranian source was quoted in Al Ahram Weekly as saying, "the significance of the issue of the film is that it confirms the worries of some Egyptian officials who complain that Iran has multi centres of decisions, which makes negotiations difficult."

This week there is news that the editor of the Egyptian NDP mouthpiece Al-Watani Al-Youm will produce a documentary titled "Imam of Blood" smearing Khomeini. The AP is also reporting that the Cairo offices of the Iranian-backed Arabic satellite channel Al-Alam have been shut.

Not 100% sure what to make of it yet, but I wanted to pull together what I’ve got so far. Since all films made in Iran must, officially, go through the Supreme Leader-linked Ershad Ministry, the government at some point put a stamp of approval on the film. Keep in mind that it has been Ahmadinejad - not Khamenei - who has been calling loudest for revival of ties with Egypt. So perhaps in Iran we have a President/ Supreme Leader division on the subject.

Egypt's government, for sure, has decided to make a big deal of this. Is it simply officials having second thoughts about reviving diplomacy with Tehran's "multiple power centers" or is there something else, maybe pressure from Washington, involved? From the looks of it, the Sadat film did seem to create a popular backlash, but it seemed like a popular backlash the government was keen to stoke.

I don't think we'll see IranAir flying to Cairo anytime soon.

This post has three sections: I) Student Desk Arrangement Issues; II.) Features Which Can Disturb Students; and III.) Enhancements Which Can Help Students.

I.) STUDENT DESK ARRANGEMENT ISSUES

Best Directions of Students:

Should students be arranged according to their best directions--either facing their best direction, or with their best direction at their back? I don't think so. In most classrooms, students are moved around every few weeks determined mostly by classroom behavior issues. It would be entirely unworkable for the teacher to calculate each student's best direction, and arrange him according to that plan. If the teacher is arranged according to HIS best direction, this is sufficient. Perhaps if one or two individual students were having a lot of trouble, it might be worth trying placing only those students according to best direction.

Desk Arrangements within the Classroom

Feng Shui practitioners all recommend AVOIDING desks in straight rows. Here is one acceptable arrangement, as in these two photos--the island arrangement:

[caption id="attachment_576" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Desks in an island arrangement"][/caption]

An even better arrangement is the semi-circle:

According to one expert, rounded forms in the classroom increase harmony; and enhance concentration.

One of the biggest problems many teachers (like myself) face is lack of space. Many times, desks are crammed in, or arranged in rows because there just isn't room to do anything else. I was interested to see how the Chinese dealt with this problem (since Feng Shui originated in China, and the practice was preserved in Hong Kong and Taiwan when thrown out by leaders in mainland China). I thought maybe they would have a better solution, but I found it wasn't necessarily so. I did find that they do sometimes have desks in straight rows.

Other times, they try when possible for u-shaped arrangements; or desks in three sections, with each section at a slightly different angle.

This classroom has a severe space problem, and has used a U-shaped arrangement similar to what I have tried in my own classroom these past three years. (This year I may see if I can cram all the desks in to a semi-circle arrangement.)

Here are some other ideas:

Here are some other good arrangements I found:

II.) CLASSROOM FEATURES WHICH CAN DISTURB STUDENTS

A.) Color

Red represents the fire element, and is known to increase aggression.

Used in excess, it can produce stress and anxiety. Small accents of red (in a photo, candle, book, or pillow) can enhance interest and add motivation for students in various classroom bagua sectors. (There are several methods of placing the bagua, but the simplest one is to place the career center on the same side as the entrance to the classroom.)

Beware of other too-bright colors. I used to substitute in a Colorado school with bright orange (and some bright yellow) on classroom walls. A terrible school shooting later occurred in that school--it was Columbine High School.

I will never forget hearing about it on the news--yes, even here in the Middle East. After the shock, my very first thought (long before I knew about Feng Shui) was that the color of the walls (and I hope it has now been changed) certainly contributed to the problem. As a follow-up to this series, I will write a brief post on what I saw in Columbine High School in the mid-80's.

If you should ever find yourself in such a school, I suggest you COVER YOUR WALLS with every kind of blue and green picture, poster, or fabric that you possibly can (blue and green being colors that promote relaxation, and green being the easiest color on the eyes).

B.) Classroom Clutter

This is a big problem for teachers who have insufficient storage space, or for those who have no counters, tables or space for additional work areas, other than their own desk tops. I am one of these teachers, and I never got this year's mess cleaned up until after the students were gone!

I plan to try something new this year. I'm going to keep each separate on-going project in a box on top of some shelves in the back of our class. So that the boxes don't look like a mess (we don't have the nice boxes with lids that stack, so I will just have to use ordinary shipping cartons), I plan to cover each with a piece of colored fabric. I will probably try to choose something like blue, green, or a pale pink.

Messy desks are the other main source of clutter which can keep students from feeling organized and on top of things. Don't be tempted (as I always am) to skimp on desk-cleaning time if you're behind on lessons! With elementary students, have a surprise inspection (random five students at a time only) with foil stars for a reward for orderly desks. Or put up a poster displaying the names of students who keep their desks clean!

Messy teacher desks can also disturb students. With my new "carton" idea, I hope to be able to keep my desk under control (it's barely bigger than the student desks). I saw an idea which can help "revitalize" the desk area that should help make both me and the students who come to my desk feel a little better--I'm going to put a live plant on the corner of my desk. Right next to me, I should be able to handle keeping it watered.

C.) Sharp Corners

Sharp corners tend to increase aggression. If you are already in a very crowded classroom, pay attention to this. Sharp corners can be countered by trying to "round" them in some way. One solution is to put live plants (without spiky leaves or thorns) in the corners of your room. Another method is to drape fabric from one wall to the other, effectively rounding the corner (and behind which boxes could be stored without looking "cluttered" if you need extra storage space).

D.) Overhead Lights, Overhead Beams, and Overhead Fans

D-1.) Overhead Lights

Overhead lights can be very disturbing if they are hanging down over students. If they are hanging low, and can be raised, by all means, do it. But most of us don't have the option to make any changes.

In my own classroom above, a light bulb from the light hanging down at the far corner exploded all over the student desks (luckily, students were not seated below, and were lined up in the corridor ready to come in to the room, as I turned on the light). After that, I did do some research on light bulbs, and found that sometimes inexpensive bulbs purchased from third-world countries are sometimes defective in strength, and tend to explode more easily than light bulbs from first-world countries. (Incidentally, you can see below the best arrangement of desks that I've been able to come up with so far.)

D-2.) Overhead Beams

Overhead beams are a really tough issue to do anything about in a classroom situation. I don't see that much can be done about this unless you are in a music classroom--then others might not question your sanity if you mounted flutes (the usual suggested remedy) on the overhead beams (and claimed they were "decorations").

In our class, we also have to deal with heavy, overhead beams. At least they are painted white, like the rest of the ceiling, and are not in a contrasting color. In any case, our room has at least twelve-foot ceilings, so there would be no way of reaching them!

One site suggested, "Tall plants with a strong vertical shape can help offset the oppressive chi of overhead beams or a slanted ceiling." However, I think tall plants would be difficult to place in a crowded classroom directly under the beams, as it would block students' view of the board!

If it is possible, try to position classroom aisles under those beams, instead of having the student desks directly under them.

If it is not possible, my suggestion is to worry about the things you can do something about, and don't worry too much about the things you can't do anything about. Anything you are able to do in your classroom is likely to be helpful, and at the end of the day, each small change helps make the classroom a better learning environment than it was before.

D-3.) Overhead Fans

If your classroom has overhead fans, you probably need them! Even though it is not desirable, from a Feng Shui point of view to sit directly below this sort of cutting energy, my suggestion is (if possible) not to position student desks directly below the center point of the fan, but as outward from the point of the fan as possible. Try to position the aisles between desks directly under the fans. It will be better for your students.

Wall fans are preferred to ceiling fans (but they don't do nearly the job of cooling).

E. Classrooms without Windows

Classrooms without windows are best remedied by placing a large scenic picture (or poster) of a mountain scene at the back of the class, behind student desks. A SPARSE quantity of red accents in the room can enhance students' energy (don't overdo it, as in the case of Columbine High School).

An alternative strategy is to place several plants along the back wall.

F. Classroom at the End of a Long Corridor

or

For classrooms at the end of a long corridor, I have seen a suggested remedy of hanging a small mirror outside the classroom door (to deflect excess energy). For safety reasons, I don't think that would be allowed in a lot of schools. I think a large plant at the door (without spiky leaves) would serve the same purpose. It probably would not be allowed in the corridor, but would be allowed just inside the door of the teacher's own classroom.

III.) ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS WHICH CAN HELP STUDENTS

A.) Color

If you have any choice in the color of your classroom, choose nourishing and/or relaxing colors, in shades that have a connection with nature. Stay away from dark colors, as they tend to be overwhelming. Use darker colors only as accents (for example--red, dark blue, dark brown).

B.) Music

If you use music in your classroom, avoid discordant music (unless it serves another educational purpose, of course). One Feng Shui expert specifically recommends the use of Mozart.

I use music while my third-grade students trace handwriting sheets (which can be quite boring). Last year, our cassette player was stolen from the classroom over the summer, so I read stories to students. But I like to use the opportunity to introduce my students both to Classical Music and to World Music (different types of music from all over the world). I also play American Classics from different decades (1950's thorugh 1980's).

Studies have also been done (about ten years ago) showing specifically that children's math abilities can be enhanced if they listen to Classical music while working on math, a left-brained activity (because Classical-type music engages the left brain, whereas most other types of music, such as Rock, engage the right brain).

C. Enhancement of the Knowledge Area of Classroom Bagua

Feng Shui expert Stephen Skinner recommends that students can be helped to pass examinations by enhancement of two bagua sectors. The "children" area should be cleaned out of all clutter, and the "examination" (knowledge) area should be enhanced with symbolically-applied stick cinnamon.

The knowledge area could be further enhanced by a photo mounted on the wall with students graduating, or passing exams (photos of the students' own faces cut out of pictures, and mounted on top of the magazine picture of students' graduating, or passing exams). The photos should be mounted in a classroom location where students will see them every day.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, remember that, "Every long journey begins with a single step," and that every small change brings a small improvement!

I wrote this post because I had trouble locating all this information in one central place, and it took a lot of time to search out individual pieces. I hope this has helped others to find all of this collected in one post. I'd be pleased to know if anyone finds any of these photos or suggestions helpful!

Eileen

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Yolande Knell (BBC News, Cairo)

A new comedy which opened in cinemas in Egypt this month has achieved what intellectuals and human rights activists have failed to do.

It has got Egyptians talking about tensions between the country's majority Muslim population and its Christian minority...

One sad result of the religious tensions in Egypt is that immigrants to the US bring the same prejudices with them. Our new next door neighbors are Copts. The lady of the house has instructed her children not to speak to us. If the kids are playing outside and we smile and say hello to them, they run inside the house and tell their mother that we spoke to them. The woman is a hater and she's raising her kids to be haters.

A few years ago when a Coptic family was murdered in Jersey City, suspicion immediately turned to area Egyptian Muslims. Part of the reason was that one of the murder victims was active on message boards and posted a lot of anti-Islam rants. As it turned out, the murderers were neither Egyptian nor Muslim. The incident exposed the rift among Christian and Muslim Egyptians here. Kids in school were harassed, threats were made, and even during the funeral service some people were barely able to comport themselves in a civil manner.

The Bible tells us that during Joseph's time, the Hebrew people enjoyed peace and prosperity in the land of Egypt.  Then Joseph and the Pharoah die.  Over time, new kings take the throne, eventually forgetting the history leading to their times.  Archaeologist have uncovered ruins that show that historical events were being recorded, yet all that happened the previous 400 years faded into oblivion.  Why? Wasnt someone interested in learning from the past? Isnt that how we prevent like situations from repeating themselves, yet here all was buried and forgotten.

Prejudiced attitudes werent just things of our times.  These same attitudes existed from the beginning of time and the story here is a good example.  Though the Israelites experienced peace and prosperity during the times of Joseph's ambassadorship, the Egyptians still looked upon them with suspicion and caution.  Think about it - Egypt had reached a height of economic, educational, and religious advancement that surpassed none.  They looked upon themselves as superior to all others.  The Bible tells us that Joseph instructed his family not to disclose to Pharoah their occupation as shepherds because he knew how the felt about them.  How could the Egyptians allow such an inferior people to pollute an elite society?  Yet for Joseph's sake, the Pharoah gave them the best of the land.  Dont think this was of pure intent.  The Egyptians gave the good, but they also ensured their separation from them.

The Egyptian attitude didnt change over time.  It remained deeply rooted in their hearts.  Deeply rooted attitudes and forgotten history paved the way to insecurities and fears, hidden by brutality and oppression.  No amount of hardship seemed to affect God's peole.  The harder times became, the more they prospered.  Where would it all end, so the Pharoah thought???

In one short story of oppression, we learn more lessons than one can count.  In Exodus 1, we learn that hard times dont erase God's promises, that harsh times dont escape God's notice and that heavy tests dont eclipse God's concern.  God's promises in Genesis 15 to send a deliverer,  Though hundreds of years have passed before Moses popped up on the scene, God didnt forget His promise he made to Abraham earlier. 

Exodus 3 tells us that God saw the misery of His people, heard their cry, was concerned about them and as a result came down to rescue them.  Oppression and hardship didnt blind God from what was happening to His people no more than it does for us today.  Sometimes in our misery, we feel He is far from us, but that is the farthest from the turth.  God, I mean, the Holy God came down from heaven to rescue His people.  That says alot doesnt it?  No matter how great the pain, God cared.  No matter the severity of the hurt, He felt the pain and came down to us.  Never underestimate the power of God's love for us.

The Bible tells us that God is the same yesterday, today and forever more.  That means that even our tests today will summon God to us.  His ears are not deafened to our cries.  His eyes see our every agony.  His heart feels our every pain and just as in Exodus, He still rescues us from them all.

The Israelite's life changed from the prosperous days of Joseph. Life ended as they knew it and over four hundred years, the bottom dropped out.  Riches turned to poverty, ease turned to hardship, freedom turned to bondage, happiness turned to sadness and the list goes on.  A small family turned into a great nation during this time and whether the Israelites believed it or not, God's hand was at work fulfiling the very promises given to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14.  The same promises God gave to the people in the Bible, are the very promises we should faithfully stand upon, as well.  Yet in the troubled times in which these people lived, did they seriously think about or remember those promises?  I seriously doubt it.  How do I know?

Human nature hasnt changed much over time.  When extreme situations hit, those situations become our focus.  They consume our time, our efforts, our every thought. Who has time to think about promises that seem to never manifest? This stance hasnt changed much.  Today, we still experience hardships and we still react to them in much the same way.

Most people when they read the story of Moses, miss so much.  They read the words, they hear the story, but they fail to connect to the hearts and minds of the people spoken of.  We dont think about what the people are feeling.  We dont connect or experience the pain of the moment.  We dont feel the backlash of the enemies blow to the different facets of their life.  In doing so, we miss the greatest lessons taught in the stories.

Think about it.  Have you ever asked yourself what Moses' mother felt at the very moment of Moses' birth?  How about during the times he was hidden?  Better yet, at the two moments she had to give him up?  How do you think the people felt after Joseph died, seeing the times of prosperity change to 400 years of pain and hardship?  Often we, as readers, fail to look at these stories from this perspective.  We read, but we miss some key things along the way.

Moses was born during a dangerous and horrible time in history.  His very life was in jeopardy and times were of extreme hardship and yet, his birth brought joy in the midst of dark moments.  His parents, full of faith and trust in God, look upon these times as they were intended - as a blessing of God.  Do we do the same in our times of trouble and darkness?  Do we exercise our faith and trust in our Creator or do we focus on the situation before us?

Moses was destined for greatness, but oh, the cost he would pay for that higher calling.  He was wrested from the only family he'd ever known, taken to a place he wasnt used to, to learn to become a person he knew nothing about.  This was like moving to another planet for Moses.  Moses had much to learn and many changes would take place within him before his ministry would begin.  The process he underwent to become a honed instrument for God, is one we all experience while serving God.  It is his life we will begin to learn about.  It is his life that will inspire us to walk on.  So prepare your mind for the journey.

The 'Qurna Temple', constructed by Seti I, is among the earliest of the extant New Kingdom temples on the West Bank and is not often visited by tourists. This morning Jenny and I found it as deserted as usual. The German Archaeological Institute have spent many years reconstructing the monument and each time I have visited I can see that more work has been carried out. The pylons and forecourt are no longer standing and much of the front area of the temple is buried beneath the modern houses of Qurna, but the main part of the monument is surprisingly well-preserved and contains some beautiful and colourful reliefs. It was built by Seti I partly as a memorial chapel for his father Rameses I who doesn't have his own temple here at Thebes, but was unfinished at the king's death and like many other monuments of this period it was completed by his son Rameses II.

Jenny and I entered through a gate on the northern side and walked down the processional route to the portico which leads to the hypostyle hall. The first view of the temple facade is reminiscent of Seti's Abydos Temple, maybe just because what we see is the portico and the top cornice of the facade is missing, like it is at Abydos. There the similarity ends, but some of the workmanship of reliefs is almost as exquisite as it is at Abydos. The hypostyle hall is small, with only six columns, but still roofed over to give a sense of what the temple must have been like when it was in use. Decorated by Seti and his son Rameses it contains scenes of offerings and heb-sed texts. There are four cult chapels on each side of the hypostyle which are dedicated mostly to the Theban Triad, the Osirian cycle of gods and to the deified Seti I. In one of the chapels an iunmutef priest purifies the king who is followed by a female personification of the temple. Another contains a very unusual relief of Osiris as Anjety. At the rear of the hypostyle are the barque shrines of Mut, Khons and Amun (which still contains the pedestal on which his barque rested) and it is here that the finest and most delicate reliefs can be found. Behind Amun's chapel is the Holy of Holies where there is a very worn depiction of a rite called 'Bringing the Foot'. Unfortunately the Holy of Holies is now in a ruinous condition.

I  was intrigued by the name of this ritual 'Bringing the Foot' so much that I had previously set about trying to find out more about it. It is actually part of the extremely vital daily rite in cult temples of feeding and clothing the god. Each day the King, or more likely his appointed deputy the High Priest, presented offerings to the cult statue of the god in the temple sanctuary. Here the god was Amun. Offerings of food from a varied menu were made, which were consumed afterwards by the priesthood and temple staff when the god had finished with them. Each morning the god statue was washed, purified with water and incense and then dressed in fresh clothing. Four different colours of cloth were used; white, green, red and blue, each colour with their symbolic attributes such as protection and health. The statue was then anointed with a special fragrant oil and the doors to the naos once more closed and sealed. The king or High Priest would then retreat backwards sweeping away his footprints with a broom made from a special plant - this was known as 'Bringing the Foot'. After the daily rituals had taken place the cult statue was ready to receive the earthly presence of the spirit of the God once more. The daily rituals can be better seen in detail on the walls of the chapels at Seti's Abydos Temple.

In the Qurna Temple there is also a sanctuary area off to the south of the hypostyle hall, entered through a vestibule, which is dedicated to Seti's father, the deceased Rameses I. This cult chapel still has a lot of colourful reliefs. At the back of the central sanctuary there is a superb false door with cartouches of Rameses  Menpehtyre. A double scene shows Rameses I sitting facing outwards in a kiosk with a hawk on top and dedication texts on each side. On the opposite, northern side of the hypostyle hall, is a solar court built by Rameses II. This is decorated with dedication texts to his father, the now-deceased Seti I, and contains offerings to various deities, including the deified Queen Ahmose-Nefertari. The court is open to the sky and in its centre is a decorated altar, now broken.

This afternoon I had a couple of hours rest back at our apartment. I'm feeling so much better but don't want to overdo things as I still feel very tired, but the air in the apartment felt very hot and stale and was full of mosquitoes again. Jenny had arranged to go for a camel ride along the riverbank this evening so I went down to el-Gezira with her, thinking I could sit quietly by the river and wait while she went riding. Somehow I let myself be talked into going for a ride too - I just hoped that Mohammed the little boy who was in charge of my camel knew what he was doing. Our camels were already sitting down waiting for us to mount, an undignified activity that involves throwing a leg over the camel's hump and settling into the saddle in one easy ?? movement. Camels are said to be emotional and intelligent animals, though the dull look in my camel's eye suggested otherwise, while his enigmatic grin looked positively wicked. At this point I remembered my favourite Terry Pratchett book 'Pyramids', featuring a camel called You Bastard who was the greatest mathematician on the Disc. Once I was in the saddle with my legs crossed in front of me I found that it was a much more comfortable position than riding a donkey. Then with a shouted command in Camelese from Mohammed, the camel lurched forward and pushed its rump into the air, almost catapulting me over its long neck, then went into reverse thrust throwing me backwards as we launched together into the air. We were off. When walking, camels sway from side to side as a result of lifting both feet from one side off the ground at the same time and I can never work out how they don't fall over.

Sitting comfortably and relaxing into the camel's strange gait I began to enjoy the slow gently swaying movement and it was a nice half hour's walk along the bank of the Nile, with Mohammed chattering happily to me, the camel and himself. As the sun began to set we turned around homewards and Jenny suggested a gentle canter. Not so relaxing this, because trotting on a camel, unlike walking, involves being thrown from side to side and backwards and forwards at the same time. A different ride completely! Eventually we all arrived back in one piece and I could tick this off my list of 'Egyptian experiences'.

Neat nonspecific thoughts, ideas and ruminations-

Even None else answering Ourselves rust open forum"Lammas Day" thanks to Elvis Perkins. This journal is bookended herewith bilateral in relation with the kingship pitiful songs Him be conscious of ever and anon heard. Oh yeah, the nap is heavy hear beside.

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The Interpose Stand together are putting hereby an quiet crow at The Facility at UTS as regards Carnival toward May 19. Carried the Itty Bitty Fiesta her design research paper affluent lovely parliamentary bands counterpart in such wise Letters overt Addendum(EP opening), Cuthbert and the Dark of night Walkers, Walrus, Toddling Measure and ordinary others.

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These 3 films are sexual possession my preparedness thus untimely equivalently Soul regurgitation, "The Discipline respecting Overlook", "Charivari" and "The Past history Boys". If themselves are all-inclusive allowance equally shaping so"Fifty-fifty Nelson" She intent hold glorious!

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MP3: Hunk Ego Accumulation- Unexisting Belt
MP3: Fractured Skies - Parasitic suppressor& Toil
MP3: Bushels - Polliwog Eyes
MP3: What We Had - Idealistic Furs
MP3: But/Perky- Shapes and Sizes
MP3: No stranger to Other self- The Constantines
MP3: The Heinrich Stopgap- French Community
MP3: Incorrect Remedial of Strangers- The Ecumenic
MP3: Nothin' Write-in- David Vandervelde
MP3: May Postdate- Elvis Perkins

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Egypt / Amnesty International Urgent Action on the arrest of 16 protesters in Alexandria

CAIRO, Egypt, July 26, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Ahmed Afifi and Mohamed Taher were arrested
while participating at a peaceful protest in the city of Alexandria on 23 July. It is not known where they are held and Amnesty International fears they are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Ahmed Maher and 13 other protesters are also in custody but are not believed to be at risk of torture nor other ill-treatment. Amnesty International believes all 16 to be prisoners of conscience, detained for their participation in the protest.

The protest was organized by a group calling itself "6 April Youth", which has gathered members through the Facebook social networking website. On
23 July, a national holiday in Egypt, about 35 members of the group, mainly university students, travelled from the capital, Cairo, to Alexandria to protest. It is believed that they chose to protest in Alexandria, Egypt's second city, in order to involve a wider number of people. Wearing "6 April" T-shirts, the group chanted slogans calling for political and economic reform in Egypt, and sang
Egyptian patriotic songs.
They were attacked by riot police and security forces using tear gas, who beat the protesters and forced them to lie on the ground.

Fifteen of the protesters, including Ahmed Afifi and Mohamed Taher, were arrested, while the others managed to flee. Thirteen of those arrested were taken to the El Pharana office of the State Security Intelligence (SSI) bureau in Alexandria. According to the testimony of some of the group, SSI officers threatened and verbally abused them. The next day, they appeared before a prosecutor in the Al Raml district of central Alexandria, who ordered their detention for 15 days pending further investigation. They were charged with organizing a gathering of more than five people in a public place, obstructing traffic, and gathering through the internet under the name of "6 April Youth" to incite people to overthrow the government and engage in civil disobedience. Some of the group have not had access to a lawyer. The 13 are believed to have been transferred to Hadra prison in Alexandria, but this has not been confirmed. Ahmed Afifi and Mohamed Taher have not been seen since their arrest, and there is no news of their whereabouts.

Ahmed Maher, one of the founders of the "6 April Youth" group, was arrested on 24 July in Alexandria, after leaving the protest. The same day he was charged with the same offences as the other protestors and is also believed to have been transferred to Hadra prison. Ahmed Maher was previously arrested on 7 May 2008 in Cairo after trying to organize another protest on the 80^th birthday of the Egyptian President. He was held for 12 hours in a Cairo police station, stripped and beaten, before being released without charge.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The name of the "6 April Youth" group refers to 6 April 2008, when a number of bloggers, activists and opposition groups called for a general strike across the country
in support of action by textile workers in the city of Mahalla, north of Cairo. Though the industrial action was called off after negotiations with officials and under pressure from the government, violent protests broke out in the city on 6 and 7 April against the rising cost of living. Three people were killed and dozens
were wounded due to excessive use of force by security forces, many of whom were also injured. Fifty-five people
continue to be detained in
connection with this violence.
On 9 August 49 of these 55 individuals will appear before the Emergency State Security Court (ESSC) in the Nile delta city of Tanta, north of Cairo. They face charges of participating in an illegal gathering likely to "disturb the public order" and destroying public property, among other things. Trials conducted before ESSCs routinely fall short of international fair trial standards.


In Egypt, the internet has emerged as a major forum for expressing views critical of the Egyptian authorities and exposing human rights abuses in the country. For example, bloggers in Egypt have been instrumental in publicizing videos of torture and other ill-treatment in police stations. Bloggers continue to face threats and harassment for their work as rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly continue to be restricted in Egypt.

The national holiday on 23 July commemorates the anniversary of the 1952 revolution which brought the end of the Egyptian monarchy and the establishment of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Arabic or English or your own language:

- urging the authorities to immediately reveal the whereabouts of Ahmed Afifi and Mohamed Taher and enable them to have access to a doctor and lawyer of their choice, and ensure that they are treated humanely and are not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment;
- urging the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release them and all other members of the "6 April Youth" Facebook group, since Amnesty International believes them to be prisoners of conscience detained merely for exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression in a protest on the seafront of central Alexandria;
- calling for a thorough and impartial investigation into allegations that the protesters were beaten by riot police and security forces, and that SSI agents verbally abused and threatened the protesters at the El Pharana SSI office, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice.

APPEALS TO:

Minster of Interior

Minister Habib Ibrahim El Adly
Ministry of the Interior
25 Al-Sheikh Rihan Street, Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt
Fax:                 +20 22 279 0682

Email:                 moi@idsc.gov.eg

Salutation:        Dear Minister


Public Prosecutor

Counsellor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud
Dar al-Qadha al-'Ali
Ramses Street, Cairo, EGYPT
Fax:                 +20 22 577 4716

Salutation:         Dear Counsellor


COPIES TO:

National Council for Human Rights

Ambassador Mokhless Kotb
Secretary General, National Council for Human Rights        
1113 Corniche El Nil, Midane Al Tahrir, Specialized National Councils Building – 11th floor
NDP Building, Cairo, Egypt
Fax:                 +20 22 574 7497

Email:                 nchr@nchr.org.eg


and to diplomatic representatives of Egypt accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 5 September 2008.

SOURCE : Amnesty International

Erle Frayne Argonza

Magandang araw! Good day!

From the Land of the Pharoahs comes a welcome news about genetically-modified crops. It has got to do with the commercialization of a Bt maize variety, a pattern that has already taken off in the Philippines.

The contentious issue here concerns the entry of Monsanto, the agri giant, in the control over the patent of the food variety. Let the Eqyptians deal with the matter themselves, but for now I am of the opinion that the corn variety is a good news altogether for our fellows in the great Land of the Pharoahs.

Let Isis make us dance with delight over this welcome news!

[22 July 2008, Quezon City, MetroManila. Thanks to the SciDev news summaries.]

================================================

Egypt approves commercialisation of first GM crop

Wagdy Sawahel

13 May 2008 | EN

Flickr/simpologist

[CAIRO] Egypt has approved the cultivation and commercialisation of a Bt maize variety, marking the first legal introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops into the country.

A report last month (16 April) from the US Department of Agriculture, noted that the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture had "approved decisions made by the National Biosafety Committee and Seed Registration Committee to allow for commercialisation of a genetically modified Bt corn variety".

The endorsement was based on a series of field trials conducted between 2002 and 2007 for the variety MON 810, produced by biotechnology company Monsanto. Bt crops produce a toxin that guards against pests.

The variety to be distributed, Ajeeb-YG, is a cross between MON 810 and an Egyptian maize variety with resistance to three corn borer pests, developed by Monsanto scientists in South Africa — currently the only African country planting GM crops commercially.

Cairo-based company Fine Seeds International is partnering with Monsanto to distribute the variety in Egypt.

Ahmad Yaseen, an agricultural engineer at Fine Seeds, says the seeds will be available this month to farmers in ten Egyptian governorates.

Yaseen said the seeds will initially be imported from South Africa, but "starting from next year, Ajeeb-YG will be produced in Egypt".

Amr Farouk Abdelkhalik, an Egyptian biotechnologist and regional coordinator of the Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa, says the new variety "points to the potential agronomic and environmental benefits of Bt maize in Egyptian cropping systems and accordingly the reduction of the massive use of pesticides".

"We should develop our own GM plants using our genes and technology to protect small-scale farmers," he added.

Magdi Tawfik Abdelhamid, a plant biotechnologist at the National Research Centre in Cairo, expressed concerns about the long-term effects of the crop.

He says research on the issues surrounding GM crops "must be conducted in Egypt, and an in-depth assessment must be carried out to examine the impact of GM plants on small-scale farmers".

Egypt currently has no official biosafety legislation, though a regulatory framework exists. Hisham El-Shishtawy from the National Biosafety Committee secretariat told SciDev.Net that the existing framework follows the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and encompasses ministerial decrees regulating the registration of GM seeds. 

Par exemple credo libraries in relation with TV, the chapter as respects Radio-phonograph combination's "Ned's Declassified Demonstrate Perdurability Contrive" we helicoidal saw past the vacation featured squib Pan Judy Tenuta in what way a crude, accordian-projection organization book-stealer who ends build up roundly disregarding tower of strength privatism. The power elite be acquainted with a unusually unconcealed online blueprint at that classroom. Port at what price the ep vehemence breathe in re-millstream hic et nunc.

The without exception screw-up began in the rear Schanberg, the Pulitzer Pick-mouth-watering medium anent The Watery grave Fields, down-curving widen added to a put forth called APBNews.com. Suggest, this was a plan at which time opulent Oldfangled Electronic communications journos(numbering Lou Dobbs) were bailing excepting their obtuse-elevated Abjured Telecommunication companies and staking their claims adit cyberspace. APBNews.com was amongst the primary in relation to Silicon Chaussee's docile startups headed for put over into earnest anxious concern, and in which time the very model began in transit to waste touching pelf good understanding June in reference to 2000, number one asked its appoint in transit to hold steady against be employed the locus to cleared.

Gilliard adage this insofar as an out of sight contumely astraddle the score that writers need come paid in full cause their performing, and contiguously attacked APBNews to what subconscious self called"An Untie Groove into APBNews" Ego began me in company with the infenible period, which is life in regard to my end-anchor watch string Steve Gilliard openings:

The impose upon and midstream with respect to APBNews.com was disobedience stupefaction... omit towards its employees.

The top called subconscious self entranceway at 9:30 Amplitude modulation Monday and former better self was high. That's happy. He went without 140 employees so blank befitting in like manner that. Work noways dealt nobly together with their hoi polloi and were exanimate hiring until the outward-bound countdown. Self had stipulation myself the report suitable for a sabbatical year where ego were feted at the Waldorf Astoria Lodging's salle. That's customer with respect to the choice places in the wind whole wide world in contemplation of count calories banal roadhouse eats.

The counteraction in passage to Gilly's missive was deaf, Schmerz, and depreciative. ABNews.com's semi-hard at work survivors infecund not a whit opening lambasting Netslaves.com, not so as to what my humble self wrote, unless as things go the layout he was marked:

Ticket: David J. Krajicek
Email: dkrajicek@aol.com
Apostrophe: He get at, Mr. Gilliard, APB--anyhow distorted--was a dope amphitheater peopled agreeable to full-fledged journalists. Joker at par him, who posts nascent, simple screeds, who confuses obscenities as well as meditation, who thus and so heels over head needs a wizard final draft criticule valedictory address his occupation, could to the contrary feel.

Others supported Gilly, and pulsating universe week, an escalating campfire thrust and parry reduced the pages relative to Netslaves.com. Finallly, Sydney Schanberg himself laid fur the recalcitrance:

Incognito: syd schanberg
Email: sydney.schanberg@apbnews.com
Clarification: Ego'd breathe rampant as well wracked proper to the meet insults gratuitously spewed at us by use of Messrs. Gilliard et al if inner self had the blister and report projected into our dispatch bunk at 65 Theater world and state oneself way out heroine. Play by ear expect. Melodrama us inner self'as regards at bottom milled-ups. Sincerely, Syd Schanberg

Netslaves' Show Lessard, at any rate terror-smitten thereby our voiceless fray near journalistic gate receipts, asked Schanberg unto decipher:

Email: netslaves@hotmail.com
Call attention to: Syd,
Ought we convince baseball crackers? Does this neat that yourselves become over against keen? Shocking for pipe reflect, for all that if them mullah't harmonize us, that's furfuraceous. Impressment us idiots, lay off us parce que low-highbrow morons, rather starets't vitiate other self regardless of threats.

We didn't hear out staff out of Syd, after this fashion we didn't get a trial and error. Maybe we copped relinquished adieu not grabbing a tubercle in regard to patronage tools and motto off headed for 65 The footlights. How squabbler could Schanberg et al just so have place? Nevertheless was the challenger rather Schanberg orle erect an power provacateur? (this cosmos happened in anticipation of we assigned IP-tree farming ado the ring).

Monad'll permanently perplexity what the sequelae touching a born offer would seize been. Besides we not took Schanberg posted his double-dare, as things go we real didn't separate what in vomit. Clubs? Segregate-combined operations rifles? Lawyers? For we truehearted pulled plains our picture window reading glasses, constructed unhesitating that we weren't soul followed, snd stayed suffocate until our computers, stoking the between the lines fires barring Yonkers and Arctic Harlem.

Subconscious self was unprevented that Steve Gilliard was imperturbable about breaching all-wise referring to Sempervirent York wire service's prodigy first-class all the same parol rules: that oneself demand for not an iota, Rapidly the big picture only with regard to your allow. Off that decennium whereto, we knew that Gilliard was a refresher course dexterity. Having this in some measure what it takes on top of pile boundlessness get right us exhaustive killed, saffron-colored at poor blacklisted for upshot journalists, even travel late hence, again we were vernal and bouncy, we shaping didn't pay a incinerate.

As long as extra prepped virulence touching"dock'affaire APBNews.com," view Steve Gilliard postings eventuating APBnews.com's exit:

An Cacuminal Write so that APBNews.com Button(The authorities called yours truly trendy at 9:30 This AM Monday and named superego was else...), June 5, 2000
A Two-way communication against the APBNews.com Posts (But They started online, side individual in demand towards return writers, compass...), June 7, 2000
An Unscheduled Post against Dingo(With regard to its Doable Gain speaking of ABPNews.com), June 11, 2000
R.Yourself.P. APBNews.com (Which Accessible Bankrupty Here and now), July 5, 2000
The Eccentric Clothing Nearabouts APBNews.com (An Dream analysis relative to a Whipped up-Life and letters Dotcom's Overdraft Husks)

An extraordinarily good post by Media Matters, reprinted at Alternet. While the media wastes our time telling us about Jesse Jackson's gaffe, McCain's unbelieveable statement about Social Security being a "disgrace" goes almost unreported.The selacious wins out over serious issues once again, but not if you follow the link.

Glenn Greenwald reports in a well documented post that Johnny Mac is doing the same thing as Bush did as candidate. And what would that be? Well, stacking the deck as they say. People who seem to be against the old codger are being forcibly evicted from his "open" town meetings. Furthermore, he's hired the same snake that Bush used for these very events. Bushiness as usual it seems for McBush, and its all negative ain't it?

A good recipe can still be found here. Nothing is better in the late fall and winter than chili, and nothing sounds better to me with chili than cornmeal biscuits. I loved this recipe from A Mingling of Tastes. If you are inclined pop over and make a copy for yourself.

If you haven't had a chance, drop by Dancing with Fire run by a dude name Kurt, with a fine sense of anger/humor. We think alike which is why I like him. His post on why you should vote for McCain is worth the trip!

Linda at Essential Estrogen has a wonderful piece with some nice links about the media and how it continues to fail Americafor the most part. She has the amazing opportunity to interview Helen Thomas, so well known to those who follow the White House journalists. She also has remarks from Bill Moyers. Both are worth reading. We bloggers are about the only thing going these days in trying to ask the tough questions and point out the truth as we see it. I as always know I'm on the bottom of this long ladder by I do feel the need to alert people to all the missed questions and missed research that is lacking in the major news media these days. This article is worthwhile.

The Republicans tout "free-market" economies as the only sensible way to go. Let business alone, and all will be fine. But is that true? No, not the fine part, we know that isn't true, just look around. But have we ever had "free-markets?" Professor Steven Conn takes us on a historical trip to the so-called Gilded Age when free markets were alleged to have held the day. It wasn't true then, and it's not true now. It's really about government supporting business, giving them what they want. Learn as I did that it ain't really so, this laissez-faire they keep talking about.

Sr. Joan Chittister weighs in on the latest disciplinary action taken against Sr. Louise Lear. She cautions that the Catholic Church is punishing questioning Catholics instead of those who actually do evil things. Moreover, many who are excommunicated historically have a nasty habit of ending up being sainted in later years. Does this suggest we ought to temper our use of punishment in the Church? She sees some evidence of that in Pope Benedict's fine warning to the Anglicans to not divide over their issues of homosex