tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15555577588850329062024-02-20T19:14:29.743-05:00J. Samuel EdwardsPro "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-15202696014800532552018-11-07T01:12:00.001-05:002018-11-07T01:12:53.011-05:00Midterms Election 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpkTRIUPKu97Jd1TLvGDIu8wlSC2EllU_kQf-cngPWRMEFIOo2h-oR1Y0gq-DgsLz36dC_XLyrSoA-ZXtXOGPKjl3cmNsuiDB-29pxywf_0IThcIwrYNJsfqhY98mfuLtKU8liSmuW-k/s1600/Screen_shot_2014-11-03_at_3.58.29_PMNov_3__2014.0.0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpkTRIUPKu97Jd1TLvGDIu8wlSC2EllU_kQf-cngPWRMEFIOo2h-oR1Y0gq-DgsLz36dC_XLyrSoA-ZXtXOGPKjl3cmNsuiDB-29pxywf_0IThcIwrYNJsfqhY98mfuLtKU8liSmuW-k/s400/Screen_shot_2014-11-03_at_3.58.29_PMNov_3__2014.0.0.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only thing I will say about this election is that we Americans may need to remember the lesson taught to King Croesus as written by the ancient Greek author Herodotus:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">“None may escape his destined lot, not even a god. Croesus hath paid for the sin of his ancestor of the fifth generation: who, being of the guard of the Heraclidae, was led by the guile of a woman to slay his master, and took to himself the royal state of that master, whereto he had no right. And it was the desire of Loxias that the evil hap of Sardis should fall in the lifetime of Croesus’ sons, not his own, but he could not turn the Fates from their purpose; yet did he accomplish his will and favour Croesus in so far as they would yield to him: for he delayed the taking of Sardis for three years, and this let Croesus know, that though he be now taken it is by so many years later than the destined hour. And further, Loxias saved Croesus from the burning. But as to the oracle that was given him, Croesus doth not right to complain concerning it. For Loxias declared to him that if he should lead an army against the Persians he would destroy a great empire. Therefore it behoved him, if he would take right counsel, to send and ask whether the god spoke of Croesus’ or of Cyrus’ empire. But he understood not that which was spoken, nor made further inquiry: wherefore now let him blame himself. Nay, when he asked that last question of the oracle and Loxias gave him that answer concerning the mule, even that Croesus understood not. For that mule was in truth Cyrus; who was the son of two persons not of the same nation, of whom the mother was the nobler and the father of lesser estate; for she was a Median, daughter of Astyages king of the Medians: but he was a Persian and under the rule of the Medians, and was wedded, albeit in all regards lower than she, to one that should be his sovereign lady.” Such was the answer of the priestess to the Lydians; they carried it to Sardis and told it to Croesus; and when he heard it, he confessed that the sin was not the god’s, but his own. And this is the story of Croesus’ rule, and of the first overthrow of Ionia.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><i><a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Herodotus_The_Persian_Wars_(Godley)/Book_I" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Persian Wars, Book 1 - Herodotus</span></a></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The lesson? Looking past the obscure names and archaic language the point King Croesus learned was that the fate of his kingdom was decided long before he was born as punishment for the crimes of his ancestor. There was little to nothing that could have been done to change his fate, or the fate of his kingdom - the sins and crimes of his ancestors needed to be answered.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A similar lesson is taught in the Christian Bible through the fall of the Kingdom of Judah in punishment for the sins of King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><i>1. In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><i>2. And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servants the prophets.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><i>3. Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><i>4. And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><i><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/2-kgs/24.3?lang=eng&clang=eng#p2" target="_blank">2 Kings 24:1-4</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><i>4. And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><i><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/jer/15.4?lang=eng&clang=eng#p3" target="_blank">Jeremiah 15:4</a> </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">In the Bible, King Manasseh performed sins and crimes so heinous that his own repentance, and the repentance of many of his people, was not enough to persuade God to spare Jerusalem the punishment for those crimes. Even though those punishments came some generations later, they still came, severely - according to the Biblical tradition.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">At some point we have to ask ourselves if our nation, America, has performed sins and crimes so great that no amount of effort to redeem our great nation will ever be enough to save her from her fate, a fate shared with Sardis and Jerusalem - a fate likely sealed long before many of us were ever born. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">I don't want anyone to attack or be attacked, I just don't have hope that our nation can survive the weight of its own history - a nation that has happily elected a monster to the Presidency and again happily chooses corrupt and vile persons to enable that monster in every stage of government in every new election. As a nation rooted in oppression, slavery, theft, genocide, and war - our ancestors may have made the bed of doom that is our fate - but we are the generation cheerfully laying in that bed, rejoicing in our ancestors' sins as we lead ourselves into karma's inescapable grasp.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">Sure, some good souls try to resist, attempting to revive America as a moral, upright, and just society, but all our efforts seem to fall on deaf ears and uninterested minds. The Midterm Elections of 2018 cement the idea that Americans enjoy the corruption and evil that Trump brings with him - if that's true, then the words of King Mosiah in the Book of Mormon ring true as well:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><i>27. And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><i><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/29?lang=eng" target="_blank">Mosiah 29:27 </a></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">To be clear, I am not advocating any action against the Trumps, the United States, or anyone else. In fact, the opposite - if our nation's soul truly cannot be redeemed, Trump himself will lead America to ruin, spiraling in self-destruction and corruption; while nothing or no one can stop it - the consequences will sort themselves out, without any intervention from those wrongly convinced of their own righteousness. Frankly, if you think you're righteous or good enough to punish others on God's behalf - you're simply not righteous or good at all, so don't do it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">America was the world's Great Experiment; an experiment in self determination by popular vote, a test of the morality of human-kind - if she has indeed failed beyond redemption I pray the world will rebuild her better, an America that truly welcomes the poor huddled masses of every sort and strives to ensure true equality among all who live. Until then, the righteous may be forced to wait in the shadows for a darker fate.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">The road to hell is paved with the best of intentions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;">Happy Midterms.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span>Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-47817179667861063582018-10-30T21:19:00.002-04:002018-10-30T21:19:37.146-04:00Loyalty of the Elder WandI notice some people still do have a hard time figuring out the Elder Wand Paradox.... And with <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FantasticBeasts2&src=tyah" target="_blank">#FantasticBeasts2</a> coming out in a couple of weeks it's the perfect time to talk about the most powerful Wand ever made!<br />
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Now, supposedly the Elder Wand makes the wielder unbeatable, but it can only be inherited through victory over it's previous master (even if that wand is somehow not physically present) - but for a wand that grants is owner what is essentially absolute power, those masters are still defeated one after another; it's an absolute paradox and it's totally understandable why people get confused. Fortunately, I have an answer for y'all 😉<br />
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Traditionally, killing the owner of the Elder Wand was the primary method of transferring ownership but JK Rowling has proven that that isn't the only way to inherit its loyalty. Disarming the owner, and apparently beating the owner in wrestling also officially count as methods to force the wand's loyalty change...which is basically how Harry Potter himself supposedly gained the wand's loyalty. But why? What is the single unifying concept behind every instance where the Elder Wand has supposedly changed loyalty without murder? *Emotional Surrender*.<br />
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Grindelwald stole the Elder Wand from Gregorovitch, saddening the older wand maker who gave up because he believed he'd never see that wand again.<br />
Draco inherited the Wand from Dumbledore because the great wizard felt dismayed for the plight Draco was put into by Voldemort and his family, as well as being afraid for the boy's future. Also Dumbledore completely surrendered to Draco without a fight.<br />
Harry inherited the Wand from Draco when the two fought physically, leaving Draco afraid of Harry Potter and seemingly believe Harry was superior or stronger than him.<br />
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Whenever the Wand detects fear or surrender in its master is when it changes allegiance. In some ways, the Elder Wand works like a placebo - it only protects you and makes you victorious so long as you believe it will work for you (if you actually do own it). There's no doubt that the Wand is exceptionally powerful, but you can only rely on that power so long as you are confident in your strength and the strength of the wand itself. Once you start to doubt yourself or it, you have lost the wands' full power.<br />
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Now, the reason Voldemort did not inherit the Elder Wand when Harry surrendered himself, expecting to die, is because Harry never actually surrendered to Voldemort, nor did he believe Voldemort was his superior. Harry didn't give up and allowed himself to die, he willingly sacrificed himself so his allies could finish winning. This means Harry's surrender was a chess-like strategy towards' victory, not a White-Flag surrender to a superior opponent. Harry never believed Voldemort was unbeatable and Harry never really doubted that either he or his allies would defeat Voldemort. Because of that mindset and belief in himself, his strategy, and his allies, there was no "Emotional Surrender" for the Elder Wand to interpret as a signal to change loyalty.<br />
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However, if Voldemort indeed had become the master of the Elder Wand at some point, he would not have been able to keep its loyalty. Because Voldemort feared Harry Potter and eventually recognized that Harry could ultimately defeat him, the Wand would have sensed this extensive fear and panic and would have relinquished its loyalty to Voldemort in favor of the only wizard left alive that Voldemort feared. In fact, it's even possible that with Voldemort's intense fear of death itself he was completely incapable of ever earning the loyalty of the Elder Wand in the first place as it cannot properly serve a master that is consumed by fear.<br />
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I hope you all enjoy Fantastic Beasts this November!<br />
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<br />Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-48072610059272080842018-10-01T00:36:00.001-04:002018-10-01T00:36:31.148-04:00Quora: Is Religion a problem for Science?Someone recently asked the question "Is religion a problem for science?" on <a href="https://www.quora.com/Is-religion-a-problem-for-science" target="_blank">Quora</a> - this was my answer....<br />
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To be honest, there are a few ways to address or interpret this question, so I’ll do the best that I can.<br />
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<li><b>Is the existence of religion a problem for scientists who study the creation or origin of the universe, or of life itself, because religion answers their scientific questions?</b></li>
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<li>This interpretation is something I’ve seen remarked on in multiple religious classes where those who are religious presume that the answers they offer through their particular religious creed are more important than any scientific studies - no matter what the scientific results are. </li>
<li>Is this a problem for scientists and their work? <i>Potentially, yes</i> - but it isn’t a guaranteed problem. The problem arises mostly when a scientist needs to publish findings or conduct research that contradicts the answers provided by a culturally popular religion. There is widespread push back against their findings that can cause hate mail, threats, uninvited forced missionary efforts by supposedly well-meaning persons, rejected funding for continued research, etc. Galileo is a prime historical example of this problem.</li>
<li>In this interpretation of the question I would not say that the existence of any religion creates a problem for the data studied by scientists, issues only arise when the people or culture that relies on a religion interacts with the scientists.</li>
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<li><b>Do scientists, who are also religious, face problems that force them to choose between their science and their religion?</b></li>
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<li><i>Yes.</i><b> </b>When scientific data conflicts with religious answers there is inevitably going to be some kind of “trial of faith” and every scientist that encounters this problem is going to face it in his or her unique way. This problem typically has only four types of solutions: </li>
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<li>The Faith will be changed to fit the Science</li>
<li>The Scientific data will be changed to fit the Religion</li>
<li>Both the Faith and the Science will be changed to compromise with each other</li>
<li>The question will dropped entirely, placing the answers from both Faith and Science in a category for “Unsolved Mysteries”</li>
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<li>An LDS Apostle (Mormon Church) named Henry B. Eyring was a theoretical chemist who has spoken repeatedly about balancing his faith with his scientific work, for the most part it appears that he has, when confronted with contradictions, opted to use solutions III and IV (listed above). This is highlighted by the following quote from Henry B. Eyring (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1035147.Henry_J_Eyring">Goodreads</a>):</li>
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<li>“There isn't anything to worry about between science and religion, because the contradictions are just in your own mind. Of course they are there, but they are not in the Lord's mind because He made the whole thing, so there is a way, if we are smart enough, to understand them so that we will not have any contradictions.” </li>
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<li><b>Do Scientists have personal issues with Religion being upheld as irrevocable truth despite a fundamental lack of supporting evidence for the claims of that religion?</b></li>
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<li>To be honest this answer depends wholly on the affiliation of the scientist. A scientist who is active in a religion will be less likely to criticize the unsubstantiated claims of his or her faith (no matter which faith it is, there are always at least some unprovable claims made by that religion); however, a scientist without strong connections to a particular faith (or one with a bad history with faith) will likely be more willing to call out a faith’s particular issues. <i>Either way, this may be reduced to personal bias, something a scientist should strive to avoid in his or her work, despite the difficulty in doing so.</i></li>
<li>Truthfully, however, any scientist committed to the discovery of truth through the scientific method will fault any person or organization that demands unquestioned acceptance of unsupported claims - religious or otherwise. Still, a scientist should not always be dedicated to <i>disproving</i> a religion’s claims, as that is not always a worthwhile endeavor. Instead, a scientist should be dedicated to discovering the truth and to promoting the documentation of that truth wherever needed.</li>
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<li>There are some claims made by religion that can neither be proven nor disproven - discussions regarding these cases can be particularly difficult to manage. It is important to remember that in such cases, a “lack of evidence FOR” is not the same thing as “evidence AGAINST” - and vice-versa, a “lack of evidence AGAINST” is not the same thing as “evidence FOR”. Advocates for or against a particular claim made by a religion should recognize the futility of such a debate and learn to accept that some answers are not currently obtainable, no matter how hard one searches for an answer. </li>
<li>Sometimes a claim made by a religion will simply be demonstratively false, and in such cases it is a scientists’s duty to provide the evidence necessary to prove that religious claim false. For example, if a religion makes a particular claim that physical beings (people or otherwise) are living on Earth’s moon, it is a scientists’ job to dispute that claim using the documented facts discovered about the Earth’s moon and the necessary conditions for life, etc. </li>
<li>Unfortunately, there are cases where a religion demands the acceptance of a claim as if it was an absolute or proven fact, while promoting “evidences” that do not actually qualify as empirical evidence. For example, if a religion promotes potential coincidences, ancient texts, or emotional sensations as evidence for a particular claim it is the duty of a true scientist to publicly inform the population that such “evidences” are faulty and cannot prove the religion’s claim. However, an unbiased scientist should generally avoid commenting on the veracity of the religion’s actual claim, instead focusing all criticisms to the incomplete nature of the “evidences” offered by the religion.</li>
</ol>
<li>I admit that this version of the question is perhaps the most complicated and morally ambiguous so far - but it is perhaps the most important as well. If science - or scientists specifically - were to have an issue with the nature or existence of religion itself, it would have to result from a competition over what it is or is not true. While it is inherently possible for science to get answers wrong from time to time, it is inherently demanded that if any answer or solution is to be upheld as an absolute truth it must be supported by actual evidence. If an answer is not justly supported it must either be challenged or accepted as a mere suggestion or possibility. </li>
<ol>
<li>Essentially, if we look only at an unbiased scientist, the answer would be: <i>Yes, scientists would have personal issues with religion being upheld as irrevocable truth despite a fundamental lack of supporting evidence for the claims of that religion</i>. Scientists with a personal bias, however, make this question far more complicated.</li>
</ol>
</ol>
</ol>
There are other options I could explore but I think this is a good place to end for now. Thank you for the question.Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-66278606301447977222018-09-26T01:14:00.001-04:002018-09-26T01:14:44.364-04:00Nagini Confirmed for Fantastic Beasts 2If you haven't yet seen the 3rd and Final trailer for Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald, I highly recommend you check it out before continuing with this article. It's right here so please don't go anywhere 😄<br />
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At 00:30 seconds into the trailer you see Credence Barebones seemingly whisper the word "<a href="https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Nagini" target="_blank">Nagini</a>" through a circus cage to the young woman dressed in a blue scaly outfit, at which point she literally turns into a snake. This woman is repeatedly shown in the movie's promotional material including several that indicate a close relationship with Credence, such as this one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1w9dk8KEFns6Z2TtbggR1hTC2OXss46dvw-kHWRkBYwc7kmcPQOXhVcfJ02DzL7JFQ7rz1A6U8koY1UArAKdNZqferZnzr4K1jJT20WGR2tY5V7IDQ37f51W7QLvk4aIzDrXcTUHUc4/s1600/Fantastic-Beasts-2-Jude-Law-Ezra-Miller-Claudia-Kim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="850" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1w9dk8KEFns6Z2TtbggR1hTC2OXss46dvw-kHWRkBYwc7kmcPQOXhVcfJ02DzL7JFQ7rz1A6U8koY1UArAKdNZqferZnzr4K1jJT20WGR2tY5V7IDQ37f51W7QLvk4aIzDrXcTUHUc4/s640/Fantastic-Beasts-2-Jude-Law-Ezra-Miller-Claudia-Kim.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now, to give you a quick summary of what is happening with this woman (played by Claudia Kim) and her character, let me explain:<br />
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This woman is so far unnamed beyond "<a href="https://www.pottermore.com/features/everything-you-need-to-know-about-nagini" target="_blank">Nagini</a>" so we don't know for sure if that is her real name or some sort of title she assumes. But either way, we do know that she is not an "Animagus" like Sirius Black from the Harry Potter books and movies - this means she does not have total control over transforming between human and snake. Instead she is what is called a "Maledictus", meaning she is the subject of a possibly inherited curse that at some point in her life will permanently transform her into a creature (in her case a snake) without the ability to transform back into a human on her own.<br />
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What makes this woman so special for fans of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is that Fantastic Beasts 2 seems to have confirmed her to be the same Nagini that attacked Arthur Weasley, ate the Hogwarts Muggle Studies Professor (Charity Burbage), pretended to be Bathilda Bagshot, nearly killed Harry Potter, Hermoine Granger, and Ron Weasley, did kill Severus Snape, all while being Lord Voldemort's horcrux and loyal servant. This woman has an incredibly extensive resume in the Harry Potter universe, to say the least.<br />
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I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKZo4N0lVPccBkSiuyVh4yg" target="_blank">SuperCarlinBrothers</a> on YouTube were one of the first (if not the first) to theorize that this woman teased in Fantastic Beasts 2 was in fact the Nagini Harry Potter fans have loved to hate for years - even though at that point she had only been identified as "The Maledictus". Click <a href="https://youtu.be/Dh2H5ui608U" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see their original theory video! So, THEORY CONFIRMED!<br />
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But I noticed something interesting in the way she is presented in this final trailer for Fantastic Beasts 2. She's literally shown aiding the movies' heroes (namely Newt Scamander and Co.) <b>against</b> the evil tyrant Gellert Grindelwald. I can't help but wonder how and why this woman will go from one of our heroes to one of the greatest of our villains.<br />
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Now that we've seen her to be more than a simply magical snake, I wonder how many of her actions in Harry Potter were the result of a more human thought process. I especially wonder at why she would actively fight the evil Grindelwald but dutifully perform every bidding of the evil Voldemort.<br />
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These are just my guesses but I would be very intrigued to see a detailed development of this character over the next several Fantastic Beasts movies and perhaps other stand alone content from <a href="https://twitter.com/jk_rowling?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling</a>:<br />
<ol>
<li>Could Grindelwald be somehow responsible for Nagini's curse - either having cursed Nagini herself or cursing her mother many years prior? JK Rowling has said that the Maledictus curse is inherited, being passed from mother to daughter - but every curse has to start somewhere. If Grindelwald did indeed curse Nagini or her family it would explain why Nagini helps Newt and Co. in fighting Grindelwald even if she espoused evil beliefs herself that she simply demonstrated later in her service to Voldemort. </li>
<li>Is it possible that Nagini was never actually a villain? Could she be a tragic hero forcibly trapped in Voldemort's service?</li>
</ol>
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It's this second question that I want to explore in more detail. I think <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/features/everything-you-need-to-know-about-nagini" target="_blank">Nagini</a> being a sort of tragic hero would be such an ultimate twist that it would be incredibly shocking and fun for viewers, and I would absolutely love for her story to take such a turn.</div>
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I have to options for how a Tragic Hero Nagini story could play out:</div>
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<ol>
<li><b>Voldemort finds Nagini at some point in his quest for power and forcibly turns her into a horcrux, using the piece of his soul housed inside her to exert incredible mental command over her actions, turning her previously more noble self into a mental slave of Voldemort</b>. This theory does seem to have some merit since even Dumbledore noted that Voldemort seemed to have "an unusual control over her, even for a Parselmouth".</li>
<ul>
<li>We saw in Harry Potter that there were times when Harry's self control would slip and a more angry or violent nature would be visible, particularly when he was sensing Voldemort's thoughts thanks to the horcrux connection. Dumbledore and Snape both were cautious of what Voldemort could do to, or through, Harry Potter if the Dark Lord recognized that the connection worked two ways. We can only imagine what kind of control he could exhibit on Nagini while knowing she was his horcrux.</li>
<li>We have seen Voldemort take forceful possession of Harry's mind (presumably without using the horcrux connection since the Dark Lord was still unaware of that reality) during his famous duel with Dumbledore at the Ministry of Magic. It is possible that he used a similar spell to control Nagini.</li>
<li>It is also possible that Voldemort placed Nagini under the Imperious Curse, seeing her value as a largely innocuous servant and seeing the power of her venom. Personally, I don't think the Imperious Curse could account for the degree of loyalty and equality demonstrated in her service to Voldemort, so I doubt this is really a good option to linger on. </li>
</ul>
<li><b>Nagini initially entered into Voldemort's service hoping to rescue a loved one from his grasp, but was then trapped in his service, either by contract or by some method of mental enslavement (as already discussed).</b></li>
<ul>
<li>First, I want to discuss a separate theory I have regarding a connection between Credence and Voldemort, this additional theory will set the stage for why Nagini would choose to serve Voldemort but still be considered a tragic hero. Since the first Fantastic Beasts movie came out, many people - myself included - have been racking their brains to find some sort of link between Voldemort and Credence, for various reasons. I'll explain my Voldemort/Credence theory and then show how Nagini fits into that picture.</li>
</ul>
<ol><ul>
<li>Voldemort is obsessed with surviving death and achieving immortality, hence his trademarked use of serial horcurxes. Credence, was successfully able to evade certain death AND completely revive his body through the use of a small ember or soul shard from his very powerful obscurial form. The poetic comparison is pretty easy to see right away but I think the connection goes a lot deeper than simple poetic symmetry.</li>
</ul>
<ol><ul>
<li>We don't know how a horcrux is created, and we likely never will. However, it is logical to assume that something had to point young Tom Riddle in the direction of studying horcruxes in the first place; Credence would have been an exceptional inspiration to Voldemort (since there are several similarities between Credence's obscurial and a horcrux) if he and his story were taught in any class at Hogwarts. So, it's possible that studying Credence and the abilities of his obscurial were inspiring to a young Tom Riddle seeking incredible dark power.</li>
<li>We see in Fantastic Beasts 1 that Grindelwald (disguised as Percival Graves) ultimately wanted Credence's immense power for some undisclosed reason, but we also see Newt Scamander take an interest in studying both an obscurial and an obscurus in the hopes of finding a cure for the condition. In both cases we are shown that an obscurial is able to be studied and experimented on - this implies that there are multiple ways an obscurial can be useful to magic users... perhaps even in the creation or study of horcruxes.</li>
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</ol>
<ul>
<li>If Voldemort did indeed seek out Credence he likely would have been capable of defeating Credence and acquiring a "sample" or piece of Credence's obscurial form (destroying the rest). This would have placed Credence in a sort of limbo where he could have been able to revive his body once again after being freed from Voldemort (we know this could happen since Credence is already shown having the ability to survive and rebuild his body from one small ember of his obscurial form) but was unable to do so while a captive of the dark lord.</li>
<li>If Credence and Nagini maintained a close relationship in the years and decades after the events of Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald it is likely that she would have wanted to rescue her friend (or lover) from captivity. Knowing she was outmatched by Voldemort she had only a limited number of options at her disposal.</li>
<ul>
<li><b>Get help</b>: She could have attempted to recruit assistance in recovering Credence, either from Dumbledore, Newt, or the Order of the Phoenix but either she failed or decided against asking for help. To be honest, help would have been unreliable against a powerful Voldemort, so I could easily justify any character, including Nagini, for refusing to ask for it when planning to face off against Voldemort personally. <a href="https://gifs.alphacoders.com/gifs/view/205347"><img src="https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/205/205347.gif" /></a></li>
<li><b>Make a Deal</b>: Nagini, knowing of Voldemort's power and advantage could have negotiated her servitude in exchange for Credence's freedom, willingly sacrificing herself to save her loved one. She may even made the "Unbreakable Vow" in offering to serve Voldemort so long as Credence was set free. Depending on the wording of the contract, Voldemort could have accepted Nagini's offer and still managed to kill Credence, legally, while still forcing Nagini to serve him unconditionally. </li>
<li><b>Covert Mission</b>: Alternatively Nagini could have attempted to sneak into Voldemort's place searching for Credence and his obscurial fragment. During this mission she would have been caught and forced into the dark lord's servitude after seeing her value.</li>
<ul>
<li>We don't know if Nagini began serving Voldemort during the height of his power or not until after his defeat to the baby Harry Potter while the dark lord was hiding in Albania. In either case, if Voldemort had access to Credence's obscurial, Nagini may have offered a deal regardless of the dark lord's current power. However, if the deal was made "post-baby defeat" 😏 she may have negotiated to help heal Voldemort and aid in his mission to kill Harry Potter in exchange for Credence's freedom in the end.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li>Of the three options most likely available to Nagini, I would expect her to attempt a deal with Voldemort over any other option. Throughout Harry Potter we are told Voldemort had an unusual degree of control over the snake but we are also never told of any instance where she might have resisted him. If Nagini had been completely forced into servitude it's likely she would have manifested some resistance at some point in the story. Instead she's frequently described as "loyal" to the dark lord. If Nagini was at all a sort of tragic hero I could only imagine that she willingly entered into Voldemort's enslavement through a type of contract hoping to save Credence. The end result, no matter what happened to Credence, was that she became bound to the dark lord's soul and ended up losing her free will in the process.</li>
<ul>
<li>If this story is true, then Neville Longbottom wielding the Sword of Gryffindor to kill Nagini becomes more an act of accidental mercy, freeing a trapped slave from all her horrific cages.</li>
</ul>
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</ol>
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<b>To sum up my theory connecting Nagini and Credence to Voldemort, we have a power hungry Voldemort seeking immortality being drawn to find and conquer Credence Barebones because of Credence's ability to revive himself from certain death. A victorious Voldemort begins to study the final piece of Credence's surviving obscurial soul shard but is approached by Nagini who attempts to bargain for the freedom of her friend. After striking a deal that proves advantages for the dark lord Nagini enters Voldemort's service where she slowly loses all her free will and is consumed by the horcrux and legilimency of her new master. She serves with great loyalty and becomes Voldemort's favored pet and support until her death at the Battle of Hogwarts.</b><br />
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However, there is one more possibility I want to quickly discuss. There is another possible way Nagini could go from hero to zero in Voldemort's loyal servitude, a way that doesn't involve Credence or becoming directly enslaved to the dark lord: <b>Split Personality</b>. We still have no idea how being a Maledictus can affect a person - we don't even know if the animal form resulting from the curse retains any part of the human that once lived in that body. It is entirely possible that human Nagini was a good person dealt incredible tragedy while snake Nagini has a completely unique and vile personality. If we are destined to witness the slow mental decay and death of Nagini from a beautiful and noble woman into an wild and evil animal it would still create a compelling tragic hero for all to both love and hate simultaneously.<br />
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Thanks for reading! Also, please comment and share this article, it would mean a lot to me 😉<br />
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ps. Food for thought:<br />
Did you ever wonder why Voldemort didn't kill Snape directly but allowed Nagini to do it herself? Maybe Snape did something to hurt Nagini that the dark lord is letting her claim vengeance for?</div>
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Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-46835859788093665222018-08-27T23:25:00.000-04:002018-08-27T23:25:15.358-04:00Star Trek First Contact - Why only one Defiant?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The following article is an edited lengthy comment I wrote on <a href="https://youtu.be/TrC_t6aRxHQ" target="_blank">YouTube</a> in a thread discussing the Anti-Borg capabilities of Star Trek's Defiant class starship, specifically in regards to the Battle of Sector 001 in the movie <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_First_Contact" target="_blank">"Star Trek: First Contact"</a>. </b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Earlier in the thread it was questioned why Starfleet did not field any additional Defiant class ships besides the USS Defiant in that battle. This comment focused on answering that question specifically.</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do know that history of the Defiant that you discussed - but no matter which way the discussion is sliced (when we ask why more Defiant class ships weren't seen at the <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Sector_001" target="_blank">Battle of Sector 001</a>) it's important to remember the dates. Since the Battle of Sector 001 is definitely set in 2373, we have a somewhat clear picture to evaluate.
We have two named ships confirmed to have been launched prior to the battle: the <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/USS_Defiant_(2370)" target="_blank">Defiant</a> herself and</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the Valiant. The <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/USS_Valiant_(NCC-74210)" target="_blank">Valiant </a>was launched in 2372 but was specifically designated as a Cadet training ship which was sent on a long term tour across Federation Space. The Valiant is essentially disqualified for battle consideration for those two reasons - remember the only reason the Valiant saw combat for so long during the Dominion War later that year was because the ship was literally trapped behind enemy lines and had little choice in the matter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As for <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Unnamed_Defiant_class_starships" target="_blank">unnamed ships </a>we see at least 2 Defiant class ships on screen alongside the Defiant during fleet actions with the Second Fleet at the end of <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Call_to_Arms_(episode)" target="_blank">"Call to Arms"</a>. It is possible that there are additional ships by this point but we don't have confirmation. As of 2373 there are only 4 confirmed Defiant class starships visible on screen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, the USS Defiant herself arrived at <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Deep_Space_9" target="_blank">DS9</a> early in <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Search,_Part_I_(episode)" target="_blank">2371</a> and was at that point considered a highly experimental failure. Yes, Miles O'Brien did miracles with that ship but we cannot assume that Starfleet Command took an immediate liking to the completed ship. A design that had been so heavily plagued with problems that it was mothballed for several years would not be immediately welcomed with open arms simply because one engineer seemed to have fixed what an entire team of engineers at <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Utopia_Planitia_Fleet_Yards" target="_blank">Utopia Planitia</a> couldn't. The Defiant would still require considerable field shakedown testing before mass production could begin. A Cadet training ship that would never be pushed to it's limits, launched in 2372, was a perfect testing solution - testing both the ship and the cadets at the same time. Since both ships performed their tests exceptionally, thanks to the solutions offered by <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Miles_O%27Brien" target="_blank">Miles O'Brien</a> and the DS9 crew - mass production of this class would finally become a reality, likely beginning in late 2372 or early 2373. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since we do not know the exact dates of some of <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine" target="_blank">DS9's episodes</a> we can only estimate that the Battle of Sector 001 took place shortly prior to <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/In_Purgatory%27s_Shadow_(episode)" target="_blank">"In Purgatory's Shadow"</a> as a quick reference is made to a recent Borg attack on the Federation. This easily places the <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Borg" target="_blank">Borg</a> attack in very early 2373 while "Call to Arms" (where we see the other unnamed Defiant class ships) doesn't take place till near the very end of 2373, several months later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This gives us a couple of possible scenarios to work with: namely that the two Defiant class ships we see in "Call to Arms" were still under construction at the time of the Battle of Sector 001; or that like the USS Valiant they were already launched by the date of the battle but were given distant assignments and could return in time for the battle. One possibility is that the ships seen in "Call to Arms" were assigned to the simultaneous <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Federation-Klingon_War_(2372-73)" target="_blank">Federation-Klingon War</a> and retrieving them for the Battle of Sector 001 would have neglected their fleet assignments in that conflict, a decision that could have been costly. All other Defiant class ships (including the <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/USS_Defiant_(2375)" target="_blank">Sao Paulo</a>) are seen after "Call to Arms" and upwards of a year or more after the Battle of Sector 001. This also includes the 4 Defiant class ships seen in <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Voyager" target="_blank">Star Trek: Voyager</a>, episodes <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Message_in_a_Bottle_(episode)" target="_blank">"Message in a Bottle"</a> and <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Endgame_(episode)" target="_blank">"Endgame"</a>, taking place in 2374 and 2378 respectively. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While there is still some window for more Defiant class ships to be operational prior to the start of 2373, the window is still pretty narrow when you consider all the dates. It would have been logistically extremely difficult for Starfleet to field a large fleet of Defiant class ships within a timeline of less than 2 years total for testing, shakedown, refinement, and new construction. Remember, this is the same Starfleet that spent months refitting just 1 <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/USS_Lakota" target="_blank">Excelsior class ship</a> and the same Starfleet that only appeared to have 2 <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Sovereign_class" target="_blank">Sovereign class ships</a> after at least one year of shakedown time. Rapid mass construction might seem good on the surface but it isn't something that can happen over night. However, I do agree with you that had the Borg attacked after the Dominion War there would have been a considerable number of Defiant ships present in that battle, with at least 2 seen within minutes of Starfleet's detection of a Borg transwarp signature in Voyager's "Endgame" (though interestingly, the bulk of that fleet was <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Unnamed_Galaxy_class_starships" target="_blank">Galaxy Class</a>).</span>Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-80271109566573080102018-07-23T00:01:00.000-04:002018-08-25T15:25:02.947-04:00Fantastic Beasts - That Riddikulus Scene explained<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The very first thing we see in the brand new Fantastic Beasts trailer is Dumbledore teaching Newt Scamander the very same lesson, dealing with a Boggart and the Riddikulus charm, that Remus Lupin teaches Harry Potter decades later.<br />
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While at first glance this appears to simply be a nod to the original Harry Potter series, I believe it represents a much deeper story that connects mentors and students across generations. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Namely, I believe Newt Scamander was the mentor who taught this lesson to a young Remus Lupin.<br />
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First, let's point out a few dates:<br />
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<a href="https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Newton_Scamander" target="_blank">Newt Scamander</a> attended Hogwarts between 1908 & 1913.<br />
<a href="https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Albus_Dumbledore" target="_blank">Albus Dumbledore</a> became Hogwarts Headmaster sometime between 1965 & 1971<br />
<a href="https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Remus_Lupin" target="_blank">Remus Lupin</a> attended Hogwarts between 1971 & 1978<br />
Newt Scamander created the <a href="https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Werewolf_Register" target="_blank">Werewolf Registrar</a> in 1947<br />
Albus Dumbledore visited & made <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/remus-lupin" target="_blank">special arrangements</a> (Pottermore link) for Remus Lupin to attend Hogwarts shortly before 1971<br />
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Before I explain my thoughts I do want to point out that both Albus Dumbledore himself, and Remus' parents are equally plausible options who could have taught Remus the Riddikulus Charm and the overarching lesson about overcoming your fears. I simply favor the idea of Newt Scamander being this mentor for one primary reason - Newt has never met a "monster" he couldn't love.<br />
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This is what I think happened:<br />
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Circa 1912 Newt receives the famed Riddikulus lesson from Albus Dumbledore himself where the Boggart transforms into a office desk - <i>and where he (hopefully) turns that fear into a Niffler</i> - Newt internalizes this lesson and carries it with him for the rest of his life - <i>even keeping a Niffler as one of his most favored pets hehe</i>.<br />
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Over the years Newt Scamander made caring for magical creatures, and dejected souls, his life's work, eventually going on to create a registrar for Werewolves as a sub-department of the Ministry of Magic.<br />
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Later into his adult life Headmaster Albus Dumbledore sends Newt an owl asking him to help a young boy in desperate need of a mentor, a boy who would be rejected by most other Witches and Wizards because he is a so called "monster", a Werewolf.<br />
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Very few people knew about this boy's situation so naturally it was to remain a closely guarded secret, but Albus Dumbledore had decided to make special arrangements for this boy's education and transformations. But the Headmaster was also wise enough to know that he would need to make special arrangements for the boy's mind and emotional well-being. Who better to help this young boy adjust than Newt Scamander, a man who has himself always felt like an outsider and who is blessed with no prejudices and a deeply rooted compassion?<br />
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I imagine that Dumbledore would have prescribed at least one meeting between Newt Scamander and the boy, Remus Lupin, prior to the start of Remus' first term at Hogwarts. <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/remus-lupin" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling</a> describes Remus as "a very lonely boy" who "was not allowed to play with other children" but was also "the underdog's friend", displaying considerable kindness. These are all qualities that would have impressed the like-hearted Newt Scamander.<br />
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Likely during their first meeting, Newt learned the story of how Remus' parents met - brought together by a Boggart and a Riddikulus Charm - this story would have easily reminded Newt of the lesson he had latched on to as a youth under Albus Dumbledore's instruction. Seeing the loving relationship Remus' parents had and how fondly the Boggart was remembered in the home, Newt decided use this already beloved creature to teach Remus to overcome his own fear and love himself.<br />
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Thus began the lesson that would give Remus the emotional strength to overcome some of his own fears, using the love of his family as well as the wise friendships of Albus Dumbledore and Newt Scamander to embrace his "quiet sense of humor" as a way of calming his own fears.<br />
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Now, since Remus' father Lyall was a specialist in Boggarts, I imagine that he would have helped during this lesson and would have taught his son about Boggarts themselves throughout the boy's childhood. However, I believe Newt was in a much better position to affect Remus' future with the Riddikulus lesson than anyone else.<br />
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When I look at the Albus/Newt Riddikulus scene and compare it to the Lupin/Neville Riddikulus scene I noticed that Professor Lupin mirrors much Dumbledore's mannerisms towards Newt in his own interactions with Neville Longbottom. Both professors stepped behind their student, psychologically coaxing a feeling of control and leadership out of them; and both professors spoke gently and encouragingly to their respective students specifically discussing the nature of the child's fear. While Lupin clearly seems to have added his own excellent personal flare to the lesson, I cannot but help to see Dumbledore's influence and Newt's characteristic gentle attentiveness showing through one of Remus Lupins' most famous moments as a professor at Hogwarts.<br />
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Personally, this version of events presents a beautiful poetry touching a person's legacy - that it is not necessarily how a person dies, or what great feats of courage are displayed on a battle field or what schemes are concocted in the shadows which leaves the most lasting impression on future generations. Instead, it is what we teach our children that is the most important legacies we can leave behind, especially when we teach with our whole hearts and our whole attention to their uniquely individual needs. When we catch a child's attention and show that we genuinely care about their futures, they will remember it and will in their turn pass it on. From Dumbledore to Scamander to Lupin to Longbottom and Potter to the Us in the Audience, the legacy of learning to love yourself and overcoming your fears is passed down.<br />
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P.S.<br />
Total side-note here, but who else thinks Newt Scamander will turn his Boggart into a Niffler?!<br />
Please Like, Share, and Comment!<br />
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<br />Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-52369442228133379862018-05-09T21:45:00.000-04:002018-05-09T22:02:07.281-04:00Avengers Infinity War - Connecting Iron Man, Vision, and Thanos<b></b><br />
<b>Some thoughts I had on Avengers Infinity War and the currently untitled Avengers 4:</b><br />
<b>PLEASE comment your thoughts in the comments section</b> :)<br />
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The old Infinity War Infinity Stone poster had each of the 6 stones shown with the connected hero reflected inside it. Dr. Strange is reflected in the Time Stone, Star Lord in the Power Stone, Captain America in the Space Stone, etc. but they show Tony Stark reflected inside the <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Soul_Stone" target="_blank">Soul Stone</a>. A lot of people chalked this up to simple merchandising since <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Iron_Man" target="_blank">Iron Man</a> is such a huge character, but I don't think Marvel was that cavalier about the choice.<br />
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<a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/J.A.R.V.I.S." target="_blank">Jarvis</a> was created by Tony as a simple AI program, <br />
<a name='more'></a>yet Jarvis had the power to defeat the AI code sourced directly from the Mind Stone, aka <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Ultron" target="_blank">Ultron</a>, as was proven both in the creation of Vision and the defense of the world's nuclear codes. <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Avengers:_Age_of_Ultron" target="_blank">Age of Ultron</a> made it very clear that the Mind Stone had a sort computer program inside it which then wrote itself into the Ultron mission platform created by Tony. Jarvis' power in comparison to a program literally created by an Infinity Stone is perplexing to say the least.<br />
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Then, in Infinity War, when Thanos recognizes Tony Stark, he says that Iron Man isn't the only one "cursed with knowledge", which frankly is an odd thing to say to anyone - much less Tony. We also have evidence that <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_Stones" target="_blank">Infinity Stones</a> are able to communicate with certain individuals, as <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Vision" target="_blank">Vision</a> was able to sporadically understand the messages and warnings the <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Mind_Stone" target="_blank">Mind Stone</a> was trying to send him. Plus, Thanos and Red Skull (and possibly others) were able to communicate with the Soul Stone in order to learn that it needed to exact a price in order for one to gain control of the stone, even so far as to call it a "wisdom". <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Skull" target="_blank">Red Skull</a> also remarked ominously that the <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Space_Stone" target="_blank">Space Stone</a> had rejected him as "unworthy", tone implying that the Space Stone spoke to him in some way as well.<br />
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Perhaps the curse of knowledge Thanos was referring to was in fact a realization that the Soul Stone had chosen to communicate "wisdom" to Tony Stark, namely how to create Jarvis using a sort of Soul Source Code. With this curse of knowledge Tony might be able to rebuild Vision who may be instrumental in taking down Thanos in Avengers 4.<br />
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The ultimate importance of Iron Man, and what ever skill or knowledge he possesses is made all the more clear by Dr. Strange's sudden reversal on his earlier pledge to sacrifice Tony Stark in order to save the <a href="http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Time_Stone" target="_blank">Time Stone</a>, choosing to save Iron Man's life and claiming it was the "only way" and also ominously remarking about the Avengers entering the "endgame" in his last moments. Whatever Dr. Strange saw in those 14 million plus possible futures seems to have assured him that Tony Stark and whatever skill or knowledge he possesses was absolutely essential to defeating Thanos.Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-88611404330291402502018-03-03T23:06:00.000-05:002018-03-03T23:06:52.527-05:00Big Carlos Bridge Project<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><b>Recently, I went to a local library where there was this large information display explaining a proposed bridge reconstruction project in my county. Below are the pictures from the take home brochure or information packet and the letter I wrote to the company responsible for the project.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><b>To give you some background, my home county has A LOT of wild nature, swamps and bays are really common, half the time you feel like you're in a fairly large city while the other half of the time you feel like you belong in Shrek's swamp. There is a lot of wild, untamed, nature right next door to large commercial properties which is really fun. One of these areas is in south side of Fort Myers Beach - you have a lot of hotels, condos, etc. surrounded by beaches and nature preserves in every direction, with a small drawbridge cutting through the preserves on the way to the next city. This bridge is</b></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> pretty old and in need of a lot of work. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><b>When you look at the pictures you might be able to tell what is going on a little bit, but in case it's not very clear I'll do a quick summary of the project called "Big Carlos Bridge Project". Since this bridge is old and needing repair the county hired a firm to evaluate potential solutions and redesigns of the Big Carlos Bridge. The company has come up with 5 ideas and they and the county are asking for feedback from local citizens. The 5 solutions are as follows:</b></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Rehabilitate the Bridge/Not build a new bridge </b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Build a new short drawbridge that moved closer to the bay</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Build a new short drawbridge that moved closer to the gulf</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Build a new tall fixed bridge (no drawbridge) that moved closer to the bay</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Build a new tall fixed bridge (no drawbridge) that moved closer to the gulf</b></span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Each of these options have different price tags, traffic and noise impacts, natural habitat impacts, etc. and this information is summarized in the pictures (if you can read them). So there really are pros and cons to each different project proposal. After reading through the information provided I decided that I wanted my voice and opinion to be heard on this topic. I am one of those people who is deeply concerned about the reckless endangerment of wildlife habitats by human activities and want to try and make a difference where my resources allow. </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>I immediately opened my phone's e-mail app and started typing, but to be honest, my e-mail felt a lot longer and more detailed than it does when it's pasted into a blog article (lol) but I guess that's what happens when e-mail from a phone. The company has already acknowledged my letter and has included my opinions in their project records.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>If you live in Lee County, Florida I hope you will read over the information provided by <a href="http://www.bigcarlosbridgeproject.com/" target="_blank">The Big Carlos Bridge Project</a> and send your feedback on the issue as well. Also, please share it to your friends and neighbors so that the county can receive the most useful feedback possible.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Keep reading past the pictures to see my actual letter to the Big Carlos Bridge Project.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3uaPPrlbwCrd0YyisazWq_RLjIH4gfecVvWSWMGU8870V8x6rPDugFBLfM3l2pYdgpDraQ173qWkupRBGXxvfKKF8ur-RD-6TyPeE_xqgJXZRnwu6MJwhklz1CImrs3JmchZiudZty4/s1600/IMG_0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3uaPPrlbwCrd0YyisazWq_RLjIH4gfecVvWSWMGU8870V8x6rPDugFBLfM3l2pYdgpDraQ173qWkupRBGXxvfKKF8ur-RD-6TyPeE_xqgJXZRnwu6MJwhklz1CImrs3JmchZiudZty4/s640/IMG_0110.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5WekV-5NcMcW0erPrM52BMMpRyhcr9MI8lxRY_g32ZoRF5ybDpZlWzQs5ud8OR_Pool9GATG3MfSkTTveyNGyx7e5T7R1KTxL0RtSfdNPcPwpBad5MuvgiI0l8TymBC-GY0Qjq53_pc/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5WekV-5NcMcW0erPrM52BMMpRyhcr9MI8lxRY_g32ZoRF5ybDpZlWzQs5ud8OR_Pool9GATG3MfSkTTveyNGyx7e5T7R1KTxL0RtSfdNPcPwpBad5MuvgiI0l8TymBC-GY0Qjq53_pc/s640/IMG_0112.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Hello,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Looking over the various proposals for the Big Carlos Bridge on display at Lakes Regional Library I had a few thoughts to share.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">One of my biggest concerns with any construction project is how well will Lee County’s display of wild natural beauty be preserved. Our county is well known world wide as a place to easily find relatively uncontrolled nature and that is perhaps Lee County’s greatest calling card. The ability to cross a bridge and still feel like you’re in the middle of a swamp (due to the proximity of marshland and trees to each end of the bridge) is one of the most enjoyable aspects of touring South West Florida. The Big Carlos Bridge is one of those sites that promotes the feeling of being in the middle of raw nature and I would very much like to see that natural landscape preserved in the new project. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Because of this desire to preserve the raw landscape I would not appreciate or enjoy the two proposed High-Level Fixed Bridge options. Both of these options affect the natural feel of the community as you enter or leave Fort Myers Beach from the south. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">As for the proposed Low-Level New Drawbridge proposals, I am concerned about the high costs - primarily from Lifecycle Maintenance. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I would also reject Drawbridge Alternative 2 (Bayside) for its potential impacts against aquatic preserves. Even though the impact is estimated to be low, I believe aquatic life in this region is struggling enough as it is and that we should do everything in our power to avoid taking even more away from their survival. My aspiration to preserve the natural look of the area also plays a role in this choice.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">My ultimate choice and feedback would be to approve the most environmentally friendly option, Rehabilitation Alternative (No Build), with the cheapest cost to taxpayers and businesses and with the lowest impact to local traffic. However, if the damage to the existing bridge proves to be too extensive I would vote the Low-Level Drawbridge Alternative 1 (Gulf Side) as my second choice. My only request in considering Alternative 1 would be to replenish native flora at each end of the new bridge in order to maintain SWFL’s image of a raw natural landscape.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Thank you for your efforts.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">J. Samuel Edwards</span></i>Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-63901125487169485592018-01-06T02:26:00.001-05:002018-01-06T02:29:20.087-05:00Free Rice<b><span style="font-size: large;">What is Free Rice?</span></b><br />
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Hello Reader! Let's start off with <a href="http://www.freerice.com/" target="_blank">Free Rice's</a> own answer to this question:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7h3QxLvAypHOKhqoySUDJuM5yCot_PbfY5HATlnKEci3u1GbOBW9QXpYIr1jsmjNJaG6inTbdUm9iVzFqAdvpo7Arcaci_45eY5tY2seASuHQ8Gq1aXSGZhEw9M8p8DWiCedWDxQZfU/s1600/aboutfreerice.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="891" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7h3QxLvAypHOKhqoySUDJuM5yCot_PbfY5HATlnKEci3u1GbOBW9QXpYIr1jsmjNJaG6inTbdUm9iVzFqAdvpo7Arcaci_45eY5tY2seASuHQ8Gq1aXSGZhEw9M8p8DWiCedWDxQZfU/s640/aboutfreerice.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot from <a href="http://www.freerice.com/about">www.freerice.com/about</a></td></tr>
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When it comes to the website "Free Rice" it's important to know just what it IS and what it IS NOT.<br />
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What it IS, is a website (<a href="http://www.freerice.com/">www.freerice.com</a>) run by the United Nations' World Food Programme that<br />
<a name='more'></a> offers users trivia on various topics and uses correct answers to provide rice to starving human beings across the world.<br />
What it IS NOT, is a fix all solution to World Hunger.<br />
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"Free Rice" is designed as a tool to help people, who may not be able to donate to the UN organization in other ways, participate in bringing much needed food to the most desperate. But it isn't some miracle tool that suddenly will end World Hunger. So, if you can't donate money to the World Food Programme, you can still donate some of your time, without ever leaving your home.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">How does Free Rice work?</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTGvn0nBpkt_U95kmpASE3gZDwTW-4i46Efg_YWku3BM0_l5M4DMX9V52mbexDQ9V7M3CSwgCSo31gWKWB5R31_fIHNrO4l78P-J3CcK-Ews1cGSewjbhzckOcn5qOtblMor40EcblZ8/s1600/Official_Freerice_riceup_poster-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTGvn0nBpkt_U95kmpASE3gZDwTW-4i46Efg_YWku3BM0_l5M4DMX9V52mbexDQ9V7M3CSwgCSo31gWKWB5R31_fIHNrO4l78P-J3CcK-Ews1cGSewjbhzckOcn5qOtblMor40EcblZ8/s640/Official_Freerice_riceup_poster-page-001.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
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This is an official flyer from the WFP, and I think it explains the basic premise of <a href="http://www.freerice.com/" target="_blank">"Free Rice"</a> pretty clearly. You play trivia for a variety of topics, including <u>Foreign Language</u>, <u>Human Anatomy</u>, <u>Multiplication Tables</u>, <u>Geography</u>, <u>Symbols of the Periodic Table</u>, <u>Literature</u> & <u>Art</u>, etc., with each correct answer worth 10 grains of rice which are then donated through the WFP. Incorrect answers do nothing for or against you, and you're shown the correct answer and given the opportunity to answer again later.</div>
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You do not need to create an account to use "Free Rice". If you play the trivia games without signing up, rice is still donated for any correct answers you give. The difference made by signing up for a "Free Rice" account is purely for your own benefit - with an account you can keep track of your total rice donations and how well you perform in each trivia category; you can also join groups and compete with other players for higher donations.</div>
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If you do set up an account you have the option of signing up with your email address or Facebook account.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">How does Free Rice work? - Mechanics</span></b></div>
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Ok, so - <a href="http://www.freerice.com/" target="_blank">"Free Rice"</a> is a trivia game website that lets you donate rice to fight world hunger by answering questions correctly... but how?</div>
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Well, the above About Page screenshot explains that each correct answer generates a small banner ad which generates a small amount of income for the site - which is then used to buy the rice which is then distributed by the UN's infrastructure across the world. So, put to bed any fears you have about the website selling your email or IP address etc. </div>
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Also, don't worry, the ads generated by answering correctly are not obtrusive or obstructive in any way. Half the time, I barely even notice them. For example, this is a screenshot from my own account on "Free Rice": </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtvEdkhJ2mvz2PlV-BN4meHiQ3qPF93lGQQgDi4-_du5FqIEt7JqE6tAQhyKk2FB_hoeqDwMx4OJlfYVgEvKele1IWUXk_jS3R5qk4GRRMQnO9O-JJjhpPKKKUg8mhGBL9Zq66fwIIJo/s1600/freericead.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1193" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtvEdkhJ2mvz2PlV-BN4meHiQ3qPF93lGQQgDi4-_du5FqIEt7JqE6tAQhyKk2FB_hoeqDwMx4OJlfYVgEvKele1IWUXk_jS3R5qk4GRRMQnO9O-JJjhpPKKKUg8mhGBL9Zq66fwIIJo/s640/freericead.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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You might notice that some ads stick around if you ever get a question wrong. That's not surprising since ads are supposed to be generated by correct answers. Also, you'll notice that some of the ads will feature commercial products or companies while other ads will actually come from the UN, these ads might contain some other tools or information to help fight World Hunger, but either way they are non-obtrusive and do not obstruct game play in any way.</div>
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You can see in my screenshot here that the box on the right shows a wooden bowl, some grains of rice and some numbers. This keeps track of how many grains of rice you have donated during that specific session while you're logged in. This tracker works whether you have an account or not. However, once you log out of your session these numbers go away. If you have a "Free Rice" account you'll be able to see all of your totals, combined from all of your sessions just above the view of this screenshot.<br />
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Sometimes you will get notifications (located beneath that wooden bowl) telling you that you've gotten a certain number of questions right in a row or have reached certain landmarks of rice donations. This lets you also compete against yourself as well to see how much you can do, without messing up.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rice Counting</span></b><br />
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What I'm about to explain is incredibly important. One of the most crucial thing to remember is that the rice donations being counted have to measured in small amounts because of how much income is actually generated by the ad based system. So even though you can clearly see that you are donating hundreds or even thousands of grains of rice, it's important to put that quantity into perspective - and that's what I'm going to walk you through right now.<br />
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My current "Free Rice" account is pretty new, only a few days old - so it'll serve as a good example of how easy it can be to forget the scale of donations vs. the scale of real human need:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fQBiw_qEwviUcWhZEaag-YeYsrgRQ0Zmg9i0ehRYlwBMQSTXn1nQjjoRm-5yvDIalnN7kPYuK1cs0s9pNtpANC4JlFjaZ2lDDvNzNpuA4Z0GMm4Xq-SJuY-Jy4SD-NHrzAu_KDyYcr4/s1600/ricegraincounter1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1194" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fQBiw_qEwviUcWhZEaag-YeYsrgRQ0Zmg9i0ehRYlwBMQSTXn1nQjjoRm-5yvDIalnN7kPYuK1cs0s9pNtpANC4JlFjaZ2lDDvNzNpuA4Z0GMm4Xq-SJuY-Jy4SD-NHrzAu_KDyYcr4/s640/ricegraincounter1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, after off and on playing, in different categories, for a few days you can circled in red a total donation count of 5,000 grains of rice. That might sound like a lot but in the grand scheme of just how much rice the human body needs to maintain a minimum calorie diet, it really isn't all that much.<br />
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"Free Rice" itself does offer a short explanation that ultimately proves very useful to determining how much rice is needed per person as well as some of the necessary measurements we'll need:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiednPllLFUsgdzZN3nNxFO-t_4ikLmAnsMTxoGYXR95wjEstaHWWAa9OZufyar_dFK1waBd4_ttruyMxrbl4iAS5GXL3UHrxDMj0V45KvHFKs7_Qg5ay2z6twy9_07ySD_mTudECaeVBY/s1600/ricegraincounter2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="1174" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiednPllLFUsgdzZN3nNxFO-t_4ikLmAnsMTxoGYXR95wjEstaHWWAa9OZufyar_dFK1waBd4_ttruyMxrbl4iAS5GXL3UHrxDMj0V45KvHFKs7_Qg5ay2z6twy9_07ySD_mTudECaeVBY/s640/ricegraincounter2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://freerice.com/content/how-much-rice-does-it-take-feed-person-day-how-many-grains-rice-gram">http://freerice.com/content/how-much-rice-does-it-take-feed-person-day-how-many-grains-rice-gram</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So:<br />
<b>48 grains of rice = 1 gram.</b><br />
<b>2 meals for 1 person = 400 grams (minimum).</b><br />
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Now if you're not overly familiar with how grams measure up to more common American kitchen measurements, like cups:<br />
Grams is measurement of weight while Cups is a measurement of volume. This means that since different foods have different weights and sizes, the number of Grams per Cup will change depending on which food you're asking about in that moment. The numbers I got from Google came specifically from searching for "How many Grams of Rice in a Cup".<br />
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<b>+/- 180 Grams = 1 Cup (uncooked rice)</b><br />
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This means that the UN's provision of about 400 grams of rice per person, per day roughly equals 2.2 Cups of rice per person, per day. This definitely does not sound like a lot of food and it really isn't. Most Americans would lose their minds if they were restricted to eating this little food per day. But the reality of our world is that for millions of human beings across the planet, this 2.2 Cups of rice is some of the only food they ever see.<br />
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Now, let's put my 5,000 donated grains of rice into perspective. Remember that 48 grains = 1 gram.<br />
<b>5,000/48 = 104.16 </b><br />
Or more simply, <b>104</b>.<br />
My 5,000 grains equals 104 grams.<br />
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<b>104/180 </b>(My grams divided by the number of grams per cup)<b> = 0.57777 Cups</b><br />
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In other words, my current donation of 5,000 grains of rice equals a little more than <b>1/2 cups of rice</b> which is about <b>1/4 the daily minimum for 1 person</b>. And this is after correctly answering 500 questions (10 grains of rice per correct answer).<br />
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The fact that I answered 500 questions correctly and still only supplied 1 person with 1/4 their daily food is a humbling and scary situation to realize. This is why I wanted to clearly stop any and all fantasies about "Free Rice" being some kind of miracle cure for World Hunger. It is definitely a more small scale endeavor that is entirely dependent on the people who decide to interact with their program.<br />
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"Free Rice" is a great program that is perfect for its role: A single tool in a broader campaign.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Potential!</span></b><br />
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Now that I've shown you what to realistically expect from "Free Rice", and that those expectations should not be miraculously high, I want to emphasize that even though the task seems daunting, "Free Rice" has already proven invaluable over the last few years. The official UN flyer I posted earlier expressed that through "Free Rice" almost 5 MILLION people have gotten the meals we just described!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHL41qHWQ39QO4HSAkfWQpkfGON3RA2lzOy6Bre6eUPcVdq7BdjgHhi2otZ5DaR4rcHEgOpq2FXfGjP1sw_8JxuWn00ypiGTUNAQTqernoCKGPtfyWJZj7ONYDVkpwUFGaEtru7ajDziw/s1600/freericeflyersegment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="1212" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHL41qHWQ39QO4HSAkfWQpkfGON3RA2lzOy6Bre6eUPcVdq7BdjgHhi2otZ5DaR4rcHEgOpq2FXfGjP1sw_8JxuWn00ypiGTUNAQTqernoCKGPtfyWJZj7ONYDVkpwUFGaEtru7ajDziw/s640/freericeflyersegment.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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How? Because the more people who participate (and the more often they participate) the more rice gets donated.<br />
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For example, there is a group of players using the name WRICA2 that has donated <b>242,169,520 grains of rice so far</b>. Most of that donation comes from player Jaysonbubel. So let's quickly calculate this:<br />
<b>242,169,520 grains / 48 = 5,045,198.3 grams</b><br />
<b>5,045,198.3 grams / 180 </b>(number of grams of rice per cup)<b> = 28,028.87 cups</b><br />
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Remember that the daily minimum is 2.2 cups of rice per person, per day.<br />
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<b>28,028.87 cups / 2.2 = 12,740.39 people fed 2 meals.</b><br />
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<b>12,740 PEOPLE </b>were fed by the efforts of this one group of 13 players, with most of these donations coming from one single player. No matter how you look at this situation, that is a wonderful achievement.<br />
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Now, imagine what it would be like to have elementary school, middle school, or even high school classes, of 30+ kids in a group together practicing their multiplication tables, periodic table flash cards, geography quizzes, etc. If each student in a class (of 30 kids) answered 30 questions correctly in ONE QUIZ then we would end up with 187.5 grams of rice being donated from that quiz.<b> Or, in other words, 1 human being would eat 1 meal per quiz done by 1 class of children.</b> Of course this potential magnifies with every school class that gets involved.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYL3w0PJ-hlNSpzWvD41Wq4AfmFw0QnJsSdnguFLPSPjtvkdzplSpdLn4NXrlt9r7PWHxmbtJobHB3PEi7ldKXpm9_WwqePBwuDgA788XnPJhhQjsH9LWzaOsXEEqqj0mZ43ZJ58Gf9LU/s1600/freericeadmine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="670" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYL3w0PJ-hlNSpzWvD41Wq4AfmFw0QnJsSdnguFLPSPjtvkdzplSpdLn4NXrlt9r7PWHxmbtJobHB3PEi7ldKXpm9_WwqePBwuDgA788XnPJhhQjsH9LWzaOsXEEqqj0mZ43ZJ58Gf9LU/s640/freericeadmine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Is "Free Rice" a miracle cure for World Hunger? No. Is it a valuable resource that should be taken advantage of by as many people as possible? YES!<br />
<br />
And by the way, if you still have concerns or questions I do have a few links for you to check out:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/freerice.asp" target="_blank">SNOPES</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freerice" target="_blank">WIKIPEDIA</a></li>
<li><a href="http://freerice.com/about/faq" target="_blank">FREE RICE FAQ</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www1.wfp.org/" target="_blank">UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME</a></li>
</ul>
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Also, please share this article - the more people who know about this program (which doesn't require a single cent of their own money), the better.</div>
<div>
Please, especially pass this on to any <i>Teachers</i> and <i>Homeschoolers</i> you might know. "Free Rice" is perfectly suited to their skills and opportunities.</div>
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<br />
Thanks for reading! Now, let's go save some lives.<br />
<br />Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-8389321463728227562017-12-22T04:00:00.000-05:002017-12-22T04:12:48.509-05:00Star Trek: The Powers that Be<div>
<b>This article is actually a forum post responding to an argument regarding the status of the Cardassian Union and how it compares, in terms of power, to other civilizations in the Star Trek universe. Since I went into so much detail, I figured I shouldn't waste the effort and decided to turn that forum post into a blog article. Enjoy. Please comment with any questions, and share this to your Trekkie or Trekker friends!</b></div>
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Since there is still confusion as to who qualifies as a Major Power in the Alpha Quadrant let's break it down a bit. There are several types of political/military powers and different types of influence are classified under different categories. Each category is rather broad and basic but also clarifies some distinction between power levels and power focuses. Power Level is about literally who is stronger, while Power Focus clarifies how a nation state might use their power if it is a defining attribute.</div>
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For example, in the real world we have Mega Power, Super Power, Major Power, Major Isolationist Power, Major Mercantile Power, and Minor Power (Isolationist and Mercantile Powers can have Minor Power versions as well). We can apply all of these to Star Trek. To be honest, no one really knows what to do with Raider States or Pirate based societies, so they tend<br />
<a name='more'></a>to be classified on their own - the Vikings being a good historical example.</div>
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<b>Mega Powers</b>: The Star Trek galaxy has at least 3 known Mega Powers. Nation-States who can project their power over vast distances and with undeniable superiority over even other very substantial Nation-States.</div>
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1. The Borg</div>
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2. The Dominion</div>
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3. The Voth</div>
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<b>Super Powers</b>: There are several known Super Powers in the galaxy, being able to project their will over great distances and with considerable superiority over most civilizations.</div>
<div>
1. The Federation</div>
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2. The Klingon Empire</div>
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3. The Romulan Star Empire</div>
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The Romulan Star Empire often fluctuated between Super Power status and Major Isolationist Power status, depending on their political priorities at the time. Technically the Romulans would fit under both categories.</div>
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It should also be noted that some of the Delta Quadrant races encountered by Voyager might fit into the classification of Super Power but I don't have enough information right now to claim which ones could or could not.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Major Powers</b>: This is the category that has been the focus of so much confusion in this thread. Major Powers are capable and interested in spreading their influence among the stars and they maintain a considerable presence in their region of space. No Major Power is capable of defeating a Super Power in terms of military or economic strength. Major Powers may easily maintain power over small Minor Powers and can remain competitive with other large Nation-States.</div>
<div>
1. The Cardassian Union</div>
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<br /></div>
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Technically, the Cardassian Union is potentially the only formal Major Power in the Alpha Quadrant thanks to the various distinctions in political and military strength. Other Nation-States in the region are or might be more powerful but their structure and priorities constitute a different classification.</div>
<div>
It is unknown whether several other species of the Alpha Quadrant can be termed as Major Powers or Minor Powers, such as the Tamarians or the Sheliak since so little is known about them currently. The Sheliak, for example, are described as having power over multiple star systems but the extent of their power is completely unknown. The Tzenkethi are also found in this grey area. Until more information is made available, the rarity of information should be taken to imply a Minor Power status for these civilizations.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Major Isolationist Powers</b>: These are powerful Nation-States that may have the technological and military strength to compete with other Major Powers, and potentially even Super Powers, but are so withdrawn from foreign affairs and focus on the preservation of their pre-existing territories that they warrant a separate classification of power.</div>
<div>
1. Tholian Assembly</div>
<div>
2. Romulan Star Empire (see Super Power for more information)</div>
<div>
3. Breen Confederacy</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
The Breen Confederacy is another wild card in that their behavior is considerably varied, making them difficult to place in a single category. They appear to be part Major Power, part Major Isolationist Power, and part Raider State, depending on when or by whom they are described. There is no question as to their military might and technology, it is merely their political and military behavior that would determine their formal classification.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Major Mercantile Powers</b>: This category is based off the political and military behaviors of the Dutch and Venetians in real world history. They focused primarily on trade but were still considered some of the most powerful Nation-States of their respective time periods. While a Major Mercantile Power may have the strength to compete with Major Powers and potentially some Super Powers their behavioral focus and priority is trade and defend the trade first, everything else second.</div>
<div>
1. The Ferengi Alliance</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Minor Powers</b>: This is obviously the most numerous category in any political or military sphere. These Nation-States may either control small territories lacking the technology or resources to expand their influence, or they have the strength and technology to expand but do not have the will to do so. In Star Trek, Minor Powers might control multiple star systems but only in a very localized region.</div>
<div>
1. Sheliak (see Major Power for more information)</div>
<div>
2. Tamarians</div>
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3. Tzenkethi</div>
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4. Gorn Hegemony</div>
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5. So'na</div>
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<b>Raider States</b>: This category is reserved for civilizations that focus mostly on piracy and raiding behaviors and they are often far less centrally organized than their competitors. Raider States can be considerably powerful, even to potentially rival the strength of Major Powers or Super Powers but either their lack of central government or their preference towards piracy determine a unique classification for them.</div>
<div>
1. Orion Pirates</div>
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2. Naussican Raiders</div>
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3. Kazon Sects</div>
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4. Hirogen Hunters</div>
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5. Breen Confederacy (see Major Isolationist Power for more information)</div>
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All of these classifications have real world applications and were learned through an education in politics. Each category has room for crossovers and grey area if some Nation-States demonstrate traits belonging to multiple categories. Please know that these classifications do not always clarify how strong a Nation-State is within that specific category, some Minor Powers will be more powerful than other Minor Powers, etc.</div>
<div>
In the real world the United States, Russia, and China are described as Super Powers (with some debate as to whether or not the US should be classified as a Mega Power), while nations like Turkey, Egypt, and Italy being described as Major Powers. In some cases the term Regional Major Power (or just Regional Power) can be used to varying degrees - it can reference Nation-States that fit into any of the above categories but the lens is more focused to view the specified Nation-State and its immediate neighbors. Placement in a Regional Power system does not necessarily mean that that Nation-State is superior or inferior to Nation-States in other Regional Power Systems.</div>
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I hope this explains things more clearly. So, even though the Cardassians are easily defeated by the Federation or the Klingons, they still are a Major Power considering the scope of their influence and their comparison to the Minor Powers of the Alpha Quadrant. So, even though they may or may not be outclassed by the Breen or Tholians, they would not likely be outclassed by Minor Powers such as the Sheliak or the Talarians. The Cardassians are repeatedly described as more advanced than the Federation but less robust in their resources and technological application than what we clearly see in the Federation and the other Super Powers. Inferiority to the Federation cannot be taken as an inability to be counted as a Major Power - just as the inferiority of Turkey to the United States cannot disqualify Turkey from being classified as a Major Power.</div>
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A debate can and should still be held as to exactly where in the rankings of pure military might the Cardassians might be placed, in comparison to the Major Isolationist Powers, Major Mercantile Powers, and Raider States. But no matter where Cardassia might ultimately rank, declaring the Cardassian Union a Minor Power is inaccurate at best.</div>
Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-35561786767082139512017-12-16T04:11:00.000-05:002017-12-16T18:48:53.313-05:00SPOILERS: A Rant About Luke Skywalker #TheLastJedi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZIx7ak7ShYSvCd_YTElVaMM85LVdZe4Uuos9X6oxE4KOMv86gsHX-VgsxXdHDMQsLi17tgzK_j8g4H-7gNow2a9twzRl_2Sp-AipcUWxC1NmxiG7P59-m5PmfOMGXv_UW5mEHOMFyeU/s1600/Luke-Skywalker-Force-700x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="700" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZIx7ak7ShYSvCd_YTElVaMM85LVdZe4Uuos9X6oxE4KOMv86gsHX-VgsxXdHDMQsLi17tgzK_j8g4H-7gNow2a9twzRl_2Sp-AipcUWxC1NmxiG7P59-m5PmfOMGXv_UW5mEHOMFyeU/s640/Luke-Skywalker-Force-700x300.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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To be honest I'm having a hard time with the people who are upset that Luke didn't do enough or have an explosive enough fight scene, etc. That desire, though a fantastic dream, misses out on the truth of Star Wars entirely. Luke courted<br />
<a name='more'></a>adventure and heroism in his youth, he longed to be a legend - and was scolded for it by Yoda repeatedly. A Jedi doesn't seek adventure, fame, exhilaration, etc. - at least, not the Jedi we've grown accustomed to over the last few thousand years - instead, a Jedi is required to purge him or herself of such desires, and walk the path of tranquility, duty, and necessity. Even in his darkest and loneliest, Luke was still a Jedi.<br />
<br />
But even if none of that philosophy was true, I still take issue to complaints against Luke being "lack luster" in some way, especially in his end. If you break down exactly what Luke did and compare his accomplishments in the Force with those of his masters - it's easy to see that Luke outclassed EVERYONE with his display of power. And if this story had taken place in a comic there would be a thousand videos on YouTube detailing just how powerful this display was as an incredible display of Battle Meditation, perhaps the most powerful display of that rare power that has ever been shown to the galaxy. But instead, because this power was demonstrated in a film, so many people are so willing to jump on the anti-bandwagon and complain that it wasn't enough.<br />
<br />
But like I said, if you break down the prior accomplishments of Luke's predecessors who were each hailed as being some of the most powerful Jedi (either for their time or for all time) we realize that we have never truly seen an awesome display of power from any of these characters, with the only exception really being Yoda in the Prequel Trilogy.<br />
For example:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Qui Gon: Had 3 lightsaber duels and Force Pushed some dice before being stabbed after making a horrible tactical decision.</li>
<li>Obi Wan: (Prequels) Had lightsaber duels at high speeds in harsh climates... (Originals) Waved his lightsaber in a circle a few times and echoed a scream down a canyon... Then after dying, in a completely lack luster way mind you, he spends the rest of the time just talking.</li>
<li>Yoda: (Prequels) Yoda had some impressive displays of power in the Prequel trilogy to build up his reputation as one of the most powerful Jedi to have ever lived. But even he struggled to telekinetically control the Senate Chair platforms and other "heavy" objects.... (Originals) Yoda's power in the original trilogy is far less engaging (irregardless of the movie magic available at the time) and we literally just see him move a few rocks and a small ship, talk, then disappear into thin air. That's it.</li>
<li>Hell, even Darth Vader had a more lack luster death than Luke did.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Again, movie special effects technology aside for Yoda and Obi Wan to a point, none of these performances really have any luster to them. They are very low key strengths, and none of these characters had a spectacular heroic death. But we were still led to believe that Yoda was the most powerful Jedi because the movie told us he was. Then, when we see Obi Wan as a Force Ghost we assume that it must be difficult to do anything at all in that form so the fact that we see Obi Wan interacting at all after death was an impressive display of power - Why? Because we were supposed to think so. So what's our holdup with The Last Jedi?<br />
<br />
And yet we have Luke performing Battle Meditation thousands of light years away from the battle, with so much power that he is able to sustain tangible, physical form - not only for himself, at will, but also for a separate physical object in Han's dice that he gives to Leia - while simultaneously brushing off the combined firepower of an entire army of tanks (essentially)..... and the list goes on. The bottom line is that Luke's Battle Meditation eclipses every display of Force Power seen in the films and in terms of Battle Meditation itself greatly surpasses even the famed exploits of Ordan-Urr from now Legends. Luke did not die a lack luster death by any means - he died as a Jedi should, while protecting others and being at peace. He did more than we have ever seen on screen from any Jedi previously and his exploits are only eclipsed by Legends materials that go wildly into the realm of fantasy with Force Powers able to destroy entire planets on a whim. If we're expecting a display on par with a Force Storm, then we're going to be disappointed - because that isn't becoming of a Jedi.<br />
<br />
I truly hope that Star Wars fans can quickly move past the dismay over a perceived lack of oomph in Luke's death. The theme of The Last Jedi, for all the major characters, was to - as Kylo puts it - "Let the past die, kill it if you must". If Star Wars is to survive and be relevant to new generations we have to let go of the fantasy of Luke Skywalker, let go of the larger than life legend we created out of him, and accept the real life legend he truthfully left behind.Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-48035375755608721422017-08-21T00:13:00.001-04:002017-08-21T00:13:27.051-04:00Connecting the Alt-Right and the O9A Cult<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Source Sans Pro, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A lot of people are still unfamiliar with the O9A and their associates, so I can understand why many would be suspicious of my claims that the Alt-Right is deeply connected with a highly dangerous Satanic Cult. But the truth is that the Alt-Right movement is full of Satanist extremists who are so extreme even the Church of Satan itself has denounced them.
The examples I describe in this article are only the tip of the iceberg that I was able to uncover within a couple of hours. There will be more information later. Also, I am leaving out specific links on purpose so that it isn't quite as easy to find terrorist how-to guides. I do not want that information accessible through my site.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Here are few individuals associated with the Alt-Right and extremist Satanic Cults.<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Augustus Sol Invictis is frequently listed as a keynote speaker for Alt-Right functions, he made headlines a number of years ago for his public commitment to Satanic, or "Left Hand Path" Paganism and goat sacrifices (along with drinking their blood). His Satanic affiliations are pronouncedly pro-violence with the aim of enhancing the standing the "Aryan race". And Augustus is just one of the more minor worries.</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Myatt organized the British branch of the National Socialist Movement, whose American counterpart (led by Jeff Schoep) helped organize the Unite The Right "rally" in Charleston. Myatt is famous for leading the Satanic cult "The Order of the Nine Angles" and writing their terrorist handbooks. It was his associate who carried out the 1999 London Nail Bombings terror attack. Myatt has also spent a number of years advocating for, and teaching, terrorism to Muslim extremist groups around the world. Myatt is also credited with founding or co-founding at least 2 other Neo-Nazi militant groups that combine Nazism with the occult. </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another prominent Alt-Right leader associated with this particular brand of dangerous Satanism is Kerry Bolton. Bolton founded two extremist Satanic groups of his own in New Zealand and edited the magazine of the O9A for years. Kerry has published a number of books and articles used by the Alt-Right, including partnering with Richard Spencer on a number of projects. Both organizations set up by Bolton still exist in South Pacific and openly acknowledge the O9A as their ally in overthrowing Western Society and encouraging the "Sinister Way". </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many social media accounts tag either the O9A or the Shugara Syndicate in their Neo-Nazi posts for race war etc. What is most damning, however, is what the O9A and Shugara Syndicate themselves state as their purpose, goals, and methods. They offer how to guides on terrorism, political upheaval, assassinations, etc. but they also offer philosophical guides instructing their associates to accept human sacrifice, crime, cannibalism, etc. as worthwhile activities to ensure the survival of the strong Aryan race. I'm not kidding when I say the Alt-Right is connected to these horrific groups, the leaders of the Alt-Right are also the leaders of these cults - or they have mentored under those cult leaders.</span>Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-9988365541464282582017-08-04T22:27:00.002-04:002017-08-04T22:31:20.283-04:00A Special Experience<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Story time:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I joined forces with 3 other strangers to rescue another stranger from suicide last night.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
One of our group found that one of his Twitter followers had posted a suicide note and he started asking for help in locating him. We had literally nothing more to go on than an obscure twitter handle, a bird, a Walmart prescription bottle (no info visible), a face pic, and a possible state name.</div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Other than those 5 small details this guy was almost completely invisible online. Our group spent 6 hours combing through his tweets, forum posts and any other website on the internet showing his obscure username. Finally, we narrowed down part of his real name, his city, and a business he worked with - which also helped us narrow down the pharmacy he used for the prescription - and were able to contact his local police to do a wellness check.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
The police were a bit suspicious of our call at first, they kept asking how we knew the guy at risk, and how we "knew" we were calling the right city. They definitely didn't know what to think of the fact that we were all strangers to each other, even to the guy we were trying to find, and that we were scattered all over the country.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
We provided the police with the little information we had pulled together (it was awesome that they took our call seriously) and they actually managed to locate him and take him to the hospital!</div>
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The police were lucky enough to get there before he managed to follow through with his attempt.</div>
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As you can imagine, this was definitely an incredible experience for us!</div>
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There's more to say, and maybe soon I'll be able to take some to explain a little more.</div>
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Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-88603430042150566672017-07-25T22:05:00.000-04:002017-07-25T22:21:26.174-04:00Dear Boy Scouts of America<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Dear Boy Scouts of America,</div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I am an Eagle Scout, I was raised in Scouting and made my childhood revolve around the Scouting program as best as what was available to me in my area. As such, I am deeply ashamed of the behavior portrayed by the Scouts in yesterday's political rally at the Boy Scout Jamboree. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
An invitation to the President of the United States to speak at a public Boy Scout function is not an issue. Behavior is the issue.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
President Donald Trump acted inappropriately in his speech by transforming a Scouting event into a political campaign rally. We will never receive an apology from Donald Trump regarding his misuse of the time granted to him - however, it is your duty as the hosting organization to apologize for that misuse. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
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<b>A Scout is Reverent</b> - it is part of the Scout Law, to be "Reverent" means to show a "deep and solemn respect", according to the dictionary, and that "deep and solemn respect" includes maintaining a respect for the rules and purpose of an non-political Scouting event. The Boy Scouts of America, leaders and youth alike, violated the Scout Law of Reverence in following the example of President Donald Trump by willingly participating in the degradation and public shaming of Trump's political opponents and rival political ideologies. <u>It is your responsibility to apologize for that violation of the Scout Law</u> - not to mention the violation of official BSA policy affecting political events.</div>
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<b>A Scout is Courteous </b>- this is also a part of the Scout Law, with Courteous meaning, according to the dictionary, "polite, respectful, or considerate in demeanor". There was nothing polite, or respectful, or considerate in the behavior of the Boy Scouts of America during that misused Jamboree speech. Is it courteous to angrily boo the name of the speaker's political rivals or competing political ideologies? No, it is not. Do others angrily boo or behave in inconsiderate manners in private or public events? Yes, yes they do. Is that an excuse for you? No, it is not. The Boy Scouts of America is supposed to teach boys to be <b>BRAVE</b> by being Courteous and Reverent <u>even when other people don't want them to be</u>. It is apparent in yesterday's Jamboree speech that your organization has failed to embody or teach that principle to any of those roughly 40,000 participants, and that failure has been displayed to the world.</div>
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<b>A Scout is Loyal</b> - this portion of the Scout Law was brought up specifically by Donald Trump as a very political reference to his desire to get whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. In truth, the principle of loyalty in Scouting has nothing to do with politics - instead it is a principle that teaches boys to be dependable, to not retreat when the going gets tough, and to be there for others when you are needed. </div>
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A TRUE Scout would never be more loyal to a specific President of the United States than he would be to another President. A TRUE Scout would never be more loyal to any specific President more than he would be to the Constitution and the rule of Law in his country. A TRUE Scout would never betray his loyalty because he didn't get something he wanted, when he wanted it. A TRUE Scout is supposed to be loyal to both God and Country - that does not mean that a Scout is required to say (or that he requires others to say) "Merry Christmas" in order to truly be an American, or a Scout. A Scout can come from any background, and any religion, and as such a Scout is expected to be loyal to his God, no matter what religion he might willingly be a part of. To accept the statement made by Donald Trump that Scouts must say "Merry Christmas" is to deny the core principles of Scouting and require Scouts of other religions to be disloyal to their beliefs and religion. <u>A TRUE Scout is loyal enough to apologize for his wrongdoing towards others, or towards himself.</u></div>
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It was disloyal to the United States, to the American people, to the principles of Scouting for the crowd of Scout youth and leaders to repeatedly chant "We Love Trump" while simultaneously booing to the names of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It was disloyal to affirm that a Scout must say "Merry Christmas". It was disloyal to encourage the idea that you are not American if you are not a Republican. It was disloyal to cheer and applaud the defamation and slander of journalists by a political figure.</div>
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<b>A Scout is Trustworthy</b> - I am an Eagle Scout. I trusted your organization to honor your principles and do the right thing. I trusted your organization to reason out decisions and eventually come to a morally upright conclusion. I waited for your organization to accept LGBT+ members as part of a moral decision that no one is superior or inferior to another human being - regardless of religious, political or moral beliefs - I waited because I trusted in the Scout Law, that you would eventually make the right decision. Now, my trust in your organization and your moral uprightness and connection to the Scout Law is once again in question. Will you honor the principles of Scouting and apologize for the inappropriate behavior of your guest and your members at the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree? Will you uphold the Scout Law and teach proper principles to your leaders and youth? Or, will you continue to abandon your oaths and fail to be a beacon of moral fiber in America?</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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An Eagle Scout<br />
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Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-54208670602141114542017-02-01T19:30:00.000-05:002017-02-01T19:30:13.205-05:00<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px;">
So, Donald Trump has deleted <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/blackhistorymonth?source=feed_text&story_id=730141507145563" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">BlackHistoryMonth</span></span></a> has he? Why is this a bad thing?<a name='more'></a></h2>
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<br /><span style="color: red;">Without looking at Google; how many Black inventors, scholars, heroes, or icons can you name? </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /><span style="color: red;">Without looking at Google; how many African cultures, civilizations, monarchs, or mythologies can you name? How much of African history do you know?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /><span style="color: blue;">Now, without looking at Google; how many White inventors, scholars, heroes or icons can you name?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /><span style="color: blue;">Now, without looking at Google; how many European culture<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">s, civilizations, monarchs or mythologies can you name? How much of European history do you know?</span></span></div>
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How much of American history do you know? American history is made up of both European and African histories and cultures. But if you look at a textbook or at popular American stories you'd never know that. If American history was only European we'd never have Jazz, Blues, Soul & Southern Gospel music, Mailboxes, Cajun food, Mass Produced Shoes, Long Lasting Lightbulbs, Air Traffic Control technology, Railroad Control technology, even the Ice Cream scoop.</div>
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#BlackHistoryMonth is about far more than Slavery, the Civil War or the Civil Rights movement. It's about honoring the history, achievements, and contributions you would never know existed without this program. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Alexander Graham Bell were not only major inventors in America, many of the greatest inventions made in America that we use every day came from Black African-Americans.</div>
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We cannot allow the history books to show that only Whites ever did anything for America.</div>
</div>
Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-11936045948869705762017-01-07T19:15:00.000-05:002017-02-01T19:30:24.546-05:00Darth Vader and Kylo Ren - The Same Mission?<h2 style="text-align: center;">
What is the “Mission”
of Kylo Ren?</h2>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>After watching “Rogue One” in theater I was again reminded
of the awesome power of the Death Star, and its importance to the Empire. But
what struck me the most is how little discussion there has been on the
importance of the Death Star to the Emperor and Darth Vader on a personal
level, especially to Darth Vader. Watching the Star Wars films again in
chronological order is helping me to connect the dots, pinpointing what seems
to be a very crucial axis mundi (central point) to the entire Saga, and
especially the character of Kylo Ren. Just keep reading 😎.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Episode 7: The Force Awakens we see Kylo Ren clearly
state to Darth Vader’s burnt and destroyed helmet that Kylo wanted to “finish
what you started” but the point was left wide open with no indication of what
Kylo was referring to or what purpose Darth Vader could have mysteriously been
up to in the first place. At first glance you might think that Vader’s
“mission” was simply to dominate the galaxy, but I suspect something far more
poetic. Did Darth Vader want to conquer and rule the galaxy himself? Yes, but
that motive and plan was more of an afterthought for him – as Vader himself
said in Episode 4: A New Hope, “the ability to destroy a planet is
insignificant next to the power of the Force”. Darth Vader’s journey was always
about becoming stronger in the Force and using any political or military power
to further that aim.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So why did Darth Vader want to improve his power in the
Force? What was the true reason the Emperor and Vader put so much effort into
developing a weapon as costly as the Death Star? Why did the Empire need such a
weapon if the Force truly was stronger, as Vader said?<o:p></o:p></div>
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To answer these questions, we should first look at what the
Force actually is and where the Force itself gains its own power. In Episode 7:
The Force Awakens, Maz Kanada tells Rey that the Force moves through “every
living thing”; in Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda instructs Luke that
the Force is created and grown by Life – that it binds all living things
together; in Episode 3: The Revenge of the Sith, Yoda counsels a disturbed Anakin
Skywalker that “death is a natural part of life, rejoice for those who
transform into the Force, mourn them do not, miss them do not”. The pattern in
these quotes is quite clear, the people who die become part of the Force –
which by default means that the more people who die, the stronger the Force
gets.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Realizing this puts the Force and all Force users, Jedi and
Sith alike (plus the Knights of Ren) into a whole new perspective. The Jedi do
not mourn those who become One with the Force and the Sith (and other Dark Side
users) enjoy adding death and destruction and feel powerful from the
destruction they cause; these viewpoints are two sides of the same coin: that
death only enhances your strength so you have no reason to feel sorry for those
who die.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But I’m not here to talk about the finer points of Jedi
Force Philosophy, instead I’m only going discuss how this uneasy truth
regarding the correlation between Death and the Force and how it applies to
Darth Vader and Kylo Ren. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In Darth Vader, or Anakin Skywalker, we find a hero turned
villain – but he is a villain with an emotional cause: Darth Vader wants to
prevent the people he cares about from dying. This was a prominent part of the
story line in Episodes 2 & 3. Then
Chancellor Palpatine shared with Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis who learned
to prevent his loved ones from dying, a story that was immediately followed by
Anakin asking if it was possible to learn that power. This point was repeatedly
emphasized in Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, where Chancellor/Emperor
Palpatine used recollections of Anakin’s mother and the nightmares of Padme’s
fate to persuade Anakin to become his apprentice, betray Mace Windu, and
destroy the Jedi – all with the promise that by doing all these things Anakin
would become powerful enough to save his wife.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Adding up what we’ve already pointed out: The more people
who die, the stronger the Force itself gets + Anakin/Darth Vader wanted to
become more powerful in the Force so that he could accomplish the goal of
controlling death. The logical conclusion is that Darth Vader needed the Death
Star to easily add large numbers of victims to the Force in a way he could control
so that he could personally absorb the power added to the Force by the victims
of the Death Star. With that added power Vader could begin to focus his study
and training in the Dark Side of the Force, looking for a way to accomplish his
stated goal of controlling death (preventing it at will).<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, if Darth Vader’s mission was to kill enough people that
he learned to control death itself, we can assume that he left that work
unfinished in Episode 6: Return of the Jedi (where he died of course). With this
in mind, we can assume that Kylo Ren also intends to learn how to control death
at will (remember his quote from Episode 7 about finishing what Vader
started?). This context would provide a handy guidebook for analyzing Kylo
Ren’s character, the reason he turned to the Dark Side, and why he is so
involved in Starkiller Base.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If Kylo Ren is indeed attempting to continue Darth Vader’s
mission to control death, then it makes sense that Kylo himself lost (or is
afraid to lose) someone he cares about. As Yoda explains repeatedly, the fear
of losing someone is an easy path to the Dark Side of the Force. If we use
Anakin’s behavior as a baseline we can assume that Luke Skywalker was involved
in this death or potential death of someone Kylo deeply cared about. We could
expect Kylo’s reaction to Luke to be similar to Anakin’s reaction to Mace Windu
– desperate opposition with fatal consequences out of a misguided desire to
protect someone else. We could also assume that Kylo’s parents, Leia Organa and
Han Solo, were somehow implicated in the situation (not likely through any
malicious act but maybe through inaction), which would explain Kylo’s hostility
towards them as well. My working theory here is that Snoke played the role of
Emperor Palpatine in taking advantage of Kylo’s desperate need to save his
loved him and made him a similar promise in studying the Dark Side to save his
loved one, a loved one either killed or “rejected” by Kylo’s family and
associates. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Kylo’s involvement in Starkiller Base is a bit more complex
of a puzzle to answer. While Kylo used Starkiller Base as his base, the actual
fanatic of the weapon and its power was General Hux with Kylo displaying a
total disinterest in the weapon. Instead Kylo demonstrates a complete obsession
with getting revenge on Luke Skywalker, all else (including learning how to
finish Vader’s mission) was taking a backseat in Kylo’s mind. I should point
out that this vengeful obsession with Luke supports the idea that Luke actually
did do something to cause or allow harm to someone Kylo loved. But this revenge
mentality does not mean that Kylo is not attempting to learn the power to
control death as his grandfather, Darth Vader, tried to do, it simply means
that the circumstances around Kylo’s seduction to the Dark Side were
substantially more dangerous than Anakin’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But does any of this radically change the way we think about
Star Wars or any of its characters? I believe it does. We are presented with a
far more “gray” perspective that affects both heroes and villains alike. We
suddenly have the tools to empathize with Kylo Ren and his very chaotic
emotional outbursts and his willingness to kill his own father, Han Solo – as
well as his presumed desire to kill Luke, his uncle. We can now view our famed
heroes as flawed personas who have made mistakes and have gotten their hands
dirty in the name of doing good (a concept pointedly expressed in Rogue One).
But more importantly, we now can put all the pieces together and explain, with
logical reasoning, how and why both Anakin Skywalker and Ben Solo were able to
make the mental and emotional jump from kind hearted people to insatiable mass
murderers. But perhaps the most game-changing concept offered here is the idea
that these “evil” Force users did in fact need the iconic Death Star, that it
was not simply a military tool unrelated to the personal or emotional needs of
the Emperor or Lord Vader. The Prequel Trilogy made it quite clear that Darth
Vader’s primary reason for his Dark Side conversion was emotional, not
political (which was only an afterthought) – which makes the idea of a strictly
political or military application of the Death Star a giant and random change
in character for Anakin as Darth Vader. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But now, through Darth Vader’s grandson we begin to see the
Death Star, Darth Vader, and all other Dark Side Force users in a new
methodical light: one that ties in all 8 movies into one poetic story of loss,
revenge and redemption. This is the new “Axis Mundi”, everything in Star Wars
now seems to revolve around “controlling death” and all Episodes are united
around that ultimate goal. Nothing happens in this saga that does not center
around this singular concept.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The question now becomes: Who did Luke kill or let die,
leading his nephew, Ben Solo, to become Kylo Ren?<o:p></o:p></div>
Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-31720895548288229502016-12-02T22:44:00.000-05:002016-12-03T16:39:37.967-05:00LDS Resignation Update: It's DONE!Well, it's DONE!<br />
<br />
I received my letter stating that my membership has finally been removed from LDS Church records. I tried logging in to <a href="http://www.lds.org/">www.lds.org</a> and was denied access, and I double checked the roster with the help of a friend; it's all 100% done.<br />
<br />
To be honest, it's quite a relief knowing that I don't have to stress about whether or not they were going to let me leave without going through a bunch of meetings or extra hassle. For anyone who doesn't know, the LDS Church's resignation procedures are somewhat simplistic but also somewhat complicated. The short version is that the Church considers a <br />
<a name='more'></a>resignation an "ecclesiastical matter" that has to be handled by meeting with your Bishop and signing at least one "administrative" form. If you contact LDS headquarters directly to complete your resignation they simply send you a letter informing you that they've received your "request" but that they won't process your resignation until a Bishop sends them the letter along with an administration form that you have to sign. If you want the longer version with some details as to why that process is actually illegal you can read my <a href="http://jsamueledwards.blogspot.com/2016/11/lds-resignation-update.html" target="_blank">LDS Resignation Update</a> article.<br />
<br />
I was (still am) worried about seeing some consequences for officially leaving the Church. I've heard from a number of other "Ex-Mo's" (Ex-Mormons) that many have lost friendships and family relationships as a result of their choice to leave. I know I'm safe on the family front - thank you mother :) - but I'm not so sure about friendships. Frankly, I largely nipped that problem in the bud earlier this year by cutting off most of my contact with other Mormons. I was getting a lot of nasty, rude and aggressive messages from members of the Church because I was "questioning" the leaders of the Church and I just couldn't put up with it anymore. I got tired of being told that I was a drug-addict for being Gay, I got tired of always being belittled for standing up for the abused, and most of all I got tired of feeling like I didn't matter to the members of the LDS Church because I was different. So I deleted most of them off my social media and stopped interacting with almost all of them on any level. I even cut off the members who didn't hurt me because I couldn't emotionally handle the risk that they might turn on me too. Maybe that isn't the best course of action, but it's the one I needed. I don't know what will happen to my leftover relationships with people from Church now that I'm not a member. I just hope that my fears are not realized.<br />
<br />
Maybe I won't lose everyone I have left from Church but I can definitely say that the reaction I received from my Church leaders is less than encouraging. I spent weeks trying to contact my leaders to make sure that they were actually going to remove my records (instead of dismissing my resignation since I wasn't signing their administrative form), but I never got any reply. Finally, after I gave my leaders a strict "due date" for the process to be completed by, I received a simple one line response "Please call xxx-xxx-xxxx for an update". No introduction, no salutation, no professional cordiality, nothing. To be honest, I felt like my leaders couldn't care less if I left or stayed. After a couple of days (and after receiving a second message saying the exact same thing) I responded with a polite explanation that I needed to keep a record of every communication and suggested that if my leaders felt uncomfortable with a recorded phone conversation we could discuss the update via e-mail. A week went by and I heard nothing back again. Then a different leader contacts me saying "Please call..." At this point I was pretty irritated. Not only did I feel like my membership meant absolutely nothing to them but I also felt like they considered their time more precious than mine. I spent weeks hearing nothing from them and then suddenly when they wanted to talk I was expected to drop everything and contact them right away. To hell with how long I waited for them to get back with me, it only mattered that they were now waiting a couple of days before feeling the need to demand my attention again. I pointedly explained that I had replied to the earlier e-mail and that I refused to call anyone until my question (about the voice recording) was answered. I also explained that if the update was to simply inform me that the process was finished there was no need because I had already received a letter from Salt Lake stating that fact. I've heard from no one since, nearly a week later. This isn't a horror story by any means but it is still a rude sign that my local LDS Church leaders don't really care. But, even though I have some short term concerns about how some people I know will change in their attitudes towards me, I am very relieved that the process is simply finished.<br />
<br />
Plus I'm very relieved that my name is not attached to the LDS Church like some kind of endorsement of the immoral and irresponsible actions, behaviors and teachings the Church has promoted. I've already gone in depth in my resignation letter about some of those positions I cannot support, which you can read in my post "<a href="http://jsamueledwards.blogspot.com/2016/10/resigning-mormonism.html" target="_blank">Resigning Mormonism</a>".<br />
<br />
The reason I'm so concerned with letting my name look like an endorsement is because an endorsement is literally telling everyone in the world that you think so-and-so is good, or at least good enough, and that their faults are largely unimportant or easily dismissable. If I endorse someone or something I don't want to have to morally justify it to myself every day. That's something most people seem to forget, if you vote, or if you join a church, or buy stock in a company, you're making the statement that this item's virtues (or possible virtues) are more important than its failures/weaknesses. Don't try and wait for something or someone perfect to come around, it won't happen. But if whatever item you have your name and reputation attached to does serious and actual harm to others you should thoughtfully reconsider giving them your endorsement. You have to decide what is important to you and what morals you stand for. For me, personally, the aggression of the LDS Church towards victims of sexual child abuse and the openly hostile teachings and political actions against LGBT people (among others) are enough to push me to believe that the LDS Church does not represent the morality I was taught to fight for. If the LDS Church goes against the morality I believe in there is no point to my name being on their records showing my endorsement for their actions, behaviors and teachings.<br />
<br />
I strongly believe that if people choose to stay with any Church simply out of fear then that Church is corrupting the Gospel of whatever religion it adheres to. If a Church teaches its people to never oppose the actions of the Church or the Church leaders, no matter how immoral they might be, then that Church is misusing the authority of its religion. If a Church lies about its history and suppresses all unapproved sources of information it has dark secrets to hide and cannot be trusted to tell you the truth about its own religion. I'm sad to say that the LDS Church does all three of these and I cannot let my name be used to tell others that these behaviors are acceptable.<br />
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Despite the fact that I am technically an "Ex-Mo" (Ex-Mormon) I openly reject that term. I have as many issues with the overall "Ex-Mo" community as I have with the Mormon community. I have witnessed and endured a very hateful and spiteful side to the "Ex-Mo's" that I will not tolerate in my own life. Anger is natural and expected, especially when a person feels betrayed by the group or person they were taught to believe would never hurt them. But, anger is not an excuse to vulgarly slander others with hateful and spiteful words. Pain is not an excuse to belittle and attack people who do not want to belittle and attack the Church or its members. I have witnessed these tendencies far too often in the "Ex-Mo" community and I will not be a part of it. As such I'm choosing to use the only other label I know of to describe my connection to Mormonism: "Non-Mormon" - or "No-Mo". I am not a Mormon but I'm also not diametrically opposed to or hostile towards it. I will not tolerate LDS injustices but I also will not attack LDS goodness.<br />
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I'll keep you all up to date on how my beliefs and perceptions are changing thanks to my Mormon-Exit. Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Samuel.Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-40773841954795101012016-11-28T23:56:00.000-05:002016-11-28T23:56:56.948-05:00The True Facts of Standing Rock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj1j-XM5ljAxzjWeBswIXxy3ougx4idTskj0J5PYGrdthIbAe4gTsn8W8CgAGoYa4nOF9NyZ2cvDJ82ifj3wkb-m95GrrT8JvHj4s0ErXnFtCDp3RG10Iy8bM8ACvtVqVVsBNj_IyoyE/s1600/TheTrueFactsofStandingRock.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj1j-XM5ljAxzjWeBswIXxy3ougx4idTskj0J5PYGrdthIbAe4gTsn8W8CgAGoYa4nOF9NyZ2cvDJ82ifj3wkb-m95GrrT8JvHj4s0ErXnFtCDp3RG10Iy8bM8ACvtVqVVsBNj_IyoyE/s1600/TheTrueFactsofStandingRock.png" /></a></div>
<br />Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-79971497401664262372016-11-18T20:34:00.000-05:002016-11-18T20:34:16.404-05:00Speak English! A Letter to Anti-Immigrant Americans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a HYPOTHETICAL conversation, not any actual conversation between myself and any particular Anti-Immigration American. This is a generalized response to the rise in White American Nationalism correlated and fueled by the Donald Trump campaign for the Presidency of the United States of America.</td></tr>
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Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-54087517366047912016-11-05T16:57:00.000-04:002016-11-05T17:08:35.176-04:00Governor Pence Criminalized Gay Marriage Applications<b>A few days ago I post the following image on Facebook:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpV72PKzDSHVCnaKt0lUh6gCbg7BiF7w6LzAg9-_bdaQIByobU0bgMgMAc2HOLv3CAcAa64GuckLirUY_kvoOp_k_lL84mEKfwtZhpt2TJZprt7Ga4-eOXBXbJztdjAWbozBwvlq0Pfc/s1600/14980802_682556881904026_8889021465381706065_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpV72PKzDSHVCnaKt0lUh6gCbg7BiF7w6LzAg9-_bdaQIByobU0bgMgMAc2HOLv3CAcAa64GuckLirUY_kvoOp_k_lL84mEKfwtZhpt2TJZprt7Ga4-eOXBXbJztdjAWbozBwvlq0Pfc/s400/14980802_682556881904026_8889021465381706065_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>A friend of mine asked for more information on this since this isn't a topic frequently discussed. In response I decided to write this review of the law's actual text so that everyone could see HOW the State of Indiana's Legislature and Governor Pence made gay couples APPLYING for Marriage Licenses criminals.</b></div>
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Indiana HB 1041 isk the law the image refers to. It's wording is very complicated and the bill's language jumps around a lot (plus it has been heavily edited and has had multiple sections repealed) so it is honestly hard to follow. In order for the information to make sense I will have to jump around and connect different passages from the bill together. The bill was signed in 2013 by Governor Pence who was elected to office in 2012.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Remember that bold face text means text that was added to the bill as an amendment after the fact. Crossed out text means that text was removed by amendment after the fact.<br />
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HB 1041 (<a href="https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/bills/house/1041#document-1514b824">https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/bills/house/1041#document-1514b824</a>) stated in lines 17-22 (page 3) under Section 5: IC 31-11-1-1 the following:<i> "Only a female may marry a male. Only a male may marry a female. A marriage between persons of the same gender is void in Indiana even if the marriage is lawful in the place where it is solemnized." </i><br />
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Those lines clearly prohibited Gay Marriage in the State of Indiana, that's nothing new. And those lines were repealed with the Supreme Court's famous decision on Gay Marriage. The problem comes in farther down in this same bill. But this is where it gets a bit confusing because some sections that were repealed have also been completely redacted from the current bill which is (although heavily modified) still the standing law in Indiana.<br />
<br />
Lines 27-31 (page 4) explains that two individuals may marry if they are not already prohibited from being married. Lines 7-8 (page 5) continues with: <i>"the individual is not prohibited from marrying for a reason set forth in IC 31-11-1"</i>. IC 31-11-1-1 is the portion of the law that specifically forbids Gay Marriage.<br />
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The section titled IC 31-11-4 has been repealed since the bill was signed and has been redacted completely. But the original text of that section can be found at: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/://iga.in.gov/.../titles/031/articles/011/chapters/004/pdf" target="_blank">://iga.in.gov/.../titles/031/articles/011/chapters/004/pdf</a> (note: it is a PDF download).<br />
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IC 31-11-4 included instructions for occasions when a marriage license might be denied, specifically IC 31-11-4-12. This section explains that a Clerk of Court may deny two people a marriage licence and that if contested the situation will be presented to a Judge in Court.<br />
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Just to make sure everything is clear:<br />
So far the bill made Gay Marriage illegal, allowed a Clerk to refuse a Marriage License and send the Application to a Judge. But none of that shows that the bill made APPLYING for a Gay Marriage License a criminal offense. Don't worry I'm getting to that. This is just the background stuff so you can easily understand this next part.<br />
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The now repealed IC 31-11-4-4 also includes a list of components to Marriage Application. Included (besides basic identification information) is: <i>"A statement of facts necessary to determine whether any legal impediment to the proposed marriage exists."</i><br />
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Remember that "Statement of Facts".<br />
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Lines 2-7 (page 9) is the final piece to this puzzle. <i>"A person who knowingly furnishes false information to a clerk of the circuit court when the person applies for a marriage license under IC 31-11-4 commits a Level 6 Felony."</i><br />
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<u>The result is that if you were a Gay couple and you signed a Marriage Application in the State of Indiana you committed a Level 6 Felony. The reason is because you were legally prohibited from applying for and receiving a Marriage License and yet you signed a document claiming that you were not prohibited from applying.</u><br />
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You might argue that some individuals might not have known about the details of the law. Unfortunately American law rarely accepts that argument since it is ultimately the duty of the citizen to verify all information regarding their behavior.<br />
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A Level 6 Felony is the lowest level of Felony charges and requires jail time between 6 months and 2 1/2 years, plus a fine of up to $10,000.<br />
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Only a few situations were affected by this wording, for the most part that included Gay Marriage and Polygamous Marriage (or Marriage Fraud).Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-61205186399072782782016-11-01T15:30:00.000-04:002016-11-01T15:39:56.725-04:00LDS Resignation Update<div class="tr_bq">
Not long ago I published my official resignation letter to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Yesterday I received my reply from the Church's Office of Confidential Records and today I responded back. You are more than welcome to read the entire discussion and I hope that my efforts will be of some use to you.</div>
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Just so we're clear, I have actually been able to use e-mail for almost this entire process. If anyone wants to resign their membership with the LDS Church but doesn't want to use a stamp you can use this e-mail address: <a href="mailto:msr-confrec@ldschurch.org">msr-confrec@ldschurch.org</a><br />
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I received the response to my resignation letter via postal mail though so if you want to keep digital records of everything you'll probably need to use an app like Tiny Scanner to take a photo of the letter and turn into a PDF which you can then e-mail to yourself and anyone else.<br />
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If you're playing catch up with me or just haven't read my official resignation letter you can read it <a href="http://jsamueledwards.blogspot.com/2016/10/resigning-mormonism.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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LDS Response:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear Brother Edwards,</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Our office has been asked to acknowledge your recent letter in which you request that your name be removed from the membership records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We have also been asked to inform you that the Church considers such a request to be an ecclesiastical matter that must be handled by local priesthood leaders before being processed by Church employees. Therefore, your letter and a copy of this reply are being sent to President ************* of the ********** Stake. He will have President ********* of the ********** Branch contact you concerning the fulfillment of your request.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sincerely,</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Confidential Records </blockquote>
At first glance you might think this response is all fine and good. They've acknowledged my resignation and are forwarding it to the appropriate individuals, right? Well not quite. This policy of the LDS Church is actually in violation of American Law that has been defined and upheld by multiple US Courts (I did do research to confirm that FYI). The primary definition of American law regarding resignation from religious entities was made in 1989 in the famous case of <a href="http://law.justia.com/cases/oklahoma/supreme-court/1989/10494.html" target="_blank">Guinn v. Church of Christ</a>, I suggest you read Section IV if you want the short version of the Court's decision.<br />
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With the knowledge that LDS resignation policy was in conflict with standing American law I wrote a response to the LDS Church which I also sent to the same e-mail I linked earlier. I made sure to explain exactly what my issues are with the Church's policy and written response:<br />
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<blockquote>
To Confidential Records, </blockquote>
<blockquote>
I have received your response remanding my resignation until my local Priesthood leaders communicate with me. I insist that this is unacceptable. I have submitted my resignation letter to the Church and you have acknowledged receipt of that letter, therefore, my resignation is legally complete. Any additional procedures and policies are internal matters within the Church and must exclude my involvement. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Your letter claimed that my resignation is considered an <i>"ecclesiastical matter"</i>. However, that is legally inaccurate in the United States. Guinn vs Church of Christ (Section IV) expresses that both joining and resigning from a Church are civil matters, and that both are of course Constitutionally protected. Considering that Church resignation is in fact a civil matter, any and all resignations should be handled by the Church's department of Membership Records without requiring prior approval from ecclesiastical authorities. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
It is expected that local ecclesiastical authorities in the Church be made aware of the resignation and that there be some form of paperwork between the department of Membership Records and those local ecclesiastical authorities to acknowledge receipt of and cooperation with an individual's resignation from the Church. However, these procedures and policies do not legally require the participation of the resigning individual. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
I also noted that your response included the following language: <i>"in which you request that your name be removed from the membership records of..."</i> and <i>"the Church considers such a request to be an ecclesiastical matter..."</i>. I must insist that my resignation did not constitute any form of request. My resignation, any resignation, is a de facto termination of my voluntary membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it is not a request that requires the approval of any Church official or authority. I again cite the decision of Guinn vs Church of Christ as evidence. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
This letter, plus all attachments, is also being sent to President ************ of the *************** Stake and to President ************ of the ********** Branch. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Failure to act in accordance with the decisions of the Courts of the United States relating to my civil rights will result in legal action taken against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Sincerely, </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Joseph Edwards<br />
Membership Record Number: ***-****-**** </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Attached:<br />
Original Resignation Letter of Joseph Edwards<br />
Copy of the Letter of Acknowledgement from the department of Membership/Confidential Records<br />
Copy of Joseph Edwards' Letter of Dispute</blockquote>
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I will keep you all updated on the responses I receive down the road. Wish me luck!</div>
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NOTE: Please know that if you decide to resign from any Church in the United States you are not legally required to meet with any representative of the Church or sign any document other than your Resignation Letter. If your Bishop says he needs to meet with you before he can process your resignation you have the right to say No, and your Bishop will still be legally required to accept and process your resignation. Also, a received Resignation Letter legally prevents any Church from starting or continuing any excommunication proceedings against you. For more information you can go to <a href="http://www.quitmormon.com/">www.quitmormon.com</a>, <a href="http://www.mormonresignation.com/">www.mormonresignation.com</a>, and other informational websites which coordinate with freely accessible lawyers to help explain and protect your rights. </div>
Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-61049333379170735952016-10-22T18:03:00.000-04:002016-10-22T18:03:29.743-04:00Resigning MormonismTHIS IS MY OFFICIAL MORMON RESIGNATION LETTER.<br />
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<br />
Membership Records Division<br />
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints<br />
50 E North Temple Rm 1372<br />
SLC UT 84150-5310<br />
<br />
Dear Membership Records Division:<br />
<br />
My name is Joseph Samuel Edwards, I am writing to resign my name and records from the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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There have been a number of stumbling blocks placed by the wickedness and corruption of the Prophet, Apostles and Seventy. These stumbling blocks include the incredible hostility and insults towards LGBT people by President Monson, President Packer, President Nelson, Elder Oaks and at times even Elder Holland. These stumbling blocks do not come from outside the Church or individuals who are angry at the Church in order to justify their own sins, instead these stumbling blocks are the fault of a Church that has become far more enthusiastic with its own prestige than it has addressing the wounds of the people it has hurt over the years.<br />
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Elder Oaks recently referred to Transgender people as being Mentally Ill at a Stake Conference and he has repeatedly been highly insulting to all LGBT people worldwide. His remarks have also included an approval (in 2007) for parents to disown their LGBT children under various conditions, an attitude that has been attributed to the expulsion of a number of teenagers from their homes for coming out of the closet as Gay or other Sexual Identity. The hostility from this and other similar remarks by Elder Oaks has also been attributed to the ever increasing rate of LGBT Youth Suicide in Utah. Attempts to bring these points to his attention, or the attention to any Church official or member have been met with derision and hostility and rebuffed by Elder Oaks’ remarks stating that the Church and its leaders will apologize for nothing. Only a person or organization that believes it is perfect, beyond reproach or beyond need for repentance would deny the possibility of apologizing.<br />
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>President Nelson and the entire November 2015 Policy is also a dramatic insult that convinces me that God is not in this Church. The grip of Satan on the culture of a populous is and always has been the reason for dramatic exclusions of entire groups of people. Need I remind of the horror that was the Priesthood and Temple Bans against people of African descent? That Ban has since been acknowledged to have never been an actual doctrine of Christ’s gospel. If the Church is so willing to promote false-doctrine as doctrines for decades and then repeat the same error under a new topic, then the doctrines of the Church are more closely related to the Philosophies of Men than the Gospel of God.<br />
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The political corruption that was well articulated in then Senator Gordon Smith’s remarks, as shown by Mormon Leaks, is also a clear indication that the LDS Church is not the pure and incorruptible presence I was taught it was as a child. The fact that the LDS Church is willing to use its formidable religious power to control the efforts of politicians is a dangerous sign to anyone but the morally corrupt. The then Senator Smith used his position as Senator to coerce the Ambassador from India to allow LDS Missionaries in India by suggesting that Indian and American relations would be negatively impacted if India did not support Mormon proselyting. The idea that Mormons holding positions of political power should use their positions to grant the Church advantages over other groups and religions is entirely wrong and immoral. This idea has been demonstrated in excess in the State of Utah where the LDS Church has nearly unlimited control over the Utah State Legislature. The Church’s ability to control legislation by suggesting that any Lawmaker (that is a member of the Church) who disregards the Church’s perspective on a proposed bill is potentially unworthy or is defying the Prophet is a gross misuse of power. In fact, it would be described as an “Unrighteous dominion”.<br />
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The LDS Church’s involvement with the World Congress of Families is another stumbling block provided by the Church itself. The World Congress of Families has boldly and blatantly declared its intentions to promote the criminalization of homosexuality and other sexual variances. Yet the LDS Church maintains a clear friendship with the organization as demonstrated by the inclusion of multiple LDS members and officials having held positions of authority in the WCF over the years and by the exceptionally warm official welcome the Church gave that organization in its Salt Lake City Conference in 2015. Furthermore, the organization actively praises Russia for its persecution of Gays and other LGBT people while actively condemning any and every law to protect them, including Hate Crime protections, Housing and Employment protections and the like, the WCF claims that these protections are among the worst developments in human history. Even if the LDS Church does not 100% support the efforts (primary or minor) of this or any other organization it should be noted that the lack of 100% agreement has been cited by LDS officials (even up to the level of General Authority) as cause enough to reject any and all interactions with LGBT centered organizations such as Mormons Building Bridges and Affirmation. That imbalance alone implies that any “disagreements” with certain positions held by the World Congress of Families are far less important than “disagreements” with any position held by an LGBT organization.<br />
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5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Last, but not least, is the recent tendency of the Church to protect child molesters. I know of a specific situation where a family accused a man, who had served as Bishop multiple times, of repeated sexual molestation and other crimes. Their report was rebuffed by the Office of the First Presidency who essentially ignored it and ignored the complaints against the inappropriate behavior of the Stake President involved in the situation. The Office of the First Presidency claimed it wasn’t their concern and that the man would continue with his membership completely unaffected. The man is most certainly guilty with multiple testimonies of his crimes, yet the Church protected him willfully. The Church's only concern was that the family might sue the Church over the situation. The Church has also been recognized and accused of protecting other child molesters from Church Discipline in the recent Navajo Tribe lawsuit currently developing. The fact that the LDS Church has filed restraining orders against the Navajo victims is testament to the sickening lack of charity and heart in what is supposed to be God’s Church, led by Jesus Himself.<br />
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There are many more crimes, sins and offenses that the LDS Church itself is a willing participant in. I have said nothing that suggests a minor disagreement with another member; I have said nothing of any perceived spats between myself and other members; instead I have spoken only about the specific and tragic examples of the Apostles and Prophets themselves. These men claim to work under the constant direction of Jesus Christ yet their fruits suggest otherwise. Their fruits suggest Corruption, Abuse of Power, Hostility towards Victims, Lack of Sorrow over Death and Suffering, Willingly Demeaning or Belittling the Children of God and many more wrongful behaviors that do not belong in the Church I was raised to believe in. If the Church ever was True it has since fallen into Apostasy and I would rather stand alone fighting for the principles of Jesus Christ than defend Pharisees, Zoramites or King Noah and his Priests in their hypocrisy.<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
<br />
Joseph Samuel Edwards<br />
A Now Former Member of the Church<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-57716633570925222472016-10-17T03:28:00.000-04:002016-10-17T03:51:01.947-04:00United Nations Betray Jewish Faith's Holy SitesRegarding the rights of the Jews' claims to Jerusalem and their ancient lands: War and Conquest by nature do not only kill people, they remove the rights of human beings. If anyone values the work done by groups like the Red Cross (which tries to restore human dignity) then you have no valid reason to deny people the dignities they had before being killed and conquered. Israel is the ancestral home of the Jewish people and the Jewish religion, a home that they were violently forced from.<br />
<br />
The actual history of the land is far more complicated than many are saying.There was in fact a forced Diaspora, it is not revisionist history. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Yes, plenty of Jews lived abroad thanks to the conquests of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. Yes there were more Jews living in and around Alexandria than there were in Jerusalem during the time of the Roman Empire, but they all still called Jerusalem home. Despite the pre-existing Jewish populations scattered throughout the world there was a great diaspora that occurred in and around 77 AD when Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Romans. Very few Jews that lived in the city and other rebel strongholds survived but many in the neighboring villages fled into Parthia, Egypt, Anatolia, and elsewhere. Some Jews were allowed to remain by the Romans and their descendants have lived there ever since. It is a mistake however to claim that the Jews from Europe are not actually Jews. As to the genetic relationship of many of the European Jewish immigrants who have resettled Israel since WW2, some people claim these current resettled Jews were simply descendants of European converts and are thus not really Jews and have no claim on Israel or Jerusalem. While this is true for some it is not the overall truth. Many of the European immigrants are either Sephardic or Ashkenazi Jews, both of these groups are genetically linked to the ancient Hebrews and are their descendants despite necessary interbreeding with Europeans over the last 2,000 years. Both of these groups do in fact have the heritage claim to the land of Israel that many are saying they don't have because they or their ancestors were born in Europe. Jews lived all over the Mediterranean, but over time their populations moved with political pressures and most of the actual descendants of Hebrews ended up in the regions of Germany, Poland, the Ukraine and Russia.<br />
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Despite the arguments for or against a political or social Israel or claims to the land in and around Jerusalem this situation is actually a matter of Religion. The UN's declaration is instead claiming that the Jews do not have the right to claim the Temple Mount as a Holy Site. The UN is claiming that the religion of the Jews has no religious claim to the ruins of their own historic Temples. This is the problem we're facing now, that the religion of the Jews is having obvious history denied in favor of politics. In essence the UN just declared that the Muslim Rock is more important than the Jewish Altar.<br />
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Now consider this: That Temple Mount is where many of Jesus' miracles occurred (as claimed by the New Testament) and is the site of many of the crucial events of the New Testament. Jesus and His Apostles were first and foremost Jews before the Jewish leaders rejected the "Christian" teachings. If the Jews do not have the religious claim to the Temple Mount then neither do the Christians. Our claims to the holy sites of that area come directly from the Jews. Without the holy sites of Judaism our Christian holy sites would not exist. How would you feel if a foreign government just declared that Christians do not have a right to the Mount of Olives, or to the Hill Calgary, or to the Garden Sepulcher?<br />
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Read the actual news:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-jerusalem-unesco-motion-jewish-ties-temple-mount-noble-sanctuary-el-harem-al-sharif-a7360776.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGK-s77FSiT3OtvP8auedMcM7VGx9H4fA-eJaSoPUYqf76yvrHxnQBfi0mAmjccyIVujG9P0LJ-RdtFqPneRW_sWJI09sanueIjftB0i9jSDsRETkeCZePpLPGdXTajyk7E1MGzftkwfM/s400/jerusalem.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-jerusalem-unesco-motion-jewish-ties-temple-mount-noble-sanctuary-el-harem-al-sharif-a7360776.html" target="_blank">Temple Mount:Jerusalem's Most Holy Site Has Nothing To Do with Judaism, UNESCO Rules</a></td></tr>
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Thankfully, the UN Chief appears to have <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4866955,00.html" target="_blank">rejected the resolution</a>. But I highly doubt that this problem is behind us. We will likely hear much about this in the future.<br />
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For those who have not read the UNESCO decision's text you may find it <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-new-unesco-resolution-on-occupied-palestine/" target="_blank">HERE</a>. To be clear, UNESCO repeatedly remarks that it decries (disapproves of) Israeli unilateral decisions on construction etc. in the "old city" of Jerusalem and instead demands that Islamic authorities be given unilateral decision making power, even over Jewish holy sites. </div>
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The situation in and around Jerusalem is incredibly complicated and hostile from both sides and the UN needs to stay out of the way because they are only making the situation worse.<br />
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Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-40999307592879522016-10-02T20:12:00.001-04:002016-10-02T23:11:20.692-04:00#MormonLeaksSo many people have been tuned into the LDS General Conference this weekend! Thousands upon thousands have been Tweeting and Posting Conference messages and musings for the last two days but something else has happened today that may at first seem overshadowed by the shear mass of #LDSconf (and other hashtags). Despite being overshadowed by the popular LDS media frenzy this new event is extremely important to the future image of Mormonism.<br />
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I'm sure we have all heard of the controversial power house WikiLeaks, well as of today the world has been introduced to MormonLeaks (#MormonLeaks)!<br />
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MormonLeaks appears to have the same basic mission of WikiLeaks, to expose secrets and damning information that governments and corporations don't want the general public to know, only this time the information in question directly and only involves the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.<br />
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At the moment the videos are available on YouTube at this URL: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTIFO9JJWiXABNXHDUKj4A?app=desktop">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTIFO9JJWiXABNXHDUKj4A?app=desktop</a><br />
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<a name='more'></a>However, there is concern that the LDS Church's legal department will not allow the videos to remain public so various parties, including myself, are working to save copies to our own devices. If in the future you cannot use the provided link, contact me or <a href="https://twitter.com/johndehlin" target="_blank">John Dehlin</a> or any other prominent LDS detractor for access to these videos.<br />
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So far fifteen videos have been uploaded, all of varying importance and lengths. The videos I have watched so far are dated to 2008 - 2009 and include a panel of LDS Apostles sitting alongside various other General Authorities and Public Relations officials discussing matters of politics, economics, international relations, LGBT issues, Abortion, and other similar topics with presumed experts. These are essentially situation briefings that were kept private, viewed only by appropriately ranked LDS officials and staff. The fact that the Church was engaging in situation briefings is not damning at all, but the content of these videos showcases content that is in fact quite damning to the Mormon addiction to a Good and Saintly Public Image.<br />
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I'll go ahead and upload the two videos I have repeatedly watched and paid the most attention to: A discussion in 2008 regarding WikiLeaks and Private Bradley Manning's homosexuality; A discussion in 2009 with then Senator Gordon Smith on issues in politics.<br />
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Both of these videos clear show LDS Apostles in the panel asking questions and interacting with the guest speaker. You will clearly see and hear Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Elder Quentin L. Cook, President Boyd K. Packer, Elder Russell M. Ballard, Elder L. Tom Perry, Elder Ronald A. Rasband (then of the Presidency of the Seventy) Elder D. Todd Christofferson, and others. Below each of the two videos I will provide a short summary of the discussed points.<br />
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This first video is titled: <u>In Which the Apostles Obsess over Bradley Manning's Sexuality</u>. This video is only about 7 minutes long but it horrifies me beyond belief. </div>
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The video starts with the guest speaker explaining the circumstances and positions of WikiLeaks as well as its general mission. The theme is quickly interrupted by Elders Oaks and then President Packer who begin questioning Private Bradley Manning's motives due to his stated homosexuality. Elder Oaks then specifically suggests the following: </div>
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"I'm suspicious that the News Media [would] cover up anything involving homosexuals when it would work to the disadvantage of the Homosexual Agenda and so on. And I just wonder if there is some of that in this."</blockquote>
This statement by Elder Oaks directly follows his previous question: If the News Media was covering, or including, the fact that Bradley Manning was a confirmed homosexual in the larger story of the famous WikiLeaks hack performed by Manning that shared confidential and classified information. Elder Oaks decidedly turned a discussion on hacking and vulnerable information into a discussion on the villainy of homosexuals.<br />
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In watching the video it becomes very clear that Elder Oaks and President Packer wanted to frame the entire idea of WikiLeaks and "radical freedom of information" methods on homosexuals who are wanting to undermine society. President Packer later pointedly asks if the founder of WikiLeaks (who the guest speaker had just described as being more of an anarchist than a noble activist for the freedom of information), Julian Assange, was a homosexual.<br />
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President Packer and Elder Oaks seemed to care more about creating a scapegoat out of homosexuals than they did about the actual realities of leaked information. They wanted to find some way to acknowledge gays as villains bent on destroying society and when the guest speaker did not expressly agree with that assumption they promptly ended that presentation with President Packer saying "Thank you for that, I guess".<br />
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Well my download is too large for the second video to be uploaded directly here so I'll just have to be satisfied with embedding this longer #MormonLeaks video from YouTube. This one is titled: <u>In Which They Discuss Politics With Senator Gordon Smith</u>; and it's dated to 2009.<br />
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This video is about 49 minutes long and covers a lot of points on a wide range of topics but there are a few that are the most damning which I will point out in this post.<br />
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1. Senator Smith jokingly calls Democrats "an assortment of miscreants" to which the Apostles and others present burst out into loud unmistakable laughter. Aside from being disrespectful it also shows us that the LDS Church's officials are not as politically neutral as their PR department would have everyone believe.<br />
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2. Senator Smith openly and blatantly advises the Apostles and other General Authorities to directly avoid interaction and cooperation with the LGBT community, calling gays "insatiable" and implies that the community is ungrateful and willing to betray you if you do not do everything they want. The Senator then advises the Church to instead speak only to the "wider" American population on anti-LGBT issues to protect families and children.<br />
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3. Senator Smith claims that the LDS Church should specifically use its members who hold political offices to give the Church multiple advantages in the United States and Internationally. He happily described his own personal story of using his position in the United States Senate to secure a meeting with the Ambassador from India where he (the Senator) emphasized just how important the free exercise of Religion was to the future of relations between the United States and India and then pointedly claimed that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was not being treated fairly in India (at that point LDS Missionaries were not permitted to proselyte in India since the LDS Church was not yet recognized as a religion in that country). The next day the Ambassador frantically called Senator Smith personally and offered to authorize as many Visas to Mormon Missionaries as the Senator wanted. I should point out that when Senator Smith asked for 200 Visas the Ambassador is described as making a noticeable "gulping" sound over the phone just before hesitantly saying ok. Senator Smith resoundingly claimed that this was appropriate behavior and that the Church should have all its members in offices of political power act in this manner to advance the interests of the Church. <b>To be clear: Senator Smith advised the LDS Church to engage in using American politicians as leverage to gain influence and recognition in other countries.</b><br />
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4. Senator Smith also advised LDS officials to make temporary alliances with other religions (including Churches that he describes as Priest-crafts) nationwide in order to find out which lobbyists and politicians were capable of "killing" specific bills sent to Congress. He suggested that the LDS Church operate more behind the scenes with these select Churches, lobbyists and politicians "arm in arm" in order to reduce the "footprint" of the Church in politics and to avoid some of the fallout that was experienced in California after Prop. 8. To be clear he suggested that the LDS Church get directly involved with political lobbying and to form political partnerships with Churches and Church businesses to influence lawmakers anywhere in the United States. (A practice that the LDS Church seems to have taken to heart considering its power over the Utah State Legislature.)<br />
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There are a great many other damning points in this video but it is just too long for me to examine in great detail. I highly recommend that you watch the video from start to finish for yourselves though.<br />
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<b>It is interesting to note that Senator Gordon Smith has since been called as a General Authority, currently serving in the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy.</b><br />
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Why do I care so much about what is in these videos? The answer is simple: <b>You learn more about a person or a group by listening to what is said in private and safety than you do from publicly prepared remarks. There is always a face that is shown to the world and then there is often a separate face that is only shown at home. </b>The LDS Church has famously remarked recently that it expects its members to avoid hate and mistreatment of those who do not live according to LDS principles, but does the LDS Church honor these statements in their private conduct? Are the Prophets and Apostles sincere in their pleas for kindness and humility? Or is the Mormon Church instead engaging (from where they think no one will ever hear them) in power plays and vulgarity and name-calling of political and social opponents?<br />
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<br />Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1555557758885032906.post-6335563288675547492016-09-22T08:00:00.000-04:002016-09-22T08:00:12.905-04:00Framing The Transgender Reality For MormonsThe Mormon reaction to a person being Transgender has confused me for several years. The LDS Church repeatedly has insisted that gender identity (like sexual orientation) is a matter of Mental Health or Wretched Wickedness. These positions may fluctuate from time to time but generally speaking Mormons seem react with even more disdain towards a Transgender person than they do to a Homosexual or Bisexual person. This hostility is something I simply don't understand from a doctrinal standpoint, being Transgender is living proof for some of the most fundamental doctrines in the LDS cannon, so opposing a Transgender reality has the effect of shooting your own doctrines in the foot.<br />
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In Mormonism the belief in a Pre-Mortal Existence is paramount and is one of the most supreme tenants of a Mormon's faith. It is the Pre-Mortal Existence that solidifies the beliefs in Family, Gender, Satan, Creation, Divine Potential, Mortal Trials, Pro-Creation, Choice/Agency, Afterlife, etc. <br />
<a name='more'></a>The LDS Church, and by extension LDS Missionaries, frequently cites a wide array of scriptures to confirm the existence of this Pre-Mortal Life and its meanings for humanity but a good summary for this doctrine can be found in a semi-cannon Church publication titled: <b>The Family, A Proclamation to the World</b>:<br />
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In part, this Proclamation says: </div>
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ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.</blockquote>
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IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.</blockquote>
It is very clear in Mormon doctrines and creeds that Gender is a characteristic that was first designated in the Pre-Mortal Existence and is a fundamental part of a person's identity. So if Gender is so important and is something that belongs more to the Spirit than to the Body then why are Mormons so resistant to the idea that a person would be troubled by the feeling that their individual Spirit has a Gender that does not match the Gender of their temporary mortal body?<br />
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Let's assume for a moment that the Mormon narrative of a Pre-Mortal Spiritual Existence is true, we have a the wonderful Spirit of a female Child of God in Heaven waiting to be born, but somehow during her journey to mortality something goes wrong and she is born into a male mortal body. Does the Gender of her Spirit suddenly change to fit the mold of a temporary mortal body? According to LDS doctrines the Spirit's Gender cannot change, so the answer would be: No, this Daughter of God would not suddenly become a Son of God simply because some chromosomes were rearranged during pregnancy resulting in a male body. So we would be left with a child who has the Spirit of a female but the body of a male, in her future this child may feel constantly at odds with her identity (regardless of her appearance) and may wish to pursue surgical options as a Transgender Human Being in order to fix the constant struggle in her life. This woman is not trying to change from a Man into a Woman but is instead a Woman trying to be a Woman.<br />
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The very fact that there are Transgender Men and Women proves that Gender is a matter of Spirit and exists prior to a person's mortal birth. Whereas if Gender was determined at birth (I.E. without a Pre-Mortal Life, or if the Human Spirit does not have a Gender by itself) then it would be impossible for a person, male or female, to feel like their Spirit was in the wrong body. So, I'll say it again, <b>Transgender Human Beings are proof that the Spirit exists before this Mortal Life and that the Spirit has its Gender assigned before Birth.</b><br />
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<b>The Gender of the Mortal Body is decided during Pregnancy not in Heaven.</b><br />
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Surprisingly I find myself among the minority of Mormons who holds this doctrinal viewpoint. But the reason I've repeatedly heard from Mormons to justify their opposition towards the Transgender reality is perhaps one of the most arrogant rationalizations I've ever heard. This is what I've heard: "God simply wouldn't allow a woman to be born in a man's body (or vice-versa)". The hubris of that statement boggles my mind! These people have the nerve to tell God what he will or will not do, for no other reason than because of their opinion.<br />
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But let's look at this "justification" objectively for a moment. Does God interfere with human lives to prevent all pain, suffering or injustice? No, but God <b>sometimes</b> does interfere in that way but his interference is very irregular and unpredictable. <b>There is no single category in human life or human society that God has chosen to interfere with 100% of the time. Why should Transgender Souls be treated any differently? </b>God has chosen to not interfere with mass-murder, murder, rape, molestation, war, illness, disease, hunger, still births, birth defects, death etc. on so many occasions that we lose count after 30 seconds. There is no pattern in observable life or in the scriptures to suggest that God would simply NEVER ALLOW any particular event to happen on Earth, no matter what that event might be.<br />
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God did not prevent the Holocaust. God did not prevent World Wars I or II. God did not prevent the Hebrews from becoming slaves in Egypt. God did not prevent the Black Death from killing 1/3 the population of Europe in the Middle Ages. God did not prevent Hurricane Katrina from killing over <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/08/28/no-one-knows-how-many-people-died-in-katrina" target="_blank">1,000 people</a> in Louisiana and Mississippi. God did not prevent Cancer from developing and killing people. God does not prevent more than <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/stillbirth/facts.html" target="_blank">24,000 babies</a> from being Still Born in the U.S. each year. If God would refuse to interfere 100% of the time in such dire circumstances like these, why would anyone expect that God would interfere 100% of the time policing pregnancies to ensure proper gender distribution?<br />
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Don't misunderstand me, I do not blame God for any of these calamities or saddening events. Most of the events I listed are resulted from Human Choices but some of them, like Diseases or Natural Disasters, had nothing to do with Human Choices but were still not directly interfered with by God. God, for whatever reasons, makes a point to stay out of a lot of major and minor issues on Earth. Specific individuals will claim that God got involved in their lives, either for good or bad, but these examples of God's involvement are not guaranteed from one event or person to the next. In fact you could say that God's interventions are more like the exception to the rule than the rule itself. In all cases, it is God himself who decides whether or not to get involved in anyone's life or circumstances, we do not decide for God what He will or will not do on Earth or in Heaven.<br />
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The way I see it, claiming that God will prevent 100% of Spirits from being born in inappropriately gendered bodies is to suggest that being Transgender is so much worse than any crime or sin or calamity on Earth that God would simply be too disgusted by the idea to ever let it happen to anyone. And that suggestion is absolutely disgusting in and of itself, and anyone who believes that should be ashamed to look God in the face at the last Judgement Day.<br />
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<b>People of all walks of life need to start slowing down, start taking a deep breath, and start looking what their words and beliefs actually say and mean.</b><br />
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<br />Samuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12236667790841095304noreply@blogger.com0