text:
- 1 This text is based on the author’s ongoing Ph.D project.
1The statement and title for my article,1 "I don’t give a shit where I spit my phlegm", is part of the lyrics to the song "People Hate Me" by the band Tribe 8, which is – as will be explained later on – an excellent example of queer-feminist politics of a punk rock band. This article focuses on queer-feminist punk – also known as queercore, homocore or dykecore – music, its lyrics as well as performances and sound. It focuses on punk music as a form of queer-feminist activism and agency.
- 2 MUÑOZ, José, Disidentifications: Queers Of Color And The Performance Of Politics, Minneapolis, Univ (...)
- 3 HALBERSTAM, Judith, In a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives, New York, Lon (...)
2The examples of punk rock performers and their cultural productions that I present here will be understood as forms of queer politics and queer theory as well as feminist theory. The usage of the terminology of queer-feminist politics – rather than queer politics – is inspired by the tradition of many activists around the world who have been foregrounding the feminist aspects of their queer politics for many years. More recently similar politics found their way into academic accounts for example through the book "Feminism is Queer: The Intimate Connection between Queer and Feminist Theory" by Mimi Marinucci, the work of José Muñoz,2 Judith "Jack" Halberstam,3 and others. Such activist and academic accounts alike understand queer politics as a continuation of feminist movements and theory rather than as a revolutionary break with it. Furthermore, such accounts seek a dialogue between lesbian and gay movements, second wave feminists and the diverse range of queer movements to build alliances and forms of solidarity. Considering the concrete example of queer-feminist punk rock, I argue that especially female identified or perceived persona seek to find alliances with different groups of feminist thinkers and activists. They and their allies understand the usefulness of feminist politics, activist strategies and social analysis against the – often racialized – misogyny of mainstream culture as well as the countercultural environments of punk rock and queer scenes.
- 4 HALBERSTAM, Judith, In a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives, op. cit.; HAL (...)
- 5 MUÑOZ, José, Disidentifications: Queers Of Color And The Performance Of Politics, op. cit.; MUÑOZ, (...)
- 6 WILSON, Angela, "The Galaxy Is Gay: Examining The Networks of Lesbian Punk Rock Subculture", in DRI (...)
3However, queer-feminist punk musicians and writers combine feminist accounts with their specific punk philosophy of anti-social queerness or queer negativity. Analyzing lyrical content – its meanings, its rhetoric, or tone – I will not only show examples of queer-feminist anti-social accounts of punk music like expressions of negativity and anger, but also argue that queer-feminist punk rock as such can be understood as politics of negativity. Relating such queer-feminist punk negativity to academic concepts and scholarly work, I aim to show how punk rock is capable of communicating queer-feminist theoretical positions in a non-academic setting, following scholars such as Judith "Jack" Halberstam,4 José Muñoz,5 or Angela Wilson.6
4One of the first queer-feminist punk rock accounts was a very provocative article by the musician, script writer, film- and theater-director Bruce LaBruce and artist, filmmaker, musician, and zine-editer G.B. Jones in April 1989 edition of the widely distributed punk magazine "Maximumrocknroll", which brought queercore or homocore into focus within the broader US hardcore punk scene. In their article Jones and LaBruce criticize the hardcore punk scene harshly for its misogyny, homophobia and sexism as well as the gay and lesbian club culture for its shallowness. They develop a humorous argumentation about the intersections of punk and homosexuality, with the intention to provoke the hardcore punk scene. One example of their ironic take is the introduction of a dictionary entry for the word punk, emphasizing its former usage to describe homosexuals as well as prisoners. The passage explains that
- 7 LABRUCE, Bruce, JONES, J.B., "Don’t be gay: Or, how I learned to stop worrying and fuck punk up the (...)
[…] punk is also an archaic word for dried wood used as tinder, the original meaning of the word "faggot" as well. Homosexuals, witches, criminals, all denounced as enemies of the state, were once burned at the stake. The word for the material used to set them on fire became another name for the victims themselves.7
5The absence of note on the resource this explanation came from and the general ironic tone of the article allows for multiple interpretations. In addition to emphasizing the sexual qualities and meanings of the word "punk" they draw attention to the anti-social meanings of the word "queer"; their politics seem simultaneously a queering of punk and a "punking" of queer. This queering and punking, however, produces ambivalent meanings and can be interpreted equally as sarcasm and/or sincerity.
6Following Jones’ and LaBruce’s approach queercore punks like the band Tribe 8 started producing provocative and humorous punk music. Especially female-bodied bands like Tribe 8, or bands with female-bodied and female-identified musicians like God Is My Co-Pilot redefined the term queer to appropriate it for their politics, criticizing the male dominance within the hardcore punk scene as well as the gay and lesbian scenes, which seemed to them one-dimensional, superficial, and segregated. Accordingly, the term queer does not simply substitute for the terms "gay" or "lesbian", but rather it represents a more open and critical understanding of queer, including ambivalence and critique towards fixed identity categories. Again it needs to be emphasized that an important quality of such appropriations is humor, as this quote from the zine "Homocore NYC" from 1994 shows:
This is what [queer] means: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual. […] includ[ing] Bicycles as well as Dykes and Fags [which] comes from its universal use, as helpfully playground? Or was it in gym class? who said to me: if you fuck men, you’re not a fucking Queer. […] or a fucking woman. Obviously, another citation will be required to include usage referring to Lesbians.
- 8 God Is My Co-Pilot – probably named after the 1945 American propaganda film based on the autobiogra (...)
- 9 SEDGWICK, Eve Kosofsky, Tendencies, Durham, Duke University Press, 2006, p. 8.
7In this passage, the editor of Homocore NYC and band-member of God Is My Co-Pilot8 Craig Flanagin refers in an unserious, playful way to an understanding of queer as similar to what Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick has phrased "the open mesh of possibilities, gaps, overlaps, dissonances and resonances, lapses and excesses of meaning when constituent elements of anyone’s gender, of anyone’s sexuality aren’t made (or can’t be made) to signify monolithically."9 The humorous language, in which his definition appears, moreover, can be understood as cultural translation of a critical queer theory concept into a language his fellow punk peers could relate to.
- 10 RITCHIE, Neal, "Principles of Engagement. The Anarchist Influence on Queer Youth Cultures", in DRIV (...)
- 11 HALBERSTAM, Judith, "The Anti-Social Turn in Queer Studies", op. cit., p. 140–156.
- 12 BERSANI, Leo quoted in HALBERSTAM, Judith, ibid., p. 140.
8In addition to its fluid character, queer in queer-feminist punk lyrics and other forms of writing often reverts to the primary quality of the word, that is, pejorative. Attention is drawn to the "anarchic character to the word queer",10 its anti-social character. Thus, queer-feminist punk rock anticipated what queer theorists like Judith "Jack" Halberstam call the "Anti-Social Turn in Queer Studies".11 This theoretical approach is grounded in a psychoanalytical Lacanian understanding of sexuality which posits that, "[r]ather than a life-force connecting pleasure to life, survival and futurity, sex, and particularly homo-sex and receptive sex, is a death drive that undoes the self […]."12
- 13 BERSANI, Leo quoted in HALBERSTAM, Judith, "The Politics of Negativity in Recent Queer Theory", in (...)
9A decade after the initiation of an emancipatory usage of the term queer, anti-social queer theory academics and activism echoed this initial motive, taking up psychoanalytical concepts of sexuality. Crucial for the extensive work on anti-social queer theory done since then, was Leo Bersani’s 1995 publication Homos. Following queer psychoanalytical approaches, Leo Bersani suggested in his book, that sex in general and homosex in particular, needs to be understood as anti-communicative, anti-identitarian, and destructive (see Bersani 1995): "the value of sexuality itself […] is to demean the seriousness of efforts to redeem it."13
- 14 EDELMAN, Lee. No Future. Queer Theory and the Death Drive, Durham, London, Duke University Press, 2 (...)
- 15 Ibid.
- 16 HALBERSTAM, Judith, "The Politics of Negativity in Recent Queer Theory", op. cit., p. 823.
10The theorist, who most significantly influenced this discourse which understands queer as a negative, anti-social term, beyond boarders and disciplines, during the last couple of years was Lee Edelman with his book No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive. Taking up Bersani’s suggestion of an understanding of the sexual instinct, to be distinguished from sexual desire, as such as converging force towards the destruction of the self – framed by psychoanalysis as the death drive – Edelman argues that sexuality can only be ‘saved’ from its self-destructing and irritating qualities, and integrated into the symbolic order, by attaching its meaning and purpose to reproduction. One effect and certainly a consequence of this ‘rescue project’ is that queer in this logic can only signify the opposite of creation and reproduction "the place of the social order’s death drive."14 Interwoven with sexuality’s cultural meaning of reproduction is the concept of "futurity". The future of society, which is the meaning and goal of every political action, according to Edelman, is always visualized through the imaginary "Child".15 Therefore "the queer subject, […] has been bound epistemologically to negativity, to nonsense, to antiproduction, to unintelligibility […]."16
11Queer-feminist punk lyrics, as the following example of the early 1990s punk outfit God Is My Co-Pilot shows, used the same language as Edelman does in his famous book years before Edelman did himself, for example when they sing "We’re here we’re queer we’re going to fuck your children" (God Is My Co-Pilot, Queer Disco). Some passages of Edelman’s work sound very similar in comparison, for example this often quoted paragraph:
- 17 EDELMAN, Lee, op. cit., p. 29.
Fuck the social order and the Child in whose name we’re collectively terrorized; fuck Annie; fuck the waif from Les Mis; fuck the poor innocent kid on the Net; fuck Laws both with capital Ls and with small; fuck the whole network of Symbolic relations and the future that serves as its prop.17
- 18 MUÑOZ, José, Disidentifications: Queers Of Color And The Performance Of Politics, op. cit.
- 19 NYONG’O, Tavia, "Do You Want Queer Theory (or Do You Want the Truth)? Intersections of Punk and Que (...)
12Moreover, as queer scholars like Halberstam, José Muñoz,18 or Tavia Nyong’o19 have analyzed, such embracing of negativity, here demonstrated in the word "queer", is not only significant for queer-feminist punk rock, but also organic to for the genre of punk rock itself. Punk rock emerged as aggressive anti-social, anti-authoritarian "statement" from the perspective of a disadvantaged youth and has ever since connoted anti-social rebellion. THE signifier for the rejection of society and its norms was "No Future", first uttered by the Sex Pistols in God Save The Queen, influencing generations of punks. Interestingly, the theorist best known for anti-social queer theory today, Lee Edelman, used this punk phrase as the title for his popular book No Future. Although, he rejected Halberstam’s linkage between his book’s title and punk’s central phrase, the link is nevertheless meaningful.
- 20 BEEBER, Steven Lee, The Heebie – Jeebies at CBGB’s: A Secret History of Jewish Punk, Chicago, Chica (...)
13An additional link between punk and queer can be seen in the fact, that sexual, cultural and ethnic minorities have been part of punk scenes from its beginning on.20 The rejection of society from the standpoint of an oppressed or outcast group and the affirmation of this negative status as performed through punk rock, inspired the specific subcultural and political movement, which established punk rock. This affinity of queers to the genre punk was not unconscious or accidental. On the contrary, queer punks shared a detailed knowledge of the emergence, politics and performativities of the early punk scenes. In the same Maximumrocknroll article mentioned before, LaBruce and Jones explain in quite some detail what and whose gender and sexual politics among the old punks attracted them. They mention Siouxie and the Banshees’ lyrics about lesbian love, they praise X-Ray-Spex, The Raincoats, and The Slits as examples for women fighting rigid gender roles and mention The Nervous Gender’s and the Dick’s gender-bending performances.
14On the one hand, the "queer-reading" by LaBruce and Jones of first-generation punk bands needs to be understood as self-legitimization by punks. Showing their detailed knowledge about punk bands was intended to signal to their hardcore punk peers forms of belonging to their scenes and culture. Additionally, such queering of some of the scenes’ most appreciated reference figures is a form of provocation. Nevertheless, describing the gender-critical and sexual liberating attitudes of early punk and reading them in reference to the derogatory meanings of punk and queerness, is also a statement towards the queer community about queer activism. Against common forms of lesbian and gay discourse advocating tolerance and inclusion, queer-feminist punks strongly embrace the outsider-status and argue for the usage of aggression, outspoken anti-social behavior, and a liberating verbal (or non-verbal) violation of rules.
- 21 Agatha, Queer as in Fuck You, Agatha, Rumbletowne Records, "Panic Attack".
- 22 DYNES, Wayne, "Queer", in Encyclopedia of Homosexuality, New York, Garland, 1990, p. 191.
- 23 KAPLAN, Esther, "A Queer Manifesto", in Village Voice, 14 August 1992, p. 36.
- 24 DUGGAN, Lisa, "Making it Perfectly Queer", in Socialist Review, Vol. 22, Nº 1, 1992, p. 16.
15It needs to be emphasized again, that the experience of homophobia and hatred against non-normative individuals and groups addressed with the word queer were the reasons for queer activists as well as queer theorists to take up the term in the first place, as already mentioned in relation to the affinities between the terms and the concepts queer and punk. When Queer Nation decided to use the term queer, they did because it was "the most popular vernacular term of abuse for homosexuals."22 To use queer for queer activists was "a way of reminding [queers] how [they] are perceived by the rest of the world."23 Taking up the term queer was a provocation: provocation towards assimilationist and identitarian gay and lesbian politics as well as a form of activism against homophobia. The aim was not to win support or approval by heteronormative hegemony, but rather to stage a rejection of a civil rights model of political activity, fighting for equal rights for an oppressed minority.24
16Accordingly, Tribe 8’s aforementioned "I don’t give a damn where I spit my phlegm" from their song "Neanderthal dyke" or Agatha’s constantly repeated slogan "Not gay as in happy, but queer as in fuck you" from their 2009 recorded song "queer as in fuck you" on their album "Panic Attack" can be read as anti-social behavior and a verbalization of critique, with a definitive political focus.
17Such anti-socially verbalized critique is often, as mentioned, not only directed against an undefined or general mainstream, but addresses other ‘progressive’ scenes like hardcore punk communities, or – in the case of the lesbian-only band Tribe 8 – the lesbian separatist scene of the 1990s.
- 25 Named after the sexual practice of tribadism, Tribe 8 formed in 1990 and was a lesbian-only band fr (...)
- 26 The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival is an feminist women-only music festival occurring every August (...)
18Indeed, Tribe 825 became famous especially within the queercore scene and in feminist circles, due to their fiercely contested shows and lyrics. What made their songs so provocative can be demonstrated according to their already quoted song "Neanderthal dyke" on their 1995 album "Fist City", which was released by Alternative Tentacles. In the song, Tribe 8 comment in their very undiplomatic way on the politics of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival26 and the radical feminist scene, which regularly organizes and frequents, based on their experience of playing at the festival in 1994. "My political consciousness is fried, I’m not exactly woman identified, I don’t give a shit, I just wanna get laid by curvy little hot and sexy eyeliner babes", the singer Lynn Breedlove states in the song. Breedlove’s usage of feminists’ language like "political consciousness", or "woman identified", signals that the intended target of the song is feminists, concretely the lesbian separatist scene, and can be further understood as attempt to mock them through imitation. The title and theme of the song "Neanderthal dyke / neanderthal dyke", need to be understood as a clear critique of the lesbian separatist scene’s lack of reflexivity about middle class privileges, their blindness to their boundaries and exclusiveness. Similar critique appears in the final part of the song: "Feminists theory gives me a pain, besides I think you like the fact I’m low on the food chain, don’t you." The lines "never read McKinnon / I ride a big bike / feminist gets me uptight / get in some heels and lipstick and I’ll spend the night", additionally serve as an indictment of overly rigid feminist understandings of the terms "women" and "lesbian". The line "Did it play at Michigan, is it correct?", which addresses the annual Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival and the mentioning of the anti-pornography feminist Catharine McKinnon signals again a particular brand of feminism as the song’s addressee.
19The frequent usage of lines addressing sexual intercourse, like "I’ll spend the night", as well as the lines "Pseudo intellectual slut / you went to school did you learn how to fuck?" are a statement against some feminists but also the prudery of the American mainstream. Moreover, such lyrics can be seen as a re-signification of queerness, queer theory and queer punk as sexually connoted.
- 27 Agatha, Queer as in Fuck You, Agatha, Rumbletowne Records, "Panic Attack".
20Having mentioned the re-institutionalization of queer as sexual, a second look at Agatha’s song "queer as in fuck you" seems worthwhile. In their song – which was written more then fifteen years after Tribe 8’s "Neanderthal dyke" – queer indeed carries the already mentioned negative but also a very multifarious (sexual) connotation. Agatha certainly sing about queer as political activism and action, but it seems to be of great importance to also reconnect queer with deviant sexualities, to make queer sexy and dirty again, probably against the neoliberal appropriation of queer as a term for a fashionably gay lifestyle. The "fuck you", of course needs to be understood as an offensive anti-social gesture and rejection first of all. Additionally, however, it means sexual intercourse. Such an interpretation becomes visibly suggested in combination with the line "I wanna sing about liberation but I can’t do that without talking about your lips",27 which can denote the lips of a mouth, but also the lips of a vulva. All those double connotations and meanings reflect on the term queer, which is key within the lyrics, and in turn makes all the other lyrics meaningful in Agatha’s specific queer-feminist context. "Queer" within the lyrics, in other words, draws on all these connotations and questions the subcultural meaning and usage of the term "queer" as such.
- 28 Pansy Division was a pop-punk band founded by Jon Ginoli, in San Francisco in 1989. "[F]orming Pans (...)
- 29 Jon Ginoli, Smell’s like queer spirit, Pansy Division, "Pansy Division Live 1992-2003".
- 30 HALBERSTAM, Judith, "The Anti-Social Turn in Queer Studies", op. cit., p. 149.
21Many queer-feminist punk rock lyrics play with language and meanings, and their audience’s interpretations, like the previous examples by Tribe 8, or Agatha. The male cis-gendered-only band Pansy Division,28 for example, play with double meanings in the first few lines of their song "Smell’s Like Queer Spirit", a cover-version of Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit", when they sing "Against all odds, we appear / Grew up brainwashed, / But turned out queer / Bunsplitters, rugmunchers too / We screw just how we want to screw / Hello, hello, hello, homo." "Screw", here, can mean to fail at something, but additionally it can mean to have sex with somebody. The latter interpretation is especially obvious in the very explicitly sexual following lines: "With the lights out, it’s advantageous / Here we are now, so fellate us / Roll it on now, lubricate us / Get us off now, ejaculate us."29 Therefore it can be argued that such intentionally ambivalent signification – or "anarchy of signification",30 as Judith "Jack" Halberstam has it – is a significant feature of queer-feminist punk as such.
- 31 TAGG, Philip, "Analysing popular music: theory, method and practice", in Popular Music, Vol. 2, 198 (...)
- 32 FORD, Phil, "Hip Sensibility in an Age of Mass Counterculture", in Jazz Perspectives, Vol. 2, Nº 2, (...)
22The meanings of music, though, as musicologists like Philip Tagg31 argue, is never sufficiently covered by lyrics alone. Rather, sound, rhythm and artistic expression need to be considered, to fully analyze them. Furthermore, these meanings must not be reduced to political ideologies or any other intentional messages. Affective experience is a part of every performance, every reception of music, as well as every writing and reading process. The affective experience cannot be detached from the meaning of the product, no matter if written, recorded or performed live. As Tagg and other researchers have pointed out, "the relationship of words to music in rock is not simply the setting of words to appropriate music, but the fusion of words and vocal gestures into musical signs comprised of an indissoluble alloy of both."32 Following Simon Frith’s work, they understand that
- 33 FRITH, Simon, "Why music matters", in Critical Quarterly, Vol. 50, Nº 1-2, Spring/Summer 2008, p. 1 (...)
[s]ong words work as speech and speech acts, bearing meaning not just semantically, but also as structures of sound that are direct signs of emotion and marks of character. Singers use non-verbal as well as verbal devices to make their points – emphases, sighs, hesitations, changes of tone; lyrics involve pleas, sneers and commands as well as statements and messages and stories (which is why some singers, such as the Beatles and Bob Dylan in Europe in the sixties, can have profound significance for listeners who do not understand a word they are singing).33
23Lyrics do not prevail over sound, nor does sound dominate over lyrics or performance. Rather, they are all factors carrying meaningful politics – on the level of emotion and affect as well as on a more rational level. Which meaning gets through to the audience is different from person to person and to a large degree out of the performer’s control.
24Especially in punk rock, the sound, the physical experience and the social context during a concert might be more meaningful to the audience than the actual lyrics, because punk is usually more screamed than sung and therefore very hard to understand. But this is not to say that the lyrics do not count. A few lyrics usually are articulated enough and signal-words like "queer", "homo", "sex" in the context of queer-feminist spaces can create a political atmosphere, where the audience has the possibility to participate. Moreover, most performances are staged in an already politicized setting.
25As will be shown in the example of a concert featuring the band Stag Bitten / Negro Nation, such a setting is created through the announcement of the concert, the advertisements, or through the choice of location, or because there is a further purpose like fundraising for a political project, the decoration of the stage, which often contains posters and flags with political messages, or a table where people sell their political zines. The listeners own ideological background, as well as its openness and mood at the moment of listening is as important as the performers intention and the content of the lyrics.
26Coming back to the aforementioned bands Tribe 8 and Agatha, it can be argued, that their music style – edgy, fast and short – is meant to be irritating, violent, aggressive and bold. Like the lyrics, queer-feminist punk sounds emphasize negativity and pose as a counter-mainstream effort. In the tradition of punk rock, queer-feminist punk songs contain only a limited range of chords, a heavy emphasis on the drums and screamed (rather than sung) vocals. The music can be understood as questioning the values of beauty, musical mastery and professionalization. Although the do-it-yourself ethos of punk rock is intended to provide easy and uncomplicated access to the genre, it is additionally – or maybe primarily – a statement of style. Amateurism as style can be seen as an anti-social statement as well.
27Focusing on the relation between such musical style, the anti-social lyrics and the actual performance, it seems appropriate to shift the discussion to the bodies of the performer and the (physical) experience of queer-feminist punk rock. Looking at the bodies that perform punk music, scholars – from the first punk researcher Dick Hebdige to recent queer-feminist theorist Michelle Habell-Pallán – have suggested that the most prominent connotation that punk rock as aesthetic form or genre carries within mainstream as well as counter-cultural spheres, besides rebellion and rejection, is anger. In an interview conducted by scholar Michelle Habell-Pallán, Alice Armendariz Velasquez, one of Los Angeles’ very first punk musicians, confirms theorists connection of punk with anger, describing her musical performances in the following way:
- 34 ARMENDARIZ VELASQUEZ, Alice quoted in HABELL-PALLÁN, Michelle, "Soy Punkera, y Qué ?", in DUNCOMBE, (...)
all the violence that I’d stuffed down inside of me for years came screaming out … all the anger I felt towards people who had treated me like an idiot as a young girl because I was the daughter of Mexican parents and spoke broken English, all the times I’d been picked on by peers because I was overweight and wore glasses, all the impotent rage that I had towards my father for beating my mother just exploded.34
- 35 AHMED, Sara, The Cultural Politics of Emotion, New York, Routledge, 2004.
- 36 LORDE, Audre, Sister Outsider, Berkeley, Crossing Press, 1984; NEHRIN, Neil, Popular Music, Gender, (...)
28Alice Armendariz Velasquez emphasizes the personal and physical qualities of anger, as well as the function of angry expressions for letting off steam. Feminist analysis of emotions35 or anger,36 on the other hand, have emphasized that the articulation of emotion can have a political potential. It can be argued that the initial reasons for Armendariz Velasquez’ anger as well as her performance of anger were political. However, although anger can be used as political activism and agency, such anger needs to be conscious and reflected in order to be politically productive. Nevertheless, as Armendariz Velasquez indicates, anger is always also a very bodily experience. Feminist Audre Lorde, for example, explained the bodily implications and expressions very vividly in her book Sister Outsider. A focus on anger, as an emotion as well as an experience, might be useful to further investigate the politics of negativity within contemporary queer-feminist punk rock.
29Expressions of anger within queer-feminist punk rock are mostly retroactively staged and well reflected, because they are not spontaneous. What causes those forms of anger lies in the past or in a general reflection on oppression. Saying that punk’s anger is staged does not mean that it is not felt in the moment of expression. It rather means that the anger is felt (again) purposely. Furthermore, such experiences of anger are, most importantly, enjoyed. Expressions and performances of anger within punk are forms of enjoyment which come very close to what psychoanalytical theorists have called jouissance, "the painful pleasure of exceeding a law in which we were implicated, an enjoyment of a desire (desir), in the mode of rage or grief, that is the cause and result of refusing to be disciplined by the body hanging from the gallows of the law", as Elizabeth Povinelli has described it. In the case of punk rock the law Povinelli mentions are social rules and structures. The expressions of anger, angry lyrics, angry voices, or angry music, exceed these rules and norms insofar as they violate them. Examples of such violations are breaking taboos, like screaming angrily in public, using offensive language intentionally, etc.
- 37 AHMED, Sara, op. cit., p. 175.
30As I have already shown, considering queer-feminist punk rock’s politics as anger, first of all, requires a perspective on anger as a legitimate form of political articulation. If anger is understood as form of politics, such politics exceed the level of language. Anger is a bodily expression and reflection of, as well as reaction to, experience. It is always at the intersection of the body, the mind and the social. In fact the angry articulation – the screaming, the violent movements of the body and the fast sound – should be understood as political as such. Furthermore, not only the production of queer-feminist punk is political, but also the experience of it, no matter whether the shouted lyrics are understood or not. This, of course, does not mean that verbal communication, lyrics and other spoken or written forms of language are not key to the politics of queer-feminist punk. Thus, they are not the only meaningful factor. A consideration of anger is helpful to understanding how queer-feminist punk politics operate. Anger, as Sarah Ahmed37 has pointed out, rests on the very intersection of the body, the mind and social experience. Moreover, emotions connect the body with language and meaning.
- 38 NEHRIN, Neil, op. cit., p. 133.
31How tight the connection between emotions (or the body) and language is, can be seen in language’s actual manifestation through the voice. The voice is a medium that connects the body to language and society. It is in the voice that the body becomes noticeable, through intonation, tempo and individual sound, and meaningful language becomes communicated. Thus, the voice is never authentic or genuine,38 because it is always formed by society as its purpose is social communication. Nevertheless, physical speech, like musical expression, especially through the voice, is a form of agency.
- 39 KRISTEVA, Julia quoted in CAMERON, Ed, "Severing Sound from Sense: The Sacrifice of Drive in Butler (...)
- 40 Ibid.
- 41 KRISTEVA, Julia quoted in NEHRIN, Neil, op. cit., p. 131.
- 42 CAMERON, Ed, "Severing Sound from Sense: The Sacrifice of Drive in Butler’s Critique of Kristeva", (...)
32Lacan clearly distinguishes language and the symbolic from the body. He frames language as preexisting speech and the body who articulates. Language, further following Lacan, determines its own articulations as well as the subject that articulates it. As feminist theorists have argued, although the experience and the self’s concept of body is always already constructed by and mediated through language and the symbolic, it is never fully so. Julia Kristeva argues in her text "Revolution in Poetic Language and Desire in Language", that what could be called a bodily rest can be found in the poetic voice. What Kristeva calls the "maternal body", "cannot be reduced to either a naturalistic conception of embodiment that escapes cultural inscription or to a human cultural construction like so many others. The maternal body, the semiotic chora, is actually the place of this split."39 This rest can be understood as materiality as well as an interrupting force. It is jouissance, the force that moves the Lacanian subject back and forth "between being and knowing, between drive and desire."40 Kristeva’s account, as Nehring has observed, allows for an understanding of the voice as "exceeding rational meaning through a tactile ‘grain’ and jouissance […] or a corporeal significance."41 Although Kristeva’s account adjudicates bodily expression, like the voice, a political value, it only does so by detaching it from the act of producing meaning consciously.42 The embodied voice’s meaning accordingly is detached from the subject’s intention.
- 43 HALBERSTAM, Judith, In a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives, op. cit.; MUÑ (...)
33In the concrete example of the queer-feminist punk singer, this would indicate, that the vocal utterance’s meaning and effect, are entirely detached from the intention of the individual, involuntarily, that the utterance is therefore useless as means of political agency. Contrary to this view, experience within queer-feminist punk subcultures as well as prior theoretical analysis43 established that queer-feminist punk music and writing must be seen as ‘successful’ political activism.
34Combining psychoanalytical accounts of the voice with theories of anger allows us to understand the interruptive force of angry music as both conscious and at the same time exceeding the symbolic as well as consciousness. Accordingly, it can be argued, that the negative emotions in punk music and writing, the celebration of anger and sarcasm, as well as the fast and edgy sound are a conscious politics of negativity. At the same time as they are conscious, they go beyond the mind. The experience results in politics with the potential of irritating hegemony, and paradoxically results in feelings of communality or community. The communities created through such queer bonds in this a setting are felt rather than structural, or exceed the structural limits. This fact deserves some attention because it also means that such bonds exceed the limits of verbal expression and therefore the limits of labels and categories. Understood as a political tactic, angry punk rock accordingly has the potential to connect people, ideas and efforts beyond a necessary identification or group affiliations.
35The potential of queer-feminist punk’s anger and negativity can be best illustrated by framing it around the physical activity of screaming. Screaming in punk rock, punk rock researchers agree, has a meaning beyond the delivering of lyrics. To a degree screaming is pleasure for the singer, but moreover, especially for women and other subordinated groups, it is negativity. This negativity lies most obviously in the violation of norms and rules. Although it has to be admitted that punk’s screaming has become a norm for punk performance itself, since the beginning of punk in 1976, the meaning of screaming, as a violation of norms, is still present. Furthermore the sound of punk occasionally offends "the norms" quite literally, when residents complain to the police about loud noises. Analyzing a concrete performance by the band Stag Bitten, I will further concretize features of queer-feminist punk politics.
36Stag Bitten is a hardcore punk band from Portland, Oregon, that frequently performs in queer-feminist punk and queer punks of color contexts. Their presence on the Internet as well as in pertinent publications is very minimal. Their LastFM description does not indicate their sexual self-identification or politics. Declaring that they believe in d.i.y. ethics, and therefore self-release their CDs and cassettes, they do not offer any other indication of their politics in any self-description. In fact, no verbal expression of Stag Bitten’s politics is recorded at all. During their concerts they do not speak to the audience, at least not during the concerts I participated in, and their lyrics are articulated or performed in a way that makes them incomprehensible.
37Despite this lack of information, it can be argued that Stag Bitten fosters queer-feminist as well as anti-racist and decolonization politics. Flyers and other announcements for their shows have phrases like "support brown punx", and they perform in lineups with bands known for their queer-feminist decolonial politics. Most obviously the members of Stag Bitten show queer-feminist politics, however, when performing under the name Negro Nation. Interestingly, they use this name only when covering other bands’ songs. The name Negro Nation can be read as reference to political accounts by people of color like Chicano Nation or African nationalism. African nationalism, also called black nationalism, as well as Chicano/a nationalism reveals the continuation of colonialism in contemporary North America through the politics of multiculturalism. The critique of multiculturalism implicit in these performances is that the rhetoric of "unity" of state officials is the reiteration of the old mythology of ‘the melting pot’ of settler colonialism. This mythos tells that people of multiple heritages contributed equally to one North American culture – a culture that accepts everyone equally and grants every person equal opportunities. Such ideology ignores the violent history and continuation of exploitation, slavery and white supremacy. Although there are multiple indigenous nationalist philosophies, a common denominator is the advocacy for self-determination or independence from this continuation of European colonialism. Furthermore, these movements all foster confrontational and radical politics, less interested in a dialogue with what they understand as the ruling white hegemony than in revolution and liberation.
38Stag Bitten, by using the pseudonym Negro Nation, refers to the historic and contemporary colonialism within the United States. Moreover, by playing cover songs from the most popular white punk and grunge bands like Crass, and Nirvana, among others, they criticize left punk scenes’ white boy dominance. By choosing Crass’ song "Shaved Women" and Nirvana’s "Territorial Pissing" they, additionally seem to render ironic punk’s attempts to fight misogyny. Beyond their usage of the pseudonym Negro Nation, Stag Bitten’s politics can be seen in the places and line-ups they choose. They regularly perform in line-ups with bands like NO/HO/MO, NighTraiN or MyParade who are vocal about their queer-feminist and or queer people of color politics. Furthermore, they play events with very distinct queer-feminist people of color politics. The Stag Bitten performance that will be analyzed in the following was supporting exactly such a queer-feminist people of color effort.
- 44 WALES, Aris, Nasalrod, Stag Bitten, Big Black Cloud, Review, 15 June 2011.
39Stag Bitten played in a set with NighTraiN, MyParade, and Kusikia, three bands that all include or consist entirely of queer people of color, at the feminist bookstore In Other Words in Portland, OR on August, 28th 2010. The event was a release party for the fifth issue of Oza Atoe’s queer punks of color zine Shotgun Seamstress. The most interesting feature of Stag Bitten is the presence of their vocalist Arolia McSwain. McSwain, who identifies as punk of color, according to the promotion material for her shows, performed every single song of their set in a very high energy, intense way, screaming and shouting from the top of her lungs. It can be argued that it is her stage presence that made a commentator describe the band as a "power trio that snarls like Cerberus at the gates of the underworld."44 The experience of McSwain’s strong, sharp and loud voice, is further intensified by her bodily movements and her facial expression. Her whole body communicates intense emotions – rage and anger, so it seems, but also a lot of pleasure. During every song she seems detached from the place, in a stage of agitation. It is exactly the word ‘drive’ or force that describes McSwain’s performance best. Yet she clearly remains connected to her fellow band mates, who provide the beats and melodies to her screams and additionally makes a strong connection to her audience. The audience seemed fascinated by her outburst, and drawn into her world, some even seem to participate in her drive. McSwain seemed to consciously lead the crowd, paradoxically through her own state of loosing control.
- 45 GOTTLIEB, Joanne, and WALD, Gayle, "Smells Like Teen Spirit: Riot Grrrls, Revolution and Women in I (...)
40The politics of such angry queer-feminist punk screams can be found on various levels. Screaming in public is, with a few exceptions, for instance in sport arenas, understood as disturbing and inappropriate, vulgar and a marker of a low social status. While a screaming man is mostly associated with danger, screaming by female identified or feminine acting persons is frequently associated with vulnerability. Joanna Gottlieb and Gayle Wald label feminine screams as "emotional ejaculations",45 associated with violence, or with very messy and private events like childbirth or orgasm. Female and feminine screams are highly sanctioned expressions, devalued in public as well as in private.
41Often associated with femininity at its most vulnerable, the scream in its punk context can effect a shocking juxtaposition of sex and rage, including the cultural terrors of the open expressions of female sexuality, or feminist rage at the sexual uses and abuses of women. If female screams are often associated with women’s sexual violation and rape, then these examples seem to voice a collective outrage at such abuse.46
42In other words, the appropriation of punk rock as a form of musical screaming by female-identified persons can be understood as a rejection and appropriation of socio-cultural stereotypes. It can be understood as problematizing sex, gender as well as sexuality. Moreover, punk screams can be read as reference to sexual acts. Additionally, it can be argued, queer-feminist punk screams do not only signify sexuality on the level of criticism, as indicated by Wald and Gottlieb, but rather imitate sexuality in its most negative stage.
- 47 BEYNON, Bryony, "Bryony Beynon Gives It To You Straight", in Maximumrocknroll, Nº 345, February 201 (...)
43That such an understanding of punk music is indeed collectively shared throughout punk scenes can be seen in reports about punk concerts by punks themselves. In a recent issue of the Maximumrocknroll column "Bryony Beynon gives it to you straight", the author described his/her punk music experience as "Concussion in place of orgasm. Safer, littler deaths."47 Wald’s and Gottlieb’s estimation about queer female punk screams can be argued for people of colors’ punk screams as well. Although the socio-cultural discourses around people of color and screaming are very different than around white women, non-whites are both signified as screamers and excluded from socially acceptable forms of screaming, or any other form of angry articulation, as Lorde and many others have shown. Therefore, performances of screaming, as in the example of McSwain, can be understood as a rejection of the prohibition to scream. It is a violation of gender norms, because she identifies or becomes identified as a woman, as well as class norms, because only lower classes are associated with screaming, as well as racialized norms. At the same time, it is also an appropriation of stereotypes, because women are associated with screaming (and emotionality in general in certain contexts) and so are people of color. Her punk screams address violence against women and people of color, and at the same time function as a sign of strength and agency.
44Moreover, through the scream’s sensual quality, the screamer’s bodily presence and the sound, it is able to establish relations between the singer and the audience. Besides the irritating and violent potential of punk anger, however, the music potentially also establishes queer bonds.
45The examples of queer punk rock and punk writing discussed in this article illustrate forms of queer-feminist activism and agency. They need to be understood as adaptations, combinations and creative reworkings of queer theory as well as feminist philosophy. The cultural, political and aesthetic mode of queer-feminist punk rock is negativity and anger. Provided that punk rock can be understood as politics, it can be argued that punk music is a politics of negativity and anger. Located within the sphere of meaning and verbal expression, punk’s politics of anger communicates social criticism; however, this anger can be perceptible not only on the level of verbal expressions, but additionally within music, sound and bodily expressions. Using work on emotions and emotionality I was able to show that the politics of anger and negativity operate forcefully at the intersection between rational, emotional and bodily cognition and meanings.
46Bands such as Tribe 8, Agatha, Pansy Division, or Stag Bitten use the genre of queercore to communicate their queer-feminist positions and critique – a critique which reflects discussions within queer and feminist theory as well as everyday experience and practice. Moreover, it can be argued that queercore, through the pleasurable media of music and do-it-yourself publications, is able to communicate queer theory’s complex and often complicated approaches in a non-academic setting to a (largely) non-academic audience.
47It has become clear why the concept of punk, with its tradition of expressing anger, its fast rhythms, screaming, and simplicity, is a perfect means to communicate queer-feminist agendas. By analyzing some songs, queer-feminist punk music and writings, it has also become clear that queercore does not exclusively focus on oppression based on sexual deviance. By addressing a whole variety of identity-categories in an intersectional mode, queercore manages to make oppressive social structures and norms of social interaction visible. In doing so, its agendas can be meaningfully interpreted as being closely connected to the queer movements as well as to earlier forms of feminist movements, while at the same time focusing attention on their blind spots and transgressing their limits.
48Through their thematic but also social affiliations to feminist groups and movements, their critique of norms and power structures reaches not only punk and queer environments but also feminist and/or lesbian subcultures and people of color communities. Through their critical stance towards practices and values within hardcore, as well as gay and lesbian scenes, they challenge the worldview that dominates these scenes and continue a queer-feminist dialogue.

domain: artistic


One of Japan’s modern supercar icons may make its return in 2025, according to a Japanese magazine, but say goodbye to the screaming Yamaha V10 engine.
The legendary Lexus LFA supercar could return in 2025, claims a Japanese magazine, with plug-in hybrid power and close to 1000 horsepower.
Japanese magazine The best car all-new reports LFA is “in development” for launch in 2025, but instead of the Yamaha-designed naturally aspirated V10 of its predecessor, the new model will switch to plug-in hybrid power.
Association of Lexus the brand is said to be new 4.0-liter twin-turbo petrol V8 – previously envisaged for the LC F supercoupé project on-again, off-again – con an electric motor, the new less-favored area could develop as much 699kW, all sent to the rear wheels.
This is a significant increase from the 412 kW (and 480 Nm) claimed by the original LFA’s 4.8-liter naturally aspirated V10, making the new supercar the most powerful vehicle ever built by the LFA. Toyota group (excluding the upcoming GR Super Sport hybrid hypercar).
The Japanese magazine doesn’t cite any performance figures, although with the lack of a driven front axle (as it will be rear-wheel drive), a 0-100km / h figure in the high-end of two seconds is likely.
The best car claims the new LFA will be “light” thanks to a carbon fiber body, though it’s unclear exactly how heavy the new car will be with the halo, as its predecessor tipped the scales at 1580kg (curb) , despite a carbon-fiber body of its own (a last-minute shift from even heavier aluminum).
No other details of the next-generation Lexus LFA have been provided by the Japanese outlet, although as the luxury brand’s flagship Lexus model – and the poster child of its electrification launch – they expect technical advances in drivetrain, chassis and suspensions.
News of a new LFA will come as a surprise to Lexus fans and performance enthusiasts, as the original 2011-13 model was not known to be a sales success – despite production being limited to just 500 vehicles – with examples sold as new in the United States until 2020.
Lexus executives have previously reiterated that there are no plans for a second-generation LFA, although if the Japanese magazine’s sources prove to be accurate, it appears these plans have changed.
The new Lexus LFA wants to launch in 2025, The best car reports – the same year Lexus plans to offer a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric version of every model it sells.


text:
It’s been almost 1.5 years ago that my youngest son was diagnosed with autism and a rare neuro developmental disorder called 16p11.2 proximal duplication. Which makes him so rare is that not all 16 th chromosomal abnormalities develop into any other genetic anomaly and in some cases it does. He’s in the 1 % where the duplication develops into autism affecting his central nervous system, auditory system, visual system, as well as his sense of taste and smell.
Essentially the disorder means that he has an extra band of DNA in the 16 th area of his chromosome. We all have one individual band on each side of our long and short arm of our chromosomes. In my son’s case he has 3, one on his left arm and 2 on his right. All this extra genetic material can manifest into other disorders such as ADHD, ODD, OCD, and mood disorders such as bipolar depression, schizophrenia, and learning disabilities.
My son can also be affected medically with auto immune disorders, spinal growths known as chiarri and a possibility of tumours. I just learned of his diagnosis almost 1.5 years ago which led to the diagnosis of autism level 3 stated in the DSM 5. Which means he’s needing substantial support for resistant and persevasive behaviours.
I will admit when I heard his pediatrician give his diagnoses I cried and I shook so hard that I fell off my chair! I completely lost control while the doctor said she was sorry over and over again. What was she sorry for? Her world didn’t change in an instant? This is my first time writing about it as I had to process it.
In the meantime I’ve gone into my “Mom research mode” and learned more of how to help my son. I recently met with a geneticist for counselling and she provided me with some more information. She was impressed that I was aware of so much already. I was left on your own after my son’s paediatrician left her practice so I didn’t have a choice.
I’ve always referred to my son as my SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) Superhero now he’s my champion. I never knew what his life would hold for him as I held him in my arms when he came into the world. He was a tiny 6 lb, 2 oz bundle of joy with a fighting spirit. Now he’s grown into a strong, independent, precocious, fun loving, six year old boy. He has had a lot to contend with in his young life. Along with his autism and rare diagnoses he also has other disorders.
The first discovery after his assessments was Global Developmental Delay. Meaning he has a severe deficit in two or more motor skills. This label phases out after the age of 5 developmentally as a child ages. My son has a severe recessive speech deficit and moderate expressive language, as well as severe fine motor skills and moderate gross motor skills delay. He’s verbal but needs instructions broken down for him in a way he can understand. All this new information leads to yet another diagnosis of Intellectual Development Delay
For eg: First, Then, and After. Which helps him process things better with his executive functioning skills. He also has asthma and Obstructive Sleep Apnea that’s controlled with medication. He’s a sensory seeker and has sensory processing disorder, in particular Sensory Modulation Disorder. He can’t spin in a circle in one direction for too long as it overstimulates his vestibular sense. I have to make sure he spins clockwise and counter clockwise or he’s crashing into walls and people. When he was a toddler I used to have to duct tape a body pillow to the wall so he wouldn’t injure himself!
His proprioception sense is weaker so I use a lot of visual spatial concepts and cues to help him understand. He gets very visually overstimulated so I use a white board or visuals to help keep him on task. He’s also wearing his glasses in school to help with that. He has also completed a one year developmental therapy contract having a Behavioural Aide and psychologist working with us in our home. As well as an Educational Aide at school and a Community Aide to help with the social and behavioural aspect.
We use a white board inside and outside the home using the first, then, and after sequence of events. We visual cues (tapping body parts), stating the name of each body part in motion, and crossing the midline, and using visual pictures. My son responds very well to all the above as well as repetitive speech. I’ve seen him struggle with leaving the house to happily going on an adventure.
Every Dr’s appointment, geneticist visit, hospital checkup, and ride to school is an adventure for him. The reason why is because I make it this way by using social stories, sentence strips, and role playing to help him motor plan and process the visual and auditory information. We work diligently to not overwhelm or overload him sensory wise. Our life isn’t easy by no stretch of the imagination but it’s manageable and we share love, laughter, learning, and joy.
From the first time he opened his eyes and looked at me I knew it would be him and I against the world. Now with support, education, awareness, and acceptance we’ve found our special needs village and for that we’re grateful.
Welcome to the Voices of Special Needs Blog Hop. A monthly gathering of posts hosted by the Sensory Spectrum and Jenny Evolution. Click on the links below to read stories from other bloggers about having a special needs kiddo. From Sensory Processing Disorder to ADHD, from Autism to Dyslexia! Want to join in on next months Voices for Special Needs Blog Hop click Here.

domain: medical


text:
New Decade Optimism
Remember that hopeful feeling you had when we rang in this new decade in January 2020? We were excited about a new beginning, a fresh new decade, and all that we were going to do differently.
I was right there with you. My word of the year was “DANCE,” and nothing was going to stop me. I was poised to launch the Shaping Freedom 2020 tour and planned to facilitate workshops in Atlanta, New York, and San Diego. My intention was to share this Shape Your Foundation program with a focus on supporting participants in taking an authentic and courageous look at their lives, no holds barred, with 20/20 vision (corny and true!).
And then…well…life as we know it took a dramatically different turn. In March 2020, I chose to shelve my intentions to grow Shaping Freedom and instead focused on the situation at hand: co-managing my brother’s estate and supporting my Hera Hub Carlsbad community– a group of nearly 100 female entrepreneurs in need of immediate support as we all figured out how to save our businesses and personal lives – in the midst of a public health crisis, growing social unrest, and the ugliest political climate we’d ever beheld.
That nightmare was so challenging for our society, our communities, families, friend circles, work lives (all those Zooms!) and, yet, here we are, transitioning to a more “normal” day to day.
But How Normal are Things, Really?
Sure, we are on the other side of the immediacy of those circumstances of survival. Yet, it has been so hard to reclaim that January 1, 2020 energy, and get back that passion, optimism, and drive to finally make the life changes we desire.
Why is it so hard? Because it isn’t easy to get back on track when you are, in parallel, processing the emotional and mental consequences of the last couple of years.
Frankly, so many of my clients feel overwhelmed, tired, confused about which direction to take (and about where they’ve been), and burnt out by all of it. We are in unprecedented times that require grace, patience, self-care, and the clarity to process how to move forward – in a loving and action-oriented way.
Does any of this sound familiar? Do you want…
- A chance to fully reconnect with yourself?
- A deeper understanding of what is holding you back from your desires?
- To finally let go of that stuff that is weighing you down?
- To be more conscious and nurturing with your inner dialogue, behaviors, and choices?
- To start building a better emotional legacy for your family and children?
- To embrace the freedom of your potential?
How Can YOU Get Back on Track?
Each day brings opportunities for change, but you may not even know where to start. What if you had a framework and roadmap to finally reconnect, take charge, and hold yourself accountable for creating positive change in your life?
I have great news for you. Your new start is right around the corner!
The in-person Shape Your Foundation retreat is your opportunity to get the tools, resources, and support you need to build the life you want. I want you in the room and in community with an amazing and courageous group of individuals who will take a 3-day deep dive into releasing what stands in our way – our limiting beliefs, negative emotions, ineffective strategies, inherited behavioral patterns, and anything else that has you feeling stuck, stagnant, and frustrated that you are not living your best life.
Twenty years into my journey as a life strategist and coach and my intention remains simple: to curate safe and growth-oriented healing spaces that inspire people to live a happier and more joy-filled life that looks like – higher quality relationships; purpose-driven energy; clarity about how you got to this moment; and tools to release that which no longer serves the future you aspire to.
3 Days…Life-Changing Potential
Join me for a 3-day retreat that will heal, uplift, and inspire you in a safe, nurturing environment.
The Shape Your Foundation retreat includes:
- Pre-program 1:1 Strategy Session with Yours Truly
- 3 Full-Day Sessions (10 am to 5 pm) – we will do deep work, meditation, exercises, and more.
- 30-day Post Program Group Check-in
You deserve to enjoy your life fully. Give yourself the gift of this 3-day experience.
I really hope you will join me.
Love and Blessings,
PS. Do you still have questions about whether you will benefit from this experience? Book a Discovery Call with me!

domain: psychology


- Step 1. Make sure your computer is in the same network as the Novo device.
- Step 2. In NovoConnect App, you have two options to join a meeting.
- Select the desired Novo device from “QR Code” , “Nearby Devices” , or “History” .
- Or, manually enter Meeting ID, IP address or Meeting Room Name
- Step 3. After joining,
Other than projecting your screen to the big screen, you can enhance your meeting by sharing up to 4 screens simultaneously, or using the big screen as a extended desktop. More sharing tools are available in, including YouTube/Video Clip, File Sharing, AirNote, & Voting/Polling, etc., all of which could help you conduct a collaborative and engaging meeting.


text:
More than half the homes in Deerhurst were flooded during summer 2007
Work is under way on new flood defences for a village in Gloucestershire where many properties were seriously damaged during the summer floods of 2007.
Eighteen of the 29 homes in Deerhurst suffered severe flooding. Of these, four are listed and 13 had water more than one metre deep throughout.
A campaign was set up for better flood protection, supported by the Deerhurst Preservation Society with £50,000.
The Environment Agency responded with a £500,000 flood alleviation scheme.
The work is expected to last for about three months, as the area is of national archaeological importance and contains a scheduled ancient monument.
St Mary's Church, which is Anglo Saxon, and Odda's Chapel, which dates back to 1056 AD, are the two buildings of historic and national interest.
Anthony Crowther, from the Environment Agency, said: "We are delighted to announce that work has started on a flood alleviation scheme for Deerhurst.
"It is good news for the residents, who suffered very badly during the 2007 floods, with well over half the homes in the village being affected.
"However, while they are now protected from flooding to modern standards, it is possible for an extreme flood to overtop even the best defences.
"People must remain prepared and have their flood plans in place."

domain: news


text:
In the summer of 2019, my family and I spent two weeks in Iten, Kenya. Ever since reading Finn's "Running with the Kenyans," I had been dreaming of spending time in Iten (EVERY runner's dream, right?). But how was I going to bring my whole family to Kenya on such a limited budget? Really, it wasn't a dream; it was a fantasy. Then came the perfect storm. I found a huge sale on airline tickets, an Airbnb for $10/night in the heart of Iten, and the excuse of our 10th wedding anniversary. So we got a bunch of vaccines, loaded up on anti-Malaria medicine, ignored the advice of our local pediatrician who warned us unequivocally NOT to take a 1-year old to Africa, and flew to Kenya.
Living in Iten for two weeks is an experience my family and I will carry with with us forever. To be sure, I was the slowest runner in all of Iten, but what did I care? I got to run for miles and miles through the same Kenyan countryside where the greatest distance runners in the world either are from or train. I got to chat with Brother Colm and meet Rhonex Kipruto, and I happened to run into two of the top Israeli runners who were there training for the upcoming world championships.
But it wasn't just about the running. It never is. As I have discovered in my short time as a runner, running is only the threshold act to the greatest experiences life has to offer. My time in Iten, Kenya was no exception.
Now is my opportunity to give back to the people there who welcomed us with such open arms, and who my family and I now consider our family in Kenya. Please help me support the people who have given so much to the running community.

domain: geography


text:
If you adore flowers, then get ready to smile because these flower festivals are absolutely blooming with joy. The best part? Horticulture consultant Angie Thomas says flower festivals are not exclusive to people who have green thumbs.
“In the past five years, I have noticed a visible rise in the variety of people attending flower festivals,” Thomas says. “Expanded programs are mixing flowers with food, wine, music, comedy, art, and cultural experiences.” Scroll below to check out some of the best flower festivals around the world.
1. Wisteria Flower Tunnel, Japan
Japan is known for its magical cherry blossom season, which begins in March, but if you can hold off on going there until late April, you’ll be graced with another stunning sight.
The Wisteria Flower Tunnel is located in the Kawachi Fuji Gardens in Kitakyushu, which is on the opposite side of Japan from Tokyo. It’s a private garden, so there is an entry fee — but who wouldn’t pay to see this in real life?
View this post on Instagram
Parque Ashikaga – Japão. Photo: Loren's World. O Parque Ashikaga está a cerca de 100 quilômetros do centro de Tóquio. O Túnel Wisteria, é formado pelas flores de uma das mais belas plantas trepadeiras, sendo destaque do parque e cartão-postal japonês. #Primavera #Tunel #Ashikaga #WisteriaFlowerTunnel #Asia #Flowers #AshikagaFlowerPark #InstaBlogdeDestinos
2. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
It comprises three gardens, with the most flower-filled one being the aptly-named Flower Dome. It’s the largest glass greenhouse in the world at 1.2 hectares (a little bigger than two soccer fields) and features plants from the Mediterranean and semi-arid regions. Step inside where’s it’s forever spring, and be mesmerized by the changing displays.
3. Floriade, Canberra, Australia
Every year, flower-obsessed folks around Australia make their way to the nation’s capital to witness the magic that is Floriade. More than one million bulbs and annuals are planted on the grounds of Commonwealth Park, which takes 20 gardeners seven weeks to do. These plants are lovingly tended to for months in the lead-up. Come spring, the whole park erupts in an explosion of color. The free event attracts almost half a million visitors.
4. The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Festival, Victoria, Australia
Now in its 22nd year, this annual garden show plays host to some of the most creative landscapers in Australia. It also offers plenty of flowers, showcased in every imaginable way.
In the Great Hall of Flowers, you’ll find designs from Australia’s leading florists, as well as a floral and foliage fashion exhibit and grower’s market, where you can pick up a floral souvenir direct from the source. The show typically runs between March and April.
5. Chelsea Flower Show, London, United Kingdom
Considering the guest list includes the likes of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, and Prince Charles, it’s fair to say that the Chelsea Flower Show is the crème de la crème of garden shows. For five days, you can delight in a world-renowned landscape design as well as floral highlights inside The Great Pavilion, a nursery full of rare flowers and plants from around the world, showcased throughout the 100 exhibits.
View this post on Instagram
Everything is coming up roses! The royals are unofficially kicking off the start of the high social season! 💐 For 5 things to know about the glam season, click the link in our bio. | #Repost @kensingtonroyal The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arrive for their first @the_rhs #chelseaflowershow
6. Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands
No trip to Holland is complete without a tip-toe through the tulips and daffodils at the iconic Keukenhof Gardens. More than seven million blooms line the fields (which cover 32 hectares) from late March until late May. There are also a number of flower shows happening throughout this season, each highlighting the beauty of a different bloom.
7. Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, Australia
Since its inception in 1949, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has been an iconic Queensland event. Held over 10 days in September, the program includes a street parade, a night garden with immersive light installations, a three-day food and wine festival, and the opportunity to visit some spectacular private and public local gardens. There’s even a scented garden specifically designed for people who are visually impaired.
View this post on Instagram
25Sept2017. Spring is nature's way of saying Let's Party! 🎉- Robin Williams #spring #flowers #nature #queenspark #tcof #tcof2017 #toowoombacarnivalofflowers #toowoomba #ourtoowoomba #toowoombaregion #toowoombaliving #toowoombalife #darlingdowns #naturegram #flowerstagram #australia #australiagram #qld #queensland #thisisqueensland #discoverqueensland #keepqueenslandbeautiful #beautiful #garden #gardening #travelqld #visitqueensland
8. Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival Cowra, Australia
Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival (which is in the town of Cowra) is a celebration of spring and Japanese culture. Held at the Cowra Japanese Garden, the one-day event at the end of September happens when the cherry blossoms are at their peak, and also includes cultural activities like tai chi, tea ceremonies, martial arts, and Taiko drummers. In addition to cherry blossoms, there are bonsai demonstrations in the Bonsai House.
This article was originally written by Amber Manto. For more, check out our sister site, Now to Love.

domain: hobby


text:
Microsoft this week outlined the steps it’s taking to combat the problem of apps in its Windows Store that have misleading names or descriptions.
In a blog entry posted Wednesday, Todd Brix, Microsoft’s general manager of Windows Apps and Store, wrote:
Every app store finds its own balance between app quality and choice, which in turn opens the door to people trying to game the system with misleading titles or descriptions. Our approach has long been to create and enforce strong but transparent policies to govern our certification and store experience. Earlier this year we heard loud and clear that people were finding it more difficult to find the apps they were searching for; often having to sort through lists of apps with confusing or misleading titles.
In response, Microsoft modified its Windows Store app certification process, requiring app developers to clearly and accurately reflect their apps’ functionality, make sure their apps are categorized correctly, and to differentiate their icons from those of other apps. While many app developers agreed to make the changes, some did not and Microsoft said it removed 1,500 apps so far from the store.
Brix also said in the blog post: “We will gladly refund the cost of an app that is downloaded as a result of an erroneous title or description.”


text:
Read, Watch, Listen: Online or On a Device
John Jermain offers a variety of resources available for download through Livebrary, a service of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. Resources include downloadable ebooks, audiobooks and magazines that can be read on your computer or hand-held device almost anywhere in the world. All you need is your library card for access to thousands of books and hundreds of periodicals. Apps are available to facilitate reading/listening on your computer, tablet or mobile phone. In addition library cardholders have access to a variety of feature films, documentaries and video courses through the library’s affiliations with Kanopy and Hoopla.
Ebooks and Audiobooks
Overdrive – An extensive collection of ebooks for Kindle and other e-readers, as well as a vast selection of audiobooks. Books may be downloaded to your device or read in an online app that is built into the system. Apps for computer, iPad/iPhone and Android tablets and phones are available.
Get the Libby App (recommended)
Flipster – An easy-to-use digital magazine newsstand that includes hundreds of periodicals from top publishers including Time Inc., Conde Nast, Meredith, Bloomberg L.P., and more. Read online on your computer or download to your device for offline reading. Apps available for Apple and Android devices.
Get the App for iphone/ipad
Get the App for Android
Kanopy – The Kanopy collection offers a broad selection of more than 30,000 award-winning documentaries, rare and hard-to-find titles, film festival favorites, indie and classic films, and world cinema, including the Criterion Collection, Samuel Goldwyn, The Great Courses, PBS and thousands of independent filmmakers. You can watch films anywhere, any time on your smartphone, tablet, PC or Smart TV. Apps are available for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast and Roku.
What’s Included: John Jermain Memorial Library cardholders are entitled to watch up to 5 films per month. Play credits reset on the first of the month. You have three days to watch each film.
How to Get Started: click on “Sign Up” in the top right corner. You will be asked to enter your email address and library card number.
Video, Music, Audiobooks, eBooks, Graphic Novels
hoopla – hoopla is a digital media service that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV. With no waiting, titles can be streamed immediately, or downloaded for offline enjoyment later. There are hundreds of thousands of titles from leading Hollywood studios, record companies and publishers to choose from, all available to borrow for streaming or for download to smartphones, tablets, computers and TVs through browsers or apps for Android, IOS, Amazon devices, Chromecast or Roku.
What’s Included: John Jermain Memorial Library cardholders are entitled check out up to 5 items per month. Play credits reset on the first of the month. You have three days to watch each film, seven days to listen to music, and 21 days to enjoy eBooks, audiobooks and comics. Items can be renewed at the cost of another credit.
How to Get Started: click on “Get Started” near the top center of the page. You will be asked to enter your email address and library card number.

domain: library


text:
It seems to me that Coleridge is a major poet. That probably doesn't look like a very radical thing to claim, but it is, I think, harder than it might otherwise be to ground. In the introduction to his 1966 anthology, 19th-Century British Minor Poets, Auden proposed four tests for being a ‘major poet’: write a lot; show a wide range of subject matter; exhibit an originality of style and vision; and manifest a style and vision that mature over the course of a career. Of those four, Coleridge is really only described accurately by the third. He did write a lot, but by bulk the overwhelming majority of his output is either derivative, manifestly minor, or else unfinished flotsam and jetsam, oddments and doodles and fragments. His choice of subject matter was not wide, and we can only talk of his style ‘maturing’ if basically giving up writing finished verse counts as maturing. I'm only speaking for myself, of course, but STC's poetic oeuvre divides into a large tranche of stuff I'd be happy discarding, a smaller tranche of stuff that's interesting, or suggestive, or worth persevering with—as opposed to actually good—and a thin sliver of output that stands with the best poetry I have read, in any language. A couple of the Conversation poems, and some shorter pieces for which I have deep affection, are inarguably very good writing. I know it speaks profoundly to some, but I've always had a take-it-or-leave-it relationship with Christabel, though it certainly has its moments. But Ancient Mariner is a masterpiece by any standard, and ‘Kubla Khan’ is simply one of the greatest short poems ever written. Tom Stoppard once said that when he read Eliot's ‘Prufrock’ he felt as he imagined the diabetic patient did as the insulin went in. ‘Kubla Khan’ has that effect on me. It's as close to flawless as any poem I know.
I once had a conversation with a friend of mine, who happens to be a Professor of Drama, about the relative merits of Shaw and Wilde. I suggested that Shaw was the better playwright, because he wrote so widely, and did so many interesting things with the form of the play. My friend pooh-poohed me: Shaw was good, he said, but Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest, and that, he said, is perfect. But isn't that, I countered, like saying that The La's are a better band than The Beatles because ‘There She Goes’ is so perfect a pop song? He wasn't convinced. And now I find myself arguing the counter case. Am I really justified in claiming Coleridge as a major poet on the strength of a few really good, one great longer and one perfect short poem?

domain: literature


text:
Emma Chapter 52
Emma and Harriet stayed away from each other. Emma went to visit Jane Fairfax, who welcomed her warmly. Their visit could not be a private one, as unfortunately Mrs. Elton was there. Mrs. Elton had a letter from the family Jane was to have worked for, and she spoke about it as though Emma were ignorant of the story. Emma only smiled at her knowledge. Miss Bates came in and nearly spilled the "secret." Mrs. Elton, who always wanted to appear superior, became annoyed when Emma suggested she had the days of a meeting mixed up. But when Mr. Elton arrived, Miss Woodhouse was proved correct. But Mr. Knightley, whom he was to meet with, never showed up. This was quite unusual for the diligent Mr. Knightley, and Mrs. Elton viewed it as an insult to her spouse. She acted quite offended.
When Emma is leaving she has a few moments alone with Jane Fairfax, who wants to apologize. Emma also apologizes, and the two both agree to forgive. Jane reveals that in three months she will move to Enscombe, where she will live with her new husband and his uncle.


text:
“It’s like people who want to feel only happy but not sad,” she said. “It never works. You don’t get to pick and choose. At least, I don’t think so.” As said by Grace, a 4-grader from the book I’m reading, Don’t Let Me Go by Catherine Ryan Hyde that I recently read.
I thought it funny how we pay little attention to children when they speak, but in this case, what she said spoke loud and clear as to the action of adults. As adults, we have a tendency to want to pick and choose our emotions as if one is better than the other or that being happy makes everything all better. Welllll, it really doesn’t. We have contrasting emotions for a reason because we simply can’t have it all just one way or there’d be no balance’; and we need balance in everything and every aspect of our lives.
I do think there are many that choose to be one emotional state or another, but it’s typically because the alternative aren’t always favourable. If you’re sad and depressed all the time, then who’d want to be around you and what pleasures would you experience in life? (rhetorical) Being happy all the time doesn’t mean we’re free from pain or heartache either. I think we simply choose to deal with the pain and then seek and choose happiness as the better way to be.
There is a ying and yang in all of us!
Love the life you live; live the life you love!


Meeting also reviews precautions to taken after monsoon sets in
The State government has directed all the key departments to be on the alert in view of the ongoing heatwave conditions as well as onset of monsoon in June second week.
With the south-west monsoon advancing further into some parts of the Andaman and Nicobar islands till Wednesday, the government is anticipating that the onset of monsoon in the State is likely to be around June 10 or the next day.
Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi convened a high-level meeting to review the preparedness of different departments in tackling the situation arising out of intense heat wave. The meeting also review the precautions that should be taken after the monsoon sets in.
The Chief Secretary wanted the officials concerned to send timely advisories to farmers in the event of continuance of the heat wave conditions. The departments concerned should ensure effective coordination to ensure that rain related information is shared at all levels and timely warnings be disseminated in the event of heavy rainfall. Officials should effectively coordinate with the control rooms set up at the State and district-levels and should transmit the information received from the India Meteorological Department from time to time to the grass root levels.
Focus should be in tackling urban flooding and officials concerned should concentrate on renovation and restoration of dilapidated buildings.
Steps should be taken to position required quantities of seed and fertilizer so that they can be supplied to farmers as and when needed.
Revenue Department Special Chief Secretary Rajeswar Tiwari informed the participants that the department is geared up to provide rainfall data to the districts on a daily basis while the situation would be reviewed with the district Collectors and senior officials periodically.
Health Department Principal Secretary A. Shanti Kumari said the department is prepared for taking up measures to check spread of water borne diseases, and that medicines for malaria, diarrhoea and other ailments are stocked in sufficient numbers.
GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore informed that 195 mobile teams have been deployed for taking up relief operations while flood maps relating to the GHMC area are being prepared in association with the National Remote Sensing Agency.
The disaster response teams of the GHMC would work on 24×7 basis while steps have been taken to clean nalas/stormwater drains in different parts of the city.
Transport, Roads & Buildings Department Principal Secretary Sunil Sharma, City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar and other senior officials attended the meeting.
Source: Read Full Article


text:
|Parasol building, Seville|
The Parasol was designed by the German architect Jurgen Mayer-Hermann and was completed in 2011. An Australian engineering firm in Brisbane built it. The structure consists of 6 parasols whose design was inspired by the vaults of the cathedral of Seville and the ficus trees in the nearby plaza. This building is located in the old city on the site of a market.
I sketched this one Sunday morning, sitting on the step of a bank which was closed. There were quite a few cafes serving breakfast around me and it was a lovely atmosphere.


text:
We all care about our health. Or at least, we should all care about our health. Too often we take our bodies for granted. The problem is that we don’t believe things will go wrong until they do. It’s that old belief that the bad things only happen to other people. In truth, we’re all at risk if we don’t take the proper steps to care for ourselves. Here’s a rundown of some precautions you can take to ensure that you get the best treatment when you need it:
Get to Know Your Doctor: When you register at a doctor’s office, you should be assigned to a particular physician. Getting to know them will help you feel more at ease when you visit. Make sure to find out the name of your doctor and request them each time you book an appointment. It may not always be possible to see them, but if the appointment isn’t an emergency, it’s worth waiting. Building a good relationship with your doctor is important for many reasons. Not only will it help you feel at ease but it also means they’ll be able to tell if something is wrong. A doctor who’s never seen you won’t know either way. A quick diagnosis from the physician who knows you could make all the difference to your recovery. If you’ve not yet registered with a doctor, it’s important that you do. Find one on sites like www.findadoctor.com and start building that all important relationship straight away!
Register at a Dentist: Your teeth are something you should include in your health journey. They are a part of your body that you can’t afford to neglect. Not to mention that an unsolved tooth issue can lead to further complications. Many things can damage your teeth. Namely, sugar from all those waffles and sugared snacks we all love so much! Signing up with a dentist is the best way to ensure that you get seen as soon as possible. If you aren’t registered anywhere when you have a toothache, expect major bills and difficulties. Registering at a dentist will also mean that you can get regular checks. These are the best way to stop problems in their tracks and save yourself money and pain. Take a look at dentists local to you like, http://www.southviewdentistrycharlotte.com/, and don’t hesitate to get signed up.
Get Health Insurance: Of course, to receive any treatment, it’s important to get health insurance. Not taking this step could land you in major debt. Worse, it could lead to your not being able to afford treatment. Don’t put yourself in such a distressing position. Take care of health insurance. It may be a monthly expense you could do without but think of it as an investment. Health insurance pays in a major way should anything happen. Don’t be the person who assumes it won’t happen to you any longer. Pay into a health insurance plan and accept that illness might one day come your way. At least you’ll be prepared if it does come knocking.
Featured Image By: Pexels


AT-KABUL: Despite concerns of some senators over the imbalances in the accounts, the Meshrano Jirga approved on Sunday the draft budget for fiscal year 2016.
On November 8, Minister of Finance (MoF) Mohammad Eklil Hakimi submitted the draft budget for the next Afghan fiscal year to Meshrano Jirga with a total outlay of $7.3 billion.
Head of the Meshrano Jirga’s Finance and Budgetary Commission, Anar Kali Hunaryar, placed the draft budget before the senate. She said that budget was drafted while keeping the available resources in view.
Of the 63 senators present during the session, 61 voted in the favor of the proposed accounts.
The general budget of the year is 4.5 billion (68 percent) and development budget 2.8 billion (39 percent).
International donations make 68 percent ($4.9 billion) of the total budget.
According to the MoF 2.4 billion (50 percent) of the international donations has been allocated for ordinary budget. Most part of the donations would go to the security sector.
“The development budget of the next year shows 14.5 percent increase as compared to the last year,” said the Minister of Finance, Eklil Hakemi.
He added that Afs16 billion of the development budget is allocated for protection of environment, Afs18.9 billion for rural development and Afs8.9 billion for agriculture sector. “13 percent of the development budget is allocated for healthcare services, 12.4 percent for education sector,” he added.
The total budget of the 1395 is $ 7.3 billion which the$4.9 billion “68 percent of the whole budget” is the international donors as $61 million of the whole donations is without ticket loans of the previous years. Also Islamic development Bank, Saudi Development Trust Fund, Asian Development Bank and Italy are the main resources which have paid loans for some infrastructure projects.
The 13 percent of the development budget as the most part is for health sector and 12.4 percent is for education sector, added Hakemi. Also 40 percent of the new arbitrary budget has been allocated to infrastructure and natural resources and 15 percent is for the agriculture and rural development while 14 percent is for the education sector, added finance minister.
According to him eight to ten percent of the new arbitrary budget has been allocated to health and economic management.


In 1901, an anarchist assassinated United States President William McKinley. One of the by-products of crime was that for decades all anarchist groups, some of which were against violence, were criminalized in the United States. As late as 1927 the anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti were executed for crimes they never committed, a story those of my generation remember as told in 1971 in the song by Joan Baez “Here’s to You”.
Repressing all anarchists because one of them murdered a politician was unfair, but perhaps not surprising. Imagine a different scenario, however. A right-wing extremist and sworn enemy of anarchists could have assassinated the president, saying he deserved to be punished because he was supposedly ‘soft on anarchy’. In that case, any sane American would have agreed that blaming the anarchists would make no sense. Their most radical enemies should rather be blamed.
This is precisely what is happening in Japan after the assassination of Shinzo Abe. The Unification Church founded by Reverend Sun Myung Moon is blamed for the crime and its members are vilified in their workplaces and schools, creating a human rights emergency. It would already be unfair if the killer was a member of the Unification Church. No large group, religious or otherwise, should be punished for the crimes of a bad apple. However, Mr. Abe’s assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, was not a member of the unification movement. On the contrary, he vengefully hated the organization founded by Rev. Moon and intended to punish Mr. Abe for sending video messages to two events organized by a Unification-linked organization.
Simple logic indicates that the unification movement is a casualty here, along with Mr. Abe. The psychological evaluation that is now being conducted may easily indicate that Mr. Yamagami is a psychopath, but true paranoids have real enemies. His weak mind may have been stirred up by the hate campaigns against the Unification movement carried out by some Japanese media, fueled by “anti-cult” organizations and lawyers.
Media reported that the killer’s mother made large donations to the unification movement, which ruined the family and caused Mr. Yamagami to hold a grudge against the group. However, these donations ceased several years ago and Mr. Yamagami killed Mr. Abe this year. It is far more likely that what prompted him to act was the recent violent media campaigns against the Unification Church.
Donations to the Unification Church have been portrayed by the media as something sinister, especially when they take the form of purchases of artifacts at prices that include a donation and are tied to their spiritual value. rather than material, or to spiritual practices intended to alleviate the condition. of deceased relatives in the afterlife. Journalists aren’t required to study Unification Church theology, but they don’t understand that similar giving programs exist in many religions.
In fact, Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation and split Western Christianity into two separate branches following the controversy over the sale of indulgences by the Catholic Church, that is, promises that a soul may ascend to heaven in the afterlife following a gift from his friends and relatives. . Similar practices still exist in several major religions. Voluminous theological treatises have been written on the spiritual significance of gifts, challenging the caricatural interpretation of unbelievers that sees them only as something that feeds the greed of pastors, monks and priests.
Speaking of greed, most Japanese and international media took at face value press releases and statements from an organization called the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Selling. These lawyers, using standard anti-cult arguments, seek out Unification Church donors who have left the movement and can be recruited as clients and sue to recover the amount of their donations. Lawyers have won some cases and lost others. Interestingly, one question the reporters didn’t want to ask them was what percentage of the money these lawyers keep for themselves.
The Japanese and (to some extent) international media are inclined to believe anti-Unification Church advocates because of their beliefs that, unlike legitimate religions (which can sometimes be just as insistent in soliciting donations) , “cults” are bad. Japan was understandably shocked by the horrific acts of violence, including the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, carried out by a so-called “cult” group, Aum Shinrikyo.
However, this does not allow hate speech against hundreds of non-violent groups that some might consider “heretical”. A large majority of scholars of new religious movements abandoned the label of “sect” decades ago and concluded that “sect” is a word without meaningful content and is only used as a weapon to slander and discriminate. religious minorities that certain lobbies, for example, whatever the reasons, do not like. This is precisely what is happening with the Unification Church in Japan.
- Massimo Introvigne, Italian sociologist of religions and author of some 70 books on new religious movements (including The Plymouth Brethren and Inside The Church of Almighty God, both published by Oxford University Press, in 2018 and 2020; and Brainwashing: Reality or Myth ? which has just been published by Cambridge University Press) is the Managing Director of CESNUR, the Center for Studies in New Religions.


text:
The storm was "exiting the Northeast" at 4 p.m., but winter weather advisories remained in effect along the Maine coast, according to the National Weather Service.
The timing could not be worse for many, with Christmas only five days away and retailers already struggling. And the weather snarled the travel plans of people flying home for Christmas.
But the timing wasn't bad for everyone.
"Other than spoiling the Christmas shopping, from the emergency manager perspective it was the perfect timing," Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, told the AP. "Even the cleanup today, we're not fighting the people who would be trying to get to work."
Some Twitter users also found the storm to their liking, evidently. A group of them organized a massive snowball fight in downtown Washington Saturday by communicating through the social media site.
The mood was not as light at the East Coast's airports. Airlines scrapped thousands of flights at airports from North Carolina all the way up through Boston, causing a ripple effect of delays across the country.
Inconvenienced travelers included the National Football League's Chicago Bears, whose initial flight to Baltimore to play the Ravens today was canceled. The Bears managed to fly to Baltimore Saturday night, ABC News Baltimore affiliate WMAR reported, though the start of the game was delayed from 1 to 4:15 p.m.
In Philadelphia today, officials also delayed the start of the San Francisco 49ers-Philadelphia Eagles game a few hours to help get the field cleaned off and allow more time for people to get to the site.
It was a long night for workaday airport travelers, too. Passengers who had nowhere else to go camped out at several airports, hoping for a flight out today.
They included Liam Cummings, stuck at Washington's Reagan National Airport since Friday evening.
"This is where I slept last night, and this is where I plan on sleeping tonight," he said as he lay on a floor.
Saturday night, D.C.'s airport authority gave out 200 blankets at National Airport and 600 at region's other large airport, Dulles, where officials managed to open one runway at 6 a.m. and started receiving arriving flights.
Tara Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the region's Metropolitan Airport Authority, said reopening National was particularly difficult.
"We had more snow than we've ever had a Reagan National," Hamilton said. "What that meant was we couldn't simply push the snow away or groom it. We actually had to haul it away. ... I think we were doing the best we could do. We've never had a situation like this."
Things were particularly bad this morning at National's American Airlines ticket counters, with waits of more than four hours. Other airlines apparently canceled most of their morning flights and told passengers not to come to the airport.
Baltimore-Washington International Airport was able to keep one runway open Saturday. Although the airport was open, officials said Sunday flights would continue to be impacted by the storm, with travelers advised to check with their carrier before making their way to any of the airports.
About 1,200 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday at the New York region's three major airports, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey said.

domain: travel


text:
As many of you know myself and Ruth Smeeth MP have been working to promote Stoke-on-Trent as the new home of Channel 4. We think our emerging and exciting creative hubs locally offer a perfect home for some of the commissioned work that Channel 4 do.
We visited the Channel 4 offices in London to meet with Channel 4 executives to 'sell' our region and the benefits of moving to the Potteries. We felt the meeting went well and we look forward to hearing more from the government on whether they'll support our efforts! #localandproud


text:
Posters is radically proper and makes a striking wall decoration, this poster dimension isand the price is $0.00. If you're trying to seek out top recommendedPosters with sixpenny price, this unit is the good deals for you.
Posters isand it is in good shape, it is a very beauteous print. The unit is a appropriate resource for students, educators, or conservationists, as well as great gifts. The product is very securely shipped and is in superb shape, it arrived early, so a grandiose value on the whole. The item is grainy and obviously a poster, not something believable of a frame, but that is reflected in the price. We work withPosters dealers who have a fantastic reputation. The quality of the product is appropriate because is thick and doesn't pierce highly easily. This product is smart, pretty, and looks excellent in the office. The pattern is wonderful and the one is just an all around transcendent poster. There is a various online following with a huge mass of resources to support this poster and the practices. The sumptuous quality paper andPosters is crisp and flamboyant and just fantastic.