The Evolution of Dragons in Western Literature: A History | Tor.com

The Evolution of Dragons in Western Literature: A History | Tor.com:

The origin of the dragon is such a mystery, even the exact etymology of its name is disputed. But you can mostly trace the meaning of dragon back to “serpent” (as with drakon in Ancient Greek and draco in Latin, for instance). If you dig deeper, its root derk- (or drk-) is the equivalent of “to see” in Ancient Greek—suggesting that drk-on also indicates “seeing one,” or “I see.”

Ironically, this power of sight was a one-way street: no one in the Western world could agree on what they saw of the dragon. As such, the earliest descriptions of them were fabulously inconsistent. Generally, dragons were titanic and powerful—but that was about where the common ground ended. Some accounts said that dragons were poisonous; others argued that they breathed fire; still others insisted that they were winged. In fact, if there was only one constant in ancient Western myths, it was this glaring certainty: dragons were stone-cold evil.

Your Storytelling Superpower -- Crafting a Character Readers Will Love

Your Storytelling Superpower -- Crafting a Character Readers Will Love:

Every character in literature falls into one of two types. No matter how nuanced or multi-faceted your protagonist may be, at her most basic she is either an everyman or a larger-than-life hero.

The everyman protagonist—or what I like to call the “ordinary Joe (or Jane)”—is a regular guy going about his regular life, until something happens that turns his world upside down. The ordinary Joe is an unlikely hero, caught in extraordinary circumstances and despite being out of his league, he eventually rises beyond his ordinariness and does something astonishing. While at first glance the everyman might not be anything special, with the right motivation he can become a hero.

At the other extreme we have the larger-than-life hero. This character is so powerful and amazing, she seems almost perfect. We already know all the incredible things this character can do, so instead the key with making this character come to life is to show a hint of vulnerability, a chink in the armor. After all, even Superman has his kryptonite.

How To Write a Bio — Quick Tips and Bio Examples | Grammarly

How To Write a Bio — Quick Tips and Bio Examples | Grammarly:

When most people think of online bios, they probably can readily name a few common short bio examples first. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest all have space for a short description of who you are and what you do. And you should make the most of the 1-2 lines you’re afforded here. Keep your social media bios short, sweet, and only filled with the most important things a stranger should know about you

How corporate America invented 'Christian America' to fight the New Deal

How corporate America invented 'Christian America' to fight the New Deal:

The 2016 annual meeting for the Organization of American Historians (OAH) will feature a session focusing upon the provocative book One Nation Under God by Princeton history professor Keven M. Kruse. In One Nation Under God, Kruse argues that the idea of the United States as a Christian nation does not find its origins with the founding of the United States or the writing of the Constitution. Rather, the notion of America as specifically consecrated by God to be a beacon for liberty was the work of corporate and religious figures opposed to New Deal statism and interference with free enterprise. The political conflict found in this concept of Christian libertarianism was modified by President Dwight Eisenhower who advocated a more civic religion of “one nation under God” to which both liberals and conservatives might subscribe.

Kruse concludes that with the polarization of America in the 1960s over such issues such as school prayer and the war in Vietnam, politicians such as Richard Nixon abandoned the more inclusive civic religion of the Eisenhower era. Kruse writes that by the 1970s “the rhetoric of ‘one nation under God’ no longer brought Americans together; it only reminded them how divided they had become” (274).

Alleged UKZN 'zombie' killer appears in court

Alleged UKZN 'zombie' killer appears in court:

Zondi, a BCom student was found burning in the bushes outside the campus after his girlfriend reported missing on October, 10.

Concerned students launched a search after Nzimande had allegedlyntimated killing him because he believed that Zondi had bewitched him.

In a video circulated on social media the accused friend is seen confessing to the murder, saying he had to burn him because he was a zombie

The 50 Best Writing Websites of 2019: For All Your Writing Needs

The 50 Best Writing Websites of 2019: For All Your Writing Needs:

The Internet is full of writing websites and blogs to help people reach their creative goals. If you’ve always dreamt of writing your own book, but don’t know how to get there — or if you’re in the process of writing, but feel unsure about what to do next — then it’s your lucky day! Here we have all the best writing websites of 2019 in one single place for your convenience. They’re also organized by category, and alphabetically within each of those categories, to make each one easier to find. Enjoy!

Monasteries without walls: secret monasticism in the Soviet Union | Liturgy

Monasteries without walls: secret monasticism in the Soviet Union | Liturgy:

I recently fell over a scholarly article about the way that monasticism helped keep Christian faith alive and vibrant through the anti-theist communism of the Soviet Union.

Some people fled and lived a hidden, secret full monastic life. Others lived the monastic life beyond monastery walls, working at ordinary jobs. Still others drew on monastic disciplines, applying those into their ordinary daily lives.

Umuthi: the umdlebe tree

Idamu La Mahlebo: Umuthi:

the Umdlebe tree. Before taking a part of this tree, a goat has to be slaughtered in order for it to work effectively. This tree help with alot of work to do woth the spirits and is not allowed to enter a persons house as it can sometimes cause death.

MUST READ: 5 African mythological creatures - Newcastle Advertiser

MUST READ: 5 African mythological creatures - Newcastle Advertiser:

Africa is rich in cultural diversity, and often, Africa’s mythological creatures are pushed aside to make way for Hollywood’s monster features.

Take a look at some of our continent’s most beloved beasts!

Includes information on:

• Inkanyamba 
• Impundulu 
• Grootslang 
• Tokoloshe 
• Werehyenas
  

Are the Bishops really listening to Leavers? �

Are the Bishops really listening to Leavers?:

The bishops write: “The levels of fear, uncertainty and marginalisation in society, much of which lies behind the vote for Brexit, but will not be addressed by Brexit . . .” One way in which power is experienced as abusive is when those with power (such as a bishop) say to those without power (a normal voter) that the voter does not know what he or she really wants. To say that there is something that “lies behind the vote for Brexit” is to disparage the desire for Brexit in and of itself, and thus is an exercise in disempowerment.
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Leavers have become accustomed to being slighted in this way, to having their understanding and integrity impugned, to being told that we voted for Brexit only because of X, and, if those in power solved X, well, we don’t need Brexit any more, do we? This is not the product of genuine listening: it is the imputation of false consciousness and a rather un-Anglican attempt to “make windows into men’s souls”. It is essential that, if there is to be a reconciliation between the different sides on Brexit, such language is abandoned.

Where have all the hippies gone?

CBC Archives:

By the 1980s, the hippies seem to have disappeared. The acid tests are over. The flowers are dead. The communes are deserted. Where are the flower children? Where did the idealism go? In this CBC Television clip, ex-hippies Eric Clough and Carol Gaston have an answer. In the late 1960s they founded a community called "The New Family" commune in British Columbia. They had high hopes, but things didn't turn out as planned.

US-Led Economic War, Not Socialism, Is Tearing Venezuela Apart

US-Led Economic War, Not Socialism, Is Tearing Venezuela Apart:

The political and economic crisis facing Venezuela is being endlessly pointed to as proof of the superiority of the free market.

Images and portrayals of Venezuelans rioting in the streets over high food costs, empty grocery stores, medicine shortages, and overflowing garbage bins are the headlines, and the reporting points to socialism as the cause.

Medicare could save 90% on hypertension medications by switching to generic drugs

Medicare could save 90% on hypertension medications by switching to generic drugs:

“Prescription drug spending accounts for an increasing share of U.S. health care costs.” Mathew E. Growdon, MD, MPH, of the division of pharmacoepidemiology in the department of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues wrote. “Spending can be decreased by substituting generic drugs for identical brand-name drugs (generic substitution) or for brand-name drugs with similar effect (therapeutic interchange).”

The end of medical aid as you know it in South Africa

The end of medical aid as you know it in South Africa:

The revised National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill published on Thursday (8 August) shows that there is little space for medical aid schemes as we currently know them in South Africa.

While minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize had previously hinted that medical schemes would play a secondary role to the incoming NHI, the revised bill shows that there may be little room for these multi-billion rand companies to manoeuvre under the new system.

Meet the new wave of sangomas | City Press

Meet the new wave of sangomas | City Press:

Traditional healers are no longer the elusive figures they used to be. Many are modern young women with day jobs, who practise their craft with a passion to heal people. Some are using social media to reach people. Moroetsana Serame spoke to two healers who are breakin

The Literary Architect — How to Make Your Descriptions Less Boring

The Literary Architect — How to Make Your Descriptions Less Boring:

So how do you make your description more dynamic so that it engages your readers and adds color and excitement to your story? Here are a few tips.

(I have a TON more tips about setting and description. These are just a few. But I’m trying to keep this short, so if you have any questions or want more advice about this, please feel free to ask me.)
#1 Make sure your characters are actually engaging with the descriptive elements of your story.

Top 100 Best Fantasy books

Top 100 Best Fantasy books:

This is a list of the best fantasy books. If you want to find good fantasy books to read, this list is a safe bet.

The list was created by parsing comments on the r/books subreddit, and takes into account both number of mentions and the comment scores.

The fantasy genre is the most popular genre in the data we have.

Since the list is created by parsing user comments, it represents the most popular fantasy books, or at least which fantasy books most reddit users have been reading.

The data used in this list is from 2018 and 2019. As we get more data the list may change and will hopefully become a list of the best fantasy books of all time.

Study suggests standard personality tests may not work well outside of WEIRD cultures

Study suggests standard personality tests may not work well outside of WEIRD cultures:

An international team of researchers has found evidence that suggests standard personality tests may not work as intended outside of mostly white, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic (WEIRD) societies. In their paper, published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their analyses of thousands of personality survey responses from people all over the world, and what they found.

How to Write a Killer Book Review in 5 Easy Steps | Book Reviews

How to Write a Killer Book Review in 5 Easy Steps | Book Reviews:

For most children who have never written a book review, they find it challenging at first because they do not know where to start or what is expected of them. Book reviews are very important because they help other children wanting to read it get an overview of what the story talks about and if they would consider reading it. Here are my 5 easy steps on how to write a book review for kids.

500 Writing Prompts to Help Beat Writer’s Block – Written Word Media

500 Writing Prompts to Help Beat Writer’s Block – Written Word Media:

We recommend checking out our collection of prompts first, but there are numerous great sources throughout the web. Through combing the Internet for great websites and blogs like Reedsy, Screencraft, The Write Practice, Bryn Donovan’s resources, and the @writing.prompt.s Instagram page, we’ve written and gathered 500 writing prompts to help you kickstart your brain into writing mode. Categorized into ten popular genres, we encourage you to grab your mug of coffee or tea, read through our prompts, and get ready to catch the writing bug.

Undercurrent vs. Subtext vs. Theme ~ September C. Fawkes

Undercurrent vs. Subtext vs. Theme ~ September C. Fawkes:

A while ago, I had a follower ask me to do a post about undercurrents, subtext, and themes, and how they are different, which is also one of the reasons I did that whole article about how to write theme the other week.

All the bank branches where you can sign up for your Smart ID card

All the bank branches where you can sign up for your Smart ID card:

Home Affairs launched its online Smart ID and passport applications in 2016, offering South Africans a way to apply for Smart IDs online.

The Department of Home Affairs website allows South Africans from all over the country to apply online for a new Smart ID by completing an application and submitting supporting documents.

Once this is completed, users can pay for their Smart ID card online and schedule a booking to visit a Home Affairs office or a participating bank branch to input their biometrics and pick up their new Smart ID.

The literature review and meta-analysis: 2 journalism tools you should use

The literature review and meta-analysis: 2 journalism tools you should use:

When journalists want to learn what’s known about a certain subject, they look for research. Scholars are continually conducting studies on education topics ranging from kindergarten readiness and teacher pay to public university funding and Ivy League admissions.

One of the best ways for a reporter to get up to date quickly, though, is to read a study of studies, which come in two forms: a literature review and a meta-analysis.

A literature review is what it sounds like — a review of all the academic literature that exists on a specific issue or research question. If your school district or state is considering a new policy or approach, there’s no better way to educate yourself on what’s already been learned. Your news coverage also benefits from literature reviews: Rather than hunting down studies on your own and then worrying whether you found the right ones, you can, instead, share the results of a literature review that already has done that legwork for you.

7 Ways To Create A Spectacular Magic System For Your Novel - Writers Write

7 Ways To Create A Spectacular Magic System For Your Novel - Writers Write:

In fantasy, magic makes your world go round. It is not an afterthought. It is an important literary device that shapes your writing.

Magic, and how it works, will dictate how your characters act. It does this the same way gravity makes the earth spin.

If you think this kind of thing is stupid, you are not going to be able to write about it. This is a deadly serious topic. It has made authors’ careers and it has relegated others to obscurity.

New historical birth, marriage and death registers available online for public to access

New historical birth, marriage and death registers available online for public to access:

These records hold the births for 1917 and 1918, marriages from 1864 to 1869, 1942 and 1943 and deaths for 1967 and 1968.

The release is part of an initiative by both departments to provide online access to historical records and registers compiled by the Civil Registration Service.

The records – which were prepared by the Civil Registration Service and uploaded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht – can be accessed on the website www.irishgenealogy.ie.

Dear Church, Let's Talk About Mental Health

Dear Church, Let's Talk About Mental Health:
Let me start by saying that I am still a pastor, I still believe in the absolute power of Jesus to heal the heart and I’m still a huge supporter of church counseling and ministry. But I feel compelled to raise my voice and say:

• Therapy is not demonic. 
• Taking antidepressants is not a sin. 
• Seeing a psychiatrist is not anti-christian. 
• And those who suffer from mental health problems are not a failure.

Free Book Promotion for All Authors! – Alternative-Read.com

Free Book Promotion for All Authors! – Alternative-Read.com: Handy links to FREE PROMOTION FOR ALL forms:

FREE BOOK PROMOTION FOR ALL : https://goo.gl/forms/ff15G47oGjrZF2HO2

Dartmoor Myths & Legends - Visit Dartmoor

Dartmoor Myths & Legends - Visit Dartmoor:

There can be no question that Dartmoor and its landscape has helped fire people’s beliefs and imagination. From the thick mists that suddenly appear and roll across the moor to the dark, bottomless mires and the craggy granite tors, each lends an air of mystery and magic, all ripe for associated legends and tales.

Today we have a wealth of tales all of which relate the various strange events which took place somewhere in the Dartmoor landscape. No matter whether it’s a deep bottomless pool or a sleepy moorland hamlet there will be a story to be told.

The really fascinating thing is that due to Dartmoor’s unspoilt landscape it is possible to visit many of the places which are connected with the various tales and see them as they were when their events unfolded.

10 places to find reviewers for your self-published book • Empty Mirror

10 places to find reviewers for your self-published book • Empty Mirror:

Self-publishing is a great way to get your book into the world. But when you self-publish, you take on all the responsibilities that a traditional publisher usually would, including marketing the book, soliciting reviews, sending out review copies, and generating buzz. (And it’s best to start on these things before your book is published.) So, how do you do find the reviewers to help you get the word out?

The Real Origins of the Religious Right - POLITICO Magazine

The Real Origins of the Religious Right - POLITICO Magazine:

the anti-abortion crusade was more palatable than the religious right’s real motive: protecting segregated schools. So much for the new abolitionism.

***

Today, evangelicals make up the backbone of the pro-life movement, but it hasn’t always been so. Both before and for several years after Roe, evangelicals were overwhelmingly indifferent to the subject, which they considered a “Catholic issue.” In 1968, for instance, a symposium sponsored by the Christian Medical Society and Christianity Today, the flagship magazine of evangelicalism, refused to characterize abortion as sinful, citing “individual health, family welfare, and social responsibility” as justifications for ending a pregnancy. In 1971, delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, passed a resolution encouraging “Southern Baptists to work for legislation that will allow the possibility of abortion under such conditions as rape, incest, clear evidence of severe fetal deformity, and carefully ascertained evidence of the likelihood of damage to the emotional, mental, and physical health of the mother.” The convention, hardly a redoubt of liberal values, reaffirmed that position in 1974, one year after Roe, and again in 1976.

EXPOSED: The Unisa employee who manufactures fake news to divide SA | News24

EXPOSED: The Unisa employee who manufactures fake news to divide SA | News24:

News24's investigation into the owners of Mzansistorie.com and Allnews.co.za started earlier this year as part of a much broader investigation into the originators, enablers and funders of fake news websites in South Africa.

Ironically, it was the very fact that Ramatseba wanted to make money from his website that revealed his identity. It was also the same social media used by Ramatseba to distribute his fabrications that proved instrumental in identifying him.

A Guide to Sideloading: How to get our files into your e-reader – Ebooks Direct

A Guide to Sideloading: How to get our files into your e-reader – Ebooks Direct:

Sideloading is getting an ebook into your e-reading device (or app) when you haven't bought it from that reader's own maker/sponsor (like Amazon for the Kindle family, Barnes & Noble for the Nook readers or Kobo for the Kobo readers).

Most big e-reader sponsors have automatic or semi-automatic ways to load the ebooks you buy from them to their own readers. You buy them and minutes later they magically turn up in your device.

But that's not how it goes when you buy an ebook from an independent provider like us (and thank you for doing that, if you have!) or from a company like Smashwords, or acquire a free ebook from an online source like Project Gutenberg. When that happens, you have to load the book to your device yourself: not uploading, or downloading, but sideloading.

Mining activists in SA face death threats, intimidation and harassment - report | Saturday Star

Mining activists in SA face death threats, intimidation and harassment - report | Saturday Star:

The 74-page report, compiled by Human Rights Watch, the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), groundWork, and Earthjustice, describes a system designed to "deter and penalise" mining opponents.

The authors conducted interviews with more than 100 activists, community leaders, environmental groups, lawyers representing activists, police and municipal officials, describing the targeting of community rights defenders in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Northwest, and Eastern Cape between 2013 and 2018.

They report intimidation, violence, damage to property, the use of excessive force during peaceful protests, and arbitrary arrest for their activities in highlighting the negative impacts of mining projects on their communities.

"The attacks and harassment have created an atmosphere of fear for community members who mobilise to raise concerns about damage to their livelihoods from the serious environmental and health risks of mining and coal-fired power plants," write the authors.

"Women often play a leading role in voicing these concerns, making them potential targets for harassment and attacks."

But municipalities often impose barriers to protest on organisers that have no legal basis while government officials have failed to adequately investigate allegations of abuse.

Why Easter never became a big secular holiday like Christmas - Vox

Why Easter never became a big secular holiday like Christmas - Vox:

The very nature of having a holiday, furthermore, was seen as problematic. Rather, the Puritans argued, singling out any day for a “holiday” implied that celebrants thought of other days as less holy.

Easter, too, was singled out as a dangerous time. A Scottish Presbyterian minister, Alexander Hislop, wrote a whole book about it: the 1853 pamphlet The Two Babylons: The Papal Worship Proved to Be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife. Using questionable and vague sources, Hislop argued that the name of Easter derived from the pagan worship of the Germanic goddess Eostre, and through her the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. (This claim has persisted into the present day, and is often cited by those who want us to make Easter more fun and secular. Still, the evidence for the existence of Eostre in any mythological system — a single paragraph in the work of an English monk writing centuries later — let alone actual religious links between Eostre and Easter is scant at best.)

Egypt and Christianity in antiquity – TheTLS

Egypt and Christianity in antiquity – TheTLS:

Late antique Egyptian Christianity has left a wonderfully rich, and sometimes beguilingly strange, literary and material heritage for us to appreciate and try to interpret. There are tales of holy men who could command man-eating crocodiles and pronounce curses, and of dramatic feats of ascetic renunciation in the desert. Papyrus fragments include oracles, spells and curses; the walls of monasteries still display the paintings of saints and the graffiti of pilgrims. The two books under review offer new and complementary approaches to understanding this heritage and the world it came from. Each is strongly influenced by theoretical approaches that stress the importance of material culture, but they both remain humane and indeed sympathetic.

Darwin In Your Brain. Four Reasons Why Evolutionary Psychology Is Controversial – The Evolution Institute

Darwin In Your Brain. Four Reasons Why Evolutionary Psychology Is Controversial – The Evolution Institute:

Evolutionary psychology, like sociobiology or Marxism, has become associated with controversy. Why should it, and why has it? Yes, debates about evolution totter endlessly along, and psychology remains a discipline that sometimes seems orphaned by both humanities and the hard sciences. Why should combining psychology and evolution ignite a confabulation of loathing, fear, and scientific vitriol?

Which Countries Are Caucasian?

Which Countries Are Caucasian?:
The region of the Caucasus takes its name from the mountain range of the same name that is 5000 meters in height. It is located between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, straddling Russia to the north and Turkey and Iran to the south. The Caucasus is divided into two main regions: the northern Caucasus, called Ciscaucasia, which is entirely located in the Russian Federation and which includes several autonomous regions, and the South Caucasus, called Transcaucasia, which includes 3 independent countries (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan).

The Caucasus is a very diverse region in which there are a dozen different ethnic groups and more than a hundred languages and dialects are still spoken there. There are major religions, especially the Christian and Muslim religions and a Jewish and Buddhist minority. It is a real ethnic, linguistic and cultural mosaic.

Review: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson | Kate Manne

Review: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson | Kate Manne:

Rule One is “Stand up straight with your shoulders back”, to avoid seeming like a “loser lobster”, who shrinks from conflict and grows sad, sickly and loveless – and is prone to keep on losing, which is portrayed as a disaster.

How to Clean Your Filthy, Disgusting Laptop - The New York Times

How to Clean Your Filthy, Disgusting Laptop - The New York Times:

Like any tool we use every day, our laptops accumulate dust, grime, oils from our skin and who knows what else. Yours is probably due for a cleaning, and here’s how to do it right.

Angels through the ages | The Spectator

Angels through the ages | The Spectator:

Angels are a tricky subject to tackle, being so nebulous and fleetingly glimpsed. I take my hat off to Stanford for having a go. The book has changed my life, as I now think about angels all the time and keep spotting them in paintings, on book jackets and in the verses of hymns. I’ve never read a book with so many winged figures, sudden encounters between humans and strange visions, angel-adorned gates, haloes, gowns, bare feet and moments on mountains when someone sees something dazzling in a dream. If you concentrate, you’ll be taken on a thrilling journey through theological discussion, with a generous helping of art history thrown in.

Stanford opens the book enticingly, telling us how his Catholic mother, who had multiple sclerosis, used to leave her wheelchair outside shops in Liverpool in the 1970s. His father would worry it might be stolen, but she’d reply: ‘Oh Reg, cheer up. My guardian angel is looking after it.’

The Divinely-Revealed Appearance of Angels in Icons | A Reader's Guide to Orthodox Icons

The Divinely-Revealed Appearance of Angels in Icons | A Reader's Guide to Orthodox Icons:

The word angel, used throughout the Bible, comes from the Greek word meaning messenger. The name reflects the nature of angels with regards to humans and God: i.e. they are messengers from God, sent to us. They are sometimes described as Bodiless Powers: bodiless meaning they are purely spirit, rather than material, and power meaning they have their own will and intellect, rather than being an aspect of God. This last part is important: angels are spirits, and “God is spirit” (John 4:24), but angels are still created beings in their own right.

Herbalist Who Told Diabetic Boy To Use Lavender Oil Instead Of Insulin Is Jailed For His Death | IFLScience

Herbalist Who Told Diabetic Boy To Use Lavender Oil Instead Of Insulin Is Jailed For His Death | IFLScience:

A herbalist who told a 13-year-old diabetic boy's family to rub lavender oil into his spine instead of using insulin has been jailed in California after the boy died from complications relating to type-1 diabetes.

Timothy Morrow, 84, was sentenced on Monday for practicing medicine without a license, as well as one count of child abuse likely to produce great bodily injury or death, to which he entered a no contest plea.

Believers without belief – TheTLS

Believers without belief – TheTLS:

According to conventional wisdom, religions are systems of belief. Religious people are “believers”. Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead; Muslims believe that Mohammed was the final prophet; Jews believe that the creator of the universe has a special affection for the children of Israel. These beliefs of the religious are often taken to be unsupported by, or even inconsistent with, available evidence. Indeed, many understand “faith” as a matter of believing without any evidence at all.

However, this belief-orientated – or “doxastic” – conception of religion is not universally accepted. According to the historian of religion Karen Armstrong, the doxastic conception of religion is a relatively recent development, shaped by the Protestant Reformation and the scientific revolution of the sixteenth century. Armstrong goes so far as to argue that our modern doxastic conception of religion is largely the result of mistranslation. In terms of Christianity, one difficulty with translating the Greek of the New Testament into English is that the English word “faith”, unlike the Greek equivalent “pistis”, does not have a verb form. Hence what should really be the verb “to faith” comes out as “to believe”. When the Bible was first rendered in English in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this was not a bad translation. The word “bileven” in middle English meant to prize or to hold dear (related to the German “belieben”) and when the King James Bible was published, “believe” was close in meaning to the Greek pistis, which has connotations of engagement and commitment. As one piece of evidence for this, Armstrong offers a line from Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well (written shortly before the publication of the King James Bible) in which Bertram is urged to “believe not thy distain”; in other words, he is being told not to engage his contempt (in this case for the low-born Helena) and let it take root in his heart.

Organizing your family history research with Zotero - Organize Your Family History

Organizing your family history research with Zotero - Organize Your Family History:

Zotero is great for genealogy for all of these reasons and more:

• It is free, with the stability and support of a university backing it up.
• Even if you are syncing to the Zotero cloud, you can do that for years on free storage, before you have to buy some. And when you do buy storage, it’s inexpensive and unlimited.
  
• It provides the structure missing from tools like OneNote and EverNote, but brings substantial flexibility, along with the structure.
  
• It can add most catalogued online source citations to your Zotero library with one click.
  It can organize and provide one-click access to the thousands of documents, spreadsheets, photographs, and other files you have saved to your hard drive. In essence, it can draw all those files together into a uniform, organized system.
• Zotero becomes your door to all you have collected.
  It allows you to create a record once but to file it in as many folders as you want without taking up significant extra space. You make a change once, and it changes in every folder.
  
• You can find things rapidly, even if you only have vague memories of having long ago found a document that might be of use in solving a new genealogical problem.
  It will sync to the cloud, allowing you to access your work at Zotero.org, wherever you have Wifi access.

What is Orthodox Hell? | Eclectic Orthodoxy

What is Orthodox Hell? | Eclectic Orthodoxy:

What is the Orthodox doctrine of hell? I honestly do not know. I do know what many Orthodox have taught about hell during the past hundred years or so, and I know some�thing about what the Church Fathers taught about it during the first millennium of the Church’s history; but I cannot tell you what the Orthodox Church authoritatively and irreformably teaches about hell, beyond the fact that it is a horrifying possibility and therefore a destiny best avoided. As the Orthodox Church sings at the Saturday Vespers of the Sunday of the Last Judgment:

When the thrones are set in place and the books are opened, then God will take His place on the judgment-seat.
What a fearful sight! 
As the angels stand in awe and the river of fire flows by:
What shall we do, who are already condemned by our many sins, as we hear Christ call the righteous to His Father’s Kingdom, and send the wicked to eternal damnation? Who among us can bear that terrible verdict?
 Hasten to us, Lover of mankind and King of the universe: 
Grant us the grace of repentance before the end and have mercy on us!

The hymns of the Sunday of the Last Judgment might seem to give the definitive word, yet they, like the Scriptures, need to be interpreted in light of Pascha and the totality of the Holy Tradition.

Stigmata - Antsy's occasional creative writings

Stigmata - Antsy's occasional creative writings:

"Stigmata" came to me in a whoosh after percolating for almost 9 years following what might be called a religious experience towards Easter time. It's about my experience during a choir practise in Parksville BC in 1978, five months after Apartheid South Africa deliberately killed Bantu Steve Biko – the truly inspired and inspiring leader of the Black Consciousness Movement – whom I and so very many people loved.

Why Were Medieval Knights Often Pictured Fighting Giant Snails?

Why Were Medieval Knights Often Pictured Fighting Giant Snails?:

In 2013 a group of medievalists from Britain went into a store to look up medieval genealogical scrolls. During their visit they came across a late-13th century manuscript from England titled Royal MS 14 B V.

Scrolls and manuscripts dating back to the 13th and 14th century often contain broad margins and blank space that was filled with different notes and drawings done by the readers.

The scroll they stumbled upon was heavily loaded with marginalia. Among it all was a drawing of a knight fighting a snail.

Concentration camps in the South African War? Here are the real facts

Concentration camps in the South African War? Here are the real facts:

More than a century after 48 000 people died in concentration camps in what’s known as the South African War between 1899 and 1902 – or the Anglo-Boer War – the events of that period are back in the headlines.

The camps were established by the British as part of their military campaign against two small Afrikaner republics: the ZAR (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State.

The scandalous campaign is back in the news following controversial comments by British Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg on a BBC television programme.

11 Warning Signs of Gaslighting | Psychology Today

11 Warning Signs of Gaslighting | Psychology Today:

Gaslighting is a tactic in which a person or entity, in order to gain more power, makes a victim question their reality. It works much better than you may think. Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting, and it is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists, and cult leaders. It is done slowly, so the victim doesn't realize how much they've been brainwashed. For example, in the movie Gaslight (1944), a man manipulates his wife to the point where she thinks she is losing her mind.

All Conference Alerts 2019 | Conference Alerts | International Conference

All Conference Alerts 2019 | Conference Alerts | International Conference:

All Conference Alerts provides conference alerts and information regarding upcoming International Conferences to be held world wide. Academician and professionals can get their relevant updates and conference alerts through all conference alerts. Users can subscribe to get updates and conference alerts about upcoming international conferences at Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong as well as all major cities and countries across the world.

About - Ecclesiology & Ethnography Network

About - Ecclesiology & Ethnography Network:

Founded in 2007 by Pete Ward and Christian Scharen, the Network for Ecclesiology and Ethnography is a growing international network of scholars committed to the empirical and theological study of the Christian church. Since its inception, the network has hosted an annual conference in the UK at St. John’s College, Durham. After several years of conferences at Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN), the network created the Ecclesial Practices Group at the American Academy of Religion (AAR), where its North American meetings now occur. In recent years, the Ecclesial Practices group has hosted multiple invited panels, calls for papers and workshops at the AAR. The network’s annual gathering in the US now happens in conjunction with the AAR Annual Meeting. The network has also regularly sponsored and supported conferences across Europe including past gatherings in Romania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Who Cares About Your Life Story? Why the Scope of the Memoir You’re Writing Matters |

Who Cares About Your Life Story? Why the Scope of the Memoir You’re Writing Matters |:

So, if you’re going to narrow the focus of your book, how will you decide what the focus will be?

Six Tanzanian children killed 'for body parts' - BBC News

Six Tanzanian children killed 'for body parts' - BBC News:

Six children in south-western Tanzania have been killed and had their ears and teeth removed, the authorities say.

Some of the bodies of the children, aged between two and nine years old, were also missing limbs.

"This is all about superstitious beliefs and many believe they will get help from witchcraft," Njombe District Commissioner Ruth Msafiri said.

Police have detained one suspect, a close relative of three of the children who were from the same family.

Ten children in all have gone missing in Njombe since the beginning of December and four have been found alive.

Six Tanzanian children killed 'for body parts' - BBC News

Six Tanzanian children killed 'for body parts' - BBC News:

Six children in south-western Tanzania have been killed and had their ears and teeth removed, the authorities say.

Some of the bodies of the children, aged between two and nine years old, were also missing limbs.

"This is all about superstitious beliefs and many believe they will get help from witchcraft," Njombe District Commissioner Ruth Msafiri said.

Police have detained one suspect, a close relative of three of the children who were from the same family.

Ten children in all have gone missing in Njombe since the beginning of December and four have been found alive.

India 'witch hunters' kill mother and four children - BBC News

India 'witch hunters' kill mother and four children - BBC News:

Police in India are searching for more suspects in connection with the murder of a woman and her four children who were accused of being "witches".

Six people in the eastern state of Orissa have already been arrested, but police believe more people were involved in the crime.

The bodies of Mangri Munda and her children were found in a well near their home on 26 January.

An open letter of apology to all South Africans | News24

An open letter of apology to all South Africans | News24:

We had witnessed how an oppressive government had been defeated by the people of our country. It was a magical moment.

With this belief, I voted for the ANC in 1994 and 1999.

For this, I offer my most profound apology.

March for Life no place for Trump slogan, says Catholic bishop | Lexington Herald Leader

March for Life no place for Trump slogan, says Catholic bishop | Lexington Herald Leader:

Without engaging the discussion about the context of the viral video or placing the blame entirely on these adolescents, it astonishes me that any students participating in a pro-life activity on behalf of their school and their Catholic faith could be wearing apparel sporting the slogans of a president who denigrates the lives of immigrants, refugees and people from countries that he describes with indecent words and haphazardly endangers with life-threatening policies.

We cannot uncritically ally ourselves with someone with whom we share the policy goal of ending abortion.

I doubt that it is only these students who are not aware that the pro-life movement got its start among peace activists who saw their opposition to abortion as a natural extension of opposition to all forms of violence.

Opinion | How We Destroy Lives Today - The New York Times

Opinion | How We Destroy Lives Today - The New York Times:

these days the social media tail wags the mainstream media dog. If you want your story to be well placed and if you want to be professionally rewarded, you have to generate page views — you have to incite social media. The way to do that is to reinforce the prejudices of your readers.

The Media Wildly Mischaracterized That Video of Covington Catholic Students Confronting a Native American Veteran - Hit & Run : Reason.com

The Media Wildly Mischaracterized That Video of Covington Catholic Students Confronting a Native American Veteran - Hit & Run : Reason.com:

Partial video footage of students from a Catholic high school allegedly harassing a Native American veteran after the anti-abortion March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., over the weekend quickly went viral, provoking widespread condemnation of the kids on social media. Various media figures and Twitter users called for them to be doxed, shamed, or otherwise punished, and school administrators said they would consider expulsion.

But the rest of the video—nearly two hours of additional footage showing what happened before and after the encounter—adds important context that strongly contradicts the media's narrative.

The Binding by Bridget Collins review – magical tale of supernatural books | Books | The Guardian

The Binding by Bridget Collins review – magical tale of supernatural books | Books | The Guardian:

Bridget Collins’s fantasy novel, her first for adults, begins sombrely, with its teenage hero Emmett being sent away from his family farm to become an apprentice to a binder of books. He’s weak after a long illness of a mysterious nature and, from his family’s strained behaviour, we intuit that he’s in some kind of disgrace he doesn’t fully understand. When he arrives at the isolated house of Seredith, the elderly woman to whom he’s apprenticed, it’s both an exile and a haven. He spends his days learning to make endpapers, tool leather, gilding – the delicate physical labour of making beautiful books. But he soon realises that the true work of binding is magical, manifested in the way that lives are turned into stories.

Top 10 Quakers in fiction | Books | The Guardian

Top 10 Quakers in fiction | Books | The Guardian:

From magnanimous Mrs Wilcox in Howards End to the bloodthirsty Captain Bildad in Moby-Dick, these portrayals complicate porridge-oat stereotypes

Persona, Ideology, the Egregore, and Social Media

Persona, Ideology, the Egregore, and Social Media | The Center for Sophiological Studies

Psychopathological complexes (or egregores, if you prefer) can also behave as autonomous beings capable of interfering with the intentions of the individual ego in your local Facebook coterie. In fact, social media may make such generation both more prolific and more effective.

The problem, of course, is we tend to think that this kind of thing happens to other people, but never to us. But how do we stay awake?

10 wasted years: The continued cost of cadre deployment, BEE and professionals leaving SA – The Citizen

10 wasted years: The continued cost of cadre deployment, BEE and professionals leaving SA – The Citizen:

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s call to “think outside the box” about economic growth is akin to closing the stable door after the horse has not only bolted, but already won a race elsewhere.

Mboweni picked Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann as an adviser, knowing full well that Hausmann’s advice on productive knowledge has been flatly ignored by the ANC government since 2008.

Hausmann sees productive knowledge as the key factor separating successful countries from unsuccessful ones, with a lack of productive knowledge retarding economic growth and development.

We need a split of Orthodoxy and the breakdown of Russia, and Ukraine, where betrayal is the norm of public morality, will help us in this - Brzezinski

We need a split of Orthodoxy and the breakdown of Russia, and Ukraine, where betrayal is the norm of public morality, will help us in this - Brzezinski:

American political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski, back in 1997, in his book The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives wrote: “After the victory over communism, we need a split of Orthodoxy and the breakdown of Russia, and Ukraine, where betrayal is the norm of public morality, will help us in this."

“It is unreasonable to stop a schism at the price of the unity of the Orthodox world”—Pat. John of Antioch / OrthoChristian.Com

“It is unreasonable to stop a schism at the price of the unity of the Orthodox world”—Pat. John of Antioch / OrthoChristian.Com:

Pat. John emphasized that the events surrounding the creation of the new church cause concern not only because of the disunion they create in the Orthodox world, but also because the opinion of the Local Orthodox Churches was not taken into account by Constantinople, reports the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Synods, primates, and hierarchs of the Orthodox Churches from around the world continually warned Pat. Bartholomew that unilaterally creating a new church would have disastrous consequences and they called on him to convene a pan-Orthodox council to resolve the matter, though he repeatedly refused.

“We want to see the unity of the Orthodox world strengthened and consolidated,” Pat. John writes. “From your letter, it seems that you have decided to continue the process of granting autocephaly… Therefore, we call upon you to not make any decisions not supported by the consensus of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches. It is unreasonable to stop a schism at the price of the unity of the Orthodox world.”

His Beatitude also expressed confidence that “the most useful thing for peace in the Church, its unity, and for the common Orthodox witness in our world today is to stop and postpone this process until the Ukrainian problem is studied and a pan-Orthodox solution is found.”

ThrillWriting: Does Your Character Need to Access Her Past? Genealogical Searches for Writers with Juliette Godot

ThrillWriting: Does Your Character Need to Access Her Past? Genealogical Searches for Writers with Juliette Godot:

Using a genealogical search as part of a plotline has always been a fascinating topic to me. Recently I met Juliette Godot on Twitter and asked if she'd mind letting me pick her thoughts a bit on the subject.

ThrillWriting: Hug-a-Tree: Keeping Our Youngest Characters (and our real-life kiddos) Alive in the Woods with Jacquie Beveridge

ThrillWriting: Hug-a-Tree: Keeping Our Youngest Characters (and our real-life kiddos) Alive in the Woods with Jacquie Beveridge:

Now, I know that this is a writers' blog. But I have always felt that we fiction writers have a great opportunity to educate. By writing a scene correctly into a novel - a mother or father might learn something that could save their family from the devastation of losing a child. This is why I invited Jacquie to visit with us - so we can teach writers how to write it right and keep our youngest characters and our real-life kiddos safe.

The Left Side of the Church

The Left Side of the Church:

The fiftieth anniversary of 1968 has occasioned much reflection on that pivotal moment in the twentieth century. If the quintessential image of that year of upheaval is students assembling barricades in the Paris streets, or protests at Berkeley against the Vietnam War, it was also marked by challenges to political and social power throughout the world. Curiously overlooked, however, is the gathering in Colombia of the Medellin Conference of Latin American Bishops — a pivotal event in the development of liberation theology throughout Latin America. The declarations of the conference broke new ground in expanding the notion of theological “liberation” to imply a positive humanizing process, and attacking the political, social, and economic structures that kept millions of Latin Americans poor and oppressed.

The Story of the Famous and Foolish Children’s Crusade | About History

The Story of the Famous and Foolish Children’s Crusade | About History:

This Children’s Crusade was not an army of children, and it was not a crusade. Indeed, it was not even one thing, but a blanket term used to describe a variety of popular uprisings and processions. At its core was the long-held medieval belief in holy poverty—that the poor of Christ could achieve things by their pious righteousness that church prelates and secular lords could not. These were the kinds of ideas that gave birth to and propelled the “People’s Crusade” in the wake of the preaching of the First Crusade. Since then, Christians had become disillusioned by the failure of powerful crusades to achieve their stated goals. Perhaps, they reasoned, it was the weak and humble that Christ was calling to victory in the Holy Land. Had he not preached, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”.

Putin Runs The Russian State--And The Russian Church Too

Putin Runs The Russian State--And The Russian Church Too:

Kirill, who was the Metropolitan of Smolensk, succeeds Alexei II who died in December after 18 years as head of the Russian Church. According to material from the Soviet archives, Kirill was a KGB agent (as was Alexei). This means he was more than just an informer, of whom there were millions in the Soviet Union. He was an active officer of the organization. Neither Kirill nor Alexei ever acknowledged or apologized for their ties with the security agencies.

Ukraine: Poroshenko Embraces Orthodox Church as Political Ally - Bloomberg

Ukraine: Poroshenko Embraces Orthodox Church as Political Ally - Bloomberg:

On Dec. 15, Poroshenko attended the unification conference even though the Ukrainian Constitution ensures the separation of church and state. He told the audience of priests that spiritual independence was as important as the political kind. He described the prospective granting of autocephaly as a step toward Ukraine’s decolonization from Russia.

Liveleak.com - Ukrainian Church of the CIA?

Liveleak.com - Ukrainian Church of the CIA?:

After Ukrainian president Poroshenko announced creation of new "united" Ukrainian Orthodox church, Head of unrecognized Ukrainian Orthodox church and close ally of Ukrainian president Poroshenko patriarch Filaret awarded the order of St. Andrew the Apostle, church highest award, to Jack Devine for "support of the independence of Ukraine and the creation of a single local Ukrainian Orthodox Church."

Beyond Disease Transmission: Evangelical Missions and the Consequences of Colonialism | The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer

Beyond Disease Transmission: Evangelical Missions and the Consequences of Colonialism | The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer:

The reasons for this spread, in addition to contact with infected outsiders, were due to the disruption of indigenous foodways. The Russian and American commodification of Alaska’s forests and animals devastated regions where people survived by hunting and gathering. According to former Alaskan public health worker Penelope S. Easton, many of the food and care providers in indigenous communities quickly died off from tuberculosis and other diseases. These realities introduced widespread poverty and malnutrition, two significant risk factors for the spread of tuberculosis.

It in this season of mass death that many Protestant missionaries entered Alaska. Many missionaries saw the malnourishment, the strange homes, the alcoholism, and the disease, and concluded that Native Alaskans needed the gospel of civilization to save them from complete ruin. As missionaries established orphanages and industrial schools in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many instituted policies restricting the use of Native languages and the consumption of traditional Native foods.

Connecticut bishop appoints laywoman to lead parish

Connecticut bishop appoints laywoman to lead parish:

Less than two months after serving as delegate in the Bishops Synod on Youth which called women’s leadership within the Church “a duty of justice,” Bishop Frank Caggiano has established a new leadership model in a Connecticut parish, appointing a woman to serve as parish life coordinator.

The appointment of Dr. Eleanor W. Sauers, which was announced on Sunday in a letter to parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua in Fairfield, Connecticut, grants Sauers decision-making authority over a team of priests who will be responsible for sacramental ministry.

How to End a Novel: Writing Strong Story Endings | Now Novel

How to End a Novel: Writing Strong Story Endings | Now Novel:

1. Leave readers guessing: The open-ended story
2. Bring readers full circle: Ending where you began
3. Pull the rug from beneath their feet: Shocking twist endings
4. Create feel-good lingering: ‘Happily ever after’ endings
5. Build in ‘what next?’ – Cliffhanger endings
6. Create complex resolutions: Combining ending types
7. Avoid cliched and unsatisfying story endings: Ending ‘don’ts’

Christopher Tolkien and the legacy of his father J.R.R. Tolkien: The Steward of Middle-earth

Christopher Tolkien and the legacy of his father J.R.R. Tolkien: The Steward of Middle-earth:

In 1975, Christopher Tolkien left his fellowship at New College, Oxford, to edit his late father’s massive legendarium. The prospect was daunting. The 50-year-old medievalist found himself confronted with 70 boxes of unpublished work. Thousands of pages of notes and fragments and poems, some dating back more than six decades, were stuffed haphazardly into the boxes. Handwritten texts were hurriedly scrawled in pencil and annotated with a jumble of notes and corrections. One early story was drafted in a high school exercise book.

C.S. Lewis And J.R.R. Tolkien: The Unpayable Debt of Writing Friends (Throwback Thursday) | A Pilgrim in Narnia

C.S. Lewis And J.R.R. Tolkien: The Unpayable Debt of Writing Friends (Throwback Thursday) | A Pilgrim in Narnia:

A now-famous literary pact between Tolkien and Lewis, “Tollers” and “Jack,” confirms how different their approach was. Here Humphrey Carpenter records Tolkien’s recollection of a conversation they had, with Lewis speaking first:

“Tollers, there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves.” We agreed’ (said Tolkien) ‘that he should try “space-travel”, and I should try “time-travel”. (Humphrey Carpenter, Tolkien, 190).

C.S. Lewis’ space travel story, Out of the Silent Planet, appeared quickly in 1938. We don’t get to see what Tolkien was working on until after he died.

The Philosophy of Our Time | Boston Review

The Philosophy of Our Time | Boston Review:

Nearly forty years after his death in 1980, the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre is best remembered as the father of existentialism. We are most familiar with him as the theorist of freedom, authenticity, and bad faith in philosophical treatises such as Being and Nothingness (1943) and literary works such as Nausea (1938) and No Exit (1944). But eclipsed in this popular image is an appreciation of the staggering range of his dozens of volumes of published work, especially the fruit of his political activity from the end of World War II until his death—a period marked most notably by a rich and sustained engagement with Marxism.

Far from being consigned to the ash heap of history, the mid-century encounter between Marxism and existentialism remains vital today. As we seek political and philosophical bearings in this time of renewed calls for a socialist alternative to capitalism, postwar efforts to bring Marxism and existentialism together have much to teach us—not only because of the continuing importance of each mode of thought to political thinking and organizing, but also because their interaction in Sartre’s work deepens our understanding of how we exercise agency under conditions we do not control.

The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Existentialist | OUPblog

The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Existentialist | OUPblog:

Sartre’s talk “Existentialism is a Humanism” was an instant legend. The venue was packed, the crowd spilling into the street. Furniture got broken. People fainted and were carried outside. Sartre had to push his way through to the podium, where he delivered a speech entirely off the cuff. Unsurprisingly, in the circumstances, it was rather sketchy and occasionally inconsistent.

Beauvoir’s altogether more coherent account was published a few weeks later as “Existentialism and Popular Wisdom” in the third issue of Les Temps Modernes, the cultural and political journal the pair had founded.
These were the keynotes of their rich programme of talks, articles, plays, and novels, which firmly established the fifth and sixth arrondisements of Paris as the centre of European intellectual innovation.

Hackers Are Targeting Createspace Author Accounts - The Book Designer

Hackers Are Targeting Createspace Author Accounts - The Book Designer:

Authors who have an account on Createspace should go change their passwords immediately — and while they’re at it, they should also double check their payment details.
Reports of Hacking

This story has for the most part been ignored by the press, but starting some time in March or April 2018, hackers began to target author accounts on Createspace.

I have read multiple independent reports in several closed Facebook groups, Reddit, and on Kbaords dated in April, June, July, August, and as late as the first week of November from authors who say that someone hacked their CS account.

Writers On The Move: The Three Most Important Components for Publishing Ebooks

Writers On The Move: The Three Most Important Components for Publishing Ebooks:

Formatting. I list this last because most e-book services like Amazon, Createspace, BookBaby etc. make it clear that formatting is essential and provide guidelines for getting it right. I included expanded step-by-step instructions for formatting your book for Kindle in the Appendix of my multi award-winning book on editing, The Frugal Editor.

Note:You should know that when a reader buys your e-book on Amazon, he or she gets to choose what reader format they prefer for his or her preferred device after clicking the buy button. When you use Createspace/KDP, you reach most everyone short of those who refuse to buy from Amazon and you save accounting time tracking different online e-book distributors. You will also saves time reformatting from a print version to an e-book and get distribution and marketing benefits when you use them exclusively.

PS: The fourth most important component of e-books is marketing. No e-book—no book!—is truly published if it hasn’t been marketed. It’s part of the publisher’s job no matter how it is published or who the publisher is. And if it is self-published, marketing is as much the author’s job as the writing of the book. Everything you need to know to market your book the way a professional would if you had the money to hire her is in The Frugal Book Promoter

SOCIALISTS LOSE PROPERTY IN REICH; All Party's Holdings and Those of Reichsbanner Attached for Eventual Union Claims. PAPERS' PLANTS INCLUDED Nazis Announce Corruption Proved and Union Funds Turned Over for Political Purposes. - The New York Times

SOCIALISTS LOSE PROPERTY IN REICH; All Party's Holdings and Those of Reichsbanner Attached for Eventual Union Claims. PAPERS' PLANTS INCLUDED Nazis Announce Corruption Proved and Union Funds Turned Over for Political Purposes. - The New York Times:

BERLIN, May 10. -- By order of the State prosecuting attorney in Berlin, the entire property of the German Socialist party throughout the Reich, including its newspapers, their publishing plants and the property of the Reichsbanner, has been attached to serve as security for eventual claims of the trade unions.

The Gay Love Stories of Moomin and the Queer Radicality of Tove Jansson | Autostraddle

The Gay Love Stories of Moomin and the Queer Radicality of Tove Jansson | Autostraddle:

Jansson’s queerness is often left out in stories of her life. Puffin editions of Moomin books talked about how she lived alone on her Finnish island; documentaries still talk of Pietil as a lifelong friend. Jansson is no
 misnomer, rather, she fits in neatly with the trend of avoiding the personal lives of gay people
 – particularly lesbians – that exists to this day.

De Lille; a sobering, brief history of her political time – Ed Herbst - BizNews.com

De Lille; a sobering, brief history of her political time – Ed Herbst - BizNews.com:

For those readers who think Patricia de Lille is something of a national hero for her part in exposing the arms deal that gave us an early heads up on Zuma and his then-incipient army of Zuptoids, reading this will make them think again. The kindest interpretation one can make of veteran journalist Ed Herbst’s time line on her many public statements over the years is that she’s a loose cannon of note, that she trims her sails to the prevailing political winds and brashly tailors her message to whatever audience, regardless of the wider truth.

Russia, Ukraine, and the Orthodox Church | Council on Foreign Relations

Russia, Ukraine, and the Orthodox Church | Council on Foreign Relations:

President Poroshenko and the Ukrainian legislature, the Rada, were crucial actors in the move towards a canonically legitimate national Orthodox church. One of the president’s key advisors, Rostyslav Pavleko, was charged with a long-term effort to lead out to the leaders of the world’s Orthodox churches and their home governments to build support for the process that was occurring and the dialogue that was ongoing with the Constantinople patriarch. And so that it was in fact a parliamentary resolution which was cited by the patriarch as one of the triggers for action by Constantinople.

Two Jesuits on the religious history behind witches, magic and Halloween | America Magazine

Two Jesuits on the religious history behind witches, magic and Halloween | America Magazine:

The historical witch hunt that people usually have in mind is not medieval; it is a little more recent than that. When we think of the witches who were burned or prosecuted, we are talking about something that emerges in the 15th century and lasts until the end of the 18th century.

In this period, a witch was defined as a person who made a pact with the devil. The pact was usually sealed by sexual intercourse with the devil, and witches formed a community of evildoers, gathering regularly at so-called sabbats. The pacts are what made their evil so powerful.

No evidence of ‘white genocide’ in SA, say experts – The Citizen

No evidence of ‘white genocide’ in SA, say experts – The Citizen:

There is no evidence of a genocide of white people or a specific group in the white community, according to an ISS senior consultant.

Telling the world there is a “white genocide” in South Africa to attract international attention is reckless, as no one has provided evidence of it, according to political experts.

As flags flew at half-mast at the US embassy in Pretoria yesterday to mourn the 11 people killed in a massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue by a white nationalist, a group called Black Monday gathered outside the embassy claiming to be telling the world about white genocide in South Africa.

What the ‘Grievance Studies’ Hoax Means - The Chronicle of Higher Education

What the ‘Grievance Studies’ Hoax Means - The Chronicle of Higher Education:

To hoax morally suspect fields like economics, one of the fake papers concocted by James Lindsay, Helen Pluckrose, and Peter Boghossian and accepted for publication in Hypatia argued, is morally righteous. To hoax morally righteous fields like gender studies, on the other hand, is morally suspect.

This hilarious little piece of meta-textualism shows that the scholars behind Sokal Squared are more conversant in postmodern discourse — and more attuned to its lighter modes — than some of their critics seem to assume. It also shows that they know their enemies well enough to predict their reactions with uncanny accuracy.

Mount Athos, a Male-Only Holy Retreat, Is Ruffled by Tourists and Russia - The New York Times

Mount Athos, a Male-Only Holy Retreat, Is Ruffled by Tourists and Russia - The New York Times:

For almost as long as there have been monks here, women have been barred — considered a distraction and undue competition for the Virgin Mary, the patron saint. There are no hotels, no bars, no stores, no television and no swimming, plus a daily quota limits visitors.

Travelers arrive on boats providing the only public access to the peninsula. Collectively, the monasteries play host to an average of 1,200 people nightly, all without charge.

The difficult access and the high monastery walls once built against marauding pirates seemed to keep time at bay, too, but now the modern world penetrates on cellphone signals and internet connections.

Here's What's Really Going on with the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and Russia | The National Interest

Here's What's Really Going on with the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and Russia | The National Interest:

I am starting to get annoyed at the number of commentators who have no background in Orthodox ecclesiology and scant knowledge of Byzantine, Ukrainian and Russian history or about the contemporary realities of religious life throughout the former Soviet Union. These pundits nevertheless feel confident to deliver sweeping pronouncements about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church situation and its ramifications for the Moscow Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church as a whole. At a minimum, one would hope that anyone offering commentary would be well versed in the disputes over the interpretations of the canons of the Council of Chalcedon (451), the controversy over the creation of the Autocephalous Polish Orthodox Church nearly a century ago (in 1924), and the significance of the Pochaiv conclave (which attempted to create a unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 1942). Ignorance of these and other developments should be seen as disqualifying to offering anything that purports to be an expert opinion on the matter.

Whiteness Is Blackness, and Blackness Is Whiteness - Commentary

Whiteness Is Blackness, and Blackness Is Whiteness - Commentary:

In its most basic form, intersectionality is a theory that posits interlinked and intersecting forms of oppression. For example, a woman of color can experience discrimination for being both a woman and a person of color; this sounds logical enough, but its deeper claim is that human interaction arises not from an individual’s behavior but is entirely due to the social group to which he or she belongs. Additionally, all so-called knowledge is merely the subjective reality of one’s group. Knowledge is a construct, not an independent thing. Finally, the proponents of intersectionality believe that the only social motive that exists is power.

What Really Happened in Constantinople Last Week

What Really Happened in Constantinople Last Week:

Although this decision seems to deal with the remote past, it has a wide array of political and ecclesial implications that apply today. The most important ecclesial implication is that the schism in Ukraine has effectively ended. Those faithful who belonged to unrecognized Orthodox churches are now in communion with the rest of Orthodox churches worldwide. The leaders of the unrecognized churches were restored to their episcopal and priestly degrees. Constantinople thus exercised its right to entertain appeals from outside its own jurisdiction. Constantinople also invited these churches to form a new ecclesial structure, which it intends to grant full independence (or autocephaly) by issuing a founding document, called a Tomos, to it.

Putin Is the Biggest Loser of Orthodox Schism - Bloomberg

Putin Is the Biggest Loser of Orthodox Schism - Bloomberg:

Moscow’s only hope in this lose-lose situation is that Ukrainians will shoot themselves in the foot, as they’ve often done before. To receive autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Ukrainian Christians must unite and select a leader. Whether this will happen depends in part on the two clerics reinstated by the Ecumenical Patriarchate – Filaret, who was excommunicated by the Russian church in 1997 for splitting off the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, and Metropolitan Makariy, who runs the relatively small Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

Ukraine Is Dangerously Close to a Religious War - Bloomberg

Ukraine Is Dangerously Close to a Religious War - Bloomberg:

So far, Russia has taken a hard line. The Moscow Patriarchate has portrayed autocephaly in Ukraine as an unacceptable catastrophe. It has officially condemned Bartholomew’s intention to grant Poroshenko’s request, and has even stopped using Bartholomew’s name in prayers. Given the stakes, it’s entirely possible that factional violence could break out, much as happened when Russia incited parts of Eastern Ukraine to seek independence. To prevent that from happening, Russian and Ukrainian leaders must display wisdom and restraint.

Russia, Ukraine, and the battle for religion | European Council on Foreign Relations

Russia, Ukraine, and the battle for religion | European Council on Foreign Relations:

There are no fewer than three main Orthodox churches in Ukraine. Why so many? One of these, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), was set up in 1921 but banned under Stalin in 1930. It survived in the diaspora and returned to Ukraine in 1990. The current trio derives from an unsuccessful attempt in 1992, just after Ukraine’s political independence in 1991, to broker a merger between the UAOC and the existing Orthodox hierarchy in Ukraine. The merger created a new church, dubbed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kievan Patriarchate (OUC-KP). But there was resistance on both sides: many in the UAOC refused to join, because they saw the existing Orthodox hierarchy as compromised by the KGB. While most of that compromised hierarchy refused to join the Kievan Patriarchate, for additional reasons of ‘canonicity’, traditionalism, and Russian nationalism. They remained under the Russian church, but relabelled it as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate (OUC-MP). Just for good measure, there is a fourth church, the Greek Catholic Church – half-Orthodox and half-Catholic – banned in 1946, but revived in 1989, largely based in western Ukraine.

“The Church does not bow to politicians”—Patriarch of Alexandria / OrthoChristian.Com

“The Church does not bow to politicians”—Patriarch of Alexandria / OrthoChristian.Com:

Pat. Theodoros also reiterated that he would speak to the primates of all the Local Orthodox Churches about what he “has seen with his own eyes” in Ukraine, as he promised in Odessa, here adding, “I will also tell all the patriarchs that the Church does not bow to politicians. The Church has the Apostolic rules… The canonical Church is guided by the canons. It lives by and will live by the canons.”

Hierarchs from around the Orthodox world have criticized Ukraine’s political interference in Church matters, and a Kiev district court recently decided to hear a case on President Poroshenko’s competency to interfere in Church affairs.

Ukraine Is Dangerously Close to a Religious War - Bloomberg

Ukraine Is Dangerously Close to a Religious War - Bloomberg:

For several centuries, since the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Moscow has pretended to the role of a “Third Rome” — a political and religious capital that would unite the Orthodox world, or at least its Slavic part. To that end, in the 17th century, the Russian church subsumed its Ukrainian neighbor. Even after the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, most Orthodox believers in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus remained united under one spiritual leader, the Patriarch of Moscow. In 2016, Putin inaugurated a colossal statue of St. Vladimir, the Grand Prince of Kiev who established Russian Orthodoxy, next to the Kremlin — indicating that Russia aspires to be his true heir.

Solzhenitsyn and Distributism

Solzhenitsyn and Distributism:

At first sight, it would seem that G.K. Chesterton and Alexander Solzhenitsyn have very little in common. The one has a reputation for jollity and rambunctiousness, the other for sobriety and solemn sternness. One penned swashbuckling fantasies about lovable eccentrics, the other wrote gritty works of realism set in prison camps or cancer wards. Although both have been described as prophets, Chesterton is a laughing prophet, capering with the anarchic joie de vivre of St. Francis; Solzhenitsyn, on the other hand, is a searingly serious seer, blasting the follies of the age with the excoriating scorn of a modern-day Jeremiah. In spite of such appearances to the contrary, and as I hope to show, these two giants of twentieth century literature are, in fact, kindred spirits who share the same political philosophy and the same religious orthodoxy.

How to build your own Neural Network from scratch in Python

How to build your own Neural Network from scratch in Python:

How to build your own Neural Network from scratch in Python
A beginner’s guide to understanding the inner workings of Deep Learning

The English Language is doomed

Robert Fisk on the decline of English

My favourite is “space”. I belong to a generation in which space usually related to Outer Space, in which my British comic hero Dan Dare forever battled the Mekon, the over-brained monster who sought world dictatorship over all science from a levitating chair. More mundanely, “space” was the rather dull word my mum and dad used in furnishing a room. Is there enough “space” for the wardrobe in the upstairs bedroom? But no more.
Here, from my personal collection of clippings over 15 years – all can be referenced to the culprits if readers desire – are new uses for “space”:

“A spectacular space in which exploration in depth can take place” (Tony Blair describing a London house in which “interfaith interaction” can occur); “a socially relevant space” (film director Katherine Bigelow talking of her movie work environment); the “spaces created by imperial rule” (Edinburgh University Press on British rule in Aden); “to create a space for alternative thinking and writing” (Denis MacShane on Polish leader Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s cooperation with communist rule); “a functioning commercial space”, “bar-restaurant space”, “non-commercial space”, “public house space”, “two-storey space” and lots of other “spaces” (an English-language Lebanese paper reviewing a cafe in a 19th century Beirut building); “air exhibition space”, “performance space”, and “well-curated space” (all from a Vancouver art gallery brochure); “a reclaiming of space” (an FT reviewer on women in Paris); “a space for different arguments” (an Irish Times feature on a Northern Ireland human rights festival); “to retain a space” (Cambridge historian Hugh Drocon on Nietzsche); and “a radical step change in our development of leaders who can shape and articulate a compelling vision and who are skilled and robust enough to create spaces of safe uncertainty [sic] in which the Kingdom grows” (the Church of England on training bishops).