Finally: Diamond and Silk are releasing a book – The Spectator USA

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Whenever Cockburn has watched Diamond and Silk, whether theyre getting a heroes welcome at CPAC or sassing a left-wing celebrity in one of their viral videos, the same thought has always crossed his mind: when will this dynamic duo claim their rightful mantle in the literary pantheon? When can he sit down and peruse 256 pages of their incisive political commentary, as they follow in the footsteps of William F. Buckley Jr. and Ayn Rand and advance American conservative thought?

Mercifully, the wait is over.

The African American Trump-loving duo, real names Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, who sailed to notoriety throughout the 2016 campaign, release their debut book Uprising: Who the Hell Said You Cant Ditch and Switch? The Awakening of Diamond and Silk on August 18.

The description for the book reads:

Coming on the threshold of what promises to be the most acrimonious presidential election in American history, Diamond and Silks book will be a rallying cry for tens of millions of Americans who are tired of being told what to think and whom to vote for. Diamond and Silks story is one of overcoming poverty and shame and choosing victory over victimhood. Theirs is a story that defies the lefts narrative and that the mainstream media refuses to acknowledge, accept, and respect.

A press release from Regnery, which Cockburn has elected to publish in full below, offers further insight:

Uprising: Who the Hell Says You Cant Ditch and Switch The Awakening of Diamond and Silk depicts the against-all-odds rise of two virtually invisible black sisters from North Carolina sharecropping roots to become the spark and emblem of one of the greatest political revolutions in American history. Epochal and cinematic, intensely personal and revealing, Uprising is a clarion call for Americans of every star, stripe and heart. It reveals the never before told story of the resilient Hardaway family (we knew all we had was each other), their army veteran patriarch and pious mother, the sisters turbulent coming of age and struggle for economic security, their unlikely political awakening and unplanned journey into the world of bare knuckles politics and dirty media. Given over in the same gospel duet for which theyre famous, Diamond and Silks memoir is a Frank Capra-esque little guy against the bosses Cinderella story for the ages, with a starring role for the American working class.

At this fateful moment in history, when the political party of the protected is using violence and censorship to maintain its grip on the culture and keep people of color on the Democrat plantation, the story of authentic black women factory laborers who lost faith in the shibboleths of their corrupt Democrat bosses cries out to be told, including:

Diamond and Silks love for a revolutionary president, their biblical beliefs, authenticity and dominance of the 21st century alleyways of political dissent make them as dangerous to the establishment as Dick Gregory and Lenny Bruce were a few generations ago. Carried to the ramparts by the People, Lynette [sic] Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson have risen to become two of the most powerful women in America. And so once again, the establishment is using opprobrium, censorship and death threats to silence dissent. The arrogance and violence of the Harvard & Hamptons crowd has made Diamond and Silk all the more determined to give witness to the truth. The permanent elite will do anything to stop Uprising but there are too many of us now.

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Diamond and Silk built a following thanks to their unfiltered, saucy approach to politics. This also proved their source of hamartia: the pairhave been sadly absent from Fox News in recent months, after suggesting COVID-19 was a plandemic, speculating that deep state snakes were using 5G to disperse the virus in certain locations and declaring that theyd refuse to take any vaccine involving Bill Gates.

As Cockburn has previously mentioned, Trumps acolytes will often earn a book plug on the Presidents Twitter feed. Perhaps the same treatment would help see Diamond and Silk back onto the road to the intellectual immortality for which theyve long seemed destined.

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Finally: Diamond and Silk are releasing a book - The Spectator USA

Exploring the Highs & Lows of Medical School Through Poetry – BrownGirlMag

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Several years ago, I started medical school with a great deal of optimism and idealism. I think most of us do at the onset. I beheld the esteemed profession with enormous respect and reverence. Doctors can transform social determinants of health. They can hold the fate of lives in their hands. They can bring dead bodies back to life. They can carve cancer out of bodies. They can alleviate pain and suffering. Doctors are noble, selfless and sacrificial. That is who I thought my mentors, colleagues and teachers would bewho I would be. Some of this came from public perception of the physician. Some of this came from the perfection that the medical school application process demanded of applicants given the highly rigorous competition.

As I went through the journey of medical school, I realized the reality that lurks beneath the surface. Medicine is an ancient profession and it subsequently brings with it the ugly scars of ancient traditions, historical injustices, and discrimination. Compounded to this, the power dynamics and hierarchies built into medicine prevent it from responding to changing times as nimbly as other disciplines. I describe some of my run-ins with these scars in this poem.

He looked at you with his earnest undergrad eyesThe ones that were taught to glorify doctorsThe ones who studied orgo for 7 hours todayThe ones that were told the MD was unachievableAnd the same ones that defied this with an edge of cocky and a VR of 15And he asked, whats medical school like?

I stared blankly.

Medical school was like eating cake at midnight on your birthday to your phones silenceit was the first year that your sister didnt callThe first of many, I guess.Having the crows feet and shitty complexion set in even when youre the youngest in your classAsking the man who mocked sexual assault awareness for a reference letterNot being able to tell your dean that the reason you hate rural living is because you were stalked and harassed by a bloody mary of white supremacy and revenge pornStaring at death and sickness, and feeling nothingLaughing along at how Hamilton is sketchy in the office of public health

Being asked what your hobbies are at a 100 hour/week job interview and laughing in the faces of sombre-faced surgeons who were too offended to laugh with you, even uncomfortably.A paramedic asking you why Black people just cant be betterA bunch of disconnected fucks in disconnected cities in the homes of men who narrated Crooked Hillary and asked you to laugh at their Indians dont know English jokes so they could feel less racistWatching your spirit-woman goddess of a mother get sicker without being able to do anythingno matter how much studying & education & tuition dollarswhat an asymptoteTreating racists and sexists and homophobesBecoming a racist and sexist and homophobefor the sake of survivalBeing the pedestal for white men in your professional life now, toowhat else is newLAR is low anterior resection, I whisperedNot being able to explain your identity with all of the words you knowand mind you, you know a lot of words because well, IB English:MD, medical school, doctor. Dr. Doctor.So what does that make you? A nurse? they ask matter-of-factly.

Standing in your colleagues waterfront apartment and feeling like you dont deserve itListening to a doctor tell you how being in the top 1% isnt enough while being blinded by the flash of his BenzThinking you deserve the world because of the phenomenon known as the sacrifices of the 20sGaining 15 lbs on your daily hospital breakfasthospitals arent for health, silly.Never practicing what you preach and always skipping lunchResist changing the system so maybe you didnt have to skip lunchExpecting everyone else to skip lunch because you skipped lunchDemanding more money, because, wellyou skipped lunch goddamit

Medical school is simultaneously too much, too intenseLike every woman within itSo much so that I cant process it all enough to muster up an answerAnd also not nearly enoughNot enough of what I needed and wanted and expectedNot enough of what the public needs and wants and expects.

Medical school is likeWhen I asked him to gag and choke and slap me last nightAnd it felt good.Medical school is likeWhen he left promptly after matting up my belly hair in the middle of the nightAnd left me to finish his wineIn the good company of:my painmy inability to cryDrakes rip-off of Lauryn Hilland my 23rd birthday

Medical school is great, I replied.

So then he asked, would you do it over again?And I answered, when asked to choose between my man and my careerI had chosen my career.Theres your answer.Not just because he had asked the question in the first placeA question I had not asked himAnd nor would anyone elseBecause well, Doctor Mister Him He Deep Voice Big Bicep Penis Between His Legs.

But because the echoes of the U of T kid flashed backIts an abusive relationship.But I will always go back, he had said.

He was not wrong.U of T kids are wrong about many thingsLike eye contactAnd be-ing hu-man.And work-life balanceBut they are never wrong in the genre of philosophical masochism.

And so, I will always go back.

Kali is a South Asian and Canadian poet, resident doctor, feminist and social justice warrior.

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Exploring the Highs & Lows of Medical School Through Poetry - BrownGirlMag

UAB professor, recruiter talks importance of diversity in School of Medicine – WVTM13

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UAB professor, recruiter talks importance of diversity in School of Medicine

Updated: 11:04 PM CDT Jul 21, 2020

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GUY: HEALTH CARE WORKERS HAVE BECOME SOME OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL FOLKS DURING THIS PANDEMIC, AND EVEN MORE ARE NEEDED. UAB MEDICAL PROFESSOR, DR. RAEGAN DURANT, JOINS US TONIGHT TO TALK MORE ABOUT RECRUITING BLACK STUDENTS FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THI EVENING. THE COVID-19 VIRUS HAS SIGNIFICANLTY EXPOSED HEALTHCARE DEFICIENCIES IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT COMES UP IS THE BLACK COMMUNITYS DISTRUST OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IM SURE THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS WHY THAT IS. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS? DR. DURANT: THE DISTRUST IS EMBLEMATIC OF BROADER DISTRUST OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. MUCH OF THE INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN DISSEMINATED RELATIVE TO COVID-19, THE PANDEMIC. I THINK WHAT WE SEE IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNI IS THAT DISTRUST MAY BE EVEN MORE INTENSE DUE TO THE LEGACY OF DISCRIMINATION, LEGACY OF ABUSE IN MEDICINE AND RESEARCH. ALL OF THOSE THINGS COMBINE TO LEAD TO A HEIGHTENED LEVEL OF SUSPICION. GUY: 13% OF THE TOTAL POPULATION IS BLACK BUT ONLY 5% OF DOCTORS ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN. WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT NUMBER IS NOT HIGHER? DR. DURANT ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES OF INCREASING THE NUMBER OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THE PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE IS JUST THE PATHWAY. YOU HAVE TO START WITH PEOPLE APPLYING FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL AND THEN OF COURSE PURSUING CAREERS IN MEDICINE. THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS IS DISPROPORTIONATELY SMALL. THE KEY IS INCREASING THE NUMBER OF -- GU HOW DOES SEEING SOMEONE LIKE YOU IN THE WHITE COAT IN YOUR DOCTORS OFFICE AFFECT OVERALL HEALTH CARE? DR. DURANT YOU KNOW, IT H POTENTIALLY A VARIETY OF EFFECTS. IN SOME RESPECTS, GENERALIZATION HOWEVER, THERE ARE OFTEN TIMES I WALK IN TO A PATIENTS ROOM, IVE NEVER MET THEM BEFORE, IT IS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PATIENT, AND THERE IS A LOOK OF SURPRISE. A PLEASANT SURPRISE. I THINK IT IS COMFORTING FOR SOME AFRICAN-AMERICANS BECAUSE THERE IS A PRESUMPTION OF A SHARED BACKGROUND AND CULTURAL FRAMEWORK. ON T WHOLE, IT CAN BE REASSURING. THAT IS NOT TO SAY IN THOSE INSTANCE WHEN AN AFRICAN AMERICAN PATIENT IS SEEIN SOMEONE OF ANOTHER RACE THAT DR. CANNOT CONNECT WITH THE PATIENT IN AN EFFECTIVE MANNER. BUT THERE IS A SHARED CONNECTION OFTENTIMES WHEN AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PATIENT SEES AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PHYSICIAN. GUY: IN RECRUITING WHAT ROADBLOCKS DO YOU COME ACROSS TO BRING MORE AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO THE BUSINESS OF DOCTORING? DR. DURANT: THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES. ONE OF THEM IS JUST ROLE MODELS. THEN IT BECOMES A CHICKEN AND EGG PHENOMENON. NAMELY THAT THERE ARE TO FEW AFRICAN-AMERICAN PHYSICIANS CURRENTLY AND THAT RESULTS IN FEWER ROLE MODELS FOR YOUNG STUDENTS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN MEDICINE. THEREFORE IF OF THEM CHOOSE A CAREER IN MEDICINE. THERE ARE ALSO STRUCTURAL BARRIERS IN THAT MEDICAL EDUCATION AS WELL AS ALL HIGHER EDUCATION AT THIS POINT IS VERY EXPENSIVE. $40,000 TO GET A MEDICAL DEGREE THESE DAYS. IF YOU HAVE A PERSON -- PEOPLE LIKE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SWORDS PROPORTIONATELY F -- WHO ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY POOR, THAT MAKES IT HARDER IN TERMS OF WHAT CAN BE ALLOCATED AND WHAT IS AVAILABLE. STATISTICS HAVE SHOWN AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE MORE LIKELY TO FALL IN THE HIGHEST CATEGORY OF DEBT FOLLOWING UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS. ALL OF THESE THINGS COMBINED, THE ABSENCE OF ROLE MODELS, THE MONEY NEEDED TO RECEIVE A MEDICAL EDUCATION, AND FRANKLY, THE TIME INVESTED ALL OF THOSE THINGS COMBINE TO CHALLENGES TO RECRUITING AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

UAB professor, recruiter talks importance of diversity in School of Medicine

Updated: 11:04 PM CDT Jul 21, 2020

WVTM 13's Guy Rawlings interviews Dr. Raegan Durant, a professor and recruiter at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, about the importance of diversity in UAB's medical school program. Watch the full interview in the video above.The MD program has a diversity dashboard that can be viewed by clicking here. To contact Dr. Durant, click here.

WVTM 13's Guy Rawlings interviews Dr. Raegan Durant, a professor and recruiter at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, about the importance of diversity in UAB's medical school program. Watch the full interview in the video above.

The MD program has a diversity dashboard that can be viewed by clicking here.

To contact Dr. Durant, click here.

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UAB professor, recruiter talks importance of diversity in School of Medicine - WVTM13

From Facemasks to Medical Masks: Jared and Jeremy Watson – Bama Maven

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My first symptom was fatigue and then a headache, Jeremy Watson said. From there I started to lose my feel of smell and taste and a couple of days after losing my sense of smell I started to feel very very weak and also started to feel this pins and needles-type sensation in my skin. From there I started to have worse headaches and my fever kicked in."

After being tested, Watson discovered his concerns had been realized: he had contracted COVID-19.

The story of Jared and Jeremy Watson might not be the most well-known tale among Alabama football fans, but that does not make it an uninteresting one.

Raised in the Tuscaloosa area, Northport to be specific, the twins were understandably inseparable from birth. They did nearly everything together, and both had aspirations to do what many young boys in the state of Alabama wish to do when they grow up.

Growing up in the Tuscaloosa area I feel like its every little boys dream to play for Alabama, Jeremy said. That was just something that I always wanted to do.

Football wasnt the only dream, though. At a very young age, both came to the realization of what career they wanted after their football-playing days were over.

We both wanted to be doctors since we were about five years old, Jared said. We actually remember sitting on the floor drawing little comic books one day and we told our mom and dad that we would be football-playing doctors in space.

So far, so good.

Courtesy of Jared and Jeremy Watson

After playing as wide receivers for Tuscaloosa County High School, they graduated and headed to the University of Alabama on academic scholarships in the fall of 2010 to begin the process of becoming doctors.

After their freshman year and establishing themselves as pre-med students, the time was finally right to pursue their other passion.

We were pretty undersized and underdeveloped coming out of high school, Jared said. There were no offers or anything like that. We came to Alabama on academic scholarships and thought wouldnt it be crazy just to give it a try and what if?

The brothers, both just over 6-foot tall (Jeremy is taller at 6-1) attended team tryouts before their sophomore year but were among the final cuts. Despite disappointment, the brothers didn't give up.

After seeing the team win the national title in New Orleans against LSU, the Watsons renewed their focus on making the team for their junior year.

The way the whole process was of earning a spot on the team really just from that starting point it played a huge role, Jared said. Putting in the work and it not working out the first time and not giving up and coming back and doing it again and it working out the second time around is something fighting through the adversity of disappointment.

After all of their hard work and after another grueling summer of tryouts, both brothers had their efforts rewarded. After being issued the final team roster, both Jared and Jeremys names were on the list.

I didnt join the team expecting to be an All-American or anything like that, Jared said. Honestly I feel like making the team just coming from being so under-polished coming out of high school and seeing that hard work pay off and making the roster it was nice being a part of something that was bigger than me. Thats one of the major things that I took away from it.

Some of the friendships and the lessons I learned, that was really the more significant thing to me.

The duo both played as walk-on wide receivers for their junior and senior years, including earning national championship rings for the Crimson Tide in Miami against Notre Dame in 2013.

Alabama Athletics

After graduating from Alabama, Jared and Jeremy traded in their football facemasks for medical masks and began to attend medical school. Jared was accepted to the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine while Jeremy left his home state to attend Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

Medical school is tough, Jared said. Its challenging. A lot of hours that you have to put into it and you know and every day your best effort is demanded and that was something that coach [Nick] Saban wanted from each and every player whether they were the Heisman finalist or a walk-on like us he demanded the same. He had the same expectations for everybody. Learning to take that kind of accountability for yourself and put your best self forward every day was something that really stuck with me and something that I really needed to take my next step forward through medical training.

Jeremy echoes Jareds statement.

The attention to detail in regards to your preparation for a game, Jeremy said. All week we would pay excruciating detail to all the little things and when you apply that to medicine and medical school its always important to drill home all those small, minute details. Thats really helped me a lot. Also just the idea of mental toughness. Thats something coach Saban likes to say: being mentally tough.

Which brings us back to the present day. Both brothers are in their final year of medical school and preparing for residency. However, back in March, Jeremys contraction of the novel coronavirus provided a new focus on their work.

After going through the initial symptoms, Jeremy said that he slowly began to feel better. First his headaches and fever went away, then after about 10 days his taste and smell returned. After self-quarantining for the two-week period, Jeremy was able to return to school.

While his symptoms were mild, Jeremy said that the virus is something that everyone should be taking seriously, and those who dont consider it a threat should highly reconsider.

I think thats a very irresponsible way to look at the virus, Jeremy said. You dont know how its going to affect your body or someone elses body. There are lots of people walking around that are affected that are asymptomatic and theyll pass it to someone in the grocery store and you dont know what that person is dealing with their health. That could send them to the ICU. Its very important that were all responsible and think of each other rather than thinking of ourselves when it comes to this virus.

A lot of people like to mention oh its just a one-percent death rate but when you look at the numbers and really figure out what one percent of that really large number is, thats a lot of people that are passing away from this virus and a lot of those deaths could have been prevented by just adhering to the guidelines from the CDC and just thinking of your neighbor.

Jared said that when he first found out that his brother had tested positive, he was initially worried because his brother lived so far away.

I was more a little shocked, Jared recalled. I was just concerned that he was ok and you know being kind of separated it made me worried. Knowing that he had to isolate, all those kind of things it just made me concerned that he would be ok by himself. He kept us updated. He called home, called my mom and dad, called me often. We checked in on him a lot.

Courtesy of Jared and Jeremy Watson

Jeremy was able to make a full recovery. However, his perspective on the virus due to his first-hand experience has him encouraging other to step up to the plate and take responsibility for not just oneself, but others.

His first bit of advice? While Jeremy has worn multiple versions of a mask throughout his life on both the gridiron and the hospital, he encourages others to follow the guidelines and don masks of their own.

Continue to wear your mask, Jeremy said. I know thats a hot topic for debate right now but wearing a mask not only protects you, it protects your family and it protects other peoples family. I know a lot of people feel as if being mandated to wear a mask is imposing on their rights of doing whatever they want. To me I feel that that stance is a little selfish because you never know what another person may be dealing with. They may be immunocompromised or something like that. Throwing a mask on maybe uncomfortable but youre doing your neighbor a favor and protecting them from what could be a really deadly disease. We never really know how the disease will affect someone and Im really grateful that I had a lighter course of the disease.

Jeremy also offered two more tips for those who want to maintain proper precautions,

Also, continuing just to wash your hands, Jeremy said. Sanitize your cell phone. We always touch our cell phones and no one really thinks to wipe their phone every day at least most people dont.

Courtesy of Jared and Jeremy Watson

Both Jared and Jeremy have been on quite a journey throughout their lives, and its only just beginning. Both have played football at the school they wanted to attend since they were kids and are now on track to become doctors in the near future.

So what about the astronaut portion of their childhood dreams?

You never know with SpaceX, Jared laughed.

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From Facemasks to Medical Masks: Jared and Jeremy Watson - Bama Maven

The Autistic Brain and Early Intervention – tulsakids.com

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Ive had a lot of kids come to me who couldnt read, says Dr. Edward Gustavson, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician in Tulsa. Theyre bright, 7 or 8 years old, but they cant read. They cant read because they cant concentrate. These kids live in a rock concert.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a diagnosis of abnormal sensory processing, Dr. Gustavson says. The disorder is much more prevalent in boys than girls; however, girls symptoms are often more severe. In 2020, the CDC reported that approximately 1 in 54 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with ASD, according to 2016 data.

Dr. Gustavson

Gustavson, M.D., F.A.A.P., is a graduate of Harvard Medical School, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and was clinical director of the Childrens Medical Center in Tulsa until it closed. He has been practicing developmental medicine for much of his extensive career and currently is in private practice in Tulsa.

Gustavson uses the rock concert analogy to describe the sensory bombardment that children with ASD experience.

They have too many brain cells, he says. All five senses are overly sensitive.

Electronic imagery, MRIs and varied observations and measurements of the cerebral cortex with its excessive layers provide research markers that show what happens in the child destined to have ASD.

The normal fetal brain during middle pregnancy has many more brain cells, called neurons, than it will need, Gustavson explains. The bulk of the causes of ASD are related to environmental exposure in terms of the neurology or epigenetics in the womb.

During normal fetal brain development, a pruning process happens to reduce excessive connections in order to direct the senses to normal sensory action and communication. However, this reduction of cells and connections doesnt occur in the child with ASD, which results in an over-connected brain.

The most important of these connections concerns the visual and verbal cues, which prompt useful language. If this reducing or pruning doesnt occur, the child will hear sounds as if experiencing electronic interference, with resulting lack of comprehension.

Albert Einstein, whose brain was studied after his death, Gustavson says, was found to have doubled thickness layers; he spoke little until age 4, resulting from hearing too much, not too little.

Dr. Gustavson says that parents typically bring children to see him when the children are either not talking or not reading. He would like to see children as young as possible because the earlier therapy is started, the better the outcome.

Children should be evaluated if theyre not having language, and theyre not connecting with the mother or another person like a grandmother or caregiver.

Dr. Gustavson describes a former fifth-grade patient who was having problems connecting with other children at school. The boy was being bullied, yet the school wouldnt accommodate his social differences because he was academically successful. Gustavson worked with him, and the boys mother enrolled him in a different school where his unique abilities could be accommodated, and the class sizes were smaller.

He became a star, Gustavson says. Those with ASD can learn relationships if people give them the chance and dont push them into negative behavior patterns. They can learn to function, but not be neuro-typical; they can learn to have conversation and connection, but not be expected to process the same way as a neuro-typical person.

Schools can accommodate children with ASD by ensuring that they are not over-stimulated. For example, putting them in the front of the class where they dont have to look through a sea of students to pay attention to the teacher, or allowing them to skip noisy assemblies. Providing a predictable environment and a para-teacher can also help.

Unlike a regular pediatrician, a developmental pediatrician spends at least an hour evaluating a child. Gustavson says he has always opted for spending time quietly and slowly observing, evaluating and talking with his patients in treatment rather than taking a more financially lucrative path. While the coronavirus has forced more internet home observations, Gustavson says that they are sometimes more telling than office visits.

A child with ASD does not focus into the eyes of the examiners. Often the child hides the eyes and makes repetitive sounds or movements, he says, but these are not too different from the actions of other children in a strange situation. In some ways, the observations I make as a doctor via confidential internet sessions of home behavior mean more. At home in quarantine with the mothers full attention, erratic and aggressive behavior, even ADHD, is likely to be more easily observed.

Gustavsons approach is practical and pragmatic. He believes that the sooner therapy begins, the better the results. Swedish studies show that it is critical to establish language as soon as possible in order to see optimum outcomes. So, rather than spending weeks or months in the evaluation phase, Gustavson begins therapeutic work after a much shorter evaluation than might typically be done, for example, in a hospital setting. He also helps parents learn to establish a consistent, quiet, predictable home environment as well as giving them methods to work with their children at home.

If necessary, Gustavson may use simple, non-addictive medications, but says the medicine is the opposite of stimulants for ADHD. Medication is just to permit a reduction in the excessive input in order to work with the child.

The medication for ADHD can make the child with autism worse, Gustavson says.

Children with ASD who are ready for a subject to be understood may fail simply because they are feeling panicky and upset by classroom noise, bright windows or rapid movement, for example, Gustavson says, or even crossed or swinging legs can create too much stimulation for them to learn. The milder medications will reduce anxiety, rather than overstimulate.

The younger a child with ASD receives appropriate intervention through therapy, as well as classroom and home environment adjustments, the better it will be for the child and the family.

They need to be identified early on, and the main thing we can do for all of them is reduce the stimulation and have them hear language in a calm way.

Dr. Gustavson warns that screens are not good for children, but they have especially negative effects on children with ASD. Recent studies of 6- to 9-month-old infants in Europe show that some babies will not focus on a virtual face as normal babies do.

There are 100 times the bites in Sponge Bob as in Mr. Rogers, Gustavson says. That screen is more confusing to the child than hammering on a simple, old-fashioned toy.

Dr. Gustavson says he teaches parents how to talk to their child and how to manage their child.

Communication is what were fostering, he says. Im helping the mother communicate with her child, giving them opportunities to get better, and to help the mother and father learn to get better, to learn how to communicate with their unique child.

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The Autistic Brain and Early Intervention - tulsakids.com

Can You Become Reinfected With Covid? It’s Very Unlikely, Experts Say – The New York Times

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Megan Kent, 37, a medical speech pathologist who lives just outside Boston, first tested positive for the virus on March 30, after her boyfriend became ill. She couldnt smell or taste anything, she recalled, but otherwise felt fine. After a 14-day quarantine, she went back to work at Melrose Wakefield Hospital and also helped out at a nursing home.

On May 8, Ms. Kent suddenly felt ill. I felt like a Mack truck hit me, she said. She slept the whole weekend and went to the hospital on Monday, convinced she had mononucleosis. The next day she tested positive for the coronavirus again. She was unwell for nearly a month, and has since learned she has antibodies.

This time around was a hundred times worse, she said. Was I reinfected?

There are other, more plausible explanations for what Ms. Kent experienced, experts said. Im not saying it cant happen. But from what Ive seen so far, that would be an uncommon phenomenon, said Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Ms. Kent may not have fully recovered, even though she felt better, for example. The virus may have secreted itself into certain parts of the body as the Ebola virus is known to do and then resurfaced. She did not get tested between the two positives, but even if she had, faulty tests and low viral levels can produce a false negative.

Given these more likely scenarios, Dr. Mina had choice words for the physicians who caused the panic over reports of reinfections. This is so bad, people have lost their minds, he said. Its just sensationalist click bait.

In the early weeks of the pandemic, some people in China, Japan and South Korea tested positive twice, sparking similar fears.

South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated 285 of those cases, and found that several of the second positives came two months after the first, and in one case 82 days later. Nearly half of the people had symptoms at the second test. But the researchers were unable to grow live virus from any of the samples, and the infected people hadnt spread the virus to others.

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Can You Become Reinfected With Covid? It's Very Unlikely, Experts Say - The New York Times

Breaking News Blog Las Vegas breaking news for July 22, 2020 5:35 AM, Jul 22 – KTNV Las Vegas

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The following is a roundup of breaking news from around the Las Vegas valley.

5:38 A.M.Las Vegas firefighters say nobody was hurt during a fire at a vacant home on Elm Avenue shortly before 4 a.m. The department shared photographs of the fire on Twitter early Wednesday. No word yet on estimated damage costs.

5:30 A.M.Roads remain closed near Las Vegas Boulevard and Windmill Lane following a crash shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Police say a man was hit by a car and left to die.

The man was visiting from out of state with his friend, according to authorities. The two got into an argument and during the argument, he ran out into the street, police say.

No word on a suspect at this time. The crash remains ongoing and investigators say roads may be closed for several hours. Avoid the area.

Las Vegas police: Man hit by car, left to die near Las Vegas Boulevard, Windmill

Area near the crash:

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Breaking News Blog Las Vegas breaking news for July 22, 2020 5:35 AM, Jul 22 - KTNV Las Vegas

Crushing the dreams and ambitions of immigrants is un-American – Las Vegas Sun

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Wednesday, July 22, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Ingrid Zarate Albarran is an American success story come to life, a young immigrant who overcame poverty to graduate from UNLV and land a job offer from one of the worlds most prominent accounting firms.

But her career may be derailed before it even begins, due to President Donald Trumps racist immigration policies.

Zarate is among hundreds of thousands of recent grads and other job seekers whose futures were cast in doubt last month when the Trump administration expanded a freeze on green card applications through the end of the year. The moratorium, which initially applied only to applicants outside the U.S., was extended to all applications in June.

For Zarate Albarran, who had applied for a green card, that news came as a crushing moral blow. With her application on hold and with her current visa set to expire in January, shes now facing possible deportation early next year instead of taking the next step toward the American dream.

I feel like Ive done everything I can, she said during a recent interview with the Sun. I got the best grades I could, and Ive done as much as I can for this community that I consider my home. And I feel like its still not enough.

Lets state this loud and clear: Not allowing someone like Zarate Albarran to enter the American workforce not only runs counter to our nations values, its a self-inflicted wound to our economy and our prestige as a land of opportunity.

Zarate came here with her family at age 13 from a small town in Mexico, and not long after, she and her mother received a visa for victims of criminal violence.

Residing in a small apartment in Las Vegas except for a couple of occasions when they were forced to live out of their car the mother-daughter team did whatever was needed to get by. They cleaned houses and did landscaping work, with Ingrid translating for customers.

Zarate Albarran earned straight As in high school at Del Sol Academy of the Arts and graduated as valedictorian of her class but felt college was beyond her grasp: The family couldnt even spare the money for application fees. But mentors stepped in to encourage her to apply for scholarships, and she followed their lead. She landed a number of scholarships, enrolled at UNLV and continued to rocket through her schoolwork.

While juggling a part-time job, she also volunteered nearly 400 hours with the Public Education Foundation and competed with a team that won the National Institute of Management Accountants (NIMA) national competition in which students present solutions to business challenges. She then started a campus chapter of NIMA that quickly grew to 95 members and hosted more than 30 events.

She graduated with a 3.94 GPA and was named one of UNLVs Outstanding Graduates of 2020.

That got her on the radar at Ernst & Young, which offered her a job as an external auditor and agreed to give her a corporate immigration sponsorship.

Things were looking great until June 22, when the Trump administration expanded the hold on green cards. Trump portrayed the move as a way to protect some 550,000 American jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

But putting Zarate Albarran and others like her in limbo is patently unfair. These are Americans in every sense but having a piece of paper. Theyve embraced our values of hard work, education and self-sufficiency. Theyve pulled themselves and their families up the ladder. Theyve contributed to our communities, our church congregations, our schools and more. There is little doubt Zarate and those like her make America stronger and better.

Surely, Republicans can recognize that those who play by the rules and excel have earned a place in the land of opportunity.

Last week, even the Trump administration seemed to acknowledge this, when it rescinded a directive that would have snatched visas from international students whose coursework would be done fully online. That move came amid withering criticism of the directive, with advocates saying it was unfair to students and would hurt colleges financially. Reportedly, aides close to Trump became convinced that the order was a cruel overreach, which is saying something when even these people recognize that something is a bad idea, you know its awful.

But while international students appear safe for now, the same cant be said for immigrants who arent here on international visas and instead are hoping to obtain green cards or extensions of certain visas. Theyre in limbo.

As for Zarate, shes decided to go back to UNLV to pursue a masters degree. She says Ernst & Young has pledged to bring her aboard when the time is right which is commendable and she feels protected at the university. Thats a justifiable belief, given that UNLVs strong advocacy for immigrant students has helped make it one of the nations most ethnically diverse universities.

Meanwhile, Zarate is working with an attorney in hopes of staying in the U.S. Asked where she would go if she were deported, she doesnt have a ready answer.

I dont know, she said. To me, this is home. This is where I learned everything. These are my friends. This is my community.

As she waits for an outcome, she says she plans to advocate on behalf of fellow students who are in her situation.

I just wish I could talk to (Trump) like Im talking to you, she said, adding that she would explain to him that his actions are jeopardizing the futures of a lot of great students great GPAs, great role models who want to contribute.

Its a message that Nevadas leaders should hear, as should voters nationwide. People like Zarate have worked as hard as anyone to achieve the American dream. No American should stand by and let this happen.

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Crushing the dreams and ambitions of immigrants is un-American - Las Vegas Sun

Red Flag Warning: Weather conditions pose elevated fire danger in the Las Vegas area – KTNV Las Vegas

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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) The threat of pop-up thunderstorms over the mountains from midday through the afternoon will lead to elevated fire danger, and that's prompted a Red Flag Warning for Southern Nevada until 9 p.m.

PREVIOUS: More rain on the way? Lightning animates sky above Las Vegas Monday

Although winds will be limited to 10-20 mph from the south on Tuesday, gusty outflows from any thunderstorms that form could range from 30-40 mph and that could spread any additional fires that are sparked by lightning.

Due to the marginal nature of the humidity, something called "dry lightning" is possible today, where the rain evaporates before reaching the ground but lightning strikes still occur.

13 First Alert Weather | Check current conditions

It's possible that the National Weather Service will extend the Red Flag Warning through Wednesday because winds will gust to 30 mph around Las Vegas as even drier air pushes in from California.

Make sure to follow meteorologists Justin Bruce and Dani Beckstrom on Twitter for updates around the clock.

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Red Flag Warning: Weather conditions pose elevated fire danger in the Las Vegas area - KTNV Las Vegas

Local golf league results and upcoming events – News Chief

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Results from golf league play around Polk County through July 20.

Results from golf league play around Polk County through July 20 with format, date, event and winners by flight or class in alphabetical order.

Big Cypress 18-Hole Ladies, Nine-Hole Event, Low Gross/Net, July 14: First Flight Gross - Heidi Aittama 34, Jan Turner 39, Net - Jennifer Renaud 34, Joanne Burkemper and Diana Berube both at 36; Second Gross - Anne Merritt and Jennifer Hostutler tied at 45, Net - Barb Fatzinger 33, Linda Kimberlin 34. Closest to pin: No. 5 - Heidi Aittama plus 2-19 HDCP, Linda Kimberlin 20+ HDCP.

Big Cypress Men's Thursday, Three Clubs and a Putter, July 16: First Flight - Joe Greco 72, Eddie Kiena and Ray Berube tied at 74; Second - Mike Schaeberle 73, Bob Chapman 75, Arnie Howard 73. Closest to pin: No. 5 - Joe DAmbrosio, Bob Chapman; No. 8 - Timmy Monahan; No. 13 - Ray Berube; No. 15 - Eddie Kiena, Eddie Lane.

Cleveland Heights Tuesday Men's, Draw and Quota Points, July 14: Herb Koffler/Dave Neal/Steve Criss plus 6, Keith Lohman/Paul Pelchat/Ron Moisuk plus 3, Mike Mimnaugh/Ron Berry/Dick Gebo plus 2. Closest to pin: No. A2 and C8 - Dennis Compton. Best Over Quota: A - Herb Koffler plus 6; B - Keith Lohman plus 5; C - Dave Neal plus 2.

Eaglebrooke Men's Early Morning Group, July 18: Team Best vs Average Score, July 18: Paul Rouleau/Mike Gilbert/Richard Grant/Tyler Wright minus 5.7, Wayne Fugett, Paul Meyer, Ladd Kline, Al Hanif minus 3.7. Team Point Quota, July 19: Smith Patterson/John Johnson/Kyle Thomas/Jeff Lang and Dan Girata/Albert Sagnella/Richard Grant/Tony Autorino tied at plus 11.

Hamptons Men's, Net Stroke Play, July 14: A Flight - Chuck Swafford 50, Joe DeBonis 54 on a match of cards over Bill Spivey; B - Terry Foster 54, Bob Miller 55, Bill Colclaser 57. Closest to pin: No. 5 - Joe DeBonis; No. 10 - Mark Torr.

Lake Ashton Blue Man Group, Four-Player Team, Best Net on Par 4s, Best Two Nets on Par 5s, Best Three Nets on Par 3s, July 15: Front 9 - George Wilkinson/Larry Griffin/Jim Fish/Ed Costello 36, Doug Stanforth/Ron Watterson/Gary Robillard/Ghost 39, Gator Patrick/Tom Anderson/Jim Smith/Nolan Hake 41; Back 9 - Joe Ricobonno/Steve Burrell/Bob Yeager/Ron Mckie 43, Jim Blackwell/Rich Burns/Jerry Getters/Mike Costello and Ken Engh/Art Luke/Jim Jameson/Norm Wirtala tied at 45.

Lake Ashton Ladies 18-Holers, Four Player Scramble, July 14: First Flight - Mafie Walker/Janis Vasquenza/Lynne Abbott/Marie Clauser 53.3, Colette McKie/Cheryl Coveleskie/Margaret Volpe/Pat Hodges 54, Cheryl Winchester/Mary Anne Stadfeld/Carole Ferrieri/Jackie Tressler 54.2.

Lake Ashton Ladies Niners, Four-Player Scramble, July 14: Carolyn Alvaro/Ann Lake/Diane Struble/Liz Meigel and Carol Zalesky/Brenda Arant/Carol Gillespie/Loretta Hieronimus tied at 25, Laverne Anderson, Linda Ford, Jane Poole, Missy Prescott 26.

Lake Ashton Men's, Two Best Nets Even Holes Plus Three Best Nets Odd Holes, July 15: Chuck Randall/Ron Mcdonnell/Mike Krigelski/Randall Carpenter 164, Rolly Geyer/Jim Capra/Tim Prokop/Jim Ford 165, Larry Wilson/Ted Hall/Don Connors/Courtney Smith 167.

Lake Bess 7 a.m. Tuesday Mens Scramble, Random Team Draw, July 14: Tom Houston/Pat Ferrio/Henry Adams/Joe Gulini minus 5. Closest to pin: No. 7 - Mark Detrick.

Lakeland Elks Lodge 1291 Monday League, Wedgewood, July 20: A Flight - Jim Preston plus 5, Bob Kutsch plus 4 on a match of cards over Carl Hatfield, B - Bill Soldrich plus 4 on a match of cards over Bob Fuschetti and Mike Powell. Closest to pin: No. 8 (50/50) and No. 15 - Bill Soldrich.

Ridge Men's, Wedgewood, July 16: Paul Forkner plus 5, Bobby Lassiter plus 3, Dob Smith and Dennis Johnson tied at plus 1. Closest to pin: No. 4, 11, 17 - Blake Tyler; No. 6 - Dob Smith.

Schalamar Creek Couples', 4 Person Scramble (9 Holes), July 15: First Flight - Richard Romero/Linda Romero/Glen Valentine/Ginger Valentine 34, Ted Reid/Ginny Reid/Don Taft/Kathy Taft 35.

Schalamar Creek Ladies', Low Gross/Low Net (9 Holes), July 14: First Flight Gross - Crystal Santopadre 50, Dianne Lang 52, Linda Romero and Carol Sutton tied at 38.

Schalamar Creek Men's, Two-Man Best Ball, July 13: Clayt Liljequist/Paul Loftis 59, Jim van DeVelde/Larry Smith and Greg Spencer/Glen Valentine tied at 61; Second - Jerry Throgmorton/Terry Phalen 56, Joe McElhenny/Don Gledhill 57, Don Abbott/Ed Herring 62.

TOURNAMENTS & LEAGUES

BARTOW INDIVIDUAL POINTS, Wednesdays, nine holes, make up your own foursome, $17 ($12 green fee and cart), pays all plus scores, night specials in the lounge. Call 863-533-9183.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS MENS, tee times available 7:30-8:30 a.m. Wednesday through Monday and Friday, groups or individuals welcome, quota points with skins optional, eight to 10 groups now play. Call Paul Boeh at 863-738-4129.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS TUESDAY WOMENS, every Tuesday, tee times start at 8:30 a.m. Call Shirley Kalck at 863-853-9566.

HUNTINGTON HILLS TWO-ASIDE, Saturdays, 18-Hole Points Quota. Check in by 8:15 a.m. Contact Terri White at 863-5594082 or eagle-2par@aol.com.

HUNTINGTON HILLS WHY WORRY WEDNESDAYS, Nine-Hole Quota Points, 5:15 p.m. shotgun start. Contact Terri White at 863-559-4082 or eagle-2par@aol.com.

LAKELAND MENS SENIOR GOLF, 7:30 a.m. shotgun starts, play against golfers within your handicap. Call Ed Young at 863-648-9695.

LPGA AMATEUR GOLF ASSOCIATION is looking for women and men to play in weekly Wednesday league and every other Saturday at various courses in the Winter Haven/Lakeland/Orlando and other areas. For more information, email Kathy Mannahan at pjacobs21@tampabay.rr.com.

POLO PARK MENS TUESDAY SCRAMBLE, 7:30 a.m. sign in. Random team draw. 18-Hole. For more information, call Polo Park Pro Shop at 863-424-3341.

POLO PARK MENS SATURDAY SCRAMBLE, 7:30 a.m. sign in. Random team draw. 18-Hole. For more information, call Polo Park Pro Shop at 863-424-3341.

RIDGE MENS THURSDAY QUOTA POINTS TOURNAMENTS, 7:30 a.m. tee time starts. Call Carroll Lasseter at 863-299-5350.

WEDGEWOOD THREE-MAN SCRAMBLE, nine holes; Tuesdays at 5 p.m.; call Marcus at 863-858-4451 by 2:30 p.m. to play.

WEDGEWOOD TWO-ASIDE GAME, 9 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays; 18-hole points game with skins and blind draw; call Marcus at 863-858-4451.

WEDGEWOOD MIXED CO-ED SCRAMBLE, 2 p.m. Thursdays. Call Marcus at 863-858-4451 by 1 p.m. to play.

E-mail results of local golf tournaments, aces and upcoming tournaments to mquinn@theledger.com; or mail to Golf News, Ledger Sports Department, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland, Fla., 33802. Include complete scores and league names. Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.

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Local golf league results and upcoming events - News Chief

Ron Paul: Big Holes In The Covid ‘Spike’ Narrative – OpEd – Eurasia Review

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Motorcycle accidents ruled Covid deaths? In the rush to paint Florida as the epicenter of the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, government officials and their allies in the mainstream media have stooped to ridiculous depths to maximize the death count. A television station this weekend looked into two highly unusual Covid deaths among victims in their 20s, and when they asked about co-morbidities they were told one victim had none, because his Covid death came in the form of a fatal motorcycle accident.

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. In fact the spike that has dominated the mainstream for the last couple of weeks is full of examples of such trickery.

Washington state last week revised its Covid death numbers downward when it was revealed that anyone who passed away for any reason whatsoever who also had coronavirus was listed as a Covid-19 death even if the cause of death had nothing to do with Covid-19.

In South Carolina, the state health agency admitted that the spike in Covid deaths was only the result of delayed reporting of suspected Covid deaths.

An analysis of reported daily Covid deaths last week compared to actual day-of-death in Houston revealed that the recent spike consisted largely of deaths that occurred in April through June. Why delay reporting until now?

We do know that based on this spike the Democrat mayor of Houston cancelled the convention of the Texas Republican Party. Mission accomplished?

Doesnt it seem suspicious that so many states have experienced delayed reporting of deaths until Fauci and his gang of experts announced that we are in a new nightmare scenario?

Last week in Florida which is perhaps not coincidentally the location of the Republican Partys national convention another scandal emerged when hundreds of Covid test centers reported 100 percent positive results. Obviously this would paint a far grimmer picture of the resurgence of the virus. Orlando Health, for example, reported a positivity rate of 98 percent a shocking level but a further investigation revealed a true positivity rate of only 9.4 percent. Those anomalies were repeated throughout the state.

Cases once meant individuals who displayed sufficient symptoms to be treated in medical facilities. But when the scaremongers needed a second wave they began reporting any positive test result as a Covid case. No wonder we have a spike.

Politics demands that politicians be seen doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is more harmful than doing nothing at all. That is why Washington is so addicted to sanctions.

The same has been true especially in Republican-controlled states in the US in response to the coronavirus. Faced with a virus that has killed about one-third as many people as the normal, seasonal flu virus in 2018, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has endorsed a partial shutdown of the economy resulting in millions tossed into the despair of unemployment. Then he arbitrarily shut down bars because massively increased testing showed more people have been exposed to the virus. And he mandated that people wear face masks. Neither shutting down bars (instead of restaurants or Walmarts) nor forcing people to wear masks will have any effect on the progression of the virus through society. But at least he looks like hes doing something.

We are facing the greatest assault on our civil liberties in our lifetimes. The virus is real, but the government reaction is political and totalitarian. As it falls apart, will more Americans start fighting for their liberty?

This article was published by RonPaul Institute.

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Ron Paul: Big Holes In The Covid 'Spike' Narrative - OpEd - Eurasia Review

The Life and Adventures of Ron Johnson: His Journey Through Multiple Untruths to the Fable of Obamagate – Just Security

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The Lugar Center is a fairly recent addition of the sort of traditional institute in Washington that prevailed before Donald Trump. Its mission is to advance an internationalist foreign policy, bipartisan governance, and bring together experts to bridge ideological divides. It was founded by one of the last of the moderate Republicans, Richard G. Lugar, the late U.S. senator from Indiana, who once seemed to define the mainstream of a now bygone party, in the forefront of legislation to curb nuclear proliferation, but was purged in a brutal primary, losing to a Tea Party candidate who declared rape that resulted in a pregnancy was a gift from God.

On May 27, the Lugar Center released its first comprehensive Congressional Oversight Hearing Index, an in-depth study of the due diligence of every committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate in holding the executive branch accountable, concluding with a grade for each committee. If a House or Senate committee is failing to meet historical standards, because of partisan bias, the inattention of the committee chair, or any other reasons, the COHI will illuminate that shortfall, the Center stated. While many committees received high grades, the lowest gradean F for failurewas awarded to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The report observed that the committee previously had been one of the most active in the Senate, but that its hearing schedule had fallen dramatically. On the Lugar Centers carefully considered Bell Curve, the committee was at rock bottom and its chairman had flunked.

Trumps Senators

Just a week later, on June 4, that chairman, Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, who had come to power on the Tea Party wave that carried out Richard Lugar, rammed through authorization for 35 subpoenas to fulfill President Donald Trumps reported demand at a meeting on May 19 of Senate Republicans to get tough on the Obamagate conspiracy, a purported Deep State plot of the Obama administration and the intelligence community to destroy his presidency by investigating his campaigns links to and possible collusion with the Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Days before, on May 24, Trump declared, Im fighting the deep stateI have a chance to break the deep state. Its a vicious group of people. Its very bad for our country. And thats never happened beforeThey never thought I was going to win, and then I won. And then they tried to get me out. That was the insurance policy. Shes going to win [Hillary Clinton], but just in case she doesnt win we have an insurance policy. And now I beat them on the insurance policy, and now theyre being exposedAnd a lot of other things are going to come out, but you dont even need other things. What theyve done is so corrupt, theyve tried to take down a duly elected president of the United States, happens to be in this case, me, but we can never allow it to happen again.

Then he praised Ron Johnson as his champion. And I want to take my hat off to Ron Johnson. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. The job hes doing is incredibleI see that a lot of subpoenas out. So its a much different thing. We caught them in a very corrupt, you could call it treasonous, because it is, its treasonous. We caught them in a very corrupt act.

On May 11, when asked at a press briefing to explain the crime Trump was accusing former President Barack Obama of having committed, he said, Its been going on for a very long time You know what the crime is. The crime is very obvious to everybody. A short while later, on May 13, Trump tweeted it was the greatest political scandal in the history of the United States, OBAMAGATE. Fake News@CNN and Concasts own MSDNC are only trying to make their 3 year Con Job just go away.

As Johnson geared up to send out his flurry of subpoenas, Trump tweeted encouragement to his tens of millions of followers, America is proud of Ron Johnson. He never gives up! Johnson retweeted, Thanks, @realDonaldTrump.

Every Democrat on both the Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee objected to the motion to issue subpoenas in pursuit of Trumps theories. I cant support this kind of dragnet authority to conduct politically motivated investigations, said Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, in response to the push from the Judiciary Committees chairman, Senator Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the ranking member on Homeland Security, called it a fishing expedition which did not become a priority until we entered into an election year. Then both committees approved on a Republican party line vote the authority to grant a total of 88 subpoenas to plumb the mysteries of Obamagate.

Enter Barrs Justice Department

While Trump was furiously tweeting about Obamagate and urging on Ron Johnson, Attorney General William Barr stepped from behind his curtain to make a statement on May 18 about the ongoing investigation of the origins of the Russia investigation being conducted by his appointee, U.S. Attorney John Durham. In light of Trumps accusation of criminality aimed at former President Obama, Barr clarified that Obama and Biden would not be targets. Whatever their level of involvement based on the level of information I have today, I dont expect Mr. Durhams work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man. He added, Our concern over potential criminality is focused on others. Then he offered misleading words in his usual banal style: As long as Im attorney general, the criminal justice system will not be used for partisan political ends. This is especially true for the upcoming elections in November.

But Barr indicated something other than Olympian reserve above the campaign fray. His statement, while intended to make his actions appear purely non-political, laid out the political scenario for when the scheme will reach its crescendo. He pointed Durham to target and prosecute Obama subordinates for potential criminality. Without naming names, Barrs list consists of those very same former prominent officials on the subpoena lists of Ron Johnson and Lindsey Graham. Those lists are the ramshackle skeleton of the Obamagate conspiracy theory: former CIA director John Brennan, former director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI director James Comey, former national security advisor Susan Rice, former ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and a host of former intelligence community officers who have long been hate figures in the Trump demonology. (As a matter of course, the Democrats request to add the gallery of Trump usual suspects to the subpoena list was blocked: Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and more.)

An agitated Barr would not allow his signaling in his May 18 remarks to remain his last. We cant discuss future charges, but . he said in an exclusive interview on June 10 with Fox News, as he then proceeded to discuss future charges. But people should not draw from the fact that no action has been taken that taken yet [sic], that that means that people or people are going to get away with wrongdoing. Barr repeated the Trump conspiracy theory including parts that fly in direct contradiction of a Justice Department Inspector General conclusions on the matter: For the first time in American history,police organizations and the national security organizations were used to spy on a campaign, and there was no basis for it. The media largely drove that, and all kinds of sensational claims were being made about the president that could have affected the election. And then and then later on, in his administration, there were actions taken that really appear to be efforts to sabotage his campaign. Barr promised that Durham was looking at a whole range of Obama officials to indict.

The Two Rivers Meet

The summer hearings seem barely disguised as preparation for an October Surprise. Barr has emerged from the shadows just as the previously moribund Senate committees suddenly have stirred to life as Obamagate star chambers. In a symbiotic relationship, the Senate operations will orchestrate propaganda for Fox News and the Wurlitzer of right-wing media in an overture to Durhams report and possible indictments that may be sprung during the climax of the presidential campaign. Im going to do this through October, Graham tellingly said in a June 5 interview onFox News. At his hearing authorizing subpoenas, he filled the air with threatening cries. Comey and McCabe and that whole crowd their day is coming,he said. He felt compelled to demean Robert Mueller and the Mueller Report as off script. The lengthy list of names he brandished need to be fired, they need to be disciplinedthough none are in any current government position from which they could be fired or disciplinedor, Graham threatened, they are good candidates to go to jail. Another Republican member of the committee, Senator Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, appearing to have a flashback, railed about Hillary Clinton. What did Hillary Clinton know about the dossier and when did she know it? he chimed in. But Hillary Clinton is not on the subpoena list, at least for now.

Ron Johnsons statement at the June 4 meeting of the Homeland Security Committee in which he hammered through his authority to mass produce subpoenas made plain that a good deal of the animating motive and guiding focus of both the Senate and Durham investigations is the case of Michael Flynn, Trumps first and short-lived national security advisor.

Flynn committed perjury by lying to the FBI about his discussions after the election with the Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, telling him not to retaliate in kind to U.S. sanctions imposed under Obama because there would be a new policy under Trump, an implication that the sanctions would be lifted. Flynn then lied about his conversations to Vice President Mike Pence, who publicly repeated his falsehoods. Through the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane investigation into whether Trumps associates were cooperating or conspiring with Russia to influence or interfere in the 2016 election, Flynns contacts were discovered and exposed. He was fired by Trump, pled guilty twice and then sought to rescind his plea. In December 2019, the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, David Horowitz, issued a report stating that the standard for predication, opening an FBI investigation into Flynns Russian ties, was legitimately authorized, based on an articulable factual basis that [he] may wittingly or unwittingly be involved in activity on behalf of the Russian Federation which may constitute a federal crime or threat to the national security, and finding no evidence of political bias or improper motivation.

What Really Happened with Flynn

On February 14, 2017, the day after Flynns dismissal, Trump pressured FBI director James Comey not to open an investigation. I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go. The Mueller Reportconcludedthat the circumstances of the conversation show that the President was asking Comey to close the FBIs investigation into Flynn. Trump directed Flynns deputy, K.T. McFarland, to write a document to confirm that Trump had not directed Flynn. She refused and instead wrote a memo to the White House legal counsel to memorialize the irregular request that appeared like a quid pro quo in exchange for an ambassadorship, according to the Mueller Report. When Comey refused to drop the Flynn probe, Trump fired him, triggering the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the Russian interference in the election. Trumps personal attorney John Dowd called Flynn and left a voicemail for him: We need some kind of heads up. Um, just for the sake ofprotecting all our interests, if we can, without you having to give up anyconfidential information.Then he called Flynns attorney to warn him that if theres information thatimplicates the president, then weve got a national security issue. Trump refused to provide a written answer to Muellers question to him about Flynn.

On May 5, Barrs Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss the case against Flynn, who was awaiting sentencing. Barrs filing claimed that the FBI investigation was conducted without any legitimate investigative basis, Flynns lies lacked materiality, he was somehow tricked by the FBI agents into lying, and anyway the FBI really didnt think he was lying. The DOJ prosecutor quit the case in protest. In a report on the DOJ motion on June 10 to the judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Court judge Emmet Sullivan, former federal judge John Gleeson stated that the DOJs claims are not credible, and instead are preposterous, and riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact. The facts surrounding the filing of the Governments motion to dismiss constitute clear evidence of gross prosecutorial abuse, Gleeson wrote. They reveal an unconvincing effort to disguise as legitimate a decision to dismiss that is based solely on the fact that Flynn is a political ally of President Trump. On Trump and Barr, Gleeson concluded, If the Executive wishes for the Judiciary to dismiss criminal chargesas opposed to issuing a pardon or taking other unilateral actionthe reasons it offers must be real and credible.

The Tracks of Senator Johnsons Disinformation

Seeking to dominate the battlespace for Trumps retribution, Lindsey Graham and Ron Johnson have been assigned the task of serving subpoenas throughout the long hot summer, the equivalent of lobbing flash grenades and tear gas to clear the path for Barrs march to October. Johnsons statement to his committee, amounting to his order of battle, was a haphazard series of distortions, omissions and half-truths, which he claimed were undisputed, his characteristic method, as he said, to challenge the false narrative against Trump.

Well, no, the Steele Dossier, compiled by Christopher Steele, the former MI6 British secret service agent who had spent much of his career doing intelligence work in Russia, was not, as Johnson asserted, ordered up by the DNC and Clinton campaign to produce fabricated foreign opposition research. Steele was in fact initially hired by the conservative website The Free Beacon and paid by Republican donor Paul Singer to help the Jeb Bush campaign. There has been no proof that the Steele Dossiers principal substantive allegation regarding the Russian effort to assist in Trumps election was false, or that the information was manufactured by the Russian government or its agents deliberately using Steele as its outlet. On the contrary, the U.S. intelligence community as well as the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have stated that the Russian government and its intelligence services intervened in the election to help Donald Trump. Some of the indisputable facts of that interference are set forth in the Mueller investigations indictment of 13 Russian agents and three Russian companies, including the Internet Research Agency, which the group itself described as information warfare against the United States, using fraud and deceit for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016. supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump (Trump Campaign) and disparaging Hillary Clinton. The Mueller Report, moreover, identified 272 contacts between Trump agents and Russian operatives, not one of which was reported to the FBI. Mueller stated, the investigation established that several individuals affiliated with the Trump Campaign lied to the Office, and to Congress, about their interactions with Russian-affiliated individuals and related matters. Those lies materially impaired the investigation of Russian election interference.

Well, no, despite Johnsons insistence, it was not the Steele Dossier that was used to instigate an FBI investigation of the Trump campaign and obtain FISA warrants. The origin of the investigation can be traced to the former foreign minister of Australia and ambassador to the UK, Alexander Downer, who was alarmed after Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos informed him that Russia indicated to the Trump campaign that the Kremlin could assist in the election through the anonymous release of derogatory information on Clinton. Downer told his government, which in turn related it to the FBI, which then interviewed him.

Well, no, the unmasking of Trump officials by dozens of political appointees in the waning days of the Obama administrationthat is, national security and law enforcement officialswas neither unusual nor illegal. And, as it happened, Flynn, often claimed to have been unmasked, was not after all masked in the FBI document on his conversations with the Russian ambassador.

Well, no, Flynn was not the innocent victim of a surprise FBI interview. His perjury cannot be blamed on being startled. No FBI agent instructed him to lie. And, well, no, the case against Flynn would not have been dismissed on the basis of an FBI memo that was suddenly suppressed. And so on.

Johnsons tendentious complaint amounts to a defense of Trump on the curious assumption that the FBI has no legal predicate to engage in counter-intelligence operations against foreign adversaries, particularly Russia in light of its history of corrupting American officials and intelligence officers, not that Johnson or the staffers who wrote his statement grasp the absurdity of their own argument. In order to vindicate Trumpand Flynnboth of them must be the victims of the Deep State (i.e., the U.S. intelligence community, State Department and professionals of the Justice Department), who must be the true perpetrators, and the official findings of culpability for those who have committed crimes must be reversed. The Department of Justice has a solemn responsibility to prosecute this caselike every other casewithout fear or favor and, to quote the Departments motto, solely on behalf of justice, stated former judge Gleeson. The perversion of justice requires the inversion of the storyline.

Senator Joseph McCarthys Successor

Johnsons mlange of misleading assertions may be fabricated, but it is also prefabricated. The rickety edifice of his argument was manufactured prior to arriving at his shop, indeed, delivered to him with instructions and quickly constructed. His value appears to be in following instructions. If he were an imaginative flimflam man in his own right, Trump (and Barr) would not rely on him to perform as expected. (In this respect he stands as a contrast to Lindsey Graham.) Johnsons method is apparently second-hand, borrowed from Trump, who acquired its secrets from his first lawyer and mentor in the dark arts, Roy Cohn, who honed it as counsel to another senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy.

The original technique perfected by McCarthy was best described by Richard H. Rovere, the writer for The New Yorker, who knew McCarthy and was the author of the most incisive biography. Rovere wrote:

The multiple untruth need not be a particularly large untruth but can instead be a long series of loosely related untruths, or a single untruth with many facets. In either case, the whole is composed of so many parts that anyone wishing to set the record straight will discover that it is utterly impossible to keep all the elements of the falsehood in mind at the same time. Anyone making the attempt may seize upon a few selected statements and show them to be false, but doing this may leave the impression that only the statements selected are false and that the rest are true. An even greater advantage of the multiple untruth is that statements shown to be false can be repeated over and over again with impunity because no one will remember which statements have been disproved and which havent.

The Senate hearings on Obamagate promise to be a cavalcade of witnesses, each linked in a chain of a conspiracy so immense to prove the multiple untruth. The witnesses appearances under subpoena project a perceived assumption of guilt, as McCarthy instinctively understood when he exploited his senatorial immunity to use the Chamber as the stage setting for a courtroom where his accusations never had to meet the rules of evidence. Even the odd disconnected fact that somehow arises in the Obamagate hearing will be, as it was by McCarthy, hammered out of shape and into line to fit the larger untruth.

But Ron Johnson is no Joe McCarthy, who was, at least before Trump, the most gifted demagogue ever bred on these shores, according to Rovere, a fertile innovator, a first-rate organizer and galvanizer of mobs, a skilled manipulator of public opinion, and something like a genius at that essential American strategy: publicity. McCarthy was a little noticed sleazy Republican senator, pocketing money on the side from various lobbyists, and looking for a dramatic issue to exploit for his reelection when at a dinner a companion suggested that he use his perch as chairman of the subcommittee on Permanent Investigations to seize on Communist subversion. Thats it, said McCarthy. The government is full of Communists. In a speech in 1950 at Wheeling, Wester Virginia, he told a Lincoln Day gathering of a Womens Republican Club that he had the names of 205, or 81, or 57 Communists in the State Department. His crusade of Multiple Untruth was off to the races, the first against the Deep State, accusing not only the State Department but also the CIA and the Army of being infiltrated by Communist agents, and accusing General George C. Marshall of being part of a conspiracy so immense. McCarthys youthful counsel, Roy Cohn, created new investigations to ferret out subversives and homosexuals when McCarthy himself was stumped for fresh targets. McCarthy played the Washington press corps like a Stradivarius, inventing stories as he walked the corridors of the Capitol with reporters, terrorized two presidents, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, reached 50 percent approval with the public (a number that Trump has never attained), and was allowed free rein by his fellow Republican senators until his utility as a weapon to smear Democrats as traitors ended when he veered too far off the rails in his attack on the Army. He was censured (Senator Prescott Bush of Connecticut was prominent in proposing the motion), fell into an alcoholic stupor and drank himself to death.

Roy Cohn went back to New York, where he would meet Donald Trump and introduce him to the Mafia families who were Cohns clients and would pour the concrete for Trump Tower. Cohn would teach him his methods of intimidation and deceit, and before his death from AIDS pass his handling over to his protege Roger Stone, who made his chops as a ratfucker doing dirty tricks in Nixons reelection campaign and became Trumps chief political advisor.

In 2016, Stone apparently kept Trump closely informed in advance of Wikileaks schedule for publication of Clinton campaign emails stolen by Russian military intelligence. In written testimony to Muellers questions, Trump denied any such knowledge. But in the unredacted version of the Mueller Report, the special counsel wrote that the Presidents conduct could also be viewed as reflecting his awareness that Stone could provide evidence that would run counter to the Presidents denials and would link the President to Stones efforts to reach out to WikiLeaks. Stone was scheduled to report to federal prison on June 30 for seven counts of federal crimes including lying to Congress, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice, before being sprung by Trumps commutation that raises questions whether the two might be prosecuted in the future for obstruction of justice. The line from McCarthy to Trump, from demagogue to demagogue, is just a hop, skip and jump.

Johnsons Political Groundings

In Ron Johnsons telling, the miraculous revelation that he should run for the U.S. Senate struck him in a single blinding moment like St. Paul on the road to Damascus. A voice spoke to him. I was sitting at home watching Fox News and Dick Morris came on, he recalled. The polymorphous perverse political consultant, a Fox News talking head, in 2010 flacking for the Tea Party, from which he was personally profiting with a series of front groups, uttered these inspirational words: You know, if youre a rich guy fromWisconsin, step up to the plate. Johnson turned to his wife and asked, Is he, like, talking to me?

Johnson had not run for any political office before. He was an accountant who made his fortune the old-fashioned way: he married it. His wifes brother, Patrick Curler, installed him as president in the family business, which Curler had inherited from his father. The Pacur company (named for Pat Curler), based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, manufactures specialty plastic wrapping for medical devices among other products.

Johnsons most notable public appearance before his Senate run was as a witness in early 2010, testifying before a state senate committee hearing against the Child Victims Act that would eliminate the statute of limitations for reporting crimes of pedophilia. The Green Bay, Wisconsin Catholic Diocese had just confessed that there were substantial allegations of sexual abuse of minors against 48 priests. Johnson, a Lutheran, was a member of the dioceses financial council, which would be involved in any compensation, and he made the novel argument that efforts at achieving justice would only have the perverse effect of leading to additional victims of sexual abuse if individuals, recognizing that their organizations are at risk, become less likely to report suspected abuse. Johnson, however, failed at the time to inform the committee of his membership on the Churchs finance counsel. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, which identified him as an Oshkosh businessman, reported, Johnson had little to say about the victims of sexual abuse in his testimony. His was largely a financial concern. The bill was also opposed by the insurance industry. Johnson later explained he was concerned about its financial effect on other groups and businesses. The bill was successfully killed. Johnsons shielding of child molesters in the priesthood was his first success in public policy.

In 2009, a year before Johnson said he heard the commanding voice of Dick Morris, he was already speaking at Tea Party rallies, the start of his self-financed campaign for the Republican senatorial nomination. Im happy to associate myself with the people of the Tea Party, he said. But few knew who he was, he seemed vague about specific Tea Party doctrines and Tea Party groups denied that they endorsed his candidacy. Yet his money overwhelmed opposition and wariness. When he gained the nomination at the state convention, he admitted, I think what was most gratifying to me about it is it really wasnt endorsing me because people dont really know who I am. He was elected in the Republican wave of 2010, defeating the incumbent Democrat, Senator Russ Feingold.

Johnson proved himself to be a reliable party-liner. He called Obamacares provision for contraception an assault on religious freedom, accused Planned Parenthood of being vested in the barbaric practice of harvesting human organs, insisted there was no scientific evidence for climate change, tried to gut financial regulation, and, echoing what he heard on Fox News, took to denouncing The Lego Movie, which he labeled insidious anti-business propaganda. The films cartoon villain was an evil businessman. Thats done for a reason, he explained. Our news media is not on our side, certainly not entertainment media.

There was one other position on which Johnson hewed to the party line: the Obama administrations supposed weakness toward Vladimir Putin, a megalomaniac and a danger to the civilized world. Johnson demanded in 2015 that Obama take a more aggressive stance against Russia, especially on Ukraine. Obama, he charged, had not taken the time to explain why Vladimir Putins aggressive expansion threatens our national security and the world order.

When Trump clinched the Republican nomination for president, but before the Republican National Convention, Johnson tried to create some degree of separation from him. His endorsement, he said, would not be a big embrace. Ill certainly be an independent voice where I disagree with a particular nominee. After the Access Hollywood tape was disclosedGrab em by the pussyJohnson behaved as though Trump would lose. Im not going to defend the indefensible, he said. But I will hold whoever is our president accountable. At a campaign rally just before the election, Johnson called for Hillary Clinton to be impeached for her emails when she became president. Im not a lawyer, he said. I would say, yes, high crime or misdemeanor.I believe she is in violation of both laws. He may have never realized how foolish that sounded.

With Trumps freakish victory Johnson instantly transformed himself into a courtier. He was more than a dependable vote, more than another Republican who held his tongue and held on for dear life. He has aggressively inserted himself into peculiar situations abroad, suddenly popping up in the middle of Trumps clandestine relationships with Russia and Ukraine, and giving murky explanations for why he was there, what he was doing and who sent him. In Moscow and Kyiv, here was Sinclair Lewis Babbitt-like American archetypal figure from the 1920s, the conventional businessman booster from the small-town Midwest, as Zelig, Woody Allens nebbish chameleon who makes startling appearances ingratiating himself with almost every celebrity of the same period. The key to both fictional personalities is the urge for conformity. Johnsons one-dimensional lack of complication has landed him in the midst of tangled situation. His simple-minded Republican ambition to get ahead has propelled him into Trumps abyss, which he has mistaken for a ladder of success.

Johnson Goes to Russia

What does July 4thh mean to me? Freedom, tweeted Ron Johnson, on July 4th, 2018. He celebrated that day in Moscow with a group of seven other Republicans. (There were no Democrats on this congressional delegation.) The Republicans announced that they hoped to meet with Putin, who would have a summit with Trump the next month in Helsinki, where Trump declared that he accepted Putins statement that Russia had not interfered in the U.S. election. But Johnson and the others were not granted an audience with the Russian leader. Instead they were greeted by Sergei Kislyak, the former Russian ambassador to the United States, Michael Flynns interlocutor, and now a member of Russias upper house of parliament. We heard things wed heard before, and I think our guests heard rather clearly and distinctly an answer that they already knewwe dont interfere in American elections, said Kislyak. Another Russian official they met, Duma member Vyacheslav Nikonov, said he had met with many American lawmakers in years past and that this meeting was one of the easiest ones in my life, according to the Washington Post. The question of election interference, he said, was resolved quickly because the question was raised in a general form.One shouldnt interfere in electionswell, we dont interfere, Nikonov said. The Post reported: On Russian state television, presenters and guests mocked the U.S. congressional delegation for appearing to put a weak foot forward, noting how the message of tough talk they promised in Washington changed a bit by the time they got to Moscow. We need to look down at them and say: You came because you needed to, not because we did, Igor Korotchenko, a Russian military expert, said on a talk show on state-run television.

As soon as Johnson returned home, on July 7, the former hardliner on Russia told the right-wing Washington Examiner that hes worried that Congress over-reacted to Russias election interference, which resulted in legislation that tied Trumps hands with mandatory sanctions. Ive been pretty upfront that the election interference as serious as that was, and unacceptableis not the greatest threat to our democracy, he said. Weve blown it way out of proportion[as if its] the greatest threat to democracyWe need to really honestly assess what actually happened, what effect did it have, and what effect are our sanctions actually having, positively and negatively.He added, And I think youd be hard-pressed to say that sanctions against Russia are really working all that well.

The next day, TASS, the Russian state news service, publicized: US Sanctions Against Russia Not WorkingUS Senator Johnson. Sputnik International headlined: GOP Senator After Moscow Visit: US Sanctions On Russia Not Working That Well. Johnson had provided a propaganda coup for Putin.

Later that July, Trump was busily engaged in what the Mueller Report documented as the fourth of his ten obstructions of justice against the investigation into his collusion with Russian interference in the 2016 election: The President Orders [Chief of Staff Reince] Priebus to Demand [Attorney General Jeff] Sessionss Resignation. Trump was obsessed with raising a conspiracy theory that the Clinton campaign had colluded with Ukraine against him to counter the reality of what Russia actually had done. The Mueller Report cited his tweet of July 25, 2017: Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaignquietly working to boost Clinton. So where is the investigation A.G.

Trump soon worked his obsession into an elaborate multiple untruth that it was Ukraine that hacked the DNC server, not Russia, that Ukraine falsely blamed Russia, that when the FBI attempted to retrieve the server Ukraine gave it to the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which he claimed was a Ukrainian company and supposedly hid the server in order to protect Hillary Clintons role in the secret plot against him. None of these claims were true.

Fiona Hill, the National Security Council senior director on Europe and Russia, in her testimony before the House impeachment committee, called Trumps story an alternative narrative that undermined U.S. interests and aided Russia. These fictions are harmful even if they are deployed for purely domestic political purposes,she said. This alternative narrative is a Trump conspiracy theory that could be quashed by facts, yet became an impetus behind Johnsons investigation, one of his Holy Grails.

Even before Johnsons mission to Moscow, Trump had for months been piecing together the operation that would attempt to force an investigation into Joe Bidens alleged promotion of his son Hunter Bidens business interests in Ukrainea charge that was entirely false and has been repeatedly refutedand would eventually seek to force an exchange for the manufacture of that political smear for U.S. military aid to Ukrainethe proposed transaction that was the grounds for Trumps impeachment. Johnson would soon plunge right into the middle of the Trump teams machinations in Ukraine.

The Ukraine Scheme

In April 2018, Trump hired Rudy Giuliani, as his personal attorney, who in turn hired two associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, Russian born businessmen living in Florida, where they had contrived a variety of sketchy schemes. (One of Parnas firms, Fraud Guarantee, which had no identifiable customers or office, paid Giuliani a $500,000 consulting fee.) At a dinner at the Trump Hotel on April 30, Parnas reportedly told Trump that the U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was unfriendly to the president and his interests, that her presence stood in the way of the Giuliani operation. Trump vehemently replied that she should be fired.

The effort to discredit and oust Yovanovitch was launched immediately. On May 9, Parnas and Fruman got Congressman Pete Sessions, a Republican of Texas, to write a letter to the State Department demanding her dismissal, claiming she had spoken privately and repeatedly about her disdain for the current Administration, in exchange for a promise to raise $20,000 in campaign contributions through a pro-Trump super PAC, America First Action. Sessions appeared as Congressman-1 in the federal indictment of Parnas and Fruman. Parnas and Fruman committed to raising those funds for Congressman-1. Parnas met with Congressman-1 and sought Congressman-1s assistance in causing the US Government to remove or recall the then-US Ambassador to Ukraine, the indictment stated.

Giulianis group quickly added new partners, who reportedly met regularly to plan their strategy, using the Trump Hotel as their headquarters. There was, secretly, Congressman Devin Nunes, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee with an incorrigible penchant for arcane conspiracy theories, and his aide, Derek Harvey. There were the conservative husband-and-wife team of lawyers, Joseph DiGenova and Victoria Toensing, Fox News talking heads, who represented not only Parnas and Fruman but also the Ukrainian oligarch Dimitri Firtash, who had been Putins man in Kyiv and was under indictment for corruption by a U.S. federal court. And there was John Solomon, the ubiquitous right-wing journalist, who, according to theColumbia Journalism Review,has a history of bending the truth to his story line and distorting facts and hyping petty stories.As it happened, DiGenova and Toensing were his attorneys, too.

Beginning in March of 2019, the team instigated Solomon to produce a series of convoluted articles in his venue, The Hill newspaper in Washington, that asserted that Ambassador Yovanovitch had conspired with Hillary Clintons campaign and George Soros and his agents to leak damaging information about Paul Manafort, Trumps campaign chairman and the former political consultant for the Russian backed president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich, and that the ambassador conspired to suppress Ukrainian investigations into corruption in order to cover up Joe Bidens involvement in his sons business. Solomon also wrote that Firtash was a victim of the Soros group and framed by Robert Mueller to get some dirt on Donald Trump. I said, Giuliani explained, John, lets make this as prominent as possible.Ill go on TV. You go on TV. You do columns.

Trumps personal assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, provided Giuliani with contact information for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. God almighty I have a lot of stuff in writing, Giuliani said, and on March 28 sent over to Pompeo a dossier containing Solomons articles trashing Yovanovitch. On April 5, six former U.S. ambassadors sent the State Department a letter expressing deep concern about recent uncorroborated allegations against here that are simply wrong.

Yovanovitch sought advice on how to handle Solomons onslaught from Gordon Sondland, Trumps ambassador to the European Union, a former hotelier who had given Trumps inaugural committee a large donation. Sondland told her, You need to go big or go home, suggesting that she tweet out there that you support the president. She also consulted Kurt Volker, the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations. It will all blow over, he said.

Meanwhile, William Barr, Trumps attorney general, prepared to go where his predecessor, Jeff Sessions, had not.

On April 10, 2019, Barr announced that he was launching an investigation into both the genesis and the conduct of intelligence activities directed at the Trump campaign, and emphatically added that spying did occur. Four days later he appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to conduct the probe. I think its a great thing that he did it, Trump said. I am so proud of our attorney general that he is looking into it. I think its great. On April 24, Trump told Sean Hannity of Fox News that in fact an investigation had unearthed evidence of a plot on the part of Ukraine to help elect Hillary Clinton, sounds like big, big stuff, and Im not surprised. Giuliani tweeted, Keep your eye on Ukraine.

On April 24, Yovanovitch received an abrupt telephone call from Carol Perez, director general of the State Departments foreign service.She said that there was a lot of concern for me, that I needed to be on the next plane home to Washington. And I was like, What? What happened? And she said, I dont know, but this is about your security. You need to come home immediately. You need to come home on the next plane. And I said, Physical security? I mean, is there something going on here in the Ukraine? Because sometimes Washington has intel or something else that we dont necessarily know. And she said, No, I didnt get that impression, but you need to come back immediately. And, I mean, I argued with her. I told her I thought it was really unfair that she was pulling me out of post without any explanation, I mean, really none, and so summarily.

I do wonder why its necessary to smear my reputation falsely, Yovanovitch testified before the impeachment committee, Shady interests the world over have learned how little it takes to remove an American ambassador who does not give them what they want.

George Kent, the deputy assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, confirmed her account in his testimony. Mr. Giuliani, at that point, had been carrying on a campaign for several months full of lies and incorrect information about Ambassador Yovanovitch, so this was a continuation of his campaign of lies. About John Solomon and his stories, Kent was scathing. It was, if not entirely made up in full cloth, it was primarily non-truths and non-sequiturs. But the State Department ordered Kent not to complain. I was told to keep my head down and lower my profile in Ukraine, he said. The intimidation signaled that the Giuliani operation was in charge.

On May 19, Trump gave an interview to Fox News brazenly laying out the conspiracy theory he wanted to be affixed to Biden. Biden, he calls them and says, Dont you dare persecute, if you dont fire this prosecutorThe prosecutor was after his son. Then he said, If you fire the prosecutor, youll be okay. And if you dont fire the prosecutor, Were not giving you $2 billion in loan guarantees, or whatever he was supposed to give. Can you imagine if I did that?

Johnsons Front Row Seat

A day after Trumps interview on Fox News, Ron Johnson wandered into the scene. On May 20, in Kyiv, he attended the inauguration of the new Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the company of Sondland, Volker, and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas. Perry seems likely to have had his own ulterior agenda. He would secure a lucrative oil and gas deal from Ukraine for two of his political supporters, who also happened to have hired Giulianis law firm, after Perry proposed that Zelensky take one of them as an adviser. At the same time, Giuliani was rooting around Kyiv, trolling for disinformation to use against Biden and meeting with people close to Yuri Lutsenko, the prosecutor general, embittered at Yovanovitch and Biden for their anti-corruption efforts. Lutsenko had met previously with Giuliani and Parnas, volunteered himself as a source for Solomons stories, but finally had a falling out with Giuliani when he failed to initiate an investigation into Biden.

Johnson came to Kyiv brandishing credentials as a close observer of the state of play. Serving as chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation and vice chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, he had advocated military aid since the Russians had invaded eastern Ukraine in 2015. He arrived amidst the upheaval at the embassy, the orchestrated publicity campaign against Yovonavitch and her sudden removal under the cloud of a false threat to her security. Johnson was surely aware of the broad nature of these events but apparently made not a murmur of protest. He presented himself as an expert on the ground and influential figure in his own right, but he was beginning his career as an innocent abroad.

Upon the delegations return to Washington, the four men met on May 23 with Trump in the Oval Office. Their agenda, according to Johnson, was to secure a statement in support of Ukraine, an invitation to Zelensky to the White House and the appointment of a new ambassador with strong bipartisan support. Trump was having none of it. He said that Ukraine was a corrupt country, full of terrible people, Volker testified. He said they tried to take me down. In the course of that conversation, he referenced conversations with Mayor Giuliani. It was clear to me that despite the positive news and recommendations being conveyed by this official delegation about the new president, President Trump had a deeply rooted negative view on Ukraine rooted in the past. He was clearly receiving other information from other sources, including Mayor Giuliani, that was more negative, causing him to retain this negative view. It was apparent to all of us that the key to changing the Presidents mind on Ukraine was Mr. Giuliani, Sondland testified. When the meeting was raised during the impeachment, Johnsons mind went blank on Sondlands account. I am aware that Sondland has testified that Trump also directed the delegation to work with Rudy Giuliani, he wrote. I have no recollection of the president saying that during the meeting. It is entirely possible he did, but because I do not work for the president, if made, that comment simply did not register with me. After the meeting, Sondland, Volker and Perry, anointed to work with Giuliani, dubbed themselves the three amigos.

Indeed it was that Oval Office meeting, Ambassador William Taylor testified, in which the irregular channel began, with the three amigos, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Giuliani in pursuit of Ukraine investigations of Biden in exchange for military aid and a White House visit.

One other man was present at the May 20 meeting, Charles Kupperman, deputy to National Security Advisor John Bolton, who reported back to Bolton. It was a classic, Bolton wrote in his memoir, The Room Where It Happened:

I dont want to have any fucking thing to do with Ukraine, said Trump. They fucking attacked me. I cant understand why. Ask Joe diGenova, he knows all about it. They tried to fuck me. Theyre corrupt. Im not fucking with them. All this, he said, pertained to the Clinton campaigns efforts, aided by Hunter Biden, to harm Trump in 2016 and 2020. Volker tried to intervene to say something pertinent about Ukraine. Trump replied, I dont give a shit. Perry said we couldnt allow a failed state, presumably a Ukraine where effective government had broken down. Trump said, Talk to Rudy and Joe. Give me ninety days, Perry tried again. Trump interrupted, Ukraine tried to take me down. Im not fucking interested in helping them, although he relented to say Zelensky could visit him in the White House, but only if he was told how Trump felt in the matter. I want the fucking DNC server, said Trump, returning to the fray, adding, Okay, you can have ninety days. But I have no fucking interest in meeting with him.

Trumps violent obscenities, contempt for Ukraines precarious security, obsession with conspiracy theories, bottomless sense of personal grievance, and complete knowledge and command of the Giuliani operation somehow escaped Johnsons memory and were airbrushed from his account.

Two weeks earlier, Trump had summoned Bolton to a meeting in the Oval Office with Giuliani. Also present were Trumps chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and legal counsel Pat Cipollone. Trump ordered Bolton to work with Giuliani in dredging up material to be used against Biden and influencing Zelensky to start an investigation. Bolton simply ignored Trumps directive. He wanted no part of what he called a drug deal. Even after they became public, I could barely separate the strands of the multiple conspiracy theories at work, Bolton wrote in his memoir.

Giuliani continued his gyrations for an investigation of Biden, but Zelensky did not start a probe and Trump withheld the nearly $400 million in military aid that the Congress had approved. The stalemate led to Trumps notorious perfect phone call to Zelensky on July 25. Trumps statement at the top of the conversation was often cited: I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. But what followed, the part spelling out the favor, was his demand for confirmation of his conspiracy theory and for Ukraine to work with Barr to pursue it. I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say Crowdstrike I guess you have one of your wealthy people The server, they say Ukraine has it. There are a lot of things that went on, the whole situation. I think youre surrounding yourself with some of the same people. I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it. As you saw yesterday, that whole nonsense ended with a very poor performance by a man named Robert Mueller, an incompetent performance, but they say a lot of it started with Ukraine. Whatever you can do, its very important that you do it if thats possible. In short, the object of the Trump-Zelensky call, a key piece of evidence in Trumps impeachment, is the same object that is central to the overarching conspiracy theory of Obamagate.

Two weeks earlier, on July 11, Johnson jumped down a rabbit hole to follow the trail of the Trump conspiracy theories. The White Rabbit that Johnson chased was a heavy set and shady Ukrainian named Andrii Telizhenko, a former low-level employee at the Ukrainian Embassy to the U.S. who had parlayed himself into Giulianis fixer, boasting of smoking fine cigars and sipping expensive whiskey with him from Kyiv to New York. Telizhenko was a man of many dubious deals. He had offered a Ukrainian magazine editor cash to lobby Republican senators on behalf of two pro-Russian media outlets in Ukraine that broadcast propaganda in favor of the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine, according to a CNN report. Telizhenko was also the consultant for international relations for Pavel Fuks, the Ukrainian oligarch who had reportedly been Trumps partner to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. (Fuks was also Giulianis client.)

Telizhenko was a fertile source of conspiracy theories for Giuliani, which he retailed to an avid Trump, who insisted to everyone from his attorney general to his national security advisor that they prove to his satisfaction. Telizhenkos tales ranged from Bidens corruption to how the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. ordered him to work with the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee to dig up damaging information on Paul Manafort. (Telizhenkos talent was featured on numerous programs broadcast by the pro-Trump, far right One America News Network, including The Ukraine Hoax: Impeachment, Biden Cash, and Mass Murderand Ukrainian Witnesses Destroy Schiffs Case Exclusive with Rudy Giuliani, in which Giuliani interviewed him.) Borys Tarasiuk, Ukraines former foreign minister, familiar with Telizhenkos antics for years, told the Kyiv Post, Idont think that this person deserves much attention. Hes a crook.

I was in Washington, Telizhenko recalled, and Senator Johnson found out I was in D.C., and staff called me and wanted to do a meeting with me. So I reached out back and said, Sure, Ill come down the Hill and talk to you. Telizhenko told the Washington Post that he and Johnson discussed a whole range of theories, particularly the DNC issue, focusing on what the Post described as his unsubstantiated claim that the Ukraine Embassy directed him to find incriminating material on Manafort. Seeking a comment from Johnson, the Post received this strange and uninformative response: An individual close to Johnson confirmed that staff members for one of his committees met with Telizhenko as part of an ongoing investigation into the FBI and its probes of the 2016 election. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, declined to say whether the senator was involved. Telizhenko resolved that mystery, posting a picture of himself meeting with Johnson on his Facebook page. How Johnson knew that the peripatetic Telizhenko was briefly in Washington was left unexplained.

Johnson returned to Kyiv to meet with Zelensky on September 5, this time accompanied by Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, and the new U.S. ambassador William Taylor. Zelenskys first question to the senators was about the withheld security assistance, Taylor testified before the impeachment inquiry. Both senators stressed thatbipartisan support for Ukraine in Washington was Ukraines most important strategic asset and that President Zelensky should not jeopardize that bipartisan support by getting drawn into U.S. domestic politics. Yet that day Trump extended the hold on the aid.

The whole affair burst open on September 9. Michael Atkinson, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community notified the House and Senate intelligence committees that a whistleblower had filed a complaint on August 12 about Trumps pressure on Ukraine to investigate Biden as the price for releasing military aid. The House demanded the release of the complaint and announced it would investigate Trump and Giulianis operation. On September 10, Bolton resigned. On September 11, Trump released the Ukraine aid. On September 25, the White House released a version of Trumps perfect call asking Zelinsky to do us a favor, though. On September 27, Volker resigned. That day, Johnson and Grassley sent a joint letter to Barr, citing Telizhenko as their source, demanding, Are you investigating links and coordination between the Ukrainian government and individuals associated with the campaign of Hillary Clinton or the Democratic National Committee? If not, why not?

Johnson Digs a Hole

On October 3, Trump held an impromptu press conference on the South Lawn of the White House. Mr. President, what exactly did you hopeZelenskywould do about the Bidens after your phone call? asked a reporter. Well, he replied, I would think that, if they were honest about it, theyd start a major investigation into the Bidens. Its a very simple answer. Then he added, And by the way, likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine. Trumps remarks caused an uproar, taken as a brazen confession about Ukraine and committing another offense in his call for China to interfere for his political benefit.

Visiting the Middleton, Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, Ron Johnson immediately defended Trumps comments. I want to find out what happened during 2016, he said, adding about Trumps call for China to investigate Biden, Idont think theres anything improper about doing that. The next morning, moving on to Sheboygan, Johnson tried to clean up his statement. No, and Im not sure thats whats happening, he said, denying Trump was calling on China to interfere in American politics.

Then Johnson leaped into the breach in a valiant effort to absolve Trump. He seemed to believe that by disclosing previously unknown stories he could be the hero. But in two interviews he gave on October 4, one to the Wall Street Journal and the other to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Johnson seemed to provide further evidence of Trumps guilt and dissembling, and made himself appear to be playing the fool.

To the Wall Street Journal, Johnson claimed that in a phone call on August 31 Trump flatly denied any quid pro quo of Ukraine political assistance for U.S. military aid. He said, Expletive deletedNo way. I would never do that. Who told you that? Johnson explained that he had learned about the quid pro quo from Sondland the day before. Sondland, he said, told him Ukraine would appoint a prosecutor to get to the bottom of what happened in 2016if President Trump has that confidence, then hell release the military spending. Johnson went on: At that suggestion, I winced. My reaction was: Oh, God. I dont want to see those two things combined.

To the Journal-Sentinel, Johnson elaborated on the August 31 call with Trump. I tried to convince him to give me the authority to tell President Zelensky that we were going to provide that. Now, I didnt succeed. The Milwaukee paper reported, Trump said he was considering withholding the aid because of alleged corruption involving the 2016 U.S. election. Johnson stood by the president, saying he was sympathetic to his concerns and didnt see any bad motives on his part.What happened in 2016? What happened in 2016? What was the truth about that? Johnson said about Trumps concerns.

With his stumbling interviews, Johnson revealed that he had been aware of the internal discussions about a quid pro quo before they were made public with the disclosure of the whistleblowers complaint, that rather than seek the truth of the matter he accepted Trumps falsehoods, and confirmed that Trumps motive involved not one but two conspiracy theories, one about Biden and the other about DNC server. Johnson also appeared to have inadvertently made himself into a material witness in an impeachment inquiry with a conflict-of-interest in serving as a juror in a Senate trial. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson just did Trump no favors on Ukraine, ran the headline on an analysis in the Washington Post by Aaron Blake. Johnson apparently thought [he] might help President Trump weather his Ukraine problem. But what he said was decidedly unhelpful for Trump.

Instead of rescuing Trump, Johnson had created more trouble. His effort to wipe up his little mess trying to justify Chinese interference had led to a bigger mess that seemed to implicate Trump in all the charges against him. Johnson now tried to contain his muddle with more damage control. He booked himself on NBCs Meet the Press for Sunday, October 6. His performance was an overlooked minor absurdist classic, half Samuel Beckett and half Abbott and Costello. Johnson was waiting for Godot to arrive with the answer to his quandaries while explaining who was on first.

The dialogue started with Chuck Todd, the host of Meet the Press, playing himself as an earnest journalist asking the question that should be asked, in other words, the straight man. Let me start with something you told the Wall Street Journal late last week. You had said when Mr. Sondland Gordon Sondland seemed to imply that the frozen military aid was connected to a promise by Zelensky for investigations, you said, At that suggestion, I winced. My reaction was, Oh God. I dont wanna see those two things combined. Why did you wince and what did you mean by those two things combined?

Johnsons opening lines established a tone of whining victimization followed by a non sequitur. Well, fir first of all, your setup piece was you know, typically, very unbiased. But, you know, le let me first, before I started answering all the detailed questions, let me just talk about why Im pretty sympathetic with what President Trump has gone through. You know, Im 64 years old. I have never in my lifetime seen a president, after being elected, not having some measure of well wishes from his opponents. Ive never seen a presidents administration be sabotaged from the day after election. I Ive never seen no no measure of honeymoon whatsoever. And so what President Trumps had to endure, a false accusation by the way, youve got John Brennan on you oughta ask Director Brennan what did [FBI agent] Peter Strzok mean when he texted [FBI agent] Lisa Page on December 15th, 2016? (Strzok had been removed from the Mueller investigation after his text messages to Page, which contained anti-Trump sentiments, were disclosed.)

With the formalities of throat clearing out of the way, the interview took off. It is worth quoting at some length to convey the full extent of the Trump defender dissolving into dogmatic incoherence in the face of the skeptical reportorial question.

CHUCK TODD:

I have no idea why

SEN. RON JOHNSON:

Were gettin no, thats thats

CHUCK TODD:

why

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The Life and Adventures of Ron Johnson: His Journey Through Multiple Untruths to the Fable of Obamagate - Just Security

Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) Accumulated Value to Reach $1.3 billion, an Expert Says… – TheTradable

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The most popular cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin and Ethereum, are likely to hit their record combined value of $1.3 billion, saysRyan Watkins (@RyanWatkins_). According to Messari's expert, Blockchains have all the chances to become payment systems.

In the image that is attached to Ryan Watkins Twitter post, he added the current value of Bitcoin, Ethereum as well as the value of stablecoins made on those most popular Blockchains.

Bitcoins Background

Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency ever created by an anonymous developer, Satoshi Nakamoto. This Blockchain has a Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism which means that calculations are needed to create a new block. New Bitcoins appear once a miner (special hardware) adds a new block to the system.

Bitcoins price has reached its top at the end of 2017 (the currency pair BTC/USD has reached level of $20,000), but retreated later. Bitcoin is supposed to be the most reliable payment system among all existing cryptocurrencies. However, the God Father of all tokens lacks functionality when compared to its closest rival, Ethereum.

Etehreums Background

Ethereum is the second popular Blockchain with great functionality. It also uses the PoW consensus mechanism. However, the founders of the project are testing another generation of this network, which is going to save energy by using the Proof-of-State mechanism (blocks will be added and verified by the stakeholders).

Apart from the payment system, Ethereum has another great feature. It offers so-called 'smart contracts' that may substitute paper contracts in the future. This feature makes the Ethereum very popular among users. Ethereums price was above $1,400 but later ETH/USD had a significant fall towards $100 per coin.

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Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) Accumulated Value to Reach $1.3 billion, an Expert Says... - TheTradable

A Beginners Guide to Healing Crystals With Amber the Alchemist – Vogue

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Most people associate rose quartz with romantic love, but its actually a universal love stone. In order to experience love fully, your heart chakra must be open to it. Rose quartz guides your heart chakra to open up to loveself love, romantic connections, family, etc.

Rose quartz. Photo: Courtesy of Amber Finney.

Black Tourmaline

Protection is imperative and Black Tourmaline is a go-to stone for protection in all forms. It especially kills low vibrational energy surrounding you and within your energetic body, its the hater-blocker of the mineral world!

Amethyst

Amethyst is a go-to introduction to crystals. Its calming energy isnt overwhelming, but its noticeable enough to feel its effect on you and your environment. Its great to keep near your bed for a peaceful nights sleep, especially if you have a sleeping disorder or would like your child to have a good nights rest. Its also a great start to connect to your intuition.

Amethyst. Photo: Courtesy of Amber Finney.

Finneys go-to cleansing methods are smoke (via incense, camphor, or cedar) and salt/salt water. You can smudge your crystals by placing them with the smoke while praying to remove any unwanted energies. Salt is historically known for its purifying and detoxifying properties. You can bury your crystals in salt to dispel negative negative energy or submerge them in salt water. However, she notes that you should research your crystal before using salt water, as some crystals are soft and can disintegrate. Crystals usually ending in -ite should not come in contact with water.

Cleansing crystals is an important practice so that you can clear away the energies that have interacted with them. That way, you are working with the purest form of the crystal without external influences. This makes your ability to connect with them easier. In her own shop, Finney cleanses, Reiki charges, and anoints her crystals with her Quartz infused anointing oil, so you can immediately cultivate a connection with your crystal allies.

Quartz works to heal physical pain and boost self-esteem. Photo: Courtesy of Amber Finney.

Finney recommends crystal charging because the practice reenergizes, awakens and activates its natural vibrations. Its not mandatory, but its extremely helpful! You can charge crystals by burying them into the Earth. Crystals come directly from the Earth, therefore burying them back into the Earth connects them directly to its Source. You can also charge crystals under sun or moonlight. The sunlight charges the crystal with more masculine energy, connected to stability and growth, whereas the moon charges the crystal with its feminine elements of emotional and intuitive connection. Reiki is another form that she uses to charge her crystals as well. As a certified Reiki practitioner, I love using the power of my hands to charge the crystals with light energy.

Golden Healer crystals are known to heal on all levels, including cellularly and a connection to the divine. Photo: Courtesy of Amber Finney.

Finney has found solace in her wellness practice, especially now amid both a pandemic and a monumental human rights movement. Due to our ancestors sacrifice and efforts we now have the access and flexibility to recommit to our emotional, spiritual, mental and physical bodies, Finney says. Self-care is an opportunity to reconnect with our history and reclaim our spiritual and wellness space. Through self-care, we not only nurture, but heal our entire bloodline.

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A Beginners Guide to Healing Crystals With Amber the Alchemist - Vogue

The Seeker: Show Love Its the Bhagavad Way – qcnerve.com

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The Mahbhrata is the longest known epic poem, quite accurately described as the longest poem ever written. At about 1.8 million total words, the Mahbhrata is roughly 10 times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined. As the sixth book of the Mahbhrata, the Bhagavad Gita makes up just a fraction of this, and I spent seven days toiling over its lessons during a recent yoga teacher training module (virtually, of course).

Heres a quick history of the illustrious script from a 30,000-foot level: Bhagavad Gita translates to Song of God.

The storyline is a conversation between protagonist Arjuna and the god Krishna on a battlefield. Krishna represents The Divine, or God, and Arjuna, as a warrior, represents mankind.

Despite the generational gap between its date of composition (approximately 500-200 BCE) and now, the Bhagavad Gita is intertwined deeply with modern yoga. Perhaps its maintained its significance because the subject matter is still relevant today. A human experiencing a deep, existential crisis? Something I experience daily, to my chagrin.

Throughout the 18 chapters, the discussion canvases spiritual topics about our dharmic path (our purpose), how to live our best life, the nature and secrets of the universe not exactly content for the easiest afternoon read but enlightening nonetheless.

Within the pages of the Bhagavad Gita is mention of the three gunas, or modes of existence. These are the three basic energetic qualities that exist in all things, including us. If you feel lost or confused reading this, welcome to my life. During this course I also learned that a human mind needs to hear, read or write information an average of eight times before fully comprehending the subject matter. Learning this fact made me feel better about an emotional meltdown in a previous Ayurvedic teacher training module (sorry, Amani, and thank you for your patience with me).

Sattva is one of the three gunas and represents the quality of balance the middle ground between being overcharged and empty. If this sounds like the overarching goal of yoga, you are correct. The original intention of yoga, according to the Yoga Sutras (a collection of rules often viewed as the authentic yogic guide) was to enhance the quality of sattva a calm yet alert state of mind.

Sattva should not be confused with enlightenment but unveils what is true while dispelling illusions. It manifests as beauty in the world, a healthy mind and body, and feelings of peace that reverberate through the soul. How lovely!

That was it. A moment of unfettered clarity, like the sun reclaiming its brilliance after days of drizzle and doom.

A sense of peace, in so many forms, is what were searching for. If sattva can be cultivated by making life choices that elevate awareness, encourage love, and foster a sense of contentment, why has this not been my teaching focus?

Why has it taken me so long to understand the message behind the concept? Lastly, I wonder, have I discovered my teaching dharma?

Upon completion of the course, I took my learnings to the yoga mat and crafted a meditation around the theory that sattva is a principal goal of yoga that we often forget or get distracted from. How easily our minds slip into planning mode, or perhaps even worse; rumination. The repetitious strand of thoughts that play like a song I cant shake. (Im rolling my eyes as I write this because the 4 a.m. thought cycle is a drama I know by heart).

With reverence to the times, tending to our own seeds of sattva (that perhaps lie dormant within each of us), couldnt be more timely. While we navigate an unfamiliar world stained by the harsh realities of a pandemic paired with white supremacy, I like to remind myself that kindness is contagious and that sattva is associated with benevolence.

You know that feeling you get when you do something nice for someone? It actually has a name: moral elevation.

And studies show that after someone experiences this feeling, they in turn become more altruistic and helpful. Hence the phrase kindness is contagious.

But how can we take our sattvic practice off the mat and into the world?

Be intentional with your words and actions, and really put them into practice, (remember, like everything in yoga, its called practice for a reason), such as non-violence, being truthful and steadfast, being of service without reaping reward. All of these practices manifest the element of sattva the wholesome quality of purity and peace.

Just consider for a moment the possibility of having so much love and compassion inside of you, so much that it simply cannot be contained, so much that it radiates from every cell and affects all those around you that they too manifest sattva in reciprocity. There belies the true power of a yoga practice. And it costs less than a pair of Lululemons.

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Are You An Assimilated Orthodox Jew? – The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com

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Photo Credit: pixabay

We tend to think of assimilated Jews as those who have married gentiles or whose behavior is indistinguishable from gentile behavior. But many Orthodox Jews can also be classified as assimilated. Here are four indicators, in no particular order, to determine if youre one of them:

1) You live outside of Israel, have no intention to move, and teach your children how important it is not to make a chillul Hashem.

The latter clause does not demonstrate assimilation, but sheds light on it. There is no greater chillul Hashem than the Jewish people living outside of Israel. Thats because the banishment of Jews from their land is proof to the world that G-d has abandoned the Jewish people or cannot protect them. This idea is emphasized throughout Sefer Tehillim.

So if you live in a nice Jewish community in the Diaspora and worry about making a kiddush Hashem, consider this: Your very presence there is the ultimate chillul Hashem; nothing else compares to it, and no amount of good behavior will make up for it. If this doesnt bother you, and you are not actively striving to rectify it, youre an assimilated Orthodox Jew.

2) You take moral cues from non-Jewish society.

Morality is not subjective, nor does morality evolve or progress from one generation to the next. That belief is incompatible with belief in G-d who alone determines whats right and wrong and the Torah, where these determinations are immortalized.

Our very purpose in life as Orthodox Jews is implementing G-ds complete Torah in Israel and spreading the basic Noahide teachings to the rest of the world. Moral enlightenment is supposed to flow exclusively from the Torah to Jew to gentile, never the reverse. Knowledge of science and art may be obtained from a variety of sources, but morality only comes from one source.

Yet, many Orthodox Jews receive moral direction from gentile society. Its no coincidence that new understandings of a womans role directly parallel gentile movements awash with atheism, socialism, and a general rebellion against tradition. Orthodox Jewish women didnt wake up one day and decide they are oppressed, unappreciated, abused, and erased by a barbaric patriarchy. These ideas seeped into the Orthodox world from impure sources and gradually poisoned peoples minds.

The same is true of causes like vegetarianism and veganism. Their explosion in popularity among Orthodox Jews directly followed new understandings of morality among enlightened non-Jews. Slaughtering an animal and offering it as a sacrifice is anathema to many Orthodox Jews, who maintain they want a Beis HaMikdash but seem to have forgotten what we actually do there. Its not a Kotel with four walls.

Orthodox Jews are supposed to be the most outspoken voice when it comes to moral issues, clearly and proudly articulating the view of the Torah. Instead, our voice today is the very last to be heard, is suppressed as long as possible, and then meekly attempts to reconcile the goyish morality of the day with the Torahs eternal teachings. Can there be any greater sign of assimilation than that?

3) You believe interlopers in our land should be given control over part of it.

I recently saw a film by Ami Horowitz called Interview With A Murderer in which he interviews a senior Hamas terrorist. He asks him if abandoning any part of Palestine would be a breach in the promise between Allah and the Muslim people.

The terrorist replies in part: There is no way that you can abandon part of your home, willingly. It belongs to all the Muslims. We are talking about the Holy Land here. It belongs to every Muslim in the world. I cannot give away, Abu Mazen cannot give away, Yasser Arafat could not give away. Nobody can give away any part of it.

If youre an Orthodox Jew, and you do not firmly echo this response with Jews and the names of Jewish politicians substituted where appropriate youre an assimilated Orthodox Jew.

4) You have a problem with the mitzvah to wipe out Amalek.

The Torahs position on this is crystal clear. Shaul lost his kingdom and his life primarily because he took pity on Amalek. But today, a great many Orthodox Jews want nothing to do with this mitzvah.

Since Orthodox Jews cannot simply do away with an uncomfortable mitzvah as do their more progressive counterparts, they simply define it into irrelevance. Amalek is transformed from an actual nation to an idea preferably an amorphous one that must be abolished, particularly from inside ourselves.

More traditional Orthodox Jews admit that Amalek does refer to actual human beings, but say we cannot possibly know who they are and we probably never will. That may be true, but they say that with relief, not regret. If Eliyahu HaNavi delivered Amalek to them, gave them a sword, invited them to perform the mitzvah, and assured them no Jew would suffer for it, they still would want nothing to do with it.

If you exhibit any of these symptoms, Im afraid that you have contracted the disease of spiritual assimilation. Fortunately, with early detection and an honest assessment, the chances of a full recovery are high.

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Kuiper: The left’s worshipping of Wokeness will dwarf other faiths – nwestiowa.com

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The left used to hate religion. For the past few decades, a common criticism from the left was to label anyone who was a conservative Christian as being a member of the dreaded, Religious Right. In the past this powerful voting block that tend to vote for Republicans was often called an unholy alliance.

However, it seems the left has found a religion, and it is rapidly becoming a powerful force in American politics. Whether social justice, Black Lives Matter, or global warning (aka, climate change), it all falls under the banner of this formidable entity: The religion of Wokeness. This may soon dwarf all other religions in our country, including Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Evangelicalism, Scientology and perhaps even atheism.

There are a number of characteristics of mainstream religions, and Wokeness has them too. Religions have sacred literature. Christians have the Bible, specifically the New Testament. Jews have the Torah. Muslims have the Quran. Scientologists have the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, and the Church of Latter-day Saints has the Book of Mormon. There are sacred texts as well in the religion of Wokeness. These include the Communist Manifesto, the writings community activist of Saul Alinsky, and Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the United States, or what radio host Dennis Prager likes to call A proctologists view of American history.

Commentator John McWhorter identified a major aspect of this Woke religion: the immorality of white privilege. Just two years ago he wrote, The parallels with Christianity are almost uncannily rich. White privilege is the secular white persons Original Sin, present at birth and ultimately ineradicable. One does ones penance by endlessly attesting to this privilege in hope of some kind of forgiveness.

McWhorter was a bit ahead of his time as a handful of liberal politicians, all white of course, recently acknowledged their privilege by publicly kneeling at the U.S. Capital, a prominent act of public self-punishment. But real penance, at least for the left, means getting rid of all privilege. And when they talk privilege, what they are really referring to is wealth. For them, wealth must be transferred from oppressor to the oppressed, which is why many doctrines of Wokeness are straight out of the Communist Manifesto.

Few religions punish their non-supporters as severely as the Woke. It is one thing to not oppose a religion, but you must embrace the Woke, or you are labeled, of course, a racist. The Woke religionists will hunt down and expose those who refuse to be converted, making sure they are shamed, fired from their jobs or derided publicly.

Another characteristic of those who are extremely religious is an intolerance toward images or symbols they dislike. In the last few weeks we have seen countless statues torn down by the Woke, even those who were never controversial, including President Abe Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglas. In a way, Woke fanatics resemble radical Islamists who destroy all things that offend their faith.

Finally, most religions have some kind of a Messiah. Islam has Muhammad, Mormons have Joseph Smith, and Christianity has Jesus. Wokeness has several, with the most prominent being George Floyd. Floyd, as was reported extensively, died while being arrested in late May in Minneapolis, and the four officers involved have been charged with murder. Conservative commentator Candace Owens took to Facebook and stated that what happened to him was wrong, and charges against the officers should be pursued. However, she also questioned why Floyd was being heralded as someone to be worshipped by her fellow Blacks, due to his extensive criminal record. For this she was condemned for her blasphemy. One cannot criticize the Messiah!

According to the Woke, certain names are sacred, and anyone who dare disparage them violate the commandment of Thou Shall Not Take Thy Name in Vain.

But there is a huge difference between the religion of Wokeness and the more traditional religions in our country, and that has to do with worship. Most Christian churches were ordered to close their doors during the COVID crisis in the spring. But those who follow the religion of Wokeness were allowed to get together in mass gatherings, all in the name of justice for George Floyd. However, many of these worship services were riots and they ended up with the burning and looting of stores, even police stations.

What is most disturbing is this destruction is now being directed at Christianity. In the past few weeks multiple houses of worship have been desecrated or destroyed in California and Florida. It could be connected to Black Lives Matter activist Shawn King and his recent condemnation of the symbols of Christianity. He wrote, They are a gross form of white supremacy. Created as tools of oppression. Racist propaganda. They should all come down.

The religion of Wokeness is not harmonious with Christianity, or any other mainstream religion in our country. It represents a serious danger to the values that have shaped America. If Wokeness does become the dominant religion, Im afraid the country that you and I grew up in will be gone with the wind, just like the name of the Washington Redskins.

Tom Kuiper lives in Sibley. He may be reached at thomaskuiper85@gmail.com.

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Atheist Alliance International Temporarily Suspends Director Over Use of Slurs – Friendly Atheist – Patheos

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***Update***: The largest atheist group in Australia, the Atheist Foundation of Australia, has pulled out of joining as an affiliate due to Sherlocks statements.

I posted yesterday about a troubling situation brewing at Atheist Alliance International, one of the larger atheist organizations in the world, with nearly 200,000 fans on Facebook and Special Consultative status with the United Nations.

You can read the details here, but the gist of it is that the groups executive director Michael Sherlock had called one critic a cunt and used the slur retarded in multiple tweets. (His defenders insisted he was using the technical definition meaning slowed or delayed, but its clear in context that wasnt the case.)

Three members of AAIs not-yet-publicized advisory board told me they were resigning as a result of the comments. Sherlock himself spent part of yesterday lashing out at me personally.

Now we have an update.

Last night, AAI posted their own statement online. It says that the board has suspended Sherlock for a month, without pay. He has also been reminded that damaging the groups reputation could lead to being fired without advanced notice.

Thats a start. Interesting that (as of this writing) they posted it on Twitter, where they have significantly fewer followers, and not on Facebook, which is their primary way to communicate with supporters.

Whilst AAI expects to encounter controversy in the public sphere, it is our strict policy to treat everyone with respect. Our job is to attack bad ideas or behaviors but not to attack people and certainly never to resort to personal insults. The committee found that Michael fell short of these ideals in this exchange.

Theyre referring to the exchange in which he called a critic a cunt twice. But what about all the other times he used that word or other similar slurs? Saying he fell short suggests his rhetoric was just fine with AAI until he used that particular word in that particular thread.

But its his overall behavior thats a problem, not a singular incident. Hes just abad representative for the organization.

What about the use of retarded? AAI doesnt care about that one at all.

The committee found that Michael used the word without intending any disrespect or offense to anyone.

Oh. Well that settles it then. He meant retarded in a good way. Obviously.

Kaitlyn Gleason, the person Sherlock insulted, didnt buy the statement either, saying it missed the mark. She told me this last night:

I dont care if Michael thinks Im a cunt. I care about using language that is hurtful to intellectually disabled people. We should all do our best to ensure we do no harm to vulnerable groups of people. There are plenty of other words he could have used and he should have. There is no excuse.

Today, he again defended using the word while calling those of us who were concerned irrational, a militia of morality police, and self-righteous and self-appointed conformity crusaders on a jihad.

How can you stand by someone who does not understand how using a word like retarded is a problem? Clearly, members of your advisory board agree that this word has no place in a decent, humanist society since multiple members resigned.

As atheists, we have to do better and we have to demand better. We already struggle with a bad reputation simply because we dont believe in gods. This kind of behavior does not help our cause.

Again, I appreciate the consideration that you gave this incident and I wish you continued success in the work you do.

I would just reiterate that I want groups like AAI to succeed. If their goal is to make atheism more acceptable and help people in other countries when their rejection of religion puts them in harms way, Im right there with them. But when their leader is openly hostile to constructive critics and making statements that are impossible to defend, its creating more obstacles for our shared goals.

Why even have a group to solve big problems when all youre doing is creating new ones? I dont get it.

I guess well find out in a month (or sooner) how seriously the board takes its own statement and how much of a leader Sherlock wants to be. In the meantime, there are other groups doing much of the same work in normalizing atheism. Consider becoming a member of any of them.

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Atheist Alliance International Temporarily Suspends Director Over Use of Slurs - Friendly Atheist - Patheos

Is it time to add ‘The Great’ to ‘St. John Paul II’? | Terry Mattingly – Knoxville News Sentinel

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As he began his 1979 pilgrimage through Poland, Pope John Paul II preached a soaring sermon that was fiercely Catholic, yet full of affection for his homeland.

For Communist leaders, the fact that the former archbishop of Krakow linked faith to national pride was pure heresy. The pope joyfully claimed divine authority to challenge atheism and the government's efforts to reshape Polish culture.

"Man cannot be fully understood without Christ," John Paul II told 290,000 people at a Mass in Warsaw's Victory Square. "He cannot understand who he is, nor what his true dignity is, nor what his vocation is, nor what his final end is. ... Christ cannot be kept out of the history of man in any part of the globe, at any longitude or latitude of geography."

Pope John Paul II waves to the faithful April 23, 1997, as he crosses St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.(Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

That was bad enough. Then he added: "It is therefore impossible without Christ to understand the history of the Polish nation. ... If we reject this key to understanding our nation, we lay ourselves open to a substantial misunderstanding. We no longer understand ourselves."

This was the stuff of sainthood, and John Paul II received that title soon after his 26-year pontificate ended. But the global impact of that 1979 sermon is a perfect example of why many Catholics believe it's time to attach another title to his name "the great."

"The informal title 'the great' is not one that is formally granted by the church," explained historian Matthew Bunson, author of "The Pope Encyclopedia: An A to Z of the Holy See."

"Every saint who is also a pope is not hailed as 'the great,' but the popes who have been called 'the great' are all saints. ... When you hear that title, you are dealing with both the love of the faithful for this saint and the judgment of history."

In the case of John Paul II, mourners chanted "Santo subito!" ("Saint now!") and waved posters with that slogan at his funeral. During a Mass only 13 hours after his death, Cardinal Angelo Sodano spoke of "John Paul, indeed, John Paul the Great."

When he was chosen to succeed John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI's first words to the crowd in St. Peter's Square were, "After the great pope ... ."

Discussions of attaching "the great" to this saint's title were jump-started by a recent letter from Benedict XVI that marked the centenary of the birth, in the Polish town of Wadowice, of the man who would become John Paul II.

Terry Mattingly, News Sentinel columnist(Photo: Paul Efird / News Sentinel)

"The word 'saint' indicates God's sphere, and the word 'great,' the human dimension," Benedict wrote. The term "great" is harder to define, he added, and in the "course of the almost 2,000-year-long history of the papacy, the title 'the great' has been maintained only for two popes: Leo I (440-461) and Gregory I (590-604). In the case of both, the word 'great' has a political connotation, but precisely because something of the mystery of God himself becomes visible through their political success."

In both of those cases, Bunson said, the future of Rome and the Roman world were at risk with Leo dealing with Attila the Hun, while Gregory faced the invading forces of the Lombards. Pope Gregory the Great also produced epic works of theology, especially on the liturgy and the work of bishops.

"With that in mind, just look at the dramatic life of John Paul II," Bunson said. "You start with his underground work against the Nazis, then all the ways that he stood up to Communism during the Cold War. Finally, there are his encyclicals opposing the existential threat of postmodernism what he called the 'culture of death' to the value of the human person."

In his letter, Benedict XVI quoted the famous words of Russia's Joseph Stalin, who asked, considering Europe's future: "How many divisions does the pope have?"

As it turned out, Pope John Paul II was more than a worthy opponent.

"Let us leave open the question of whether the epithet 'the great' will prevail or not," noted the retired pope. "It is true that God's power and goodness have become visible to all of us in John Paul II. In a time when the Church is again suffering from the oppression of evil, he is for us a sign of hope and confidence."

Terry Mattingly leads GetReligion.org and lives in Oak Ridge. He is a senior fellow at the Overby Center at the University of Mississippi.

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How Taiwanese death rituals have adapted for families living in the US – Jacksonville Journal-Courier

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Pei-Lin Yu, Boise State University

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Pei-Lin Yu, Boise State University

(THE CONVERSATION) Taiwanese people living in the United States face a dilemma when loved ones die. Many families worry that they might not be able to carry out proper rituals in their new homeland.

As a biracial Taiwanese-American archaeologist living in Idaho and studying in Taiwan, I am discovering the many faces of Taiwans blended cultural heritage drawn from the mix of peoples that have inhabited the island over millennia.

Indigenous tribes have lived on the island for 6,000 years, practicing their diverse ancient traditions into the modern day. Chinese sailor-farmers arrived during the Ming Dynasty 350 years ago. The Japanese won a naval battle with China and governed Taiwan as a colony from 1895 to 1945. Today, Taiwan is a vibrant democracy, albeit with contested sovereign status. Peoples from every corner of the planet visit, work and live in Taiwan.

Language, religion and food from all these traditions can be encountered in the cities and villages of Taiwan today. Multiple beliefs and customs also contribute to the rituals Taiwanese people conduct to send family members into the afterlife.

Death rituals

Taiwans death rituals offer a bridge with the afterlife that stems from multiple spiritual sources. Buddhists, who make up 35% of Taiwans population, believe in multiple lives. Through faith and devotion to Buddha and the accumulation of good deeds a person can be freed from the cycle of reincarnation to achieve nirvana or a state of perfect enlightenment.

This belief is fused with elements of the islands other belief systems including Taoism, Indigenous spirituality and Christianity. Together, they form death customs that showcase Taiwans multiculturalism.

In the streets of Taiwans metropolises and villages alike, temples, churches and wooden ancestor carvings invite one to contemplate eternity while the odors of nearby food vendors such as stinky tofu, a local delicacy tempt people to pause and enjoy earthly delights afterward.

The rituals associated with passing from this life include cemetery burial or traditional cremation practices. The dead are cremated and placed in special urns in Buddhist temples.

Another rite involves burning of what are known as hell bank notes. These are specially printed non-legal tender bills that may range from US$10,000 to several billions.

On one side of these notes is an image of the Jade Emperor, the presiding monarch of heaven in Taoism. These bills can be obtained in any temple or even 7-Eleven in Taiwan. The belief is that the spirits of ancestor might return to complain if not given sufficient spending money for the afterlife.

Adapting in America

My Indigenous great-great-grandmother married a Chinese man and her great-grandson my father grew up speaking a typical blend of languages for the 1950s: the local dialect, Hokkien, as well as Japanese, Cantonese and Mandarin. Arriving in the U.S. at the age of 23 to study electrical engineering, my father mastered English quickly, married my Euro-American mother, and raised a family in the American West.

Taiwanese people living in America often cannot participate in the rites of mourning and passage conducted back home because they do not have time or money, or recently, pandemic related travel restrictions. So Taiwanese Americans adapt to and sometimes, accept the loss of these traditions.

When my Taiwanese grandmother, whom we affectionately called Amah, passed away in 1987, my father was unable to return home for the Buddhist ritual organized by his family. Instead, he adapted the Tou Qi, pronounced tow chee usually conducted on the seventh day after death.

In this ritual, it is believed that the spirit of the recently deceased revisits the family for one final farewell.

My father adapted the ritual to a modern U.S. suburban home: He filled our dining room with fruits and cakes, as my Amah was a strict Buddhist vegetarian and enjoyed eating cakes. He put pots of golden chrysanthemums on the table and incense whose smoke is believed to carry ones thoughts and feelings to the gods.

He then opened every door, window and drawer in our house, as well as car doors, and the tool shed to ensure that our grandmothers spirit could visit and enjoy the food with us for the last time. He then settled in for an all-night vigil.

After helping Dad with preparations, I returned to my small apartment across town, placed flowers and fruit and a candle on the kitchen table, opened the windows and doors and sat through long dark hours of my own small vigil.

I reflected upon the memory of my grandmother: a petite woman who raised six children during World War II by hiding in the mountains and teaching them to forage for snails, rats and wild yams. Her children survived, got educated, and traveled the world. Her American grandchildren learned how to stir fry in her battle-scarred wok, lugged all the way to the U.S. in a suitcase, and peeked curiously as she performed Buddhist prayers each morning in front of the smiling deity.

My vigil ended with the rising of the sun: the candle burnt out, the flowers drooped, and the fragrance of the incense faded. My grandmother, whose name in translation is Fairy Spirit, had eaten her fill, and said her goodbyes.

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How Taiwanese death rituals have adapted for families living in the US - Jacksonville Journal-Courier