Daily Archives: June 24, 2017

Can we lose the liberal jingoism? Loose talk about treason is only harming the resistance – Salon

Posted: June 24, 2017 at 2:49 pm

After James Hodgkinson shotRepublican congressmanSteve Scalise and four other people at the Republican congressional baseball team practice last week in Virginia,it did not take long for right-wingersto start blaming the left. Hodgkinson, who had an anger management problem and a history of violence yetno trouble getting his hands on an assault rifle andhandgunhad also been a supporter of Bernie Sanders2016 presidential campaign, which was more than enough for partisanson the right to denouncetheentire left for violence.

On Fox News, former House speaker Newt Gingrich called the shooting part of a pattern on the left, where there has beenan increasing intensity of hostility. Those on theleft,Gingrichfurtherclaimed,have sent certain signals that tell people that its OK to hate Trump, its OK to think of Trump in violent terms, its OK to consider assassinating Trump (Incidentally, Gingrich has yet to call outTrump for encouragingpoliticalviolence last year, nor has hediscussed themuch moreserious pattern ofviolence on the far right).

Outside the right-wing echo chamber the mainstream media did not go so far as to blame the left for the actions of one deranged individual, but they did attempt to highlight what New York Times reporter Yamiche Alcindor called the rage buried in some corners of the progressive left, noting that Sanders supportershad come to have a belligerent reputation. Alcindor also observed thatHodgkinsons own social media posts were not far from Mr. Sanderss own message.

In other words, the paper of record rehashed the Bernie Bro narrative from last years Democratic primary, which had been originally manufactured by Hillary Clintons campto undermine the Sanders campaign.Though the Times uncritically reported this narrative,it was largelydebunked during the election (one study, for instance,found that Clinton supporters were more aggressive than Sanders supporters online).

While most of the press similarly portrayed Hodgkinson as aBernie Bro leftist, it became increasingly clear as more information came out about the gunmanthat the he was not only a deeply unstable and abusiveman (described in court papers as an abusive alcoholic who hit his foster daughter repeatedly), but that he had been taken in by much of the Russia hysteriathat has engulfed a large part of the Democratic Party over the past six months.

In late March, for example, Hodgkinson signed and shared a Change.com petition calling for the removal of the President & Vice President, et al for misprision of treason, and posted on Facebook: Trump is a traitor. Trump has destroyed our democracy. Its time to destroy Trump & Co. The petition itself claimsthat members of the Trump administration, along with certain donors and Republican members of Congress, had knowledgeof Trumps relationship with numerous Russian oligarchs and one Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, yet did not find patriotic merit in informing any US authorities of the clear and present US national security threat danger posed by Trumps presidential campaign.

So that the nightmare of having traitors to ournation,in charge of our nations affairs and our nuclear deterrent forces,might be swiftly rectified, the petition continues, Clinton and Tim Kaine should be simply declared the overall victors of the 2016 popular count election and installed immediately.

Considering that the progressive left has been highly critical of this Trump-Russiacollusion narrative, which has generated a great deal of fake news and conspiracy theory, it looks like the gunman was more a product of partisan hackery than left-wing politics. After all, ithasntbeen left-wingpublications that have been freelytossingaround the T-word and peddlingRussia conspiracies, butpartisan groups like ShareBlue (headed by Clinton loyalist David Brock)and fake news websites like The Palmer Report.

Just because there has been a lot of fake newsdoesnt mean that theres noRussia scandal,or that the president hasnt been compromised in some way and all reasonable people should support the investigations that are currently underway. As of this writing, however, there is still noevidencethat the president of the United States has committed any act that would qualify him as a traitor.There is plenty of evidencethat Trump is ademagogue, an ignorant bigot and acon man without an ethical bone in his body.But a traitor? That isnt a charge that should be thrown aroundlightly.

There is a reason why many on the left have been critical of this kind of language andthe Russia narrative in general. While partisan hacks have been quick to jump on the Trump is a treasonous Russian operative bandwagon, mostleftistshave cringed at what feels like a 21st-century liberal version of McCarthyism. Left-wingersknow a thing or two about being called traitors without any basis, and the paranoidrhetoric that has grown around the Russia scandalhas come to sound increasinglylike the paranoidjingoism thatwe witnessedat Tea Party rallies years ago. A tweetfrom MSNBC host Joy Reid last September before the Russia hysteria became all-consuming perfectly capturedthisneo-McCarthyism that has made some left-wingers wince:

I imagine the old time American Communist Party is spinning in its collective grave with envy at what Trump is accomplishing That said, for most Americans its shocking to see an American presidential candidate openly touting authoritarian, communist Russia.

Reidseems to beunawareof the fact that Russia ceasedto be communist more than 25 years ago, and appears to thinkthat Joseph McCarthyhad the right idea when he led witch hunts to crack down on the Communist Party USAand expose communist infiltrators in the U.S. government. What is truly revelatory, however, is Reidsapparent ignorance of 20th-century communismsinternationalist nature,as opposed tothe ferventnationalism of Russia under the Putin regime. In other words, she seems to think that the CPUSA and similar groups around the world aligned withthe Soviet Unionbecause it was Russia, not because it representedthe supposed ideals of global communism.

This bringsus back to why the politicalleft which is also internationalist in nature has rejectedthe jingoism andneo-McCarthyismthat has come todominate in some liberal circles, whereRussian apologistsand traitors are seen at every turn.

There isanother important reason why the left hasbeen critical of the Russia narrative, of course: It has been used by many partisan Democrats and Clinton loyalists includingHillary Clinton herself to avoid any significant self-reflection about last yearsdisastrouselection results. Rather than looking in the mirrorand tryingmake sense of 2016, they have blamed all their woes on Russia (and on James Comey). This is not only irrational but self-destructive. If Democrats do not adopt a more compellingmessageand populist tone in the years ahead,then 2018 and 2020 may not be the big electoral comebacks some are anticipating.

Political discourse has become increasingly toxic and tribalistic in America over the past few decades, and James Hodgkinson though clearly an unstable and isolated lunatic wasa product of this tribalism. While Republicans have played the biggest role in creating todays hyper-partisan atmosphere many Republicans (including the current president) were accusing Obama of being a Kenyan-born jihadi-sympathizerlong before liberals started calling Trump a traitor many Democrats have recently embraced this same partisan tribalism. One expects mindless jingoism and conspiracy-peddling from the party of Donald Trump, but even in this age of intense division and mutual incomprehension, liberals and progressives should know better.

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Adriana Cohen: Liberal loon Johnny Depp went too far – Boston Herald

Posted: at 2:49 pm

Johnny Depp is an unpatriotic loser who apparently has no respect for human life, public safety or even our democracy.

He should also be arrested for inciting violence against our president.

He made headlines on Thursday at a festival in the U.K. telling the 1,500-strong audience in Glastonbury, I think he (Trump) needs help and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go. ... When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?

He then added, I want to clarify, Im not an actor. I lie for a living. However, its been a while, and maybe its time.

Time for what Mr. Depp? To toy with the idea of assassinating the president of the United States? Are you channeling the ghost of John Wilkes Booth the actor who killed President Lincoln just for a sick joke?

Its a criminal concept only a madman or jihadist would approve.

Depps reckless comments have no place in a civilized society. Especially in todays extremely volatile political climate where just last week a Bernie Sanders supporter showed up at a GOP charity baseball practice in Alexandria, Va., and shot Majority Whip Steve Scalise who in case Johnny Depp has callously forgotten is still recovering in the hospital.

If it werent for the fact that Scalise had armed security in tow, many more GOP lawmakers could have been cut down that day, including Texas Rep. Joe Bartons 10-year-old son in attendance that morning.

Depp who offered up a meek apology yesterday should face legal consequences. Free speech doesnt allow us to scream fire in a crowded movie theater as a joke. Nor is it a laughing matter to talk about assassinating anybody.

Its no secret Hollywood is filled with liberal loons. But whats troubling is to see political extremism take over La La Land.

Kathy Griffins career is in the toilet after she posed holding a bloody mask of Trumps decapitated head. But thats just an extreme example. Depp is more mainstream with his hate and thats scary.

What Depp forgets is we have elections where voters choose the winners. If he doesnt like the outcome, try running for office.

Extremists dont deserve our money or accolades. What they do deserve is a jail cell to contemplate their reckless rhetoric that undoubtedly could instigate more blood on our streets and baseball fields.

Not a scenario anyone should ever support I dont care how you vote.

Adriana Cohen is host of the Adriana Cohen Show airing Wednesdays at noon. Follow her on Twitter @Adriana Cohen16.

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One young Republican’s pursuit of the ‘Freedom to Marry’ – UC Berkeley

Posted: at 2:48 pm

Republican Tyler Deaton has known he was attracted to men as far back as he can remember. When he was four or five, he would draw himself marrying another man. I knew I was different in that way before Id ever even been taught it was wrong, he says.

It wasnt until a few years later that he learned in church that what he was feeling was sinful. I distinctly remember a night when I was in third grade, all night long, just crying. Finding these different sections in the Bible and just crying. I didnt sleep that night. That stuck with me for a long time. That one night, it was a revelation.

Deaton was part of a conservative evangelical Christian family living in Georgia. He was taught to live by the Bible as the literal word of God. And he did, in a lot of ways. But he also knew that he was gay and that it wasnt going to change.

Deatons story is one of 23 interviews conducted between 2015 and 2016 by the Bancroft Librarys Oral History Center at UC Berkeley. The interviews, conducted by the centers director, Martin Meeker, explore Freedom to Marry a national campaign that won the federal right for same-sex couples to get married and how it fits in withthe decades-long marriage movement.

Tyler Deaton

I never wanted to change, Deaton told Meeker, about being gay. And I knew I couldnt. I spent most of my time trying to figure out how I could at least feel better about myself.

By high school, the 10th grader began to realize that there were other ideas out there. He took a zoology class, where he learned about evolutionary theory. And he began to piece together his own value system apart from the traditional mold hed been expected to fill

In college, he met Jay, whom he would later marry in New Hampshire, one of the only states that was politically conservative but also LGBT-friendly a rare find in the U.S.

Because although Deaton supported LGBT issues, he was also a Republican. He believed in small government. He was conservative on fiscal and national security issues. Hed voted for George W. Bushs reelection in 2004 (the first time he was old enough to vote) and for John McCain in 2008. I really wish hes been president in 2008, he says. I voted for him enthusiastically over Barack Obama. Would do it again.

Same-sex marriage, to Deaton, was a single issue. It shouldnt be part of a larger, left-leaning progressive movement, he thought. There are a lot of Republicans who just will never even open the door being of a part of it then, he says. But if you keep it a single issue, you can build a coalition around that.

In 2011, when Tea Party Republicans threatened to repeal New Hampshires same-sex marriage law, which had been enacted three years before Deaton couldnt let it happen.

Tyler Deaton (right) and his now husband Jay McClure in 2013

The young Republican would go on to lead a trailblazing effort, convincing his fellow conservatives in the state to support the freedom to marry. In 2012, the bill to repeal the law was defeated by a bipartisan vote in the state legislature, 211 to 116, with more than 100 Republicans voting against the repeal. Deaton went on to be a founding member of the Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry.

Read the transcript of thefull interview with Tyler Deaton to find out how he worked with Republicans to defeat the repeal of the freedom to marry in New Hampshire.

Learn more about the Oral History Centers Freedom to Marry project.

On Sunday, the Cal Alumni Association is partnering withtheGender Equity Resource Center to lead a group of UC Berkeley alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends in the 47th annual San Francisco Pride Parade. Those planning to march are encouraged to register. The first 300 people to register and arrive at the meetup location will receive a free Cal Pride T-shirt. For more information and to register, visit the event page.

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PR institute says Mark-Viverito slashed funding after parade dispute – New York Post

Posted: at 2:48 pm

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is being accused of slashing an annual grant to a respected Puerto Rican institute by nearly half this year as retribution for the directors unwillingness to publicly support convicted terror leader Oscar Lpez Riveras starring role in the recent Puerto Rican Day Parade.

Since Mark-Viverito took the helm of the council in 2014, CUNYs Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College headed by Edwin Melendez has received $970,000 in discretionary funding each year.

But after a flap within the Puerto Rican community over the parades initial decision to honor Lpez Rivera with a National Freedom Hero award, the center saw its funding cut to $500,000 for fiscal 2018, council budget records show.

Mark-Viverito is a vocal supporter of Lpez Rivera, despite his former leadership role in the FALN a Puerto Rican terrorist group that took responsibility for more than 100 bombings in the 1970s and 80s that killed five people in New York City. He was convicted of seditious conspiracy and spent 35 years in prison before then-President Barack Obama commuted his sentence in January.

Melendez apparently refused to publicly defend the Puerto Rican Parades honoring of Oscar Lpez Rivera, Angelo Falcon, director for the National Institute for Latino Policy, wrote in a newsletter that first reported the funding cut on Friday.

If anything, this shows the problems that such political funding can have: What Mark-Viverito gives, on the one hand, she can easily take away with the other if you dont play ball with her, he added.

Falcon told The Post that several people told him Melissa was pissed off at [Melendez] and boom!

At the same time, CUNYs Dominican Studies Institute at City College which has received the same funding as the Puerto Rican center for the past three years saw its allotment continue at the $970,000 level in fiscal 2018.

Asked about the allegations of political retribution by Mark-Viverito, Melendez told The Post, I have no comment.

In an e-mail response to Falcon, Melendez confirmed the funding cut without addressing the issue of political payback.

We have learned that this City Council allocation has been reduced for the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2017. Our core services will continue unaffected, Melendez wrote in the e-mail. We will continue to identify sources of funding that will permit Centro to continue offering the engagement and dissemination activities to the community in accordance to our mission.

A City Council spokeswoman did not address the allegations directly, saying instead the council was proud to support CUNY research initiatives.

Our $2.14 million in funding, which includes the addition of the newly funded Haitian and Mexican Studies Institutes, will continue to give students the resources to make the most of their studies and to support important research on these diverse communities, the spokeswoman said.

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You can achieve financial independence easily by using buckets … – AOL UK

Posted: at 2:48 pm

Achieving financial independence is everyone's goal. The dream of quitting the rat race and being able to live off your savings may seem like an unattainable goal to many but in reality, to achieve this, all you need is a little planning.

The key to building wealth is a regular savings plan. If you're putting away a little every month, over time this savings pot will build up. The best way to ensure that your savings stay untouched, and grow steadily over time is to use a bucket approach.

Using financial buckets to segregate your wealth is easy way of making sure that your money works as hard as possible. It doesn't require much effort and you'll soon reap the rewards.

How you plan your buckets will obviously depend on your current financial situation, savings goals and position in life. But no matter how you divide your wealth, you should be better off for it.

A simple bucket approach would be to divide your wealth between current and long-term savings. Depending on your current financial situation you may believe it is prudent to put aside enough cash to meet three months of spending obligations as protection against unforeseen occurrences.

With this cash cushion in place, you can devote the rest of your wealth to savings products with a longer horizon, with the intention of locking these funds away. Inside this bucket you may then choose to have two more buckets, one of which carries more risk but a higher potential long-term return such as equities. The other would be low risk but offer a steady return -- bonds might be appropriate.

The great thing about the bucket approach is that, as well as encouraging saving and making sure that you don't dip into your savings to meet near-term costs, it provides a psychological benefit.

Equities have generated a historic return of around 10% per annum, much more thanoffered by fixed interest. Nonetheless, this higher return comes with increased volatility, which may scare off some savers. But by using buckets there's no need to fret about volatility.

Research has shown that investors tend to panic when the market falls and sell at any cost, a destructive strategy. However, if you have your near-term cash requirements satisfied in the lower-risk savings buckets described above, the chances of you deciding to sell at the market bottom are greatly reduced as you can afford to wait for equities to recover.

Shares in companies such as Royal Dutch Shell and GlaxoSmithKline may fall significantly during periods of market turbulence but these companies have a long history of producing returns for investors and due to their size, they are unlikely to go out of business any time soon. What's more, these two companies both support dividend yields that are several percentage points above the income offered by most savings accounts.

Overall, if you want to achieve financial independence, a disciplined approach to saving is required. Andthe best way to ensure that you get the most from your money is to separate your funds into different buckets, with different levels of risk and reward based on your own financial circumstances. Job done.

A long-term approach is essential for building wealth. If financial independence is your goal, the Motley Fool is here to help. Our analysts have recently put together this brand new free report titled The Foolish Guide To Financial Independence, which is packed full of wealth creating tips.

The report is entirely free and available for download todaywith no further obligation.

So if you're interested in exiting the rat race and achieving financial independence, click here to download the report. What have you got to lose?

Rupert Hargreaves owns shares of GlaxoSmithKline and Royal Dutch Shell B. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended GlaxoSmithKline. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Royal Dutch Shell B. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

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Porter’s Five Forces can help you achieve financial independence … – AOL UK

Posted: at 2:48 pm

We're big advocates of a bottom-up approach here at The Motley Fool. We invest in individual companies instead of betting on sectors. This approach can help us ignore the relentless 'noise' of the market, but taking this approach too far can be dangerous too.

Companies do not exist in isolation and do not have complete control over their destiny. It is therefore important to consider the impact market forces could have on an investment candidate. Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard, has designed a model of analysis that helps us investigate how a company functions inside its industry.

Porter's Five Forces provides insightsinto how the competitive picture may impact sales and profitability at a given company in the future.

Force number one asks: How easily can another company enter this industry"

Industries with relatively few players often boast outsized returns on capital. Investors will always be drawn to such industries, but unless a company has a wide economic moat (or durable competitive advantage) new competitors will inevitably emerge, vying for a cut of the juicy profits. This increased competition erodes margins until return on capital reverts to the mean. Investors who bought in at its zenith will be left nursing nasty losses.

To avoid this fate, don't be drawn in by big margins. Instead ask yourself how easy would it be to recreate this business if money was no object. If you could create a viable rival without in-house knowledge, hard-earned customer relationships, regulatory approval, brand-building, patent approval or any other differentiator, the company in question likely has a weak competitive position.

The force of substitution is the threat of customers choosing a different product over yours. Driverless cars might substitute taxi drivers. One engine part may be interchangeable with a competing product. When analysing a product, ask: what might be substituted for this? If a service or product is differentiated and strong enough that it has few threats of substitution, it could have the potential for outperformance.

In industries where competition is rife, the balance of power often shifts towards the customer base. This can result in price-sensitive consumers, minimal brand loyalty or even open the doors to price negotiations, thus reducing profitability.

When there is both bountiful supply and suppliers, a company can tend to source its inputs more cheaply because of increased competition. However, if a company must buy a special chemical that is only made by one supplier, it has little scope to negotiate on price if there are few or no viable substitutes.

Who are the other big players in the candidate's industry? What are they good at? Where do they fall down? Do they have any distinct differentiators? Can they threaten the candidate in the future? Understanding how your candidate compares to peers is or paramount importance to forming an opinion on its future.

Understanding these forces could help you track down the not-so-obvious big winners of the future. Our analysts often use this approach to find growth candidates that can compound outsized returns over the long run. We've found a company that ticks all the boxes.

People will pay top dollar for its world-renowned brand, its raw materials are plentiful and cheap and it has a wonderful growth record. This British growth story has doubled profits since 2012and shows no sign of letting up yet. To read the investment thesis in full, click here.

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Local church invites community to get out of debt – MDJOnline.com

Posted: at 2:48 pm

Beginning this fall, Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, which has two East Cobb locations, will facilitate a program that helps families take control of their finances.

Financial Peace University, a Dave Ramsey Solutions program, will be offered several times at the locations during the nine-week program. There will also be Legacy Journey for those looking beyond financial independence and wanting to go deeper into investing. For those with children (K-12 grade), there are programs designed just for their age groups that occur at the same time as the FPU programs offered on Sundays and Wednesdays.

The programs, which will begin on Aug. 20, are open to the community and will be offered at the discounted price of $91.For class availability and to register, go to http://www.pivotstepone.org.

Specifically, FPU will teach participants to pay off their debts, to save for the future and to have a platform to have healthy discussions about finances. Legacy Journey will lead participants deeper into investing, basic estate planning, purposeful living, safeguarding ones legacy and discovering the keys to generational wealth.

For more information, visit http://www.mtbethel.org.

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Jazzfest review: Serena Ryder shows her roots, rocks new tunes – Ottawa Citizen

Posted: at 2:46 pm

Serena Ryder headlines at TD Ottawa Jazz Festival Friday (June 23, 2017) night on the main stage in Confederation Park . Julie Oliver / Ottawa Citizen

Serena Ryder TD Ottawa Jazz Festival Reviewed Friday

Serena Ryder demonstrated the evolution of her artistry during a thoroughly enjoyable main-stage performance at the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival on Friday.

The singer-songwriter who grew up outside Peterborough not only showed off her star power as a vocalist and bandleader but also reached back to her formative years during a down-to-earth acoustic segment on the Confederation Park stage.

Its so weird to have a set list and a band of rock n roll stars because Im such a small-town little hick, she confessed, just after changing her mind about what song to play. Instead of launching into the solo acoustic segment, she switched guitars and fulfilled a request from the crowd for Mary Go Round, a song inspired by her childhood.

With the acoustic back in her arms, Ryder returned to her original plan, revealing her campfire roots with stripped-down versions of Its No Mistake, All For Love and Weak in the Knees, her breakthrough hit of 10 years ago. In this intimate format, without the band, the depth of her talent was evident, and she was in her element connecting with fans in front of the stage.

But she was just as genuine playing her new material with the big band behind her. Backed by a super-charged lineup that included Brian Kobayakawa on bass, Sekou Lumumba on drums, Joel Joseph on keys, and Joan Smith on electric guitar, as well as backing vocalists Miku Graham and D/Shon, Ryder delivered a funky show that was drenched in R & B. They brought the rhythmic tunes from Ryders brand-new album, Utopia, springing to life, and revitalized some old favourites along the way.

Show highlights included the opener Stompa, the 80s pop-rock feel of Ice Age, the rocking Wolves and the crisp new singles, Got Your Number and Electric Love. Also noteworthy was her turn on keyboards, an instrument she said she kinda plays, plucking out the accompaniment as she applied her most heartfelt wail to Wild and Free, another song from the new album.

Her smile radiating warmth, Ryder looked confident and comfortable on stage, always a good sign for an artist with a new batch of tunes to kick off and a summer filled with tour dates. Shell be back in Ottawa on July 1 to share the Parliament Hill stage with an array of artists, including Alessia Cara, Dean Brody, Walk Off The Earth, Gordon Lightfoot and two members of U2, Bono and the Edge.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com

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Get with the Modern Times and try some beer straight from utopia … – LancasterOnline

Posted: at 2:46 pm

A new addition to Pennsylvanias craft beer market is Modern Times Beer: A sunny, southern California native thats definitely hip to the craft groove.

Named after a utopian-minded community that once thrived on Long Island, New York, Modern Times is effectively snuggling its way into the Keystone States polyamorous arms with no gimmick needed.

Once a safe haven for progressives whose main desire was largely to break away from the rat race and slow down on their own terms, thank you very much, Modern Times residents were focused on social and gender equality. Unfortunately, there were outsiders who didnt understand the mentality of communal living, cohabitation and free love; others sought to take advantage of the communitys freedoms and bend it to their own sordid wills.

Modern Times was destined to have an expiration date.

Similar to its nearly utopian namesake, Modern Times Beer is unafraid to stretch conventional boundaries. Youll likely be pleasantly surprised with many of its offerings, which you now will find in many of your favorite local watering holes.

Most of its beers are named after other utopian communities, and discovering their stories is at least half the fun of drinking the beer, which is in itself an exercise in sensory pleasure.

Orderville, Utah, was an offshoot community of the Latter-day Saints; it had its beginning after Brigham Young proclaimed that his devotees form what he called united orders, or communities of like-minded believers.

Orderville the beer pours a light orange that grows in deeper intensity toward the bottom of the glass when held to the light. There are lazy particulates floating in the hazy body, and its all topped with an off-white head.

In aroma, a mingling of pine and resin blends with guava, passion fruit and pineapple. The flavor follows the nose, with loads of sticky pine and soft, juicy fruit. There is pineapple, mandarin orange and passion fruit, but plenty of bitter, dank earthiness to keep it from being a one-dimensional beer.

I loved the fine balance between juiciness and bitterness, like a tropical explosion in Pacific Northwest woods; this is supremely crushable.

Point Loma, a community within San Diego proper, was once the base of a utopian society formally named the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, founded by Katherine Tingley.

The people here placed a strong emphasis on humanitarian efforts and raised their children in an environment away from parents, with a school system called Raja Yoga.

Lomaland the beer is the color of pale honey with an incredibly thin, off-white head.

Its aroma swells with spicy pepper, soft wheat, dry grass, apples and flowers. There are loads of floral notes, earthy funk and pepper in flavor. The play between gentle mouthfeel and high carbonation is sheer joy, and it finishes somewhat dry and crisp with promises of sunshine.

A few years ago, my husband gave me a bag of coffee that was barrel-aged. The complexity and depth of personality and flavor were memorable.

Modern Times is doing the same thing: Instead of creating a barrel-aged beer, its creating beer brewed with barrel-aged coffee.

The result is nothing less than singular and spectacular.

City of the Dead pours a pitch-black abyss from the glass and is topped with a tan head.

Heavy notes of roasted black coffee, molasses, caramel and dark, bitter chocolate reign in the nose. The flavor mirrors that, with boldly roasted yet smooth coffee thats full of a bourbon shine but with no alcohol heat. This beer is mellow and deep with light carbonation. On the tongue, youll likely find chocolate, tart cherries and sweet, creamy coffee.

Try these and other Modern Times selections soon, although I get the feeling that this brewerys life expectancy is much longer than your average utopian society.

Contact Amber DeGrace with questions and comments at adegrace@lnpnews.com and find her on Twitter at @amberdegrace.

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The Town of New Llano is celebrating its 100th anniversary – Leesville Daily Leader

Posted: at 2:46 pm

New Llano has a unique, 100-year-old, history. It is arguably the longest-lived socialist community in the United States.

New Llano has a unique, 100-year-old, history. It is arguably the longest-lived socialist community in the United States.

Originally established in 1917 as a Utopian community, people came from all walks of life, and from all over the world to New Llano. They were seeking a paradise where you produce for use, not profit;" where all members did equal work for equal benefits in a self-sufficient cooperative.

The first colony in California, called the Llano del Rio Cooperative Colony, was established by Job Harriman, in 1914. It was abandoned just four years later. Llano del Rio turned out to be too far from other settlements to develop a sustaining economy, and it had an unreliable water supply.

In 1917, 200 of the original 600 California colonists chartered a train and moved the experimental colony to Louisiana. They settled into the former lumber town of Stables, and changed its name to New Llano.

For the next 20 years, the colony evolved its own brand of "cooperativism," southern-style. Everyone over the age of 18 had a job. Usually jobs were assigned, but people were allowed to change occupations if they were competent.Life at the colony was not easy, but no one starved physically or intellectually.

In the early 1900's, lumber workers in Louisiana had faced many conflicts with big lumber interests in the state. This made the politics of a co-operative society appealing to them.

The socialist concept had much popular support in the United States, during the late 19th and early 20th century. Utopian colonies were scattered throughout the country during the industrial age, as the working class struggled to gain rights.

The New Llano Colony has often been dubbed a "socialist commune," however, this is not entirely accurate.

Although Harriman and many of the long-time colonists were Socialists, it was not a requirement for membership. Members simply had to agree to live co-operatively and abide by the Golden Rule-- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Many of the ideals, which were promoted within the Utopian community, were a source of pride, and have been instituted in today's American society. These include minimum wage, Social Security, low-cost housing, old-age pensions, equal rights for women, welfare, and a move toward universal health care.

Members collectively owned all industries, which they ran themselves, including water and electricity for their homes. The group produced many high-quality items, from shoes to machine tools, and popular food products.

New Llano was once home to a broom factory, sawmill, ice plant, sheet metal factory, and the leading national socialist newspaper.

The colony was one of the first groups in America to adopt the Montessori teaching method. Theodore Cuno, one of the founders of Labor Day, made New Llano his home until his death. Cuno endowed the colony with a substantial library, one of the best in Louisiana. Colony orchestras and theatrical groups performed on a roof garden, free of charge, to fellow colonists and their neighbors.

Everyone worked together to produce whatever they needed.

Eventually, in 1939, a series of financial problems and internal dissent forced the colony into receivership.

Documentary filmmakers Beverly Lewis and Rick Blackwood produced the 1994 film, "American Utopia," about the Llano del Rio Cooperative Colony in Vernon Parish.

The Town of New Llano is celebrating the 100-year anniversary with a two-day festival-style celebration, featuring live music and vendors selling arts and crafts, food and drinks.

The event runs Friday, June 30 - Saturday, July 1 at the park on Stanton Street. It will get started both days at 8 a.m. The celebration will will close at 6 p.m. on Friday. A fireworks display will take place on Saturday at 9 p.m.

Alcoholic beverages and pets are prohibited at the celebration.

The Museum of the New Llano Colony Museum will be open during the event. It is located at 211 Stanton Street, and is regularly open Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (closed from noon - 1 p.m.).

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The Town of New Llano is celebrating its 100th anniversary - Leesville Daily Leader

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