Friday, May 30, 2014

Search the Scriptures

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about women around the world. This follows this post about a new parenting method. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!




Search the Scriptures



The Berean form of Bible study applies to every student of the Bible - no matter how long we have been studying.


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[Darris McNeely] God's Word, the Bible – when you open this pages and study the Bible, do you bring your bias, any of your prejudices, to your study of the Word? Something to think about. In Acts:17:11, during the travels of the apostle Paul, we find him coming into the city of Berea. He's just had to be run out of the city of Thessalonica, and he goes on down the road, and he encounters a group of believers and serious students of the scriptures in the city of Berea. And here's what it says – a well-known passage: "The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away, and they went by night to Berea. There in Berea, these were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."
They searched the scriptures on a daily basis in Berea, and these believers here lent their name to a very serious student of the Bible who would daily open up the passages of the scriptures and study to see what they meant. It's interesting to look at what this word "searched" means. It comes from a Greek word anihcrino ( anakrino , anakrinontes - Strongs NT 350 ) and it means to search in an investigative manner, in a critical manner, without bias, without prejudice. And that's really what marked – was the hallmark of these people in Berea, when they searched the scriptures daily to prove whether the things that Paul taught them were true.
As we search the scriptures, as we listen to what people say about the Bible, this is a very valuable lesson for all of us at all times, no matter how long we've been studying the Bible, and no matter how well we think we know the Bible, to take this particular point to heart. And as we daily search the scriptures, do it without bias, without prejudice. In that way, we can go deeper, we can continually learn and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all that the Bible has to offer us in the riches of spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Be a Berean. Do it without bias. Study God's Word. Search those scriptures daily, without prejudice. And be assured of spiritual growth and understanding of what God's way tells us.
That's BT Daily . Join us next time.

Benghazi Committe & West Point Speech

An interesting article from www.hughhewitt.com about the Benghazi Committee and the West Point Speech. This follows this post about the Texas Primary. This follows this post about the Kansas City shooting.  You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!






“It is our job to figure out what happened.”

  posted by Hugh Hewitt





“It is inaccurate to state that every single one of them was influenced by this hateful video.”
This statement is part of Hillary’s 36 page “fog of war” chapter on Benghazi, a chapter obtained at least in part by Politico’s Maggie Haberman, and it appears to be indicative of how she filled those 36 pages without answering any of the crucial questions about the events of that night and the following day.
This line refers to the killers.
And this line is of course a straw man, easily recognized after the president’s straw man Woodstock at West Point earlier this week.  It is also “inaccurate to state” that the whereabouts and actions of the president, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense that night are well known or even understood in general outline.  That Hillary even bothers to spend time on the laughable “the video made them do it” argument tells us that the chapter is an exercise in space-filling, an effort to appear to be transparent and forthright about the most obvious, tragic failure of her trail of tears tenure at State, but which is just another part of the ongoing refusal to come clean about what happened that night both in Benghazi and much more importantly in D.C.
“I will not be a part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead Americans,” Haberman quotes Clinton as writing. “It’s just plain wrong, and it’s unworthy of our great country. Those who insist on politicizing the tragedy will have to do so without me.”
This is a three-part lie: It is not “just plain wrong” to demand answers from those in charge that night,  it is not “politicizing” to hold those people to account for their failures, and the investigation into Benghazi will indeed involve Clinton whether or not she agrees to be questioned about her collapse that night.  This risible attempt at a “pre-emptive strike” on the subject will not work, not when the event it seeks to exile from the national debate involves the death of an ambassador and three other Americans at the hands of terrorists and not when her failure to anticipate the attack and her collapse in the face of it goes to her central claim of competency to be president.
When Hillary sits down with various journalists, they should all bear down on what did she know and when did she know it; what did she do and when did she do it –in the weeks and months before the attack and the night of the attack.  They should press again and again –patiently and respectfully– for detailed answers on chronology and specifics.
“It is our job to figure out what happened.”  That is what then Secretary of State Clinton told Senator Ron Johnson immediately after her infamous “What difference at this point does it make?” outburst that defines her failure at State.
That is in fact the job of every journalist who gets to ask a question of the would-be president.  None have dared tried yet, but eventually someone will, and if no one does, Hillary will ask for the country’s votes without ever having given an account of her actions or her non-actions.  Perhaps she can bluff, bluster and bully her way to the Oval Office but the country does not seem to be in the mood for another era of dodges, half-truths, and false outrage over being asked not only legitimate but absolutely essential questions.
Hillary’s 36 page leak won’t put out the fire and it won’t stop the questions or the commentary.  Only the detailed truth would do so, and given Hillary’s adamant refusal to provide that, we can assume the truth is even more damaging than her continued stonewalling.


Thursday, May 29, 2014

How to Fight Back Against What #YesAllWomen Deal With Everyday

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about women around the world. This follows this post about a new parenting method. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!


How to Fight Back Against What #YesAllWomen Deal With Everyday





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A sickening tragedy has resulted in a tremendous online hashtag campaign to bring to light the outrageous daily misogyny that women (yes, all women ) face from men.
There are 7 people dead, including the gunman, in a case of an unstable man whose twisted expectations of what he deserved to get from women went on a killing spree in retribution.
I could lament the societal conditions that have contributed to something like this even being possible (sex sells after all, and the cultural expectation to be able to "experiment" in your college with promiscuity has been cemented for decades), but instead I just want to give three things we can do individually that can positively impact our own worlds.

1. Don't take part in the objectification of women

Pornography is the most obvious form of objectification (from the most hardcore end of the spectrum to the "leering laddie" end), but it can be more subtle than that, too. For instance, this woman explains that she apologizes when not wearing make-up —as if her value is contingent upon her looks. I'm not certain what my response would be if a woman were to say that to me (I'd like to think that I'd protest her apology), but from now on I'll make sure my reaction reinforces her value above what she looks like.

2. Make it a point to compliment women on things other than their looks

Female family members and friends of mine have explained this to me before, and it makes a lot of sense. Our cultural tendency is to compliment girls from a super young age on how pretty they are, often leaving aside other accomplishments they may make. A lifetime of these compliments on both a macro and micro scale throughout our society would serve to reinforce those values; people tend to live up to the expectations that are set for them (which is why you see generational cycles, such as the cycle of poverty or the cycle of spousal abuse).
So make it a point not to follow that norm. Compliment young girls on their talents in school, their interest in reading or biology or astrophysics or LEGO. The way I think about this is, everybody else in the world will be continually telling them they're pretty, so there's lots of room for me to compliment the girls I know on anything else.
And when it comes to adults, whether it be strangers or friends, make your compliments (you are complimenting your friends regularly, right?) large in variety. Learn when to compliment on appearance, which is important, but learn how to do it well, at the correct time, and never at the expense of other genuine accolades.

3. Speak up if somebody you know expresses misogynistic attitudes

My mom is excellent at speaking up when somebody starts badmouthing another person in their absence (she always speaks up with praise about that person in their defense); doing so with specific regard to misogynistic attitudes is another small way to help counteract those attitudes in our own circles. If you're a guy hanging out with your bros at the pub and the conversation turns to women, speak up against any attitudes you may detect that objectifies or disrespects women. You may lose bro points or be the odd man out that night, but honestly, the sign of true manhood is the ability and willingness to stand up for what you believe in despite peer pressure.
Christians are expected to do this kind of behavior in everything they do (Ephesians:4:15).

4. Do all these things out of love

I said I was only listing three things, but the fourth one is kind of the underlying foundational thing to remember all the time anyway. The motivation for everything we do as a Christian is love. God loved us so much that His son died for our shortcomings in order that we may live forever (John:3:16, 1 Peter:2:23). Every human being is destined for that glorious life. Paul even wrote that being a Christian erases our physical distinctions, spiritually speaking (Galatians:3:26-28 explains why racism and bigotry is un-Christian, and likewise why degrading women is also ungodly).
So as a child of God, each woman is worthy of respect and honor. Us men must take it upon ourselves to protect that honor and respect. Both passively by not contributing to the culture of objectification but also actively by standing up against those attitudes when we see them. More specifically, we must treat the women we know and love (friends, family, spouses) with that respect and dignity as if Jesus Christ Himself were standing there listening to and watching our conduct.
#YesAllWomen deserve honor, dignity and respect. Let's do our part to give them what they deserve.

Illegal alien amnesty supporter Eric Cantor lies to GOP Voters To Gain Reelection


An interesting article from www.Alipac.US about Eric Cantor running as an immigration enforcement candidate. This follows this post about impeachment rather than immigration amnesty.  REMEMBER, “Amnesty” means ANY non-enforcement of existing immigration laws! This follows this comment and this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants! For more about what you can do click here and you can read two very interesting books HERE.
You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!

Illegal alien amnesty supporter Eric Cantor lies to GOP Voters To Gain Reelection

by Michael Patrick Leahy
breitbart



Is it a campaign flier for Majority Eric Leader Eric Cantor, or Rep. Steve King (R-IA)?

Cantor, whose primary race against a political newcomer, Randolph Macon economic professor David Brat, has improbably garnered national attention, has sent thousands of voters a flier claiming he is the chief bulwark against the “Obama-Reid plan to give illegal aliens amnesty.”

Brat has made immigration a top issue in the campaign, ripping Cantor for his support of a proposal to give amnesty to illegal alien “DREAMers” if they enlist in the military.

Over his career, Cantor has received high marks from NumbersUSA, an anti-amnesty activist group, for his voting record. He's also repeatedly said he opposes the Senate “Gang of Eight” bill.

However, since the 2012 elections, Cantor has voiced support for enacting a broad immigration reform bill, and made a GOP version of the “DREAM Act,” which would grant amnesty to individuals brought to the country illegally as children, a top part of his “making life work” agenda.

The issue is complicated by the fact that pro-amnesty activists have decided that right now, while Cantor is facing political danger from his right, is the moment to launch a coordinated attack against him for opposing amnesty. The move has drawn suspicion from prominent writers like Mickey Kaus that the whole episode is a clever bit of political theater to give Cantor political cover just as he needs it.

The flyer featured an April 16 headline from liberal publication Talking Points Memo, which stated "Eric Cantor Torches Immigration Reform After Call With Obama."

That day, Obama had called Cantor and the two discussed immigration. According to Obama, the call was “pleasant.” But hours later, Cantor launched a vicious attack through his spokesman.

"House Republicans do not support Senate Democrats' immigration bill and amnesty efforts, and it will not be considered in the House," the statement read. "I also reiterated to the President there are other issues where we can find common ground, build trust and get America working again," it continued.

A White House aide told Huffington Post reporter Sam Stein Obama called Cantor to wish him a happy Passover and the broadside was “all staff bluster.”

In the House, Republican opponents of amnesty generally consider Cantor someone who strongly wants the GOP to pursue a comprehensive bill.

On Wednesday, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), perhaps the single most vocal proponent of amnesty in Congress, will travel to Cantor's district to criticize Republicans who oppose amnesty, including, presumably, Cantor.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Governm...nesty-Champion

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Vertical News: Parents Hiring Coaches to Teach Kids Basic Skills

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about a new parenting method. This follows this post about Memorial DayFor a free magazine subscription or to get the book recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!


Vertical News: Parents Hiring Coaches to Teach Kids Basic Skills





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Trend sees parents outsourcing their teaching role to skilled coaches.

child on bicycle
Source: freeimages.com/joejoe77
Day-care has long been a norm for many families. Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes not, and its success is disputed. Now it seems additional parental duties are being outsourced to non-family “experts.” A growing trend has emerged for “coaches” who teach children everything from riding a bike to potty-training. For bike riding lessons it will cost $90 U.S. for a session with a qualified expert. Everything has a price! (Cheryl K. Chumley, “American Exceptionalism Is Officially Dead: Coaches Hired to Teach Kids to Ride Bikes,” The Washington Times at WashingtonTimes.com, May 21, 2014).
The reasoning goes that parents simply don’t have the time or skills to teach such things and the children will suffer if they don’t learn them from someone, or anyone, really. Interestingly, it isn’t a new phenomenon, having become a part of the culture since the mid 2000’s (Polly Leider, “Outsourcing Messier Parts of Parenting,” CBS News at CBSNews.com, April 17, 2006). But it’s been around longer than that. Historically, tutors on various subjects were a common standard for those with the affluence to afford them, and many upper-class families had nannies to raise children from babyhood to the teenage years. However, the cost to society was a number of dysfunctional familial norms arising from such a system, including, at the very least, alienation between children and parents.
Does the Bible support outsourcing of parental roles? The book of Deuteronomy has some helpful instruction regarding this subject. Speaking of God’s Law, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up,” (Deuteronomy:6:6-7, NKJV).
There’s a clear expectation of daily, even hourly parental involvement in the lives of children. Some of which may have occurred in an agricultural society where parents and children worked side-by-side. However, this is a dynamic of communication that was cultivated and commanded by God. Though we struggle for perfect fulfillment, the goal of a teaching, loving, actively communicating family environment is vital.


Your Day in Muslim Immigration: New York Paki Murders Wife Over Veggie Meal Instead of Halal Meat; Lawyer Argues “Beating Women Custom in Paki”

A very interesting post from www.debbieschlussel.com about a Muslim who murdered his wife in the U.S. This follows this post about the Muslim takeover of a city in New Jersey. This follows this article about American energy independence and preventing money from going to hostile countries. For more about what you can do to get more involved click here and you can read two very interesting books HERE. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!




Your Day in Muslim Immigration: New York Paki Murders Wife Over Veggie Meal Instead of Halal Meat; Lawyer Argues “Beating Women Custom in Paki”



By Debbie Schlussel
Time for another edition of “GUESS. THE. RELIGION.” Or “Your Day in Islam.” I think I have a great new advertising slogan for “comprehensive immigration reform”: Muslim immigration . . . Yeah, we need more of that. Great tag line for stories like this:
noorhussainislamiccrescent.jpg

A Pakistani immigrant beat his wife to death in their Brooklyn home after she made the mistake of cooking him lentils for dinner instead of the hearty meal of goat meat that he craved, according to court papers. Noor Hussain, 75, was so outraged over the vegetarian fare that he pummeled his wife, Nazar Hussain, 66, with a stick until she was a “bloody mess,” according to prosecutors and court papers. “Defendant asked [his wife] to cook goat and [his wife] said she made something else,” the court papers indicated as Hussain’s murder trial opened on Wednesday.













“The conversation got louder and [his wife] disrespected defendant by cursing at defendant and saying motherf-?-ker, and . . . defendant took a wooden stick and hit her with it on her arm and mouth.” Defense attorney Julie Clark admitted Hussain beat his wife — but argued that he is guilty of only manslaughter because he didn’t intend to kill her. In Pakistan, Clark said, beating one’s wife is customary.“He comes from a culture where he thinks this is appropriate conduct, where he can hit his wife,” Clark said in her opening statements at the Brooklyn Supreme Court bench trial. “He culturally believed he had the right to hit his wife and discipline his wife.”
Let’s hear it for Muslim culture! And immigration to America.
Reader Worry01: “Islamic family values.”
Muslim immigration . . . Yeah, we need more of that.
New Twitter hashtag: #bringbackmywifewhomImurderedoverlentilsbecausemyculturesaysitsokay
Think it’ll work? Nah.
***
By the way, this is the kind of story that the idiots from PETA (or as we call it here, PUTAh–People for the Unethical Treatment of Animals and humans) would take and completely ignore the Muslim angle. I can just here it now: meat = murder.







Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Editorial: U.S. Veterans treated worse than illegals or Gitmo detainees.

Editorial


This Memorial Day, we hope that you have contacted as many representatives as you can about the fact that U.S. veterans are treated worse than illegal aliens and Guantanamo Bay prisoners. If you haven't already, you can go to www.house.gov, and www.senate.gov and tell them how you feel about this!

Sudan Faces International Pressure to Release Pregnant Woman Sentenced to Death

An interesting story from www.lifenews.com about a Sudanese lady in the news. This follows this post about a pro-life candidate.  For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and you can also get two very interesting books HEREYou can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!


Sudan Faces International Pressure to Release Pregnant Woman Sentenced to Death



by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com |                                   

The government of Sudan is facing mounting international condemnation of its handling of Meriam Ibrahim and its decision to sentence the pregnant Christian woman to death for refusing to accept Islam.
An Islamic court sentenced Meriam, 27, to be flogged for adultery for marrying a Christian man and to be hanged to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.  Meriam is currently eight months pregnant with her second child, and has been imprisoned along with her 20-month old toddler since February. There are growing concerns about the health of her unborn baby.
sudan5Meriam is married to Daniel Wani, an American citizen who has ties to New Hampshire. Meriam was reportedly born to a Sudanese Muslim father and was raised as a Christian by her Ethiopian Orthodox mother.
For three months, the young Christian wife — now almost eight and a half months pregnant — has been shackled in a Sudanese prison on death row. Authorities, who refuse to recognize her marriage to a Christian man, have sentenced her to 100 lashes for adultery and execution for her faith.
Her frantic husband, who continues to plead with the U.S. Embassy for help, flew from New England to Khartoum to visit his wife, Meriam Ibrahim — and was beside himself to find her bound up and swollen. For now, authorities refuse to release his son to Daniel, because of his faith. Although the court gave Meriam days to recant her Christianity, she refused, saying, “I am a Christian, and I will remain a Christian.”
SIGN THE PETITION! Save Meriam Ibrahim, Don’t Hang her to Death for Her Faith
Now, as the London Guardian newspaper reports, Sudan is facing heavy international criticism.
Governments, the UN and human rights groups have called on the Sudanese government to immediately release Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, 27, and overturn both her death sentence and sentence of 100 lashes. More than 100,000 people have backed a call by Amnesty International to release Ibrahim.
Her lawyers have lodged an appeal against the sentence, which may be heard in Khartoum this week.
Ibrahim has been told that her execution will be deferred for two years to allow her to deliver and then wean her baby.
Her husband, Daniel Wani, who left Sudan for the US in 1998, has travelled to Khartoum to try to secure the release of his wife and son. He said Ibrahim was being denied medical treatment and he had not been allowed to visit her or Martin, according to media reports.
The Sudanese authorities have reportedly refused to release the child to his father’s care because of his Christian faith.
The UK government has summoned Sudan’s chargé d’affaires in London to the Foreign Office to hear its “deep concern”.
In a statement, Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds said: “This barbaric sentence highlights the stark divide between the practices of the Sudanese courts and the country’s international human rights obligations.” The Sudanese government must respect the right to freedom of religion or belief, he added.
US senators Kelly Ayotte and Roy Blunt have raised the case with the secretary of state, John Kerry, calling for “immediate action and full diplomatic engagement to offer Meriam political asylum and secure her and her son’s safe release”.
The department’s spokeswoman,, Jen Psaki, said on Wednesday the US was “deeply disturbed” by the case and called on Khartoum to respect the right to freedom of religion. The Canadian and Dutch governments have also expressed concern.
The UN has also urged Sudan to adhere to international law. “We are concerned about the physical and mental wellbeing of Ms Ibrahim, who is in her eighth month of pregnancy, and also of her 20-month-old son, who is detained with her at the Omdurman women’s prison near Khartoum, reportedly in harsh conditions,” said Rupert Colville of the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva.
Gabriel Wani, Daniel’s brother, who also lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, said Ibrahim was in poor physical shape. “Meriam is in a bad condition, she is eight months pregnant. She needs proper medical attention and she needs medical supplies. She’s bleeding and nothing is being done,” he told the Daily Mail.
“She needs to eat well but she is just getting the prison food. When she had her first son it was a very difficult birth, she lost a lot of blood. She is supposed to have check ups with the doctor but it isn’t happening. We are praying for a miracle.”


Memorial Day Wknd Box Office: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Blended, Chef, Belle

Here is an interesting article from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/ reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend. This follows this post about some of the movies from last week and THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed! This all follows this post about guidelines to choosing good movies to watch yourself!


Memorial Day Wknd Box Office: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Blended, Chef, Belle



By Debbie Schlussel
I highly recommend only one of the new movies out in theaters today for the start of the Memorial Day weekend. As for the rest, it ranges from “eh” to total crapola. On Monday, remember all the American troops who gave their lives so Hollywood could continue to make this garbage.
xmendaysoffuturepastblended

chefbelle

* “X-Men: Days of the Future Past“: While I’m sure this will do mega-bucks in ticket sales at the box office, I found this movie to be extremely confusing, though mildly entertaining. And don’t waste your money springing for the 3D glasses, as the 3D special effects in this movie are dull. The 2D version will be just fine. While I liked the ’70s period clothing, references, and soundtrack, the movie is basically an attack on President Nixon, the “evil” U.S. government, and the “evil” defense contractors–you know, the lazy Hollywood liberal stock narrative. Also, is it really necessary to have Hugh Jackman’s naked butt front and center in a superhero heavily marketed to kids? Uh, no. At nearly 2.5 hours, the movie is a little long and repetitive and needs more editing.


















The story: Wolverine (Jackman) is sent back in time to fix history and stop Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from taking actions that could ruin everything and doom both mutants (X-Men) and humans. They learn that an evil defense contractor, Trask (Peter Dinklage) will get ahold of Raven/Mystique’s blood and use it to create government-run mutants to rule the world and doom it forever. Yup, America’s always the bad guy, right?! To change this dangerous history, he contacts the younger versions of several X-Men to convince them of what is going to happen in the future and why they must help him in his quest to change the events of the future. At the same time, Wolverine must be cognizant than any action he takes will alter the world forever in the future.
After reconnecting with the initial players, Wolverine and the others follow Raven/Mystique to France, where the Paris Peace Accords regarding the Vietnam War was about to be signed, and Raven is trying to disrupt events by impersonating a Vietnamese official. They must stop her and keep the government from getting her blood to make its mutants. At the same time, the X-Men must also fight their fellow mutant, the “evil” Erik (Michael Fassbender). Ultimately, it takes them to a scene in which a caricature of President Nixon is showing the world the mutant fighters created by Trask using some molecules of Raven/Mystique’s blood found on the scene in Paris. Erik, Raven/Mystique, and the X-Men fight each other to try to save the world. The end.
While the movie was mildly entertaining (and the plot was far more entertaining than recent messy X-Men movies), it wasn’t great. Like I said, it’s confusing, and it’s also messy and muddled. If there wasn’t the “evil American goverment/defense contractor” baloney running through this, I would probably give it at least a full ONE REAGAN (or more). But since it does have that as a running theme, I’m being generous when I give it . . .
HALF A REAGAN
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* “Blended“: I absolutely hate-hate-hated this movie. So bad, so stupid, so gross, it’s Grade A Gitmo torture material. There are few movies that I want to walk out of every single second from beginning to end. This was one of ‘em. I put it in my Top Twenty worst movies of the decade. It’s that bad. When you see the logo for “Happy Madison” (Adam Sandler’s production company) come on the screen, you know that it’s slang for “run like hell.” This is being billed as another version of “The Wedding Singer” or “50 First Dates”–Sandler’s and Drew Barrymore’s other two movies together. Don’t believe the hype. This is nothing like those. Not even close.
Oh, and I don’t understand why the Black actors in this movie, including Terry Crews, willingly took these blatantly racist, modern-day-minstrel-show roles. I guess Hollywood’s open racism is willingly embraced while private conversations of Donald Sterling aren’t.
The story: Sandler and Barrymore (looking extremely horrible throughout the movie) are both single parents. She is divorced with two very weird boys, and he is a widower with two very weird daughters that he dresses like lesbians or guys. Right there, you already know this movie stinks. Sandler and Barrymore go out on a date at Hooters, where he treats her horribly and food gets spilled all over her. Later on, Barrymore’s co-worker’s engagement is off and so is their pre-paid African safari vacation, so Barrymore offers money to go on the trip with her sons instead. When she gets to Africa, she learns that Sandler and his kids are there, too, and that both of them were offered the same trip–and they are stuck in the same suite, same table for meals, and on the same activities each day. Predictably, Barrymore and Sandler, who hate each other, eventually fall in love. Throughout this movie, a Black butler and Terry Crews and a Black choir, sing and dance and make incredibly dumb cracks and jokes, Mr. Bojangles-style. Also throughout, Kevin Nealon and his bimbo new wife (Sandler’s annoying wife, Jacqueline) are in a constant make-out session, when they are not making overtly sexual and other dopey comments.
Just so awful. You were forewarned. It’s yet another national IQ test. If you liked it, you’re a moron.
FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR OBAMAS PLUS FOUR BIN LADENS
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* “Chef“: This is the only new movie I really liked and recommend (with a few minor reservations). I really enjoyed this very funny, highly entertaining movie, written, directed, and starring John Favreau as a chef and divorced dad of a son. It was a great study on what happens when your tirade is caught on social media, and how Twitter and Facebook can make or break someone. It is also a great display of a father’s love for his young son, as he struggles to also make a career and earn a living.
Favreau is Chef Carl Casper, who was THE hot gourmet chef in the food world ten years ago. But, now, he’s overweight, divorced, working very hard, and forced to cook boring, dull food at the restaurant owned by his boss Dustin Hoffman. He wants to serve interesting and creative food when the internet’s most influential food blogger and restaurant critic is scheduled to visit his restaurant. But the restaurant owner won’t let him and forces him to continue with the boring, stale, old menu. Predictably, the critic gives him a horrible review, which goes viral on social media like Twitter. The chef doesn’t understand social media and gets into a public online argument with the critic on Twitter, which culminates in an angry confrontation between chef and critic at the restaurant.
The video of the chef’s meltdown goes viral on the internet and soon Carl is out of a job and looking for a way to salvage his career. In the meantime, he also has a chance to reconnect with his ten-year-old son, whom he loves a lot but only gets to see about once a week and rarely has much time to hang out with. Soon, Carl, his son, and another chef (John Leguizamo) are traveling around the country in a food truck, and his son is using social media to promote it, bringing large crowds of customers every step of the way. This way, Carl gets to be the boss, own his own business, make the food he wants to make, and teach his son life lessons (while his son teaches him the marketing power of social media to build their business). It was refreshing to see such a loving father and son relationship, the kind you rarely see from Hollywood.
I could have done without the father and another chef singing “Sexual Healing” in front of a ten-year-old kid, and I could have also lived without the scene where all three “connect” when they pour corn starch down their pants and talk about how it makes their testicles feel better in the humidity. Then, a joke is told about how they can be fried into hush puppies. Ugh. TMI! But other than that, I found this funny, engaging movie very entertaining and enjoyable. One warning, though: there are more close-ups of food and cooking and eating than in any movie I’ve seen. Don’t come see this on any empty stomach or you’ll be incredibly hungry. Also co-stars Sofia Vergara, looking even more beautiful than ever . . . but if only she came equipped with a mute button. Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. have minor roles.
THREE REAGANS
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* “Belle“: Critics are raving over this British movie about a woman, whose mother was a Black slave and whose father was a White English nobleman and Royal Navy Admiral. Belle is rescued from a life of slavery by her father (Matthew Goode), who implores his uncle and aunt to raise her as their own along with their White niece whose parents also died. The movie shows the difficulties of being half-Black in those times and also follows the case of a slave ship, “The Zong,” and the slaves that were thrown overboard. The ship’s owners are seeking insurance payments for the lost slaves, and Belle’s great-uncle, a Supreme Court Justice, is deciding the case.
The movie says it is “inspired by a true story” and is based on a 1779 painting of Belle a/k/a Dido Elizabeth Belle. In the movie, Belle is not allowed to eat at the family table when guests come for dinner. But she inherits her White father’s estate and finds White suitors when she is of marriageable age (while her White cousin cannot find suitors because she is penniless, and men of higher rank in society are looking for money and land in a marriage, according to this movie). But Belle does not really want to be with the racist White suitor she agrees to marry. She longs, instead, for the vicar’s son who was a law clerk to her uncle and who wants slavery abolished via the Zong case. The movie follows Belle’s attempts to influence her great-uncle’s decision in the Zong case, her consorting with the Vicar’s son to help influence the decision, and her uncomfortable position in a racist world.
While the actresses playing Belle and her cousin are beautiful as are the period costumes and sets, the movie was long, slow, and boring. In a word, plodding. I guess you could call it “24 Years a Non-Slave Bi-Racial Chick.” At least, it seemed like that’s how many years I sat through this in the theater.
TWO MARXES PLUS A BARACK OBAMA PLUS A MICHELLE LAVAUGHN ROBINSON HUSSEIN OBAMA IDI AMIN DADA
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Friday, May 23, 2014

Restoration...What Have We Learned?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Memorial Day. This follows this post about coffee production.  For a free magazine subscription or to get the book recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632. You can follow me at blogspot here and at twitter here https://twitter.com/brianleesblog. Please consider following both in case one goes down!


Restoration...What Have We Learned?





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Sadly, mankind did not learn the lesson from this "War to End All Wars."

I have a ritual every year on Memorial Day. I pop into my VCR an animated Peanuts special entitled, What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown ? It's a program that takes the beloved Peanuts characters on a tour of famous European battlegrounds. Their tour includes a visit to Flanders fields from World War I where, according to the poem, "The poppies grow, between the crosses row on row." The words of this haunting poem continue, "We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved, and now we lie in Flanders fields."
Sadly, mankind did not learn the lesson from this "War to End All Wars." Just 21 years later the world plunged into another global war. The Peanuts characters move on to the scene of a great battle of that conflict—Normandy, where allied troops stormed the French beaches to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi control. While looking over the calm white beaches and rocky cliffs, scenes from the invasion are superimposed. The characters walk through the American cemetery where thousands of young soldiers are buried. This plot of land was permanently deeded to America by the French government.
While walking among the graves, the words of Dwight Eisenhower, who commanded the allied forces that June morning, serve as a fitting testimony to the action. Former President Eisenhower had returned to Normandy 20 years after the invasion and recorded a documentary for American television.
He said, "Many thousands of men came here to storm these beaches for one purpose only. Not to gain anything. Not to fulfill any ambitions that America had for conquest. But just to preserve freedom, systems of self-government. Many thousands of men have died for ideals such as these. In the 20th century for the second time America, along with the rest of the free world, had to come across the ocean to defend those same values. But these young boys...over whose graves we have been treading... never knew the great experiences of going through life. I devoutly hope that we never again have to see scenes as these. I pray, think, hope that humanity will have learned more than we learned up to that time. We must find some way to work for peace and...gain an eternal peace."
Indeed, "What have we learned?" Wars and conflicts continue to create new graves with the same echoes of unrealized hope. In this issue we continue to point our readers to those areas of the world that will make the headlines of the future. Europe continues shaping its destiny as a global power. Our lead article gives you an analysis of the recently revealed draft of the European constitution, another milestone along the path to a European federation. While many leaders hail this as a positive step toward global cooperation, Bible prophecy indicates otherwise.
The search for peace in the Middle East remains elusive. Fresh from victory in Iraq, the United States is engineering a game plan towards establishing order and stability for this volatile region. We again point you to what the Bible says will transpire in Jerusalem prior to Christ's coming.
What have we learned? Not enough to bring peace among nations. We continue to look and wait with hope for the time when Christ will restore a government of peace upon the earth as described by the prophet Isaiah. It is his thoughts found in Isaiah:2:4 that offer us a different future. Those words state, "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." —WNP