Open Thread

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So, what's on your mind?

Please opine on the topic of your choice according to the parameters below:

Sunni Vs. Shiite

Yes, indeed. This is the ugly truth:

The Fading Away Of Our American Heritage

How do we even begin to remedy the kind of ignorance displayed in the videos below?


Brief essay from MRCTV's Americans Can't Name First Amendment Rights (July 29, 2015):

Recommended Reading

See Hijacking America at A Texas View.  America has been sleeping! Even those who think that they are aware of the Progressive onslaught have been sleeping! Mustang explains in his essay at the link above.

New Voices: Progressive John & Patriotic John Debate

About American exceptionalism:

"Cool Clock"?

[In case you need it: mainstream media background information about Ahmed Mohamed the Clock Maker and information about a few of the responses he has received]

REALLY?

According to this article (If information is outdated, please so state in the comments section):

...Officer James McLellan said Thursday [September 17, 2015] the family is free now to recover the clock that was seized as evidence, but the family has not kept appointments for meetings to do so.

Irving police and school officials have said they handled the situation properly in an abundance of caution.

Irving Independent School District Communications Director Lesley Weaver said there is more information, but it cannot be released without a privacy waiver from the family.

“All they have to do is sign a release form and we’ll be able to give a different perspective of what happened that day in the classroom and the hours following,” she said....

Break From Politics

(For politics, please scroll down)

How Mr. AOW and I spent the day on Friday, September 18, 2015:

Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street, Rainy Day (1877)

Read the brochure HERE.

The exhibit Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter's Eye opened on June 28, 2015, at the National Gallery of Art.

One of the highlights of the day was the security guard at the entrance-exit door for the exhibit.  This older black gentleman, with an elegant demeanor, greeted everyone who was entering the exhibit and offered a brochure to any of us who didn't already have a brochure. He also spoke to everyone who was leaving the exhibit and ended his brief goodbye exchange with a wide smile, a steadfast gaze, and these words: "I hope you have a wonderful life!"  Capra-esque.

The Invading Army Of Migrants (With Addendum)

While heartstrings are being masterfully played, the demographics tell a different story.

Please watch:

Meanwhile in Greece..."All aboard for Europe!":

ADDENDUM:

YouTube blurb for this added video:

Published on Sep 8, 2015

"Those are the "refugees" we receive daily in Europe. They're destroying our islands in greece. They fight every day and terrorize locals and tourists.

They already run the place and police aren't allowed to do anything about. DO NOT listen to liberal media lies.

They will not show you what we see every day here. Almost all of those "refugees" are military-aged men. We're under occupation."

(From a Greek man)

Image Verification

Pretend that you are an English teacher, and choose all clock images:

What is the point of this blog post? This: Terrible, Mean, Ignorant Infidels Arrest Young Innocent Muslim Boy Over Nothing But Making a "Clock" ... That Just So Happened to Look Like a Bomb. Please do not neglect to read this link (Warning: Strong Language).

Obama says:

Additional reading...Barack Obama’s Half-Clocked Tale of Islamophobia: As usual, the president assumed Americans are bigots before the contrary facts were in about Mohamed's suspicious-looking device and uncooperative behavior.

Islam And The Presidential Candidates — And A Thread For Discussion Of The September 16, 2015 GOP Presidential Debate

The Clarion Project offers this resource....

U.S. Presidential Race 2016: See what all the candidates are saying about Iran, ISLAMIST RADICALISM, the threat at home and much more

Please see the outgoing links at the tabs "View [the candidate's] Platform" for more information than is provided on the first page of the above link.

Murder Charges For Hazing?

Two quick links before I dash off to work:

1.  37 Pi Delta Psi fraternity brothers charged in death of Michael Deng

2.  5 Face Murder Charges In Hazing Death Of Baruch College Student

Read about the fraternity Pi Delta Psi HERE and HERE.

Your thoughts on the charges filed?

Servergate Continues

Prophetic? Maybe not. But her wearing orange while issuing pathetic denials is funny:

Her recent boo-hoo "apologies" are ludicrous. Do email addresses and web servers equate?

I have several email accounts. Here at home, all my web communication transmits via Verizon FIOS, which provides web servers.  When I'm at work or at the public library, I log onto the web and access my email accounts (All of them!) via the servers at those locations.

I don't personally know anyone who has his own private server sitting in corner. Do you?

And just what are the advantages of a private server?

Break From Politics

I remember school desks such as the one in this graphic, another of my Facebook finds:

Open Thread

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So, what's on your mind?

A link to get this thread started...WATCH: Migrant Turks And Kurds Battle On Frankfurt Streets, German Army Called In.

Please opine on the topic of your choice according to the parameters below:

Never Forget

(Also see Fourteen Years Later, my post today at Infidel Bloggers Alliance)

This year, Marcy Borders, the 9/11 survivor known as "The Dust Lady," died of cancer at the age of 42:

Be sure to read about Marcy Brooks.

The monster of Islamic terrorism came roaring from cerulean skies in passenger jetliners used as missiles. 


Jihad came to America.






Jihad is still being waged against America and the ideals of freedom. 

Most recently, colonization via Hijrah is bringing hordes of Muslim migrants invading Europe in the form of a soft jihad. 

This time, the Muslim hordes are not being turned back at the Gates of Vienna as happened on September 11, 1683.  Instead, the Muslim hordes are being welcomed into Europe in the 21st Century.  How long will this soft jihad remain peaceful?

Additional reading about 9/11: Colleges brainwash students into believing that 9/11 was our fault by Paul Sperry. 




George Santayana: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Back To School

(For politics, please scroll down)

The homeschool classes that I teach resume today.

This term I am scheduled to teach the following middle-school and high-school courses:

About That Dead "Refugee" Toddler

What is truth? Hard to tell in the Orwellian times in which we live.

From the beginning, I've had some doubts as to the explanation for that dead toddler-refugee on the beach. The photo looked staged to me.

But appearances are not proof of anything, are they? So, until now, I've not opined anywhere other than at Infidel Bloggers Alliance earlier today, that I have my doubts about that photo.

Over the weekend, I found the following on the web....

From The Muslim Issue:

Lie after lie after lie, that’s the reality behind the so called “poor refugee from a war zone” who sent his own wife and small children to their death, even when he had no reason to do so since he never lived in a war zone, had funds to sustain him for over one year and was safely settled in Turkey for THREE years.

The Abdullah Kurdi lies are unfolding when his stories kept constantly changing, depending on who he told his tale to. Abdullah never was on the ship on which he supposedly was the only survivor. It was all lies. Adullah claims he “did not mind” that his wife and children died so his story could be told to the world? What story? The usual migration fraud, initiated by terrorists and funded from Saudi Arabia. Abdullah Kurdi is not the only one encouraged to lie and relocate to a non-Muslim country. This is how the Israel wars started.

Since Kobani doesn’t have ISIS occupation where Abdullah Kurdi has his relatives, he had no problems flying there safely by plane two days ago, to attend a funeral. No real war zone then.

VANCOUVER, Sept 3
Reuters

The family of two Syrian toddlers who drowned as they tried to reach Greece had not yet applied to enter Canada, the extended family said on Thursday, despite earlier reports that their refugee application had been rejected.

A photograph of Aylan Kurdi’s tiny body in a bright red T-shirt and dark shorts, face-down in the surf, appeared in newspapers around the world, prompting sympathy and outrage at the perceived inaction of developed nations in helping refugees....

Read the rest HERE.

Also see Family of drowned toddler Aylan Kurdi had been given FREE housing in Turkey, while father’s story is full of holes. Excerpt:

...[Abdullah Kurdi's sister Fatima] said that while he was still in the water, Abdullah saw his wife’s dead body floating in the water ‘like a balloon’, causing him to struggle to recognise her.

Sobbing uncontrollably Abdullah yesterday recalled his terror when the flimsy and overcrowded dinghy overturned, causing the night to be pierced by the screams of his fellow Syrian refugees as he clung on to his wife.

‘I was holding her, but my children slipped through my hands,’ he said.

‘We tried to cling to the boat, but it was deflating. It was dark and everyone was screaming. I could not hear the voices of my children and my wife.’

The wife was ‘a balloon’ in less than three hours? The rate of decay to a dead body in water is not instant. Obviously Abdullah had no idea how dead people in water decay and he knew at some point they would bloat, so he described his wife in a condition of decay that takes days to mature. Here from The Forensic Library is a description:

Bloated (2-6 days)
This stage of decomposition includes the first visible signs of decay, namely the inflation of the abdomen due to a build-up of various gases produced by bacteria inside the cadaver. This bloating is particularly visible around the tongue and eyes as the build-up of gases cause them to protrude. The skin may exhibit a certain colour change, taking on a marbled appearance due to the transformation of haemoglobin in the blood into other pigments....

Read the rest HERE.

Also see this (Click directly on the image to enlarge it):

So, what is the truth about the circumstances leading up to that dead toddler-refugee on the beach?

Additional reading about the migrant crisis in Europe: 'Just wait…' Islamic State reveals it has smuggled THOUSANDS of extremists into Europe.

Labor Day Weekend

(For politics, please scroll down)

Traditionally, Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer.

To mark the traditional end of the season, here is "Summer" from Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons:


Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Here's weather that allows for good grilling and some outdoor fun.

The Migrant Crisis (With Addendum)

Flashback to February 2015: Islamic State threatens to flood Europe with refugees

NOW

Train to Germany at the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary

As "the world" clamors for Western nations to take in the four million (mostly Muslims, as Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary has pointed out) fleeing Syria and the Magreb, the Arab world's wealthiest nations — the Gulf states of Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain — are doing almost nothing.

The West is blamed for not doing enough for these millions. Meanwhile, the wealthy Arab world largely escapes blame for doing nothing.

Additional reading, which includes a photo essay: We can't cope with this tide! Europe's despairing leaders bring back border controls with free-movement zone on brink of collapse.

Thousands of migrants emerge from the hold of a ferry onto the streets of Greece's capital, Athens 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3220341/We-t-cope-tide-Europe-s-despairing-leaders-bring-border-controls-free-movement-zone-brink-collapse.html#ixzz3klI0bdj6
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

ADDENDUM: Collapsing Immigration Policies and the Rise of Global Nationalism by Tammy Swofford at The Last English Prince.

Today's Recommended Reading

See Who Shot the Sheriff? by Roger Simon at PJ Media.

If the actions of the mass murderer Dylann Roof dealt a death blow to the Confederate battle flag, should not the actions of killers Shannon Miles and Vester Lee Flanagan deal a death blow to Black Lives Matter?

At Hillsboro High School, Girls Want Their Bathroom Back

Lila Perry, senior and transgender student at Hillsboro High School

Many of the girls and their parents at Hillsboro High School have had enough of the transgender agenda and the resulting insanity.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (September 1, 2015):

The Zoning Nazis

Governmental regulation at the local level is out of control. To the point that one's own children home from college for the summer are not allowed to park in one's own driveway in Cobb County, Georgia, without obtaining a special permit!

'Parking War' Armistice Signed Between County, Kennesaw Family: The family will have to apply for a permit to allow four cars to be parked in their driveway before next summer, lest hostilities recommence (dated July 21, 2015) in its entirety:

Musical Interlude

Although I'm mainly a traditionalist when it comes to art appreciation, I do like some abstract art.

Enjoy this video set to "Sonata in A Minor for Arpeggione and Piano, D. 821: I. Allegro moderato" by Mstislav Rostropovich and Benjamin Britten, Benjamin Britten (hat tip to Farmers Letters):


[about the artist Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (1866-1944]

Open Thread

(For other material, please scroll down)

So, what's on your mind?

Please opine on the topic of your choice according to the parameters below:

Curt Schilling And Islam

On August 25 2015, Major League Baseball star Curt Schilling posted the Tweet below, which he deleted after approximately ten minutes and for which he apologized:

Because Schilling posted the above, ESPN pulled Schilling from the network's Little League World Series assignment.

Additional reading...Curt Schilling and the Death of Free Speech: He told the truth. He apologized. It still wasn’t enough.

A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted

(For politics, please scroll down)

Contrary to what many people may believe, the Ashley Madison online dating service was not exactly a free service.  See THIS about the fees involved.

Now comes this information: Ashley Madison was a bunch of dudes talking to each other, data analysis suggests.

Mark Twain was a genius:

Recommended Reading

See Frank Luntz on the Hatred of the Establishment Revealed by a Pro-Trump Focus Group: "This is real. I'm having trouble processing it. Like, my legs are shaking" at Ace of Spades.

Is this the way for the GOP to cope with "the Trump problem"? See Lindsey Graham on Donald Trump: "I'll beat his brains out" in South Carolina.

In your view, how is this playing in Peoria?

FEATURED QUESTION: BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

(This blog post is lengthy and, therefore, will remain here for a few days so that readers will have time to consider the topic before leaping to taking a position. Also, please see the blog post published on Saturday, August 22, 2015; I am seeking advice about a personal matter)

Donald Trump's immigration plan has ignited a firestorm of discussions about the matter of illegal immigration, a problem that can and should be laid at the feet of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. Stories such as this one add more fuel to the fire: DHS Kept Secret the Release Of Violent Criminal Illegal Immigrants: Local law enforcement ‘perplexed’ over controversial policy.

Trump's published statement about immigration reform contains the following:

Advice Needed

(For politics, please scroll down)

A few days ago, a beloved member of our extended family committed suicide. He was twenty-five years old and leaves behind two children under the age of seven; one of the children is a toddler.

There was no warning that a suicide was coming: no drugs, no alcohol, no financial problems. I'm not sure about the status with his girlfriend and mother of his children, but I believe that the young man and his longtime girlfriend had recently separated.

Gestation At 19 Weeks

(with a hat tip to Adrienne)

Walter Joshua Fretz

Learn more by reading THIS ARTICLE.

Now, if you care about human lives, please watch all of the video below:


If you cannot bear to watch the video, please read the YouTube blurb below the fold:

Yes, It's Servergate

Less than two minutes in length and a good summary of Hillary's failure to obfuscate how much trouble is looming for her:

Hillary Clinton's Private Server

According to the Daily Beast (August 12, 2015):

Underlying all this is the question of why Hillary Clinton decided to employ her own private email and server to handle so much of her official State Department business. This is, to say the least, highly irregular—not to mention a violation of numerous U.S. government rules and regulations—so there had to be a compelling reason to do this. What was it?

There are only so many reasons that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would have been using a private server in the first place.  A few possibilities:

Musical Interlude

(For politics, please scroll down)

From childhood, I have loved the music composed by Franz Joseph Haydn.

The Haydn motet below speaks to the time in which we are living right now:


Musical Musings provides the following information about Haydn's Insanae et vanae curae:

Open Thread

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So, what's on your mind?



Here's my first contribution to this open thread (hat tip to Mustang of A Texas View):


Please opine on the topic of your choice according to the parameters below:

What A Relief!

(For politics, please scroll down. There are active threads below)

The past several weeks, Mr. AOW has been having a lot of trouble with swelling of the stroke-affected foot and ankle, and the doctor was concerned that Mr. AOW might have a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).  Wednesday afternoon, it was confirmed by ultrasound that Mr. AOW does not have a DVT.

Summer 2015 has been a rough ride. We've been lurching from one home-front crisis to another! More details forthcoming when I have the energy to post that information.

The Animas River Spill (Updated)

3,000,000 gallons of polluted mine waste water were released:

The Animas River after the spill caused by the EPA

For your consideration (Click directly on the image below the fold to enlarge it):

The Hillary Clinton Story

Why is it that so many think that it's Hillary Clinton's turn to sit in the Oval Office? Her long history of deception and duplicity goes way back and continues now as well:





Additional information to add to the Hillary Clinton story:

1. Hillary Clinton to give her private email server to Justice

2. CLOSE CLINTON aides now being investigated over ‘TOP SECRET’ emails Hillary denied she sent!

[with thanks to Jon Berg for the first video and to Mustang for the second video in this blog post]

Hillary Clinton's Heroine: Eugenicist Margaret Sanger

Before proceeding, please take a few moments to watch this video:

Video: Art of the Storm

(For politics, please scroll down)

A metaphor for our times?

Open Thread

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So, what's on your mind?

Go HERE for the discussion thread about Thursday's GOP debates.

Here is your chance to opine according to the parameters below:

The GOP Debate

Parse the Fox News event — live or later — in the comments section of this blog post.

Pre-debate comments are also welcome.

Please adhere to the following parameters:

Resilience And Survival

(For politics, please scroll down)

(Photo by Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Never underestimate the power of Mother Nature!

From This 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb, and no one knew until 2001:

The Iran Nuclear Agreement Is Not A Treaty

(with thanks to Infidel Bloggers Alliance for the information in this blog post)

Basically, according to John Kerry, "We're saying the Iran Treaty isn't a treaty because it's impossible to pass a treaty anymore."  

Watch the short video below the fold.

Political Satire And Ghouls

One of my recent Facebook finds:

This may or may not be satire: D.C. Residents Say Take Down Jefferson Memorial, Rename Washington, D.C.

Clearly, this is not satire (dated July 22, 2015):

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A group was fed up with waiting, so they got a shovel and dug up a patch of grass next to Nathan Bedford Forrest’s grave and statue in a public park in the Medical District.

The group says they wanted the statue and remains removed for a long time, because he was a Confederate soldier, a KKK leader and a slave trader.

“If he’s gone, some of this racism and race-hate might be gone,” said Isaac Richmond with Commission on Religion and Racism. “We got a fresh shovel full, and we hope that everybody else will follow suit and dig him up.”...

Musical Interlude

(For politics, please scroll down)

J.S. Bach's Harpsichord Concerto in A-moll BWV 1065 [Minor] is a glorious piece:

Open Thread

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So, what's on your mind?

A link to get the discussion here started, should any of you care to pursue the topic:

Fox lowers threshold for early debate: The change serves to guarantee the presence of candidates such as Lindsey Graham and Carly Fiorina.

Starting at 5:00 P.M. EDT on August 6, the AOW household will be glued to our television set.

Please opine on the topic of your choice according to the parameters below: