ed

Need Advice on Handling My Teen Daughter's Drinking Confession

I'm feeling out of my depth and could really use some support. My 16-year-old daughter recently admitted to drinking alcohol, and I'm grateful she trusted me enough to share this. But now, I'm facing an even more complicated situation. Last night she came home late with red eyes. I was asleep, and my wife became suspicious of smoking weed. The next day asked me to speak with her. I had a private conversation with her, where I asked about alcohol and other substances. She denied it. I promised her that she could tell me anything, and I'd keep it confidential unless her safety was at risk or if I felt I couldn't help and needed to find someone who could. I assured her that if it ever came to that, I'd tell her first before involving anyone else.

With that reassurance, she admitted to drinking. I'm grateful she opened up, but now I'm worried this may not be the first time, and I'm feeling deeply concerned.

Family History: My father's drinking led to emotional neglect and abuse when I was growing up. This makes me particularly hurt, sad, and fearful about my daughter's safety and the potential dangers of substance use.
•. Daughter's Challenges: She has attention issues and dyslexia, making school and focus a constant challenge. I worry that drinking or experimenting with substances could worsen these struggles.
Parental Dynamics: I haven't shared any of this with my wife yet. My wife has a very strict, zero-tolerance stance on substance use and has even threatened to abandon our daughter if she ever used drugs or alcohol. To be clear that's just intended to keep her in line. I don't believe it would ever come to that —but I feel stuck and unsure of how to handle this delicate situation.
•.Social Concerns: My daughter's friends are important to her, and I don't want to damage her social life or push her away. At the same time, I need to find a way to set boundaries and keep her safe.

My Questions:
• How do I support my daughter, maintain her trust, and guide her toward safer choices without isolating her socially or damaging our relationship?
• How do I handle this situation with my wife while protecting my daughter's trust and managing the volatility of our family dynamics?
• How can I manage my own fears, given my past experiences with emotional abuse and my daughter's learning challenges?

Any advice, support, or shared experiences would mean the world to me. Thank you for listening.




ed

Spiritualism Exposed

The aim of this lesson is to show that our only safeguard against Satan’s last-day delusions is a personal relationship with Christ and a solid grounding in the teachings of the Bible. This includes its teaching about death, regardless of what our eyes and ears and hearts might try to tell us. *Study this week’s lesson, based on chapters 31–34 of The Great Controversy.




ed

Taken and Tried

This week’s lesson focuses on Mark 14, beginning with the fifth Sandwich Story, which interlinks two opposite actions in relation to Jesus. This is followed by the Last Supper, followed by His struggle in Gethsemane. There He is arrested and taken before the leaders to be tried. The trial scene is linked with Peter’s denial of Jesus, forming the sixth and last of the Sandwich Stories in Mark. Again, two opposite actions occur, but by an ironic twist, they affirm the same truth. Throughout the narrative, two contrasting story plots march hand in hand. In a crisp style, Mark sets before the reader these clashing plots while revealing the triumph of Jesus.




ed

Tried and Crucified

Mark 15 is the heart of the Passion Narrative. It presents the trial of Jesus, His condemnation, the mockery by the soldiers, His crucifixion, and then His death and burial. The events in this chapter are presented in stark, crisp detail, likely because the author let the facts speak for themselves. This week, from the question of Pilate, “ ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ” to the mocking soldiers to the sign above the cross to the mocking of the religious leaders, “ ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save’ ” to the unexpected appearance of Joseph of Arimathea, the chapter is filled with painful ironies that nevertheless reveal powerful truths about the death of Jesus and what it means.




ed

Blessed Are Those Who Believe

Throughout his Gospel, John has a diversity of people—people with different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences—all testifying to who Jesus was. Who were some of these people, and why did they testify as they did to the identity of Jesus?




ed

A Teacher Who Contracted COVID-19 Cautions Against In-Person Schooling

As school districts consider how to approach learning this fall with no sign of the coronavirus slowing, the virus has already had devastating consequences in one rural Arizona school district. Jena Martinez-Inzunza was one of three elementary school teachers at the Hayden Winkelman Unified School District who all tested positive for COVID-19 after teaching virtual summer school lessons together from the same classroom. Martinez's colleague and friend, Kimberley Chavez Lopez Byrd, who taught in the district for nearly four decades, died. "She was very dear to me. She's one of my closest friends," Martinez told Morning Edition. Kimberley Chavez Lopez Byrd died after testing positive for coronavirus. Other teachers she worked with tested positive as well. "She was a very loving, very faithful person and she was very kind," says her colleague Jena Martinez-Inzunza. Luke Byrd "She was a very loving, very faithful person and she was very kind. She always loved watching kids find their way,




ed

'Unprecedented Demand' Slows Results From Some Coronavirus Labs

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Here is a very brief history of American testing in the pandemic. The United States started out drastically short of coronavirus tests. The few people who got them had to wait many days for results. Then the United States engaged private companies to make up the difference. Mobile testing centers appeared in parking lots in many cities. Millions of people were tested. But now, as NPR has reported, most states are short of the testing numbers they need, and people getting tested report delays in getting results. Admiral Brett Giroir is on the line. He is an assistant secretary of health, and he has been in charge of the federal testing response. Admiral, welcome to the program. BRETT GIROIR: Thank you. It's good to be here with you this morning, Steve. INSKEEP: I want to quote Mick Mulvaney, President Trump's former chief of staff, who wrote, quote, "it isn't popular to talk about in some Republican circles, but we still have a




ed

Orange County Education Board Member On Her Vote For Schools To Reopen Without Masks

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST: California's two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, both said yesterday that students will not be headed back to school campuses this fall. Instead, classes will be online. But school board leaders in Orange County, which sits between LA and San Diego, have decided the opposite. Last night, the Orange County Board of Education voted to approve recommendations that school campuses reopen in the fall without masks or social distancing. Lisa Sparks is one of the board members who voted in favor of those guidelines, and she joins me now. Welcome, Lisa. LISA SPARKS: Thank you. MCCAMMON: And we should note that your recommendations are not binding recommendations, but they are what your board is advising. They say that masks may be harmful to students and that social distancing causes, quote, "child harm." How so? SPARKS: I think that the data is not completely conclusive. And that is the main point of all of this




ed

Many Georgia Residents Still Struggling To Get Tested

Copyright 2020 Georgia Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit Georgia Public Broadcasting .




ed

Issues of the Environment: Popular environmental educator in the Ann Arbor Schools calls it a career after nearly 40 years

The Ann Arbor Public Schools' innovative Environmental Education program is 55 years old now and, throughout that time, has connected students to the natural environment. For 38 of those years, Dave Szczygiel has worked as a teacher and, for over two decades, as Environmental Education Consultant in the district. Now, he is retiring. He looks back and looks at what’s to come with WEMU's David Fair.




ed

Issues of the Environment: HRWC study shows mussels in Huron River will benefit over time after the Ypsilanti Peninsular Paper Dam is removed

Over the summer, the Huron River Watershed Council conducted an extensive survey of freshwater mussels in the Huron River to determine potential impacts when the Peninsular Paper Dam is removed. It found that removing the Pen Dam could release sediment, potentially smothering downstream mussel populations. Once the dam is removed, though, the river will return to a more natural state, benefiting mussel species over time. WEMU's David Fair looked at the research and its implications with Huron River Watershed Council Ecologist Dr. Paul Steen.




ed

“Prophecy Odyssey” Opens to Packed Theater

WATCH THE ARCHIVES HERE!

Manhattan Center, Manhattan – There are 45 minutes until the Prophecy Odyssey meeting begins tonight, but already the Manhattan Center is buzzing with activity. The main floor is beginning to fill up as guests file in from the streets. Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism (AFCOE) students just gathered to pray for the Holy Spirit to work mightily through this meeting. 

Camera operators are getting into position for the evening production. Behind the huge LED wall, the Amazing Facts’ media team is busy putting together a life-changing production to broadcast live around the world. Not long ago, Doug Batchelor, president of Amazing Facts International, was in the media control room going over last-minute plans with the team.

There is a sense of quiet eagerness among the guests. Many are reviewing the Bible studies they received when they walked in the front door. Others are talking with AFCOE students and staff as Jackie plays and sings “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” at the grand piano on stage. [PQ-HERE]

Outside, large signs advertise the event along busy 34th Street. Once the meeting begins, a large LED screen on the street allows passersby to watch the meetings live. 


A City Ready for Harvest

The Prophecy Odyssey series opened on Friday night, September 20, to a packed audience. The main floor and three levels of balconies were all full of people eager to hear the Word of God. Many have continued to come for the nightly meetings. 

Prophecy Odyssey is an epic, 15-part Bible series presented by Pastor Doug. Attendees are getting clear, trustworthy, logical answers to their questions about the book of Revelation, prophecy, and the last days. 

Amazing Facts chose New York City for the Prophecy Odyssey series because of the potential to reach people from so many cultures in one place. “The whole reason we’re here is to bring souls into the kingdom,” says Wayne Leman, Amazing Facts’ media creative. “New York City is such a melting pot of cultures. What better place to reap a great harvest?” 

AFCOE students have been doing outreach in the city parks each day. “Our goal is to strike up conversations with people that we meet,” explains J Broder, an AFCOE student from Bakersfield, Calif. “We tell people we are praying for the community and ask them how they think we should pray for people in New York. Then we share the Prophecy Odyssey meeting invitations.” 

“I have so many stories of what God is doing!” says Cornell, another AFCOE student. 


Our Largest Production Yet

“Doing a production in New York City is unlike anything else,” says Wayne. “New York is a technological beast. Everything is booming so fast here. It’s very different than when broadcast from a local church.” 

The media team began preparing for this massive production months ago. They put together a flight pack with all the camera, sound, recording, augmented reality, LED wall, and other media equipment they would need for the series. Then, they practiced loading it into the 16-foot travel trailer and unloading and setting it up rapidly. “It’s a good thing we did!” says Wayne. “We needed every moment we had to get things ready.” 

The first night challenged the media team to the utmost. “We started the production with only four of our eleven cameras working,” Wayne explains. “By the end of the night, we had nine cameras running. The devil definitely was attacking. But we believed, and God answered. It’s only gotten better since.”


It’s Not Too Late

Prophecy Odyssey is being broadcast live around the world in English and Spanish. It is also being translated by artificial intelligence technology into 14 languages. Groups are watching live in Belgium, New Guinea, and many other places around the world. 

It’s not too late to begin watching the Prophecy Odyssey meetings or to share them with someone who needs to know that there is a God in heaven who has good plans for them. Live broadcasts are available at prophecyodyssey.com, AFTV.org, Hope Channel, and on YouTube. Free Bible lessons and recordings of previous meetings are also available.

Thank you for making Prophecy Odyssey possible. Please keep praying that God blesses seekers abundantly!




ed

191: Thoroughly insinuated into the normalcy of our life

More or less on time! New theme song! We talk about heating up water and heating up ourselves. cortex read a lot of MetaFilter this month, Jessamyn's still reading old FanFare threads. Runs about 82 minutes.

Helpful Links

Podcast Feed
Subscribe with iTunes
Direct mp3 download

Job
Lead Product Designer by jchan

Projects
Mondrian's Toothpicks by cortex
The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences®
The Real Problem With the New Dungeons and Dragons License is Capitalism by overglow
Isle of Beasts by Zarkonnen
Dither All the Things - Atkinson Dithering for the Web by AndrewStephens
Rock Scissor Paper Machine by Literaryhero

MeFi
Snail Mail Security by cardioid
A new kind of smartwatch with a special living component by tiny frying pan
10 PRINT "YADA YADA YADA" / 20 GOTO 10 / RUN by Atom Eyes
AV Club: AI Seinfeld show has been given a Twitch suspension
"one of many years of Scrabble that I hold dear" by jessamyn
"...mourning the loss of yet more games that will soon be lost to time," by Fizz
On this website, everyone knows you're a dog by not_on_display
Vacuum Cleaner Defense League
Knolling for fun and profit by Bella Donna
MLTSHP: Dutch emergency services have a gear knolling meme going
The Met: Studley Tool Chest
Instagram: HAIRCUT
Fresh and Full of Life by May Kasahara
The Stink A by Etrigan
Some Days, the Viewing Felt Like a Curse by logicpunk
The Quizzing Equivalent of Holey Moley by Etrigan
Remember Y2K? A similar issue will happen in the year 2038. by buffy12
The Mystery of the Dune Font by cgc373
Making Math into Art by duien

AskMe
ELI5 "Perpetual fireplace" videos by jackbishop
Parents: how do you handle non-negotiable extracurriculars? by malhouse
a comment by Alensin
IRS How? by Alensin
"Ingredients people" citation? by shadygrove
Another Thing For the Book Of Conflicts by EmpressCallipygos
Looking for a sci fi technobabble parody by cheesegrater
What is the musical interval/harmony in this song? by unknowncommand

FanFare
Special Event: The Return of Blaseball by valrus




ed

Fine Art At Sears, And Other 'Stuff You Missed In History Class'

Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey host the popular podcast Stuff You Missed In History Class in the Atlanta offices at HowStuffWorks at Ponce City Market. They joined me during our live show from the rooftop of Ponce City Market to talk about what it’s like to produce a history podcast in a historic building – and also some of their personal connections with the Sears company, which built this building in 1926.




ed

VIDEO: Atlanta Pianist John Burke Performs Grammy-nominated 'Orogen'

In 2016, at only 28-years-old, pianist John Burke has already accomplished the dream of a lifetime for many musicians -- to be nominated for a Grammy Award. It's for his newest album " Orogen ," a breathtaking journey through what he describes as the creation of mountains.




ed

Atlanta's New Soccer Team 'United' Ahead of Inaugural Season

Atlanta’s first Major League Soccer team plays its inaugural game Sunday to a sold out crowd. Atlanta United hosts one of the league’s founding clubs, the well-established New York Red Bulls. It’ll be a tough contest for the fledgling Atlanta team. Yesterday, I drove out to Flowery Branch to see how they’re playing and feeling ahead of their first game. About three dozen soccer players are scrimmaging in small groups of six at their practice facility about an hour north of Atlanta. They run constantly, quickly passing a ball between themselves in square “fields” demarcated by small orange cones. Sharp-eyed coaches walk around blowing whistles and yelling feedback. The players and coaches communicate seamlessly in English and Spanish. "There’s a few coaches who speak English and Spanish as well so they just translate here and there." 19-year-old defender Miles Robinson is from Massachusetts, but says he’s used to an international work environment. The Atlantic Coast Conference’s 2016




ed

All Things Considered Live From SunTrust Park

On Friday April 14, GPB Atlanta broadcasted “All Things Considered” live from SunTrust Park, the Atlanta Braves' new baseball stadium in Cobb County. It was the first home game of the season for the Braves and the first time fans would experience the new $1.1 billion stadium complex. In the show we’ll take a look at important moments in Braves history, at the mixed-use development around SunTrust Park called “The Battery” and, of course - talk about traffic.




ed

Tupac Shakur Statue Commissioned For Georgia Park

Tupac Shakur is one of the most famous rappers in history. Until his murder in 1996 at the age of 25, Shakur was a figurehead of the West Coast rap scene. So Tupac Shakur’s connection to Georgia might surprise you.




ed

'Glee' Actor Naya Rivera's Death Ruled Accidental Drowning

Updated at 8:39 p.m. ET Tuesday The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled the death of actor Naya Rivera to be an accidental drowning. She had disappeared on July 8 while boating with her 4-year-old son, and her body was recovered from a Southern California lake on Monday. Best known for her starring role on the Fox show Glee , Rivera was 33 years old. Sheriff William "Bill" Ayub said Monday Rivera's remains were found in Lake Piru in the Los Padres National Forest, not far from Los Angeles. For six seasons, from 2009 to 2015, Rivera played the role of an unexpectedly popular television antihero. Glee 's Santana Lopez was a cynical, initially closeted high school cheerleader with charisma to burn and an ax to grind. "The only straight I am is straight-up bitch," Santana announced in Season 2. But the character's bullying eventually yielded to team spirit and a tender romance with another cheerleader, the sweet natured but dim Brittany. Glee fans pushed for the storyline,




ed

'Inheritors' Maps A Complicated Family Tree Through The Centuries

Here, in my neighborhood, life is a mix of re-revised rules for living and reality checks. Every day the local authorities publish new data on the where of illness. Daily a new national atrocity snaps a klieg light on us. Reading these days is a necessary escape from, and immersion into, reckoning. And so it is with Asako Serizawa's stunning and visceral debut, The Inheritors . Every page speaks to our current zeitgeist. Each character in these stories is occupied and occupier, trapped in a moral and existential crisis that's unnerving because it's evergreen, because the nature of human tragedy is our own making and the lessons we keep learning never seem to take. The book is a labyrinth of collected stories which follow a Japanese family's history over 150 years, beginning in 1868 and emerging into a future set in the 2030's, and connecting one family's multi-generational experiences living in a colonial and post-colonial world — in Japan, China, and the United States. The inheritors




ed

'Palm Springs' Romantic Comedy Is A Total Winner For The Lockdown Era

Copyright 2020 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air . TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. At a time when many Americans are still home and life seems to have come to a standstill, our film critic Justin Chang says it could be an especially good time to watch "Palm Springs," a romantic comedy about two people forced to repeat the same day over and over again. It stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. It's streaming on Hulu and playing in some drive-in theaters around the country. JUSTIN CHANG, BYLINE: "Palm Springs" was a hot ticket at this year's Sundance Film Festival, one of the last public events to take place before the movie industry shut down. I didn't see it there, but having caught up with it months later at home, I can't help but feel as though this breezily entertaining movie plays a little differently in the era of COVID-19. It's a comedy about isolation and repetition, which might not sound too appealing at a time when many of us are also leading lives of isolation




ed

Lake From 'Dirty Dancing' Rising Again After More Than A Decade After It Dried Up

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.




ed

Fresh Scrutiny For Fox's Tucker Carlson As Top Writer Quits Over Bigoted Posts

Updated at 9:35 p.m. ET Monday The revelation that Fox News prime-time star Tucker Carlson's top writer had posted racist, sexist and homophobic sentiments online for years under a pseudonym has led to renewed scrutiny of Carlson's own commentaries, which have inspired a series of advertising boycotts. The writer, Blake Neff, resigned on Friday after questions raised by CNN's Oliver Darcy led to the posts becoming public. Carlson addressed the controversy on the air Monday night, saying Neff's comments were wrong and "have no connection to the show." After noting Neff had paid the price for his actions, Carlson also spoke about what he called the costs of self-righteousness. "When we pretend we are holy, we are lying," he said. "When we pose as blameless in order to hurt other people, we are committing the gravest sin of all, and we will be punished for it, no question." In an internal memo, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace called the postings




ed

Red Ink Overflowing: In June, U.S. Borrowed A Typical Year's Worth

The federal deficit ballooned last month as the U.S. government tried to cushion the blow from the coronavirus pandemic. The red ink in June alone totaled $864 billion . The federal government ran a bigger deficit last month alone than it usually does all year. Washington spent hundreds of billions of dollars trying to prop up small businesses and assist laid-off workers. With three months left in the government's fiscal year, the year's deficit of $2.7 trillion is already nearly twice as large as the previous record of $1.4 trillion, set in 2009 during the Great Recession. While the government is spending heavily on the pandemic , tax collections in June were lower than usual. The filing deadline for 2019 income taxes was postponed until July 15. Congressional forecasters expect the federal deficit for the full year to reach $3.7 trillion. With infections on the rise, Congress is expected to consider additional relief measures this month. Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https:/




ed

Pandemic Forces Famed New Orleans Restaurant To Close

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit NOEL KING, HOST: A New Orleans institution is closing. K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen was a temple of Cajun cooking, but after COVID closures and restrictions, it won't reopen. Ian McNulty is on the line with me. He covers New Orleans dining and food culture. Good morning. IAN MCNULTY, BYLINE: Good morning, Noel. KING: Tell me about K-Paul's. Tell me about this restaurant. MCNULTY: This is a restaurant that, in a city famous for restaurants, really stood out as one that sort of vaulted ahead of the ideas that people had for local cuisine in its time and made an impact on, really, the global restaurant scene, the global food world, the ripples of which still end up on your dinner plate today when you dine out in cities across America, not just in New Orleans or Louisiana. KING: How do it manage to do that? I imagine that the food was real good. That's probably the simple answer. But what is Cajun cooking? (LAUGHTER) MCNULTY: Right. Well, you know, New




ed

Federal Tax Filing Deadline Arrives

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.




ed

Once Saved, Always Saved?


Is Calvin’s doctrine of predestination biblical—or could it actually lead a soul to eternal loss? Pastor Doug explores the ramifications of once saved, always saved.




ed

Screenwriter Nicolás Giacobone On His New Book 'The Crossed-Out Notebook'

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: A bipartisan delegation of Congresspeople is just back from Ukraine. It was a trip designed to strengthen the U.S.-Ukraine alliance, and it was planned before news broke of the whistleblower complaint against President Trump involving that same country. Congressman John Garamendi led the delegation as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. And the Democrat from California joins us now. Welcome, Congressman. JOHN GARAMENDI: Good to be with you. SHAPIRO: One central question in the impeachment inquiry is whether President Trump demanded help investigating a political rival in exchange for U.S. aid to Ukraine. And I know that aid was a central topic on your trip, so what did you learn about Ukraine's reliance on American assistance? GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, Ukraine is an extraordinary country. These citizens of that country are determined to be independent. They have been fighting a war against Russia for the last five years. They've lost 13- to 14




ed

3 Physician-Scientists Will Share 2019 Nobel Prize For Physiology Or Medicine

Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: When William Kaelin was a pre-med student, one professor suggested he get a taste for laboratory research. It did not go well. WILLIAM KAELIN: It turns out in hindsight that virtually everything that could have been wrong in a laboratory was wrong in this laboratory. And I remember getting a C-minus, which for a pre-med is like having a wooden stake driven through your heart. SHAPIRO: Safe to say William Kaelin overcame that C-minus just fine. Not only did he make it through medical school and launch a career in research, today it was announced he will be awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. NPR science correspondent Richard Harris picks up the story. RICHARD HARRIS, BYLINE: After his disastrous start in the lab, William Kaelin figured he would focus his attention on treating patients. And indeed, he started down that path, settling into a job at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. KAELIN: And it




ed

Lessons Learned From The Microsoft Anti-Trust Case That Began In The 1990s

Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: This month in All Tech Considered, why everyone wants to break up big tech. From federal regulators to Congress to state attorneys general, everyone seems to be trying to figure out whether major tech companies have gotten too big, too powerful and maybe broken antitrust laws. For clues about what Google and Facebook and Amazon and Apple might face, we're going to take a look back at one of the biggest antitrust cases of the past few decades. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST) UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: After weeks of mounting tension, today the Justice Department and a coalition of 20 states filed a pair of broad antitrust lawsuits against the world's leading software company Microsoft. KELLY: Now, that is from our show on May 18, 1998. The case had actually started to take shape almost a decade earlier, and the end of it wouldn't come until years later. Well, here to explain the lessons that today's big tech giants can take




ed

How The U.S. Ambassador To The E.U. Is Wrapped Up In The Ukraine Controversy

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: A bipartisan delegation of Congresspeople is just back from Ukraine. It was a trip designed to strengthen the U.S.-Ukraine alliance, and it was planned before news broke of the whistleblower complaint against President Trump involving that same country. Congressman John Garamendi led the delegation as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. And the Democrat from California joins us now. Welcome, Congressman. JOHN GARAMENDI: Good to be with you. SHAPIRO: One central question in the impeachment inquiry is whether President Trump demanded help investigating a political rival in exchange for U.S. aid to Ukraine. And I know that aid was a central topic on your trip, so what did you learn about Ukraine's reliance on American assistance? GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, Ukraine is an extraordinary country. These citizens of that country are determined to be independent. They have been fighting a war against Russia for the last five years. They've lost 13- to 14




ed

This Chef Says He's Faced His #MeToo Offenses. Now He Wants A Second Chance

For decades, chef Charlie Hallowell was a culinary star around Oakland, Calif., as beloved for his restaurants' hip vibe, as he was for his passion for all the right social causes. Even the national critics raved about his creative modern California cuisine and his "cult following." Bon Appetit fawned, "Hallowell should run for mayor already." But in December 2017, as the #MeToo movement was boiling over, the man celebrated for his cool cocktails and organic, locally-sourced farm-to-table ingredients was suddenly splayed across the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle as a serial sexual harasser. Dozens of women accused him of everything from constant lewd comments to uninvited kissing on the mouth, long, handsy hugs – and more. Catalina del Canto, who worked for Hallowell as a cook and hostess, says he would come up behind her when she was stocking shelves in the walk-in cooler and press against her. And the crass sexual banter, she says, was constant. "He asked if I had a




ed

Restaurants Would Get More Flexibility With Workers' Tips Under Proposed Rule

The Trump administration has proposed a new rule governing the wages of tipped employees, after an earlier effort sparked a backlash from waitstaff, bartenders and other workers. The proposed rule from the Labor Department would allow employers to require more widespread sharing of tips with "back of the house" coworkers, such as cooks and dishwashers. The rule makes clear, however, that employers cannot pocket those tips or use them to reward managers and supervisors. The rule would also give employers more flexibility in assigning non-tipped tasks to workers who rely on gratuities for a big part of their income. The proposal was cheered by the restaurant industry. But workers' advocates and some lawmakers say they still have some concerns. "This rule establishes once and for all an appropriate balance, and ends arbitrary and capricious regulations," said Angelo Amador, regulatory counsel for the National Restaurant Association. "We commend the U.S. Department of Labor for providing




ed

Ten Keys for Answered Prayer

God wants to do more, exceedingly, abundantly more than we can think but we need to ask, and pray. How should we pray?



  • Pastor Doug's Weekly Message

ed

Do You Need To Be Perfect To Be Saved?

Do you need to be perfect to be saved? How do you live a perfect life in a wicked world, and how perfect do you need to be to be saved?



  • Pastor Doug's Weekly Message

ed

Astonished Beyond Measure

Some people have perfect hearing, but they don't hear God. The Lord wants to heal our spiritual hearing.



  • Pastor Doug's Weekly Message

ed

Rediscovering Reverence and the Fear of God

Unless you nurture it, reverence is lost and in losing reverence you lose the comprehension of what sin is and what salvation is. The nature of God is affected by our attitude about God and His holiness.



  • Pastor Doug's Weekly Message

ed

Called to Be Ambassadors for Christ

We are all called to be ambassadors for Christ.



  • Pastor Doug's Weekly Message

ed

02 - red sunset in detroit - vampire deer

the melonhead goes to the big town - more ambient, chaotic stuff for the other half of the album




ed

Zine based on a AskMe that I made

Both an idea (for outreach/promotion) and a confession. The day before I was set to table at the local zine symposium, I was scrambling for another mini-zine idea, and ended up excerpting some of the answers to an Ask Me I made earlier this year"What's your random (but regular) act of public service?" Here's a link to the one-page mini zine (mod note: link removed, see this note).

In retrospect, this is very much of the "ask for forgiveness not permission" M.O. that I usually hate on. But also it seems like an idea for getting the word out about Metafilter to potential members. My tablemate at the zine fair was all (paraphrase) "oooh, I'll check that out. I love the idea that it is old school." People whose answers I used and MeFi mods, please forgive me for not asking in advance. I didn't use any usernames, but obviously if someone finds the original post there is only the usual level of anonymity. People in general, what do you think about making a Metafilter zine series? I think the DIY ethos of zines is very much in the spirit of MeFi, and zines also spans across the generations (aka gen x-ers, millennials, gen z-ers etc). It could be an internal fundraiser (like stickers and magnets) but I think it would be more fun if it was directed to non-members?




ed

Content Warning: This Comment May Have Been Secretly Edited

Hello, folks. I would like to know 1) if it's common practice for mods to edit users' comments without any indication of a mod note, 2) when this practice began, and 3) if it's been disclosed as a community practice here. As a member of the mefi community it's certainly something I would like to provide feedback on!

I noticed that a recent dumb joke comment of mine was altered at some point after it was posted. The comment in question:

Where's the mugshot. There are no known photos of this guy after like 2006 Found it. (Content warning: gory image) posted by phunniemee at 3:22 PM on October 22
The bold text--the content warning--was not added by me. There is no mod note either in my comment or elsewhere on the thread indicating that this was edited in any way. Was my comment in poor taste? Yeah sure, many of the things I do are. If a comment picks up flags, please delete it. Or add a content warning that says "MOD NOTE: CONTENT WARNING FOR GORY IMAGE" if you must. That's the community I have been a part of--moderation by deletion with active mod involvement in the thread. I absolutely do not want to be in a community where people's comments are EDITED by a mod without any indication that the text was written by someone other than the poster. My own comment here and the relatively minor edit is about as stupid as it gets in the specific, but I'm feeling genuinely scandalized right now and deeply uncomfortable to find out that our mods are editing users comments in secrecy. I've been on metafilter for a decade and a half, and I know the people here only because of the things that people say online. It's important to me that our names are appended to the things we actually say. This is a staggeringly bad path for metafilter moderation to take and I think the community needs some disclosure on how often this happens. [phunniemee's note: Loup did reach out to me over email to explain that this edit followed the policy from the FAQ to add a content warning where deemed necessary by a mod, but that it was an error to not leave a mod note or to let me know the edit had occurred. That the mod team has discussed and agreed that a mod note will always be included in the future. I appreciate that individual errors happen and I believe it's most likely that this was an edit made in good faith. However. There have been a number of mod calls this year that have eroded the faith that I have in the ongoing moderation of the community I love, and I would like to continue forward with this metatalk to ensure we continue to be a community that's moderated thoughtfully and with active user engagement.]




ed

Upcoming show on 4/3 (Multitouch Edition)

I just got back from spending the weekend with my brother in NYC building this contraption: It’s a of balancing the projector precariously on a shoebox, the projector is housed inside and a mirror is used to bounce the projections onto the screen: The whole idea is that the music interface is also the visual […]




ed

With China's Economy Battered By Pandemic, Millions Return To The Land For Work

Since the coronavirus pandemic battered China's economy, tens of millions of urban and factory jobs have evaporated. Some workers and business owners have banded together to pressure companies or local governments for subsidies and payouts. But many of the newly unemployed have instead returned to their rural villages. China's vast countryside now serves as an unemployment sponge, soaking up floating migrant workers in temporary agricultural work on small family plots. "Say a factory used to hire 1,000 temporary workers; now, without new orders, these business owners can't afford to hire this many people," Yan Xiyun, a labor intermediary, told NPR. "The factory I usually go to in previous years could easily hire 2,000 people. Now there is scarcely anyone [on the factory floor]." Ten years ago, Yan left her own village near the small city of Zhumadian in Henan province for the first time and joined the migrant workforce. Now, she's a headhunter working on commission, placing thousands




ed

The Fed Helped Companies Borrow Money. Some Laid Off Thousands Anyway

After the coronavirus lockdowns forced it to shut down its 345 U.S. theaters, Texas-based Cinemark in April decided to do what a lot of companies have done: borrow money by selling bonds. The sale was made easier by the fact that the Federal Reserve was lending out trillions of dollars to businesses and governments, providing a much-needed boost to the corporate debt market in an effort to prop up the economy. Even as it was borrowing money, Cinemark also announced a number of steps "to endure a prolonged period of no revenue." They included laying off 17,500 workers with no guarantee when they'll be rehired. During the current crisis, the Fed, which began a two-day meeting on Tuesday, has pulled out all the stops to keep the economy afloat, lowering interest rates to zero and starting a series of unprecedented and historic new lending facilities practically overnight. "It has taken what were already extraordinary, exceptional, unusual, unconventional tools and has expanded them even




ed

Federal Reserve Vows To Help Economy Weather The Pandemic Recession

Updated at 4:12 p.m. ET The Federal Reserve left interest rates near zero Wednesday and once again promised to deliver whatever monetary medicine it can to an economy that's badly ailing from the coronavirus pandemic. "The Federal Reserve is committed to using its full range of tools to support the U.S. economy in this challenging time," the central bank said in a statement . While noting that "financial conditions have improved, in part reflecting policy measures to support the economy," the Fed's rate-setting committee reiterated its intent to leave interest rates at rock-bottom levels, "until it is confident that the economy has weathered recent events and is on track to achieve its maximum employment and price stability goals." Notes released along with the committee's statement suggest no rate increases are expected at least through 2022. "We're not thinking about raising rates," Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said at a news conference. "We're not even thinking about thinking about




ed

Hiring Surged In June With 4.8 Million Jobs Added Before New Spike In Infections

Updated at 5 p.m. ET Employers added a record 4.8 million jobs last month, as the U.S. economy continued to slowly bounce back from a deep and painful coronavirus recession. The unemployment rate dipped to 11.1%. Job growth accelerated from May, when revised figures show employers added 2.7 million jobs. Loading... "Our economy is roaring back," President Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room. "It's coming back extremely strong." What's odd this time is that the closely-watched monthly jobs report offers a snapshot of the economy that was already somewhat out of date as soon as it was issued. The Labor Department report reflects conditions from the middle of June. The COVID-19 outbreak has since been accelerating in many states , which could put the brakes on the nascent economic recovery. Investors welcomed the positive jobs news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 92 points while the Nasdaq composite index hit a new, record high. "This is not just luck, what's




ed

'We Need Help': People At Higher Coronavirus Risk Fear Losing Federal Unemployment

Many people with underlying medical conditions are worried about what's going to happen at the end of the month. It's not currently safe for many of them to go back to work. The COVID-19 death rate is 12 times higher for people with underlying conditions. But an extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits, which has been enabling them to pay their rent and other bills, will stop coming at the end of July. "We don't have a whole lot of options that don't involve risking our lives," Lauren Van Netta says. "We need help. We really do." Van Netta lost her job at a perfume store in New Orleans during the outbreak. She says she's had serious bacterial infections that have damaged her lungs and compromised her immune system. And she has asthma. So even if she could find another job in retail, she says her doctors have told her it would be risky. She says even wearing a mask and trying to keep social distancing in a workplace, "it's like the fear of, you know, I could make a mistake.




ed

'Devastated': As Layoffs Keep Coming, Hopes Fade That Jobs Will Return Quickly

Updated at 8:44 a.m. ET From airlines to paper mills, the job news is grim, and there are growing signs it won't be getting better anytime soon. On Thursday, the Labor Department reported nearly 2.4 million new applications for state and federal unemployment benefits last week. And United Airlines is warning that it may have to furlough as many as 36,000 employees this fall. Demand for air travel has collapsed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The president of the flight attendants union called the warning a "gut punch" but also "the most honest assessment we've seen on the state of the industry — and our entire economy." Union President Sara Nelson tweeted that demand for air travel had recovered a small fraction of its pre-pandemic levels this summer and "even those minimal gains evaporated over the last week due to surging COVID-19 cases across the country." Jobs in other industries are facing similar threats as the coronavirus tightens its stubborn grip on the country. Derse




ed

The Redemption of Andy Capp

Reg Smythe's Andy Capp was the greatest British newspaper strip of the 20th Century, but few people realise how much of his own troubled childhood Smythe poured into Andy and Flo's lives. Andy was essentially a portrait of Smythe's wastrel father, Flo a version of his formidable mother, and their neighbourhood a portrait of the pre-war Hartlepool where Smythe grew up. My new book traces Smythe's own biography, explores its parallels in Andy's world, and tackles the strip's early wife-beating jokes. There's also a look at how the balance of power has shifted between Andy and Flo down the years and my own analysis of just what made Smythe such an accomplished and stylish cartoonist.

Down The Tubes has already reviewed the book, calling it "a terrific re-examination of Andy Capp, smashing myths about the strip". Paul Gravett, the UK's leading comics critic, describes it as "a rich, revelatory study". MeFites discussed an earlier version of the book's Andy Capp material here.

[Link




ed

My third book is loosed on the world

Stark Raving Mab, the third book in my urban fantasy trilogy Gravity's Daughter is out as of yesterday. If you're intrigued by any of the following: action-heavy urban fantasy, less-traditional faeries, gravity-defying antics on public transit, Canadian settings or in-over-their-heads characters who will not give up sarcasm 'til you pry it from their cold, dead hands, then give the books a look or request them from your local library.

I did a projects post back in 2022 on the first book but I think I forgot to crow about the second last fall, because I have trouble regularly remembering to talk about myself. (Or even, uh, irregularly--like when I publish a literal book.)

[Link