WANTED: FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR IMPORTANT VIRGINIA DEM CAMPAIGNDemocratic candidate for VA Attorney General in 2013 seeks Finance Director and fundraising staff. You should have experience in a major legislative, statewide, or Congressional campaign, as well as fundraising through social media and finance committees. You also should have a commitment to justice and fairness, a zest for the rough-and-tumble of a statewide campaign, and an optimistic outlook! You will be based in Northern Virginia but will occasionally travel throughout the Commonwealth. Please send your resume along with one professional and one personal reference to democraticfinance@gmail.com .
Thursday, 31 May 2012
(Career Progress) Fwd: VA Attorney General Race Finance Directorq
[Unicum] Farewell
Dear Unicum Members,
It is time for me to say goodbye to all of you as I will return to Hungary today and continue my work at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I would like to thank all of you for assisting and attending the cultural events at the Embassy of Hungary, and all other types of support during the last 5 years.
I wish you all the best and I hope to return soon either as a diplomat or as a tourist.
Best regards,
Béla Gedeon
Cultural Attaché/kulturális attasé
Embassy of Hungary/Magyarország Nagykövetsége
3910 Shoemaker Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: (202) 686-4144 Mobile: (202) 460-3411 Fax: (202) 966-8135 Website: washington.kormany.hu
[SCOW] Sailing on the Bay Friday 6/8 - Sunday 6/10
Hello Sailors!
We have reserved a Parklawn Sailing Association boat for Jun 8, 9, and 10 on the Chesapeake. The boat resides in Galesville (West River).
We are planning to get to the boat around 10 on Friday, leave around noon, sail to the Eastern shore (depending in part on weather and winds), maybe anchor out one night and go to a St. Michaels, Rock Hall, or Oxford another night. We plan to return around 6 on Sunday.
We're looking for 1 or 2 more crew. If you are interested, please email your sailing experience.
John will be at Social Sail tonight, if you'd like to talk to him about it.
Fair Winds
Susan Berman and John Rogers
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Read More :- "[SCOW] Sailing on the Bay Friday 6/8 - Sunday 6/10"
We have reserved a Parklawn Sailing Association boat for Jun 8, 9, and 10 on the Chesapeake. The boat resides in Galesville (West River).
We are planning to get to the boat around 10 on Friday, leave around noon, sail to the Eastern shore (depending in part on weather and winds), maybe anchor out one night and go to a St. Michaels, Rock Hall, or Oxford another night. We plan to return around 6 on Sunday.
We're looking for 1 or 2 more crew. If you are interested, please email your sailing experience.
John will be at Social Sail tonight, if you'd like to talk to him about it.
Fair Winds
Susan Berman and John Rogers
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(Career Progress) Fwd: 6/5 America's Impact Candidate Convention (progressive foreign policy professionals event)
| ||
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On Sun, May 27, 2012 at 11:24 AM, Dan Perez <dan.perez@americasimpact.org> wrote:
Great, thanks so much Jim! Have a great Memorial DayOn Fri, May 25, 2012 at 4:48 PM, Jim McBride <jimmcbride13@gmail.com> wrote:
Sure....I can share it next week.
Let me know what else I should know.--On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 10:51 AM, Dan Perez <dan.perez@americasimpact.org> wrote:
Hi Jim,
This is Dan Perez from America's Impact. I just wanted to reach out about our upcoming Candidate Convention happening on June 5th.
Would you be interested in helping us spread the word? We're building our Host Committee and we'd like to talk to you more about it.
Thanks!
Dan
![]()
Please join America's Impact for our first Candidate Convention bringing together our members to support Incumbents and Candidates for Congress who endorse a strong, progressive foreign policy
This election is critical to foreign policy - the next Congress will reshape spending on diplomacy, development, and defense; affect our energy security and dependence on foreign oil; and shape how America responds to the challenges of nuclear proliferation in Iran and beyond. We need a Congress which can work with
our President to keep America strong.
Featuring Representative Adam Smith (D-WA)
Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee
Tuesday June 5th, 2012
6pm
The Historic Mott House (122 Maryland Ave NE)
![]()
![]()
Complimentary refreshments will be served
Jim McBride703-867-5070
http://www.facebook.com/JimMcBride13http://twitter.com/jimmcbride13
http://twitter.com/fwdprogress
("Forward #P2" messaging & organizing strategy blog)
http://groups.google.com/group/networkforprogress
(social & media-savvy grassroots organization for "Yes We Can" Movement)
http://groups.google.com/group/n4pcareernetworking
(events, jobs & resources for DC-area young progressive professionals)
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[SCOW] Special Olympics Call for Volunteers!
Ahoy Sailors!
SCOW's participation in Special Olympics training is starting this coming Monday, June 4th.
Training will be each Monday night from 5:30 to 7:30. We start preparing the boats at 5:30 and they should be in the water and ready to sail at 6pm when we have a brief meeting near the cranes. We will be using all four of our Flying Scots for each Monday night in June (4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th). We need one skipper and one crew member for each boat.
Each year, SCOW helps train Maryland and Virginia Special Olympics athletes to race sailing dinghies. Many of the athletes have participated in multiple seasons and are familiar with the boats. We work with the athletes to improve their skills. As they advance, they move on to other dinghies such as Lightnings, Hobie 16s, and Sunfish. I have participated in the program for the last three seasons and enjoyed it very much. The athletes and their families greatly appreciate us providing this opportunity to learn to sail and have fun on the water.
Please e-mail me if you are interested or have any questions.
Thank you,
Charles
Charles Gilbert
SCOW Special Olympics Coordinator & Membership Director 2012
membership@scow.org
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Read More :- "[SCOW] Special Olympics Call for Volunteers!"
SCOW's participation in Special Olympics training is starting this coming Monday, June 4th.
Training will be each Monday night from 5:30 to 7:30. We start preparing the boats at 5:30 and they should be in the water and ready to sail at 6pm when we have a brief meeting near the cranes. We will be using all four of our Flying Scots for each Monday night in June (4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th). We need one skipper and one crew member for each boat.
Each year, SCOW helps train Maryland and Virginia Special Olympics athletes to race sailing dinghies. Many of the athletes have participated in multiple seasons and are familiar with the boats. We work with the athletes to improve their skills. As they advance, they move on to other dinghies such as Lightnings, Hobie 16s, and Sunfish. I have participated in the program for the last three seasons and enjoyed it very much. The athletes and their families greatly appreciate us providing this opportunity to learn to sail and have fun on the water.
Please e-mail me if you are interested or have any questions.
Thank you,
Charles
Charles Gilbert
SCOW Special Olympics Coordinator & Membership Director 2012
membership@scow.org
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[SCOW] Social Sail Tonight
ANNOUNCING SOCIAL SAIL THIS THURSDAY MAY 31 6 PM
It is a beautiful summer day and I'm sure the sunset will be spectacular tonight at the marina. Come to our social sail at 6 PM (5:30 to assist setting up boats and food cart). There will be sumptuous homemade chili and veggie platter by Rob VanTassell, with co-host Rose Anna and dockmaster Greg Segal. Don't miss this rare opportunity for homemade dinner outdoors by the water!
As usual, we ask a $5.00 donation for food, but the sailing is free as always.
Jim
(Career Progress) TOMORROW: DC Tech Meetup: "Explore Digital Dupont" (open house happy hours including progressive firms Salsa Labs, National Field, Public Citizen etc)
5pm-9pm June 1st Dupont Circle (various locations) RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/DC-Tech-Meetup/events/39214212 The June DC Tech Meetup is something new. No content. No single venue. Just one Digital Dupont for you to explore. Startups, incubators, accelerators, and digital agencies will be opening their doors for you to drop in on them from 5pm-9pm. OPEN HOUSE MAP: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210144278722087189496.0004bfb5fdcc6a078ba70&msa=0&ll=38.911689,-77.042806&spn=0.009066,0.016565 Includes.... iStrategyLabs | |
Bar Dupont @ Dupont Hotel | |
| Salsa Labs | |
CDG Interactive | |
CHIEF | |
Dupont Circle Business Incubator (DCBI) | |
Greenfield/Belser Ltd. | |
National Field | |
Clearly Innovative Inc | |
District I/O | |
Interactive Strategies | |
ArtJamz Dupont Studio | |
Canvas Coworking | |
Daversa Partners | |
EmployInsight | |
Spinnakr & Veenome | |
Public Citizen | |
Vox Media - SB Nation, The Verge, Polygon |
*FOLLOW DC CAREER PROGRESS ON GOOGLE, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!
http://groups.google.com/group/dccareerprogress
http://on.fb.me/dccareerprogress
http://twitter.com/dcareerprogress
http://generationobamadc.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/go-dc-career-networking-master-list (job resources)
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[SCOW] Moonlight Raft-up Friday Night, June 1st - Still Room
We still need skippers and crew for the Moonlight Raft-up tomorrow night . See attached announcement. RSVP today – river@scow.org Faith Rodell River/Bay Director
[news] Official: 160 girls poisoned at Afghan school
source:
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A hospital in northern Afghanistan admitted 160 schoolgirls Tuesday after they were poisoned, a Takhar province police official said.
Their classrooms might have been sprayed with a toxic material before the girls entered, police spokesman Khalilullah Aseer said. He blamed the Taliban.
The incident, the second in a week's time, was reported at the Aahan Dara Girls School in Taluqan, the provincial capital.
The girls, ages 10 to 20, complained of headaches, dizziness and vomiting before being taken to the hospital, said Hafizullah Safi, director of the provincial health department.
More than half of them were discharged within a few hours of receiving treatment, Safi said. The health department collected blood samples and sent them to Kabul for testing.
Last week, more than 120 girls and three teachers were admitted to a hospital after a similar suspected poisoning.
"The Afghan people know that the terrorists and the Taliban are doing these things to threaten girls and stop them going to school," Aseer said last week. "That's something we and the people believe. Now we are implementing democracy in Afghanistan and we want girls to be educated, but the government's enemies don't want this."
But earlier this week, the Taliban denied responsibility, instead blaming U.S. and NATO forces for the poisonings in an attempt to "defame" the insurgent group.
There have been several instances of girls being poisoned in schools in recent years.
In April, also in Takhar province, more than 170 women and girls were hospitalized after drinking apparently poisoned well water at a school. Local health officials blamed the acts on extremists opposed to women's education.
While nearly all the incidents involve girls, earlier this month, nearly 400 boys at a school in Khost province fell ill after drinking water from a well that a health official said may have been poisoned.
The Taliban recently demanded the closure of schools in two eastern provinces. In Ghazni, the school closure was in retaliation for the government's ban on motorbikes often used by insurgents. People in Wardak said the Taliban has been a little more lenient and has allowed schools to open late after making changes to the curriculum.
The battle indicates broader fears about Afghanistan's future amid the drawdown of U.S. troops in the country.
NATO leaders last week signed off on U.S. President Barack Obama's exit strategy from Afghanistan, which calls for an end to combat operations next year and the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international military force by the end of 2014.
During the Taliban's rule from 1996 to 2001, many Afghan girls were not allowed to attend school. The schools began reopening after the regime was toppled by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. However, observers say abuse of women remains common in the post-Taliban era and is often accepted in conservative and traditional families, where women are barred from school and sometimes subjected to domestic violence.
Afghan Education Minister Dr. Farooq Wardak told the Education World Forum in London in January 2011 that the Taliban had abandoned its opposition to education for girls, but the group has never confirmed that.
[news] Student Sues Over Prayer at Irmo High Graduation
source:
Irmo, SC (WLTX) - A senior at Irmo High School sued the school district over a prayer at graduation ceremonies.
Matthew Nielson, 18, filed the suit along with the Freedom of Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group that advocates for the separation of church and state. The document names Lexington-Richland School District Five as the defendant.
According to the suit, Neilson felt he would "suffer unwanted exposure to a school-sanctioned invocation/benediction/prayer/religious message/blessing."
The graduation took place Wednesday, and Nielson attended as scheduled. But afterward, he said he thought the insertion of the statement wasn't necessary.
"It's a shame that at this graduation ceremony...they decided to hold a Christian prayer and draw lines in the beautiful and lovely community that I've come to love here at Irmo High School," Nielson said.
The suit laid out the district policy that if the majority of the senior class approves of a benediction or invocation at a graduation, it can take place.
Neilson argued in the suit that the prayer violated the U.S. Constitution's Establishment Clause found in the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment. In his opinion, the benediction acts as the promotion of religion, whether explicitly stated or not.
For context, here is the full text of the benediction read during the ceremony:
Father,
We come today once again asking for your guidance, protection, and mercy. Be with us Lord as we venture out into the world and start this journey called life. There are people sitting here today who are still undecided of the career choice. We ask that you touch them, Lord, and lead them on the path you intend for their lives to follow. Lord even though we all come from different households, financial, religious, and moral backgrounds, I ask that you place us all on the same path of success. We ask that you will continually watch over us because we need you now more than ever and help us Lord with any future endeavors that we may face. Because we know with you all things are possible. We thank you for all the teachers, parents and administrators that were here through our 12 years of school that helped us on beginning the journey of our life. We also pray for families of those who did not make it here to see this day, but remain in our hearts. Our final prayer, Lord, is that you grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Nielson, a self-described "religiously unaffiliated" person, says he tried to convince the district to stop the prayer, including a one-on-one meeting with District Superintendent Steve Hefner and a letter to the board.
Since the event's already happened, he hopes the suit will effect change in the future.
"I hope the district eventually decides to do what is right and I thank them for the lovely school district," Nielson said.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
[SCOW] Tonight's Racing Summary
Hello,
It was a fun night of racing tonight. We had all 4 Flying Scots out and about 16 people, and we got off about 9 races in the cove. Some boats were utilizing spinnakers. There were a lot of close finishes in light air. I also noticed a lot of crew rotation in individual boats, so I hope everyone got to learn something. Most importantly we saw lots of right of way situations that exercised our knowledge. It was good to see boats doing their 360 degree penalty turns. Thanks to everyone who came out. See you next Wed for more racing.
Jim (substitute for Deepak this week)
[news] Secular Coalition will bring lobbyists to Virginia Capitol by 2013 to advance atheist views
source:
RICHMOND, Va. — A national secular group is planning to have a lobbying interest in Virginia by next January with an unabashedly godless agenda.
Virginia is among the first group of states the Secular Coalition for America is targeting for opening chapters with trained lobbyists in the statehouses.
Spokeswoman Lauren Youngblood says SCA will focus on the states because that's where the group sees the most egregious legislation emerging. SCA already lobbies Congress and federal agencies in Washington, espousing secular public laws free of religious influence.
The group this year spoke out against Virginia legislation that shields religious-affiliated child-placement organizations from being forced to place adoptive children with same-sex couples.
Youngblood says she knows SCA will face a chilly reception in Virginia and other Bible Belt capitals and is prepared for it.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Re: [news] Washington Post: Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington Post dies from rattlesnake bite
On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 05:23:32AM -0700, GORDON SILLARS wrote:
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/serpent-handling-pastor-profiled-earlier-in-washington-post-dies-from-rattlesnake-bite/2012/05/29/gJQAJef5zU_story.html
I must've been blinded by the irony or something, because the
first time, I didn't read the second page of the article, the one
where it says that Wolford's father also died of being bitten by a
snake he was handling.
--
Andrew Arensburger http://www.ooblick.com/weblog/
arensb@ooblick.com
Losing lottery tickets sold here.
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Read More :- "Re: [news] Washington Post: Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington Post dies from rattlesnake bite"
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/serpent-handling-pastor-profiled-earlier-in-washington-post-dies-from-rattlesnake-bite/2012/05/29/gJQAJef5zU_story.html
I must've been blinded by the irony or something, because the
first time, I didn't read the second page of the article, the one
where it says that Wolford's father also died of being bitten by a
snake he was handling.
--
Andrew Arensburger http://www.ooblick.com/weblog/
arensb@ooblick.com
Losing lottery tickets sold here.
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Re: [news] Washington Post: Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington Post dies from rattlesnake bite
-- Poetic justice
From: "GORDON SILLARS" <ggsillars@verizon.net>
To: "Secular News" <secular-news@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 8:23:32 AM
Subject: [news] Washington Post: Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington Post dies from rattlesnake bite
"I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine." --
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From: "GORDON SILLARS" <ggsillars@verizon.net>
To: "Secular News" <secular-news@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 8:23:32 AM
Subject: [news] Washington Post: Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington Post dies from rattlesnake bite
-- Bertrand Russell
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[news] NCR: Is the Roman Catholic Church downsizing into a sect?
Pretty scathing criticism of the Catholic hierarchy in a Catholic newspaper.
-- Bertrand Russell
[news] 'Ten Commandments' Judge Roy Moore: Secularism Leads to Sharia Law
source:
The man who is likely to be Alabama's next chief justice is warning that secular government will lead to Islamic law in the United States.
In an interview with conservative talk show host Steve Deace last week, Roy Moore opined that "a government that is denying God" was also allowing Sharia law to take hold.
The Republican candidate explained that he had no regrets after the Alabama Court of the Judiciary wasforced to strip him of the chief justice title in 2003 because he rejected a federal court order to remove his Ten Commandments monument from the state courthouse.
"I firmly believe that only God can heal our land and he is waiting for the American people to wake up to what's going on around them about a government that is denying God and in doing so is bent on taking away those rights and liberties and freedoms given to us by God, in contradiction to the very organic law from which we are based," Moore explained on Friday. "I never regretted what I did, I did exactly what I knew I was to do and that is to stand firm and not let some federal judge tell me to remove a monument, which he had no right to do anyway."
"What they fear most is my acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God," he continued, adding that the federal judge had "violated not only our Constitution but the case law of the United States Supreme Court which says our religious freedom comes from God, and if it doesn't come from God people have to realize we will lose it and that is happening in our country today with Sharia law and the allowance of religious practices for other groups but not Christians."
Earlier this year, Moore overwhelmingly won the GOP nomination in a bid to take back the title of chief justice. The Republican Party has pledged to give him its full support.
"The Alabama Republican Party stands firmly behind Judge Roy Moore to serve as the next Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court," Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead said earlier this month. "Judge Moore embodies the conservative values and beliefs of the citizens of our state and the Republican Party in Alabama stands behind him 100 percent."
In recent months, Moore and his Foundation for Moral Law have been fighting to allow the small town Sylvania to use a Bible verse on their welcome signs.
"The Freedom from Religion Foundation has an agenda to remove any acknowledgement of God or religion from the public square and are trying to bully towns like Sylvania with threatening letters that grossly misrepresent the Constitution," Moore told the Times-Journal. "Sylvania refuses to be bullied by the anti-religious sentiment of the FFRF. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution stands for freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, and we look forward to representing Sylvania in this important matter."
The Anniston Star Editorial Board has argued that a candidate for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court should not "promote his own particular brand of religion and tie it to questionable constitutional interpretations."
"One can — and should — question the propriety of an Alabama chief justice GOP nominee heading a foundation dedicated to a constitutional position on which he might one day have to rule," the editorial board wrote. "Here is a prime example of the sort of controversy on which a chief justice should avoid taking a public stand."
"He has disappointed us again."
[news] Reaching Out to Young Adults Will Screw Up Your Church
source:
I have a theory about young adults and the church. Here it goes.
While many mainline churches say "we want young people," they don't really. If young adults actually showed up and joined their church for good, the change they'd naturally bring with them would be stark, even off-putting. In fact, making a congregation welcoming for young adults necessarily means it will get less comfortable for the current members.
It's just a theory, but here's why I'm suggesting it. A few stories...
First story: the ministry I lead hosts a book group that meets in a back room at a local coffee shop. We read books related to religion in a very open-minded atmosphere. Few of our book group members attend church. Some don't believe in God. Most are highly suspicious of organized religion. Well, at a book group discussion recently conversation turned to why people don't go to church and one of the members exclaimed, "Wait a second ...this, this book group -- it's sort of like church! I mean, I'd never go to church, but this community reminds me a lot of one. Wow." He was floored.
As many have noted about young adults today, we tend to seek belonging first; believing comes later. To welcome young adults churches need to make places where we can belong and then believe. Belonging takes time and often happens best outside the church's walls. For churches to do this means, for many of them, major change in where, how, and for whom they organize programs.
Second story (or stories, really). Several of my young adult pastor friends tell about a time when one of them is hanging out around town, meeting new people, just being his cool/nerdy self when someone finds out he's a pastor. And this person thinks the pastor is pretty hip so she asks, "Hey, can I come to your church." The pastor sighs and says, "Yes, but you've got to know: I'm really different at church."
These pastor friends, to survive in their parishes, have taken the edge off their preaching, their politics, their big ideas, even their theology. Though the pastors know young adults are drawn to their edgy honest selves, they also know that their more established members -- with the power and the checkbooks -- have other ideas. A lot would need to change for the pastor to be able to respond to his friend saying, "Yes! Please, come to my church. You'd love it!" And, if that gal at the bar would truly love it, what would the church's choir members think?
Third story. I was once at a church-related event where young adults were going around the table introducing themselves to the group. One person shared his name and then said, "And, I want to be upfront: I'm an atheist." For a second, I held my breath to see what would happen next. Quickly, someone said, "Great!" And another smiled and said, "So glad you're here." There were smiles all the way around the table.
I can't help but wonder how many congregations would welcome that young atheist with a genuine smile rather than a leeriness that he might infect the confirmation class with dastardly atheism-laced questions. Welcoming young adults that fit the perfect church visitor mold is easy. You know the type many church members long for: some magical newcomer who was raised in a perfect household, is married (not divorced), has a few kids, enjoys his well-paying job, and, of course, has orthodox unquestioning beliefs. Fewer and fewer young adults fit this image (if anyone ever did). To welcome young adults these days churches need to welcome the atheist, the single mom, the tattooed, the unemployed, and yes (of course!) even the same-sex couple.
Those are my stories. And that's my theory: for most congregations to truly become welcoming for young adults they will necessarily need to unsettle many current members.
[Unicum] Invitation to a Hungarian Event
Hungarian Event at the Library of Congress
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai will read from his recently translated novel, Satantango (Sátántangó), and discuss the state of contemporary Hungarian literature. Book sales and a signing will follow. This event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Library's Poetry and Literature Center and European Division, in collaboration with New Directions Publishing. Where: Dining Room A (6th floor, James Madison Building) |
[SCOW] Skipper Director update
Hi Sailors,
Several of you have recently expressed interest in getting tutoring or taking a water checkout-- we're trying to get things scheduled, but in the meantime I would encourage you to contact skippers in the club (send an all-SCOW if necessary) and ask them to take you sailing so you can get some practice. A few of you have already done this successfully, and I'd like to see more of that so we get folks out on the water. Everyone in the club is pretty busy since we live in DC, so we need to take advantage of opportunities to carpoo-- er, boatpool-- whenever we can. Boatpooling is also a great way to meet new people in the club that you might not meet otherwise.
If you're preparing for a water checkout (after completing the written test), visit the "Skipper Info" tab in the members-only section of the website and download a boat-specific water checkout form so you know what to expect on your test. It's very straightforward and fair but requires a little bit of practice to reach the required level of proficiency.
We will also schedule another formal "checkout day" in June, so please contact some skippers and get some time on the water for practice.
I'll be at the marina tonight for Flying Scot racing, and I'm happy to sail with folks afterwards on a Scot or a cruiser, or go over the boats and equipment, or just answer questions you may have.
Jonathan Thron
2012 Skipper Director
240.778.5198
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[SCOW] This SATURDAY! Leukemia Cup Regatta Kickoff Event: June 2, 4-8 pm
Hi Friends!
Hope you can make it out this Saturday to the Leukemia Cup Regatta Kickoff Event: June 2, 4-8 pm! It ought to be a great party and kickoff start for the upcoming Leukemia Cup Regatta -- the largest boat race on the Potomac! (Also, a huge HUGE thanks to all the wonderful folks who contributed to our great earlier Team Tartan party! What a great time!) in any case, the fun continues this Saturday, so, come on out and bring your friends! There will be great food, drinks, and friends -- all with a fantastic view of the waterfront!
WHO: SCOW and our sister-club's captains, crewmembers, sailors, land lovers and friends who support finding preventions, treatments and cures for leukemia and lymphoma;
WHAT: 2012 Leukemia Cup Kickoff Event. Please come and enjoy food, drink and sea stories and learn how you can help raise funds for the fight against leukemia and lymphoma;
WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 2012, 4 to 8 p.m.;
WHERE: Capital Yacht Club, 1000 Water St., SW, Washington, DC;
HOW: Via foot, bicycle, auto, Metro or however to this not-to-be-missed Leukemia Cup Kickoff Event!
WHAT: 2012 Leukemia Cup Kickoff Event. Please come and enjoy food, drink and sea stories and learn how you can help raise funds for the fight against leukemia and lymphoma;
WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 2012, 4 to 8 p.m.;
WHERE: Capital Yacht Club, 1000 Water St., SW, Washington, DC;
HOW: Via foot, bicycle, auto, Metro or however to this not-to-be-missed Leukemia Cup Kickoff Event!
For more detailed information about Regatta events, boat/team registration, sponsorships, fundraising and volunteering, please contact Lynn Heun via email, lynn.heun@lls.org, or telephone, 703-399-2930.
Chris
Chris McGraw
(202) 455-8256
[news] Washington Post: Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington Post dies from rattlesnake bite
-- Bertrand Russell
[SCOW] Racing Tonight!
Hello SCOW Members and Racing Fans!
Come racing tonight with us on the Flying Scots. We will begin setting up boats at 5:30 PM and putting them in the water about 6 PM, with a brief skipper's meeting at 6. We'll try to get in as many races as we can, and we'll keep the races relatively short so that we have lots of opportunity for close boat racing, which will give us practice on our right-of-way rules, especially at the start line and rounding marks. Also this will give us lots of starting practice.
Hope to see you there tonight.
Jim (substitute for Deepak this week)
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
[news] Openly atheist Georgia house candidate calls for marijuana legalization
source:
Mike Smith calls himself "The rational representation for the 99%," and he's running for District 69 of the Georgia House of Representatives. Smith is quite unique in American politics in that he openly occupies two verboten cultural stances: he is openly atheist and he is in favor of marijuana legalization. (See: Andy Caffrey for another pro-marijuana candidate for political office.)
"The failed war on drugs is the lynchpin of the Republican party's Southern strategy, which was designed to trick white Southerners into voting against their own interests," says Smith. "With the legalization of marijuana, we can increase tax revenue, close expensive for-profit prisons, and use the savings to improve the education of our children." A common sense approach—astonishing in American politics.
As to Smith's atheist stance, when asked, "Why should the people of Georgia vote for an open atheist?" Mike Smith said, "I am interested in real freedom for the people of Georgia."
Smith has characterized his opponent, incumbent Randy Nix, as representing "the three most dangerous and politically corrupt American institutions of this century: banks, the religious right, and the Republican party." This probably won't endear him to Georgia voters, who are historically quite conservative, but one must applaud the man for freely speaking his mind.
According to Smiths' website, he is a father of three and has worked as a disability attorney in LaGrange, GA for the last 30 years. Smith earned a BA in History from LaGrange College, JD and LLM degrees from Atlanta Law School, and an MA in Psychology from the University of West Georgia. He also happens to be a Vietnam War veteran and former paratrooper, which means he's likely one tough guy. Now, however, Smith opposes all wars. Indeed, Smith's definition of war extends beyond military battlefields to encompass "the Republican wars against women, immigrants, gays, blacks, unions, and free speech."
[news] Teen Atheist Who Brought Down Prayer Banner Wins Humanist Award
source:
A teen atheist who brought down a prayer banner that had been displayed in her Rhode Island high school for over half a century will be honored at the American Humanist Association's 71st Annual Conference next week in New Orleans.
Jessica Ahlquist will be given the Humanist Pioneer award at the AHA Conference, which runs from June 7 to June 10. Ahlquist and Damon Fowler, who as a student protested the graduation prayer at Bastrop High School in Texas, will both be given the Humanist Pioneer award at a luncheon next Saturday.
Ahlquist, 16, was the plaintiff in the case Ahlquist v. Cranston, in which the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island ruled in January that a long-standing school prayer banner had to be removed from Cranston High School West because it violated the Establishment Clause.
The prayer banner was a gift to the school from the class of 1963, the first graduates of Cranston High. Former student David Bradley wrote the prayer banner, which calls on students to reach their academic potential but begins with "Our Heavenly Father" and ends with "Amen."
The Rhode Island teen had argued that a banner with religious reference violated the separation of church and state.
"When I saw it there, I knew it didn't belong," The Associated Press reported her as saying. "And every time that I saw it, it was a reminder that my school wasn't doing the right thing and that my school didn't necessarily support me and my views."
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Although she won in legal court, Ahlquist lost in the court of public opinion. The teen atheist has received threats from classmates through social media sites, a local politician has called her an "evil little thing," and several local flower shops have refused to deliver flowers to her out of safety concerns and for fear that it would have a negative impact on their businesses.
But the atheist community has rallied behind her, with atheist Hemant Mehta, chair of Foundation Beyond Belief and a high school math teacher, organizing a "scholarship" fund for the teen atheist that raised nearly $50,000.
Ahlquist has continued her atheist activism, taking to Facebook and Twitter to criticize displays of faith in the public square, creationism, among other topics.
Below is the full prayer on the banner:
Our Heavenly Father. Grant us each day the desire to do our best. To grow mentally and morally as well as physically. To be kind and helpful to our classmates and teachers. To be honest with ourselves as well as with others. Help us to be good sports and smile when we lose as well as when we win. Teach us the value of true friendship. Help us always to conduct ourselves so as to bring credit to Cranston High School West. Amen.
This year the AHA's conference theme is "The Atheists Go Marching In." New Orleans streetcar advertisements and highway billboards will inform locals that atheists will be coming to town for the conference.
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