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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.
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from Anglican Communion News Service
A working group set up explore how different strands of thinking on sexuality could be kept together in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has published its interim report. The group was established after the May 2016 meeting of the province’s General Synod agreed to “let lie on the table” a motion on the blessings of same-sex relationships. The Synod instead called for a working group to look at structural arrangements to keep the different sides of the debate together. In their interim report, the working group recommends that there should be “no alteration to the formularies of this Church” and that dioceses and bishops should be allowed “to authorise individual clergy within their ministry units to conduct services blessing same gender relationships.”
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from BBC News (UK)
The actor Robert Hardy, star of TV series All Creatures Great and Small, has died aged 91, his family has said. Hardy, they said, had a "tremendous life" and "a giant career in theatre, television and film spanning more than 70 years". He was also known for numerous portrayals of Winston Churchill. In more recent years, he appeared as Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, in four of the Harry Potter films. Most recently, he took the lead role in Winston Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain in 2015.
The Archbishop of Canterbury's trip to Africa has raised the plight of South Sudanese refugees in Uganda, but has also highlighted divisions within the Church of England over same-sex relationships.
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from Business Insider
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]A US president born in 1790 has two living grandsons
"Both my grandfather — the president — and my father, were married twice," Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born in 1928) told New York magazine , explaining how the hell it is he's still alive. "And they had children by their first wives. And their first wives died, and they married again and had more children. And my father was 75 when I was born, his father was 63 when he was born."
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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]
I Don't Want Anyone Forced to Bake Me a Cake
Being a gay libertarian is like being a black conservative: you are a pariah among your peers. It couldn’t be clearer in the Charlie Craig and David Mullins V. Masterpiece Cakeshop case, which the Supreme Court will hear soon. The ACLU's reasoning implies that, once you start selling a product or service, you automatically lose your right to freely and voluntarily interact with other people. It’s opened to the public, so it suddenly becomes public “property” and the business owner loses any say in who he or she does business with. Once the government decides what business must do, it can decide what all businesses must do. So instead of having government force businesses to serve anyone, I want it to let them discriminate in the open. This way, I know exactly where not to do business.
Growing Tomatoes Might Get Your Home Raided by the Police
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from The Heritage Foundation
[Information from this site may be unreliable.]
The Second Amendment Has Won (Again) in Washington. So Why Won't the Supreme Court Fully Enforce It?
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals recently threw out a D.C. ordinance that denied concealed-carry permits to anyone without a “special” need for self-defense. The constitutional analysis that should be applied to gun regulations is that they must allow “gun access at least for each typical member” of the American public. The Supreme Court needs to follow Justice Thomas’s admonition and finally settle this issue.
Democrats’ ‘Better Deal’ Proposals Would Make Americans Worse Off
On July 24, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi unveiled proposals by House Democrats to create “a better deal” for American families and workers. Unfortunately, the press releases accompanying the launch of the “better deal” initiative outline general policies that would undermine economic opportunities for Americans and harm American consumers. In other words, this initiative flunks basic truth in labeling standards. More accurately, it constitutes “a worse deal” for Americans. The problem is not that government is doing too little to spark the economy, but rather that it is stifling the economy through overregulation and overtaxation.
The World Must Turn Back Venezuela's Growing Dictatorship
Venezuela succumbed to dictatorship. President Trump has recognized that Maduro crossed an irreversible line. The good news is: the number of other nations on the side of the Venezuelan people is growing. The U.S. must ratchet up the pressure on Maduro more than ever—and we cannot do this alone. It will take a coordinated effort of many nations.
Global Antitrust, International Trade, and Regulatory Reforms: Tools to Promote American Economic Welfare and Economic Freedom
In recent years, some governments have used competition law to advance goals other than the preservation of a strong competitive process—and at times have denied private parties fundamental due process in applying that law. The U.S. government should use its antitrust policy expertise to promote regulatory reforms here and overseas designed to reduce barriers to competition and promote economic welfare. It should do this by pushing for the elimination of regulatory barriers to commerce in international trade negotiations. It should also use a variety of regulatory review tools to pursue far-reaching beneficial regulatory reforms. Sound U.S. international antitrust, international trade, and regulatory policy reforms, pursued in tandem, will significantly benefit the American economy.
Cooperation with China and Russia Is Not the Solution for Cyber Aggression
The U.S. has been the victim of cyber aggression for far too long with far too small a response. Cyber cooperation with likeminded countries can and should be vigorously pursued, but U.S. leaders are fooling themselves if they believe that malicious cyber nations will agree to cease aggressive acts merely because of a new working group. Indeed, the potential costs of such cooperation outweigh any feasible returns. As such, policymakers should seek to significantly limit cyber cooperation with bad actors. China and Russia have proven through their actions in cyberspace and elsewhere that they will ignore norms, laws, and treaties when such behavior suits them. Entering into cybersecurity cooperation with malicious cyber nations continues to show that the U.S. is not serious about handling such threats. Policymakers should seek to significantly limit cyber cooperation with bad actors, while expanding it with partners and allies.
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The Second Amendment Has Won (Again) in Washington. So Why Won't the Supreme Court Fully Enforce It?
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals recently threw out a D.C. ordinance that denied concealed-carry permits to anyone without a “special” need for self-defense. The constitutional analysis that should be applied to gun regulations is that they must allow “gun access at least for each typical member” of the American public. The Supreme Court needs to follow Justice Thomas’s admonition and finally settle this issue.
Democrats’ ‘Better Deal’ Proposals Would Make Americans Worse Off
On July 24, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi unveiled proposals by House Democrats to create “a better deal” for American families and workers. Unfortunately, the press releases accompanying the launch of the “better deal” initiative outline general policies that would undermine economic opportunities for Americans and harm American consumers. In other words, this initiative flunks basic truth in labeling standards. More accurately, it constitutes “a worse deal” for Americans. The problem is not that government is doing too little to spark the economy, but rather that it is stifling the economy through overregulation and overtaxation.
The World Must Turn Back Venezuela's Growing Dictatorship
Venezuela succumbed to dictatorship. President Trump has recognized that Maduro crossed an irreversible line. The good news is: the number of other nations on the side of the Venezuelan people is growing. The U.S. must ratchet up the pressure on Maduro more than ever—and we cannot do this alone. It will take a coordinated effort of many nations.
Global Antitrust, International Trade, and Regulatory Reforms: Tools to Promote American Economic Welfare and Economic Freedom
In recent years, some governments have used competition law to advance goals other than the preservation of a strong competitive process—and at times have denied private parties fundamental due process in applying that law. The U.S. government should use its antitrust policy expertise to promote regulatory reforms here and overseas designed to reduce barriers to competition and promote economic welfare. It should do this by pushing for the elimination of regulatory barriers to commerce in international trade negotiations. It should also use a variety of regulatory review tools to pursue far-reaching beneficial regulatory reforms. Sound U.S. international antitrust, international trade, and regulatory policy reforms, pursued in tandem, will significantly benefit the American economy.
Cooperation with China and Russia Is Not the Solution for Cyber Aggression
The U.S. has been the victim of cyber aggression for far too long with far too small a response. Cyber cooperation with likeminded countries can and should be vigorously pursued, but U.S. leaders are fooling themselves if they believe that malicious cyber nations will agree to cease aggressive acts merely because of a new working group. Indeed, the potential costs of such cooperation outweigh any feasible returns. As such, policymakers should seek to significantly limit cyber cooperation with bad actors. China and Russia have proven through their actions in cyberspace and elsewhere that they will ignore norms, laws, and treaties when such behavior suits them. Entering into cybersecurity cooperation with malicious cyber nations continues to show that the U.S. is not serious about handling such threats. Policymakers should seek to significantly limit cyber cooperation with bad actors, while expanding it with partners and allies.
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from The Living Church
TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO BOAST IN ANGLICANISM
For those who take pride in being Episcopalian, I offer the following “Top 10 reasons not to boast in Anglicanism,” inspired by the Princeton Proposal for Christian Unity (In One Body through the Cross) and The Gospel and the Catholic Church by Archbishop Michael Ramsey. These are not intended as a replacement meal, but rather an ecumenical entrée and counterbalance to our enthusiasm and zeal for desserts, upon which we have overindulged.
from Open Culture
89 Essential Songs from The Summer of Love: A 50th Anniversary Playlist
The Summer of Love was not just a season of great music and the zenith of the flower child, but the culmination of a movement that started back on a chillier Bay Area day, on January 14, 1967. Tune in and turn on to some White Rabbit, Purple Haze, and more.
How Leonard Cohen & David Bowie Faced Death Through Their Art: A Look at Their Final Albums
When Leonard Cohen released You Want it Darker in late 2016, some suspected that it would be his last album. When the 82-year-old singer-songwriter died nineteen days later, it felt like a reprise of David Bowie's passage from this mortal coil at the beginning of that year in which we lost so many important musicians: just two days after the release of his album Blackstar, Bowie shocked the world by dying of an illness he'd chosen not to make public. Both Cohen and Bowie's fans immediately doubled down their scrutiny of what turned out to be their final works, finding in both of them artistic interpretations of the confrontation with death.
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from The Sacramento Bee
Boss tells state workers: Kick ICE out of California labor offices
California’s top labor law enforcer wants federal immigration agents to stay away from offices where state investigators weigh claims about underpaid employees and workplace retaliation. Labor Commissioner Julie Su last month directed her staff to turn away Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents unless the federal officers have warrants.
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Boss tells state workers: Kick ICE out of California labor offices
California’s top labor law enforcer wants federal immigration agents to stay away from offices where state investigators weigh claims about underpaid employees and workplace retaliation. Labor Commissioner Julie Su last month directed her staff to turn away Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents unless the federal officers have warrants.
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from The Spokesman-Review
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from Sputnik
(Russian government-supported propaganda channel)
The Jordanian parliament has thrown out a much-maligned article in the national penal code that allowed convicted rapists to escape punishment if they marry their victim and stay together for at least five years. The controversial article has long been under fire from activists.
Adults who consume alcohol at moderate levels on a regular basis are more likely to reach the age of 85 without suffering dementia, a new study reports.
Additional US ships have joined the search for a sailor reported missing in the South China Sea on August 1, according to US Naval Institute News. Chinese vessels are contributing to the humanitarian mission as well. US Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ships and aircraft started the rescue mission for a sailor stationed on the USS Stethem who reportedly went overboard on Tuesday. By Wednesday, People’s Liberation Army Navy ships had joined the effort. Officials said the cooperation pointed to the benefits of having sound protocols between foreign navies in place. "I would say that this is a good example of what benefits come from increased positive interaction with the Chinese," an official told USNI News.
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from The Toronto Star
We now know how the Trump presidency will end. Let's hope we survive: Burman
The outlines of the end are becoming more clear, as Robert Mueller’s investigators dig away. Expect things to be vicious.
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from Zero Hedge
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]
India's Economy Crashes After "Mind-Bogglingly Inane" Tax System Strikes Back
With just a hint of schadenfreude, we note that, following our discussion of "how to destroy an economy", India's Composite PMI collapsed to 46.0 in July - its lowest on record (well below the kneejerk lows after demonetization in November) as the "mind-bogglingly inane" new tax system and demonetization efforts continue to crush the poor and feed the wealthy. As Goldman Sachs notes India's Nikkei Markit services PMI contracted in July after reaching a 8-month high in June, following a decline of manufacturing PMI on Tuesday. The fall was led by a significant decline in new business, suggesting a worsened business sentiment after the GST implementation on July 1.
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