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from The American Conservative
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
Anglican ‘Stockpiling Whitewash’
Orthodox Anglican vicar urges faithful to start churches outside of the Church of England. The Rev. Dr. Peter Sanlon, an Anglican priest, is in sauve qui peut mode about the future of his Church. As an Anglican priest of Evangelical, orthodox conviction, Dr. Sanlon worries that he might be guilty of covering the Anglican Church with whitewash, and not warning his flock that the thing is structurally unsound, and in risk of collapse. Dr. Sanlon lists a number of signs of downward trajectory within the Church of England, and concludes that faithful Evangelical Anglicans have no choice but to “work very hard and very fast to plant churches outside the Church of England.” He means churches that use the Anglican liturgy, but that aren’t in communion with Canterbury.
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RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
Anglican ‘Stockpiling Whitewash’
Orthodox Anglican vicar urges faithful to start churches outside of the Church of England. The Rev. Dr. Peter Sanlon, an Anglican priest, is in sauve qui peut mode about the future of his Church. As an Anglican priest of Evangelical, orthodox conviction, Dr. Sanlon worries that he might be guilty of covering the Anglican Church with whitewash, and not warning his flock that the thing is structurally unsound, and in risk of collapse. Dr. Sanlon lists a number of signs of downward trajectory within the Church of England, and concludes that faithful Evangelical Anglicans have no choice but to “work very hard and very fast to plant churches outside the Church of England.” He means churches that use the Anglican liturgy, but that aren’t in communion with Canterbury.
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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard argument in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) argued in an amicus brief in support of Mark Janus that forced union dues go to political activities, and therefore violate the First Amendment rights of public-sector workers who don't agree with the union position or don't want to be a part of a union.
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from The Guardian (UK)
LEFT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, daily newspaper
Russian millions laundered via UK firms, leaked report says
Denmark’s biggest bank believes cash was funnelled through British companies by people linked to Vladimir Putin’s family and the FSB spy agency
Four far-right plots thwarted last year, says counter-terrorism chief
Mark Rowley warns that threat from extreme rightwing groups is ‘significant and concerning’
Fifth of prescribed antibiotics are unnecessary, study finds
GPs are fuelling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance by wrongly giving antibiotics to one in five patients who has a cough or sore throat, a government-funded study has found. Family doctors are displaying “substantial inappropriate antibiotic prescribing” when dealing with patients who have an infection, according to research published by Public Health England (PHE), the government’s public health advisers. Senior doctors and Jeremy Hunt, the health and social care secretary, seized on the overprescription to urge GPs to do more to thwart the growing ineffectiveness of some antibiotics, which leads to about 25,000 deaths a year in Europe.
Russian millions laundered via UK firms, leaked report says
Denmark’s biggest bank believes cash was funnelled through British companies by people linked to Vladimir Putin’s family and the FSB spy agency
Four far-right plots thwarted last year, says counter-terrorism chief
Mark Rowley warns that threat from extreme rightwing groups is ‘significant and concerning’
Fifth of prescribed antibiotics are unnecessary, study finds
GPs are fuelling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance by wrongly giving antibiotics to one in five patients who has a cough or sore throat, a government-funded study has found. Family doctors are displaying “substantial inappropriate antibiotic prescribing” when dealing with patients who have an infection, according to research published by Public Health England (PHE), the government’s public health advisers. Senior doctors and Jeremy Hunt, the health and social care secretary, seized on the overprescription to urge GPs to do more to thwart the growing ineffectiveness of some antibiotics, which leads to about 25,000 deaths a year in Europe.
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from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
U.S. Aid to Afghanistan Remains Critical
Abandonment of Afghanistan at this time would be highly inadvisable because of the inordinate risks of abetting Islamic extremism and generating higher outflows of narcotics and people. The strategy of 2013-2017, in which small numbers of American troops advised Afghan forces and conducted raids, prevented the Kabul government from falling, but it failed to prevent insurgents from retaking much of the country. Military setbacks heightened infighting among Afghan elites and impeded the development of a viable national government. The August 2017 announcement of an enduring U.S. commitment has been a welcome change, easing Afghan fears of American abandonment—fears that have caused many Afghans to sit on the fence or side with the insurgents. The Trump administration’s determination to preserve the Afghan government and its resolve to get tougher with Pakistan could also cause the Pakistani government to reduce its assistance to the Afghan insurgents. The actual impact on the Pakistanis, however, remains to be seen.
Afghanistan: No Choice but to Remain
Quite unlike Great Britain or the Soviet Union, the United States has never had a coherent strategy for its engagement in Afghanistan. No amount of military operational acumen or diplomatic experience can make up for that deficiency; it hardly matters what we do if we have no idea why we’re doing it. Both the British and the Russians understood that the “Great Game” was played on a field that spanned South Asia, and that the prize in the contest was India, the jewel in Queen Victoria’s crown. She, her foreign office, and her generals—most notably Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, the victor of the Second Afghan War—kept a remarkably consistent course over decades as, for that matter, did the tsars and commissars who were their opponents. Absent such a perspective, President Trump’s question—“Why are we still there?”—is unanswerable.
Committed To The Long Haul
The situation in Afghanistan is frustrating and even enraging. Despite the death of more than 2,400 U.S. military personnel and the expenditure of billions, even trillions, of dollars over the past 16 years, the Taliban are as much of a threat as ever. They are well-funded—the United Nations estimates that opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan set a new record in 2017—and they have cross-border support from Pakistan, which has no intention of cutting them off despite the Trump administration’s cut-off of security assistance.
Afghanistan Options: Leave, Increase, Stand Pat, Or Cut Back?
After 17 years on a treadmill, obviously no good option exists. But to pull out our troops would be to repeat Saigon in 1975. The consequences to America’s credibility would be crushing. Unlike in the Vietnam case, no domestic political movement is dedicated to insuring a total, humiliating withdrawal. Conversely, no American power center, bureaucratic or political, is lobbying to increase our force numbers.
Americanism In Afghanistan? A Flawed Design
Since the war in Afghanistan began in late 2001, three successive presidential administrations have claimed that the Taliban are on the verge of collapse, the Afghan military is close to securing the country, and Afghan leaders in Kabul are just one step away from providing legitimate governance. Last November, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and coalition commander Gen. John Nicholson declared, “We have turned the corner. The momentum is now with the Afghan Security Forces.” But devastating attacks on both hard and soft targets continue. About 45 percent of Afghanistan’s districts are either under Taliban control or being contested, a percentage that seems to get higher every few months. In the first few weeks of 2018 hundreds of innocent Afghans were killed, belying the claims of American and Afghan officials. The attacks show the deteriorating state of security and have plunged Afghan citizens into a state of despair. What is clear is the limitations of the government in Kabul—and of coalition forces—to ensure public security. The Taliban and other terrorist groups are growing stronger, despite more than 16 years of energetic efforts to combat them.
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Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
U.S. Aid to Afghanistan Remains Critical
Abandonment of Afghanistan at this time would be highly inadvisable because of the inordinate risks of abetting Islamic extremism and generating higher outflows of narcotics and people. The strategy of 2013-2017, in which small numbers of American troops advised Afghan forces and conducted raids, prevented the Kabul government from falling, but it failed to prevent insurgents from retaking much of the country. Military setbacks heightened infighting among Afghan elites and impeded the development of a viable national government. The August 2017 announcement of an enduring U.S. commitment has been a welcome change, easing Afghan fears of American abandonment—fears that have caused many Afghans to sit on the fence or side with the insurgents. The Trump administration’s determination to preserve the Afghan government and its resolve to get tougher with Pakistan could also cause the Pakistani government to reduce its assistance to the Afghan insurgents. The actual impact on the Pakistanis, however, remains to be seen.
Afghanistan: No Choice but to Remain
Quite unlike Great Britain or the Soviet Union, the United States has never had a coherent strategy for its engagement in Afghanistan. No amount of military operational acumen or diplomatic experience can make up for that deficiency; it hardly matters what we do if we have no idea why we’re doing it. Both the British and the Russians understood that the “Great Game” was played on a field that spanned South Asia, and that the prize in the contest was India, the jewel in Queen Victoria’s crown. She, her foreign office, and her generals—most notably Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, the victor of the Second Afghan War—kept a remarkably consistent course over decades as, for that matter, did the tsars and commissars who were their opponents. Absent such a perspective, President Trump’s question—“Why are we still there?”—is unanswerable.
Committed To The Long Haul
The situation in Afghanistan is frustrating and even enraging. Despite the death of more than 2,400 U.S. military personnel and the expenditure of billions, even trillions, of dollars over the past 16 years, the Taliban are as much of a threat as ever. They are well-funded—the United Nations estimates that opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan set a new record in 2017—and they have cross-border support from Pakistan, which has no intention of cutting them off despite the Trump administration’s cut-off of security assistance.
Afghanistan Options: Leave, Increase, Stand Pat, Or Cut Back?
After 17 years on a treadmill, obviously no good option exists. But to pull out our troops would be to repeat Saigon in 1975. The consequences to America’s credibility would be crushing. Unlike in the Vietnam case, no domestic political movement is dedicated to insuring a total, humiliating withdrawal. Conversely, no American power center, bureaucratic or political, is lobbying to increase our force numbers.
Americanism In Afghanistan? A Flawed Design
Since the war in Afghanistan began in late 2001, three successive presidential administrations have claimed that the Taliban are on the verge of collapse, the Afghan military is close to securing the country, and Afghan leaders in Kabul are just one step away from providing legitimate governance. Last November, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and coalition commander Gen. John Nicholson declared, “We have turned the corner. The momentum is now with the Afghan Security Forces.” But devastating attacks on both hard and soft targets continue. About 45 percent of Afghanistan’s districts are either under Taliban control or being contested, a percentage that seems to get higher every few months. In the first few weeks of 2018 hundreds of innocent Afghans were killed, belying the claims of American and Afghan officials. The attacks show the deteriorating state of security and have plunged Afghan citizens into a state of despair. What is clear is the limitations of the government in Kabul—and of coalition forces—to ensure public security. The Taliban and other terrorist groups are growing stronger, despite more than 16 years of energetic efforts to combat them.
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from HumanProgress.org
Education Website
Some Perspective on What We Have to Be Thankful For
As late as the 18th century, smallpox killed some 400k Europeans annually. The overall mortality rate was 20%-60%. Among infants, it was more than 80% - one of the reasons for the overall life expectancy of 20-30 years. The disease was eradicated in 1980.
Some Perspective on What We Have to Be Thankful For
As late as the 18th century, smallpox killed some 400k Europeans annually. The overall mortality rate was 20%-60%. Among infants, it was more than 80% - one of the reasons for the overall life expectancy of 20-30 years. The disease was eradicated in 1980.
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from The Living Church
Magazine of The Living Church Foundation (Anglican)
AMERICAN ANGLO-CATHOLICISM AND BLACK EPISCOPALIANS: INTEGRATING THE NARRATIVE
There is a widely held view that the key to attracting blacks into Anglicanism is less liturgy. That simply is wrong. And what Anglo-Catholicism has shown is that black Episcopalians very much value the liturgy, and the more there is, the richer their spiritual experience.
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Magazine of The Living Church Foundation (Anglican)
AMERICAN ANGLO-CATHOLICISM AND BLACK EPISCOPALIANS: INTEGRATING THE NARRATIVE
There is a widely held view that the key to attracting blacks into Anglicanism is less liturgy. That simply is wrong. And what Anglo-Catholicism has shown is that black Episcopalians very much value the liturgy, and the more there is, the richer their spiritual experience.
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from Reuters
International news agency headquartered in London, England
Twenty states sue federal government, seeking end to Obamacare
A coalition of 20 U.S. states sued the federal government on Monday over Obamacare, claiming the law was no longer constitutional after the repeal last year of its requirement that people have health insurance or pay a fine.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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