They each shine bright on Essence's Black Girl Magic issue.

In John 15:1-8, Jesus talks about the importance of the branches abiding in the vine in order to produce fruit. If branches do not produce good fruit, they will be burned. Is Jesus saying that if Christians do not have good works they will be sent to hell? No! Not at all. Listen to the study to see what Jesus IS teaching and why this is important for properly understanding the gospel.

Just posted to Slate, by Isaac Butler: The Disappearance of John M. Ford. Key takeaway to Making Light readers who...

This isn’t in the photos, but it’s foggy and cold this morning in western Washington. It’s the weirdest summer I’ve ever experienced — foggy, frigid mornings, cool days, and then freezing nights! It’s not very pleasant for a desert creature like myself, but it’s quite nice to sit inside and write in my blog a least. I have to say, it sure is weird, though. It’s August and I wear a sweater or sweatshirt most of the time and then I’m still cold! ^^; There are a few sunny days here and there, though. I get out on those days, into the wilderness and bright blue beyond. Sometimes, I just drive and drive in my still-unnamed yellow bug, and other times I find something that not a lot of people know about. This is about one of them. ^^ I love to wander, to find all of the nooks and crannies of wherever I happen to be. Tourist sites? Well, they’re usually cool and I want to see them, but it’s the little, hidden things off the beaten trail that really get my soul revving. So, Johns River (no apostrophe, it was named back when apostrophes weren’t used on maps) was one of those things. I found out about it by googling and googling, thinking that someone, somewhere, must have written about something other than the two really traveled trails in Grays Harbor. I mean, this area is the gateway to the wild peninsula of Washington, where according to Stephanie Meyer and Patricia Briggs, vampires and werewolves run wild. I also loooooooove mountain meadows. Johns river is not in the mountains, so I suppose that it mostly qualifies as grassland surrounded by trees? It’s just a little concrete path, and it’s not even a mile (0.6 miles one way) long, but with the river on one side and a huge expanse of pasture to the other side, it took my breath away.   Just look at this. Elk supposedly graze around here a lot, and I didn’t see any since I went during midday, but I bet it’s really a sight at sunset. It’s not far, so I will definitely have to come back. Can’t you just imagine little river sprites lounging on the bank, cleaning themselves? And little fairies flitting through the air? I bet this is a really magical place at sunset.   The little shack in the distance is off the trail. It’s supposedly for hunters (YUCK) and photographers. It would make a wonderful place to watch the sprites from. This shack is at the very end of the trail, and the same thing. It’s boring inside. I didn’t see any geldings, but I saw a few mosquitoes and a spider. If you’re lucky enough to have a horse that loves to take you along on its adventures, you can continue. I was wearing shorts, so I didn’t go, because ticks! But I will come back. Yes, I will come back. :3 Road to nowhere. Ignore the buildings. They’re only there for magical curse removal. Here’s a panorama of wildness. I’m feeling really magical today, can’t you tell? I think it’s because I have Daniel Waples playing in the background, and it’s all foggy outside. That reminds me that I want a handpan so badly. I need to find a handpan that I can afford soooooo badly, because I think it’s a music that speaks to my inner essence. Does anyone know what these gorgeous purple flowers are? They’re not lavender. The River People watch over this creek. Be careful to please them. It’s me. Sometimes I wear bright colors, sometimes I wear pastels. I don’t think that a magical being has to stick to  neutrals. (That hand thing is a shaka, a very cool gesture that I learned during my time in Hawaii that means “hang loose.” I like to think that it also means that you should be yourself and follow your instincts.) I think that I’ll go research handpans again. I should write down how much they cost so that I can be sure to stock my Airstream with one when I get it. ???? Here’s to the future! Excelsior! (Is that a good “to infinity, and beyond!!” kind of quote? If not, what should I use instead? I feel like “banzai!” is overused) Oh, and I’ve been arting on my Tumblr lately. I’ve been writing a serial ficiton that is mysterious connected to my soon-to-come comic, Denkiki on my other tumblr. Go check them out!  I’m going to start using my mailing list soon, too, to keep people updated, so stay tuned and I’ll post the link soon! Or make it a popup, I’m not sure. But I want to offer something cool for when people sign up. ???? Chaoness!

Julian Assange says Donald Trump would not be permitted to win. All of the establishment--Wall Street, Corporate America, the elites, the media, career politicians, et al--is united behind Hillary Clinton. Continue reading →

"Trump didn’t hijack the populism, the Democratic Party made a gift of it to him. And he simply accepted it. … that elite … made a decision that in the midst of a global insurrection against political corruption and economic oligarchy that Hillary Clinton’s 'pay to play' politics in global finance capitalism would somehow play better than Bernie Sanders Democratic Socialism. … they ignored every poll they had, all the data they had, and even all the anecdotes they could possibly have accumulated in order to reach the conclusion that Hillary was a stronger candidate than Bernie. … And I remain certain that if anyone other than Clinton - and certainly if you accept for just one moment that when all the polls said the right things by such wide margins for so long they might be right - Bernie Sanders could have won this had he been the nominee, like Roosevelt took out Landon." Continue reading →

Plus more ways to support comics creators and new authors launching their books worldwide while social distancing!

The post Social Distancing Roundup: JOHN WICK Livestream, Neil Gaiman reads CORALINE, and an X-MEN ’92 watchalong appeared first on The Beat.

20aliens:

Home of Architect Colin St. John Wilson, Cambridge, England 1972. 

I was greatly saddened to learn that John Conway died yesterday from COVID-19, aged 82. My own mathematical areas of expertise are somewhat far from Conway’s; I have played for instance with finite simple groups on occasion, but have not studied his work on moonshine and the monster group.  But I have certainly encountered his […]

My father, John A. Sawyer, Ph.D., passed away at the age of 94 on Monday, December 17, 2018, at his retirement residence in North York, Ontario, Canada. The following death notice / obituary appeared in The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star:Sawyer, John A. (Jack) Died December 17, 2018 Professor Emeritus (Economics), University of […]

Posted by: laughing_tree



Expect evil ravens, hipsters performing pun-magic and John getting drunker than you’ve ever seen him before. Fun. -- Si Spurrier

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They don’t steal votes to steal elections. They steal votes to steal the money. If you can steal an election, you’ve stolen the keys to the treasury — our treasury. In this conversation, award-winning investigative reporters and authors Greg Palast and David Cay Johnston follow the (stolen) money, and expose the billionaires and ballots bandits who are systematically stripping the United States of its assets, just as a vulture fund would with a corporate entity caught in its talons.

The post Palast & David Cay Johnston: How Trump Stole 2020 — A Warning! appeared first on Greg Palast.

In 1889, a dam failed in southwestern Pennsylvania, sending 20 million tons of water down an industrialized valley toward the unsuspecting city of Johnstown. In this week’s episode of the Futility Closet podcast we’ll describe some of the dramatic and harrowing personal stories that unfolded on that historic day. We’ll also celebrate Christmas with Snoopy and puzzle over a deadly traffic light. Intro: For an 1866 California lecture tour, Mark Twain wrote his own handbills. Raymond Chandler’s unused titles include The Diary of a Loud Check Suit. Sources for our feature on the Johnstown flood: David McCullough, Johnstown Flood, 1968....

Nicholas Johnson named valedictorian and Grace Sommers salutatorian for Princeton's Class of 2020.

Using the John Doar Papers at Princeton, Kevin Kruse uncovers new insights into the civil rights movement.

JOHNNY'S JOURNEYS CALIFORNIA and NEVADA 1980 November 26 1980 Wednesday My dad has temporarily transferred to Oakland California. The Bell South Telephone Co. inMontgomery AL will pay for him to fly back home every three weeks. Or

USC received a commitment Friday from St. John Bosco offensive lineman Maximus Gibbs as the Trojans continued a momentous run on the recruiting trail.

I've learned that a moment always comes along to remind you that your race defines you above all else.

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) appears on track for confirmation as director of national intelligence after a Senate Intelligence Commitee hearing Tuesday.

Assistant Managing Editor John Corrigan is leaving The Times to become an editor at the Wall Street Journal, Times Editor/Publisher Davan Maharaj announced. 

Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson pays tribute to Kobe Bryant and the others lost in Calabasas helicopter crash with a specially designed mask.

When Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash, Ducks goalie John Gibson wanted to honor the Lakers legend with his mask. He knew just who to contact.

He’s teaching a class on how to be a good guy.

Betty Wold Johnson, the mother of Jets owners Christopher Johnson and Woody Johnson, has died. She was 99 years old.

Betty Wold Johnson, the mother of Jets owners Christopher Johnson and Woody Johnson, has died. She was 99 years old.

Johnny Nansen, a victim of USC's recent purge of defensive assistant coaches under Clay Helton, has found a landing spot across town with the Trojans' archrival.

Guard Johnny Juzang adored UCLA while attending Studio City Harvard-Westlake High, but opted for Kentucky. A year later, he is transferring to UCLA.

The coronavirus pandemic kept UCLA coach Mick Cronin from visiting Johnny Juzang even though they were only miles apart. On Wednesday, Juzang officially became a Bruin.

Alleged to be a prolific killer, Franzese was finally released from prison when he was 100

Dr. Murray led the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at UC San Francisco for 23 years and helped set up the study of lung disease as its own field.

John Prine, who survived cancer and heart issues, died from COVID-19 complications. The Grammy winner was known for his keen observations and mordant humor.

John Lafia, who co-wrote the 1988 horror movie "Child's Play" and its 1990 sequel, died on April 29. He was 63.

As part of his hit YouTube series, John Krasinski hosted a virtual potluck with Stanley Tucci, Martha Stewart, Guy Fieri and David Chang. Yes, really.

Emily St. John Mandel chronicles a global pandemic and financial crisis in her novels, 'Station Eleven' and 'The Glass Hotel.'

He's interviewed Neko Case, Jeff Tweedy and Maria Bamford about depression. With his new memoir, "The Hilarious World of Depression," John Moe looks inward.

It's only fitting that Elton John shares the Oscar song award with Bernie Taupin for "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from "Rocketman," the movie largely about their 50-year collaboration.