Saturday, April 29, 2017

Getting High and Holy at the International Church of Cannabis


Worshipers enjoy smoking marijuana as they participate in 4/20 celebration services at the International Church of Cannabis on April 20, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. Credit: Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post / Getty Images


Steve Berke, founder of the Denver nonprofit religious organization Elevation Ministries, stands on stage at his brand new International Church of Cannabis and takes two deep drags from a hefty joint. He closes his eyes, raises his head skyward, and exhales. In the wooden pews facing him, 50 or so people follow his lead. Smoke rises toward the heavens, settling in among the vivid Technicolor murals spread across the vaulted ceiling.

This minute of silence, a quiet celebration of the "sacrament of cannabis" held every day at 4:20 p.m., is apparently as religious as the International Church of Cannabis gets. Elevationism boasts no other regular services, no doctrine, no divine law, no requirement that its members convert from other religions. As Berke put it before lighting up for 4:20, "Elevationism is all about having your own spiritual journey."

Whatever spiritual journey Berke is going on during his silent moment on stage, whichever personal deity the 35-year-old is praying to, he has a lot to be thankful for. Ever since the International Church of Cannabis first announced several weeks ago that it would be opening in Denver on April 20, it's become a media darling. Never mind that it's far from the first modern religious organization to consider cannabis a sacrament. In that regard, it's beaten by Rastafarianism, the THC Ministry in Hawaii, the First Church of Cannabis in Indiana, the First Cannabis Church of Florida, the Temple of True Inner Light in Manhattan, the Greenfaith Ministry in northern Colorado, and the Stoner Jesus bible study group in suburban Denver, to name a few. Despite that, as Berke is quick to point out, Elevationism has quickly captured "six billion media impressions" — from stories in the New York Times and the Washington Post to front-page coverage in a Nigerian newspaper

That exposure isn't surprising. Everything about the International Church of Cannabis — from the clean-cut vibe of Berke and his fellow Elevationists to its 13,000 square-foot, 360-degree-video-ready church in a tony Denver neighborhood (purchased for a cool million by a trust run by Berke's parents) to the fact that the organization appears to be tied up with a marijuana marketing and e-liquid company — seems designed to be as slick and attention-grabbing as possible. The fact that the church's 4/20 launch led to a religious-freedom kerfuffle at the Colorado Capitol when a lawmaker tried to ban cannabis in churches? That just led to more clicks for Berke and his congregation — glory, glory, Hallelujah.
So is it all just a gimmick?

To be fair, religion and psychedelic drugs are more compatible than most folks think. While many major modern religious doctrines disapprove of illicit or psychoactive drugs, there's an argument to be made that spirituality as we know it emerged from folks getting really high. "When ancient people were hunter-gatherers who were going from place to place, figuring out what things were good to eat and what things were dangerous, purely by accident they likely would have tried things with hallucinogenic effects," says Richard J. Miller, a pharmacology professor at Northwestern University and the author of Drugged: The Science and Culture Behind Psychotropic Drugs. "It's pretty reasonable that they would have interpreted their feelings in terms of gods or spirits speaking to them

After all, in the early 1960s Timothy Leary and his Harvard Psilocybin Project ran what came to be known as the "Marsh Chapel experiment": They gave a group of students psilocybin before attending a Good Friday service. Nearly all the students reported undergoing a profound religious experience, compared to just a few in the control group. In 2002, the experiment was repeated at Johns Hopkins University with similar results, and a majority of participants reported the experience was "among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant of their lives."

Before the moment of silence at the daily 420 ceremony, Berke encourages those in attendance to introduce themselves to others in the pews once they smoked up. "Let's be a little churchy afterwards," he says. But once the quiet minute passes, the audience whoops and hollers and rock music begins blaring from a sound system on the stage.

It's the same wherever you look. By the entrance, a large flat screen thanks the church's corporate sponsors and encourages attendees to follow the Elevationists on Instagram. In the basement, a gift shop sells Cheetos and hipster trinkets. In a side yard, folks buy gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches from a food truck as smoke from their joints wafts over a neighbor's fence.

When I sit down with Berke, who has opened the doors to media in hopes of getting publicity for his fundraising campaign, he insists the church is for real. Yes, he originally considered turning the building into condos or "a sick mansion for a Broncos player." Yes, as a Miami Beach comedian and marketing executive he had a history of media stunts, including a run for mayor, a Donald Trump Twitter bot, and a parody Macklemore video. But some of his colleagues suggested he keep the building as a church, one devoted to cannabis. "I feel a moral obligation to do what I can to get this plant legalized," he says.

It's hard to argue with Berke's point that he could have made more money by fixing and flipping this place. As for the idea that he's doing this as a way around Colorado's ban on marijuana cafes? "We are in Denver," he says. "We can smoke weed everywhere."

We're interrupted by a man who introduces himself as Rockin' Ray Fiore, who's wearing an Elevation Ministries "High Priest" T-shirt that he's decorated with a bit of white tape by his collar to make it look like a cassock. "I have been smoking since I was 11," he says. "I smoke every day." He gestures around him at the church. "I have been here three days in a row, and it's been a godsend," he says, tears in his eyes. "This is a blessing!"

The fact that Berke's Elevationists don't act at all like a normal church isn't just odd — it could leave them open to prosecution. While the First Amendment protects people's free exercise of religion, the courts usually only rule in favor of that right when there's clear evidence of a formal religion. "It doesn't look like there is any ritual, there is no reference to any religious script of any sort, there is no set of traditions that are even advocated," says Mitch Earleywine, a psychology professor at SUNY Albany and board member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "I'm afraid these guys are going to get busted." Maybe that's why while the International Church of Cannabis originally planned to open its doors to everyone 21 and older, it's switched to an invitation-only approach. Now it functions more like a private club.

I'm sitting in the church nave, pondering the point of Elevationism, when I notice a man a few pews away staring at me intently. "I am doing the churchy thing," he says, coming over and handing me his card: Jimmy Smrz, owner of Yoga on the Green Denver, whose catchphrase is "The science and spirituality of marijuana as medicine." He explains he's gone from being "the most devout atheist in the world" to "one of the most spiritual people you would ever know," one who teaches Bhakti yoga. He says it's all because of marijuana: "I couldn't have done it. I couldn't have gotten past my personal barriers, without the help of cannabis."

When he discovered that this church was opening just a five-minute drive from his house? "I thought it was meant to be," he says with a blissful smile.

As marijuana loses its stigma, there will surely be more folks like Smrz, people who decide to use the substance as a way to break away from our hectic, analytical modern lifestyle and connect with inner peace. After all, is claiming cannabis enhances spirituality any less outrageous than suggesting smoking weed makes you a better athlete or great at sex? And people like Smrz are going to need places to go get high and get holy — maybe that's their home, maybe it's a yoga studio, maybe it's a place like the International Church of Cannabis, whether or not its founders really are as devout as the claim.

Smrz looks around at his fellow Congregationalists rolling joints and taking selfies as thumping music reverberates through the nave. "It will be interesting to see what it will turn into," he says thoughtfully. "Right now it's still looking for an identity."

Still, from his point of view, whether or not they know it, every person here is being religious. "Many of these people might not consider themselves spiritual, but if you gather for 4:20, that's a congregation," he says. "If you roll a joint a certain way, it's a ritual. If you have a box where you keep your stash, that's an altar."
Amen, brother. Amen.

Evernote helps you remember everything and get organized effortlessly. Download Evernote.

Major Report Prompts Warnings That the Arctic Is Unraveling

The polar region is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet


Arctic sea ice in March was at the lowest maximum extent ever recorded for the month. Credit: Mario Tama Getty Images
|

The Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, suggests a huge assessment of the region. The warming is hastening the melting of Arctic ice and boosting sea-level rise.
The report, compiled by more than 90 scientists, documents the myriad changes already under way across the Arctic because of climate change—from declining sea ice and melting glaciers to shifting ecosystems and weather patterns. From 2011 to 2015, the assessment finds, the Arctic was warmer than at any time since records began around 1900 (see 'Arctic warming').

Sea ice continues to decline, and the extent of snow cover across the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia each June has halved as compared to observations before 2000.

The findings come from the Snow, Water, Ice, and Permafrost in the Arctic report, a comprehensive assessment compiled every few years by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, the scientific body that reports to the governments that make up the Arctic Council, a forum for issues affecting the region.The last assessment came out in 2011.

Observation to action

"The take-home message is that the Arctic is unravelling," says Rafe Pomerance, who chairs a network of conservation groups called Arctic 21 and was a deputy assistant secretary of state for environment and development under US President Bill Clinton. "The fate of the Arctic has to be moved out of the world of scientific observation and into the world of government policy."

Credit: Nature, April 28, 2017, doi:10.1038/nature.2017.21911

The report increases projections for global sea-level rise, which takes into account all sources of melting including the Arctic. Their new minimum estimates are now almost double those issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2013 for some emissions scenarios. In fact, the latest calculations suggest that the IPCC's middle estimates for sea-level rise should now be considered minimum estimates.

In one scenario, which assumes that carbon emissions rise slightly above the goals set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement—but still see a considerable reduction—sea levels would increase by at least 0.52 metres by 2100, compared with 2006, the Arctic report says. Under a business-as-usual scenario, the minimum increase would be 0.74 metres.

Although aggressive reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions will make a crucial difference by the end of the century, dramatic changes are still likely over the next few decades, says Morten Skovgård Olsen, who coordinated the assessment and leads the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate's Arctic programme.

"The Arctic that you will have by mid-century will be very different from the Arctic that we see today," he says.


This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on April 28, 2017.

Evernote helps you remember everything and get organized effortlessly. Download Evernote.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Byron York: Why can't House repeal Obamacare? Because a lot of Republicans don't want to


"We're going to go when we have the votes," Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday when asked when the House will pass a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. Lawmakers will not be constrained by any "artificial deadline," Ryan declared.

On March 24, when the Speaker pulled the GOP Obamacare bill before what would have been a sure defeat, he said, "We're going to be living with Obamacare for the foreseeable future."

But why? Republicans have 238 seats in the House. Repealing Obamacare will require 217 votes. Even with unanimous Democratic opposition, Republicans could lose 21 votes and still prevail on repeal. Why haven't they done it?

By this time, it's becoming increasingly clear that Republicans have not repealed Obamacare because a lot of Republicans do not want to repeal Obamacare.

They don't even want to sorta repeal Obamacare. The bill currently on the table, like the bill pulled in March, falls far short of a full repeal of Obamacare. And yet Republicans still cannot agree on it.
About a week after the first Obamacare repeal failure, a House Republican, speaking privately, said the difficulty in passing the bill was not a parliamentary problem involving the complexities of the Senate and reconciliation. No, the lawmaker said, "It is a problem that we have members in the Republican conference that do not want Obamacare repealed, because of their district. That's the fundamental thing that we're seeing here."

"I thought we campaigned on repealing it," the lawmaker continued. "Now that it's our turn, I'm finding there's about 50 people who really don't want to repeal Obamacare. They want to keep it."
Other conservatives are saying similar things. In an email exchange Thursday afternoon, I asked one member where the latest bill stood. "We absolutely do not have the votes to repeal it," he answered. "The fact that some members are balking at even allowing states to waive out of some of Obamacare regulations is proof positive. We've gone from 'repeal it root-and-branch' to 'Mother-may-I opt out of some of Obamacare' — and we still are having trouble getting the votes."

In a phone conversation Thursday afternoon, another Republican, Rep. Steve King, quibbled a bit with the number of House Republicans who don't want to repeal Obamacare — he would put it in the 40s — but felt certain there are lots of Republicans who don't want to repeal. "If you don't want to get rid of federal mandates to health insurance, then it's pretty clear you don't want to get rid of Obamacare," King said.

"Whatever we come out with, it will say to the American people that a full repeal of Obamacare is no longer in the cards," King added.

Yet another Republican member, in an email exchange, estimated that there are 25 to 30 House Republicans "who don't want to be forced to make the repeal vote." Even that lower number would be enough to sink a repeal measure.

Other GOP lawmakers are openly conceding that whatever the House does — if it does anything — it won't actually repeal Obamacare. Large parts of Barack Obama's legacy legislation will remain standing, a fact that more Republicans are admitting as time goes by.

"It's not full repeal. I will be honest, it's not," Rep. Jim Jordan told Fox News on Wednesday. "But it's as good as we think we can get right now."

"We've given up on trying to get this bill repealed, basically," Rep. Louie Gohmert told Fox Business on Tuesday. "But we've been demanding at least let's repeal some of the provisions that we know will bring down rates."

Some Republicans remain optimistic, but in a much longer-term sense. "The process of removing a 2,300-page law with 20,000 pages of rules can't be done in one vote," says the member who estimated that 25 to 30 Republicans don't want to vote for repeal. "The process will take two years."
The Republican-controlled House and Senate both voted to repeal Obamacare in January 2016. In the House, 239 Republicans voted for repeal, while three voted against it and four did not vote. President Obama, of course, vetoed the bill.

Now, with a president who would sign an Obamacare repeal, there's no way Republicans could get as many votes as last year.

"A pure repeal would get less than 200 votes," said the second member quoted above. "It really is one of the biggest political shams in history — many of these members would not have been elected without promising repeal, and now they are wilting. Some are even complaining that [the Rep. Tom MacArthur amendment] pushes the bill too far right — even though is it far short of a full repeal."
When repeal first failed last month, a number of commentators blamed the conservative House Freedom Caucus. In the days since, caucus members have made the case, convincingly, that they have shown an enormous amount of flexibility in trying to reach agreement with the Tuesday Group, made up of House GOP centrists.

Now, the centrists — a number of Republicans refer to them as "the mods," for moderates — appear to be moving the goalposts, even as the conservatives offer concessions. Conservatives suspect the centrists were perfectly happy for conservatives to take the blame for killing the first bill, but now are showing their true colors by rejecting compromise on the second version. Whatever the circumstances, they don't want to vote to repeal Obamacare.

The reason is fear. When the lawmaker said colleagues don't want repeal "because of their district," that was another way of saying the members are all representatives, and the voters they represent don't want repeal. From The Hill on Thursday afternoon: "Many vulnerable Republicans are running scared. One moderate Republican was overheard in a House cafeteria this week telling an aide: 'If I vote for this healthcare bill, it will be the end of my career.'"

Whichever faction inside the Republican Party is to blame, it could well be that the conservatives' numbers are basically right: There are a lot of Republicans, say 40 to 50, who don't want to repeal Obamacare. Given unanimous Democratic opposition, that means that there are somewhere around 190, or maybe 195, House members who actually want to repeal Obamacare. That will never get the job done. Even a lower estimate, of 25 to 30 members who don't want repeal, would make success impossible. And if that is the case, the question is, why are Republicans trying?

Evernote helps you remember everything and get organized effortlessly. Download Evernote.

Roger Waters has lost millions by standing up for Palestine–but he doesn’t care




 

Roger Waters, speaking on behalf of the Russell Tribunal, delivers a very nicely put speech in front of delegates on International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. This day also marks an important development in the Palestinians' bid to statehood as they are now recognized as a non-member observer state. Hopefully the world sees both sides of the story and that both conflicting parties go into negotiations towards a two-state peaceful solution and put an end this long and dragged out conflict. Enough is enough!

Roger Waters has lost lucrative sponsorship deals because of his politics, but the Pink Floyd founder remains undeterred.

Roger Waters, the primary composer and lyricist of Pink Floyd during their most prominent years has for decades, used his music  to convey a message of peace and humanity. He has typically got it right and occasion gets it wrong.

One issue he has got totally right is the issue of Palestinian suffering at the hands of Israeli war, occupation and economic blockade. For over ten years, Waters has made the issue of Palestinian freedom a central point in his music and accompanying dramatic stage shows.

Waters is part of the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement which encourages individuals to boycott Israeli products and tourism. Waters uses his status as a 'music legend'  to highlight the plight of Palestinians. In 2012 he spoke at the United Nations on the issue. He frequently pens open letters to fellow musicians asking them to refrain from performing in Israel until a meaningful peace settlement is reached.

Waters is a perfect example of how the media-industrial complex punishes individuals who do not fit the tired stereotype of a veteran rock star.

Late last year, a grossly under-reported story explained how American Express ditched a planned sponsorship deal with Waters for his 2017 tour in a move which was said to be worth $4 million.
American Express like any other company has the right to refuse sponsoring any individual or organisation however they see fit. But in doing so, American Express has shown that they are willing to sponsor events of every variety including politically charged music performances by Beyonce.
Why then is American Express put-off by Roger Waters' embrace of the Palestinian movement?
Are they opposed to Waters' calls to end the starvation and medical deprivation of Palestinian children?

Are they opposed to Waters' please for justice and democracy for Christians, Muslims and Jews in the region?

Are they appalled by his anti-war message?

Where many celebrities use anodyne political causes to enhance their status, I can see no evidence that Waters has profited from his endorsement of Palestine. Quite the contrary is true. It seems that his message of peace for everyone and hatred for no one has cost him millions.
Waters described the situation in his music industry in the following way,
"My industry has been particularly recalcitrant in even raising a voice (against Israel). There's me and Elvis Costello, Brian Eno, Manic Street Preachers, one or two others, but there's nobody in the United States where I live. I've talked to a lot of them, and they are scared shitless.
If they say something in public they will no longer have a career. They will be destroyed. I'm hoping to encourage some of them to stop being frightened and to stand up and be counted, because we need them. We need them desperately in this conversation in the same way we needed musicians to join protesters over Vietnam".
The fact is that most musicians neither win nor lose the majority of their fan-base because of politics. The fact is that most people buy albums and concert tickets based on the fact that they like the sound of a song or enjoy singing along with the lyrics, even if they're hardly paying attention to what the lyrics mean.

But for those who do care, the reaction to Waters' Palestine politics is shocking. If Waters was advocating for genocide, cruelty, hatred or imperialism, I would agree that his concerts should be boycotted. But the fact that he is advocating for precisely the opposite of the aforementioned things makes the position of American Express seem not only extreme, but illogical.

Roger Waters is being punished for free speech on a subject that ought not to be controversial. The fact that some find it controversial demonstrates how low and beastly the nature of modern debates about human rights have become. No innocent people deserve to be suppressed, repressed and occupied, but that is exactly what is happening to the Palestinians and it has been happening for decades.

I personally disagreed with Roger Waters' statements about Donald Trump and I also disagreed with his characterisation of Leonid Brezhnev on the otherwise stellar 1983 Pink Floyd album The Final Cut. But at no time would I seek to shut down Waters' free speech or his ability to peacefully perform what millions consider to be important pieces of music in a peaceful and safe environment.
American Express has shamed its own reputation by treating Roger Waters in the way they have done. Roger Waters remains undeterred and will continue to tour his new show across the world.
As someone who has seen Waters perform many times, I highly recommend it, even for those who disagree with his views but enjoy a challenge.

Evernote helps you remember everything and get organized effortlessly. Download Evernote.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

When Trump Voters Say They “Suffered For 8 Years Under Obama,” Here’s The Perfect Response.

One of many, many infuriating parts of having Trump as the President is the insufferable smugness of conservatives. When they're not telling you to "suck it up, snowflake" or trying to sell you fake news, they're gloating: "We suffered for eight years under that tyrant Obummer. Now it's your turn."

One man, Scott Mednick had enough with his Republican acquaintances and penned this powerful response:

"I am surprised you would wish suffering upon me. That, of course, is your right, I suppose. I do not wish harm on anyone. Your statement seems to continue the 'US v THEM' mentality. The election is over. It is important to get past campaigning and campaign rhetoric and get down to what is uniting, not dividing and what is best for ALL Americans.


There will never be a President who does everything to everyone's liking. There are things President Obama (and President Clinton) did that I do not like and conversely there are things I can point to that the Presidents Bush did that I agree with. So I am not 100% in lock step with the outgoing President but have supported him and the overall job he did.

And, if you recall, during the Presidential Campaign back in 2008 the campaign was halted because of the "historic crisis in our financial system." Wall Street bailout negotiations intervened in the election process. The very sobering reality was that there likely could be a Depression and the world financial markets could collapse. The United States was losing 800,000 jobs a month and was poised to lose at least 10 million jobs the first year once the new President took office. We were in an economic freefall. So let us recall that ALL of America was suffering terribly at the beginning of Obama's Presidency.

But I wanted to look back over the last 8 years and ask you a few questions. Since much of the rhetoric before Obama was elected was that he would impose Sharia Law, Take Away Your Guns, Create Death Panels, Destroy the Economy, Impose Socialism and, since you will agree that NONE of this came to pass, I was wondering: Why have you suffered so?

So let me ask: Gays and Lesbians can now marry and enjoy the benefits they had been deprived of. Has this caused your suffering?

When Obama took office, the Dow was 6,626. Now it is 19,875. Has this caused your suffering?

We had 82 straight months of private sector job growth – the longest streak in the history of the United States. Has this caused your suffering?

Especially considering where the economy was when he took over, an amazing 11.3 million new jobs were created under President Obama (far more than President Bush). Has this caused your suffering?

Obama has taken Unemployment from 10% down to 4.7%. Has this caused your suffering?

Homelessness among US Veterans has dropped by half. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama shut down the US secret overseas prisons. Has this caused your suffering?

President Obama has created a policy for the families of fallen soldiers to have their travel paid for to be there when remains are flown home. Has this caused your suffering?

We landed a rover on Mars. Has this caused your suffering?

He passed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Has this caused your suffering?

Uninsured adults has decreased to below 10%: 90% of adults are insured – an increase of 20 Million Adults. Has this caused your suffering?

People are now covered for pre-existing conditions. Has this caused your suffering?

Insurance Premiums increased an average of $4,677 from 2002-2008, an increase of 58% under Bush. The growth of these insurance premiums has gone up $4,145 – a slower rate of increase. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama added Billions of dollars to mental health care for our Veterans. Has this caused your suffering?

Consumer confidence has gone from 37.7 to 98.1 during Obama's tenure. Has this caused your suffering?

He passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Has this caused your suffering?

His bi-annual Nuclear Summit convinced 16 countries to give up and destroy all their loose nuclear material so it could not be stolen. Has this caused your suffering?

He saved the US Auto industry. American cars sold at the beginning of his term were 10.4M and upon his exit 17.5M. Has this caused your suffering?

The deficit as a percentage of the GDP has gone from 9.8% to 3.2%. Has this caused your suffering?

The deficit itself was cut by $800 Billion Dollars. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama preserved the middle class tax cuts. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama banned solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons. Has this caused your suffering?

He signed Credit Card reform so that rates could not be raised without you being notified. Has this caused your suffering?

He outlawed Government contractors from discriminating against LGBT persons. Has this caused your suffering?

He doubled Pell Grants. Has this caused your suffering?

Abortion is down. Has this caused your suffering?

Violent crime is down. Has this caused your suffering?

He overturned the scientific ban on stem cell research. Has this caused your suffering?

He protected Net Neutrality. Has this caused your suffering?

Obamacare has extended the life of the Medicare insurance trust fund (will be solvent until 2030). Has this caused your suffering?

President Obama repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell. Has this caused your suffering?

He banned torture. Has this caused your suffering?

He negotiated with Syria to give up its chemical weapons and they were destroyed. Has this caused your suffering?

Solar and Wind Power are at an all time high. Has this caused your suffering?

High School Graduation rates hit 83% – an all time high. Has this caused your suffering?

Corporate profits are up by 144%. Has this caused your suffering?

He normalized relations with Cuba. Has this caused your suffering?

Reliance on foreign oil is at a 40 year low. Has this caused your suffering?

US Exports are up 28%. Has this caused your suffering?

He appointed the most diverse cabinet ever. Has this caused your suffering?

He reduced the number of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Has this caused your suffering?

Yes, he killed Osama Bin Laden and retrieved all the documents in his possession for analysis. Perhaps THIS caused your suffering?

From an objective standpoint it would appear that the last eight years have seen some great progress and we were saved from a financial collapse. Things are not perfect. Things can always be better. We are on much better footing now than we were in 2008.

I look forward to understanding what caused you to suffer so much under Obama these last eight years."

Alien: Covenant | Prologue: The Crossing | 20th Century FOX


Alien: Covenant | Prologue: The Crossing | 20th Century FOX


Published on Apr 26, 2017
The Crossing, an official prologue short to Alien: Covenant, reveals what happened to crew members Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and the synthetic David after the events of Prometheus. Set aboard an abandoned Engineer vessel, Dr. Shaw repairs David as they continue their search for humanity’s creators.

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with ALIEN: COVENANT, a new chapter in his groundbreaking ALIEN franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

See Alien: Covenant in Theaters - May 19, 2017

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Watch Prometheus on Blu-ray & Digital HD http://bitly.com/Prometheusbr

SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/FOXSubscribe

Connect with Alien: Covenant Online:
Visit Alien: Covenant on our WEBSITE: http://www.alienmovies.com/
Like Alien: Covenant on FACEBOOK: http://fox.co/AlienFB
Follow Alien: Covenant on TWITTER: http://fox.co/AlienTW
Follow Alien: Covenant on INSTAGRAM: http://fox.co/fox.co/AlienIG
#AlienCovenant

Visit the Alien Universe Hub: http://www.alienmovies.com/

About 20th Century FOX:
Official YouTube Channel for 20th Century Fox Movies. Home of Avatar, Aliens, X-Men, Die Hard, Deadpool, Ice Age, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Rio, Peanuts, Maze Runner, Planet of the Apes, Wolverine and many more.

Connect with 20th Century FOX Online:
Visit the 20th Century FOX WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/FOXMovie
Like 20th Century FOX on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/FOXFacebook
Follow 20th Century FOX on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/TwitterFOX

Alien: Covenant | Prologue: The Crossing | 20th Century FOX
http://www.youtube.com/user/FoxMovies

AL GOLDSTEIN ON TRUMP


Al Goldstein takes on Donald Trump on his "Midnight Blue" public access cable TV show in the early 1980s


Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Beekman

Formed in 2012 at the Fifth Estate sessions in Brooklyn, NYC, Beekman is a collective endeavor by saxophonist Kyle Nasser, pianist Yago Vázquez, bassist Pablo Menares, and drummer Rodrigo Recabarren. The chemistry within this quartet facilitates a unique sound, coupling eclectic, original compositions with dynamic group interplay. Beekman, Vol. 1, the first of a series of albums by this quartet, was recorded in December 2013 and features compositions and arrangements by all of the group's members.


Fantastic Jazz band from Brooklyn...