An Ohio man is fasting from food for Lent and will drink only beer until Easter Sunday, like a 17th century German monk.
Del Hall, an employee of Fifty West Brewing Company, said that though he has done a four-day water fast, distinguished himself in the Army, and run a marathon, the challenge of consuming only beer and water for the 46 days seems daunting to him. Hall took his cue for this fast from German monks of the 1600s who, during the Christian liturgical season of Lent, consumed only a certa
“Being master brewers, they decided they would take a popular style of beer in Germany, bock beer, make it extra hearty and that would be their liquid bread and that’s what they call it,” Hall said according to Idaho News. “So the monks in Bavaria, they would call doppelbock liquid bread and basically it would sustain them through the 46 days of Lent.”
Hall will document his Lent beer diet on social media, where he will document how he feels how his weight changes throughout the fast.
“I’m an Army veteran, I was number one in my class in the Army, I’ve run a full marathon before, 26.2 miles, I’ve done big challenges but this seems very daunting,” he said. “So I’m just curious if I’m up to the challenge, if I’m going to be able to do it or not.”
The fast comes from a particular monastic order called the Paulaner monks who settled in the Cloister Neudeck ob der Au in Bavaria in the 1600s.
“Being a strict order, they were not allowed to consume solid food during Lent,” Martin Zuber, braumeister and beer sommelier of Paulaner Brewery, said according to Catholic News Agency.
Zuber said that the monks drank their strong brew because “liquid bread wouldn’t break the fast” according to their understanding of Lenten obligation.
J. Wilson, a Christian editor of a local Iowa newspaper, recreated the beer fast for Lent in 2011. He drank four beers a day, checked in with his doctor regularly, and documented his experience in a blog for CNN.
“At the beginning of my fast, I felt hunger for the first two days. My body then switched gears, replaced hunger with focus, and I found myself operating in a tunnel of clarity unlike anything I’d ever experienced,” he wrote.
Wilson said that he lost 25.5 pounds over the course of the fast and developed a level of self-discipline and attained a degree of mental and physical rejuvenation that he that he had not previously experienced.
“The experience proved that the origin story of monks fasting on doppelbock was not only possible, but probable,” Wilson added. “It left me with the realization that the monks must have been keenly aware of their own humanity and imperfections. In order to refocus on God, they engaged this annual practice not only to endure sacrifice, but to stress and rediscover their own shortcomings in an effort to continually refine themselves.”
The Nation’s Largest Consumer Scuba Expo to be held on May 4-5
Divers from across the nation are invited to celebrate the spirit of adventure at the diving event of the year, as the Scuba Show returns to Long Beach with more scuba exhibitors, experts and seminars than ever. For three decades, this expo has drawn out thousands of passionate divers and ocean lovers for a weekend of storytelling, exploration and personal connection with the welcoming and close-knit diving community. Perfect for divers of all levels of experience, and people who want to learn about it, the Scuba Show is the place for anyone to discover and appreciate the magic of diving. Attendees can learn how to get scuba certified, browse hundreds of diving products and discover new and exciting diving destinations and opportunities from around the world. The Scuba Show will feature over 300 exhibitors, vendors, destinations and experts from around the world, dozens of seminars, clinics and classes, door prizes, a 15,000 gallon try-diving pool, and its popular Saturday night party to benefit the Plastic Pollution Coalition. Date: Saturday, May 4, 2019 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Saturday Night Party starts at 7:00 PM at The Federal Long Beach Sunday, May 5, 2019 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Location: Long Beach Convention Center, Exhibit Hall C 300 E. Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90802
Tickets are available online at scubashow.com/tickets. Prices increase April 19; full price tickets will also be sold at the door. Single day advance tickets range from $12 (single day exhibit hall) to $32 (single day exhibits plus seminars), and two day passes are $62 (includes exhibit hall and seminars). For more information, please visit www.scubashow.com.
Scuba Show
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Please join us for a fun evening of sips and laughter at this special Comedy Night!
Sunday, March 31st
Location: Sunland Vintage Winery 1321 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard #108-A Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Doors Open at 5:00pm | Show Starts at 5:30pm Admission: $20 per person | 2 People for $35
▪ A variety of desserts are included with admission! (provided by National Charity League) ▪ Wine will be available for purchase! (by the glass or bottle) ▪ 20% of wine sales will go to Center4SpecialNeeds! ▪ Raffle tickets will be available to purchase; enter to win one of many raffle prizes at the event! ▪ A Door Prize will also be given away; every attendee gets one ticket entry to win this prize! ▪ Note: Dinner will not be provided at this event. However, you’re welcome to bring your own dinner, or have it delivered to the venue!
▪
A variety of desserts are included with admission! (provided by National Charity League)
▪
Wine will be available for purchase! (by the glass or bottle)
▪
20% of wine sales will go to Center4SpecialNeeds!
▪
Raffle tickets will be available to purchase; enter to win one of many raffle prizes at the event!
▪
A Door Prize will also be given away; every attendee gets one ticket entry to win this prize!
▪
Note: Dinner will not be provided at this event. However, you’re welcome to bring your own dinner, or have it delivered to the venue!
Brian Kiley Credits: Writer for Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show
Adam Cozens Credits: Dry Bar Hour Comedy Special
Dana Eagle Credits: The Tonight Show, Comics Unleashed, Last Comic Standing
Host: James Frey Credits: Nickelodeon, Hulu
Watch this video to see how we’re Bridging the Gaps for Children, Teens & Young Adults with developmental disabilities, and bringing hope to their families!
Conejo Deals offers new deals everyday for local leisure. Your purchase will send a dollar to Center4SpecialNeeds when you select an organization at checkout.
Ralphs Rewards and Center4SpecialNeeds are working together to ensure all purchases are contributed to a greater cause.
Simply sign in on Ralphs’ website, check “My Account” & go to“Welcome Valued Customer”. Afterwards, search for our organization’s name or NPO# (QG527), select it, & click enroll!
California is enjoying a projected $21.4 billion surplus. Three-quarters of the state believes any new revenue increase should be for voters to decide.
By population and percentage of personal income, this state already has the nation’s 10th highest tax burden. And the leader of the California Senate, Pro Tem Toni Atkins, has pointedly cautioned against any more levies that take cash out of the pockets of working families.
In short, California lawmakers needn’t look far for an excuse to avoid raising taxes. Whether Atkins’ fellow Democrats got the memo, however, isn’t clear.
There is, to be sure, some high-profile tax relief in this year’s record 2,628-piece pile of proposed legislation: Diapers, tampons, and pot have all been put forward for potential tax cuts.
A Pentagon spokesman revealed that the number of U.S. troops deployed at the southern border could be cut in half by the end of March.
There were roughly 4,000 troops placed on the U.S.-Mexico border as of early March. Around 1,100 are currently assisting with work on mobile surveillance cameras, another 1,850 are assisting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in California and Arizona with concertina wire installation, and the other 1,000 are a mix of logistical units and quick response force personnel.
However, the troops dedicated to setting up the circular barbed wire — which is being placed across 140 miles of the southwestern portion of the border — will complete their mission by March 31.
“If the mission gets done and then the CBP doesn’t identify new requirements they might need, then we may see a new decrease,” stated U.S. Northern Command spokesman Army Maj. Mark Lazane, according to the Washington Examiner. “Being that we’re in support of CBP, we’re always looking to CBP.”
The troop withdrawal follows announcements from several Democratic governors that they are cutting back the number of their states’ National Guard troops currently deployed at the border, citing major disagreements with President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced in February he would withdraw 112 National Guard troops from the U.S.-Mexico border, following Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico who made similar moves that month. All three governors disagreed with the president’s argument that an emergency existed at the southern border.
“I reject the federal contention that there exists an overwhelming national security crisis at the southern border, along which are some of the safest communities in the country,” Lujan Grisham, the first governor to announce troop a withdrawal, stated on Feb. 5. “New Mexico will not take part in the president’s charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops.”
The governors’ insistence that no emergency exists on the southern border is contradicted by U.S. Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost, who argued before a House committee that the increase in non-Mexican foreign nationals and unaccompanied children has stretched border enforcement resources to the breaking point.
In anticipation of a migrant caravan, the White House mobilized more than 5,000 active-duty troops to the southern border in October. They were helped in large part by 2,000 National Guard soldiers already deployed in California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. (RELATED: Immigrant Deaths Under Trump Virtually Unchanged Since Obama Era)
Pushback from Democratic governors — and lawmakers in Washington, D.C. — has not stopped the president from prioritizing border security. Trump, fresh off leaving an historic 35-day government shutdown over border wall funding, is again asking Congress to provide billions more to complete construction on the U.S.-Mexico border.
On Saturday, K-9 officers from 40 different police departments showed up at Mertens’ house to introduce her to some new friends.
The Hartford, Wisconsin, Police Department shared photos of the visit on their Facebookpage showing the K-9 officers along with their dogs lined up outside of Mertens’ home.
Along with the photos, they wrote, “Today, just a few of us (roughly 40) stopped by to see Emma. She had no idea we were coming so she was VERY excited. What an amazing and strong little girl.”
On the family’s “Team Emma” Facebook page, they shared photos of Mertens with the dogs, as well. The family wrote, “There are no words … Pure Joy! Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in this. Emma is still all smiles.”
Look at that smile! Emma of Hartland is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. Tune into @TMJ4 @ 6:00 to find out how more than 100,000 people have helped grant her wish. pic.twitter.com/ws61EbWmMJ
Back in February, a friend wrote Mertens a letter and included a photo of her dog. She then shared with other friends to do the same. After just a few weeks the family said Mertens had received over 75,000 letters from all different parts of the country.
On March 5th of this year the New York Times published an op-ed piece by Tim Wu titled “What the Public Wants, It doesn’t Get.” Mr. Wu correctly stated that our governing class caters primarily to the combined influence of industry groups and donor interests. The wants and needs of the general public take a back seat to the wants and needs of large industry groups and donors. I think, however, that most of the electorate is well aware of this phenomenon. In 2014 Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page conducted a rigorous study (Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens) of how often the governing class meets the public’s needs. Their conclusion:
“Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.”
AND
“Americans do enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association and widespread (if still contested) franchise. But we believe that if policy-making is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans, then American claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened.”
This state of affairs is due, of course, to the inordinate influence of money in politics and to what I call the “complacency effect.”
The complacency effect grew out of the golden era of American society from the end of World War II to the early seventies, when the United States and its citizens were relatively well off in terms of standard of living and upward mobility. This caused Americans to become complacent about politics and economics. But as we know, standard of living and upward mobility in the U.S. have declined while economic and political inequality have increased since the early seventies. So the real task before us is not to point out the deleterious effect of money in politics via industry groups and large donors, but to galvanize the electorate to become more informed about political and economic issues, and to participate much more vigorously in the electoral process. I can conceptualize how that might occur, but making it happen in reality is beyond my ability to specify. Make no mistake, however—economics and politics play a large part in determining our standard of living as well as the health of our democracy. It’s past time to toss off our feeling of complacency by becoming more informed about economics and politics and participating vigorously in our electoral process. It will require citizens to make the time to do these things, but that time spent will be one of the wisest investments we can make in our near, middle and long-term future.
Jim Sullivan is a Citizen Journalist and retired businessman with graduate degrees in political science and business. He lives in Ventura with his wife Juliette and two family cats.
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I met some friends at a restaurant the other day. We were talking politics and mentioned that the Left might fear Pence more than Trump because of his religious morality. A waitress was passing by and said, “ugh, PENCE!”. We asked her if she didn’t like Pence. She said she didn’t. We asked if she liked Trump, she said, “I hate him”. One of our group asked why. She came over to us and said there were a million reasons. He asked to name one. She said, “He put children in CAGES”. We told her it wasn’t Trump, it was Obama. I told her the pictures of kids in cages were from the Obama years. We explained Trump has to follow the laws Obama put in place until Congress changes them. She asked, incredulously, where we got such information. We told her it was out there but she’d have to look for it. She didn’t believe any of us. Some kept trying to educate her but I no longer trusted eating there or changing her mind and left.
I realized it’s so hard to talk to Liberals rationally because they aren’t told the truth. I grew up trusting what I heard on the news. I believed they verified what they reported on. I was never aware of journalists political preferences. This isn’t the case anymore but way too many people think it is. They believe what they hear. The media published the pictures of children in cages and the little girl crying for her Mama and blamed Trump. When the media was proven wrong, if they even acknowledge they were wrong, it’s buried somewhere. It certainly isn’t given the time or energy the original narrative was given. And when every media outlet, except FOX (and they aren’t all that reliable) says the same thing……exactly the same thing, no wonder the waitress was dumbfounded when we told her Obama put kids in cages.
People see and hear what they want to see and hear. Democrats who voted for Hillary are only too willing to believe any negative thing they are told about Trump. I say this often because it’s true, there isn’t a thing a human can do or say that can’t be depicted negatively or positively. Everything…..everything Trump does is depicted negatively by the media. A simple recent example was when Speaker Pelosi cancelled the State of the Union the media said, enthusiastically, WOW, she was such a “Bad Ass”! When Trump then cancelled her use of an Air Force plane for a junket, the media said he was a childish “Bully”. The media said the Covington boy was “smirking” when he was smiling to defuse a tense situation. The other day on The View, Joy Behar was correct when Whoopi Goldberg asked why the media was getting so many stories wrong. Joy said, “Because we’re so desperate to get Trump out of the White House”. Liberals and the media are desperate to prove Conservatives, Trump supporters are the racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, bigots they say we are. If “institutional racism” and homophobia were as rampant as they suggest they wouldn’t have to create hoaxes to prove it, there would be hundreds of real examples. There just aren’t. Conservatives aren’t violent people. They aren’t even that good at being confrontational. Conservatives are by definition Conservative.
The media are so anxious to jump on anything that will paint Trump supporters as “haters”. What they did to the Covington boys was despicable. These are kids. The media didn’t care, they edited video to make the boys look at fault. As the grandmother of 16 year old twin boys I imagined how I’d feel if I heard celebrities say they’d like to knock the smirk off my boys faces. How I’d feel if they were mocked and demonized for doing nothing wrong. And even when it was shown that they did not “surround a Native American veteran”, the media still painted them in a negative light. Media didn’t even investigate the truthfulness of Nathan Phillips. Phillips changed his story numerous times. He said he served two tours of duty. He did serve in the Military but he never left the States or saw combat. He said the boys surrounded him when the video showed he went up to the boys and then was joined by other native Americans. But even after this was known, Savannah Guthrie wanted Nick Sandmann to apologize to Phillips. There was also no mention of the Black Israelites yelling obscenities at the boys and that the boys didn’t react to them. Media never mentioned the Black Israelites even though they were yelling vile insults at the native Americans even before the Covington boys arrived. The media simply wanted to demonize the Covington boys because some of them were wearing MAGA hats. Media is just SO desperate, as Joy Behar admitted, to smear Trump supporters and get Trump out of the White House.
Then there’s Jesse Smollett (who I had never heard of before this). The media and Hollywood was only too willing to accept without question, Mr. Smollett’s story. Most of us could see holes a mile wide in his story but the “smear Trump and his supporters brigade” reported it without question. Police have mountains of evidence he planned a fake attack on himself in order to blame a hate crime on Trump supporters and by association, Trump himself. Liberal media is saying even if this event is a hoax, these sort of things happen all too often. OH, PLEASE! When? Where? Who has been rioting, burning things, and vandalizing? Do Liberal speakers need security on college campuses? Who is angry all the time? All you have to do is look at Twitter.
The media didn’t cover Trump celebrating Black History Month with a huge crowd of Blacks. The attendees weren’t interviewed about their support of the President. They don’t talk about the lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks EVER. They don’t cover anything that shows Trump’s policies working. Rocket man isn’t shooting rockets off or making threats anymore, is he? Trump has gotten most of our hostages returned without giving their captors anything. Obama didn’t even try. He only traded five TERRORISTS for one deserter. And when Susan Rice said the deserter served with “honor and distinction” the media had nothing to say. The media protected Obama with the same fervor they demonize Trump. Neither serves us or the Country well.
And now the media has nothing negative to say about ANTIFA, or BLACK LIVES MATTER, or the Green New Deal, or Medicare for all, or free college, or reparations, or guaranteed income, or abortion in the 9th month, or infanticide, or that the best argument the Left has against Trump is convicted perjurer, Michael Cohen. Most of these issues would have had a great deal of criticism from the media in the past.
But now nearly all media are owned by six companies (or six people). They are Liberal and hire Liberals. They no longer make any attempt to appear impartial or objective. In order to know what is true you really have to do your own research and most people aren’t inclined to or don’t have the time to. We would think getting SO many big stories wrong, getting caught editing video of George Zimmerman’s 911 call to make him look racist, Ferguson, “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”, Russian collusion, no mention of fake dossier or who paid for it, Trump said ALL Mexicans were rapists and murders, the Covington boys, Jussie Smollett, etc. that they would at least try to be more careful and less biased……but I see no evidence of it. God bless America! We need his blessing now more than we ever have since the American Revolution. Winning our revolution against the strongest military in the world was a miracle. I pray for another.
Michael Greer
Michael Greer retired from the film/television industry and is the co-organizer of the Santa Monica Tea Party and the Los Angeles Tea Party, on the board of directors of the Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights and was a member of the Republican Central Committee for the 41st Assembly District. Her website is: http://madderthanhell.wordpress.com/
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On Tuesday, March 12, the Assembly Public Safety Committee is scheduled to hear anti-gun bills AB 12, AB 276 and AJR 5. Please use our TAKE ACTION button below to contact the members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee urging them to OPPOSE AB 12, AB 276, and AJR 5.
Assembly Bill 12, sponsored by Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin (D-44), would extend the duration of California’s “gun violence” restraining order law from one year to five. This means that a person could be prohibited from owning and possessing firearms for five years at a time without ever being adjudicated mentally ill or convicted of a crime, but based on third party allegations.
Assembly Bill 276, sponsored by Assembly Member Laura Friedman (D-43), would place further restrictions on California’s already existing storage requirements, in addition to authorizing localities to regulate even more than what is required under state law, further complicating California’s firearm laws. A first time misdemeanor violation of this legislation would cause a person to lose their Second Amendment rights for 10 years!
Assembly Joint Resolution 5, sponsored by Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-59) would urge the federal government to adopt universal firearm laws using California as an example. California is far from the example when it comes to firearm laws. Lawful gun owners must navigate a maze of gun laws that are ever changing. Each year the legislature considers numerous proposals that continue to place additional restrictions and costs on lawful gun owners while ignoring the fact that criminals are already ignoring the hundreds of laws on the books.
Continue to check your inbox and the California Stand and Fight webpage for updates on issues impacting your Second Amendment rights and hunting heritage in California.
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In order to advocate for a better future for youth, Dr. Crystal Nāone, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley, traveled along with hundreds of other club leaders across the nation to storm the steps of Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on March 5 as part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Days of Advocacy.
Virginia Hayward, Chief Executive Officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Simi Valley (on left) joins with Dr. Crystal Nāone, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley in Washington D.C. to advocate for youth.
Participants focused on sharing with members of Congress the issues that matter most to kids, and why afterschool programs offered by clubs are critical in ensuring a great future for America’s youth.
“Boys & Girls Clubs are an essential place in kids’ lives where they can develop skills, make lasting connections with mentors and achieve great futures,” stated Dr. Crystal Nāone. “It’s vital that our elected officials know what each of us is doing for our community,” she continued.
Studies have shown that every day, 11.3 million youth leave school with no place to go and in the summertime, that number rises to 43 million. Decades of research indicate that afterschool programs help kids learn, grow and avoid risky behaviors. Over 10 million children attend afterschool programs once the school day ends and having access to quality afterschool programs is crucial for youth.
Whether through tutoring and homework help, access to technology, college and career readiness programs or skill development, the Boys & Girls Clubs have an outstanding track record of helping young people make academic strides. In 2018, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley supported 12,526 community youth and 4,290 registered members at 9 chartered sites in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, to access such programming.
Studies has also shown that investment in after-school opportunities creates an impact in local communities, especially for working families that rely on Boys & Girls Clubs as a means to be employed full-time. Nationally, every $1 investment in a club returns $9.60 in current and future earnings and cost-saving to individual communities. In Ventura County, it has been calculated that for every $1 invested in their work, Boys & Girls Clubs generate $15,45 of positive economic impact in the community (Damooei Global Research).
“Our kid’s success isn’t just on Congress or our state legislature, but on all of us to move the needle for youth in America, helping them reach their greatest potential,” noted Dr. Nāone. “Our young people are the promise of tomorrow, they are our future leaders and innovators of our economy,” she continued. “Prioritizing and investing in our kids not only leads to better outcomes for our kids, but also to a healthier, safer and more prosperous nation,” she added.
For more information, contact the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley at 818-706-0905 or visit the website at www.bgcconejo.org.
CEO’s and officials from Boys & Girls Clubs across the country convene together to advocate for youth in Washington D.C.
About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley are open before and after school, during lunch, on weekends for sports leagues, throughout the summer for the camp program and all day during school vacations with tours of the Clubs available upon request. For more information about supervised youth programs, to donate, volunteer, or register online, please log onto www.bgcconejo.org or call 818-706-0905.
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