This highlights two sides to this story. One is we have a cultural and immigration problem where people coming from other parts of the world with a different belief and ideology and the problems that come with this are bringing this to their newly adopted nation and making it like the culture they were escaping. .

The other is an example of how an immigrant can come to a new nation with a different culture and adapt to that culture even becoming a hero of that culture.

It goes to show the importance of vetting and helping people to integrate into the host culture. Thats why immigrants come. To have a better life from the ones that were causing them to want to flee their nation. Not bring those issues with them and then turn the host nation into another culture war that people want to escape. Thats insane.

I grew up in Bankstown a suburb of Sydney where many middle eastern families lived after migrating here during the 60s and 70s. I had several friends from Lebanon and they were more or less becoming Aussies. We shared each others culture. But primarily we all acted as Aussies within the Aussie culture. Not like todays identity politics.

I also lived in Bondi when older and it was very multicultural and alive with all sorts of people mixing and enjoying one of the best beaches in the world. The free lifestyle, surfing, fishing and socialising. Now its all changed like in other western nations. You can't feel safe to even go to the beach.

To have such an evil event happen in among such a place that already represented the best of people mixing and getting along is a complete contradiction and something we don't want in free western nations.

I have a feeling that we are going back to how things were pre Covid. If you remember the radicals were focusing on the west and not Isreal as much. But now that Hamas is being stopped I think the attention is turning back to the west.

As many illegal immigrants have managed to get into many western nations I think we are going to see more of these types of attacks. Maybe even a very major one.

They say the US has around 18,000 identified terrorist who got in over the border. It stands to reason that with that many unknowns and radicals lost in the system more homegrown terror will happen.

Paulwat said:

There’s a growing case, both theologically and philosophically, that “hell” as an eternal state of torment doesn’t make sense within the logic of Eastern Orthodox theology itself. If God truly is love, and if His purpose is the restoration (ἀποκατάστασις) of all creation, then a permanent, unredeemed realm of suffering would contradict His nature and His victory over sin and death.


Thinkers like St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Isaac the Syrian, Sergius Bulgakov, and more recently David Bentley Hart, have all pointed out that God’s will is unchanging, and His will is to save all. If God’s will is perfect and omnipotent, then it follows that ultimately all will be reconciled to Him—perhaps after a painful purification, but not eternal damnation.


“Hell,” then, might best be understood not as a place of everlasting punishment, but as the experience of divine love by those still clinging to their sin—an experience that eventually purifies rather than annihilates. This view doesn’t deny justice; it fulfills it through healing rather than perpetual separation.


So yes, there’s good reason to believe that universal reconciliation (in some form) is not only compatible with Orthodoxy, but actually truer to its deepest understanding of God’s mercy and the cosmic scope of Christ’s resurrection.

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One of the problems that I see in Orthodoxy, with people who are determined that there is an eternal, fiery, burning hell of torment, is that a great number of them who are believing that are converts who have come in from Protestantism and are bringing in that legal, judicial, condemnatory idea of God from their Protestant background. They do not understand yet that the Orthodox understanding is medicinal and not juridical, restorative and not condemnatory.

In my opinion , I don't believe these people have done a serious study of Christian history, the proper translation of the Greek texts, the understanding of God's character, and the cultural influence of paganism upon the idea of hell in the Church. They will search high and low for Early Father quotes or texts of scripture to defend the idea of eternal torment, while ignoring the vast body of information that is more in line with Universal Restoration.

rjs330 said:

Its all from Christ. He is God and God inspired Paul to write those words. Therefore that is what Christ wanted Paul to write. He did not ask Paul to write things that he did not approve of.

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So says Paul.
And to my knowledge there is no passage where Jesus asked Paul to write anything.
When one is trying to get to the heart of what Jesus taught and spoke, it's usually best to quote those words attributed to him.

stevevw said:

Gee, ok let me find it. The trouble is they are hard to find. Heres one

Evidence of Vitrified Stonework in the Inca Vestiges of Peru

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Evidence-of-Vitrified-Stonework-in-the-Inca-of-Peru-Jong-Jordan/1136a71a5e32917a3004107dc964ee03c82e1848

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Not peer-reviewed. Self-published. This is their reference list:

stevevw said:

Heres another

Ancient Geopolymers in South America and Easter Island

Ancient Geopolymers in South America and Easter Island

This book presents the study on Ancient Geopolymers in South America and Easter Island regions, exploring the artificial nature of the volcanic rocks

link.springer.com

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Do you have the page or chapter that talks about vitrification? I can access it from my job, but what do you want me to read?

Having a 1-year-old is much more fun than having a newborn, but I had no idea what I was in for when it came to changing the diaper of a rolling, sitting up, standing toddler. Or trimming her nails. Or feeding her cottage cheese.

It’s an adventure. Nothing is cuter than seeing her point at all the owls in my house and say “ho ho hoooo”!

DamianWarS said:

If antinomianism (lit. against law) is regarding no longer being bound by the "moral law of God"

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so then if the dictionary and history of the NT church is correct?

DamianWarS said:

then the critical question is what is the "moral law of God".

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yep. Hence all the confessions of faith addressing that very point and even the definition for antinomianism pointing to the TEN Commandments

DamianWarS said:

which begs the question: Is this responsible terminology/should we be using it?

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It is probably a bit uncomfortable if one is used to posting in opposition to the Ten Commandments, given how the definition for antinomianism reads.

DamianWarS said:

Scripture doesn't bifurcate law

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Until you read Heb 10 where "He takes away the first to establish the second" vs 4-10 where it is explicitly speaking of "animal sacrifice and offerings" all the while "The Commandments of God" are strongly affirmed in 1 Cor 7:19 where "Honor your father and mother is the first commandment with a promise" Eph 6:1 in that still valid unit of TEN

So apparently the definition for Antinomianism is indeed accurate in what it says happened in first century church history

DamianWarS said:

, and when the subject of law is raised, law is treated as whole units defined within covenants. Some indeed have more of a moral foundation and others ceremonial/ritual or symbolic,

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No wonder the Baptist Confession of Faith sectn 19, and the Westminster Confession of Faith sectn 19 , and D.L. Moody's sermon on the Ten Commandments, and R.C. Sproul, and C.H. Spurgeon affirm the TEN as included in the moral law of God




Almost every Christian denomination on Earth affirms the continued *"unit of TEN" for Christians today

[*]The Baptist Confession of Faith section 19
[*]The Westminster Confession of Faith section 19
[*]Voddie Baucham
[*]C.H. Spurgeon
[*]D.L. Moody
[*]Dies Domini by Pope John Paul II
[*]D. James Kennedy
[*]R.C. Sproul
[*]many others as well..

* - 10 as-is or else in edited form

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that a Catholic charity can be exempt from an unemployment insurance tax, affirming an earlier ruling from the United States Supreme Court.

In an order released Monday, the state high court concluded that Catholic Charities Bureau (CCB), Inc. and four sub-entities were “eligible for the religious purposes exemption to unemployment taxation.”

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered that the case be sent back to the circuit court level with the instruction to vacate a decision by the Labor and Industry Review Commission (LIRC) against the CCB.

The order also rejects an attempt by state officials to eliminate the religious exemption altogether, according to the religious liberty law firm Becket, which represented the CCB.

Continued below.

Aryeh Jay said:

If they can't take the heat perhaps they should find different enjoyment.

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ICEE can't take the heat. ICE melts when heat is applied.

samaus123456789 said:

Luke 24:44-53 He said to them, “Remember when I was with you before? I said that everything written about me must happen—everything in the law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms.” Then Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Law Psalms Prophets - this canon list excludes 1 Enoch, and other OT texts (Jubilees, Test of the 12 patriarchs, Tobit, 1/2 Maccabees, and others). Josephus gave the same canon list around 100 AD, and it was Genesis to Malachi organized into around 24 books. This is the primary canon.

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Greetings again sambas

I presume your second paragraph is a support for the verse above it. If not, then my apologies. It appears you are suggesting that the Luke 24:44 verse, when it says "the law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms", means to include 1 Enoch. But I don't know of any support for this. Could you give me your source so I might study this inclusion of 1 Enoch into what Luke wrote in Luke 24:44?


Peace to you brother

On my knees in the dirt holding and praying with a woman who was crying and destitute, with prostitutes walking in front of us trying to get to the car behind us where a dealer was waving around a 9mm, and having someone sell drugs out of the back seat to the people on the streets, and cop cars kept rolling by and never stopping, while we risked our lives for the spreading of the gospel at the gates of hell on earth if necessary..

The US economy added 64,000 jobs in November while the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% from 4.4% in September, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Due to the federal government shutdown, data for the unemployment rate series was not collected in October.

The unemployment rate had been forecast to remain steady at 4.4% in November. Meanwhile, nonfarm payroll employment had been forecast to show an increase of 40,000 according to FactSet. The Labor Department reported that the US economy lost 105,000 jobs in October. Job gains were revised down for September to an increase of 108,000 from an originally reported increase of 119,000.

https://www.morningstar.com/economy/november-us-jobs-report-unemployment-rate-unexpectedly-rises-46

He's doing pretty much what he did the first time around.

MarkSB said:

The metanalysis in the Cochrane review that you are citing has a number of flaws.

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It does not. The Cochrane review has existed since 2007, and its findings have remain unchanged. Masking simply does not slow respiratory spread, and it doesn't matter if we're talking about paper masks or N95. It never has, it never will.

I highly recommend the Substack "Trust The Evidence", which is written by Carl Heneghan and Tom Jefferson. Tom is the lead author of the Cochrane masking review. You might find this article particularly interesting, as it addresses the "flaws" you cited above.

Suffice to say, there were no "flaws" in the Cochrane review. Despite blatant lies from everyone up to and including then Director of the CDC, Walensky, no changes were made to the review and it has not been "retracted". There was a coordinated smear campaign against the authors of this review because their data found that the mask mandates did not have a solid evidence base. The article above is a good place to start if you want to see exactly how "experts" react to data that doesn't support their narrative.

MarkSB said:

But... if you have conspiracy theorist caliper confirmation bias, none of that matters.

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MarkSB said:

So cherry picking the studies that agree with your preconceived notions, and running with that.... is that the data integrity that I'm missing here?

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That's what you're doing., This particular Cochrane review that has existed since 2007 is suddenly "flawed", in your opinion, for some reason. Also, you have to ignore scads of real-world evidence. There was literally nowhere that mask mandates were instituted where transmission was slowed. Not even in retrospect can you find the institution of a mandate and a correlating reduction of viral spread.

MarkSB said:

Let's take the studies wholistically - even the ones which may have been poorly designed. There are a lot of studies (if I'm not mistaken) which say that high quality masks work to reduce transmission, and some that say they don't.

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Yes. There were tons of "studies" run on masking that supported the mask mandates, like the one I posted above. They gathered data by having people self-report in a telephone survey their masking habits and if they had COVID. Boy, that's some scientific rigor there! But no matter. It arrived that the "right" result, so they published it, and the media trumpeted it as if were the gospel truth.

Or how about the infamous CDC hairdresser study? Two hairdressers wore a mask and no one who they worked on got COVID. This is the foundation of the "science" of masking evidence. Methodology that would get you laughed out of a 5th grade science fair was all of a sudden the standard of evidence for the pandemic.

OTOH, you say that the Cochrane Review has "flaws", as compared to these astounding pieces of cow flop published int he CDC's MMWR. The irony is palpable.

MarkSB said:

Let's even be generous and call it a 50/50 split.

Click to expand...

Are you aware of the evidence pyramid? Not every piece of evidence carries the same weight. Guess where the studies that found a benefit to masking sit in that pyramid?

MarkSB said:

A virus is circulating which results in death for some people

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Yes. That's happening right now too. Why did people stop masking? There are always viruses circulation that will result in death for some people. You just don't hear about them 24/7, until the industry has a vaccine to sell you. Do you know how many respiratory viruses there are circulating. Yet we only ever hear about Flu, COVID and RSV. I suppose it's just a funny coincidence that those are also the viruses that have available vaccines.

The truth is, if you really believe in your altruistic stance that you're proposing here, you can NEVER stop masking. Not at any point. There are ALWAYS respiratory viruses floating around that could kill people. Always have been, always will be. So I hope you're "caring" for your neighbor by committing to masking every day and everywhere you go for the rest of your life.

MarkSB said:

Your position is that, even though the body of available evidence says that wearing a mask might prevent the spread of the virus to the vulnerable population,

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That is not my position. My position is the body of available high-quality evidence says that wearing a mask does absolutely nothing to prevent, nor even slow, the spread of viruses.

MarkSB said:

the prudent path for one who reveres God is to NOT wear the mask?

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I get that you've been convinced that masking is the ultimate altruistic gesture towards others, but it's simply not true.

MarkSB said:

My question to you is - what exactly do you stand to lose by wearing the mask?

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Well for one thing, improper handling of PPE can actually increase your likelihood of infection. This is well-established, and "experts" warned of this at the beginning of the pandemic before every recommendation flipped almost overnight. Constantly touching your mask brings you in contact with viral particles that otherwise may have fallen harmlessly to the ground, but are now trapped in a mask that you carry with you everywhere you go. Did you watch people touching their masks during the pandemic? Did you see people crumple them up and put them in their purse or stuff them in their glove box, only to pull them back out again and put them back on their face? There are all sorts of downsides to wearing a mask in public.

Secondly, masks give people a false sense of security. By convincing people that they are now "safe": because someone has an ineffective security blanket across their mouth and nose, they are more likely to let down their guard. People who are truly at risk are now convinced that they can put themselves in high-risk situations that they may have otherwise avoided because they're wearing a mask. But it's a bit like telling someone that they'll be safe if they jump out of the airplane with a backpack that has no parachute in it. iIt might look good as you jump out of the plane, but you're in for a nasty surprise when you pull the rip cord.

MarkSB said:

Put aside the "righteous" protest against mask mandates... and forget they don't exist. Based solely on the basis of care for your neighbor, which is the more prudent choice, and why?

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You've inadvertently hit the nail on the head for why people embraced mask mandates. It was never about evidence of benefit. Not only did the mask serve as a placebo for people who had been subject to relentless fear campaign, but it also made them feel good about themselves because they were "caring for others". They were "doing something". Unfortunately, that "something" they were doing was completely performative and had no real benefit.

Since you don't like the Cochrane review, how about this systematic review of masking by the CDC published in May 2020? I've emphasized the findings relevant to this discussion.


Also, just to reiterate what I said earlier, that study also says this:

Old test scripture testifying to the saving death of Christ, His Blood for them He died for, or shed it for. Christs blood shed was in regard to a covenant death Matt 26:28

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Now lets look at OT Zech 9:11

As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

That this is speaking also about Christ we appeal to Vs 9

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Which corresponds to Christ here Jn 12:12-15

12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.

14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.

Christs Covenant Blood brings Salvation with remission of sins! 9

essentialsaltes said:

The unemployment rate in November rose to 4.6%, the highest level since September 2021.

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....Amercans are not taking the jobs left behind by the two million people Trump claims to have deported this year?

Bro.T said:

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, "repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38). “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Romans 6:3-4,

If we truly love God, then we will obey "Every word" that proceeds out of his mouth (Matthew 4:4). Baptism is one of those words. In order to be baptized, certain events must take place: You must repent, give up a lifestyle where sin has dominion, (ruler ship) over you. Sin according to 1 John 3:4, Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression (breaking) of the law. You must be taught "The Word", before you can adhere to God's commandments (judgments\statues). These laws are found in the Holy Bible; beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. You must believe what the bible says and finally, you must confess that Jesus is Lord.
Once this has been accomplished, you are qualified to be baptized in the name of Jesus.

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Jesus is the one who gives repentance, causes it as Savior Acts 5:31

GoldenBoy89 said:

Isn’t that what we do after every shooting?

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"I don't understand why USA is so against the metric system. After all, they constantly use 9 mm in schools."

essentialsaltes said:

Pilot narrowly avoids ‘midair collision’ with US air force plane near Venezuela​

JetBlue pilot calls incident ‘outrageous’ and says US military refueling tanker didn’t have transponder turned on

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US air force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path ... They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

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....while reportedly, other U.S. military aircraft in the area of operations did have their transponders turned on.

Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Turning Point USA Senior Director Josh Thifault revealed the initiative during a news conference at the Governor’s Mansion [last] Monday. They did not outline any plans that would require schools to initiate the clubs, but Abbott said that he expects “meaningful disciplinary action” to take place against “any stoppage of TPUSA in the great state of Texas.”

Kirk’s organization has traditionally operated on college campuses, promoting itself as a hub for young people committed to conservative values. The group is also known for having created a so-called professor watchlist, which allows users to search for educators perceived as supporting and promoting liberal viewpoints in the classroom. Turning Point’s work has at times caused tension, particularly among students and faculty members who have reported being harassed because of the negative spotlight placed on them by the organization.

The group’s “Club America” chapters, meanwhile, operate in high schools. The clubs aim to “build strong networks, spearhead impactful initiatives, help students register to vote, and inspire meaningful conversations about the foundations of a free society,” according to their website.

Republican officials in Oklahoma and Florida have also announced partnerships with Turning Point to expand the organization’s presence. Those partnerships rely on interested students to initiate the clubs, while Turning Point provides them with organizational support.

Abbott on Monday sought to distance Turning Point from any particular political party, comparing it to organizations like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes currently present in many public schools.

The governor acknowledged that it is highly unlikely he would endorse a similar initiative for more progressive, left-leaning causes, but added that “it would not be illegal” for them to exist in public schools.

[At least he's open about his plans for biased political indoctrination.]

National security.....(I suppose one could argue that feeding Trump's ego is a matter of national security)

I start the Caplyta tonight the latuda 40mgs are FINALLY in at the pharmacy and my wife is going to pick them up after work today. Please pray that the Caplyta does its job and works well I'm hopeful for the medication. Also, my psychiatrist is refusing to refill my Ativan and is basically making me stop Ativan cold turkey so I'm hoping and praying I don't get any withdrawal symptoms from that this time.

I've been trying to get off of Ativan for several months now. I've successfully managed to get it down to .25mgs but cannot lower it down further than that and everytime I try removing ativan from my system my body withdrawals from it. It feels and hopeless to get off from it but I get why they're refusing to refill it I just wish they would refill it one last time so that I could slowly taper off instead of making me go from a quarter milligram to nothing that's just asking for withdrawal symptoms but whatever...

After this latest tirade, please pray that this demented fool in the Whitehouse will get a brain, get a heart, or get impeached. We need better; it's time for a change and I hope leaders and the rest of us will step up to the plate. May we all contract a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome- until there's no more need.

During a recent interview, Jenny McCarthy discussed her conservative values and said she “completely surrendered” to Jesus after Charlie Kirkwas murdered. Although the 53-year-old actor has “always been a follower of Christ,” she said the September assassination of conservative commentator Kirk caused her to become “so devoted” to Jesus.

On the Dec. 11 episode of “Culture Apothecary,” host Alex Clark asked McCarthy about her activism and her views about Hollywood, which led to conversations about values and faith. The actor, who was raised Catholic, said she has “a very deep relationship with God.” McCarthy explained, “Some people have to work really hard to hear him. I’ve got a direct line. I mean, Jesus is my homie.”

Continued below.

On Friday, Dec. 12, Angel Studios, the streaming platform that introduced the world to “The Chosen,” announced it will release a new animated adaptation of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” in theaters nationwide on May 1, 2026. The studio acquired theatrical distribution rights for the project, which is led by director Andy Serkis.

According to Angel Studios’ website, the streaming platform that is “powered by over 1 million Angel Guild members [is] driven by purpose, and built to share stories that amplify light.” In addition to “The Chosen,” Angel Studios has distributed “Sound of Freedom,” “The King of Kings,” Bonhoeffer,” “Homestead,” “Cabrini,” “Sound of Hope,” “The WingFeather Saga,” and the upcoming animated film “David.” It is also often heralded as a family-friendly alternative to the Disney+ streaming platform.

Continued below.

I came from Somalia at 19. Let me tell you about the America I met.​

<excerpt>

"Years passed, and my assumptions about life in America kept collapsing. I enrolled in a federally funded job training program, where I started out learning to be an electrician and left with a path to college. I studied public affairs at a public university while working about 30 hours a week as a bus driver. I interned at a federal agency in Washington. I graduated with high distinction and was chosen to give the commencement speech for my class.

People opened doors for me. They offered mentorship without expecting anything in return. They connected me to opportunities I did not know existed. In college, I spent a semester in D.C. as part of a leadership program funded by a generous American sponsor. Later, I studied abroad, financed by another generous American who did not even know my name. I graduated and started working for a Fortune 500 company. I continued my education further than I ever imagined possible, all the way to a top business school in this country.

Along the way, I eventually accepted a truth that would have sounded impossibly naive to my 19-year-old self: America really does try to live up to its ideals."


Most Americans welcome the immigrant....despite what you hear from Donald J Trump and some of his supporters.