General election time in Britain invariably means one thing: lots of Labour, Green and Lib Dem posters displayed outside peoples houses and in front windows but hardly any Conservative ones. In my 11 years living and travelling around Kent, I havent seen a single one. The last time I saw one was in the Holland Park area of West London in the early 1990s. If you live in a city centre, they are a rare species indeed. So where are the vote Tory placards?

Their absence has been the norm for decades now, especially since the Thatcherite 1980s. This was when Rik Mayalls character in the comedy The Young Ones popularised the notion that Tories were capitalist scum or fascists (even though the character was an imbecile, and actually a send-up of student radicals). By then it had become the popular consensus that Tories were selfish and money-obsessed and that to vote Labour was an act of supreme virtue and altruism. In the last election, I found myself in the affluent north London area of Crouch End. Nearly every house was festooned with a Labour poster. These were not houses that had any material interest in seeing a Labour; quite the reverse. But I bet it made them feel as one and feel good.

As Twitter has also paradoxically illustrated since, some left-wing people armed with an unshakeable sense of their own moral righteousness, can be quite nasty at times. There has always been that second thought that spiteful people with a grievance and who lack a sense of doubt might put a brick through a window bearing Conservative poster.

A few years ago,James Bartholomew of this magazine coined the term virtue signalling, to indicate people voicing an opinion, usually a left-wing one, and often without sincerity, to ingratiate yourself with your peers.

I like to think I got there first, at least in the context of British society, having written a short book in 2003 which described what I called conspicuous compassion. This phenomenon had shown its roots back in 1985 with Live Aid, where people successfully joined in something bigger than themselves, sung along with Status Quo and Queen.

The real watershed came in 1997. Like many people I found the public outpouring following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales unreal. There were signals that displays of emotion, combined with ostentatious, unconvincing and indeed menacing signs of compassion were becoming the order of the day. Show us you care!, some demanded of the Queen

The 1990s was the decade in which Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse, playing the unctuous DJs Smashy n Nicey, would liked to boast: we do a lot of work for charidee but we dont like to talk about it.

In real life, ribbons for all manner of causes began to proliferate. Remembrance Day poppies got bigger and bigger and were sported earlier and earlier. Minutes silence began to be held for tragedies that were diminishing in gravity. Politicians like Tony Blair were apologising for historical sins, an act that cost them zero in emotional investment.

Anti-war marchers seemed less interested in actually stopping conflicts, but keener to brag about their personal distaste for them. Not in my name was their slogan. This was compassion inflation, mourning sickness. It was not the sign of a more caring society. It was the symptom of a cynical, atomised one that would seize any opportunity to bond with strangers.

Of course, neither virtue signalling or conspicuous compassion described something new. The ideas have their origins in Charles Darwins 1871 book, The Descent of Man, which describes how saying or doing the wrong thing is all part of the sexual selection game. Quite simply, you are not going to get a girlfriend at university if you declare yourself a Tory. Conversely, once you get to middle age you dont really care what anyones going to think of your political views.

By the new millennium I was reading a lot of Friedrich Nietzsche. One quote from Human, All Too Human convinced me he had predicted the future and that I had to write a book about the cranky old German: Observe how children weep and cry, so thatso that they will be pitied Thus the thirst for pity is a thirst for self-enjoyment, and at the expense of ones fellow man. Somehow his infamous loathing of compassion no longer seemed so perverse.

Patrick West is a columnist for Spiked and author ofGet Over Yourself: Nietzsche For Our Times(Societas, 2017)

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What happened to all the vote Tory signs? - Spectator.co.uk

(T)he character of exchange is the primary character of justice. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, Human All Too Human

These reflections are not about this or that judgement, this or that dispute, and this or that historic moment. The day is relevant because a judgement has been made. But the concern is wider, because all judgements make their own mark (as digression, confirmation or violation) in relation to previous judgements, and may have a bearing upon judgements to come. The judge judges a case, or a dispute, within the limits and liberties of law. When we wait for a judge to pronounce judgement, what do we really wait for? To know, to see what he thinks of the case, or the dispute. The figure of the judge takes precedence when the judgement is being delivered. He weighs the facts of the case, and interprets it according to the logic of the law. We expect objectivity, reason, impartiality and clarity in his delivery of judgement. We forget history, we forget pre-judice, and we forget politics.

In other words, we forget the origins of justice, that mysterious and messy place where it comes from. It is not just a place back in time, but something that exists, persists the way the origins of all things exist and persist. For instance, if caste exists, or religious bigotry exists, its origins are also present today. These origins are not to be traced in some undated past. There is nothing ancient about them. Their genealogy can be traced in times much closer to ours. What is necessary to regard and find out is the principle of origins, where the law bares what it hides.

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The point is simple: The task of anyone studying the history of judgements, even of this judgement, or any judgement in the future, will learn from tracing its history back in the time suitable or proper to it, from where both external (historical, political) and internal (subjective, pre-judicial) elements that may (or may not) have a bearing on the judgement can be found. These elements are not traces but signs. Traces dont have a strong bearing on something as historic as judgements. Signs carry the marks of history and politics.So where do we look for the signs in a judgement? Simply: in its language. No judgement can be better or worse than the language it uses to pronounce it. Language carries the political and cultural marks of a judgement. It reveals what a judgement openly hides in its language: the historical and political condition of justice where it bares what it hides.

We must acknowledge that there is no conflict between faith and reason in politics. When faith acts upon its political interests, it uses reason to stamp its (illegal) authority. The question is also not history versus faith. It is how faith depends on history. We need to understand what faith is willing to lose of itself, in order to be political. In other words, we must ask what faith is willing to lack as faith in order to become a mask, a weapon, a slogan in history that symbolises the intention of conquest.History is not simply about facts and evidence. Archeological evidence as historical proof is not enough in political matters. The purely rationalist conception of history that divides the idea of history into binaries of religion and secular, faith and reason, does not take the political aspect of history into account. This division is not to the rationalists advantage as well, when the matter is political. Faith and reason are separate as categories, but not so separate in politics.

Modernity has demeaned faith by making instrumental rationality crucial for its public existence. What is understood as faith is the instrumental rationality of modern politics, masquerading as faith. If there is a conflict of interests between two groups, they will put faith and reason in each others service to argue their matter. The point about history is not simply to create conceptual binaries/distinctions and hierarchies, but to argue how to ethically reconstruct it. The point is to question the legitimacy of power. The law must take the law of history into account, where the idea of power rules over rationalist binaries.Nietzsche traces the origins of justice in a trade-off. Justice is exchange value. Of what? Power. Justice creates the myth (the original myth, if you like), that both parties are equal and the judgement matters to them both equally. Nietzsche calls this exchange of justice as proof of what is forgotten of the original purpose of justice. The judgement is supposed to make us forget our inequality. More crucially, all that is political and real peoples sorrows, struggles, sense of pride and humiliation are all made inconsequential. These are the irrationalities which we struggle for, when we struggle for justice.

To struggle for justice is not simply a struggle for the archeology of evidence. There is a truth apart from the evidence of history: the truth of being other, who is struggling for a false equality because s/he lacks power, who is struggling for a false fraternity, because it has been replaced by relations of interests. The other is the real truth of history that even justice falls short of addressing. Truth is always that excess that justice is forever trying (and failing) to impress, and to heal.

Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee is the author ofLooking for the Nation:Towards Another Idea of India(Speaking Tiger, 2018). He frequently writes forThe Wire, and has contributed toThe New York Times, Al-Jazeera, Los Angeles Review of Books, Guernica, The Hindu, Outlook, Economic and Political Weekly,among other publications.

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Reflecting on the Conditions of Justice - The New Leam

The recent trial balloons about changing the electoral system have been met with derision. But while its reasonable to suspect anything originating with the Likud spin machine, direct election of the prime minister is not a terrible idea.

It should be especially appealing to the center-left, which in the existing system faces a structural problem in leading a government that is truly its own, because that would require working with the Arab parties. Even though many in Israel do yearn for such a thing, theyre probably not in the majority and in any case such a government would struggle.

How would a Blue and White government dependent on the United Arab List (which I have on these pages in fact recommended) respond to provocations from Gaza, Hezbollah or Iran? Its easy to imagine Hamas testing Benny Gantz immediately upon his swearing-in with rockets, hoping his reaction would offend his Arab partners. Bringing down a government is not easy once its sworn in, but it would be hobbled if the Arabs swiftly bolted.

Of course, one might hope such a government would be focused on peace, not war. Even if that happened, any steps toward partition and accommodation with the Palestinians would be hysterically opposed by the right for lacking a Jewish majority. That is racist and undemocratic, but few would be surprised, and Israel does not lack for hooligans who could be incited by the right to violence.

Furthermore, the left in Israel and indeed all over the world does not have the same drive as the right.

It is typical that Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the corruption charges announced last week with an offensive against the legal system he presides over, accusing it of a coup detat despite having benefitted from an array of legal discounts. He is willing to burn down the house and can dupe many into thinking it patriotic.

This typifies the global right-wing populist movement these days, whose willingness to do anything to gain power is why its leaders are often quite rightly accused of vehiculating lies. They have what Nietzsche called the Will to Power (a term whose meaning is debated but which fits Netanyahu like a glove). The left is simply not as determined.

In Israel, the left cannot even devise a narrative to address the complication of its alliance with the Arabs. Its perfectionists and idealists are incapable of creative compromises and wily marketing.

Anyone needing a reminder received it today from Blue and White Knesset member Zvi Hauser who ruled out a government based on United Arab List support because its Knesset members supposedly do not embrace Israels self-definition as Jewish and democratic. You can call Hauser a right-wing fig leaf but he speaks for a much wider group that has trouble grappling with reality as it is.

To state the obvious, its no disgrace that the center-left has no majority without the Arabs. Get over it.

The right has no majority without the Haredim, currently holding more seats than the United Arab List. The Haredi parties are neither Zionist nor democratic. It also has no majority without religious fascists who are neither democratic nor humanist. The mainstream right (even emptied of the few decent leaders who somehow stuck around until a few years ago) currently has about 35 out of 120 seats worth of support on a good day and depends for any majority on forces that politely can be described as problematic. Can anyone imagine prominent Likudniks ruling them out?

This landscape is why the left is always yearning for a unity government with the Likud (but one that it somehow leads). Blue and White has taken this to new lows, practically insisting on it at the expense of other scenarios. One can understand a gesture an outreach to moderate members across the aisle. But what kind of potentially ruling party runs around begging its rival (and in this case a rival it views correctly as destructive to society) for support and partnership? It is bizarre, offensive and political foolish.

The Likud, sensing this pitiable weakness, is not likely to give in, even if it has one seat less by part count, as it does today.

Even in the wider sense, Israel faces an intense problem forming coherent governments, because the population is too fragmented for a majority that cuts across all the issues: the territories with their millions of Palestinians, the economy, the role of religion, and cultural and social matters.

Just as one example, nationalists who want to be on the right have needed to also align themselves with religious fanatics who oppose the study of math and refuse to allow a normal weekend to take place. That is because the right has in fact needed to be the right-religious bloc in order to get a majority. That was never going to be stable, and it led to Avigdor Libermans 2019 abandonment of Netanyahu with the resulting prospect of three elections within 12 months.

Governments are unlikely to enjoy widespread acceptance under such circumstances. This is more dangerous to the left than to the right, because the left these days tends to be less likely to revolt when it does not get its way. But even the left has a devil of a time coming to terms with the type of government that the system has foisted upon it. The whole thing is a crisis of legitimacy, of the sort that has led to revolutions, civil wars and the collapse of empires.

It mirrors whats going on in America. But there, for all the unhappiness and unfairness of the Electoral College, with its imposition of minoritarian governments, at least there is a clear winner. Israel could use one as well and that is what a direct election of the prime minister would offer. A decision by the public that is inarguable, even if it is absurd.

The procedure can be debated. How to define and limit powers? How to enable the prime minister to govern, when the party breakdown is likely to stay much the same (since party voting is more of a census than an election)? That was the problem with the last direct election effort, which foundered when prime ministers struggled to maintain a Knesset majority and gradually lost legitimacy.

One possibility is to not require a majority perhaps allowing a supermajority to remove the prime minister and dissolve the Knesset. Another is to grant the elected prime minister a large bloc of seats automatically, yielding a majority in most cases. Yet another is to introduce mandatory voting (meaning a penalty for not voting); that may have the effect of helping the left, which currently suffers due to the low voting rates among the Arabs (that have no equivalent, of course, on the Haredi side).

Whatever the details of the arrangement, it would avoid the current fiasco of no elected government.

And the left need not fret so much. Let it find a candidate as clever, focused, ruthless and charismatic as Netanyahu. That may be Gantz, and it may be someone else. One day justice will prevail, and Israel will leave most of the West Bank, and shake off the grip of religious fundamentalists. That day could come in March under the current system; but it is far more likely with a direct election.

Israels politics are in a state of intolerable dysfunction. It is time to drain the swamp.

Dan Perry, a media and tech innovator, was the Cairo-based Middle East Editor of the AP, and chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Israel. Previously he led AP in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Follow him at: twitter.com/perry_dan http://www.linkedin.com/in/danperry1 http://www.instagram.com/danperry63 https://www.facebook.com/DanPerryWriter/

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Direct PM election is not a bad idea - The Times of Israel

Breastfeeding Support Group

LOCATION: Hoops Family Childrens Hospital MOMS classroom, third floor

INFORMATION: Facilitated by a certified lactation consultant, this informal setting is a great way for new moms to exchange information and experiences about breastfeeding. There is no cost and registration is not required. More information: 304-526-6358.

LOCATION: Wellness Center Aerobics Room, St. Marys Regional Heart Institute, first floor

INFORMATION: This class combines fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body using principles from aerobics and fitness to achieve cardio and muscle-toning benefits. Cost is $5 per class or a package of eight classes for $35. Free trial classes are available. More information: 304-526-1660.

Gynecologic Cancer Support Group

LOCATION: Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center Resource Room

INFORMATION: This free support group is for women with ovarian, cervical and other gynecologic cancers and their loved ones. Everyone is welcome and no RSVP is required. Refreshments will be served. More information: 304-526-2443.

LOCATION: St. Marys Medical Center Lobby

INFORMATION: St. Marys will dedicate a special memorial Christmas tree in the medical centers main lobby this holiday season to give the community the opportunity to honor loved ones who have passed away. Community members may purchase a special ornament for the tree in honor of a loved one with a minimum donation of $25 to the St. Marys Foundation. To purchase an ornament, call St. Marys Spiritual Care & Mission at 304.526.1188. More information: 304-526-1188.

LOCATION: Cabell Huntington Hospital

INFORMATION: Future big brothers and sisters can learn to help care for the new baby. There is no cost for this class, but registration is required. More information: 304-526-BABY (2229).

Brain Aneurysm, AVM and Stroke Support Group

LOCATION: St. Marys Conference Center, 2849 5th Ave.

INFORMATION: In conjunction with the Joe Niekro Foundation, this free support group is open to anyone who has suffered from a brain aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation (AVM) or stroke and their family members. Registration is not required. More information: 304-399-7478.

Free Diabetic Foot Screenings

LOCATION: Wound Healing Center, 1600 Medical Center Drive, Suite 2500

INFORMATION: Do you suffer from lack of sensation, a feeling of pins and needles, or pain in your feet? If you have diabetes, regular foot screenings are important. Learn your risks at these free, five-minute screenings. More information: 304-399-3510.

LOCATION: St. Marys Wound and Hyperbaric Center, St. Marys Medical Center, ground floor

INFORMATION: Free screenings include an exam, health education and giveaways for people with foot-related concerns or those having difficulty caring for their own feet. Screenings will be provided by registered nurses. More information: 304-399-7450.

LOCATION: Vascular Lab, St. Marys Regional Heart Institute, first floor

INFORMATION: Screenings are for peripheral vascular disease, carotid artery and abdominal aortic aneurysm. The cost is $45 for each test or $99 for all three tests. Screenings are by appointment. More information: 304-526-1492.

LOCATION: Wellness Center Aerobics Room, St. Marys Regional Heart Institute, first floor

INFORMATION: This class combines fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body using principles from aerobics and dance to achieve cardio and muscle-toning benefits. The cost is $5 per class or a package of eight classes for $35. Free trial classes are available. More information: 304-526-1660.

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Healthy classes, events and programs - Huntington Herald Dispatch

As 2019 comes to a close, it's time to reflect on ahistoric and memorable year. Our GolfChannel.com writers weigh in on their favorite moments.

WILL GRAY:Its a moment that might seem inconsequential, given the player involved didnt even make the cut, let alone contend or win. But the scene late Friday afternoon at Royal Portrush is one I wont soon forget, as all of Northern Ireland tried to will Rory McIlroy to the weekend after a disastrous start.

The hype for McIlroys starring role in The Opens return to Portrush lasted only a hole, but by the time he reached the treacherous 16thhole an improbable weekend appearance was still up for grabs. The Ulsterman took dead aim at Calamity, knocked it to 15 feet and rolled in the birdie putt in the chilly mist.

Rory McIlroy would love nothing more than to play The Open weekend. But even in defeat, the homecoming at Royal Portrush proved deeply emotional as the local hero saw his charge at the cut line come up just a shot short.

With nearly every fan on the property seemingly drawn to the narrow passage from the dune overlooking the 16thgreen to the 17thtee, McIlroy strode confidently ahead. It wasnt to be, and minutes later his Open ended, but for a brief instance overlooking the cliffs there was magic in the air and a country united behind its favorite son.

REX HOGGARD:In the twilight gloom Rory McIlroy marched up the 18thfairway at Royal Portrush to thunderous applause. He wasnt going to win The Open. He wasnt even going to play the final two rounds, but the emotion of both the crowd and McIlroy proved how much in meant for golfs oldest championship to return to Northern Ireland.

McIlroy made a mess of his first round, hitting his opening tee shot out of bounds on his way to a quadruple-bogey 8 and a first-round 79. Only in retrospect was the Northern Irishman able to concede he was overcome by the moment.

The last time Rory McIlroy teed it up was last week, when he missed the cut at The Open Championship, but there were lessons to be learned.

But it was McIlroys inspired attempt to make the cut that produced the years best moment. On Friday, he played his first nine holes in 2 under before birdies at Nos. 10, 11 and 12 moved him to within a shot of earning a spot in the weekend field. His attempt to make the cut fell short with a par at the closing hole but the moment, even in relative defeat, was unforgettable.

Today was probably one of the most fun rounds of golf I've ever played, he said following Round 2. It's strange saying that standing here and having had a bit of success and won this championship before. To play in front of those crowds today and to feel that momentum and really dig in, it's going to be a tough one to get over.

RYAN LAVNER:Now that the tournament has smashed all expectations, its safe to admit: I was skeptical about the Augusta National Womens Amateur.

I thought most of the amateur stars would tee it up instead in the LPGA major. (Incorrect.)

I thought the flow of competition would be disrupted by the practice day before the final round. (Nope.)

I thought Augusta National wouldnt be set up in a way that could both challenge the players and still produce the usual fireworks.

Oh, was I wrong about that.

No one knew what to expect from the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur, but Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi put on a display no one will ever forget.

The final-round duel between Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi was so dizzying, their level of play so spectacular, their sportsmanship so inspiring, that it literally made me teary-eyed standing behind the 18thgreen in what eventually became my favorite moment of the year.

Those two players in particular faced such an incredible burden in the inaugural event. They were pioneers, the faces of the tournament, sure-fire future LPGAers who turned down pro checks for amateur glory. They were the first women to compete at the home of the Masters, and yet they handled that responsibility and that stage with such effortless grace, culminating in one sweet moment on 18: The birdie, the roars, the hug.

Why did that moment resonate so deeply? Seven months later, Im still not exactly sure. Maybe it was because, having covered the college game, Id gotten to know Kupcho and Fassi over the past few years, and I was happy to see their success. Perhaps it was because their genuine respect and admiration for each other, even in the heat of competition, was so refreshing. But its most likely because the first edition of the ANWA had been so unexpectedly brilliant that now the future seemed limitless for those two stars who will be inextricably linked, sure, but also for the thousands of young girls watching at home, hoping one day that could be them.

RANDALL MELL:There were so many magical moments in golf this past year, from Tiger Woods winning the Masters to Hinako Shibuno introducing her charms to the world in her victory at the AIG Womens British Open to Suzann Pettersens fairy-tale walk-off ending to the Solheim Cup, but none was more enchanting than what Amy Bockerstette gave us at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

I got this!

Her words didnt just stick in the minds of so many people who watched and re-watched her viral moment. They stuck in so many hearts. Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar and Norman Vincent Peale couldnt top her inspirational message.

Amy Bockerstette, a 20-year-old golfer with Down syndrome, got to play the iconic 16th hole at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and made par with Gary Woodland watching.

The Special Olympics golfer with Down Syndrome made a lifelong friend in Gary Woodland, getting up and down for par from that bunker at TPC Scottsdales iconic 16thhole earlier this year.

Shes meant everything for me from a mental standpoint, said Woodland, who went on to win the U.S. Open four months after playing alongside Amy. Her attitude, her love of life, her love for the game and her positive energy is so contagious.

Her message was a gift to anyone who watched her make par in Phoenix.

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Punch Shot: What was the most memorable moment of 2019? - Golf Channel

If you have found yourself stuck in a rut wondering what you are really doing every day, then check out some of these uplifting quotes to start your day. These quotes will bring a new meaning to every day and make you realize that every day is equally important.

Here are 20 motivational quotes to start your day

You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. Zig Ziglar

Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working. Pablo Picasso

Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. Angela Bassett

Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too. Isabel Allende

Don't bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. Aim for the company of immortals. David Ogilvy

I have stood on a mountain of nos for one yes. Barbara Elaine Smith

If you believe something needs to exist, if it's something you want to use yourself, don't let anyone ever stop you from doing it. Tobias Ltke

First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won't. Habit is persistence in practice. Octavia Butler

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourselfthe invisible, inevitable battles inside all of usthat's where it's at." Jesse Owens

Someone will declare, I am the leader! and expect everyone to get in line and follow him or her to the gates of heaven or hell. My experience is that it doesnt happen that way. Others follow you based on the quality of your actions rather than the magnitude of your declarations. Bill Walsh

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Dale Carnegie

"If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever." Thomas Aquinas

"You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches." Dita Von Teese

"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Calvin Coolidge

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. Arthur C. Clarke

Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently. Maya Angelou

"I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now." Edna Mode

"The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone elses highlight reel." Steve Furtick

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. Amelia Earhart

I will not lose, for even in defeat, theres a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me. Jay-Z

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Here are 20 motivational quotes to start your day - India Today

When a young woman travels from New York City to an ashram in India to overcome her struggles with mental health, an exuberant guru's lessons provoke reflections on prayer, summer camp, and the role of Judaism in the lives of her late father and his biological mother, a Holocaust survivor he never met. At select moments, the audience is invited to move, chant, and reflect on their own spiritual journeys and identities-the ones we inherit and the ones we make for ourselves. A funny, poignant, lightly interactive solo show about spiritual healing and identity. http://www.thejewintheashram.com.

"The Jew in the Ashram is devastating, hilarious, comfortably interactive and piercingly real. Amanda's story is all of ours in its relatability and also unique to her own journey. Jew or not, adult or teen, all will enjoy this piece is as both a stand-alone work of art and an educational experience, setting the stage for further exploration." Sarah Sokolic, Executive Director, Lab/Shul

Thurs Jan 9, 2020. 8-9pm. One night only!

Whitefire Theatre. 13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

$20, available here - https://thejewintheashram.brownpapertickets.com/

Amanda Erin Miller (Creator, Performer) is an NYC-based writer, actor and Jewish educator. She has performed The Jew in the Ashram in a variety of settings including Temple Beth Shalom of Hastings, NY; The Kings Bay Y in Brooklyn, NY; Brandeis Collegiate Institute in Simi Valley, CA; Fringe Festivals, yoga studios and more. In 2013, her memoir One Breath, Then Another was published on Lucid River Press. Since 2010, Amanda has been combining theater arts, yoga and Jewish education in her work with synagogues and camps including Lab/Shul, Kolot Chayeinu, Temple Emanu-El, Union Temple and Sprout Brooklyn. She holds an MFA Creative Writing from The New School and a BFA in Acting from NYU.

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THE JEW IN THE ASHRAM At Whitefire Theatre's Solofest 2020 - Broadway World

In yet another hearing of Nithyananda case, there are four more parents who have come forward and filed Habeas Corpuses and stated their grievances that the Gujarat Police is keeping the children against their will and not letting the children also meet their parents. The parents and children were as follows - Girish Turlapati father of Natanga Turlapati (14), Satish Selvakumar father of Prisha Satish(16), Anil Kumar father of Bhuvan Pallav (17), Mani Ramalingam father of Ashwath Mani (17).

In these habeas Corpora, the petitioner claims that the 'Gurukul has become a war zone. What is the need for so much police in a place of education?' Also that the children are kept against their will in the ashram premises.

When the matter came to hearing in High Court, the judge said that the minors who are in the ashram will have to be produced in the court so that it can be understood that the children are not kept against their will. The children and the investigating officer need to be called to the court and their statements will be recorded before the court of law. When the parents were called, the court individually asked all of the children on whether they wanted to live with parents or in the ashram. To this, the children replied that they indeed wanted to live in the ashram.

READ | Nithyananda case: Parents of missing girls ask 'What are the police doing?'

The judge enquired that since the adults (both saadhvis) and in-charge of the ashram were in police custody, who was taking care of the children in Ashram. There were several ashram volunteers who were present in the court and said that they are the temporary custodians of the children. The court, not convinced, said that there needs to be a child welfare committee official and a lady official present at the ashram at all times.

READ | Nithyananda case: HC calls parent's claim of police torturing children 'baseless'

The petitioners also stated their grievance that the children had been interrogated in an abusive manner and that there were obscene videos that were shown to the children by police officers. That, the police officers had been abusing the children and were saying 'if you continue to be in the ashram, you will be raped.'

To this, the judge stated, "We all have to bear with the police investigation, but it is of utmost importance to this court that the children are not traumatized. Investigation shall not be thwarted or hampered for anything and if interrogation of children needs to be done - it needs to be done in a legal manner. They should not be traumatized", the judge said.

READ | EXCLUSIVE: Nithyananda had applied for citizenship & asylum in Belize, Central America

The court told the public prosecutor representing the Gujarat police, that they (parents) can be frisked before entering and full checking can be done but you can't prevent the parents to meet children. Also that the parents can not be present during taking statements of the children (since they are witnesses in the case), and that 'no shelter to parents behind their children'.

In the end, the court also stated that there needed to be a CWC official and a lady officer also present during the statement recording of the children. While the written order was reserved for tomorrow, the judge stated that the parents' comings and goings will be recorded and they will be checked before entering the premises under investigation.

READ | Nithyananda's Ashram in Karnataka under lockdown, visitors entry prohibited

Lastly, the judge said, 'court is not concerned with the criminal investigation. Primarily it looks like none of the children arekept against their will. Police will allow parents to visit children from tomorrow.'

READ | Nithyananda's advocate reacts to the allegations on his client

Originally posted here:

Children in Nithyananda Ashram produced before the Gujarat High Court - Republic World - Republic World

When Sangeetha Arjunan died in 2014 at an ashram run by Nithyananda, a controversial godman who the police now say has fled the country, his organisation said she had suffered cardiac arrest.

But Sangeetha's mother, Jansi Rani, says she's certain her daughter was killed. And she wants the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe.

In an interview with India Today TV, Jansi Rani spoke at length about her ordeal, from the time when Sangeetha was still an inmate at Nithyananda's Bengaluru ashram to events surrounding her death.

'HELD CAPTIVE'

A native of Trichy, Sangeetha Arjunan lived in the Bengaluru ashram between 2008 and 2014. At the time of her death -- December 28, 2014 -- she headed the computer department. She was only 24.

Jansi Rani told India Today TV she made multiple attempts to bring her daughter back home.

Not only was Sangeetha in "a very bad state", but she also once admitted ashram authorities claimed the right to hit inmates, who consented to the harsh punishment in a signed form, Jansi Rani said.

Then, one day, Sangeetha herself said she wanted to come back, her mother said.

Jansi Rani gave a chilling account of what followed: no sooner had they reached home than four men arrived to take Sangeetha back; they claimed she had stolen from the ashram and threatened to go to the police.

Once at the ashram, Sangeetha was "held captive", and Jansi Rani wasn't allowed in despite going there "more than ten times" and standing outside the gates "for hours".

Jansi Rani said she wasn't allowed to speak to her daughter on the phone. She said two others in the ashram -- Hamsananda and Pranananda -- kept making excuses to avoid her calls.

The ashram "made me promise before God that I wouldn't go to the media," but also promised to return Sangeetha, she said. But it wasn't to be.

"I never saw my daughter again."

Alive.

'I DON'T HAVE ANYONE'

An official release with the Nithyananda Sangha's account of the circumstances surrounding Sangeetha's death can still be accessed on its website.

It says Sangeetha died of "sudden cardiac arrest", but that's not all: it goes on to describe a family "with a history of cardiac problems leading to death at a young age" and contains links to CCTV footage and testimonies by a number of people, including a video of Jansi Rani thanking Nithyananda for healing her.

But Sangeetha's family has said she did not have a heart condition.

"My daughter was killed. I am sure of it," Jansi Rani told India Today TV.

She said Nithyananda's organisation wanted to cremate Sangeetha at an ashram; it was only due to her "continuous insistence", she said, that she was allowed to bring her daughter home.

Then there's the issue of the post-mortems.

Jansi Rani said an initial examination was done only when she insisted on bring her daughter's body home to conduct last rites.

Relatives noticed swelling and clotting on her legs, Jansi Rani said, and she then complained at the Ram Nagar police station in Bengaluru.

A second post-mortem, carried out under pressure from Jansi Rani, found there were "no organs" inside Sangeetha's body.

A high court judge observed last year that the second autopsy "revealed that important organs were removed" in the first one, according to a report by The News Minute.

Jansi Rani said there's been no progress in the case.

"It has been five years since I filed a case in a Karnataka court," Jansi Rani said. "Only a year back did a judge say that the case can be transferred to CBI, but within ten days of the observation, the judge was transferred."

She remembered how, in 2014, she requested parents with children at the Nithyananda ashram to bring them back. "They should not face a fate similar to my daughter's," she said.

And she described the toll the ordeal has taken on her family.

"After my daughter, my husband -- heartbroken -- suffered for two years and then died," Jansi Rani said. "Now I dont have anyone."

"I have lost everything."

Link:

My daughter was murdered, I've lost everything: A Nithyananda disciple's mother recalls her ordeal - India Today

More News 28 Nov 2019 | 5:31 PM

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Originally posted here:

Nityanand Ashram case: Police custody of accused women extended - United News of India