The Indian Army in WW1 - Forgotten Heroes

Things that interest me:

When the first Indian Soldiers arrived in Marseilles, France, September, 1914, the Germans protested: It was against the Geneva Conventions to have "barbarians" fight in a war amongst "civilized" nations.

Brighton, sometimes called Dr. Brighton, was the hospital set up for wounded Indian Soldiers.

1.5 Million Indians served ... as is almost always the case, the Indian Army, and subsequent 

recruitment to fill the increasing number of vacancies and growing need for soldiers, was very much an army of the poor, the unemployed and the hungry.With some remarkable exceptions relied upon by the British - the use of traditional warring cultures for whom war is a most honorable way of life (like America's South?) - from India's northwest, now Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as Sikhs and Nepalese.

For GB, one in six of its soldiers were Indian. By and large, they were treated well, with allowances for food and religion, though like all the soldiers, conditions were terrible, and more died from disease than battle.

Indian Soldiers fought in all the theaters of War: the Western Front, Palestine, Mesopotamia and East Africa.

Thanks to the BBC Series on WW1 Podcast - http://www.bbc.com/ww1

Christian Principles and Chick-fil-A

The founder of Chick-fil-A has died, so I've been thinking a bit about his claims, and that of his son, Dan, that their success is built upon Christian Principles! While I offer my sympathies to the family and friends, I'm wondering about:

Christian Principles!

Just what the heck does that mean?

And to what principles, exactly, are they pointing?

Let's try a few:

1) Rearing millions of chickens in abominable environments, stuffing them full of chemicals, slaughtering them mindlessly ... is that in the Bible? Well, maybe ... perhaps the sacrificial system? But that's an ancient Hebrew principle no longer practiced since the destruction of the temple in 70CE. Is this, however, a Christian Principle?

2) Destroy your competition? Well, I suppose this, too, is found in the Bible, when "god" commands the Hebrews to kill everyone and everything they can in order to claim the Promised Land. Is this a Christian Principle?

3) How about the old standby, Tithing? Big givers always like to tout this one, claiming a tit-for-tat deal with god. Sort of, I'll scratch your back with a little cash, and you, god, can scratch my back with obscene wealth. Is that a Christian Principle?

How we doin' so far?

4) Maybe telling gays and lesbians they have no place in God's kingdom? That's a Christian Principle, at least for some Christians. But, when public outcry challenges this nonsense, to offer a chicken-hearted apology? Is that a Christian Principle? Which one of these behaviors is the Christian Principle? I mean, 1) excluding gays? or 2) apologizing when profits are threatened and franchise owners complain? I'm a little confused here.

5) How about "Sell everything you have, give to the poor, then you'll have treasure in heaven, and then follow me" - well, heck, obviously not.

6) ... ... hmmm.

I'm outta ideas ... just what are the Christian Principles followed by the Cathy Clan?

For a little more insight into how this company treats its employees, check this out: http://www.salon.com/2012/08/11/7_things_the_media_missed_salpart/

Chick-fil-A is not a pretty picture. And claiming "Christian Principles" (nota bene - I've used quotation marks for the first time) as a cover may warm the cockles of a Southern Baptist in Texas, but it doesn't stand up under scrutiny.