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\|Videos\|\|News Feed\|\|Syndicate the Show\|\|About\| Minn., county argue over gay marriage ban defense New England Cable News • Sep 17, 2012 Three gay couples have sued to overturn the state law limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples. The defendant is the Hennepin County official who issues marriage licenses, and the state and county each think the other should be responsible for his defense and pay his court costs. Judge Mary Dufresne has 90 days to decide. A trial isn't possible until she does, so it's extremely unlikely there will be a resolution before Election Day, when Minnesota voters will decide whether the ban already in state law should be strengthened by putting it in the state constitution. Keep in Touch
Happy New Year Mustang Fans! We are two weeks away from the 11th induction into the Southwest Minnesota State University Athletics Hall of Honor. The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 26 and tickets are now on sale to the general public by calling the SMSU athletics office. The festivities will begin at noon in the SMSU Conference Center Ballroom, with a half-hour social followed by lunch and the induction ceremonies beginning at 12:30 p.m. Tickets for the lunch and ceremony are $15 per person. To reserve a ticket for the banquet please call the SMSU athletics office at 507-537-7271. This year's induction class includes: former men's basketball player Frank Belmont, swimmer Mike Fallon; football player Jason Jacobs, football and baseball player Rich Rhinesmith, basketball player Andrea (Schreier) Sawatzky, former head baseball coach Jim Denevan, community members and supporters of SMSU athletics Brian and Kris Gruhot and Dan Snobl, and the 1991 volleyball team. The SMSU Athletics Hall of Honor was established in 1992 and inducts new members every two years. Also on tap for Jan. 26 is the annual SMSU women's and men's basketball Alumni Day. SMSU will host Winona State later that night as part of "Hawaiian Night" in the R/A Facility. What SMSU Women's Basketball Player holds the top spot for career 3-Point field goals made at SMSU? The first person to email me at MustangHoofPrints@SMSU.edu with the correct answer to this question will receive an SMSU t-shirt. The SMSU women's basketball alumni game will start at 10 a.m. and will be followed by the SMSU men's basketball alumni game at 11 a.m., with both games being played in the PE Gym. Following the games, all alumni are invited to attend a brunch starting at noon, provided by SMSU boosters Kevin and Karla Anundson. SMSU basketball alumni will receive two free tickets to the Mustang basketball doubleheader on Saturday night versus Winona State starting at 5 p.m. The evening will close with a post-game social starting at 9 p.m. The location for the post-game social will be announced at a later time. All basketball alums are encouraged to RSVP by January 21 to receive your free tickets. Please contact SMSU assistant women's basketball coach Clare Duwelius at email@example.com or SMSU head men's basketball coach Brad Bigler at firstname.lastname@example.org , or call 507-537-7986. Gold Rush Raffle Tickets are now available! As of today, we have 96 Gold Rush Raffle Tickets turned in to the SMSU Department of Athletics. You can contact Mike Ellingson, Brian Gruhot, Ken Mukomela and Karen VanKeulen who all have tickets. The 10th Annual Gold Rush Raffle held on Friday, Feb. 22, at the SMSU Conference Center. We have some great live and silent auction items planned for this year's event. The Gold Rush Raffle Committee has set a goal of raising $50,000 this year with all the proceeds going to SMSU Athletic Scholarships. Please mark your calendars now for this great mid-winter social event. For more information on the Mustang Athletics, please go to SMSUmustangs.com. This Week in Mustang Athletics: The SMSU wrestling team begins competition this weekend as they head to Gunnison, Colo. on Saturday for four duals hosted by Western State University (Colo.). After nearly a month hiatus due to the holiday break, the Mustangs will participate in the 23rd annual Tracy Borah Duals. SMSU will take part in four duals versus Colorado Mesa, California Baptist, Western State (Colo.) and Colorado State-Pueblo. SMSU is a perfect 7-0 in dual matches this season. The Mustangs are coming off a trio of dual victories against Ridgewater Community College, St. John's University and Itasca Community College. The SMSU men's basketball team will be at home this weekend for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games at the R/A Facility. The Mustangs (7-7, 4-3 NSIC) will welcome St. Cloud State University (9-2, 5-2 NSIC) to the R/A Facility on Friday with tip-off set for 8 p.m. SMSU will turn around on Saturday and face the University of Minnesota-Duluth (4-7, 2-5 NSIC) on Saturday with game time set for 7 p.m. SMSU is coming of an NSIC road split last weekend losing to Winona State in overtime on Friday night. On Saturday, the Mustangs travelled to Upper Iowa, where the Mustangs knocked off the Peacocks 74-69. The SMSU women's basketball team (1-11, 0-7 NSIC) will host the top two teams in the north division of the NSIC this weekend at the R/A Facility. The Mustangs will battle St. Cloud State (10-1, 6-1 NSIC) on Friday with the contest beginning at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the Bulldogs come to Marshall with UMD posting an 8-3 overall record going 5-2 in the NSIC. Game time on Saturday is 5 p.m. The Mustangs are coming off a pair of NSIC losses to Winona State and Upper Iowa last weekend. Following this weekend's games, SMSU will hit the road for a mid-week NSIC match-up at the University of Sioux Falls on Tuesday. The SMSU wheelchair basketball team will be back in action on January 19-20 at home as they take on the Rollin' Timberwolves with two games on Saturday and one on Sunday. I would like to wish all of our Mustang teams the best of luck this weekend! Congratulations to Cletus Lanners, who provided the correct answer to the last week's Mustang Hoofprints Question: What SMSU Men's Basketball Player holds the top spot for career 3-Point field goals made, attempted and highest field goal percentage for the Mustangs? Matt Fletcher holds all three records related to 3-Point shooting recording the greatest number of field goals scored with 305, attempting 681 field goals while shooting .448 percentage from behind the arc.
We've got a new art print in the files for you fine folks to purchase. The art was created by Chicago based artist Justin Santora. It is titled Please Stop Keeping Me At Arms Length. The print is a hand drawn, hand sepped, and hand printed signed/numbered edition of 60. Eight screens were used with a bunch of split fountains and a few transparent colors. You can pick one up directly from the artist or through his classified ad at GigPosters.com Our allotment of the print is currently available by contacting us through the marshhouse contact page Order your copy today.
Ruth takes a risk and makes her interest in Boaz known in this fourth sermon in the Redeeming Ruth series. Pastor Mark explains Boaz’s humble and loving response and how it reflects the character of our gracious God. 3:1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.” 14 So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, 17 saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” 18 She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” You’re listening to “Redeeming Ruth,” a sermon series following the events from the Book of Ruth, presented by Pastor Mark Driscoll. Follow this wonderfully written story of the redemption to be found in Jesus and his people, and learn how it applies to everyday people today. This is a presentation of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. For more information, go to marshillchurch.org. “Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, ‘My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash, therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak, and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But, when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.’ And she replied, ‘All that you say, I will do.’ “So she went down the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her, and, when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. And she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and lay down. “At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet. He said, ‘Who are you?’ and she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.’ And he said, ‘May you blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer, yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good. Let him do it. But, if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.’ “So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, ‘Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.’ And he said, ‘Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.’ So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law she said, ‘How did you fare, my daughter?’ And she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, ‘These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’’ She replied, ‘Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today.’” Good evening, Mars Hill. Good to see all of you. We are in part four of six weeks on the Book of Ruth. This week we look at Ruth gone wild, the most difficult text in all of Ruth. She goes tanning and everything. Pray for me; it’s a very complicated text. My name is Mark. I’m one of the pastors here at the church. We’re gonna get right to work in a moment. If you’ve got a Bible, go to Ruth, chapter 3. So, I will go ahead and pray, and we will get right to work. How many of you’ve read ahead and know the very difficult text I’m in for tonight? So, it should be fun. There’s some funny stuff in here, too, I promise you. So we’ll get there in a moment. And it’s good to have you guys out on what I think is the biggest Sunday we’ve ever had. Things are going really well here at the church. So just pray for more seats, or this sermon could free some up. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll pray. Father God, we love you. We thank you for scripture. We accept it as perfect and authoritative and true and helpful. And God, we’re here tonight to hear a word from you from scripture. I pray, God, you would enable me to do a good job instructing those who have gathered in your Word. God, I pray your Holy Spirit would enable us to hear and understand and apply what it is you would have for us. God, I pray that the men would learn from the example of Boaz; that the women would learn from the example of Naomi, and Ruth, and that through this, Lord God, when all is said and done, we would have a clearer understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how he is like Boaz, and how we are to come to him, like Ruth. And so, God, we give our time to you and we pray that our time would be pleasing to you and that it would be profitable to us, as we ask this in Jesus’ good name. Amen. Well, I’ll catch you up to speed. If you are new, I’ll go through the first two chapters of Ruth briefly to sort of catch you up in what is one of the greatest short stories in all of scripture. It takes place in the time of the Judges, we are told, which is a time of sin and rebellion and folly, that lasts over 100 years, and is roughly 1,000 years before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you want to read more about that, you can just go to the Book of Judges, and that will give you, essentially, the historical backdrop for the same time period as the Book of Ruth. And we’re told that in a town called Bethlehem, which means “house of bread,” there is, ironically enough, a famine, seemingly indicative that God has judged his people for ongoing sin of many sorts and kinds, including sexual sin, and he has refrained his blessing until they repent. What happens then is that the story shifts to a very normal, average family headed by a man named Elimelech, his name meaning, “my God is King.” He has a wife named Naomi, her name means “pleasant” or “sweetheart,” and they have two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, which are weird names ‘cause they mean “sick” and “dying”. Nonetheless, what happens is that the famine strikes the town, and Elimelech determines that it is best for he and his family to relocate. And so he makes a very foolish and tragic choice of all the places that he could have chosen. He chooses the town of Moab, Moab being a place that God’s people are not supposed to go. The Moabites are descended from an incestuous relationship between Lot and one of his daughters in Genesis 19, that led to the birth of a son named Moab; through him come the Moabite people. They’re very godless; they’re very perverted; they have all kinds of sexual sin. Furthermore, they do not worship the God of the Bible. They, instead, worship a false god named Chemosh. Nonetheless, he moves his family there. And in this, he makes a tragic error, as many men do. He is only looking at the economic opportunity in Moab; he’s not asking questions like where will we go to church? With whom will we fellowship? Who will my sons marry? Who will my wife have for friends and accountability? What Bible study could we possibly attend? He overlooks all of the spiritual questions and simply pursues the financial opportunities and heads to Moab. There, the boys grow up and they want to marry. There are not godly women there, so they marry two Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. What happens is, tragically, Elimelech dies, Mahlon and Chilion, his two sons, also die. They went to Moab to avoid death and that’s the exact thing that occurred. They died. That left three widows: Naomi, the mother-in-law; Orpah and Ruth, the younger daughters-in-law. And it left them in a very destitute and precarious situation: no husbands, no children, no sons, no protection in that cultural condition, very vulnerable. Naomi’s life is very hard and then she hears that back in Bethlehem, her hometown, God has ceased frowning and has begun smiling upon his people, and that he has lifted the famine, and that he has blessed them. And now there is a harvest, and she hopes and prays and trusts that as God has been good to his people, if she returns home, that God could indeed smile upon her and bless her as well. So she decides to return home to Bethlehem. Well, accompanying her, initially, are Ruth and Orpah, who love their mother-in-law, and she also loves them very much. But along the way she realizes she really has nothing to offer these women. So she encourages them to return home to their families, and perhaps to remarry and start their life over. Orpah agrees to that and does return home; Ruth has a genuine conversion experience along the way to Bethlehem and says, “No, I want to worship God and I want to be with his people, so I need to get to Bethlehem.” This would be akin to a young woman meeting Jesus and saying, “I wanna go to Seattle because I want to be a member of Mars Hill. I need to get baptized; I want to get into a Bible study. I want to have Christian friends. I wanna grow in my relationship with God.” And that’s, essentially, what Ruth is saying. And so they move to Bethlehem. Well, upon arriving, all of the old friends of Naomi and citizens of the town gather together and the women ask her, “How are you doing? It’s been over a decade.” She says, “I’m not doing well. Don’t call me Naomi,” which means sweet, “call me Mara which means bitter, because my life has become very hard. I left here with my hands full. I come back with my hands empty, and I’m bitter. I’m frustrated. I’m angry. I’m unhappy at how my life has turned out.” I believe in this, she’s declaring her situation and she is not in a good place, but she is declaring it to other women who love God in an effort to get accountability, prayer, support, help. She’s crying out to her church for some support. The scene then shifts to where the two widows are essentially facing starvation. They’re very hungry. They have nothing to eat. They’re very poor and destitute. Ruth looks at her mother-in-law and asks permission to go glean in the fields, which is the equivalent of going to the Hebrew Food Bank or to the soup kitchen to get a bite to eat. It’s very dangerous to venture out into the city as a young woman, all by yourself, and then to head out into the country, and to work in a strange man’s field with a bunch of guys you don’t know. But she trusts the Lord to provide. She’s a woman of great faith. Naomi grants her permission. She heads out to the field, and scripture says in chapter 2, “It just so happens, by God’s providence, she ends up in the field of a man named Boaz,” who just happens to love God, who just happens to be loaded, who just happens to be very much single, who happens to see her, who happens to initiate a conversation, blesses her, prays for her, feeds her, gives her a great job, gives her a very generous gift for her and her mother-in-law. He looks like the perfect husband. Here comes the guy on the white horse to save the day and get the princess. She goes to her job, working for him every day for six or seven weeks, and they never have a second date. He doesn’t call. He doesn’t follow up. Nothing. She’s left hanging. What got off to this great, romantic, sparks flying, “Could this be the one?” All of a sudden, nothing. Like the average guy. He does not know how to close the deal. He does not follow through. And she is left to wonder, “Where are we? Are we friends? Are we more than friends? What are we? We need to have the ‘defining the relationship’ conversation.” For six or seven weeks she goes to work, comes home, Naomi, “Did he show up?” “Yes.” “What did he say?” “Nothing. I think we’re friends, but I’m not sure.” And now time is running out. This is a temp job, right? Contract is up at six weeks. Harvest is over. They go their separate ways. We’re down to days, or hours, and no! Will there be love? Will there be romance? Will she get to wear white? Where are the babies? Will this happen? We need to know. This is like every good novel and television show and movie where these people are friends, and they should fall in love, and they never quite get there. So now, Ruth and Naomi need to decide, “What can we do to bring this man Boaz to be married to this woman, Ruth?” And at this point, they’re only truly two options. One is the way of scripture, and if she had a godly daddy, this is where the godly daddy would get involved. And he would go meet with Boaz, “Boaz, you love the Lord. My daughter really likes you. It seems like you like her. Where are we going? What are we doing? I need to see your doctrinal statement, your 401k. We need to see if you’re the one.” And Daddy was to get involved. And the way it works in scripture, it says that men seek or take a wife, and that daughters are given in marriage. That’s the language of scripture. Genesis says that a man will leave his father and mother; he is then to get a job, get a house, get a clue, get a theology, get a church, get his stuff together, and then he is to pursue a woman for marriage, and that her family is to be involved, making sure that she is not getting hooked up with the wrong guy. And so Dad is to run interference, and give his daughter in marriage. We show this by the father walking a daughter down the aisle and saying, “I give you, my daughter because I love her and I protected her and I believe that you are the man that God has for her.” Now, some of you will say, “Oh, that’s very old and patriarchal and horrible.” Let me tell you from a daddy’s perspective. This is love and protection and safety of the daughter. I have two daughters. My daughter Alexie is three; my daughter Ashley is nine. She’s my oldest child. Let me tell you about me and Ashley. I love this girl with all my heart. I absolutely dig being a daddy to girls. It is the coolest thing in the world. I thoroughly enjoy – I am that Daddy where we go for walks, we snuggle, we read theology together, we pray together. She’s a brilliant theologian. She loves scripture. I mean, she makes me cry all the time. Every test that I can remember her ever taking in school on Bible, she always gets 100 percent, and she brings it home, hands it to me, and I cry like I just won a beauty pageant because my daughter deeply loves Jesus. She reads her Bible every day, prays, journals, and scores 100 percent on all her Bible quizzes because she just really likes her Bible and she likes Jesus. I mean, she just breaks my heart. I love her. I enjoy her. I love hanging with her. I think she’s just a cool gal. She’s not a totally spoiled princess. She has chores and I correct her when she’s wrong and stuff, but we have fun. I’m the Daddy where – I go to the nursery to look at plants. I go to the interior decorating store – ‘cause she wants to maybe do interior design. I go to the art store to get art supplies. I go shoe shopping. I go out for tea. I go out for dessert. I’m that Daddy. We go on all kinds of dates ‘cause I don’t want some junior high kid to be the first, right? So I’m sort of prepping her for what she’s supposed to be looking for. And it’s so cool between Ashley and I ‘cause now she’s at the point, she writes me love letters all the time. I got here this morning, and my daughter left me a love letter on my desk. And she said – it’s a picture of her and me holding hands, smiling, going out for tea or a walk or some such thing, and “Daddy, I love you. I pray you preach a good sermon. Last week’s was good in Ruth and I hope they laugh at your jokes. Love, Ashley.” That’s what she writes. And when I come home tonight, she’ll probably already be in bed, but usually there’s a love letter from my daughter on my pillow. I get love notes from my girl. I mean – I’ve got her heart – I love her. I know who she needs to marry, and who she does not need to marry. I’m very clear on that. I know her the best. I love her the most, and I’m not gonna just let some guy come and put his hands all over her. That’s not the way it’s gonna go. And I was the first one that she wanted to marry, anyways. I’ll tell you the story. When she was three – this is one of my favorite Ashley stories – when she was three we were at Disney World in Florida, her and her mom and I, and her brother Zachy, who’s now seven, but he was only one at the time. I was down there at a speaking engagement, so I took the family with me and took her to Disney World. She was like three or four. It was late at night and we were in the hotel on the Disney property, Disney Resort. And she looks at me, she says, “Daddy, I want to go swimming in the Mickey Mouse pool!” I said, “Well, it’s bedtime.” She says, “But you love me, and we’re at Disney World!” I was like, “That’s a great argument.” So, we got her swimsuit on and we went and jumped in the Mickey Mouse pool, at bedtime, and we’re swimming and playing and I just had this really fun time with my daughter, swimming, throwing her up in the air, teaching her to swim. We came back to the room, and Grace had been there tucking Zachy in, and so I had her standing on the bed and I got a towel to dry her hair, ‘cause she was all wet. And so I had the white towel and I’m drying her hair, and she had it over her head, and she grabbed the ends and she said, “It’s like a veil. Daddy, will you marry me?” I lost it, man. I mean, I, I don’t think guys should cry a lot, but when it’s your daughter, you can cry all you want. That’s my general belief on the deal. I just started bawling. I was like, “She wants to marry me!” So, and I looked at her, and I made her a vow, I said, “Honey, Daddy’s already married, and someday you’re gonna get married, but I give you this vow: I will make sure that the man who marries you loves Jesus and loves you and loves you as much as Daddy loves you.” I made that vow to my daughter. And I intend to keep that vow. Now, when scripture talks about the Daddy being involved in the life of his daughter, that’s what it’s talking about. He knows her the best, he loves her the most, and he wants to make sure that the wrong guys don’t get such a precious, glorious daughter as the one that he loves and has raised. Now, the problem for Ruth is she doesn’t have that kind of Dad, like many of you ladies. She doesn’t have that kind of Dad. Her dad is – we know nothing of her dad. We’ve heard not a word of her dad. She left Moab – if she had a dad, he’s not a believer. He’s a Moabite. And their race and their religion are essentially intertwined, one and the same. She moves to Bethlehem, she comes without even a dollar in her pocket, or a bite to eat. If she has a Daddy, he’s not loved her, protected her, provided for her. He’s not supported her, he’s not done anything. She is on her own. And now she’s got this possibility of a relationship with a man. But the clock is ticking as time is running out and she needs an answer as to where this relationship is going, but her Daddy is not there to do what Daddies are supposed to do. Plan B for her could have been the Moabite way, also known as the Seattle-ite way. Now the Moabite way is we’re all freaky, dirty, weird people, and we live and sleep together and hope that we live happily ever after, which doesn’t often occur. And the Moabites were a sexually perverted, confused people. They were very Seattlesque in how they did things. We are three thousand years removed, amazingly enough. Three millennia removed from the story of Ruth, but the way that her people that she comes from conduct themselves in dating and marital situations is much like our own. If the first way that I told you, where Daddy and family are involved, that’s courting, this other is dating, and I’ll tell you a little bit about dating and I’ll explain this to you historically before we jump into the text, so you have some framework of her second option. Dating was a word that was introduced into the American language in 1896 as lower class slang for prostitution. So, to say, “I’m going out on a date” means I’m picking up my prostitute. Okay? Now stick with me. It gets better. Hang in there. Now, in the early 1900s, women would enter into a relationship of courtship and engagement and marriage through what was known as calling, whereby the man would come to the woman’s house and spend time with the woman and her mother and her father, and his gun, and they would all get together and they would sip tea and visit, and the boy could only come if he had an appointment, and as soon as the appointment was over he would have to leave. And he was in the woman’s safe home environment with her family. And a woman was very concerned about her reputation, so much so that she wouldn’t go out into public, even with a brother or an uncle or a cousin, alone if she was single, ‘cause she wouldn’t want to give the impression that she was out on a date, acting like a prostitute. What happened then was that women’s magazines started to come out beginning with things like the Ladies Home Journal, which quickly sold a million copies, and now you’ve got voices competing with the mother and the father, telling the woman, “Here’s how you should dress, and here’s what guys like, and here’s how you can get one, and if you’re living or sleeping with one, here’s the tricks that he likes,” just like the junk that’s lining the grocery store check-out line shelves, as we speak. So now these young women are hearing, “Oh, well, there’s other options, other than what my mom and dad, who love me, have told me, or maybe what my church has instructed me in.” What happens then is in the 1920s urbanization increases. There’s cities, and in cities now you start getting entertainment centers. You’ve got places to go for dances, and meals, and plays, and eventually there’s movie theaters. Well, then what happens is that the automobile becomes more prevalent, and now young men buy a car and they drive to the lady’s house, and rather than hanging out with her family, they pick her up and get her away from her parents, beginning in the 1930s. And now the woman is taken out of the home and she’s out into the proverbial “Man’s world.” Well, by the 1940s the men realized, “We’re spending a lot of money here. We bought a car, we bought a suit, we picked her up, we took her out to dinner, and a dance. We should get some sexual favors.” This now becomes a commercial business view of a relationship, some of you women have felt this pressure. “He spent a lot of money, he expects me to perform some sort of sexual favor.” By definition, that is prostitution. It is the exchange of a sexual favor for money, or a good, that was paid for. So then there’s a pressure on women to produce sexually. Well, then we see the sexual revolution of the 60s where this becomes far more prevalent. Then the birth control pill is invented so that promiscuous women don’t have to have the same fear of getting pregnant. And then, what we see also occurring is in the 1960s, Playboy comes out, and it is behind-the-counter, sort of hidden, but by the 1970s it and Penthouse are out on the shelf and all of a sudden we have a sexually liberated culture where that now is the ideal type of woman, and women are pressured to be like that, and men are encouraged to spend their money to get something like that. What happens then is that by 1973, abortion is legalized, so that if a woman does become pregnant she can terminate the life of her own child. And by 1974 no-fault divorce is instituted so that even if she does marry a guy she’s lived or slept with and it doesn’t work out, she can get out for any or every reason. The result is that you and I are born into a world that we think is normal because it’s all we know. But I’m assuring you of this. It’s very Moabite. It’s not very Christ-like. It’s not very Biblical. Ruth had before her these two options. If you had a Daddy, he could go talk to Boaz and do the courtship thing. She doesn’t have a Daddy. Plan B is the Moabite way, maybe sleep with him, live with him, give favors for money. He’s a rich guy, and try and go after the rich guy by being the hot gal who crosses all the lines of propriety. She’s gonna come up with a third way. We’re gonna call it “Pulling a Ruth.” That’s what we’re gonna call it. It’s not dating or courtship. We’ll call it “dourting;” that’s kind of what it is. She’s dourting Boaz, and in so doing, she is taking the counsel of an older woman, Naomi. This is sort of echoing the concept of Titus 2: older woman gives counsel to younger. Naomi prayed she’d beget a husband in Ruth 1:9. She was thinking it would be a Moabite. They’re gonna go after big bad brother Boaz, is what they’re gonna do. And her counsel is very risky. Naomi tells Ruth to do some things that are very risky, and before we begin, let me say that this is a descriptive, not necessarily a prescriptive text of scripture. What that means is it tells us what happens; it doesn’t necessarily tell us that we should do it. Likewise, Judas hung himself. You can say, “Oh, it’s in the Bible.” Yeah. We’re not supposed to go do that. It describes what happened. It doesn’t prescribe what we should do. You with me? Okay, I gotta make that point. Here we go. You say, “Why’s he – why’s he” – ‘cause he’s nervous. This is a difficult text. Okay, you ready? Here we go. Chapter 3, verse 1. Buckle up. All you fundamentalists, hope you brought your aspirin. It’s gonna be exciting. Chapter 3, verse 1. That’s my introduction. “Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, ‘My daughter, should I not seek rest for you that it may be well with you?’” You still need a husband and a house. Hmmmm. Is not Boaz – aaaahhhhhh – how’s Boaz? Let’s go after Boaz. Clock is ticking, we’re down to days or hours before the temp job comes to an end. Barley season has come to a conclusion. What about Big Bad Brother Boaz? What do you think, Ruth? “Is not Boaz our relative with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.” I heard there’s a big party, heard Boaz is gonna be there. Here’s what I’m suggesting. “Wash” – ladies, it’s in the Bible – “wash, wash, therefore anoint yourself” – Get that Moabite Madness perfume. He loves that, put that on! Put your cloak on, get a nice little dress, get all dolled up. Here’s what she’s saying, “He’s only seen you totally funkified in the field! He doesn’t think of you in a romantic way because you’re always dirty with a ponytail. You’re always sweaty and pitted out. Go tanning. Get your hair foiled. Get your makeup done. Get your nails done. Get your teeth whitened. Get a new dress. Shave your pits, it looks like you got Don King in a headlock. Oh, come on, that was good. You know it was good – that’s why you came, you were hoping for one of those! So here you go! Now, get all dolled up. He’s not thinking of you in a romantic way ‘cause every time he sees you, you look your worst. Look your best. Get all dolled up. Go to the party. Now ladies, what she’s gonna tell her is this, “Get in front of Boaz, and look nice. Smell nice. Act nice.” Now let me tell you, some of you ladies are like, “But I don’t want to chase a guy.” You shouldn’t chase a guy. But you should get in his way! Right? Single guy, “I need a wife, I need a wife.” Get in his way. If he’s in a Bible study, get in that Bible study. If he’s in a ministry, get in that ministry. If he’s in a circle of friends that are goin’ out after service to go out and hang out somewhere, go. Go. Tell him, “Oh, look, I was wondering where you guys were going.” Sure. “I need a ride.” Get in front of him. ‘Cause guys, we’re not brilliant. Right? We’re sort of thick, you know? It’s like, “I need a girl. There’s one.” I mean, you make it, you know. Make it easy. See what I’m saying? Good counsel. Get in front of Boaz. Look your best. “But” – this is good – “do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.” Yes. Now some of you women are single and you don’t understand men, and so you will ask other single women about a man and the truth is, they do not know anything about men. That’s why they don’t have one. If you want to understand a man, go ask a woman who has one. Ask a married woman. Say, “I don’t understand this man. You have one. Translate.” Now, Naomi translates for Ruth. She says, “Now, when you go there, don’t walk up to him and say, ‘We need to talk. I don’t know where we’re at in our relationship.’” Let the man finish his chicken wings. Let the man hang out with his friends. Let the man watch the ultimate fight on the plasma TV. And then talk to him. So, Naomi says, “I’ve been married for a long time. My husband’s dead, but I get men. I also raised two boys. Don’t just walk up and go emotional train-wreck, baggage and carry-on needy, desperate girl – chill. Just lay cool. Just wait. Patiently. Now what’s he gonna do? He’s gonna eat and drink. Now some of you from fundamentalistic, legalistic, moralistic backgrounds are going to be like, “What does that word ‘drink’ mean?” It means he had some drinks, right? Probably wine, I don’t know. Maybe a beer. You’re like, “Can he do that?” Mmm-hmm. Now, we’ll talk about that. Before I have to fire myself – let me explain our position on alcohol. I didn’t start drinking ‘til I was 30. I have never been drunk. We believe you cannot violate the law, so if you’re under 21 you can’t, you can’t drink. You can’t drink and drive, you know? You know, you can’t. You can’t break the law. Also, you can’t get drunk and you can’t cause anyone else to stumble, and so you don’t want to cause anyone to stumble, but that doesn’t mean you can’t, if you’re obeying the laws of God and the laws of the state, in moderation, have a glass of wine. Have a beer. But, he’s gonna have a drink. He’s a godly man. Now, I’ve heard people say, “Well, that’s a sin.” Well, Jesus made wine at a party. Jesus drank. Jesus didn’t get drunk. Jesus didn’t cause anyone to stumble. Jesus didn’t disobey the law. We say if you’re gonna drink, drink like Jesus. That’s what we would say. And here the drinking is, it is a party. It’s a celebration. They’re all getting together. It’s been years of famine. People are starving to death. God’s blessed them. Now it’s payday. Let’s all get together. Let’s throw a big party. Let’s bring the band and let’s dance and let’s have a glass of wine, and let’s praise God. Let’s have a nice meal, and let’s have a barbeque, and that’s what’s going on. And Naomi says, “Sweetheart, don’t run up with your emotional baggage and drop it on him. Let the guy enjoy his buddies. Let him enjoy the fruit of his labors. Let him enjoy a long, hard harvest season, and then here’s what you do.” This is unbelievable. “But when he lies down” – which is weird because dating really, courting relationships are supposed to be upright, right? You know what I’m talking about? Like, there’s usually not a lot of “and when he lays down,” like, you don’t, you know? Run. I mean, that’s usually what you say. “When he lays down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down and” what? “he will tell you what to do.” I would not tell this to my daughters. I will just say that. This is a complicated text. How many of you think Naomi gave bad counsel, baaaaad counsel? How many think, “Well, she’s a woman of faith. She trusted the Lord, she trusted Boaz and Ruth.” There’s a big debate as to whether or not this is good or bad counsel. Some ask, “Is she telling Ruth to cross the line?” I don’t think so. She’s telling her to dance on it vigorously, that’s for sure. I mean, that’s for sure, right? It doesn’t answer that question, so I won’t answer it. We’ll just keep going, and you could argue about it in your Bible studies this week. What I do love about this is that God’s people are gonna have a great party, and this is a foretaste of the Kingdom where in Isaiah we have the choicest of meats and the best of wines, and we’re supposed to worship God with glad hearts. I love the fact that God’s people know how to party righteously, like Boaz. He doesn’t have a lampshade on his head, you know, drinking beer out of a sack, singing Wham tunes on a, on a karaoke machine. It’s not that. This is redeemed, good, Godly, holy, heaven practicing fun. But let’s just be honest and say that Naomi’s counsel is a little scary. Ruth says, “I’ll do what you say.” When is this happening? The days of the Judges, when there’s all kinds of sexual sin. Who is she sending to lay at the feet of a guy who’s had a few drinks – he’s not drunk, but he’s had a drink or two? Boaz. Who is she? A Moabite. How did her race begin? A young gal waited for a guy to have a couple drinks and climbed into bed with him. Happened to be her dad, gave birth to a son named Moab. This is how the whole funky family got it’s really crooked beginning. This is risky. So, verse 6, she went down to the threshing floor, the hard packed floor. They bring in all the grain. They trample it with animals or with sledgehammers or with carts. They would break the husk. They would then get a fork, a pitchfork, or a shovel. They would throw the grain into the air. The wind would blow the chaff away. The heavier grain would fall to the ground. This was the center of the party. This is where everyone is celebrating. Everybody is thanking God and the band is playing and everybody’s dancing, and this is a big party that looks like the party of heaven, which is what heaven is. It’s a party without sin. “So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her, and, when Boaz had eaten and drunk” – right? He finished his dinner, hung out with the boys, watched the ultimate fight on the plasma TV, had a glass of wine or a beer, “and his heart was merry” – right? This was payday, years of famine. He just hit the jackpot. It’s going well. He’s out with the boys, having a great time. “He went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain.” They would sleep near the grain so that robbers and thieves wouldn’t come and take the harvest and steal everything. Then “she came softly,” – like a ninja – I just made that up. “She came softly and uncovered his feet, and lay down.” “At midnight” – late, dark – “the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet.” There’s a woman! “He said, ‘Who are you?’” Good question! Josiah 9:1 says that prostitutes would also come out to the threshing floor because guys would have a few drinks, not all of them were Godly. They had proverbial money in their pocket, it was payday. The prostitutes would come to the threshing floor. He’s probably worried. “I’m deacon Boaz! Who are you?” Who’s that woman down there? I smell the Moabite Madness. Smells like trouble. “She answered, ‘I am Ruth,” – you know, I can’t do the voice, but you get the idea – “I am Ruth, your servant.” Your servant. Whew. “Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.’” Whoa. Okay, now, here’s what she’s saying. In chapter 2, verse 12, Boaz prayed that God would take her under his proverbial wing. And here she is saying, “Boaz, why don’t you answer that prayer and be God’s wing. Love me, protect me, hold me close, look after me.” Some of your translations will say, “Spread your blanket over me.” This word is used both ways in scripture. It can be translated either way. Putting your blanket over a woman was akin in our day to putting a ring on her finger. It was a proposal for marriage. It was a man, would come to a woman, and this was his public demonstration, saying, “I want you to be my wife. I want to love you and protect you. I want to take you home and have you sleep in my bed, under my covers, as my beloved. I want you to be my wife.” Here’s what she’s saying, “I want you to marry me.” Now, she’s not proposing, but she’s proposing that he propose. Okay? That’s what she’s asking. The question here is, is she asking him to have sex with her? Is she asking for an intimate relationship? Some commentators – I won’t get in to all of the Hebrew – they say that the language here is not just feet, it’s something else. It is feet. I don’t believe that they had any sexual sin. I’ll explain why in a moment. But does she have a desire to be in bed with Boaz, yes or no, under his blanket? Yes. Yes, she does, as his wife. That’s the catch. Some of you ladies have been wrongly taught that you should have no desires. You should. And you should channel them toward marriage, where they have a holy resolution. Right? That’s all. That’s what we believe at Mars Hill. So many of you have been told – because many of you are single – perhaps parents, or youth group, or pastors didn’t want you to be sexually active – which we don’t, either. It’s a sin to have sex outside of marriage. But they’ve told you something very conflicting. They will say, “Sex is dirty, nasty, vile, and wrong, so save it for the one you love.” It’s a very conflicting message. We say it’s glorious, beautiful, and good. God made us male and female, said it’s not good to be alone, wants us to be married, created marriage, wants us to be naked without shame to be one flesh, that the desires need to have a holy outlet. That holy outlet is the man loves Jesus, the woman loves Jesus, they love each other, they get married, and then they have all of their pleasure and enjoyment. They read Song of Solomon and they make it sing again. That’s our position. Now, in this, she is saying, “I would love to be under your blanket as your wife.” Her desires are good, and her outlet for them is holy and sanctified. She wants to be his wife. She’s not asking to have anything inappropriate before the wedding, but she is giving him incentive to hustle up. And she is crossing here a number of taboos. A woman asking a man, a Moabite asking a Hebrew, a younger person asking an older person, an employee asking an employer. She’s very bold. She takes a great risk. The question then begs to be answered, how will Boaz respond? How would you, gentlemen, respond? You guys? Many of you are single. Most of you are single in this service. Imagine a beautiful woman is at the foot of your bed. What do you say? Do you try and manipulate that towards sin? Do you say, “Well, let’s live together for a while.” You know, you don’t know if we’re compatible. Let’s sleep together. Say, “Well, I don’t know, you know? Why don’t you come in here, to bed with me, and we’ll see how it goes.” What will he do? Verse 10. “And he said, ‘May you blessed by the Lord, my daughter.” He prays for her. If this was going the wrong direction, this hits the brakes, right? A woman, “Hi. Who are you?” “I’m Boaz. Anything I can pray for you about?” Boop. You know? I mean, it slows it down. Slows it way down. He’s talking about the Lord. “You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, rich or poor.” He may not have pursued her, not ‘cause he wasn’t interested, but because she was a widow, maybe just coming out of her season of mourning. She’s an employee; he doesn’t want to pressure her. He’s a little older, she’s a little younger. But the ultimate issue is he thinks she is out of his league. Now, it doesn’t look like it. He’s rich, she’s poor. He’s been a believer for a long time, she’s a new convert. He probably comes from a good family; she comes from a bad family. He may be a virgin; she’s not. She’s been married, and maybe active before that, we don’t know. And he looks at her, and what he says is this, “I can’t believe you’d want to be with me.” He’s very humble. He says, “You didn’t go after all the good looking guys? All the good looking guys would love to marry you.” What does this tell you? Boaz is not a great looking guy. He is more on the Homer Simpson end than the Brad Pitt end, you know what I’m saying? He doesn’t have a six-pack. He’s probably got a cooler. That’s Boaz, right? He’s not the best looking dude. But here’s what he has: a job, literacy. He’s a Christian. He loves God. He’s faithful. He’s good to people and he’s gonna be a faithful provider for his family. He’s gonna be a good husband, a good father, a good grandfather. But he looks at her and says, “You could have had any one of those really good looking guys. I’m not one of those good looking guys.” Ladies, sometimes a man doesn’t pursue you not because he’s not interested, but because he doesn’t think that you would be interested in him. And he may be so self-effacing or humble that he may not think that you are looking for someone like him. You get in his way, all of sudden you will say, Boaz tells her, essentially, “You wanna be with me? Sold! Done! I’m in! That’s fine!” It goes on, “And now, my daughter, do not fear.” Don’t be afraid. I’m not gonna manipulate you. I’m not gonna make you live with me, sleep with me. I’m not gonna break your heart. I’m not gonna play games. We’re not gonna have a seven year engagement. Right? I’m not gonna reject you. You can trust – there’s nothing to fear. I’ll take care of this. “I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman, and it is true that I am a redeemer.” In calling her a worthy woman he is echoing what was said of him in chapter 2, verse 1, that he was a worthy man, worthy of respect and praise and emulation. He’s a good man, and now she is a woman of exceedingly good character. In Proverbs 31 the same word is used of the prototypical Proverbs 31 idyllic woman. And here it’s applied to the redeemed Moabite, Ruth. The Hebrews never saw that coming. This woman, just a year before, was an unbeliever, and was a Moabite, and probably worshipping Chemosh. And now she loves the Lord. And she’s had such a hard transformation that, like many of you gals, though she was a woman in sin and a woman who didn’t know God, and a woman who didn’t come from a good family, and a woman who didn’t get a great start, she becomes a woman who is Proverbs 31, worthy of respect, worthy of praise, worthy of love, worthy of the commitment of Boaz. She’s a woman of exceedingly good character. And in this, the scripture is showing, in the words of Paul, that they are in fact equally yoked. Equally yoked. That means they both love the Lord the same. So they can hold hands and walk together, and one’s not dragging the other along. “Come on, let’s go to church, Bible study. Let’s obey the Lord. Let’s pray together. Come on, I’m dragging you.” No. You need to be able to walk together, same pace. That’s what it means to be equally yoked. They’re equal. They can keep stride by stride. So what looks like a mismatch – rich, poor, Moabite, Hebrew, employer, employee – is in fact, in God’s eyes, an equal match because they both love him with all their heart, and they love each other. And they have outstanding character. And that’s why they’re a good fit. It looks good, doesn’t it? Yes. She’s declared her heart! Now they can get married! No. Every good love story has a drama. Every good love story has an obstacle to the love being satisfied and fulfilled. Right? You guys gotta know this. If you wanna be with a woman, there’s always gonna be something difficult for you to overcome to prove your love to her and to demonstrate it to her family. She may be in college, she may have an ailment, she may have college debt, she may be a single mom – I’ll tell you about it next week. Whatever it is, there’s usually something in the way and you gotta get those things, or people, out of the way. You know what I’m talking about. So, we’ll deal with that next week. But that’s where he speaks. He says, “Yet” – uh oh! Don’t! “There is a redeemer nearer than I.” What he’s saying is, “This is not my job. There’s another guy and it’s his job.” The land was tied to the ladies. Whoever got the ladies got the land. There’s another relative. He has a right to the land. He is legally obligated to take care of you. That’s not my job. Uh-oh. “I would love to marry you, but I’m not supposed to be the guy.” This is very important. Every commentary that I’ve read, and almost every teaching of Ruth that I’ve heard butchers this. They say that this is the application of Deuteronomy 25: 5-10, called the Levirate Marriage, which it’s not. But the legalists, moralists, fundamentalists, those who don’t get the gospel of grace, those who don’t get the God of scripture, what they do is they butcher this. And what they say is, “Well, the reason Boaz tried to marry Ruth is to fulfill the marital obligations of Deuteronomy 25.” Not true. ‘Cause here is what Deuteronomy 25 prescribes. “If a man is married to a woman, and that man dies, his brother has the option of marrying and looking after the widow.” He can reject that – it’s a shameful thing, but he can reject that. Question. Who was Ruth married to? I think it’s in chapter 4, verse 10, it reveals that it’s Mahlon was her husband. Is Boaz the brother of Mahlon, yes or no? No, not at all. He’s a distant relative through the family of Elimelech, Mahlon’s dad. Here’s what I’m saying: He has absolutely no legal obligation to Ruth whatsoever. He owes her nothing. The legalists, the moralists, they’ll say, “He is here fulfilling his obligations according to the law.” No, he’s not. He’s not marrying her to obey the law because the law speaks nothing of this situation, gives no commands to Boaz. So why does he marry her? He loves her. If you don’t get that, you butcher, you butcher the whole story. It’s about love. And in this, Boaz is like Jesus, and Ruth is like the church, and Jesus loves us, not because he’s obligated to, but because he’s gracious and he’s kind, and he’s affectionate, and he’s dependable. And it’s all of grace, not of law, not of legality, not of obligation. Those who, at this point in the story, just turn it into a legal transaction, butcher the whole gospel of love and grace, which this is an illustration of. What he tells her is this. “I’m not legally obligated to do anything. Some other man is legally obligated. But I love you, and he doesn’t love you. And I want to marry you, and he may just want the land. I’ll figure it out.” “Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good. Let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lay down ‘til the morning.” What he says is this. “We’re not gonna break the law. We’re not gonna sleep together. God doesn’t bless sin. I want to marry you. I want to be with you. So, you sleep here,” – and this is not inappropriate. It’s miles into town where Naomi is and their home. It’s the dark of night. It’s harvest season, guys got a few drinks in ‘em still out lighting off fireworks, all the rednecks and stuff. It’s dangerous. There’s bottle rockets everywhere – dangerous, dangerous, dangerous. So what he tells her is “don’t walk home in the dark all dolled up while the guys are out drinking at the other threshing floors. Stay here, lay at the end of my feet. This is not physical. It’s not inappropriate. And then you can go home when it’s safe, and I will get that guy out of the way and we’ll figure out how we can make this happen.” But Boaz is here obeying the law and also the scriptures, so that he can remain in a place that God blesses, knowing that God only blesses those who obey him. God doesn’t bless sin. If he sleeps with her or breaks the law, God’s not gonna bless that. He trusts the providential hand of God to work in spite of these very difficult circumstances, ‘cause he really does love her, and he really does want to marry her, and she came to him and said, “I really love you. Do you want to marry me?” and he said, “Yes, I desperately want to marry you. And I will figure it out.” Now let me say this, ladies. Don’t be too easy to get. Some of you say, “But there’s a big obstacle to marry me.” If the man truly loves you, he will figure it out. We’ll see that next week. He will figure it out. And in so doing, he will prove that he is trustworthy, dependable. He is industrious. He is clever in the right way, and that he desperately wants to be with you. I always tell the guys there are two kinds of women. A woman you can live with, and a woman you can’t live without. Every man wants to marry the woman he can’t live without. By God’s grace I married the woman I can’t live without. I am just drawn to her in a way that I, I can’t help myself. Every woman wants that. Every woman deserves that. Boaz is here not marrying some woman by legal obligation because he can live with her. He’s marrying her by grace because he can’t live without her. And the old euphemism is that every man must choose his love and then he must love his choice. And Boaz will do both. “So she lay at his feet” – verse 14 – “until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another.” Before the sun came up, it was still a little dark. She got up, and he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” Sweetheart, we didn’t do anything. But I don’t want anybody to think we did anything, so you walk home before anybody gets up. The sun’s coming up, you’ll be fine. In this, gentlemen, it’s not just enough to preserve a woman’s chastity. You must also preserve her reputation. Paul says in the New Testament, “Among God’s people there shouldn’t even be a hint of sexual immorality.” That you want to protect not only the chastity of the woman, but also the reputation of the woman, especially if you love her. You don’t want her to have a bad reputation. You want to honor her so that she is a woman who is honored by others as well. And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing,” – maybe her shawl or her cloak – “‘hold it out,’ so she held it out and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. She went into the city.” We don’t know exactly how much this weighs, but this is a very generous gift. He gives her a gift, sends her home. He says, “Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out, today. I’ll make Johnny Clipboard figure out what to do with all the grain. I’m goin’ into the city and I’m gonna get us resolved legally. I love you. Trust me. I’ll figure it out. Almost done. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she gets home – you know Naomi’s probably up all night freaking out, “Oh, she’s still not home. I wonder how this went.” Really good, or really bad, Naomi. That was interesting counsel, a little scary. She said, “How did you fare, my daughter? How did it go?” “Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, ‘These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me you must not go back empty handed to your mother-in-law.’” Who was the big, generous gift for? Naomi. I told you, gentlemen, last week, I’ll tell you again. Court the mother. Court the mother. Court the mother! You can say, “Well, I could get the girl without courting the mother.” But yeah, but you can’t live happily ever after, I’ll promise you that. You want Mom to like you, too, with grace and love and mercy and building a relationship with Mom. That’s good. By God’s grace I have a really good relationship with my mother-in-law, Linda. We get along, actually, really good. Hugs, kisses, if we were out and you saw us together, you’d just think she was my biological mom. I mean, I love her. We get along great. It’s really, honestly, a blessing. It makes life a lot simpler. And that’s how it will be at my house. A guy comes, says, “Can I date Ashley or Alexie?” I’ll be like, “Date me first.” And, after you take me out and we get to know each other, then you come and meet my wife, and my three boys, and if you’re gonna bring flowers, you’d better bring flowers for all of us, so. It’s gonna be a while before you get to the daughter, and you better bring flowers for my wife, and chocolates, and you better show up with a bouquet in each hand. Otherwise, it’s, “next!” That’s how it’s gotta go. And I would encourage you guys, don’t just think of how you can honor the woman. Also think of how you can honor her mother. How many of you ladies, that would mean a lot? If a guy not only honored you, honored your mom, brought her flowers, chocolates. Didn’t just say, “Hey, can I take her out to dinner?” Also called your mom and said, “Could I take you out to tea? I just don’t feel like we know each other and I just would like to get to know you.” How many of your moms would be like, “I like that boy.” I’m serious, guys. That’s million dollar advice. She then says, verse 18, last verse we’ll look at today, “She replied” – Naomi does, to Ruth – “ ‘Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter’” when? “‘today.’” Any guy who says, “I don’t know, I think we’re gonna need to date for a few years” – next! If a woman comes to you, gentlemen, and says, “I care for you. I am proposing that you propose to me,” you settle the matter today. Today. You move. You don’t say, “Ah, that’s a big decision. I don’t like commitment; it stresses me out. I’m feeling light headed. I feel like you’re pressuring me. Emotionally, this is just a lot.” No. Right? If a lady’s gonna show you her heart, you’d better be careful with it. You’d better, you’d better not manipulate it. You’d better not string her along. You better have an end-game in mind. Boaz says, “We should get married. Today’s a good day.” No long engagement, right? He’s gonna act quickly. We’ll talk about that next week. And what I love about Naomi is she is led by the Spirit. Initially she told Ruth, “Don’t wait. Time’s wasting.” Here she says, “Wait. If he really loves you, he’ll figure it out. If you want him to be your husband, you need to trust him with decisions and complexities and let him go prove himself. You’ve told him you love him. You’re a sweet gal. He’d be blessed to have you. He’s a man. Men are supposed to figure things out.” What she doesn’t tell Ruth is, “Get your laptop out. Let’s open Excel. Let’s put together a plan. Let’s email it to Boaz with step-by-step instructions.” And she says, “Just sit here like a Calvinist, and just trust in the sovereignty of God. Drink some herbal tea. Just, just, just relax. It’ll be all fine. And if he doesn’t figure it out, you don’t want to marry him anyways. You want to be married to a guy who can’t figure anything out?” I just deliver the mail. In conclusion, here’s what we see. The sovereignty of God is working through all of these people: through the counsel of Naomi, though it is risky, to be sure; through the faithfulness of Ruth; and through the trustworthiness of Mr. Boaz. And what we see is that the flip side of the providence of God, which is the theme of the Book of Ruth, is that sometime we have to take calculated risks. I want to be very careful with this. I’m not saying you make foolish decisions. That’s what Elimelech did and it ruined his family. But Ruth and Naomi here take a calculated risk, and I – I agree, it is a big risk. But sometimes, when you’ve done all you can, you have to take a calculated risk, trusting that God is sovereign and good, and he will figure it out. I married Grace when I was 21 years of age before we finished college; I still had a year left. It was a risk. We started this church with no people, no money, I didn’t know what I was doing, I had no ministry experience, it was a big risk. There are occasions where it is risk, not foolishness. Not a life of just random, blind foolishness, but a life of faith, not folly, where risks must be taken. Those of you who are overly cautious, those of you who must have an answer to everything, those of you who must think through the contingency plan for every contingency plan before you act, you may lack a proper understanding of God as sovereign and good. I’m not saying planning is bad. I’m not saying preparing is bad. I’m not saying that contingency plans are bad. But I am saying at some point you must trust, and in faith you must proceed forward, and sometimes faith involves risk. But here is the good news. Ruth risks, but ultimately she is trusting Boaz and God, who Boaz loves very much. And in this, let me submit to you, that this is perhaps the greatest love story in all of scripture, and that it transpires in the context of all of the Bible’s story, which is the greatest love story ever told. And it’s the story of God’s love for his people. Furthermore, in Ezekiel, I think it’s chapter 16, this exact same language of Ruth and Boaz is used between God and his people, the Lord Jesus Christ and his church, and the same language is used for this reason: this relationship is a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s why I don’t like the legalists, who just keep trying to impose the legal obligation. They ruin the gospel message that is contained in this story. Let me give it to you quickly. Ruth, like the church, which is the bride of Jesus, comes to Boaz as we come to Jesus, and what does she ask? “Will you redeem me?” And then who does all of the work? Boaz, who is a picture of Jesus, who is our glorious Boaz in the words of Charles Spurgeon, one of my favorite Christian preachers of all time. That as Boaz is like Jesus, so we are to be like Ruth, the church, the bride of Christ. And we come to the Lord Jesus and we ask him for redemption, and he redeems us at a great cost, more than just the money that Boaz spent, but Jesus gives his own blood. He lives, dies, rises, he gives us himself as a gift to redeem us, to enter into a relationship with us. You say, “Why would he do that? He’s not obligated. He doesn’t owe us anything.” That’s grace. That’s love. That’s mercy. Jesus treats us like Boaz treats Ruth. And Ruth trusts Boaz and just sits there, in faith, that Boaz will redeem her in the same way that we do not participate in any way in our redemption. We simply acknowledge that it is the Lord Jesus, our glorious Boaz, who does all of the work – who has done all of the work of redemption. And we rest in that. We trust in that. And we live our lives under the security that the God, who is for us, is always for us and that enables us to live lives of humility, like Ruth, of boldness, like Ruth, and occasional risk, like Ruth, trusting him to work out the details, because we love him, and we’re not sinning, and we’re in the place that he can bless. If you don’t know Jesus, you need to know Jesus. He is the God of Ruth and Boaz. Ultimately it is the Lord Jesus who is coming through this family line. It is Jesus who is like Boaz, and it is Jesus who asks us to come to him, like Ruth, simply asking to be redeemed, and then trusting his finished work of death, burial, resurrection, to redeem us. You need to become a Christian tonight, if you’re not. And you do it by confessing your sin to Jesus, and asking him to redeem you. If you already have, you’re welcome to participate in communion, where we remember the price that Jesus paid, his broken body, his shed blood. We’ll give of our tithes and offerings, so that the message of Jesus goes forth. You’re gonna want to raise your voices and sing. What I love about this story, there was a great party, and occasionally God’s people need to party well to practice for the Kingdom. Party without sin; sing and dance and raise their hands, and clap, and laugh, and enjoy, because God is a good God and he has chosen to smile upon us in the person and the work of Jesus. I love you guys. I hope you’re enjoying the book. Read ahead. We’ll be in chapter 4 next week. We’ve got a wedding. And then, there’s gonna be a baby. Father, thanks for a chance to teach scripture. God, I thank you that I get to have a bit of fun when I do it. God, we do so not to be irreverent, but instead to acknowledge that you are a God who gives joy and freedom and life and love. And that God, you are preparing an eternal Kingdom party for us. May we now, as we transition into worship, remember that we are to come to you like Ruth came to Boaz, that you do all of the work, if we ask you to redeem us. God, may we now worship in a way that was kind of like the party on the threshing floor: People laughing, people singing, people dancing, people enjoying one another and you and your grace, not in a sinful way, but in a holy way, and a fun way, and a right way, in a redeemed way, as we practice for the wedding supper of the Lamb, where we shall sit down with the Lord Jesus, as Revelation teaches. God, I love this church. I know you do, too. I pray you would make us a collective people, to be much like Ruth – faithful and bold, but also patient and humble, walking in wisdom led by the Spirit. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
I would like to write more but instead of writing I spend time thinking about writing. Or reading books on language and writing. Last night I started reading a book on Hypnotic Writing. I get the impression that this is supposed to be about writing that is so good that you are put under a spell by it. The book, unfortunately, put me to sleep. To help me find focus I have decided to join the NaNoWriMo writing challenge. I have no idea if I’ll be able to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November but it might be a fun thing to try. This will mean writing around 1,700 words a day. (At the minute this blog post only has 125 or so words in it). I also have no idea what I would write a novel about but if all else fails I suppose I could write something about a Japanese half-werewolf, half-vampire, that decides to terrorize Ireland… or maybe not.
LinkedIn has launched a new events feature, letting you know about upcoming conferences and other functions in your industry. Smartly, LinkedIn Events pulls information from sites like Eventbrite and then builds features around it as opposed to re-creating the wheel by asking users to build a new event database from scratch. The features that LinkedIn has built are much as you’d expect: search for events using a variety of filters, indicate that you plan on attending, and see who else is going to so you can do some pre and post event networking using the site. There are some other interesting LinkedIn-specific features, like integration with LinkedIn’s version of the News Feed so activities are broadcast, as well as event recommendations based on your profile information. I’m a bit surprised it took so long for LinkedIn to add a feature that seems like it will be a slam dunk with its audience. As opposed to sites like Facebook – which has a very popular events feature – and Eventbrite, which has built a tool for managing event registration – LinkedIn is explicitly all about professional networking, which, is also a big part of the role that most industry conferences and tradeshows serve. LinkedIn Events makes the site a must-have compliment to your event schedule – and one that should help you in getting the most out of them, at least when it comes to networking. Editor's Note: LinkedIn Events doesn't seem to be working at the moment, but you can check out some of the features in the demo below:
In order to understand the value of a Facebook ad impression, Nielsen analyzed over six months of responses from 800,000 users to more than 125 Facebook ad campaigns by 70 different brand advertisers. The study — after analyzing reach via impressions and effectiveness of impressions — concluded that earned media and social advocacy made Facebook users more likely to notice ads, absorb their content and make purchases. Paid vs. Earned Media To arrive at the aforementioned conclusion, Nielsen looked at three types of impressions on Facebook and categorized them as either paid media, earned media or both. Homepage ads: Above-the-fold ads that contain ad creative as well as an option for users to engage with the brand (e.g. “Become a Fan”). This is an example of paid media. Social impressions: Homepage ads that include social context, like the names of users' friends who are already fans of the brand. This is an example of a hybrid ad that is both parts paid and earned media. Organic impression: Social stories that appear on the homepage of friends of users who have engaged with a brand or become a fan of that brand. This is an example of earned media. Earned media is being used to describe brand mentions on Facebook that are broadcasted ("shared") by the consumer, whereas hybrid organic impressions offer a more controlled way to generate earned media from paid advertisements. The data clearly shows that the social advocacy of earned media played a substantial role in the performance of homepage ads on Facebook. According to the data, ad recall grew from 10% to 16%, awareness doubled from 4% to 8% and purchase intent quadrupled from 2% to 8%. That last metric is perhaps the most telling, and shows that when a Facebook user advocates for an ad, the ad is 4x more likely to result in a purchase. In the organic impression department, Nielsen found that "those users exposed to both the 'paid ad' and the organic impression remembered the ad at three times the rate of those just exposed to the paid homepage ad," and that "homepage ads increased awareness of the product or brand by 4% on average, but exposure to both homepage ads and organic ads increased awareness by a delta of 13% versus the control group." The bottom line is that the more the user was exposed to paid and earned media — with a combination of both packing a powerful punch — the greater the ad recall, awareness and purchase intent. Tips for Advertisers Nielsen recommends the following tips for advertisers looking to capitalize on their data: Start with engaging homepage impressions; these will drive more organic impressions and the engagement rate goes up as the organic impressions go up. Buy paid media on social networks; it's the catalyst for more earned media. Balance reach and frequency across homepage, social, and organic impressions. You can read the full report below for even more information and tips on how to leverage earned and paid media on Facebook. Understanding the Value of a Social Media Impression For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook [Img credits: Nielsen]
From professional event producers to volunteer committee members, event planners see Facebook as must-have tool in their belts. How can Facebook give a boost to your next event? We spoke with a few experts on using the world's largest social network for event planning. Read on for their pro tips and let us know how you use Facebook for your events in the comments below. 1. Get Inspired “I use Facebook a lot for inspiration," she says, "I ‘Like’ The Knot, Real Simple, Rose Bredl Flowers, La Jeune Mariee and Big Rock Little Rooster (to name a few) to stay up on inspiration and new trends in wedding and event planning.” 2. Stay Connected During the event planning process, organizers often need to share updates with the planning committee. A “closed” or “secret” Facebook Group can be more collaborative and interactive than countless emails going back and forth. As the event organizer, use this space to share event updates, solicit input or delegate tasks to volunteers. Selling tickets? Ask group members to share what approach they’ve found most successful. Looking for sponsors? Throw it out to the group to see if someone can facilitate an introduction. Groups can also help attendees connect with each other in advance. For example, NASA hosts #NASATweetUps to offer a behind-the-scenes experience to @NASA followers. A closed Facebook group connects attendees leading up to the events. According to the group description for the STS-135 tweetup, members “discuss travel plans, organize group housing, and generally GEEK OUT about the amazing opportunity they have been given.” Remco Timmermans, who attended the STS-135 tweetup found the Facebook group to be a helpful resource. He appreciated the direct interaction with participants and the helpful resources housed within the group, such as lists of hotels. The private group provided a forum for attendees to reminisce and relive the excitement by sharing post-event photos and videos. 3. Scope Out Vendors Vendor selection is critical to the success of any event, so as you’re researching caterers, photographers or entertainment, take a peak at their Facebook pages to read feedback from previous customers. If you notice negative feedback from unsatisfied customers, think twice before hiring that company for your event. 4. Increase Attendance According to recent Eventbrite data, 10% of those purchasing tickets through Eventbrite share the event on Facebook. Including social sharing options at the point of purchase is helpful, however, event planners may find more value by following Eventbrite’s step-by-step guide to creating a Facebook event that syncs up with Eventbrite’s ticket-selling platform. Friends and contacts can view event details on Facebook and then register by clicking on the event link, which takes them back to the original Eventbrite page. In addition, developing exclusive offers for Facebook communities can spark new sales. According to Ramstack, the Central Ohio Capital Area Humane Society has generated additional ticket sales for its upcoming fundrasier by offering a Facebook-only discount. Tickets, normally $80, are available to Facebook “likers” for $60. 5. Recognize Sponsors Kelly O’Donoghue, an event planner in Tampa, FL, suggested offering Facebook recognition as an additional perk for sponsors. A few ideas: Create an album to feature sponsor logos Tag status updates to show appreciation to sponsors and help them expand their Facebook community Invite sponsors to write a “guest note” on the organization’s Facebook page Post a video interview about why sponsors support the event Share sponsors’ relevant updates/news on the organization's Facebook page 6. Share Real-Time Updates During the event, don’t forget to continue to offer as-it-happens updates through a brand or organization’s Facebook page. Bringing the event to Facebook can help create additional interest in the event (and future ones). Posting photos, sharing video clips and livestreaming are a few opportunities to spark interaction with your Facebook community. 7. Post-Event Follow-Up After the event, use Facebook to increase online engagement. Provide an event recap with photos and video. Thank people for participating, collect feedback by posting “Questions” or a survey link, and invite them to stay connected by subscribing to the company’s blog or e-newsletter. Now, let’s hear from you. What other ways can Facebook help event planners?
The new format also changed the way consumers experience brands on Facebook. In a webcam eye-tracking study for Mashable by EyeTrackShop, participants spent less time looking at Wall posts and ads and more time looking at the cover photo on brands' timelines than they did on their old Facebook Walls. "The new Facebook Timeline limits the effective branding space, and the top portion of the page must be effectively utilized," suggest the study's authors. EyeTrackShop recorded eye movements of 30 participants as they were shown brand profiles — before and after being converted to timeline — from the Dallas Cowboys, Good Morning America, "The Muppets" and Pepsi in 10-second intervals. What participants looked at on each webpage, for how long and in what order is recorded in the images below. Results suggests a few ways our perception of Brands on Facebook has changed: Ads on Facebook Timeline are less visible than ads on Facebook Brand Pages. While 30%-40% of study participants looked at ads on brand Timeline pages, 80% looked at them on Brand Pages. In both cases, ads placed higher up on the page fared better than those below them. Cover photos are the new Facebook Wall (at least as far as attention goes). On brand pages, Wall posts were the star attraction. Viewers on average looked at them first and for the longest amount of time. On the brand Timelines, however, viewers always looked at the cover photo first. In all but one case, they spent a longer time looking at it than at Timeline content. Everyone will notice your cover photo. It's larger than anything else and at the top of the page for a reason, and 100% of viewers looked at it. On average, they saw it in 0.5 seconds or less. Meanwhile, only 65% to 92% of viewers noticed profile photos on Brand Pages. Viewers see Timeline content last. In every case, viewers looked at either the left or right column of Timeline content last — after ads, navigation buttons and brand logos. Information that was invisible is now a focal point. Facebook moved the number of Likes, events and apps to prime top-and-center territory. It now gets more attention than when it was listed on the right-hand side of the page. In the case of Good Morning America, for instance, the show's 585,000 Likes went from being completely ignored on its Brand Page to being the biggest attention-getter on its Timeline. Cover photos with faces attract the most attention. Good Morning America and "The Muppets" have cover photos with faces, whereas the Dallas Cowboys and Pepsi do not. The cover photos with faces attracted more attention. Take a look at the results of the study in the gallery, and let us know your own observations in the comments.
We've all had them; rides from hell. That ride that won't end, is filled with calamity, punctuated with mechanical problems or otherwise "less than perfect". Today was one of those days... I got to hook up with my best friend for a ride- an occurrence that doesn't happen very often because he lives in Los Angeles and I rarely ride on weekends because I try to give as much of that time to my family as I can. He just returned from a trip to the Netherlands and I had just returned from Montreal, so it was perfect timing for us to get to go for a ride. I dropped my daughter off with my mother and headed over to where my friend was staying. The "plan" was for a nice, leisurely 2-2.5hr ride... great plan. I got to the house and pulled the bike out of the car... DANG... flat front tire. No sweat, I'll just replace the tube. Tube was replaced, changed into my kit and away we rolled. We rolled along at a moderate pace since neither of us has had too much saddle time lately. Once we get out into the East County area of San Diego (lots of hills), we ride up a few good climbs and find ourselves on one of the better local climbs (Dehesa, for the locals reading this). Once we get to the top of the climb, I realize I have a slow leak in the rear. Bummer. I find the tiny piece of glass and then pull the tube out and use his spare (since I'd already used mine for the front). I check the tire thoroughly and remount everything. Good to go... and away we went. We roll down the hill and back the way we came to head home. Once at the bottom, we decide to stop and refill bottles because it is really darned hot. At this time, I realize that the rear tire is feeling mushy. I pull the tire off and check the tube and it is leaking through a hole at the valve stem. Dang! Can't patch that one, so I pull the original flatted tube from the rear and patch it. Patch is good, air up the tire and put the bike back together. Before I can strap the pump back to the frame... another leak appears and the tube goes flat again... Now I'm pissed and pull the thing out AGAIN and find another hole in the tube, just millimeters from the first patch and on top of it, the tire has a blister where the tread is trying to blow off the casing. Argh... I put patch number two on the tube and place a boot in the tire (a piece of another old tire cut to be a patch for the inside of the tire- for those who don't know what a tire boot is). Everything looks good and now we look ok. Off we go back to home... By now, we've wasted at least an hour at the convenience store messing around with the flats and getting fluids. Both of us are now getting sore/ cramping from all the stop-start going on. A few miles later... the tire is losing air AGAIN! At this point I am nearly ready to throw the bike into the bushes because I am so frustrated and out of carbohydrates. On top of it all- we have no more spare tubes and I've used up all of the patches. Now I am left with the prospect of stopping and periodically putting aire in the tire and riding until it is time to do the same thing again... not fun. We stop and put more air in the leaky tube. We get back on the bikes- both of us going cross-eyed now- and head for home... until we have to stop and add more air to the leaky tube. This happens about three times total until we get home... and the cheeky bastard tries to outsprint me to the top of the hill before the house! Fortunately I knew it was coming because he ALWAYS sprints on the hill there. I'll spare him the embarrassment of saying who won the sprint (it was me). All in all, a short ride turned into a 5 hour marathon of flats and frustration. But, you know what? It was a beautiful day and I was on my bike riding and talking with my best friend. In the end, just how bad could it be? Thanks buddy for the patience, the tube and all of your patches. (Looking back over this all, I know I missed one more flat somewhere because when we added them all up, we came to a total of 6 flats on the day- all of them mine.) Here's to hell rides and all the good ones inbetween!
Published: 8:32 am Mon, February 6, 2012Where a U.S. District Court judge concluded that the whistleblower protection provision in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act applies to employees of private companies that are contractors or subcontractors to publicly traded companies, that conclusion is contrary to the statutory text and accordingly must be reversed. You have clicked on a link to information that is Already a paid subscriber but not registered for online access yet? For instructions on how to get premium web access, click here. Interested in Subscribing? Start by choosing how you'd like your news delivered. - Introductory Rate - - Print and Digital -
\|Pro-family activism that makes a difference!\| BAGLY holds homosexual/transgender "prom" at Boston City Hall targeting schoolchildren Tells kids "We will have condoms, lube, and various safer sex supplies" (See photos below) POSTED: July 13, 2010 Every May as part of the GLBT Commission's "Youth Pride" event, BAGLY ("Boston Alliance for Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Youth") holds a homosexual/transgender "prom" in Boston City Hall, courtesy of Mayor Thomas Menino. Children as young as middle-school age from across the state are encouraged to come. This year it was on Saturday evening, May 8. BAGLY is a hard-core homosexual/ transgender activist group that is part of the Mass. Commission for GLBT Youth. BAGLY not only goes into the public schools, but entices schoolchildren to attend off-campus homosexual and transgender activities across the state. Many of these events are with bizarre adults, such as men wearing women's clothes, middle-aged men involved with sado-machosism, etc. And here's BAGLY's pamphlet given out by HEARRT to kids: By six o'clock kids were already lined up at Boston City Hall to get into the BAGLY homosexual / transgender prom. Soon the whole area in front of City Hall was filling up with kids. As kids were let in they roped the area off to make sure no one could come near and see what was happening. Secrecy. They were adamant that no members of the public could come near. Below, a Boston policeman and one of the adult activists (at right, talking on phone) watched the area and told any people wandering by that they had to leave the area. And pretty darn chummy. After chasing a person away who got too close, the cop and activist walked back arm in arm. There's a close relationship between the Boston Police and the homosexual activist movement, much of that mandated by City Hall. Police presence. Just in case, there were police cars parked all over City Hall Plaza. The homosexual lobby gets the best from Mayor Menino. Since in past years we were able to expose the disgusting and offensive things going on with kids at the BAGLY prom, this year they went to extroardinary lengths to make sure no one was able to get near enough to see. How many kids will be drawn into dangerous company, get diseases -- or worse -- while our legislators keep giving these hideous radicals more of our money? A few weeks after the prom, BAGLY was at it again. They brought children to march in the Boston Gay Pride Parade -- along with homosexual activist adults. BAGLY gathered kids, gave them special "Bisexual and Transgender Youth" T-shirts, and marched them in the adult Gay Pride Parade. For a group that says it's for "youth", BAGLY seems to attract a lot of guys like this.
Date: Nov 8, 1997 4:36 AM Author: Jon Roberts Subject: Re: construction of triangle of given perimeter, given point and angle Joshua Zucker wrote: > This is an interesting question! > Of course you can always solve it by analytic geometry, and then see > that all the quantities there are constructible, and construct them. > But that's pretty ugly! And I don't yet see any better way to do it. > I have another construction problem which is similarly irritating to > me (where I can prove with analytic geometry that it's constructible, > but I can't find a nice construction, though the person who gave me > the problem implied there ought to be a nice one): > Given triangle ABC, find points X and Y on AB and AC such that > BX = XY = YC. > --Joshua Zucker I am in a similar quandary with regards to the vertex of a parabola. In a "recent" posting: John Conway wrote: > I'm afraid that 5 is still the number of points required to determine > an ellipse, because ellipses are distinguished from hyperbolae merely > by an inequality. (So, for instance, 3 is still the right number > of points to determine a circle of radius larger than 1.) A parabola, > on the other hand, is determined by any 4 of its points. John Conway This information above has lead me to attempt to construct the vertex of parabola from its axes' intercepts. I can do this algebraically by completing the square on y = a(x-r)(x-s) and then equating with y = ax^2 + bx + c but my question is about constructing the vertex geometrically - can it be done with the classical instruments or are more sopisticated tools needed. The vertex lies on the perpendicular bisector of the segment joining the x-intercepts, and this axis can be used to produce a fourth point on the parabola by reflecting the y-intercept, but what does one do to locate the one and only one point on the axis which then gives a parabola. Any other point gives an ellipse or an hyperbola - I'm stuck at this point. hoping you can help
Figuring out limits of integration when doing joint densities The problem in question: f(x,y)=24xy for 0<= x<=1, 0<=y<=1, 0<=x+y<=1, otherwise x=0 The goal is to show that f(x,y) is a joint probability fxn and I believe we do that by doubly integrating f(x,y) and showing the result equals 1. I believe that the answer is: , however I'm having trouble understanding the limits of integration. Why is it that we integrate from 0 to 1-y on x and from 0 to 1 on y? Here's a similar problem I had earlier: f(x,y)=2 0<x<y, 0<y<1 The problem asks the student to determine whether X,Y are independent. So, I set out to find the marginal distribution of x: Why do we integrated from x to 1 Why do we integrate from 0 to y Could we switch the limits of integration as long as we adjust them for both X and Y? For example, could we integrate from 0 to 1 instead of x to 1 if we change the limits of integration on Y? Thanks a bunch in advance...I hate probability
A recent episode of WNYC's RadioLab (find it here) offhandedly mentions that the locus of all points a given distance from an ellipse is never an ellipse. My question is, what is that locus? How do you know? Can you write an equation of it? In the episode, the way the problem is actually posed deals with a swimming pool in the shape of the ellipse. A one-foot concrete rim is placed around the pool- is the outer edge of the concrete an ellipse? They say the answer is 'No, never', and leave it at that.
Suppose a, b, c, d are all rational number where √ b and √ d exist and are irrational. if If a+√ b=c+√ d, prove that a=c and b=d. I have been thinking for a long time but I don't know where to start. The only thing i can think of is to try using proof by contradiction. I am really confused, please help.
x -5 -1 2 7 10 P(x)0.15 0.08 0.22 0.18 0.37 Determine the expected value of x. Determine the standard deviation of x. Follow Math Help Forum on Facebook and Google+ Stick to the definitions, Next time please show where you cannot understand, because for me this seems quite basics View Tag Cloud
One way to categorify the non-negative integers is to consider the category FinSet whose objects are finite sets and whose morphisms are functions. The isomorphism classes of objects in FinSet can be labeled "sets of cardinality 0, sets of cardinality 1," and so forth, so are a natural way of talking about the non-negative integers. What I want is a good definition of a category FinSSet (where SSet stands for "super set") whose isomorphism classes can be thought of as "sets of cardinality k" for all integers k in a natural way. A natural candidate for the set of objects is the set of "Z2-graded sets," i.e. pairs of sets (S0, S1). What we want is to define the cardinality of such a set as card(S0) - card(S1), so we want the isomorphism classes of objects to only depend on this number. Unfortunately, I can't find a definition of the morphisms that actually accomplishes this. What should it be? For what it's worth, I've read "From Finite Sets to Feynman Diagrams" and I think John Baez gives up a little too early on the integers.
I have to run a matlab file through a C#(XNA game) interface. My matlab file is in turn using a dll library as it is fetching real time data from a hardware device. The matlab file does some filtering and then outputs an integer. Can I use .NET assembly method mentioned here for my matlab file?? Any suggestions on which method is best for this file? This post is really helpful. But still there are some hard code that is not satisfactory. The command eval(['mcc -N -d ' dnetdir ' -W ''dotnet:dotnet,' In this command, the parameter after the -W, which is 'dotnet:dotnet', is comprised of both a constant and a variable. The first one should always be 'dotnet', while the second one should be identical with the name of the dll, which is exactly the case in this example. When I change the dll name to some more meaningful name in my project, it reports the error... The work around is to just change the second 'dotnet' into whatever your dll name is. Hope this helps for some people. LOL Thanks David, it is a great tutorial,thank you so much. I like to know which solution is faster? I have a function file in matlab and I created .Net assembly of it and used it in C# but it worked very slow there.
Death in the Shadows (1985) Death in the Shadows Film / Drama / Foreign Directed by Vivian Peters Cast: Maayke Boulten and John Leysen 18-year old Valerie and her mother Trudy live together in rural Oostdijk, a quiet little village near Amsterdam. When Trudy comes home one night, she gets run over by a car. Dead. The autopsy reveals she has never bore a child. Soon after more strange facts are beginning to turn up. While police inspector Mellema hunts down the car driver, Valerie starts searching for her real parents, both leading to the same sad truth.
Got another review Sunday, November 06, 2011 French gaming website talks about " Push the Button! - Gain a Level! " and the Zero Hour Gamejam. Friday, November 04, 2011 Last weeked I participated in the Zero Hour Game Jam (0hgame), which took place during the daylights saving time switch. The goal was to make a game within the extra hour - or within zero hours, as this hour would be magically "gone". It was a success, with 64 games in total produced. And I finally managed to make "Push the Button! - Gain a Level!", a satire/joke-game I wanted to make for ages. Or visit the
So Mike Singletary has been named as the coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Jim Caldwell has fulfilled the chain of succession from Tony Dungy with the Indianapolis Colts. Perhaps in President-Elect Barack Obama, we’ve embraced the Rooney Rule on a national level and have turned the page on racism. Haven’t we? The Rooney Rule, established in 2003, requires National Football League teams to interview minority candidates for a head coaching opportunity. The rule is named for Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the chairman of the league’s diversity committee, and is often cited as an example of affirmative action. Coach Tony Dungy joined Chicago Bear’s coach, Lovie Smith, in making Super Bowl history by being the first black coaches to lead their teams to the Super Bowl. One more barrier broken, another cultural advancement achieved – and another step toward this not being an issue. Forcing owners to interview minority candidates smacks of affirmative action to some. In fact, I’ve heard some quarters ask if the Rooney rule meant that the 49ers or the Colts had to interview a white candidate. Ending ways/legacy of racism (and dare I mention, white privilege) puts race front and center of the discussion. If I’m a team owner, I’m going to resent being told who I have to hire … but I’m also probably not going to change if I’m not “forced” to do so. If there’s a Mike Shanahan or a Bill Cowher available, any interview I do when they are part of the mix is strictly a matter of me going through the motions and everyone will know it. So will that do any good? Well, at the very least, any minority candidate interviewed now hits other teams’ radar and they get practice interviewing. It’s a little too soon to declare racism dead based on the fact that a couple black coaches got to the head coach position without much of an interview process. You can’t even argue that the Rooney Rule is no longer necessary. At best, we can see recent developments as another hopeful step. Now if we can only get the NCAA to realize we have a racism problem …
I bought this filter for my car, the day before I picked up the car! Paid, $80 at Part Source. The filter has been recharged once, and shortly after that I got a good deal on a BMW Performance intake. As such, I have this thing kicking around, wasting space. Someone please come pick it up, and give me $40 for it.
Smith County Tennesee Drug Bust , This medication helps the obese patient because it will release chemicals in the brain that are known to control appetite even when dieting has not worked. Adipex is a powerful medication, and for this reason it is usually reserved for those patients that are at risk of further medical complications due to their excessive weight. Adipex is still sold in most countries; it is just harder to access today because it is considered a controlled substance and has known side effects that can be serious. http://www.genesisecrc.com/adipex.html - buy adipex without prescription Adipex-P no prescription Side effects associated with Adipex include but are not limited to increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, palpitations, insomnia, and restlessness. Other common side effects include stomach pains, fatigue, skin rash, and change in libido, nervousness, irritability, dry mouth, dizziness, clumsiness, and even headache.
You know, I always feel a little weird around brick buildings in California. Even if they’re all reinforced on the inside, all of these bricks are gonna come crashing down on your head when there’s an earthquake. This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 4:34 pm and is filed under Berkeley, Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
Our laboratory undertakes research projects involving various aspects of the physics and engineering of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These projects typically integrate knowledge of MRI physics, development of specific methods for acquiring MRI data using "pulse sequences," application of special-purpose radio-frequency receiver coils, and formulation and implementation of image reconstruction algorithms. Projects are typically studied across the technical development spectrum, ranging from analysis of feasibility to in vivo studies in volunteers and potentially in patients. Human studies are done in collaboration with radiologists and other medical specialists and have been in the areas of cardiovascular, neurological, and cancer imaging. In addition to the development of new image acquisition methods based on MRI physics, research in our laboratory also focuses on the engineering of high speed signal processing techniques. This includes rapid or even instant image reconstruction, interactive control of scanning parameters, and use of 1D, 2D, or 3D MR images to guide some process in real time. As new techniques are developed, and if they are proven to be useful, they are put into clinical practice at Mayo Clinic and other sites worldwide. © 2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.
For someone who has long been hailed as one of the premiere vocalists in the melodic rock sphere for nearly 30 years, it surprised me somewhat to be reminded that Damage Control is only Jeff Scott Soto’s fifth solo album. With a career spanning beginnings as the vocalist for Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, through to the mighty Talisman, contributing vocals to soundtrack of the Rock Star movie, the killer Soul SirkUS, fronting Journey for a period of time and most recently W.E.T and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, whilst solo numbers are relatively few, Jeff has certainly been incredibly active, both in a touring and recording capacity, with over 60 albums that feature his vocals. After his previous solo album Beautiful Mess offered a musical departure into a more contemporary soul and funk based direction which generally speaking wasn’t exactly met that positively by Jeff’s hardcore and long standing fans, Damage Control sees Jeff delivering an album that is bound to appeal to those that can only fathom hearing Jeff’s vocals all over melodic rock styled songs, and nothing else. I can’t help but wonder if Damage Control as an album title is in fact a cheeky reference to the reaction to the last album? Regardless, this is an album that should instantly appeal to those who have previously dug Jeff’s performances on his solo releases such as Prism and Lost In Translation, the crunchier Soul SirkUS or the monstrous melodic rock/AOR of W.E.T. Contributing to the recording of the album is a cast of many, with the likes of special guests such as Dave Meniketti (Y&T), Jamie Borger (Talisman/Treat), Casey Grillo (Kamelot) and Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger). The title track and AfterWorld deliver some pretty heavy riffing and there’s lot’s of guitars throughout the whole album for that matter, where the likes of first single Look Inside Your Heart, Die A Little and How To Love Again are brilliant melodic rockers. Personally, I’ve always loved Jeff’s voice across a ballad and BonaFide is a real album highlight and doesn’t disappoint. It simply is a strong album from start to finish and a highly enjoyable listen at that. Damage Control really is a must purchase for any Jeff Scott Soto fan and anyone who appreciates high quality melodic rock. For fans of: Jeff Scott Soto and high quality melodic rock Release date: 23 March 2012 Record label: Frontiers Records/Riot! Entertainment (Australia) Give A Little More Look Inside Your Heart Die A Little If I Never Let Her Go Tears That I Cry How To Love Again All Vocals: Jeff Scott Soto Guitars: Gary Schutt, Jorge Salan, Diego Armelin, Rodrigo Armelin, Joel Hoekstra, Emo Markov, Dave Meniketti, Peter Pac Söderström, Alex Llorens, Roger Benet, Leo Mancini Bass: Fernando Mainer, Nalley Påhlsson, Henrique Baboom, JSS Keyboards: Fabio Ribiero, Ulf Wahlberg, BJ (Luis Paulo Almeida Jr,) Drums: Edu Cominato, Carlos Exposito, Casey Grillo, Mike Vanderhule, Jamie Borger, Joey Soto
You are hereWebmasters for Maywood Middle School Webmasters for Maywood Middle School If you need help, training or support with using the Maywood Drupal Content Management System software or any other aspect of Maywood web publishing then please talk with: Technology and Media Services Supervisor Maywood Computer Lab Technician Three persons have high level access (School and Site Administration) to the Maywood Drupal CMS: Michael Garofalo, Jeff Harris, and Jeanie Stout. All teachers at Maywood Middle School can add content to their homepages on their own. Webmaster for the Corning Union Elementary School District: Michael Garofalo.
View Full Version : SOLD 93LE Seat Belts, Like New condition! 07-13-2012, 06:53 PM $100 Shipped in the USA! Also will be selling some nice speaker plates from a 93LE in another thread 07-13-2012, 07:05 PM sale pending! :slayer: 07-16-2012, 02:18 PM SOLD to "medition" for his new Miata project 07-17-2012, 09:25 PM Frank I mailed your belts out today USPS Priority! Left you positive feedback on iTrader here, please leave positive feedback for me once you get your items in the mail! You can do this by clicking on the "Rate Seller" button on the first post. 07-17-2012, 10:47 PM Thank you for using MR.net... Boss, ya gotta close the thread... Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.0 Copyright © 2013 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
Machine Embroidered Quilting and Appliqué Simple Steps for Revolutionary Results Is it really possible to have it all with machine embroidery? Using Eileen's amazing techniques, it just might be. In this book, readers will learn techniques to create quilted and appliquéd blocks and strips all in a few easy steps with their embroidery machine. Author Eileen Roche, a trusted and experienced machine embroidery expert, teaches readers the steps they need to know to create 12 quilted projects using three different design collections (where the machine embroidery program does most of the work) and 12 unique techniques based on the Stipple! process. And as part of the Create with Nancy series, Nancy Zieman provides helpful hints and ideas throughout; she also hosts an accompanying DVD with Eileen as she demonstrates the techniques.
Course Description Masters Level McCormick Theological Seminary Course Number and Title: T 418 - Black Theology and Religious Experience Faculty: Bernard Chris Dorsey Term: Fall 2010 This course examines the form, content and history of Black Theology and the varieties of religious experience within the African-American community. While dealing primarily with African-American Christian thought, it also briefly engages Islam and African Religions. As theology course, it is designed to engage students in an analytical exploration of how African-American religious thought both raises and attempts to answer questions of ultimate meaning and value for people of faith. We will explore particular questions such as: What are Black theology and Womanist theologies? To what extent is African-American Religious experience shaped by historical events? How do race, class, and gender factor into the religious experiences of African-Americans. Masters Program Learning Outcomes The learning outcomes established for each degree program are below. The ones that are underlined are those addressed by the course above. Because a course may be taken by students in any masters degree program, outcomes in more than one degree program may be addressed by this course. M.Div. Learning Outcomes MTS Learning Outcomes MA in Discipleship Development Learning Outcomes MA in Urban Ministry Learning Outcomes Du Bois, W. E. B. The Souls of Black Folk, Penguin Classics. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1989. Cannon, Katie G., Katie’s Cannon: Womanism and the Soul of the Black Community Cone, James H. God of the Oppressed. New York, NY: Seabury Press, 1975. X, Malcolm, and Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. 1st Ballantine Books trade ed. New York: One World/Ballantine Books, 1992 Hopkins, Dwight N. Introducing Black Theology of Liberation. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999. Sernett, Milton C. African American Religious History: A Documentary Witness. 2nd ed, Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1999 Walton, Jonathon, Watch This!: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2009 Approximate amount of work per week students can expect (reading, writing, etc.) 100 – 150 Pages of reading per week Writing will vary from week to week. Total number of written pages for course: 15 - 20 Course Assignments and Projects 1. Attendance and Participation in Class 10% 2. One (1) Reflection Paper 15% 3. In-class Mid-term Exam 25% 4. Class Presentation 15% 5. Final Paper 35%
Community Shield ticket update - Wed 01 Aug 2012, 6:13PM - Posted by Chris Eccles City fans still have the chance to purchase tickets for the FA Community Shield, sponsored by McDonalds, however some categories have now sold out. The Blues, as reigning Barclays Premier League Champions, take on FA Cup holders Chelsea in the traditional curtain-raiser which this year takes place at Villa Park on Sunday, 12 August with kick off at 1.30pm. The following categories have now sold out; Disabled Allocation (Wheelchair and Walking Ambulant)* Availability of remaining tickets is as follows: Category 1: Good availability - £45 (Adult), £35 (Under 16 & Over 65), £20 (Walking Ambulant)* Category 2: Good availability - £35 (Adult), £25 (Under 16 & Over 65), £20 (Walking Ambulant)* *Qualifying walking ambulant supporters who require assistance will be provided with a ticket for their carer, free of charge. Please note: these seats are not categorised as ‘ambulant seats’ and sit outside the allocated ambulant section of the stadium. Supporters will need the mobility to access seats in all areas where tickets remain available. Please note, there are a small number of restricted view tickets available in each category which will qualify for a £5 reduction on the above prices. Supporters will be advised at the point of sale if they are purchasing a restricted view seat. Tickets are available to 2012-13 Season Platinum and Gold members with the following loyalty points; Wednesday 1st August – All Platinum/Gold members Thursday 2nd August – Blue Members with Match Ticket Priority with 1000 or more loyalty points Tickets are available online at www.mcfc.co.uk/tickets and by telephone on 0161 444 1894 (option 1 – lines open 24 hours). Tickets purchased over the telephone will be subject to a £2.50 booking fee per ticket and all tickets will be despatched via post and sent to the registered address of the purchasing supporter. Supporters purchasing online will need to have a valid email address which is already registered with the Club and a valid supporter number before they can log into their account via the website. If any supporter has forgotten their password, they will have the option to request a new password which will be sent to their registered email address. If you do not have a registered email address, please contact Supporter Services on 0161 444 1894 (option 1 then 3) or email email@example.com. Supporter Services and the Ticket Office are open Monday – Saturday, 9am to 5:30pm, (Closed Sunday/Bank Holiday).
David O. Russell’s Oscar-nominated 2010 film The Fighter underwhelmed me relative to its critical acclaim because the story felt so generic, salvaged by great performances in the lead and supporting roles. With his follow-up, Silver Linings Playbook, based on a 2008 novel by Matthew Quick, Russell is mining more serious territory – most of the central characters are grappling with various forms of mentall illness – but with the general tone of an indie comedy, resulting in a film that takes its serious issues seriously, but not so seriously that the movie drags or becomes something less than enjoyable. Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper, showing unexpected range) is just getting out of an eight-month stint in a mental institution where he’s been receiving treatment for bipolar disorder after “the explosion,” an incident (later hashed out in full) that resulted in a plea agreement that kept him out of jail but left him with a restraining order against him and some fear and prejudice among neighbors and former co-workers. His parents, played by Oscar winner Robert Deniro and Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver (for 2010′s Animal Kingdom), form an unstable support system for Pat, unable to fully understand his disorder or, in the case of Pat’s father, to separate his own needs from those of his son. Pat’s one constant friend, Ronnie, himself dealing with a pretty serious anxiety problem but receiving no help for it, ends up introducing Pat to his sister-in-law Tiffani (Jennifer Lawrence), a recently widowed young woman with serious issues of her own beyond her grieving, and the two form an immediate connection over dinner when discussing the side effects of their various medications. (I particularly laughed at the discussion of Klonopin, an anti-depressant I was once prescribed as a sleep aid but never took because I was concerned about … well, exactly what Pat and Tiffani described.) Their partnership in healing is uneasy between Pat’s lack of any filter between his brain and his mouth and Tiffani’s wildly varying emotional states, but it’s also evident from the start that the two will end up together – and, to the credit of Cooper and the always-impressive Lawrence, it feels surprisingly natural. Tiffani extorts Pat into being her partner in a couples dance competition, which feels a little implausible, and that ends up a family-wide event due to a rather improbable two-event parlay that was the movie’s one real false note for me. The Pat-Tiffani storyline works independently of the bet, which is played for laughs rather than plot and only provides a reason for Pat’s father to be there at the end to give his son some advice that Pat didn’t actually need after all. The film is absolutely carried by the performances of its four principals, led by Lawrence, who I argued was worthy of the 2010 Best Actress Oscar over the landslide favorite, Natalie Portman, for Lawrence’s performance in Winter’s Bone. Lawrence has a stronger groundswell of support now, as one of Hollywood’s It Girls, thanks in part to her lead role in The Hunger Games, but she does the most in this film with the hardest role because her character lacks emotional boundaries – she varies from desperate to angry to crushed to sultry from sentence to sentence, and conveys her grief over her husband’s death and her own previous emotional problems as much through body language and tone as through her dialogue. (She’s also stunning as a brunette.) Deniro turns in what is probably his best work in a decade, playing Pat’s highly superstitious father, himself likely dealing with an undiagnosed mental illness, loving his son and yet obviously fearing him at the same time because he can’t understand why his son acts and speaks the way he does. Weaver, an Australian actress who dominated Animal Kingdom as the amoral head of a ruthless crime family, nails the Philadelphia accent and the role of the subservient wife to a husband who’s probably been something between difficult and impossible for their entire marriage. I could see all three earning Oscar nods, while Brad Cooper, who lacks the others’ history of work in serious roles and would be up in the most competitive category, gets Jim Carrey’d and ends up on the outside looking in. We even get a few great scenes from Chris Tucker, talking faster than ever, and Julia Stiles, somewhat surprising as a domineering wife to Pat’s friend Ronnie. I was also very happy with how the film dealt with mental illness, taking it seriously but infusing what could have been a very depressing subject with humor, both dark and silly. (Anupam Kher has a couple of scene-stealing lines as Pat’s therapist.) Pat has several episodes of manic or depressive behavior, as well as the “explosion” shown in flashbacks, and some of them are, appropriate, quite painful to watch. I’ve seen several reviews, including the A/V Club’s top 20 films of 2012, that denigrated the film as a “rom-com” that implies that the cure for bipolarity is finding the right, quirky girl. I think those critics miss the point entirely: Pat gets better over the course of the film once he starts taking his medication, investing himself in therapy, and following his therapist’s advice to develop coping strategies and expose himself to potential triggers. That’s how treatment works for any mental illness, including the anxiety disorder for which I’ve belatedly getting treatment this year. Silver Linings absolutely makes it clear that the medication and treatment are working because Pat’s character doesn’t evolve until he gets serious about them. His moods change, his filter reappears, and his word choices start to reflect things he’d likely be hearing or discussing in therapy. Russell doesn’t shove this down our throats, elevating the romantic element (even though Pat and Tiffani don’t actually kiss until the penultimate scene) over the mental-illness storyline, but he lays it all out for anyone who’s paying attention, and respects the subject even while often deriving humor from it. I don’t see how anyone could walk away from this film getting any other message about mental illness beyond “get professional help.” Silver Linings Playbook is a comedy, and there is a romance, but calling it a rom-com doesn’t do it justice because it omits what sets this film apart from even indie romantic comedies. It tackles a serious subject with intelligence and wit while enveloping the viewer in a compelling romance that builds organically through mostly natural plot elements. The character development is far stronger than in even a good “rom-com,” and the performances are all Oscar-worthy, especially in what seems to be a weak year for serious films. And it’s pretty damn funny too. All rom-coms should be so good.
As you know, our little downstairs loo is a paean to New London's own Southwest Ledge Lighthouse. Ledgie for short. A couple of years ago we put a few photos of Ledgie -- taken of her in all her glory at the mouth of the Thames River -- or, sometimes more interestingly, take of her in all her glory in local artists' rendering -- up on the bathroom walls. And voilà. The Ledgie Loo was born. We hadn't added anything to the Ledgie Loo in ages, but Mistah has been snapping shots tirelessly in all the years since. Being Mistah. So it was time once again to leap into action. I ordered prints for something like 3¢ a pop, I found a box in the basement labeled "Frames & Mats", I poured myself a glass* of wine, and I got to work. What? I only used one glass. Oh, but no. No, the work did not* stop there.
Four in ten Nigerian children infected with malaria Abuja, NigeriaJust over 40% of children under age five are infected with malaria, according to a new national survey. “These results show that Nigeria needs to focus on eliminating malaria,” said Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, who launched the study in Abuja. “Nigeria is working towards 2015 as a target to eliminate the disease,” the Minister reported. Malaria remains widespread throughout the entire country. The disease is most common in South West and North Central zones where half of all children are infected and least common in South East Zone where prevalence among children is 28%. National malaria prevention programs are having an impact, according to the newly released 2010 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey (2010 NMIS). Ownership of at least one insecticide treated nets (ITNS) has increased markedly from only 2% of households in 2003 to 8% in 2008 to 42% in 2010. Use of nets by children under age five has also increased over the same time period. Households in areas where malaria prevention campaigns have been carried out are more than three times as likely to own and use ITNs as households in areas without recent campaigns. Despite this progress, many challenges remain. Over two-thirds of young children in Nigeria do not sleep under mosquito nets. Among children with a fever in the two weeks before the survey, only half were given any type of antimalarial drug. Over 70% of children under five suffer from anemia, a common consequence of malaria infections. And, only 1% of households have had indoor residual spraying with insecticides in the 12 months before the survey. The 2010 NMIS collected information from almost 6,000 households and over 6,300 women. More than 5,200 children were tested for malaria and anemia. The 2010 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey was implemented by the National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP). ICF International provided technical assistance through the MEASURE DHS programme, a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Funding for the 2010 NMIS was provided by the NMCP, Global Fund [through the Society for Family Health (SFH) and Yakubu Gowon Centre (YGC)], World Bank, United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFIC) [through the Support to Nigeria Malaria Programme (SuNMaP)], and USAID through the MEASURE DHS programme at ICF International].
So my brake lights are always on and it is the stop light cushion. I have purchased a new one from the dealer and now need to replace. I have tried pointy nose pliers and they are just not working. I ... I just bought a '72 FJ40 and realized that three out the four (drum) brake cylinder's are seized and one of the grease seals is leaking bad. Since I have to replace the brake cylinder's, I am ... My brake pedal requires a further distance to push than it used to. This is not to say it's harder to actually apply the brake; it's just that when I apply the brake, the pedal goes further back than ... My 1995 Camry LE (4 cyl) skidded twice. Luckily I escaped both occasions unhurt and without damage to the car. First time it happened on a freeway when I applied brakes @ 50mph. I thought it was ... My Car Squeals When Braking Even Though I've Had My Front Rotors Machined and Back Rotors Replaced and all new brake pads. What could it be? I own a Toyota Soarer SC300 (1994), 2JZ motor non-turbo 3 litre engine. The engine is probably irrelevant, but provided for prosperity. Anyway, the front rotors were machined and are within the legal ...
The lights are going out at FHM as editor goes The email below arrives on the day we hear that the magazine has parted company with editor, Colin Kennedy, who has resigned after less than two years. Our Bauer insider emails: “They’ve got no editor, deputy editor, fashion editor, website editor or deputy production editor now and their full time production editor is away working on Gazetta. And this man (with these opinions) is currently in charge. Would the last person at FHM please switch the lights off… Good stuff!” Sounds like desperate stuff. Not unlike the magazine’s circulation troubles. FHM has felt the brunt of the declining interest in monthly lad’s magazines and the title suffered had an 18.1% fall in circulation year on year to 192,586, according to the most recent ABC results published in August. Even more so look who is now in charge? None other than veteran FHM editor Ed Needham who, as we reported in December, has been called in to redesign Bauer’s flagship men’s title and broaden its appeal. Needham is a funny choice. Not because he doesn’t lack experience, but because in his own words he has declared the whole men’s mag party is over and, dear readers, it is time to move along and go home (or read something else instead). He wrote a long column in the Guardian saying that the internet and trashy weeklies had destroyed men’s monthlies and that the glory days were gone. “So I got out. I’m also the parent of a two-year-old girl, and while I’ve never been ashamed of the pictures for which I’ve been responsible, the “have a good time, all the time” attitude of men’s magazines now seems like a message from a different frequency. But essentially my decision is a selfish one: I’ve taken the ride up, and it was tremendous, thanks, but I think I’ll give the ride down the other side a miss,” Needham wrote. Over, but not quite over for him. Well, if he can do anything for FHM we will find out next month when the latest ABCs are released. Will Needham have been able to find anything (sans staff) as he tiptoes around the empty cans and broken glasses? I doubt it somehow. He was right first time around.
LOS ANGELES — A state superior court judge on Thursday refused to force YouTube to remove a 14-minute video that has incited deadly violence in the Muslim world, rejecting a request by an actress who claims she was tricked into participating in the film. Cindy Lee Garcia of Bakersfield on Wednesday filed a lawsuit, claiming fraud and slander, against Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the producer of “Innocence of Muslims,” an anti-Muslim video that last week prompted protests and killings at United States Embassies in the Middle East. The suit, citing death threats to Ms. Garcia, sought an injunction against YouTube’s continued distribution of the video, which parodies the Prophet Muhammad. Judge Luis A. Lavin of Los Angeles County Superior Court declined to take action against YouTube, citing technical grounds and a federal law that protects third parties from liability for content they disperse. YouTube blocked the video in a handful of countries on its own volition after the violence broke out but has declined to remove it altogether after determining that its content — while incendiary — does not violate the company’s terms of service regarding hate speech. According to Ms. Garcia’s suit, the actress was told she that was hired for “an adventure film about ancient Egyptians” and that the dialogue she was given to perform had no references to religion. However, the suit claimed that the YouTube video was dubbed and edited in a fashion that “made it appear that Ms. Garcia voluntarily performed in a hateful anti-Islamic production.”
The evolution of human intellect: Human-specific regulation of neuronal genes A new study published November 20 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology has identified hundreds of small regions of the genome that appear to be uniquely regulated in human neurons. These regulatory differences distinguish us from other primates, including monkeys and apes, and as neurons are at the core of our unique cognitive abilities, these features may ultimately hold the key to our intellectual prowess (and also to our potential vulnerability to a wide range of 'human-specific' diseases from autism to Alzheimer's). Exploring which features in the genome separate human neurons from their non-human counterparts has been a challenging task until recently; primate genomes comprise billions of base pairs (the basic building blocks of DNA), and comparisons between the human and chimpanzee genomes alone reveal close to 40 million differences. Most of these are thought to merely reflect random 'genetic drift' during the course of evolution, so the challenge was to identify the small set of changes that have functionally important consequences, as these might help to explain the genomic basis of the emergence of human-specific neuronal function. The key to the present study, led by Dr Schahram Akbarian of the University of Massachusetts and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, was not to focus on the "letters" of the DNA code, but rather on what might be called its "font" or "typeface"—the DNA strands of the genome are wrapped in protein to make a chromatin fiber, and the way in which they are wrapped, the "chromatin state", in turn reflects the regulatory state of that region of the genome (e.g. whether a given gene is turned on or off). This is the field that biologists call "epigenetics"—the study of the "epigenome". Dr Akbarian and colleagues set out to isolate small snippets of chromatin fibers from the frontal cortex, a brain region involved in complex cognitive operations. They were then able to analyze these snippets for the chemical signals (histone methylation) that define the regulatory state (on/off) of the chromatin. The results of their analysis identified hundreds of regions throughout the genome which showed a markedly different chromatin structure in neurons from human children and adults, compared to chimpanzees and macaques. This treasure trove of short genomic regions is now providing researchers with interesting new leads involving the evolution of the human brain. Although some of the regions have remained unchanged during primate evolution, some more tantalizing ones have recently changed, having a DNA sequence that is unique to humans and our close extinct relatives, the Neanderthals and the Denisovans. The study also uncovered examples where several of these regulatory DNA regions appear to physically interact with each other inside the cell nucleus, despite being separated by hundreds of thousands of base pairs on the linear genome. This phenomenon of "chromatin looping" is implicated in controlling the expression of neighboring genes, including several with a critical role for human brain development. The study, from laboratories based in the United States, Switzerland and Russia, draws further attention to the role of epigenetics and the epigenome in our biology and our evolution. As Dr Akbarian notes, "Much about human biology and disease cannot be deduced by simply sequencing the genome. Mapping the epigenome of neurons and other cells will help us to better understand the inner workings of our brain, and where we are coming from." More information: Shulha HP, Crisci JL, Reshetov D, Tushir JS, Cheung I, et al. (2012) Human-Specific Histone Methylation Signatures at Transcription Start Sites in Prefrontal Neurons. PLoS Biol 10(11): e1001427. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001427 Journal reference: PLoS Biology Provided by Public Library of Science - Study characterizes epigenetic signatures of autism in brain tissue Nov 07, 2011 \| not rated yet \| 0 - Lessons from epigenome evolution: Exploring the epigenome's regulatory function Jun 11, 2012 \| not rated yet \| 0 - Changes in the path of brain development make human brains unique Dec 06, 2011 \| not rated yet \| 0 - No evidence for 30-nm chromatin fibers in the mouse genome Oct 04, 2012 \| not rated yet \| 0 - New study provides mechanistic insights into how gene transcription is regulated in mammalian cells Jul 18, 2012 \| not rated yet \| 0 - Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions Apr 23, 2013 \| 3 / 5 (2) \| 2 - Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update) Apr 02, 2013 \| 4.5 / 5 (11) \| 5 - The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation Mar 30, 2013 \| 5 / 5 (2) \| 9 - Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled Mar 27, 2013 \| 4.9 / 5 (8) \| 0 - Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance Feb 28, 2013 \| 4.8 / 5 (10) \| 14 Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras Apr 15, 2011 I'd like to open a discussion thread for version 2 of the draft of my book ''Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras'', available online at http://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/0810.1019 , and for the... - More from Physics Forums - Independent Research More news stories Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM)—a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers ... Genetics May 24, 2013 \| 3 / 5 (2) \| 0 \| Can human genes be patented? That was the question posed by Alan J. Snyder, vice president and associate provost for research and graduate studies at Lehigh, and Lee Kaplan, scientific director of cellular and molecular genetics ... Genetics May 24, 2013 \| 4 / 5 (1) \| 0 Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London have led the largest sequencing study of human disease to date, investigating the genetic basis of six autoimmune diseases. Genetics May 22, 2013 \| 4.5 / 5 (4) \| 0 \| University of Minnesota Medical School researchers from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, in partnership with the University's Brain Tumor Program, have developed a new mouse model of malignant peripheral ... Genetics May 20, 2013 \| 5 / 5 (1) \| 0 \| Northwestern University scientists have shown a gene involved in neurodegenerative disease also plays a critical role in the proper function of the circadian clock. Genetics May 16, 2013 \| 3 / 5 (1) \| 1 \| Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to the results of a multicentre randomised double blind trial presented today at Heart Failure 2013 congress. It is the first drug to improve heart failure mortality ... 16 hours ago \| 5 / 5 (2) \| 5 (HealthDay)—Animals make great companions for senior citizens, but elderly people who always drive with a pet in the car are far more likely to crash than those who never drive with a pet, researchers have ... 8 hours ago \| not rated yet \| 1 Heart failure accelerates the aging process and brings on early andropausal syndrome (AS), according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. AS, also referred to as male 'menopause', was four times ... 16 hours ago \| not rated yet \| 1 Mortality and length of stay are highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight, according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. The analysis of nearly 1 million ... 16 hours ago \| not rated yet \| 0 (AP)—Department of Justice lawyers have again asked a federal appeals court in New York to delay lifting age restrictions and prescription requirements on an emergency contraceptive popularly known as the morning-after ... 16 hours ago \| not rated yet \| 0
Scientists identify genetic mutation behind rare diseaseJanuary 4th, 2013 in Genetics (Medical Xpress)—Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London, and Barts Health NHS Trust have identified the genetic mutation behind a devastating disease of the small intestine. The scientists investigated the case of a brother and sister with a 40-year history of the rare intestinal disease known as cryptogenic multifocal ulcerating stenosing enteritis (CMUSE) and found they had a mutation in a single gene. The results are published in the journal GUT. CMUSE is an extremely rare disease of previously unknown cause which is characterised by recurrent ulcers of the small intestine and other organs. Symptoms vary but can include abdominal pain, fatigue, weight loss, fever and joint symptoms. Treatment is by surgery, removing the affected parts of bowel. Professor Tom MacDonald, from the Blizard Institute at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, part of Queen Mary, co-ordinated the research along with geneticist Professor David Kelsell. Professor MacDonald said: "Rare diseases can be very informative scientifically and this is a particularly devastating disease which has blighted the lives of these siblings from a very young age. "By analysing the DNA of these siblings we were able to pinpoint a mutation of the PLA2G4A gene which we believe is behind their condition. Importantly, this genetic knowledge means we now know which pathway has been affected in these patients and their clinical management has been revised with suitable drugs and dietary supplements to target this." The findings explain why patients with CMUSE have stomach ulcers similar to those found in patients who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin to prevent inflammation and cancer. NSAIDs reduce inflammation by blocking a key enzyme called cyclooxygenase, which converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. Prostaglandins protect against stomach ulcers as they stimulate the secretion of the layer of mucus which covers the gastric mucosa – the mucous membrane layer of the stomach – protecting it from the gastric acid in the stomach. The genetic mutation affecting the siblings means they are unable to produce arachidonic acid, and therefore like patients taking NSAIDs, have a similar impairment in the production of prostaglandins. The researchers therefore suggest that patients presenting with intestinal ulceration who are not taking NSAIDs should be screened for mutations of the PLA2G4A gene. Further research is needed on other patients with CMUSE to determine if they also harbour PLA2G4A mutations and to further understand the biochemical impacts of the mutation. More information: gut.bmj.com/conten… -303581.full Provided by Queen Mary, University of London "Scientists identify genetic mutation behind rare disease." January 4th, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-scientists-genetic-mutation-rare-disease.html
Women with unintended pregnancy are four times more likely to suffer from postpartum depression at twelve months postpartum, suggests a new study published today in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Obstetrics & gynaecology May 07, 2013 \| not rated yet \| 0 More than 300,000 babies die within 24 hours of being born in India each year from infections and other preventable causes, a report said Tuesday, blaming a lack of political will and funding for the crisis. Health May 07, 2013 \| not rated yet \| 0 Healthcare professionals caring for patients with dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) now have access to a new and comprehensive online resource called 'Medicines Optimisation in Patients with Dysphagia' (www.dysphagia-‐medicine.com/). Medications May 01, 2013 \| not rated yet \| 0
Monday, May 24th, 2010 It was 1:30 pm, and I stared at my blank computer screen wondering how I was going to create a logo that truly captivated the essence of our new client- Southern Girl Desserts. In the midst of this mind-block, I remembered the key to creating good work as opposed to great work in this industry is understanding the client. So, I grabbed my head-phones, put on some good ol’ southern music, and “went in” on designing the logo. The southern beats were just the inspiration I needed to tap into the rhythm of my work and culture of my client. At 6:00 pm, I finally had something I felt they would be proud to call their own. Southern Girl Desserts confirmed that the look of it is “southern, yet classy, exactly the brand identity we were going for.” It’s this satisfaction that makes all the hard work we put in worth the while.
Remember when I had you re-think your to-do lists in longer-terms to prevent you from feeling overwhelmed? Now I’m going to add some more tasks for you to pile onto those already bursting to-dos. Before you freak out, know that this will be for your own good. Running a business can be a seven-days-a-week, 16+ hours a day job if you let it. It’s hard to shut that laptop closed and put down that beading needle when there is still so much work to be done. We feel like if we pause, even just for a moment, we’ll fall so far behind that we’ll need to figure out a way to time-travel in order to make up for lost time. Forget destroying Hitler, send me back to last week so I can catch up on my bookkeeping. Not surprisingly, with all of our business tasks scheduled back-to-back, we often skip our much-needed personal care. Ask yourself: When was the last time you got your hair cut? Hit the treadmill? Read a book? Painted your nails? Made a salad? TOOK A SHOWER? If you have to pause for even a MOMENT when answering any of these questions, it’s time to re-think how you handle your self-care habits. Taking good care of your person is just as important as getting those orders packaged and proof-reading those product descriptions. In fact, it’s even more important because everything you do is dependent on how well you are taking care of yourself. If your well-being starts to slide, it will show in your work. To make sure you are fulfilling your personal needs, insert your self-care routines into your planner’s schedule. This will not only help you remember that these tasks are just as important as the other things on your list, but will also motivate you to complete them. No one likes to leave a task unchecked. Not after we’ve gone through all of the trouble of writing it down. It’s one thing to tell yourself, “I’m going to start exercising 3 days a week,” and another to write down exercise for 1 hour on three days of the week in your planner. Now you HAVE to do it, and you’ll keep your much-needed task in mind when scheduling your other tasks around it. Continue to do this for the other important, but often skipped self-care routines that you might be missing out on. By scheduling your YOU time, you’ll be giving it the priority it deserves.
If you're an insomniac, who requires Ambien to get yourself to sleep at night, be sure to padlock your fridge and pantry before popping the pill. The NYT reports: You know, this response reminds me an awful lot of another rather soporific drug. Well, let's hear it for fat, happy, and well-rested. Of all the mental illnesses I could fall victim to, a sleep-related eating disorder sounds, by far, the coolest.
alllast visit: 15th Decmember since: May 23rd 2012about me: Why Hello there. My name is Lexy. Like most of you i am expecting! hmm about me, well im 18 and slightly immature but at times i can seem old for my age. Im working on getting my life straightened out. my due date is 12.12.12 lol and im looking for girls around my age who are also expecting around the same time. im outgoing and fun to talk to. id love to get to know you!
I lived in Avon during elementary school in the late 60s and early 70s. I lived next door to Gary Gnora and we were good friends when I was young. I'd like to track him down if possible. Does anyone know him by chance? I also knew Jimmy (Nelson I think) whose father was a Vterinarian. I lived on Schwartz Rd.
A testicular biopsy is a test to remove a small sample of tissue from one testicles and examine it under a microscope to evaluate a man's ability to father a child. testicles (testes) are oval-shaped glands that hang in the scrotum beneath the base of the penis. The testicles produce sperm (necessary for reproduction) and male hormones, Why It Is Done biopsy may, on rare occasions, be done to help determine the cause of male infertility. Testicular biopsy may be done if both of the following are present: - The man's semen does not have sperm. - Hormone test results are within the normal Testicular biopsy is not usually used to detect testicular cancer. When cancer is suspected, an open surgical procedure (orchiectomy) is done to confirm the diagnosis. Testicular biopsy may also be done to retrieve sperm for in vitro fertilization for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF-ICSI). How To Prepare Before having a testicular biopsy, be sure to tell your doctor if you: - Have had any bleeding problems. - Are allergic to any medicines, including anesthetics. - Take any medicines regularly. Be sure your doctor knows the names and doses of all your - Are taking any blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin (Coumadin), heparin, enoxaparin (Lovenox), aspirin, ibuprofen, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). You will need to sign a consent form that says you understand the risks of a testicular biopsy and agree to have the biopsy. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of the biopsy, fill out the medical test information form(What is a PDF document?). If a testicular biopsy is done under local anesthesia, no other special preparation is biopsy is done under general anesthesia, your doctor will tell you how soon before surgery to stop eating and drinking. Follow the instructions exactly about when to stop eating and drinking, or your surgery may be canceled. If your doctor has instructed you to take your medicines on the day of surgery, please do so using only a sip of water. During preparation for the biopsy, an intravenous line (IV) is inserted in your arm, and a sedative medicine is given about an hour before the How It Is Done This biopsy is done by a surgeon or a doctor who treats reproductive health problems in men (urologist) in the doctor's office, a day surgery clinic, or a hospital operating room. You will lie on your back on an examining table. The skin over your testicle is cleaned with an antiseptic solution, and the area around it is covered with sterile cloth. Your doctor will wear sterile gloves. It is very important that you do not touch this
Holistic media. Compelling customer experiences. Profitable behavioral impact. That simple formula is the hallmark of Merkle’s approach to communications. Elevated beyond the domain of any one channel or media solution, we pride ourselves on creating the best customer experience at the best time. Whenever, wherever, however. The Merkle Way: How we work At Merkle, when we say we are a full-service CRM agency, it means we partner with our clients through every step of the CRM spectrum – from strategic consulting and data-driven analytics, through creative strategy, concept ideation and communications development, all the way to delivery, deployment and measurement. Solving with both sides of the brain. And as one team As we navigate the art & science that is the creative process, our nationally-recruited creative leaders and their teams assemble a complete picture of the contemporary customer experience over the course of each year, month, even week. Getting a full understanding of how customers have interacted with our clients’ brands – and their competitors – is key to any successful marketing effort. As this happens, our Group Creative Directors and their teams work closely with our clients in identifying any gaps in the overall customer experience, and in partnership with our Merkle teammates, we develop a creative strategy based on a solid understanding of what drives customer behavior. A strategy that’s thoroughly measurable, campaignable and memorable in the face of competitive activity.
I saw yesterday that Titan books have Re-issued Andrew Loomis book 'Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth'. This is one of the best books on figure drawing ever. It's been out of print for 50 years or something. Pdf copies have been circulating around the net for a few years now and i think there been all sorts of online petitions trying to get this book reprinted, and thankfully it must have worked! before if you wanted a copy it would have set you back around £100 if you could find something on amazon with a copy, now you can get it for £29!! Hopefully they'll reprint his others, like 'Heads and hand'
WESTFIELD, Mass., August 2004 -- RBI has produced a new, six-page brochure featuring the LCD Dominator Series of sealed combustion boilers and water heaters. The six-page, full color publication features photos detailing the product's performance features, installation flexibility and easy-to-service features including slide-out heat exchangers. The brochure features color illustrations detailing various venting options that add to the LCD's installation flexibility. The LCD Series with optional stainless steel jacket for indoor and outdoor applications is also shown. Comprehensive specification charts and dimensional drawings are provided for accurate specifying and size selection of models ranging from 225 -- 2300 MBH. RBI, a Mestek Company, manufactures a full line of finned copper tube hot water heaters and boilers. For additional information or a free copy of this brochure contact RBI at (413) 568-9571 or visit www.rbiwaterheaters.com.
I'm afraid that I'm missing comments that are being posted to questions that I've asked weeks/months ago. Is there any way that I can see which comments I haven't touched? On your profile, go to the tab marked Responses. That should give you a good idea. It's all ordered chronologically. Your profile responses are here.
I am still new to this website but I am curious, what is the incentive for people to answer questions? It seems like there is a much higher time effort of people to answering versus asking, which surprises me (from a pure utilitarian perspective). For me the answer has boiled down to a few basic categories: - To gain reputation (this was novel at first and wore off after the first few days of using the site). Also rep can always be gained by asking questions, with the benefit of also obtaining information. - To give back. I find myself doing this whenever I come to SO to search for/ask a question, and see something on the landing page I can answer. - To correct the answer to an existing question. This happens when I find the answer on SO and after trying it find it to be incomplete/not fully correct. I'm surprised how many people are willing to contribute so much time in answering questions with seemingly minimal reward. Is it just that the community is that friendly and people are acting out of the goodness of their hearts?
![[image]] renders a broken tag: I don't think what you're trying to do makes sense.. even a little. Have a peek: This is well into WTF? territory. Instead I suggest something more sane: I'm assuming you're trying to wrap an image in a link. And there is an interesting difference between the preview and actual rendering:
Yahoo search isn't working properly, via the "Search Ask Metafilter" link. Clicking on a search result link goes directly to http://www.yahoo.com. posted by hooray on Nov 13, 2005 - Hey Matt, where did the search function go? Now all that is left is a Google search, but that doesn't pick up recent posts. I know you are working on some new search features, but could we have the old one back in the meantime, please? posted by caddis on Nov 9, 2005 - posted by Mephistopheles on Aug 22, 2005 - Ask keeps timing out on me when I do searches for anything except "questions only". I get: "The request has exceeded the allowable time limit Tag: CFQUERY..." In case it's relevant, I'm searching for stars of the lid . I'm on Safari 2.0. posted by dobbs on Aug 7, 2005 - Words or phrases enclosed in quotation marks (e.g. "too much" ) are ignored by the search app, while the the same words work fine when used without the quotes. What gives? posted by me3dia on Jul 17, 2002 - It seems that both myself are wondering about the search timing out. I did a MeFi Google search to see if anyone had recently linked e-sheep, and it looked safe. Little did I know . As per Qubit, why does the Metafilter specific search engine time out consistently, letting dumbasses like myself double post? posted by arielmeadow on Oct 17, 2001 - The search facility is basically dead on its feet: I get timeouts 9 times out of 10. Understandable, given the size of the DB, but might it be worth outsourcing (ie, a Googlified site:www.metafilter.com link)? posted by holgate on Sep 19, 2001 -
We will be taking up a collection for missions on Sunday, April 7, 2012. Please take a moment to read about some of the missions supported by your donations. You may also give online. Designate your donation to “Missions” or to the mission of your choice. If you have any questions please call the church office. Click here
The Mets won a coin flip with the Houston Astros and would host a tiebreaker for the NL wild card next week if itâ€™s needed to decide a postseason berth. Under previous coin flips, the Mets, Philadelphia and Houston all would host Milwaukee. Philadelphia would host the Mets in an NL East tiebreaker. The Chicago White Sox would host the Minnesota Twins if they finish with the same record in the AL Central. Here’s the lineup against the Cubs’ Rich Harden: Jose Reyes, SS David Murphy, LF David Wright, 3B Carlos Delgado, 1B Carlos Beltran, CF Ryan Church, RF Ramon Martinez, 2B Brian Schneider, C Pedro Martinez, P Back with the Cubs lineup when we get it.
For the first time since 1998, the Mets have shut out the Phillies, this time 5-0. Hisanori Takahashi got his first Major League win, pushing the Mets within three games of first place and a game over .500. A night after R.A. Dickey shut out the Phillies and pitched six innings, Takahashi picked up the mantle and went six of his own. One key for the two games was the Mets pitching staff allowed only one walk. Takahashi struck out six and extended his scoreless streak to 12 innings. Although they didn’t score as many runs as last night, the Mets still produced offensively. Jose Reyes continued his hot streak as he had two hits, including his first home run in the third inning. The Mets only got seven hits but again took advantage of scoring opportunities. Helping out in that effort was that Angel Pagan and Luis Castillo each had two stolen bases. Pagan also had two hits. Rod Barajas also had a big night, plating three runs off a double and sacrifice fly. With tonight’s win, the Mets have now taken two each against two really good teams in the Phillies and the Yankees. Mike Pelfrey will go for the sweep Thursday night, but he’ll have a difficult battle as he’ll face Cole Hamels. With the pitching performances by Dickey and Takahashi, do the Mets really need to worry about John Maine and Oliver Perez? Keep Perez in the bullpen. and it’s time to release Maine. He’s been nothing but a walking injury. Do you agree?
Select () or exclude () categories to narrow your recipe search. As you select categories, the number of matching recipes will update. Find exactly what you're looking for with the web's most powerful recipe filtering tool. I got this lovely dish off a Walmart card by the fish department! Lucky me! Units: US \| Metric Serving Size: 1 (336 g) Servings Per Recipe: 4 The following items or measurements are not included:
All across the country it is evident that Americans are reacting with shock to Obama's ambush Amnesty decree announced Friday. Even the people who support the Dream Act Amnesty are saying they disagree with how Obama has gone about this. Remember, ALIPAC was the first national illegal immigration fighting organization to proclaim him "Dictator Obama" in 2011. Now the rest of the country is getting a clear picture. We only have 48 hours to break out of EMERGENCY MODE to be able to fight Obama's ambush Amnesty full force on Monday. We believe that Obama has done this in an effort to keep his illegal alien voters from fleeing the country when the Supreme Court passes Arizona's law in many more states. We did the best we could this Friday and ALIPAC was quoted in the Wall St. Journal, several radio stations, News 14, and across the web, but we are not able to fight at full capacity due to our shortage of funds. We can emerge from emergency mode if we can raise $2,000 in the next 48 hours which will allow us to come out of the gate swinging on Monday! Please use this link to donate by mail, phone, PayPal, credit or debit card within the next 48 hours! Secure Donations Link In case you missed the action, here is the video of Obama's Amnesty decree and the brave reporter named Neil Munro of The Daily Caller. We want to thank Neil Munro for bravely interrupting Dictator Obama, even though Obama was not allowing any questions from reporters Munro spoke up asking... Why do you prefer foreign workers over Americans?" Reporter Heckles Obama at White House Immigration Announcement \| The Weekly Standard Neil Munro explains his exchange with President Obama in Rose Garden Read more: Please help ALIPAC get back in the fight against Amnesty and illegal immigration with full force on Monday. We have 48 hours left to be ready so please make a donation at this link... Secure Donations Link The ALIPAC Team “PUNISH OUR ENEMIES”… does that mean assault the legals of Arizona that must fend off the Mexican invasion, occupation, growing criminal and welfare state, as well as Mex Drug cartels??? Each day new reports come in from across the nation that our movement is surging and more incumbents, mostly Democrats, are about to fall on Election Day. Obama's approval ratings are falling to new lows as he makes highly inappropriate statements to Spanish language audiences asking illegal alien supporters to help him "punish our enemies." While the declining job market in the United States may be discouraging some would-be border crossers, a flow of illegal aliens continues unabated, with many entering the United States as drug-smuggling “mules.” Increasingly vicious foot soldiers of the Mexican drug cartels are taking control of U.S. lands along the border, especially since U.S. Border Patrol units have been reassigned, some to offices 60 to 80 miles inland. The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) early last year posted signs warning citizens to avoid Interstate 8 between Casa Grande and Gila Bend, Ariz., because of criminal activity in the area, an area that includes protected natural areas precious to the nation. In reaction to public outrage over the signs, the BLM removed the offensive wording in October 2010, replacing it with the following: Visitor Information Update—Active Federal Law Enforcement Patrol Area. As the liberal news media, far-left Democrats, and labor unions push for the “Hispanicazation” of U.S. culture, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the U.S. border has never been more secure. Perhaps she is basing this on the reduced number of apprehensions, which result, of course, from reassigning Border Patrol agents inland. In a recent New York Times article, Nicholas Kristof criticized U.S. citizens for not speaking a foreign language and suggested that “Every child in the United States should learn Spanish.” He concluded that as the United States increasingly integrates economically with Latin America, Spanish will be crucial for the United States. For decades, the liberal left has argued that Latin America is essential for U.S. business and trade. Kristof states that Latin America “is finally getting its act together” but fails to mention the Obama administration’s $2 billion loan of U.S. taxpayer money in 2009 to Brazil’s Petrobras oil company for deep off-shore oil drilling. Obama confidant George Soros, through the Soros Fund Management LLC, until recently owned millions of dollars of Petrobras stock. Kristof suggests that one day Spanish-speaking Americans will be part of daily life in the United States and that workmen such as mechanics will be able to communicate easily with Spanish-speaking customers. He fails to explain why these customers will not be speaking English. After all, the ability to speak, read, and write English remains a requirement for U.S. citizenship. President Barack Obama gives lip service to increasing border control resources with limited funding and personnel. Many officials, including the governors of Texas and Arizona, are skeptical regarding the Obama administration’s resolve. They resent that the United States is being blamed for the killing fields on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. Border. For instance, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in March 2009, during her first official visit to Mexico, placed the blame for the Mexican drug cartels’ vicious murders on the United States. In Mexico City, she announced that the U.S. appetite for illegal drugs and the easy acquisition of guns from the United States by Mexicans are the root causes of the Mexican crime wave. “Blame America” has become the global agenda of the Democratic Party. The Obama administration’s plan to resolve the immigration chaos is to offer amnesty to all comers. President Obama re-affirms his support of a “pathway to citizenship” (amnesty) for illegal aliens in 2011. The administration, however, has announced no plans to control the influx of future waves of illegal aliens or their skyrocketing costs to the nation. The administration, which condones U.S. sanctuary cities and states, has no plans to file charges against them for violations of federal immigration law. Nor does the administration seem concerned about the environmental impact that illegal aliens have on the ecology of the United States. Many national forests, parks, monuments, wilderness areas, and wildlife refuges — once the pride of the nation — are serving today as marijuana fields for illegal alien gangs. Former Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi reportedly said to a gathering of illegal aliens in California in 2009 that U.S. immigration laws were “un-American,” suggesting that they need not be obeyed. Concerned citizens can only trust that the new speaker of the House, John Boehner, as part of congressional oversight of federal agencies, will demand enforcement of existing immigration laws. When will President Obama recognize that illegal immigration is slowing economic recovery? Can he resolve the chaos while still appeasing his Hispanic base? To maintain his populist aura, the president is in the habit of saying one thing to one audience and the opposite to another. One Obama apologist explained, “Campaign rhetoric is one thing,” suggesting that governing is another. The deliberate Hispanicazation of the United States to secure a block of votes is quite another. Immigration Invasion - View From A Border Patrol Officer
MTN in bed with Iran's military Competing mobile operators MTN and Turkcell were silent this week on the latter’s claims that MTN bribed its way into Iran six years ago. But circumstances surrounding MTN’s audacious entry into Iran, and the South African government’s concurrent diplomatic efforts there, provide a compelling context for the claims. MTN could also face increasing international pressure because the Iranian military owns one of MTN’s two state-linked partners there, Iran Electronics Industries (IEI). IEI is also the subject of a web of United States and European sanctions that target proliferators of “weapons of mass destruction”. In 2005, MTN controversially displaced Turkcell in a consortium that had provisionally won a lucrative mobile phone licence in Iran. Turkcell was, until then, a leading partner in the bid. Last week, MTN pre-emptively announced claims by its Turkish counterpart that in 2004 and 2005, “in an effort to cause the Iranian government to issue the licence to MTN”, MTN had bribed officials in South Africa and Iran. In the release, MTN also revealed that it was said that it leaned on the South African government “at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in November 2005” to support Iran on nuclear power development in the face of intense international pressure, and that MTN “enlisted” the South African government to facilitate the provision of military equipment there. The Mail & Guardian has not seen evidence to back these claims, and both MTN and Turkcell refuse to elaborate. But MTN did not deny the allegations, saying only that it “believes that the Turkcell US claim lacks legal merit” and that US courts would not have jurisdiction. MTN has launched an inquiry into the allegation under former jurist Leonard Hoffmann. An analysis of South Africa’s diplomatic relations with Iran in 2004 and 2005 and the process leading to MTN’s licence award provides a credible scenario for Turkcell’s claims, suggesting an interweaving of commercial and diplomatic interests. - In February 2004, a consortium called Irancell was provisionally awarded a sought-after licence to open Iran’s second mobile phone network. Turkcell, a 70% shareholder, led the consortium. Turkcell’s partner in the consortium was the Iran Electronic Development Company, made up of two state-linked companies: IEI and the Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic Revolution. Before the licence could be finalised, it needed to be approved by the Iranian Parliament and Turkcell had to pay a €300-million licence fee. However, news reports and market releases from Turkcell show that parliamentary approval was delayed throughout 2004. - In August 2004, South Africa’s former deputy foreign minister, Aziz Pahad, flew to Tehran for preparatory talks before a binational meeting. While there, Pahad met Mostazafan Foundation president Mahmoud Farouzandeh. A department of international relations and co-operation statement said Pahad and Farouzandeh explored political and economic relations, particularly “in the fields of electricity, communication and oil and energy”. No specific mention was made of MTN or Irancell. - That December, at the South African-Iranian Joint Bilateral Commission, South Africa’s then foreign affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said $4-billion in South African investments in Iran were “nearing finalisation”. She did not mention MTN directly, but a joint statement the following day revealed that MTN was one of six South African companies at the conference. The statement said MTN had recently opened a Tehran office having “identified the potential of the Iran telecommunications market”. No mention was made of the licence to be awarded to Irancell, but MTN was ostensibly interested in a third mobile-operator licence on the cards and the possible privatisation of the existing licence. - In January and February 2005, according to Turkcell market releases, “unofficial” government statements suggested the Iranian Parliament had resolved that Turkcell should reduce its stake in Irancell from 70% to 49%. By June, Turkcell was responding to unconfirmed reports that it had been excluded altogether. - Throughout 2005, Iran came under intense pressure from the US, Europe and Israel, which believed Iran was covertly building nuclear weapons while claiming its activities were civilian. In September 2005, a US and European-sponsored resolution was passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) finding Iran guilty of violating its commitments as a Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty signatory and resolving to refer it to the United Nations Security Council. In the lead-up to the September resolution, South Africa emerged as an important player. As South Africa had taken a sympathetic line on Iran’s nuclear programme and wielded considerable influence among developing nations, it was courted by the US, Israel and Iran itself, which sought assistance in negotiations with the West. Represented by its delegate Abdul Minty, South Africa abstained from the September IAEA vote. - That same month, Turkcell agreed to reduce its shareholding in Irancell to 49%, but news reports claimed days later it had been replaced by “another firm”. Turkcell insisted it had received no formal communication. Ten days later, MTN publicly expressed its interest. Its executive, Irene Charnley, invoked South Africa’s good relationship with Iran, saying the company had decided “to contribute” to the consortium. “Iran and South Africa enjoy good political and economic relations and MTN hopes to have a significant share in promotion of the ties,” she said. Throughout October 2005, comments by local officials suggested Turkcell had been replaced, while it insisted it had not been ousted from the consortium. - On November 21 2005, MTN announced it was the 49% shareholder in Irancell after paying the €300-million licence fee. Three days later, Minty spoke at an IAEA meeting, where the agency presented a favourable report on Iran. He noted that South Africa believed the September resolution on Iran “was not the correct course of action”. This may have been the meeting where, according to Turkcell, “MTN encouraged the South African government to take a favourable position toward Iran’s civil nuclear power development programme”. Three days later, MTN stated that Irancell had been formally awarded the mobile operator licence. The company launched the next year, in October 2006. In 2008, Turkcell launched arbitration proceedings against the Iranian government. Its subsidiary, the East Asian Consortium, launched separate arbitration against the Iran Electronic Development Company, its former partner in Turkcell, for violating a shareholders’ agreement. In September 2008, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control placed one of MTN’s Irancell partners, IEI, on a list designed “to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”. This “blocks the property of persons engaged in proliferation activities and their support networks”. The company allegedly manufactures electronic components for Iran’s weapons systems. IEI, reportedly wholly owned by Iran’s ministry of defence, was also sanctioned by the European Union in June 2008 as well as under the US Iran and Syria Non-proliferation Act in December 2006. MTN’s other partner in Irancell, the Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic Revolution, is purportedly a charitable body designed to benefit veterans of the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. It is one of the biggest holding companies in the Middle East, managing about 400 concerns. US and UK sources have linked the foundation to “weapons of mass destruction” procurement. This could not be substantiated. Contacted by the M&G, Minty said MTN had not put any pressure on him: “At no point did they approach me to influence me in any direction.” He said South Africa’s position on Iran at the IAEA was “very consistent”. “I don’t know what Turkcell knows. We weren’t pushed by anyone.” The department of international relations and co-operation has echoed Minty’s denial, saying no one influenced policy implementation. Charnley could not be reached and an official in her office said she was abroad. Messages were left for Pahad, but he did not respond. * Got a tip-off for us about this story? Email [email protected] The M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism, a non-profit initiative to develop investigative journalism in the public interest, produced this story. All views are ours. See www.amabhungane.co.za for all our stories, activities and sources of funding.
Fee-Based Courses Licensed through NetSmart University A series of basic skill modules have been offered by training staff to the behavioral healthcare agencies in the State of Florida. These modules are not for licensed professionals and are not offered for Continuing Education Credit. They are however very useful for frontline caregivers in mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. Modules can be purchased at a very reasonable rate through the following vendor. Netsmart University is the comprehensive suite of training and education services available from Netsmart Technologies, the leading provider of enterprise-wide software and training services to the behavioral healthcare community. The following titles are fee-based courses offered through NetSmart University: - The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale - The Baker and Marchman Acts - Clinical Documentation - Crisis Intervention and Risk Assessment - Psychiatric Medications in Behavioral Healthcare - Proactive Intervention with Agitated and Aggressive Behavior MHLP Faculty Member(s)Larry Thompson, Ed.D. For more information contact Larry Thompson at firstname.lastname@example.org.
A brief overview about microdermabrasion treatments by Bay harbour Med Spa. What is Crystal Microdermabrasion? Crystal Microdermabrasion is a superbly effective treatment that mechanically exfoliates the skin with micro-crystals removing dead cells, improving texture and smoothing away irregularities. As a result of the abrading mechanism, Crystal Microdermabrasion also stimulates the production of fresh new skin cells and collagen. What is the main benefit of Crystal Microdermabrasion? Crystal Microdermabrasion is less invasive and aggressive than chemical peels or laser treatments. There is little to no downtime involved. Does it hurt? Crystal Microdermabrasion is relatively painless. There is a slight abrasive sensation during the procedure. Do I need to take time off work to have a treatment? It is not necessary to take time off work but your skin may look a little rosy right after the treatment. How much improvement will I have? The amount of improvement is individual and depends on the initial condition of the client’s skin. Other treatments related to skin care by Bay Harbour Med Spa: · Authentic European Facials · Ultrasonic Face Treatments · Acne Facials · VelaShape aka VelaSmooth- Cellulite Fighting Treatment · Laser Hair Removal- Safe For All Skin Colors · Infrared Treatments · Ionic Foot Bath Treatments · Specialized Skin Care For Men · Teen Skin Care For a free consultation, please call: 305-864-8824.
In college football (especially the SEC), there just aren't enough chill pills to go around. Last week, I prescribed one to the people complaining about Chris Rainey's return, and this week, I'm dishing out a heavy dose to the people freaking out about Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's choke sign before Chas Henry's game-winning field goal on Saturday. The Bulldogs called a timeout to ice Henry before his overtime field-goal attempt, and when the camera panned to UGA coach Mark Richt on the sideline, it caught Grantham repeatedly grabbing at his throat while appearing to notify Henry that he was "going to [expletive] choke." Video and photo evidence hit the Internet, setting off a wave of reaction. The latest, from the AJC's Tony Barnhart this morning, says Grantham should be forced to apologize and then be fined and suspended for a game. He's not alone in that opinion, but is this really that big of a deal to you? To me, this is way overblown. Grantham did something stupid, and the only person he harmed was himself. It makes him look like an idiot, and he should apologize. Instead, Grantham made himself look worse by offering this response: “As a competitor, sometimes you get caught up in the heat of the moment. I wish the situation hadn’t happened. It was a tough, hard-fought game. They won it, and I’m ready to move forward and finish out the year strong." When asked if he owes Henry an apology: “I’ve kind of basically said what I’m going to say.” For me, that's the end of this story. When are we going to stop treating coaches like these almighty examples of moral character? Sure, they're leaders and should behave as such, but they're also intense competitors who live and die based on a game, and often, they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. Grantham showed his true colors Saturday, and that's all the punishment I think is necessary. Besides, it's not like Henry went home and cried after that. As my roommate said, "Florida's coaches have probably done worse than that to Henry in practice." If anything, it fueled him: To be fair, there have been complaints from the UGA camp that Henry or other Florida players instigated the incident by making some kind of gesture first. I say, who cares? This is a football game, not church. It's a rivalry where, in the last four years, we've had Georgia rush the field and Florida call unnecessary timeouts to rub in a win and try to eye-gouge an opponent. Now, it's 2-2. I don't think there will be any further comment from Florida on this situation, and that's for the best. Henry made the kick, Grantham made himself look immature, and now people are making way too big a deal out of it. How do you feel about this? Agree with me? Want to give Grantham the electric chair? Or would you rather just take personal shots at each other about Miami? (We all know which option wins on this blog). And remember, my Twitter is hungry. UPDATE: Henry did a little taunting of his own, and he agrees this thing is overblown. Here's what he said today: "I started laughing, like, 'You're going to ice me? I'm not even the kicker.' So I start looking and I see the guy doing the choke. I look at him again and he does like, 'You're going to choke.' So I take my helmet off and I gave him a little smooch. I blew him a little kiss. That might be why he got a little upset about that. Then he did it again." "I think it's ridiculous that people are trying to say, 'Oh, he should have to apologize for it and everything.' It's just an intense game."
The Fiber Department Mixed Media Series presents Sheri Simons, Visiting Artist, Wednesday, March 4 The Fiber Department Mixed Media Series presents Sheri Simons, Visiting Artist Wednesday, March 4 Main Building Room 110 Sheri Simons is based in Chico, CA where she is an art professor at California State University, Chico. She has worked in wood, sound, and movement and is interested in sculpture as an instrument, broadly defined as something which aids in or causes an action. Simons received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Her public commissions include the Sacramento Central Library, the Carmichael Library in Sacramento and Juvenile Court Area of the Kent County Justice Center through the Seattle Arts Commission. Simons has had solo and group exhibitions at art institutions across the country including the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Craft and Folk Art Museum in San Francisco, the Detroit Institute of Art, the University of Alaska Museum, and the Alaska State Museum among many others.
we're entering into a period of about ten days of crazy. so i'm starting it off with my own personal moment of zen: my little girl, in the empty lots behind our house, surrounded by yellow. (i won't mention how UNzen-like that experience was ... trying to get a photo of the two kids together in the flowers, being all happy and loving, except they were being anything but.) there's a lot going in the next ten days, then i have big plans for more busy around the house for the next couple of months after that. i just sent our one-year-walk-through repair list to the builder (can't believe we've been here for a year already!), and once those things are done, i'm setting forth on projects such as hanging some shelves ... and art ... and shelves with art. and building bookshelves. and hopefully finally getting the front room (wii) room outfitted with furniture instead of miscellaneous moving boxes of random crap that belongs nowhere. i've been very patiently biding my time and making plans, but now is time for action. duhn duhn duhn. but first: oooohhhhmmmmm.
Podcasts & RSS Feeds Most Active Stories Mon May 9, 2011 First Listen: Danger Mouse and Jack White vs. the Spaghetti Western How many times a day do you wonder what a Spaghetti Western soundtrack would sound like composed by Danger Mouse and featuring Jack White's signature vocals? Forty? A hundred? Whatever the number is, you can stop wondering. Danger Mouse and Italian composer Daniele Luppi are on the verge of releasing Rome, a Spaghetti-inspired album which features vocal performances by superstars Norah Jones and Jack White. You can listen to the whole album--ahead of its release--here. The long-anticipated brainchild of producer-composer Danger Mouse and Italian composer Daniele Luppi, Rome benefits from a bit of context. More than five years in the making, the project assembles many of the surviving performers of classic '60s and '70s Ennio Morricone scores — and, in half a dozen memorable cases, pairs them up with the vocals of Norah Jones or The White Stripes' Jack White. Naturally, Rome can't possibly exceed the sum of its parts, with its successful composer and arranger in Luppi, its groundbreaking producer and composer in Danger Mouse, countless combined years of orchestra experience, a painstaking recording process with vintage equipment, and the juxtaposition of White's fatalistic moan with Jones' coolly detached croon. It almost has to sound better on paper than in practice, but it's terrific in practice, too, as it alternates appropriately cinematic instrumentals with a handful of nifty showcases for its headliners. Jones is long overdue for an image makeover: All those tens of millions of records sold and armloads of Grammys have made it easy to forget that she's still a remarkably cool singer. Here, Jones at times channels the wounded iciness of Metric's great Emily Haines, while still lending her own brooding gravitas to "Season's Trees," "Black" and "Problem Queen." Of course, White makes the most of his own three appearances, from the tone-setting portent of "The Rose With the Broken Neck" to the album-closing "The World," which helps conjure mental images of rolling credits. But Jones and White aren't the only scene-stealers in Rome: Edda Dell'Orso pops up in the album-opening "Theme of Rome," picking up where she left off in the soundtrack to 1966's The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. If it weren't for the unmistakably contemporary voices among its ranks — White's in particular — Rome could just as easily have emerged from a vault, sealed 40 or even 50 years ago. That's clearly the point: From start to finish, the album provides a timeless, arduously arranged backdrop to past generations' visions of panoramic vistas and blood-stained betrayals. In spaghetti-ly related news, Quentin Tarantino has finished writing his next film, "Django Unchained," which will also pull from the genre. Rome will be released on May 17.
[uf-new] hAudio position and description properties msporny at digitalbazaar.com Mon Oct 8 08:22:05 PDT 2007 Martin McEvoy wrote: > I found No evidence of Position as far as podcasting is concerned > although all the examples make a reference to episode I am not sure that > this is the same thing I treated podcast episode number as a POSITION because it was something that denoted an order, other than release date, for an audio recording. > I think you should have notified all the active participants in hAudio > BEFORE you made any changes to OUR proposition. I was merely attempting to bring the hAudio specification up-to-date with the issues page and the discussion. It no longer reflected the issues page nor the discussion that was happening on the mailing list, so I updated the audio-info-proposal page to reflect, what I thought, was the current thinking on hAudio. That is all, there were and still are no sinister motives behind those edits other than attempting to move the format forward. More information about the microformats-new
This is a exceptionally lovely quote, and I’d like to use it in a paper I’m writing (on a far different subject, the history of anatomy). Could you provide a source or reference? I would be much obliged! Cheers! By: Benjamin Goldberg on June 6, 2012 at 7:08 pm Alas, this is just a quote from a private conversation. I love some of the modern smart tools for memorization. For example, you can train Anki to match your short-term and long-term memory timers, and it will serve pieces to you at a perfect rate for retention. The front end is simple, but there is nice research behind. http://ankisrs.net/
TAG \| Web Site I have recently been working with Umbraco 5 (Jupiter), the newest version rebuilt from the ground up using ASP.NET MVC. One of the stranger issues that I ran into occurred after adding a Surface Controller, and a corresponding custom View to the pre-compiled site. The following error showed up after a build/save all: The pre-application start initialization method Start on type System.Web.WebPages.Deployment. Since I opened the site up as an ASP.NET MVC3 Web Site, adding the view added the following to the Web.config: <add key="webpages:Enabled" value="true" /> Since it does this behind the scenes, I was confused about how the error started, and wasn’t able to catch it until doing a compare on a fresh Umbraco web.config, and the one that was in the project root. Hopefully this saves some of you some time
Double Free Food Alert: Golden Krust & Pret After yesterdays “free cake” lameness we need a bonafide free food day! Better yet- how about a double free food day! Got two messages in the old Inbox with news of free lunches… Even though Golden Krust (on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th) opened back in March, there is a sign at the restaurant advertising some kind of Grand Opening celebration taking place on Friday from 12-4pm, including a promise of free food. I didn’t stop in to ask what that will consist of… but the sign promised music, giveaways, and free food. And if that wasn’t enough, there is new Pret a Manger opening up, also looking to give out some free food tomorrow. The email about that, after the jump… Just a quick piece of news: Free lunch at a new Pret A Manger at 485 Lexington (btw. 46+47th St.) on Friday, May 30th. Apparently they’re training their staff, and will be giving away sandwiches starting at 12:15pm, and ending when all the sandwiches are gone. My boss poked her head in to see if they were open yet and the worker gave her the free lunch flyer. On the flyer it asks you to bring it with you tomorrow. Hmmm… the old flyer trick. Hopefully they’ll be handing out these fliers in front of the store tomorrow. If not, Pret will feel the wrath of the Midtown Lunch freeloaders! Thanks to Nancy & Carl for passing along the tips. Got news of your own? Share it by emailing me at email@example.com
Governor Ernie Fletcher’s Communication Office Derby Breakfast Food Prep is Tribute to Teamwork Note to editors: The Governor’s Derby Breakfast on May 6 at the Capitol in Frankfort is free and open to the public. Complete details on the celebration are available at http://governor.ky.gov/derbycelebration/ FRANKFORT, Ky. – Jim Stinnett, now the chef at Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park, remembers the first time he was part of the team that prepared the annual Governor’s Derby Breakfast. It was around 1976. “I was green as a gourd,” he recalled with a chuckle. He was a newly hired cook’s helper. It must have seemed like mass confusion as he and dozens of other Kentucky Department of Parks food services staff prepared to feed guests at the annual event. As a public event, the Governor’s Derby Breakfast dates from 1972. In the early years, visitors numbered in the hundreds to a few thousands. By the time Stinnett became involved, perhaps four thousand people showed up on the Capitol grounds to kick off their Derby Day with a free meal. Today, as many as 15,000 people walk the buffet line to help themselves to country ham, sausage, biscuits, scrambled eggs, cheese grits, and the like. After going through the buffet line, they find seats at brightly decorated tables in a large tent that holds up to 1,200 people. Behind the scenes, a team of parks food services employees is in constant motion, cooking the food at two Frankfort cafeterias, transporting it to the serving tent and setting it up on the buffet line. It has gone smoothly over the years, Stinnett says. Stinnett concentrates on the food preparation aspect of the event. “When you’re feeding up to 15,000 people, you can imagine the volume of food, and it can’t be prepared in five minutes. I help see to it that the food is hot, tasty and ready to go.” “Jim has really stepped up and taken charge this year,” said Jessica Rush, administrative specialist, Kentucky Department of Parks. “I talk with him on a daily basis. He is an expert when it comes to Derby preparations.” “We’ve never had a big problem,” Stinnett said. “Over the years, we’ve gotten more organized to the point that it easier for us.” The Kentucky Department of Parks has a number of employees throughout the park system who have regularly worked the annual event. They know their roles. “It’s a big team effort,” Stinnett said. When the last diner is served late in the morning, the food service staff can feel good about what they’ve accomplished. “It’s one of the most rewarding things in the world, to have successfully served all those people,” Stinnett said. “It just makes you feel super.” The Governor’s Derby Breakfast will be served from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on May 6. Derby Breakfast parking will be available at the CHR Complex, 275 E. Main Street. A free bus shuttle service will operate between CHR, the Kentucky History Center and the Capitol. Hours for the shuttle are 6:30 a.m. to noon. Handicapped parking will be available in the parking lot just west of the Capitol. For more information about the celebration, visit http://governor.ky.gov/derbycelebration
Giuliani: Excuse Me While I Take This Call - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog: It’s unclear whether Republican presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani, whose previous positions on gun control are likely to make his presidential candidacy a tougher sell to members of the influential National Rifle Association, scored points or lost a few today when he decided to take a cell phone call from his wife in the middle of a speech to the group. “Hello dear. I’m talking to the members of the N.R.A. right now. Would you like to say hello?” he said, apparently speaking to his wife, Judith. “I’ll give you a call as soon as I’m done. Have a safe trip. Bye bye.” Though there was some scattered laughter, the audience was mostly quiet as Mr. Giuliani ended the call and added: “This is one of the great blessings of the modern age – to always be available.”
‘He’s getting it done. But while we, the sports-watching society, fixates on results (ask LeBron), Durant chooses to focus on the method.1 I learned long ago in a college class on organizational development that, “You get what you measure. Focus on development and the results will take care of itself.” When you are talking the team game and want to win we need to focus on rebounding, defending, and taking care of the basketball. If we do that we will put our team in a position to win. We don’t talk about winning. To make shots we focus on feet and follow through. We don’t focus on making shots. Focus on the process over results and the results will come. “I’ve really been looking at the mental aspect of the game, how [Bryant] approaches it, watching film, studying opponents, just making sure he’s vocal every time down,” Durant said. “Posting up, the footwork that he uses posting up and how patient he is on the offensive end. I’m learning, every single day. I know that I work hard. It’s going to take me some time, but I know that I’ll get there.”1 Durant’s game and demeanor can be summarized as this “Humble enough to prepare – confident enough to perform”. As a player you gain confidence from preparing long before the lights are on or 15,000 fans are in the stands. The summer is the time you earn the right to shot the ball in the crunch time. Kevin Durant understands this. We struggle with development at all levels of basketball because we are so focused on results that we sacrifice short-term wins over long term player development. I touched on this in an earlier article describing What is Really Killing Youth Basketball. This is the reason in our workouts and camps we focus on developing complete players, especially at a younger age, because you never know what a player is going to end up at. One of my biggest pet peeves is coaches putting taller players in the post in 5th or 6th grade and not developing their overall game. They are focusing on immediate results and setting this individual up for failure. If player is 5’10 in 5th grade, you stick him under the rim, for 3 years and he never grows, odds are that kid is never going to develop into a varsity basketball player. I was always say I’d rather have you end up as a 6’10, skilled, wing player than a 5’10 post player. I don’t care what anyone says. It is way easier to develop a post game with a 6’10 wing player than it is to try and move a big out to the perimeter. Kind of ironic that this article was inspired by Kevin Durant.
This Des Moines Register is saliant. As the author notes, unemployment data is a lagging indicator. The author notes that the stock market is usually high when unemployment is high. I subscribe to the Keynesian theory that in the short run firms will meet demand. Since many firms are monopolistically competitive, they can see an additional unit as long as price is greater than marginal cost. Firm will labor horde. Thus, unemployment lags. It seems to fit the data nicely.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2013 Police warn residents to lock their cars after burglary spree on Presidents' Day weekend. Ten unlocked cars were targeted in a string off burglaries Sunday night into Monday morning in Millburn and Short Hills, police said. Officials reported the following items were stolen from the cars: In addition, six Short Hills residents reported burglaries on Monday. According to the report, nothing was missing from the cars. However, officials reported, the cars and glove boxes were ransacked. Police said two of the burglaries occurred at residences on Farley Road, while other incidents happened at homes on Whitney Road, Alan Drive, Delbarton Drive and Essex Street. Monday, April 30, 2012 Last week, two Short Hills homes were broken into and lamp posts at five others were damaged. Two homes were burglarized last Thursday in Short Hills, and several homes in the area were vandalized with damage to front lamps and lamp posts. In both of the burglary cases, homeowners were not home but had turned on their burglar alarms, which is what alerted police to the break-ins. When Millburn Police Officer Roberto Delgado arrived at the home on Bishop Lane, he found that the front door had been forced open. The residents were not in town but arranged for a family friend to meet police at the house. When they investigated the scene, police found that the nightstand, dresser and closet in the master bedroom were ransacked. Firefighters came to the home to secure the door until the residents could make it home. In the burglary on … Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Burglars target three homes since last week; computers and jewelry among items taken. - POLICE & FIRE Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Detectives with the Millburn Police Department are investigating two home burglaries that occurred last week on Old Short Hills Road and one that occurred Monday morning on Cypress Street in Millburn. According to police investigating the two burglaries that occurred back-to-back on Old Short Hills Road last Wednesday, April 18, a witness reported seeing a man, possibly Hispanic, walking between houses in the vicinity of the burglaries and told police that she also saw him parked in a dark blue SUV on Old Short Hills Road. An Apple computer was taken from one of the homes. Police are hoping that any person or other police agency with any information will contact Detective Ed de la Fuente at 973-564-7031 or email the detective at … Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Front door forced open in another residential burglary; unlocked cars broken into, police say. One home and two vehicles were burglarized this week in Millburn and Short Hills, and, similar to some home break-ins last week, the front door of the residence was forced open. The home burglary occurred on Coniston Road in Short Hills sometime between Friday and Monday, when a guest was coming to stay at the home while the owners were away. The guest, who had just arrived from the airport, noticed that the front door had been kicked in. He walked inside and realized something was amiss, quickly exited and called police, according to a report by Officer James Silance. Silance investigated inside and saw that drawers were opened in the TV room, the main living room and in an upstairs bedroom, where someone had gone through the closets and … Monday, March 26, 2012 Two front doors were forced open, jewelry, lap-top and iPad among missing items. Millburn police reported on Monday that three residential burglaries occurred in the township on Friday evening. Police were called to an Elm Street home in Millburn at 7 p.m. by the homeowner who discovered the front door to his home open. A police investigation revealed that there was evidence of forced entry. An undetermined amount of jewelry was missing. Thirty minutes later (at 7:30 p.m.), police were called to a home on Pine Terrace East in Short Hills where the homeowner had discovered that the front door had been forced open and a laptop and iPad had been taken. At 7:34 p.m., the same evening, Police were called to Roland Drive in Short Hills, where the homeowner found that the front door of his residence had been forced open and … Monday, March 12, 2012 Other crimes last week include attempted residential break-in, theft and auto burglary. Millburn Police worked a residential burglary and an attempted residential burglary and the case of a two stolen bikes from a residence on Friday, as well as a vehicle burglary and theft from the mall on Thursday. The owners of a home on Walnut Avenue in Millburn called police after returning home around 6 p.m. Friday, March 9, to find that the glass in the back door had been shattered with a rock and then removed so that someone could get inside. The police report by Officer Andrew Delrusso states that the closets and dresser drawers had been ransacked and that clothing and jewelry were missing. In addition, a crystal-silverware set was taken from a room off the kitchen. Delrusso noted that a rock had also been used to break-in to other … Tuesday, March 6, 2012 Police respond to a residential burglary, a dishwasher fire and a criminal mischief case at the Historical Society. Editor's Note: The blotter was updated to include more information and pictures from the criminal mischief/vandalism case at the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society. Someone broke into a home on Ridgewood Road in Millburn on Friday, entering through an unlocked sliding door in the back of the residence, according to Millburn Police. The resident told police that someone stole jewelry from her bedroom while she was out between 7:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on March 2. She said she realized that someone had been in the house when she returned and found a coat on the floor of the foyer but knew she had left the coat on the couch. The suspect went through the drawers in her room and her son’s bedroom as well as the closets. She reported that … Tuesday, February 14, 2012 Arrest information was provided by the Millburn Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. - POLICE & FIRE Tuesday, February 14, 2012 The Millburn Police Department investigated several burglaries – of businesses, a home and a vehicle in the last week. They also made arrests in a shoplifting case and in the case of two men allegedly trying to install illegal credit card readers on gas pumps at the Sunoco on Millburn Avenue that could have resulted in the theft of identity and credit card numbers. The following is a weekly roundup of the major activities of the Millburn Police Department: These crimes and others are being investigated by the Millburn Police Department Detective Bureau, if any party has any additional information, they are asked to contact the Millburn Police Department Detective Bureau at (973) 564-7017. Monday, January 24, 2011 Two more burglaries were reported since Wednesday. Millburn police are investigating two more burglaries reported since last Wednesday. Millburn police investigated a burglary on Glenbrook Crest Drive last Wednesday. Two more burglaries were reported on Thursday. A Great Hills Road resident reported a break-in at just before 5:40 p.m. after finding a broken pane of glass in a rear basement door. Police said the suspect was not able to gain entry to the home. They believe the incident happened between 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday and 2 p.m. on Thursday. A Birch Lane resident reported a burglary at just before 11 a.m. Police said the front door was pried open, but there was nothing reported missing at the time of the report. Police believe the incident happened between 3 p.m. on Wednesday and 10 a… Monday, November 8, 2010 Also, a safe was stolen from Calico Corners on Morris Turnpike. While several burglaries were reported in the last week throughout Millburn-Short Hills, police are saying they are not necessarily related to those previously reported. Police Capt. James Miller, public information officer, said the incidents either were not located in the Wyoming and South Mountain sections or did not follow the method used in those incidents. A string of burglaries to both homes and cars have been reported in recent weeks in those two neighborhoods. In the case of the car burglaries, police report the cars were unlocked at the time of the incident. Those with information are asked to contact police at 973-564-7017. On Saturday evening, police investigated a burglary at a Mechanic Street apartment. Two collectors' …
Date(s) - November 10, 2012 10:00 am - 5:00 pm FM 279 in Ben Wheeler and into Edom. Artists, galleries, music and more all along FM 279 in Ben Wheeler and into Edom. Additionally, Flying Fish Gallery will be hosting one-hour painting classes throughout the afternoon during 279 Art Jam. Start your class at your convenience any time that afternoon with artist, Kerian Massey guiding you along. Bring your friends…the less talent, more the fun! For more information, call Kerian at 903.714.7414 or email her at Keriansart.com. You can also email
Hazel Eerdmans, age 91, of Cambridge died peacefully at home surrounded by her family on August 17, 2012. Funeral services were held Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at Strike Funeral Home – Cambridge Chapel with Rev. Ned Eerdmans and Pastor Tom Porta officiating. Lois Roelofs and Rev. Ned Eerdmans served as musicians. Pallbearers were Nathan Dietsche, Bob Eerdmans, Jill Eerdmans, Neil Eerdmans, Pastor Tom Porta and George Ryon. Interment was in Pease Cemetery.
On Mother’s Day weekend, Sandy Ramirez participated in a two-mile walk against cancer in memory of her own mom, who lost her battle with colon cancer last year. “Cancer really doesn't affect you unless you've gone through it, either physically or emotionally with a loved one,” she said. “And people don't normally think about it until it really affects them personally, so it wasn't really anything that we considered or thought about until it really hit home.” Ysabel Duron, founder and executive director of Latinas Contra Cancer, said more than 350 people attended the walk. Participants who gathered at Alviso’s Marina County Park on Saturday morning chose to do so for reasons similar to Sandy Ramirez—some were cancer survivors, others knew someone who had lost their lives to the disease. Walk Against Cancer is in its eighth year. More than 2,000 people have participated, according to Duron. It was created to raise awareness about cancer in the Latino community—one in five Latino deaths are caused by cancer, second only to heart disease. The “Mother's Day Walk Against Cancer” was organized by nonprofit Latinas Contra Cancer, which translates to Latinas Against Cancer. According to the county public health department, cancer was the leading cause of death in Santa Clara County in 2008, followed by heart disease. In the county’s most populous city of San Jose, Latinos comprise a third of the nearly 1 million residents, and, in Alviso, 75 percent of the population. “Our No. 1 goal is always to raise awareness in the Latino community about cancer and for them to not be afraid of the word,” said Duron, also a survivor. In 1998, she recovered from Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that tends to occur in the nymph tissue and lymph nodes. “We want to bring people together to show they’re not alone and raise money for our outreach to educate the community,” she said. After the walk, the participants, wearing yellow T-shirts that read, “Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Healthy Environment Campaign & Our Annual Walk Against Cancer” visited the health fair with vendor booths and exhibits. The largest exhibit in the event was a 20-foot tunnel shipped from Washington, D.C., that displayed the insides of a healthy colon and a cancerous colon. Colon cancer is ranked in the top two or three leading cancers in the U.S. It is a preventable cancer, yet less than 43 percent of people are not screened. The ethnicities most at risk for this cancer are African-Americans, Latinos and Asians. “People have the power to prevent this with exercise, diet, getting screened, stopping tobacco and alcohol intake,” said Janet Hudson, manager of exhibit services for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. “Those are all powerful components of what’s available to you as an individual, but you have to advocate for you and your family.” Since 2005, the "super colon" has traveled to more than 250 towns and states across the country and has been seen by more than 2.3 million people. Before arriving in Alviso, the event was held in Oregon. The event will travel next to Los Angeles for the nation’s largest Cinco de Mayo festival. The walk previously took place in downtown San Jose but was moved to Alviso this year to bring it closer to the local residents in the area. There are about 1,700 individuals living in Alviso, and, according to the American Community Survey 2005-2009, the median household income (in 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars) was $51,425 and per capita income (in 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars) was $27,041.
Can worm holes be used for travel? In a nutshell, theoretically yes. This is an artist's rendition of a wormhole from New York to the Sahara Desert. If you could see a wormhole, it would probably be seen as a sphere with somewhere else in it. The main problem is that wormholes require negative energy. This is not antimatter, but energy that has an amplitude of less than zero. It seems to defy physics, but it does not. Unfortunately for us travelers, we have no way of generating this negative energy necessary. Using "standard", that is, positive energy only, you can bend the fabric of space all you want, if you have enough of it. But to actually join two points together you need negative energy. Once you join these points together, you have formed a wormhole. No one know if you would be able to travel through it and survive, but based on the above picture shows what a wormhole might Based on work By: Lawrence H. Ford and Thomas A. Roman the original article
Play Minecraft for Free! Frequently Asked Questions 1. Do mods work on Minecraft For Free? Answer: Unfortunately at this time mods do not work in the web version. Buy Minecraft to use mods. 2. This website is wrong! It should be taken down! Answer: As far as I am aware, Mojang does not have a problem with this website.(Notch even tells people to pirate Minecraft.) 3. Does multiplayer work? Answer: Yes, but ONLY on cracked (offline mode) servers. You will not be able to play on a premium server for paid members. 4. Do you know any cracked servers I can play on? Answer: Yes! We have our own server. The IP you need to enter is "play.minecraftforfree.com" 5. I am getting a white or black screen. How do I fix this? Answer: This error is usually caused when you've tried to install a mod, or your installation has just gone wonky. Follow these steps to fix it. 6. I can't play Minecraft for free on my Mac. Answer: This is a bug with Apple's version of Java. There is a workaround, however. The workaround can be found by clicking here. More questions and answers are being added as soon as possible based on the emails and support queries received.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and lawmakers will have to eliminate a $1.1 billion state budget deficit when the session convenes in January, a smaller shortfall than in recent years, as Democrats prepare to take over the Legislature. The impasse over the fiscal cliff in Washington is casting enormous uncertainty over the economic forecast in Minnesota. Take a look at any construction site across Minnesota and you’ll see our economic recovery in the works. What’s obvious with every building going up and every load of concrete delivered, is that more and more Minnesotans are going back to work. Minnesota lawmakers are expecting the worst as the state budget office prepares to release its economic forecast. The state of Minnesota could be in for another budget battle when the next session gets underway. A new economic forecast Monday will show whether Minnesota’s $6.2 billion deficit has shrunk since late last year. Mobile Weather Watcher - Namaste: Yoga Poses For... Crews On Scene Of Rescue... Massive Tornado Rips Through... Baseball Shots Of The Week –... - Best Summer Dishes CBS 2013-2014 Prime Time Shows Batting Practice Buddies Fire Near Menahga, Minn. - Renderings Of "The Yard" In... Flash Forward: Concept Cars... Senate Passes Gay Marriage... Baseball Shots Of The Week –... - Ice Surging Off Of Lake Mille... Hundreds Rally At Capitol For... Best Summer Festivals and... Baseball Shots Of The Week –... \|Full Program Grid\| \|7:00 PM\|\|The Mentalist\| \|8:00 PM\|\|48 Hours\| \|9:00 PM\|\|48 Hours\| \|10:00 PM\|\|WCCO 4 News at Ten\| \|10:35 PM\|\|Storm Stories\| \|11:05 PM\|\|Life to the Max\| \|11:35 PM\|\|CSI: Miami\|
Volcano fallout hits Minnesota cultural eventsby Euan Kerr, Minnesota Public Radio St. Paul, Minn. — Flight cancellations caused by the Icelandic volcano has led to the cancellation of one big Minnesota cultural event - and the addition of a few more. The highest profile Minnesota event to fall victim to the flying restrictions from the ash cloud is the upcoming lecture by writer Alexander McCall Smith. McCall Smith, author of the best-selling "Number One Ladies Detective Agency" books was scheduled to read at the State Theater on Monday April 26th. But he is unable to leave his home in Scotland because of the flight ban. Refunds are available at point of purchase. The return of former Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Music Director Denis Russell Davis has also been postponed because he cannot leave Europe. Davis had been scheduled to lead two weeks of concerts at the SPCO, but is now unable to come for the first week. SPCO artistic partner Thomas Zehetmair will replace him. The Minnesota Orchestra reports that Music Director Osmo Vanska made it out on the last flight from Paris before the flight ban hit, so he will be able to lead the Orchestra later this week. Ukranian conductor Kirill Karabits. who led the Minnesota Orchestra last weekend, cannot return to Europe as planned. However he has signed up to conduct the Huston Symphony this coming Thursday, replacing a conductor who was stuck in Europe. Another person stuck on this side of the Atlantic is former Norwegian resistance fighter Gunnar Sonsteby. He was the guest of honor on Thursday at two sold out screenings of "Max Manus" on the opening night at the Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival. It's the story of his group known as the Oslo Gang which fought against the German occupation in World War II. As he is stuck in town, he has added an extra appearance tomorrow night at the film festival at 7 pm. A check of other venues in the Twin Cities found few other problems. However if the disruptions continue into next week, promoters recommend checking to make sure shows with performers from Europe are going ahead. - All Things Considered, 04/19/2010, 5:54 p.m.
Hockey's catastrophic injuries, and worse: Physician seeks 'big change'by Phil Picardi, Minnesota Public Radio St. Paul, Minn. — This year's Hockey Day Minnesota will be dedicated to the family of injured high school hockey player Jack Jablonski. The Benilde-St. Margaret sophomore was paralyzed after being checked from behind during a game nearly two weeks ago. Next Saturday's Hockey Day telethon and auction will benefit a Jablonski family trust fund. A week after the accident, a second high school hockey player was also seriously injured. St. Croix Lutheran's Jenna Privette begins physical therapy this week, but her family says she remains unable to move her legs. Minnesota Wild right wing Pierre-Marc Bouchard is now out of action indefinitely after suffering another concussion. And the team, fans and NHL are still reeling from former player Derek Boogaard's death from a drug overdose that many attributed in part with his trying to cope with injuries and pain he suffered as one of the league's most notorious brawlers. The recent hockey injuries have prompted coaches, parents and players to re-examine the sport's safety. Dr. Bill Roberts, a professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Minnesota, began studying the issue 20 years ago. Roberts, who chairs the medical advisory committee for the Minnesota State High School League, spoke with MPR's Morning Edition. Phil Picardi: When serious hockey accidents happens, it gets a lot of attention. Should the injuries of Jack Jablonski and Jenna Privette scare hockey players, coaches and parents? Dr. Bill Roberts: It certainly gives one pause when these kinds of catastrophic injuries occur. I think what we see is that injuries like this are relatively rare, so you don't think about them from day to day, and when they occur there's a lot of attention, and then it kind of wanes away over time. So you always wonder, will this be the time when people decide to make a big change? Picardi: Your research 20 years ago found that illegal violations and hits were happening. You found that they contribute to 66 percent of the injuries during youth games. Did that surprise you? Do you think they happen more today? Roberts: It's hard to say if they happen more. There's been some follow-up studies to that out of Canada ... that show a persistent level of hockey injury that seems high. The day-to-day injuries that occur in hockey aren't that concerning to me, but these catastrophic injuries draw attention to the risk of the sport. Picardi: Why is checking from behind so dangerous? Roberts: When you get body checked from the front side you know it's coming. You see it if you have your head up and you can brace yourself or be ready. If you're not expecting it it's too hard to get your personal protection up, so often the protective reflexes we have aren't quick enough to get the hands up and the head up to protect yourself from the boards. If you're hit from behind and falling to the boards, it's too easy to fracture. These injuries occur faster than a heartbeat, and it just doesn't take much force to break a neck. When you think about the forces involved, you can break your neck at walking speed, and ice hockey is played at two to eight times that speed in the youth leagues, so the risk is always there. That check from behind, that unexpected nudge is all it takes to put somebody down onto the ice and into the boards, is risky. Picardi: Minnesota Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard is out from play indefinitely again this week with a concussion. You've been on a task force with USA Hockey that looks at concussion risk. Has the risk increased for players? Roberts: I think the risk is there because of the permissiveness of hitting has allowed more hits to occur. I think we often assume that the helmet protects the head from concussion when it really doesn't. So we're kind of caught in a quandary: How much hitting is essential for the game? Is hitting, body checking an essential part of the game, and how much risk are we willing to assume for kids playing the game? Concussion is probably the more concerning injury in the day-to-day game of hockey because it does occur pretty frequently. (Interview transcribed by MPR reporter Elizabeth Dunbar) - Morning Edition, 01/12/2012, 7:45 a.m.
How to keep the Electoral College while letting the people pick our president By Laura Brod Laura Brod is a spokesperson for National Popular Vote, a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and a former Republican state legislator. The 2012 elections have reenergized the national debate over the Electoral College, and that's a good thing. But that debate is needlessly veering off in two radically opposite directions. On one side are the status quo defenders, who believe that protecting a system of electing the president that leaves four out of five Americans behind in 40 "spectator" states is a good idea because it's what we know. On the other side are folks who believe fixing our broken system requires us to eliminate the Electoral College that the Founders carefully put in place. The choice is not between the devil we know and the devil we don't. There is a sensible middle ground. We can fix the system, keep the Electoral College and assure that every voter will be equally important come 2016. That solution is called National Popular Vote. It's an artful, state-based solution to the significant problem with our system. Now, three critical points. First, it is important to understand that the Electoral College itself is not the problem. The problem is state-based, winner-take-all laws that award all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in each state. It is these laws, and not the Electoral College itself, that must be changed. Winner-take-all rules, in place in 48 of 50 states, drive presidential campaigns directly to 10 battleground "swing" states where virtually all the candidates' time, money and attention are concentrated. That's why voters in the battleground states of Michigan and Ohio were inundated with campaign messaging about auto bailouts; why candidates were quick to address federal workforce issues in Virginia, and why voters in Colorado heard so much about defense and the military. Meanwhile, until polls here in Minnesota began to tighten, both campaigns ignored us. The pattern repeats itself across the country. Republicans feel free to bypass reliably "red" states like North Dakota and Kansas, and Democrats don't bother campaigning in reliably "blue" states such as New York and California. As a result, presidential candidates fail to address the issues of concern to four out of five Americans. Second, under the current system, Americans face the very real possibility of a president who wins the national popular vote but fails to capture the majority of electoral votes. It didn't happen in 2012, but it has occurred four times over the past 56 presidential elections, including George W. Bush's victory over Al Gore in 2000. That number almost became five in 2004, when a 60,000-vote switch in Ohio would have awarded that state's electoral votes, and the presidency, to John Kerry even though Bush won a 3-million-vote popular victory. This is something many citizens — on both sides of the aisle — simply believe is wrong. Third, the National Popular Vote bill makes every vote equally important and preserves the Electoral College. The National Popular Vote bill is a compact by which state legislatures use their power under Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution to award their states' electoral votes as they see fit. Under the compact, states with electoral votes totaling 270 or more agree to award all of their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote. The current system of winner-take-all state laws gets fixed. The Electoral College remains in place. And everyone's vote becomes equally important, regardless of where he or she lives. The good news is, we are almost halfway there. Thus far, eight states plus the District of Columbia (Hawaii, Washington, California, Illinois, Vermont, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey), with 132 combined electoral votes, have passed National Popular Vote. The compact will take effect when states with 270 or more total electoral votes pass the measure. Since state and national polls consistently show 75 percent of Americans support the change, prospects appear bright for 2016. When that happens, smart strategy will press presidential candidates to campaign for every single vote across all 50 states. Because a vote in Minnesota or Kansas will carry as much weight as a vote in Florida or Ohio. No more "battleground" states or "flyover-ATM" states where candidates rush in to raise money and then disappear. Every voter in every state will be equally important.
Many companies like to portray themselves as big, happy families. But, sometimes they break that family down into smaller groups, like women or minorities, who can look out for each other. The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, one of the country's largest property and casualty insurers, and the employer of 10,400 workers, is one such company. At its New Jersey headquarters, there is a black employee network, and there are groups for Latinos, Asians, people with disabilities, working parents and young people. Chubb midlevel manager Keith Ellsmith is a member of the company's gay and lesbian networking group. "It is the face of diversity for gay and lesbian employees at the organization," he says. "Being able to be out and be yourself at work, it takes a level of pressure completely off your shoulders and allows you to be more productive." On One Hand: Tangible Results These groups can create tangible change in the workplace. The gay and lesbian network persuaded the company to provide domestic partnership benefits for its employees. Donna Griffin, Chubb's chief diversity officer, says networking groups are a way to attract talent, especially young people who might Google a company before deciding whether or not to apply. "They do actually look at our Web site and they do look at awards," Griffin says, "whether it's being recognized by the Human Rights Campaign or [that] we were one of the top 50 companies for Latinas." Griffin says networking groups are not just there for employees — they also help with Chubb's bottom line. "For example, in May of this year, we had a specific program that was geared toward our Asian-American agents and we utilized resources from our Asian business network in order to make that happen," Griffin says. On The Other: A Balkanized Workplace But there can be a downside to this approach. Harvard sociologist Frank Dobbin studies diversity strategies and says networking groups can balkanize a workplace, especially when it comes to racial minorities. "When minorities start meeting together they become resegregated and whites start to see them as an oppositional group, rather than members of the corporation," Dobbin says. He acknowledges that these groups do have value for some employees. If you belong to a women's group, for example, statistics suggest you have a good chance of meeting female managers who might mentor you. "These are the people who can help you get ahead and these are the people who identify talent and decide who gets promoted," Dobbin says. "It's managers, not low-level workers." And for employees anxious to move up the corporate ladder, that kind of mentoring might be the best thing a networking group can offer. Dobbin says if these groups just function like social clubs or outlets for employee complaints, they run the risk of becoming mere window dressing — nice for the company brochure, but not the best way to make the company really look more like America.
Though the new backup quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings - Donovan McNabb - is "surprised" about his benching in favor of rookie Christian Ponder, he's going to do all he can as a backup to help the team win. Whether that means keeping himself in shape to step in of there's an injury or by helping Ponder to grow into his role as a starter. McNabb gave the usual line about being one play away from being put back into the lineup and how he needs to be prepared for such a situation. But it brings up the thought about whether or not we've seen McNabb play in his last NFL game. He's 34 years-old and hasn't looked like a starting quarterback with regularity since some of his final days with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was benched three times by Mike Shanahan as a member of the Washington Redskins and now has been benched after a 1-5 start by the Vikings. With another promising young quarterback in Joe Webb on the roster, where does McNabb go from here? Unless he is released and some quarterback-needy team, desperate to turn around their 2011 campaign, signs him to a deal, then he probably won't be playing this year, especially now that the trade deadline has just passed us by. And what about what happens after that? Could you see a team going with a near-35 year-old McNabb in the offseason with intentions of making him the starter? It would have to be a situation like the one in Minnesota this year, where he plays in front of a rookie who isn't quite ready until it's evident that he just doesn't have it anymore. And it's not likely any team considers that a viable option. He might get signed as a backup somewhere but no, we're probably looking at the end of the line for McNabb and his last game in the NFL.
Members of the Thomson Police Department said goodbye to one of their own Monday as Patrolman Richard Redd was laid to rest in Augusta's Westview Cemetery. Colleagues say Officer Redd, who was killed in a traffic accident in North Carolina while traveling to visit family for the New Year's holiday, will be missed. "Richard was an all-around good person. He would do anything in the world you asked him to do," said Scott Whittle, investigator with the police department. Officer Redd enjoyed outdoor activities including golf and fishing, and his family. "He was crazy about his grandchildren," said Investigator Whittle, who recalled Officer Redd talking about how much they liked the new riding toy he had given them for Christmas. Officer Redd had a wonderful sense of humor, said Investigator Whittle. Jokes were frequent in the department, with Officer Redd joining in. "He could take a joke better than anyone I know," Investigator Whittle said. His personable demeanor and his friendliness will be missed, said Jerry Stanphill, investigator. "He was always willing to help," he said. Officer Redd was forthright and could always be counted on for an honest opinion. "He was one-of-a-kind. We're going to miss him," Investigator Stanphill said. Dispatcher Pat Garbutt, who worked the same shift as Officer Redd for three years, said, "It really hit hard." "Any time you lose an officer or deputy that really works hard to do his job properly, it's a great loss to the whole community," he said. While helping with community events, "We did a lot of cooking together," he recalled. Some especially vivid memories involve the annual 9/11 Memorial Luncheon which Officer Redd and Dispatcher Garbutt co-founded. "We've always had it in remembrance of slain officers of 9/11, but now we will also do it as a memorial to him (Officer Redd)," he said. Officer Redd, who joined the Thomson force in 1997, had a diverse career in law enforcement. He served as a firefighter, was a sheriff's deputy in both Richmond and Columbia County, and served as an Augusta police officer. He was a member of the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, an organization for police officers.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Kaiju! In Japanese, “kaiju” means “strange beast,” but is often translated in English as “monster.” Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of Tokusatsu, one of the most popular forms of Japanese entertainment, which utilizes special effects and puppetry. The most famous Kaiju is Godzilla. Other well known Kaiju characters include Mothra, Anguirus, Rodan, King Kong, Gamera, and King Ghidorah. While many of you who are familiar with the wonderful world of Kaiju have already called and emailed us regularly regarding our super-limited Kaiju collaboration with Japan’s Gargamel, for those of you for whom this guy is something new, let us enlighten you a little on Hedoran. Hedoran is one of many characters created in the 1970′s as a bootleg to the classic Godzilla smog-monster, Hedorah! (You know us and bootlegs!) Header Card Artwork (Front) by L’amour Supreme Well, this little guy is finally available on our online shop! Measuring 4.5″ in height and produced in a limited run of 50, this Hedoran figure was made in our classic Mishka colorways of Magenta & Sea-Foam, with a custom header card by L’amour Supreme. Header Card Artwork (Back) by L’amour Supreme These won’t last long, so don’t sleep, because once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. Mishka x Kaiju x Gargamel x L’amour Supreme cross-collectible, OMG!!!!!- My Pal the Crook
This entry was posted on Friday, June 8th, 2012 at 10:33 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. The subsequent time I learn a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I imply, I know it was my option to read, but I actually thought youd have one thing interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you would repair for those who werent too busy looking for attention. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change ) Connecting to %s Notify me of follow-up comments via email. Theme: Contempt by Vault9. Blog at WordPress.com. Get every new post delivered to your Inbox. Join 1,666 other followers
July 7, 2007 UK targets abound at Takes 5ive Classic CINCINNATI, Ohio - Top prospects and a Who's Who of college basketball coaches descended on the University of Cincinnati campus Friday for the inaugural adidas Takes 5ive Classic, an event which also signaled the start of the frenzied July evaluation period. Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie was among the high-profile coaches in attendance as several Wildcat targets participated in the tournament. The Takes 5ive Classic featured one signee, 2010 forward Dakotah Euton, and a list of other UK prospects that included Tyler Zeller, Chris Singleton, Chad Jackson, Trae Golden, Derrick Favors and Shawn Williams. ...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial
Latest Team Rankings Free Text Alerts \|ShopMobileRadio RSSRivals.com Yahoo! Sports\| \|College Teams\|\|High Schools\| March 16, 2007 COLUMBUS, Ohio - No rhythm, no flow, no open shots. Southern Illinois got the exact type of game it wanted. Letting their gritty defense do the work, the Salukis overcame a front-line injury and beat Holy Cross 61-51 on Friday night in a first-round NCAA tournament game that had as many floor burns as fastbreaks. Reserve forward Tony Boyle scored a career-high 14 points in the second half, including one banked-in free throw, as Southern Illinois (28-6) matched its school record for wins and advanced in the West Regional. Playing with the best NCAA tournament seed in its history, No. 4 Southern Illinois had trouble finding shots against a switching, trapping defense that seemed to know what it was going to do. Holy Cross (25-9) had even bigger problems, keeping the Crusaders in a deep tournament rut. They won the national championship in 1947 with a team that featured guard Bob Cousy, but haven't won a tournament game since 1953, dropping their last nine. Boyle took over after forward Matt Shaw hurt his left ankle while getting a rebound in the closing seconds of the first half. The sophomore did just enough to keep Southern Illinois ahead the rest of the way. Torey Thomas led Holy Cross with 15 points, but went only 3-of-16 from the field. Senior guard Keith Simmons, the Patriot League's player of the year, went 0-for-5 from the field and managed only four free throws. Everyone figured it would be decided by skinned-knee defense. Both teams rank in the top 10 nationally in fewest points allowed per game - Southern Illinois is third at 56.5, Holy Cross ninth at 57.1. Plus, both teams had a defensive player of the year in their conference - the Salukis' Randal Falker in the Missouri Valley, the Crusaders' Thomas in the Patriot. Six minutes into the game, the score was stuck at 4-all, the teams were a combined 2-for-9 from the field, and the frenetic pressure had forced eight ugly turnovers. The defenses had already dug in. For most of the half, baskets were so scarce that a three-point play qualified as a scoring spree. In the last 4 minutes, Southern Illinois put together the game's first and most decisive run - a 9-0 spurt that featured a pair of fastbreak baskets by Shaw. Even that came at a price. Shaw, a junior forward who averages 11.4 points, hurt his left ankle while trying to rebound a missed shot at the buzzer. He sat on the court for several minutes, holding his lower leg, while the rest of the Salukis walked off with a 30-25 halftime lead. Shaw limped to the bench for the start of the second half, moving so slowly that it was obvious he wouldn't play again. The start of the second half held to form - Falker's free throw accounted for all of the scoring in the first 4 minutes. Bryan Mullins' 3-pointer - only the second 3 of the game - gave Southern Illinois its biggest lead, 38-29, with 12:42 to go. With Boyle scoring inside, the Salukis led by at least four points the rest of the way. Boyle had a free throw and a layup that blunted the Crusaders' final rally and helped Southern Illinois pull away down the stretch. Mississippi State NEWS
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This back hoe greeted Joe Biden in Reno, Nevada yesterday with a sign that said “We’ve been buried the last four years.” This dump truck welcomed President Obama to New Hampshire today with a “Buried In Debt” sign. Do you concur? Joe Biden does! Originally posted at Romney Response.
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First and Foremost, I'm crazy and proud of it, we all know that fact .. :D .. Anyway, the other day, me and a couple of friends/acquaintances scheduled a little adventure to a paintball center here in Riyadh, taking into consideration this was my first time as a paintball soldier .. i was knocked out from the first field within few minutes, a perfect shot in the head, and I dragged myself caring all the shame i could bare out of the field. In the second battlefield, I was ready, I moved fast, took a good position and started snipering everyone i could see through the helmet and the 2 tons of stuff I was wearing "for protection" :k:, it payed of at the end, as I cornered a RedTeamer for a fellow YellowTeamer to knock him out. Sadly, my performance in the third round wasn't impressive at all, a combination of bad choice of tactics, and "the sun was in my eye" (haitham I know what you're thinking, no I didn't play with Arrumtha football team u___u), yielded in a quick elimination of my sorry butt T-T, it was (quoting Amy Farrah Fowler - TBBT) "both tragic and hysterical". Finally, the last and most vicious round came, I took a key position (a mushroom hut) and emptied my ~150 paintballs on the RedTeamrs vests and helmets :D.. at the end, The YellowTeamers (us :yai:) were victorious. Now comes the crazy part, We took some pictures before and after the battle, and I cut out myself from one of the pictures and sent it to a friend of mine for teasing purposes, since we -briefly- planned a paintball adventure in the summer, that never saw the light. Well, she knew how to pay me back pretty darn well. long story short, she feminized my picture in a way beyond description .. I leave you with the results .. -___-' PS: Haitham 5od ra7tak el marrah, I deserve it .. u__u
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A's creeping up on everyone, including Rangers ANAHEIM -- The Yankees and Orioles are dead even atop the American League East, a division the Athletics would be leading by two games. The White Sox have a one-game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central, a division that would be under the A's command by six games. Only the Rangers in the AL West are keeping the A's off the top of the heap. Yes, the second-best record in the league belongs to the outfit from Oakland with the 29th lowest payroll among 30 teams and a home yard not even a mother could love. "It's a fun group of guys," said rookie right-hander A.J. Griffin following a 4-1 snuffing of the Angels on Wednesday night, "and we just go out and play baseball. Somebody's got to go out there and pitch, and why not me? That's the way I look at it." The A's are for real. They came to Angel Stadium on Monday with the Angels on fire, threatening to make good on the pledges of dominance over the winter following the acquisitions of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Now look how the kids from the East Bay, managed in extraordinary fashion by Bob Melvin, have deflated the Angels, taking the first three in a crucial four-game series. Pushing their road winning streak to 12 on Wednesday night, the A's got another stellar effort from Griffin, who hails from El Cajon, Calif., down by the border, and had 30 to 40 friends and relatives cheering him on to his Oakland-best 6-0 start. "I didn't know who he was [in Spring Training]," Melvin said of the 6-foot-5 Griffin. "We didn't see him at all. [Dan] Straily, same thing. He wasn't on our radar either." Griffin kept all four of his pitches in the strike zone, frustrating the Angels for eight scoreless innings. They needed Pujols' ninth-inning homer against lefty Sean Doolittle to avoid a shutout. It's not quite dire straits for the Angels, who remain in postseason range with a big finish. But Oakland appears intent on pulling away with the first Wild Card, if not overhauling the two-time defending league champion Rangers. The A's have won six in a row, 15 of the past 18, 21 of 26. Their 82 wins are eight more than they claimed last season, before general manager Billy Beane elected to start moving his most accomplished (and potentially expensive) performers to get younger and deeper, organizationally. With the exits of starters Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill and closer Andrew Bailey, the A's weren't expected to do much this season. Most projections were in the 70-win neighborhood, given how formidable the upper half of the division looked with the Goliaths in Texas and SoCal. Lo and behold, the A's are thriving beyond all logic. Their pitching is so good that even the unexpected departure of Bartolo Colon due to a drug suspension and the season-ending injury of Brandon McCarthy, recovering from a wicked line drive off his head, seemingly have been absorbed. Brett Anderson has returned from Tommy John surgery to unleash absolute dominance across four outings heading into Thursday's series finale against Angels ace Jered Weaver. Anderson is 4-0 with a 0.69 ERA in four starts, allowing just 21 baserunners in 16 innings. He joins Griffin, Tommy Milone, Jarrod Parker and Straily in a first-rate rotation. The highest ERA in the group belongs to 12-game winner Milone, at 3.90. Should another crisis arise, lefty Travis Blackley would emerge from the bullpen with credentials. The Aussie from Melbourne has made 12 starts this season and is 5-3 overall with a 3.39 ERA. Another Aussie, Sydney's Grant Balfour, is a closer with attitude at the back end of a resourceful, versatile bullpen. Despite hitting only .236 as a team with a .308 on-base percentage and .399 slugging mark -- all among the lowest in the Majors -- the A's have managed to outscore the opposition by 86 runs. "We feel with our pitching staff, we can compete with any lineup, and we've proved that so far," said catcher Derek Norris. "It is remarkable that these guys have come in and put up numbers. It's very nice to see." The familiar refrain that the AL West is the weakest of the divisions rarely has held water and is especially off target these days. "I think it's the most competitive division in baseball right now," Melvin said. The combined winning percentage of the AL West four-pack is .550, by far the highest of the six divisions. Next is the NL East (.516), followed by the AL East (.514). The Mariners are the lone sub-.500 club in the AL West, but they've surged to 69-74 with a strong second half. The A's own winning records at home (42-30), on the road (40-30), against the AL East (25-15), the AL Central (22-16), the AL West (25-21) and the National League (10-8). They've been one tough band of desperados everywhere, against all comers. Somehow, they've done it while shedding $14 million in payroll, down to $52.8 million. "What's great about this game is you can have 10 years or one year -- if you put up numbers," said Norris. "It is remarkable that these guys have come in and put up numbers. It's very nice to see." Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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